The Power of Language

At this time of the year, I find it interesting how many people who confess that they are Pagans throughout the year start becoming "Christianised" and celebrate Christmas.  The reasoning behind this personally escapes me as being a Pagan, the only festival I acknowledge is the upcoming Solstice, and being in the Southern Hemisphere, this is the Summer Solstice, unlike my northern counterparts who will soon be celebrating the Winter Solstice, or Yule.

Connection with the Divine

Performing a Hindu puja ritual is a wonderful way to experience

direct communication with the divine.

Forging a spiritual connection with the divine is the ultimate goal of many forms of worship. In our devotions, we transcend the limitations of our humanity using prayers, rituals, and invocations, or we seek the celestial in sacred items such as statuary, imagery, or natural objects. In the Hindu tradition, worshipers bond with the divine through the puja ritual. The purpose of the ritual is to create an atmosphere in which humans and spiritual beings can enjoy communion with one another.

Though participants show reverence for their chosen deities, puja serves to bring the former and the latter together on an energetic level. Performing a puja ritual is thus a wonderful way to experience direct communication with the divine.

Perceiving the Infinite - Using Your Psychic Gifts

People often have difficulty accepting tha

they have been blessed with psychic abilities.

Psychic experiences are a natural part of our everyday lives. People often have difficulty accepting that they have been blessed with psychic abilities because without a frame of reference it is almost impossible to identify an extrasensory experience and to distinguish psychic sights, sounds, and sensations from the projects of the unconscious mind. To some extent, every human being on the planet is clairvoyant, clairaudient, and clairsentient, although most people discover that they are naturally adept at one more than the others.

The Ripple Effect of a Virtuous Cycle

Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread as they move outward.

In a world of six billion people, it is easy to believe that the only way to initiate profound transformation is to take extreme action. Each of us, however, carries within us the capacity to change the world in small ways for better or worse. Everything we do and think affects the people in our lives, and their reactions in turn affect others. As the effect of a seemingly insignificant word passes from person to person, its impact grows and can become a source of great joy, inspiration, anxiety, or pain. Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread and expand as they move outward.

Remembrance Day

At 5.00 am on 11 November 1918, three German Government representatives accepted the Armistice terms presented to them by an allied commander, General Foch of the French Army. The demands of the Armistice included the withdrawal of German forces to the east bank of the Rhine within 30 days; immediate cessation of warfare; and surrender of the German fleet and all heavy guns with no further negotiations until the signing of the peace treaty.

The armistice became effective at 11:00 am the same day, and as the guns fell silent on the Western Front in France and Belgium, four years of hostilities ended.

Remembrance Day is observed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. To acknowledge this important anniversary an one minute's silence is held to remember the sacrifice made by all involved, the armed forces as well as civilians in time of war.

An Unwavering Connection to the Infinite

Your worth is not a product of your intelligence, your talent, your looks

or how much you have accomplished.

Though much of who and what we are changes as we journey through life, our inherent worth remains constant. While the term self-worth is often used interchangeably with self-esteem, the two qualities are inherently different. Self-esteem is the measure of how you feel about yourself at a given moment in time. Your worth, however, is not a product of your intelligence, your talent, your looks, your good works, or how much you have accomplished. Rather it is immeasurable and unchanging manifestation of your eternal and infinite oneness with the universe. It represents the cornerstone of the dual foundations of optimism and self-belief.

Conscious Decisions - Going Against What Is Popular

Because an idea or way of doing things is popular

does not mean it is right for everyone.

Just because an idea or way of doing things is popular does not mean it is right for everyone. However, part of the way that something becomes popular is that many of us do not take the time to determine what’s right for us; we simply do what most of the people we know are doing. In this way, our decisions about life are made by default, which means they are not what we call conscious decisions. There may be many other options available, but we do not always take the time to explore them.

This may be the result of feeling overwhelmed or pressured by family, peers, and humanity at large, to do things their way, the way things have always been done.

