Daily Motivator for July 10 – Peaceful awareness

Peaceful awareness

Open your awareness to the abundance. Open your awareness to the goodness and  the possibilities.

Life is renewed in every moment. There is no need to keep re-fighting the  battles of the past.

Relax, and let the fears dissolve. Be at peace, and allow the abundance to  flow through you.

Send all your energy into all you love. Now is when opportunity is  transformed into beautiful value.

Focus on what is good, what is right, what is true and meaningful. Give the  whole of your presence to the best you can envision.

Let the richness into your awareness and into your life. Enjoy and love and  live and create with no hesitation, free of worry and doubt.

— Ralph Marston

The Daily Motivator 

Lighten Up – 25 Truths of Life

25 Truths of Life

1. If you’re too open-minded, your brains will fall out.
2. Don’t worry about what people think, they don’t do it very often.
3. Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
4. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
5. If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you’ve never tried before.
6. My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
7. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
8. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
9. For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.
10. If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
11. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
12. A conscience is what hurts when all of your other parts feel so good.
13. Eat well, stay fit, die anyway.
14. Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it!
15. No man has ever been shot while doing the dishes.
16. A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
17. Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.
18. Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
19. Junk is something you’ve kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.
20. There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.
21. Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
22. By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
23. Thou shall not weigh more than thy refrigerator.
24. Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the real world.
25. It ain’t the jeans that make your butt look fat.

 

References:

Author:  N. Lellande

Website:  Oh My Aging Funny Bone

Your Daily Chinese Horoscopes for May 17th

Rabbit

Music is the answer if you are looking for a gift to impress a prospective partner or your significant other. You can get things going with the right mood music. Look for something new or unusual, some music from another culture could be stimulating.

Dragon

Whether you are already employed or are looking for work, it is important that you make a good impression today. Get your best duds on, shine your shoes, put on your best face. There could be a hugely important opportunity in your workplace right now.

Snake

You should not commit to seasons tickets to musical, entertainment or sporting events today. You may find you are unable to use them. Chances and rescheduling of events of all kinds are likely to frustrate recreational and social plans right now. Be prepared for anything to happen.

Horse

You’ll sort out an interesting issue with a friend or loved one. The experience will make everyone feel much more happy and secure. Be sure that everyone understands the consequences. There will have to be adjustment and the changes may be stressful at first.

Sheep

Other folks will be strongly interested in what you have to say today. You may have learned something about alternative healthcare, music or a craft, and will be able to share or teach something you love or are passionate about with others around you.

Monkey

You will find that your recent spate of generosity has some unlikely benefits. You could meet someone important to your career or financial goals as a result of your mutual membership in a club or charity. Your organizational skills have caught someone’s eye.

Rooster

You are in the spotlight today, and everyone is interested in what you have to say. You are attractive, exciting and interesting. If you have musical or creative talent it is a good time to get in front of an audience and show your stuff.

Dog

Your subconscious mind has finally exorcised the bats that have been floating around your belfry the past few days. You are suddenly clear and lucid, and have some amazing insights about yourself. You could have profound experiences during dreams, prayer or meditation today.

Pig

You could have a moment of profound insight about a friend, or a conversation with a friend could trigger awareness about your own thought processes. You will realize that you have to change some of your habitual reactions, and that idea will bring a great deal of positive change.

Rat

It looks like you could be headed for a promotion or a significant boost in your career. There will definitely be additional responsibilities, and for many this will mean extra work, but the working conditions, title, or support you receive from management will be increased.

Ox

You may be considering taking a trip or vacation soon. You will find that there are educational opportunities as well. Look for big ways to expand your boundaries and personal horizons. You have a chance to completely change your life.

Tiger

This is a good time for trying out new financial or investment ideas, especially those that arise as opportunities in your workplace. You may hear of changes in your sector that leave you feeling more “bullish” on the future of your career.

Elemental Meditation

Elemental Meditation

 
This meditation serves multiple purposes. It clears your mind so that you are better able to focus. It also gives you a more visceral understanding of the natures of each element. It can be a grounding tool to ground excess energy if done correctly. And finally, it is fun! This is a movement-based meditation, so it is best to find a place where you will not be disturbed, because if others are around you might experience self-consciousness or embarrassment, neither of which are helpful. This place should be quiet and free of outside distractions, and it should also allow for a relatively free range of movement.
 