Regardless of the cause, it is important that, as often as we can, we decide for ourselves what to do with our lives rather than just drift along on the current of popular opinion.

Waves of Healing - Ocean Meditation

There is much we can learn from the ocean

as we have a similar inner landscape within us as well.

Delaware Beach, South Australia

Like us, the sea is ever-changing. And, like us, the earth’s vast oceans appear at a distance to be stable and homogenous. But beneath the mask of solidity that both we and the sea wear, there lies unpredictability, sensitivity, and power. There is much we can learn from the ocean, representative as it is of our inner landscapes.

The rough sounds of the sea’s waves are spiritually soothing, and its salt can purify our physical selves. Yet not everyone has the luxury of living by the shore or even visiting the coastlines where water and land meet. The ocean, however, exists in our conscious minds, put there by images we have seen and descriptions we have read. Wherever we are, we can access that mental image and use it as the starting point from which we can help to heal our emotions by meditating on the sea.

Keeping our Minds Supple - Questioning Everything

Being open-minded means that we are willing to question everything,

including those things we take for granted.

A lot of people feel threatened if they feel they are being asked to question their cherished beliefs or their perception of reality. Yet questioning is what keeps our minds supple and strong. Simply settling on one way of seeing things and refusing to be open to other possibilities makes the mind rigid and generally creates a restrictive and uncomfortable atmosphere. We all know someone who refuses to budge on one or more issues, and we may have our own sacred cows that could use a little prodding.

Being open-minded means that we are willing to question everything, including those things we take for granted.

Understanding the Concept of Perfect Love and Perfect Trust

One of the central phrases used within Wicca is the axiom of "Perfect Love and Perfect Trust".  The origins of this phase is believed to have come from the Rede of the Wiccae allegedly penned by Lady Gwen Thomson and published in 1975.  In the poem, we find the lines:

"Bide the Wiccan Laws ye must, in perfect love and perfect trust ..."

The Mystical Phoenix

I thought I would share an article that I wrote for Insight magazine back in October 2005 about  the phoenix ...

"Like a phoenix from the flame, I will rise again …" so yelled Irish songstress Sinead O'Connor in the song "Troy" from her first album "The Lion and the Cobra".

The phoenix, a mystical bird most commonly believed to be of Arabic descent, is often described as being the size of an eagle, with a brilliant scarlet and golden plumage.  A popular medieval legend, which has been passed down to us today, states that after living for several centuries, the phoenix builds its own funeral pyre, and throws itself upon the flames to be burnt up.  Then, after a number of days, the phoenix emerges from the ashes (or flames, depending on the source of the legend).

Affirming an Abundant Future

Squirrel medicine reminds us to set aside a portion of our most precious resources

as an investment in the future.

Native Americans considered all living beings as brothers and sisters that had much to teach including squirrels. These small creatures taught them to work in harmony with the cycles of nature by conserving for the winter months during times when food was plentiful.

Prayer of Awaking

Feeling a bit stressed out? Something just isn't quite right but you can't seem to put your finger on it? Well, Imbolc has passed and we are now moving towards the Spring Equinox.  As we do so, the energies shift around again, it is little wonder that things are feel out of sorts.

As I am finding myself waking earlier (along with the sun and the birds nesting outside my bedroom window), in the early mornings hours while the world still seems very much asleep, I like to spend this time atuning with Deity.

In Line with Spirit - Staying on Track

In a world where we have routines to get everything done,

we rarely have a routine for our spiritual self.

In a world where we have routines for nearly everything - our route to work, our physical fitness regimen, and our weekday schedule - it’s amazing how many people forget to create a routine for meeting their spiritual needs. We run around in an attempt to be at our many appointments on time and meet our many obligations. In our efforts to be as productive as possible, however, our spiritual needs tend to take a backseat. After all, taking care of our spiritual needs doesn’t directly pay the bills or tone our abdominal muscles.