Sit on the floor in a comfortable position and spend a few moments feeling your heartbeat and clearing your mind. You can also choose to stand, but most people do not find this as comfortable. Then, begin to meditate upon the element Earth. Feel what it is like to be Earth, the sensations, the emotions, all that encompasses Earth. Allow the expression of these feelings to join your mind and body as one, so that all of you experiences these sensations. Most likely, during this part your body will remain still, embodying the patience that is Earth, but if the desire to move takes you, go ahead, since Earth can move, whether slowly (as in tectonic plate shifting) or quickly and violently (as in earthquake).
 
When the moment feels right, shift your consciousness from Earth into Water. Let this be a smooth transition, as this meditation should flow easily from one element to the next. Call up all the sensations, thoughts, emotions, and movement that is Water. Again let this awareness infuse your body and mind. At this point, it is likely that your body will begin to move, whether in small movements while you remain seated, or in larger movements that require you to stand. This should be near-instinctive; do not worry whether the movement is appropriate or “right”. “Go with the flow”, let your body move as it will to show its connection with the elements. Water movement will most likely be smooth, flowing, graceful movements that are full of emotion. Keep in mind however, that Water, like all the elements, has a wide range of movements, so something different than the “standards” that are listed here is not wrong.
 
When appropriate, shift your awareness gradually from Water into Air. Let the concept of Air resonate throughout your mind and body. At this point, you will most likely begin to move more energetically and erratically about the space. You may try to express specific concepts through your movements. You are also encouraged to make this a vocal as well as a kinetic meditation if that feels right.
 
Again when you are ready, shift once more from Air into Fire. At this point, as you resonate the concept of Fire, your movements will most likely be extremely energetic and random. You may find yourself bumping into walls or other objects. You might pause for a moment in an odd position, only to careen off again the next moment with the dancing energy that is Fire.
 
Depending on your purpose in this meditation, you can choose to end it one of two ways.
 
1. If your intent is to clear your mind and provide energy for focus, then when the moment is right, stop your emulation of Fire and return to a seated position, breathing deeply and fully aware of your body, mind, and the elements all around (and within) you.
 
2. If instead you are more concerned with understanding the elements or with using this meditation as a technique for grounding, then from Fire, reverse your movements, going back through Air and Water (spending as much time as needed on each) until you are back at Earth. End the meditation in a restful position, whether sitting or lying down, allowing your excess energy to flow smoothly into the Earth.
 
And remember – no matter which purpose you use this meditation for, it is supposed to be fun, so relax and enjoy yourself.

Daily OM for April 8th – Culling out the Weeds

Culling out the Weeds
Mind over Matter

We can improve our overall physical well-being by first starting to notice our thoughts and our reactions to our thoughts.

The power of the mind is a curious thing, because it is so powerful yet so difficult to control sometimes. We find ourselves thinking a certain way, knowing that this thought may be creating trouble for us yet we find it difficult to stop. For example, many people have the experience of getting sick at the same time every year or every time they go on a plane. They may even be aware that their beliefs impact their experiences, so continue to think they will get sick and then they do.

Sometimes we need to get sick in order to process something or move something through our bodies. But often we get sick, or feel exhausted, because we don’t make the effort to galvanize the power of our minds in the service of our physical health, which is one of its most important functions. We really can use it to communicate to our bodies, yet we often regard the two as separate entities that have little to do with one another.

Knowing this, we have the power to create physical health and mental health, simply by paying attention to the tapes running in our minds. Once we hear ourselves, we have the option to let that tape keep running or to make a new recording. We harness the power of the mind in our defense when we choose supportive, healing words that foster good health and high spirits. All we need to do is remember to tend the field of our mind with the attentive and loving hand of a master gardener tending her flower beds, culling out the weeds so that the blossoms may come to fruition.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – March 27

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – March 27

“…you have to believe it first. Not wait until you see it first, then touch it, then believe it…You have to say it from the heart.”

–Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA

We are designed to function from faith. First we pray. Then we use our imagination to create a vision or picture in our mind. We surround this mental picture with our emotions or feelings. These feelings are available when we ask or say it from the heart. The combination of the mental picture and asking from the heart to create the emotions will cause us to believe it. Then we just need to wait. We need to believe as though it is already done.

Great Spirit, remove from me any doubt that comes up today.

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‘THINK on THESE THINGS’

‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Good ideas are the flower of the mind, waiting to bloom for the benefit of the thinker.

We are constantly in the process of manufacturing ideas. Every waking moment we are thinking continually, making mental images of that which we desire or need. Everything we see was first an idea in someone’s mind.

Ideas are fleeting messages that pass rapidly through the mind. Some of them are strong enough to impress the thinker. Many are not worth saving, but a few are very precious. They have to be sifted, sorted and analyzed for value. Then they must be acted on immediately, for they are very perishable. Once we lose an idea, it is seldom if ever recaptured.

Everyone has access to a better and happier life through ideas, if we can trust the Lord to give us the will and courage to follow through on them.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Visit her web site to purchase the wonderful books by Joyce as gifts for yourself or for loved ones……and also for those who don’t have access to the Internet: http://www.hifler.com
Click Here to Buy her books at Amazon.com

Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for Thursday, February 16th

Thursday, Thirsty Thursday Pictures, Images, Comments, Graphics

Today’s Affirmation for February 16th

I have a body but am not my body. I have a mind but I am not my mind. I have thoughts but I am not my thought.

 

Today’s Thought for February 16th

“If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?”

Dogen (1200 – 1253)

 

Today’s Meditation for February 16th

Restore Truth

Our ability to perceive truth is often distorted by our beliefs. To raise awareness of your beliefs, meditate on a recent situation. Try to identify the beliefs that led to your actions. Now cast your mind back to your early years to learn the origins of these beliefs – perhaps in the messages given by parents a teachers. The greater your awareness of distorting beliefs, the more you will be able to perceive the truth.

In a similar way, meditate on the actions of a colleague or partner to gain greater understanding of their behavior.

The Language of the Stars

The Language of the Stars

Author: Radko Vacek

Having listened to the language of the stars closely, I do think it is spiritual, and in accord with the properties of – our own minds! To realize that their language, in all its heavenly grandeur, shares our own mental properties helps us feel better about ourselves. To think that we, in spite of all our flaws, are in the image of the heavenly and the Divine gives us the confidence and the hope to resume reaching for the unreachable star!

I do think that astrologers have been right all along! The language of the heavenly bodies does seem to reflect the events of our daily lives, which highlight that spiritual, divine aspect of life so easily overlooked. This makes the language of the stars, astrology, spiritual! I agree with you: astrology communicates mostly nonsense, but that is if we equate astrology with sun sign and newspaper horoscopes. But if we learn the language as it is meant to be understood, it becomes truly spiritual. How great this is, because as a spiritual language, it is very relevant to us as human beings concerned about our welfare.

To speak of spirituality to one another can have a great impact on our well-being, even turn our whole lives around. In the Introduction to his 2007 book, Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy, Dr. Kenneth Pargament began by describing his work doing psychotherapy with a client named Alice. She struggled for decades with manic depression. He described Alice’s turning point towards recovery, when she was describing how, when she was first hospitalized, she felt terrified while lying on her bed. She went on to share how then she felt something warm in the center of her chest, how the feeling spread through the rest of her body. She said that through this feeling, she knew God was with her, telling her He always would be with her.

Why was she depressed? Maybe she hated herself. Do you sometimes hate yourself too? Each of us can feel better about ourselves and be empowered, by experiencing Divinity in our lives and sharing that experience with each other, as people receptive to spirituality being a very important aspect of life. Knowing that the relationships of the very heavenly bodies, in all their awesome grandeur, are reflected in the events of our lives, which seem so short and trivial in comparison, why would we not be open to spirituality? Knowing that, no longer does it seem hard to believe that a power so great, underlying the whole of this vast universe, could be felt by us on our lowly level as this personal Deity. In this sense, spirituality becomes a value to embrace as a very important aspect of our daily lives. So, the language of the stars is spiritual in the sense of giving us this vital message about our spiritual nature.

I do think that the language of the stars also is a human language, in accord with the properties and the powers of our minds. You might not want to embrace this idea, preferring to think of theirs as like a tongue of angels, or whatever celestial beings you believe in. Take consolation in this: things could be worse. The stellar language could be computer like!

What exactly are the properties shared by our languages and, more generally, the properties of our minds? Considering that we are around people much of the time, and cannot help but live with ourselves all the time, you would think these are easy questions. Actually, they have been the topics of much debate for thousands of years! On the one hand were those who thought of human language as being atomistic, in the sense of being reducible to the words from which sentences are composed. On the other hand were those who thought of it as being holistic, in the sense of being functional and implying sentences from the very beginning. That is, if a toddler says, “wawa”, the whole sentence, ‘I want a drink of water’, is implied, according to this school of thought. In fact, rarely does a toddler, according to them, say a word just for the sense of mastery in saying it; rather, they thought that language usually is inherently functional.

Whatever theory a person had about the nature of human language usually went hand in hand with a theory of the nature of the human mind in general. Those who had an atomistic model of language tended to think of the mind as more like a blank slate. They argued that the environment is more influential, with people acquiring language and other complex behaviors in bits, put together through learning in step-by-step approximations. Those who had a holistic model of language tended to think of the person as being born with a mind already prepared to organize bits into some type of whole, and therefore from the very beginning responding to roughly holistic perceptions in roughly holistic ways.

The verdict finally is in and, based on the evidence, the vote of the scientific community favors the holistic model of human language and its acquisition, as well as a holistic model of how the human mind, from birth, tends to perceive the environment and respond. Linguistic ability definitely appears to be stored in the human brain as a set of unconscious patterns of mental grammar, which is inborn. Of course, nothing is the result of nature alone. The environment always affects the unfolding of the natural potentials of any organism. In the case of children, they learn the specifics of their particular language through interactions with other people, but always, that learning occurs in the contexts of a genetically encoded “Universal Grammar” which provides the framework for all human languages. In fact, many other human abilities appear to be made possible through such inborn, mental organization. (See Ray Jackendoff, 1994, Patterns in the Mind.) It does appear, from the evidence that the mechanisms of human language serve as an effective model for understanding the way we are.

This has crucial implications for astrology as a helping profession and a body of knowledge. This is great news for those who worry about science disproving astrology. Astrology is most fundamentally a theory for understanding the way we are. It is not quite a science yet, for the lack of scientifically rigorous research confirming so many of its beliefs, but still, I do think it is a metaphysics, based on the pondering, from personal experiences, of many intelligent people over thousands of years. Definitely, it is more about understanding the way we are, than about what we are in the process of becoming. Like psycholinguists, astrologers recognize how the environment always affects the unfolding of the natural potentials of people, but always, like psycholinguists, astrologers emphasize the eternal influence, in the background, of a framework for empowering learning, with which people are born. Psycholinguists speak of “Universal Grammar”; astrologers speak of the natal chart with equal enthusiasm. Both, addressing natal factors, propose ways of understanding the way we are.

Given that astrologers and psycholinguists have all this in common, it behooves astrologers to teach and to practice their art more in accord with psycholinguistic findings. They teach the art in an atomistic way, in introducing the planets first, like words, then putting them in the contexts of signs and houses, but still in a way isolated from the rest of the planets and the natal configuration as a whole. Finally, the aspects between these planets, like sentences, are introduced. It is believed that this approach makes learning astrology easier, but does it? There is much evidence in the brain sciences, that people naturally perceive and interpret new stimuli in holistic ways, which perhaps also applies to the natal chart.

Astrologers want to get away from a fortunetelling model, in which events are fated by the stars, in favor of a counseling model of helping clients make informed decisions. This is understandable, in that the latter seems to be a more promising way of helping people. In doing so, however, many astrologers perhaps lose sight of the foundations of their art, definitely most fundamentally a means to understand the way we are, and secondarily, although importantly, to understand what we are in the process of becoming. No interpretation of transits or progressions can be made without the contexts set by the natal chart, as a reflection of the way the person is. Surely progressions and transits can reflect the changes a person undergoes, but the nature and the extent of change is always in astrology put in terms of the constraints set by the way the person naturally is, as reflected by the natal chart.