Nine Ways to Help Awaken Consciousness

By simply being yourself, you can help the people in your life see a living example of consciousness.

1. Living by your values allows you to become a positive source of inspiration for others. Don’t hide – express yourself and embrace life without reservation. By simply being yourself, you can help the people in your life see how one person can make a difference by being a living example of consciousness.

Making Sense of it all with "Covensense"

It is always a joy to be reading a book that is funny, yet informative, not to mention insightful - and my current reading material, that being "Covensense" by Patricia Crowther (Robert Hale, 2009) is proving to be just that.

Crowther, for those not aware of who she is, was initiated into Wicca in 1960 by Gerald Gardner. Along with the likes of Doreen Valiente, Lois Bourne, and Eleanor Bone, Crowther is often consider to be one of the "early mothers" of Wicca.

Together with her late husband Arnold (who died in 1974), Crowther established what came to be known as the Sheffield Coven in 1961.

The author of many books (including two that have found their way into the Temple's own library "Lid of the Cauldron" and "The Zodiac Experience", this latest book is written along the lines of questions and answers - allowing Crowther's extensive knowledge and personal experience about the Craft to come through.

Things we cannot Control

We develop grace as we learn with the guiding hand of the Universe,

life will unfold exactly the way it should.

      
The idea of trusting the Universe is a popular one these days, but many of us do not know what this really means and we often have a hard time doing it. This is partly because the story of humankind is most often presented as a story about struggle, control, and survival, instead of one of trust and collaboration with the Universe.

Yet, in truth, we need to adhere to both ideas in this life.

A key to personal development

One book that I have enjoyed reading in recent times is Abrahadabra: Understanding Aleister’s Thelemic Magick by Rodney Orpheus (which is probably obvious considering this is my second posting about this book).  Within this book, I came across a passage that I have adapted for a more Wiccan focus, however regardless of what spiritual path one is following, I believe it gives much thought ...

"One of the keys to Wicca is personal development. This means you have to do the work yourself. Simply reading books and/or web sites is not good enough. While this may increase your theoretical knowledge (or then again may totally confuse you further), unless you do it, you are wasting your time. Knowledge is not the same thing as understanding."

It is only through personal experience that you yourself can access what are termed as the "Mysteries" contained within Wicca - no teacher, regardless of how wonderful they may be, can experience these Mysteries for you ... nor can their interpretation be 100% relevant for you.

Your Perfect Teacher - Life

Many of us long to find a spiritual teacher or guru. We may feel unsure of how to practice our spirituality without one, or we may long for someone who has attained a higher level of insight to lead the way for us. Some of us have been looking for years to no avail and feel frustrated and even lost. The good news is that the greatest teacher you could ever want is always with you—that is your life.

The people and situations we encounter every day have much to teach us when we are open to receiving their wisdom. Often we don’t recognize our teachers because they may not look or act like our idea of a guru, yet they may embody great wisdom. In addition, some people teach us by showing us what we don’t want to do. All the situations in our lives, from the insignificant to the major, conspire to teach us exactly what we need to be learning at any given time. Patience, compassion, perseverance, honesty, letting go—all these are covered in the classroom of the teacher that is your life.

Creating Our Own Reality

I came across the following article by Robin Wood (http://www.robinwood.com/index.html) who is the creator of the first deck of tarot cards (the Robin Wood tarot) that I purchased myself.


Creating Our Own Reality
© Robin Wood 2005

It’s completely true that we create our own reality.

Not because we get to choose what happens to us; few of us are that lucky.

Horns of Power: Manifestations of the Horned God

It is often said that despite the seemingly wealth of information avaailable of all aspects of Paganism, there is one area in particular that tends to be overlooked - that of the God, the Divine Masculine.  Luckily for us, however, the team at Avalonia Publishing recognised this gap when they produced an anthology of articles and poems back in 2008 entitled “Horns of Power: Manifestations of the Horned God” (edited by Sorita d’Este).