For instance, a person may be born when Mars is in Libra. Mars traditionally is said to represent the vital drive, which can manifest in either a good or a bad way. The good way is through assertiveness, and the bad through aggression. Libra traditionally is said to represent the quest of the person to unite with one’s other half, in marriage or some intense relationship. Some astrologers suggest that, if the person chooses not to gratify this Martian desire, the Martian aspect of the person becomes bad in discharging its drive through aggression. As much as the exercise of your freedom of choice is to be encouraged, I think that this interpretation of Mars is inconsistent with astrology as a nativist theory and unrealistic in its optimism about the extent of human free will. A sounder interpretation of Mars is to interpret it in contexts of the distance it is from other heavenly bodies and aspects it makes to them in the natal chart. Depending on these factors, Mars may tend to be either a predominantly aggressive or an assertive influence throughout the person’s life.

It sounds tragic; it surely can be a very dark cloud. Yet, I think it does have a silver lining, two in fact! One, Mars may reflect a force with which you must grapple for the rest of your life, but there is as well a chance of other, friendly forces accompanying you throughout your life. Two, grappling is not necessarily such a hostile activity! When I was a child, I did judo, of which grappling, much like wrestling, was a part. It was a mock adversity, because really it was friendly; we were strengthening each other through the struggle. Judo is respected by most people, but boxing? I have heard some call it barbaric. This is, however, a matter of the attitude you choose to take, as is the status of Mars in what is considered to reflect a predominantly aggressive force in your life. If you develop into a skilled boxer, then, in spite of the suffering you and others may face, you have allowed that something, which is a part of your nature no less than everything else, to manifest. Without doing so, you would not have been all that can be. In a similar way, regardless of what others say, letting that predominantly aggressive, Martian force have expression could let you be all that you can be. The choice still is yours, whether or not you want to pay the price of the suffering you and others may face.

The message of astrology is that, although we are constrained by our natal charts from becoming whatever we would like, nevertheless we can choose whether or not the way we are is an actualization of all that we can be. We do have some freedom after all! If you choose that path, then you might find your starlink.

Oh no! Is it real? It is the morning after!
What happened to all the causes for the laughter?
The Hell is in the living
With the unbelievable things which I have done!
The humanness is in the grieving
For all that I have lost, the beautiful now gone!
The enchantment is in the believing
In the resurrection, the reincarnation,
The cause that makes life go on.
The hope is in the reaching
For the unreachable star.

 

Soul Connection: The Means to Finding Your Life Purpose

Soul Connection: The Means to Finding Your Life Purpose
image
Author: Colleen Deatsman

There is quite a bit of talk these days about “self”, and what that means, in metaphysics and the popular media. In all of these forums and disciplines, a person is divided within themselves in one of a number of different ways. Most disciplines have these divisions designated with terms coined by their founders or adherents. Id-ego-superego and mind-feelings-emotions-spirit are examples of such divisions. But it really boils down to what can be called the “small-s-self”, the workaday self through which we interact with the world, and the “big-S-self”, our authentic or transcendent self. All these words and divisions are substitutes for the traditional terms ego and soul, respectively.

It has further been observed that humans appear to manifest on this plane as beings consisting of body, mind, and spirit. In all the philosophies and disciplines that we know of, the mind purportedly controls the body, strategizing and acting in the world, while the spirit or soul observes the journey, accumulating the “good” and “bad” from life, seemingly acting as the immortal scorecard of our deeds.

Oddly enough, it is the soul in these disciplines that is held to be the human element, which passes on from life to life or, in some belief systems, to an after life. We refer to ourselves by saying; “I have” a mind and body and that “I have” a soul. The relevant question here is: Who is it that has these three things? Who is the “I” that stands outside of body, mind, and soul when we make these proprietary statements?