With Marc Potts’s wonderful painting of “Herne” painting glaring out from the cover, this book is truly something special. The series of articles, impregnated with illustrations, photographs and even guided visualisations, are well research and provide the reader with a wealth of information about this rather overlooked aspect within modern Paganism, and in particular Wicca.

Let it Flow - Tears

The messages from Daily Om that appear in my email box never fail to amazed me as to how relevant the topic is.  They often appear after a thought has crossed my mind or news received, offering their words of wisdom and advice uncanningly when needed.  Other people have almost commented on the wise words received from Daily Om and how relevant they seem to be at the time of reading.

Tears are as natural to us as breathing

and there is beauty in allowing yourself to be open to the pain of tears.

How wonderful it feels to give in and let tears flow when we are overwhelmed with emotions, whether we are happy or sad. Tears come from the soul, from our well of feelings rising from deep down. When we give in to the prickling behind our eyes and the lump in our throat to let teardrops fall from our eyes, we allow our feelings to surface so they can be set free.

Casting the Circle

A circle is the boundary within which the Wytch works. The four positions on the rim of the circle represent the cardinal direction and their corresponding elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Thus, a circle contains within itself a square, as well as a point above and a point below, for the “circle” is, in fact, visualised as a sphere. This is the moveable temple of a Wytch, one which can be set up anywhere simply by “casting the circle”.

At the end of the ritual the temple is as easily dissembled as it was assembled, and the area it occupied ceased to be a sacred space. The important point about creating a sacred circle is that it is created with the mind, using visualisation.

The Truth as to what our personality really is all about

The following is another excerpt I wish to share from Rodney Orpheus's book, "Abrahadabra: Understanding Aleister’s Thelemic Magick", which I have found to be of interest ...

We are accustomed to think of our personalities as being ourselves. This is totally false. The word “personality” comes from the Latin “persona” meaning a mask. In ancient drama the characters were differentiated only by the masks they wore. Your personality is only the clothing you wear over your soul. We must explore our “true nature” that lies below the level of the personality. We do this by first understanding what a fragile artificial thing our personality is."

Reserved Perceptions - Being Projected Upon

When we take ownership of our thoughts

we are less likely to project our issues or disowned qualities onto others.

 

We all have issues, as well as undesirable qualities or traits that we don’t like about ourselves. Most of us realize that we are not perfect and that it is natural to have unpleasant thoughts, motivations, desires, or feelings.

However, when a person does not acknowledge these, they may ascribe those characteristics to someone else, deeming other people instead as angry, jealous, or insecure. In psychological terms, such blaming and fault finding is called projection.

Winter Solstice - A Time of Rebirth

Light has given way to darkness and the coldness of Winter has its icy grip upon the land.  The trees are all but skeletons, having lost their leaves months ago.  The Sun is at its northern most point during its yearly migration across the sky, above the tropic of Cancer, meaning that whilst those of us south of the Equator are shivering with Summer all but a distant memory, the Northern Hemisphere is basking in the warmth and glory of the Sun. 

From this point onwards, however, as the sacred Wheel turns, we know it will only be a matter of time for we too feel those warming rays again, that will break through the chains of Winter. 

As Good As Your Word - Promises

Be careful with the promises you make

as they are energetic vows taken seriously by our souls and the Universe.



Heart and Soul by Josephine Wall



Ever since human beings could speak to one another, they have been making promises and keeping them or not keeping them. Those who keep their promises are regarded as people of integrity, while those who do not keep their promises are regarded as people who at best cannot be taken seriously and at worst, cannot be trusted.

Sometimes we forget how powerful our words are, and we use them haphazardly or unconsciously, creating expectations that are never fulfilled, leaving disappointment and distrust in our wake.

Mid Winter in the Southern Hemisphere

A week out from the Winter Solstice (calculated to take place here in Adelaide, South Australia on 22 June @ 2:46am), we can be forgiven to think that already we have reached Winter's deepest heart with overnight lows plummeting and the chill factor lingering well until mid morning. I even saw evidence of Jack Frost being out and about - the first for the year.

Evolution of the Soul - Lessons through Reincarnation

Often we reincarnate on earth with our soul family

and often our most intense relationships are with our soul family.

You meet someone for the first time and feel as if you know them already. You’re in a town that you’ve never been to before, yet you recognize streets and buildings. You start playing a new sport and amaze everyone, including yourself, at your natural abilities and intuitive knowing of the rules.

We often describe such experiences as déjà vu: the experience or feeling that a new situation has happened to us before. Then again, the possibility does exist that we have actually lived these experiences in the past or, rather, in another lifetime.

Neptune in Retrograde

On 4 June 2011, Neptune went into retrograd.  Its symbolic influence in astrology is a very subtle one, but noticeable to those who can tune in - waves of Neptune’s symbolic energy; whispy, tendrils, subtle waves with far-reaching spiritual energy which casts a dreamy veil over our harsh day-to-day world sometimes deceptive while other times revealing Truth. We long to be inspired and taken into other realms in the Cosmos.

Taking Flight - New Moon in Gemini

"The pain pushes you until your vision pulls you." - Rev. Michael Beckwith

Welcome to eclipse season! And it looks to be a doozy. The June 1 partial solar eclipse in jumpy Gemini gets things going, followed by a total lunar eclipse in Sagittarius on June 15 and another partial solar eclipse in Cancer on July 1. Eclipses are known for bringing abrupt change, especially when they hit sensitive points in your chart.  Adding to its catalytic potential, this eclipse series occurs during the final, Universal Underworld of the Mayan Calendar. During this Ninth Wave (9 March to 28 October), according to Carl Calleman, time is accelerated 20-fold; we will experience the same amount of change as occurred from 1999 until a few months ago. Consciousness is rapidly evolving as dimensions merge and a new world is born. It's our choice: adapt and flourish or resist and suffer.

Avoiding Negative Vibrations - Taking on the Energy of Others

In order to protect ourselves from taking on any negative energy from other people or situations;

we can learn to shield.

There are times when you may find that being around certain individuals or groups of people leaves you with feelings of discomfort. It may be that spending time with a particular friend feels draining or that dealing with a specific coworker exhausts you. Being around toxic or angry people is also draining. And you may even find that being surrounded by a crowd of people lowers your energy levels rather than perks you up. This is not that unusual.

Each of us radiates energy and is capable of being influenced by the energy of other people. It is important to learn how to shield yourself, so you don’t unknowingly take on someone else’s energy.

While some people know how to instinctively protect themselves from being adversely affected by energy, most of us need to discover and practice the technique that works best.

A Thought about Esbats

With the Full Moon Gathering (hosted by the Temple of the Dark Moon) taking place tomorrow evening in the Botanic Park, Adelaide as the Moon moves into Scorpio, for those of us calling ourselves Wiccan, Wytch or even Pagan, working with the Moon is an important part in the life.

The Goddess after all is honoured through the different phases of the Moon and in covens of old (pre-1980s), the esbat was the sacared meeting time when magick and healing was performed. This is because the phase of the Moon affects spellwork and ritual work.  Therefore, knowing what these phases mean is vitally important to working effective magick.

Take a Walk on the Bright Side

It's a week to step out and speak up. Venus and Mercury come together in Aries on Monday, then both merge their light with lucky Jupiter on Wednesday (the 11th).

The alignments happen at the 21-24 degree range of the Tropical Zodiac. But in the sidereal or real sky system, they're at Zero, in the Aries constellation. If you're an astro over-achiever, you might look to both these degrees, for where it's things are bursting with flavor. And the area (house or planet) that's getting the Aries download of fresh mojo. Beyond just the bliss factor, which Venus and Jupiter are known for, this trio together invites you to step through some personal barrier (fear, self-censorship, self-doubt), and break free into more alive territory.