We are missing the relevant truth by glossing over it. If the soul is eternal, and the body is ephemeral, it follows that the soul has a purpose in occupying this body and utilizing this mind at this time. The truth here shines clear. We don’t “have” a soul; we are a soul having a human experience for a particular reason. There is a lot involved in getting born and occupying a body in this world, after all, so the soul must have an agenda if it is to go to all that trouble to be here. The new question then becomes: What is my soul’s agenda? What is my purpose in life?

The key to finding the answer to this question is to get in direct contact with the subtle energies of the soul in order to then understand our life purpose. This is a three-step process. The first step is to shift our perspective from the self-involved egoic personality with all its frantic needs and machinations, to the slow, smooth perspective of soul.

The second step is to harmonize ourselves with the soul’s subtle energy, allowing it to flow through us unfettered by pettiness, strife or our own personal history. The third step is then to act in the world from the powerful place of soul. At that point we will have begun to actualize the performance of the soul’s agenda, our life purpose.

The First Step: Getting Out of the Way

When we are born, we are a blank slate. We stare out at the world from the perspective of pure soul. Because the soul uses the body and mind to interface with the physical world, we have to learn how all that works. Over the course of the next twenty-one years or so, we are filled, like a computer, with the programs that provide the needs for our survival along with the opinions, perceptions, preferences, behaviors, rules, protocols, and expectations of our various family, friends, schools, churches, and society. By the end of this process, the gross stimuli of the dense physical world are the only things that capture our attention. The still small voice of the soul is drowned out by the clamor of the world and our own programming. Our job then becomes to clear a pathway from consciousness, through the resident programming, back to the soul. The two elements of this step are re-programming the behaviors that do not serve us, and the combined discipline of reclamation and recapitulation.

Reprogramming occurs when we recognize and change one of the behaviors or issues in our life we find distracting, confusing, self-defeating, or in the way. Then, we seek out their origins, where they came from, and mentally and emotionally “change” them using the technique of reclamation and recapitulation. This last step requires that we remember the original events in their entirety, seeking out the feelings, emotions and ultimately the beliefs that hold these issues or behaviors in place. Once that is finished, we can dissolve those beliefs and substitute new ones, or we can fully free up the machinery of our being by just letting them go.

This combined technique alters the programming, but also repairs the energy body, reserving our personal energy for our use, rather than for maintaining a disadvantageous behavior. The following is a sample of the Psyche Inventory, a technique designed to dig out a particular behavior and it’s origins during the technique of reclamation and recapitulation.

Typically, you would start by creating a timeline of your life, filling in all of your memorable life events and occurrences. For our purposes here, pick a single memory that has had lasting repercussions in your life, preferably one that is emotionally charged or one where you still feel caught. The Psyche Inventory process requires you to write down everything you can remember about the event.

What happened? Who else was involved and what were your and the other’s actions, intentions, emotions, feelings, and thoughts during the event? Looking deeper, what were the causal factors of the event and what were the changes in you that issued from the event? Did you lose a part of yourself in this instance? Was anything taken from you or did you take something from someone else that needs to be returned?

After this detailed analysis, sit quietly, with eyes closed, and put yourself back in the situation in your mind’s eye, imagining it in precise detail. Give back and receive what was lost or stolen. Forgive and be forgiven. Re-imagine the event in a way that produces a more desirable outcome for you and everyone involved.

Feel with certainty the resolution of this event and the freedom you feel with its closure. Open your eyes and return to the present. From now on, set this event aside. You are finished with it, free to live your life unaffected by the memory or the issues and energetic drain these created.

Obviously, a more detailed and thorough approach, along with ongoing maintenance and monitoring of this process is recommended, but this brief example provides an illustration of the concept. When enough of the resident programming is moved out of the way using this method, the reconnection to soul is automatic and produces a profound shift in awareness and perspective.

The Second Step: Staying in Harmony

Any wise person with even a little experience will tell you that enlightenment is not durable, especially in the beginning stages of self-actualization. Once you are connected to your soul and are oriented to the world from it, the resident ego begins its fight of attrition as it slowly dissipates over time, energetically aligning itself with your new soul-centered orientation. During this period you will notice extensive swings from soul to mind to emotion and back again. It’s just as well, really, because it’s the observable difference between these varied states of awareness that help you sit up and take notice of where you are and where you want to be.