Awakening the Inner Warrior

Often when we think about 'warrior' status, we only focus in on the war image - however, as the posting starts, to be a true warrior is to find the inner strength ... that inner ability we find when we are faced with seemingly unbeatable odds or life changing situations ... and for some of us, this can simply be getting through the day.

Each of us has this inner warrior ... and to access it, we don't need any special passwords, secret handshakes and the lke ... we just need to breathe and visualise achieving the end result - for deep down, we know we can achieve anything we want to if we truly believe ...

So believe in your self and your own ability to succeed.

Can you Imagine ...

Can You Imagine?

(For the Child in All of Us)

Can you imagine a world without witches,
A world with all people the same?
Where the only known dragons are hiding in books,
And children are terribly tame?
A world without magic would be sad indeed.
I cannot imagine the pain
Of having a world where there's no Santa Claus,
Where wizards are searched for in vain.
Can you imagine a world without spells,
That science and businesses run?

Samhain - the Journey inward and into the Underworld

Samhain altar

On the eve of 30 April those of us south of the equator pause in silent contemplation and remembrance of our ancestors.  Following on the heels of Anzac Day (the day when those fallen in combat from Australia and New Zealand are remembered as well as the increasing number of victims of war), the timing for the Southern Samhain could not really be any better.

It was the Celtic peoples from whom this name and festival originated, having divided the year into two parts.  In the "Tochmarc Emer", an Irish hero tale dating back to the 11th century, Irish hero CuChulain is recorded saying: "For two divisions were formerly on the year, namely, summer from Bealtaine the first of May, and winter from Samuin to Bealtaine", with "Samuin" having evolved into the modern day spelling of Samhain.

ANZAC Day

The 25th April is a special day for Australia and New Zealand for this is Anzac Day (an acronym standing to "Australian and New Zealand Army Corps), the day which marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by these two countries during the First World War.

When the First World War broke out in 1914, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula (Turkey), under a plan by British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill in order to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies.

“They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.”

        ("For the Fallen" by  Laurence Binyon )

Other People's Agendas - Appreciating Suggestions

Other people may have their own agenda for our life;

we can value their input but we do not have to take it to heart.

As children, our parents had dreams for us. They wanted us to do well in school, and to do whatever was necessary to reach our highest potential. Later in life, friends may try to set us up with their idea of the perfect partner or the perfect job. Spouses may have agendas for us, too. People close to us may have ideas about how we should live our lives, ideas that usually come from love and the desire for us to be happy.

Other times, they come from a place of need within them, whether it is the parent who wants us to live out his or her dreams or the friend or spouse who wants us to play an already-defined role. Whatever the case, we can appreciate and consider those people's input, but ultimately we must follow our own inner guidance.

The Halloween Wytch

As the Wheel of the Year turns, 30 April marks the time of Samhain here in the Southern Hemisphere, the time of the year when we gather together to remember our ancestors of both kith and kin.

The following usually makes itself known on the internet at the end of October, the time of Samhain, or Halloween, in the Northern Hemisphere and serves as a timely reminder of the possible truth behind the characters that grace our front doors after candy.

As the Southern Samhain falls around ANZAC Day (which stands for "Australian and New Zealand Army Corps"), the day on which many Australians and New Zealanders pause to remember those who have given their lives in the many global conflicts.

On a lighter night, this year, 2011, the Broadway musical, "Wicked" is in town around the Southern Samhain - seemingly perfect timing to honour the inner "Wytch".

The Myth of the Easter Bunny

In the Northern Hemisphere of course Easter and the Spring Equinox occur around the same time - unlike here in the Southern Hemisphere, however as much of the symbolism used in the Christian festival actually stem from this older Pagan festival, this rather lengthy article investigates the origins of such rather fully.

 

The Myth of the Easter Bunny

by Joan Katherine Webster

Rabbits dont lay eggs. Particularly male rabbits, the traditional gender of the Easter Bunny. Yet every Easter we buy bunnies with eggs. We send children to find hidden eggs laid by the Easter Bunny. Why?

Underneath the noise - hear the whisper

Sometimes it is the softness of a whisper that is needed the most.

You may have noticed that if you want to speak to someone in a noisy, crowded room, the best thing to do is lean close and whisper. Yelling in an attempt to be louder than the room’s noise generally only hurts your throat and adds to the chaos. Similarly, that still, small voice within each of us does not try to compete with the mental chatter on the surface of our minds, nor does it attempt to overpower the volume of the raucous world outside.

If we want to hear it, no matter what is going on around us or even inside us, we can always tune in to that soft voice underneath the surrounding noise.

Stepping Stones - One Day at a Time

Our lives are made of stepping stones,

one experience after another in perfect and divine order.

The years of our life do not arrive all at once; they greet us day by day. With the descent of each setting sun, we are able to rest our heads and let the world take care of itself for a while. We may rest assured throughout the night, knowing that the dawn will bring with it a chance to meet our lives anew, donning fresh perspectives and dream-inspired hopes.

The hours that follow, before we return to sleep once more, are for us to decide how we want to live and learn, laugh and grow. Our lives are sweeter and more manageable because we must experience them this way: one day at a time.

Apathy

The following is taken from Zsuzsanna Budapest's wonderful book Grandmother Moon that is now back in print.

Apathy

The death of the soul is apathy. When you have been beaten so long and so much that you can no longer fight back, "they" have got you. "They" in this case are whoever would benefit from your lack of participation in real life.

Pattern of the Trestleboard

The "Pattern on the Trestleboard" is said to be a most startling set of positive statements relating to the ten Divine Emanations of the Qabalistic Tree. The following comes from the Builders of the Adytum (B.O.T.A.):


The Pattern on the Trestleboard

This is Truth about the Self

Invaluable Sense Awareness Techniques

When you are just setting out on your spiritual/magickal path, there are a few "basic" exercises that whilst may seem pointless at first to learn, later on down your path, their true benefit often becomes clear. They are referred to as "basic" not because of their simplicity - but because they form part of a solid foundation or building block upon which you can base your work.

Even for a more seasoned practitioner, it is always recommended to return to these exericses every now and then .. this is because often shortcuts are taken and sometimes well, bad habits do tend to creep into one's practice if you are not disciplined enough .. and I know I'm certainly not disciplined all the time.

The Importance of Protection - part III

Following on from recent postings about psychic protection, I thought I would focus this section on what is a psychic attack.  I also include magickal attacks in here as well as often the effects are relatively similar.

The first point I would like to make clear is that such attacks are actually rarer that what most people believe they are. Any bit of bad luck or misfortune is not necessary an "attack" - it may simply be the way things are. However, in saying this, I do not mean to imply that attacks (regardless of whether they are psychic, magickal or otherwise) do not happen .. because they do. It is important, especially for the novice, to ascertain what exactly is happening, and in particular where the energy is coming from .. the source of the latter may actually result in a surprise.

The Importance of Protection - part II

Following on from my previous posting about psychic protection, this article is about the effects on the aura that psychic attacks may have ...

Aura parameters such as colours, size, shape, evenness, and uniformity change dynamically over time in response to the total environment. It is affected by such factors as daily stress, psychological bombardment, other people's intentions and desires toward us, jealousy, induced fear, threats, hatred, and noise which can cause the aura to shrink or create wear and tear on the aura.

There are many exercises for developing energy, retaining energy, refining energy, and transmuting energy from lower to higher levels. Our concern here is protecting our energy by strengthening the auric field.

Seeing the Illusion - the Secret of Surrender

True lasting success comes only with surrender,
which is the opposite of control.

Most of us were raised and live in a culture that emphasizes the ideals of independence and control. The general idea is that we are on our own and we do not need any help from anyone else, and if we are really successful it’s because we are in complete control. However, true lasting success comes only with surrender, which is the opposite of control.

We cannot accomplish anything truly great on our own, without any help, and the idea that we can is an illusion that causes most of us a great deal of suffering. Surrender comes when we see that illusion and let go of trying to attain the impossible. Surrender can then be seen as a great strength rather than a weakness.

Trusting Spiritual Assistance

When we connect to higher energies for help,

it is much like a phone connection which needs to be closed at the end.

We may have become accustomed to asking for help from the unseen world whether from angels, guides, or ancestral spirits but sometimes we may forget to close our connection afterwards with a thank you. When we connect to these energies for assistance, it is much like a phone connection. Forgetting to close the conversation with a proper goodbye is like not hanging up. While that line is still connected, others can have trouble getting through, while in the meantime, batteries are being drained. Saying "thank you" is a way of releasing our concerns into trusted hands and getting out of the way so that the Universe's divine order can work on our behalf.

Virgo Full Moon - Welcome the Inner Healer

The Full Moon in Virgo brings with it a Supermoon (closest Moon to the Earth in 18 years), the Spring Equinox {Autumn Equinox for us folks in the Southern Hemisphere - FB}, and Mercury Retrograde ghost period: that is a lot of heightened energy and power for an already emotional lunation.

We have two options:
1. to find the inner critic, or
2. to find the inner healer.

Actively Participating - Showing up for Life

Showing up for your life means actively participating in our own life

rather than hiding and going through the motions.

The way we walk into a room says a lot about the way we live our lives. When we walk into a room curious about what is happening, willing to engage, and perceiving ourselves as an active participant with something to offer, then we have really shown up to the party.

When we walk into a room with our eyes down, or nervously smiling, we are holding ourselves back for one reason or another. We may be hurting inside and in need of healing, or we may lack the confidence required to really be present in the room.

Still, just noticing that we are not really showing up, and having a vision of what it will look and feel like when we do, can give us the inspiration we need to recover ourselves.

The Importance of Protection

When starting out on a spiritual or magickal path, it is believed that you automatically send a beacon of light up into the astral. As astral beings, both malevolent and benign, could be attracted to this light, it is important, therefore, to perform some form of psychic protection. Another reason why this form of protection is important is as your own psychic sensibilities start to become more developed, making you more susceptible to picking up negative energies, which are around us all the time.

Breaking Family Ties That Bind

Sometimes our fear does not stem from us,

but rather is a fear that has been handed down from our parents.

When we really examine our fears about something, we sometimes notice that the fear we have is not based on our own experience. Often, if we trace our fear back to its source, we find that one of our parents may have handed it down to us. For example, your mother or father may have had an intense fear of lack of money, stemming from their own life experiences.

If that fear was not resolved by the time you came into the picture, chances are you inherited it. Meanwhile, you may have no actual experience of lacking money, so being fearful does not make sense, and it may even block you from doing certain things you want to do.

March - the Month and the God

Much of the mystery about March meaning and symbolism is solved when we learn the month is named after the Roman God, Mars, associated with conquest, heroism and more importantly battle and warcraft.

Martius was the original term for the month of March, which was the first month in Roman calendars. In the Northern Hemisphere, the grips of Winter was just beginning to lose their hold in March which made sense that the year should begin as the season of new life also commences. For those of us in the Southern Hemisphere however, March heralds in the Autumn months.

Mars, whilst popularized as a warmonger, was actually believed to have been a fertility and agricultural Deity. He, along with other Deities such as Ceres and Cybele, oversaw the new growth of Spring, and encouraged the continuation of life (fertility, sex, procreation in human, plant and animal realms).