Once you have experienced the consuming clarity and slow brilliance of your soul, you need to find a way to remain in that state of heightened awareness. There are many ways to do this, each discipline has it’s methodology, but the best methods always utilize energy movement as well as some form of meditation. The energy movement will keep you clear and clean and allow you to monitor and fortify the boundaries of your energy body.

Meditation gives you perspective. It allows you to step to one side and get a good look at what you are doing and what is going on in your life. For millennia, shamans have utilized a technique called journeying that has proven to be particularly helpful with this necessary perspective shift.

Rhythmic drumming is employed as a sonic driver to push the individual out of everyday consciousness. That simple act is enough to deliver perspective, but the shamanic journey goes one better and utilizes the individual’s connection to soul to gain added and intense insight as well. The following is an example of a shamanic journey that incorporates healing energy movement.

Close your eyes and relax. Send your awareness around and through the inside of yourself and notice what is happening in your body and energy field. Allow yourself to feel what your body feels. Pay attention to each organ and each system, noticing its color, energy, and pulsating rhythm. Now allow yourself to feel what your energy field feels. Pay attention to each chakra layer. See, sense, and feel how your body and energy field work together. Send the inquiring part of your mind into your body and energy field and ask them to “talk” to you and listen to their response. Hear and feel what is being communicated.

Carry on a conversation with each layer of your energy field, each individual chakra, and each cell, organ, and system of your body, and ask them to communicate with you. See, sense and feel if you have any energy imbalances, blockages, or areas where the energy flow is sluggish. If you do, explore the issues surrounding your imbalanced, blocked, or weak energy flow. Listen.

Now send attention and energy to the areas that need it. Feel the gathering of power as your intent floods these areas with healing life-force energy. See, sense, and feel the healing nature of this energy as it clears and revitalizes your trouble spots. Feel the change in your body and energy field as you do this.

Your inner healer is healing your body and energy field. See and feel it happening. Now slowly open your eyes, holding the images and sensations in place, noticing how you feel.

By practicing a regular discipline of energy cleansing/movement and meditation/journeying, while staying on top of programs that are running your life, you can maintain your constant connection to soul and even enhance it over time.

Part Three: Acting From the Soul

After you have done the heavy lifting of rewriting the programs, and subsequently maintained and broadened your connection to your soul through energy work and journeying/meditation, you find things changing in your life. There is an extensive re-ordering of priorities that takes place as you begin to address the world from your soul connection.

Your thoughts grow quiet as you find less need to hold your old reality in place with the way you talk to yourself and your mind chatter. The conversations you have with others are increasingly substantive. You begin to make a profound difference with what you say and do as your words and actions resound with truth and authenticity. As this happens, you soon notice a pattern that is strangely familiar to you. You will resonate with it.

You realize then that your soul has been quietly trying to express itself through your resident programming for many years, but was not coming through clearly due to your own lack of clarity and soul connection.

It is then you will see the shape that your soul’s purpose has been trying to get your life to take. At that point you will no longer be a divided being, made up of body, mind and spirit, big-S-self and small-s-self, or any other separation. You will have become a unified being, a brilliant soul moving as a force in the world, fulfilling your intended purpose.

Thought of the Day for October 4th – 25 Truths of Life

25 Truths of Life

1. If you’re too open-minded, your brains will fall out.
2. Don’t worry about what people think, they don’t do it very often.
3. Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
4. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
5. If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you’ve never tried before.
6. My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
7. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
8. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
9. For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.
10. If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
11. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
12. A conscience is what hurts when all of your other parts feel so good.
13. Eat well, stay fit, die anyway.
14. Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it!
15. No man has ever been shot while doing the dishes.
16. A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
17. Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.
18. Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
19. Junk is something you’ve kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.
20. There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.
21. Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
22. By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
23. Thou shall not weigh more than thy refrigerator.
24. Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the real world.
25. It ain’t the jeans that make your butt look fat.

 

      N. Lellande

OH MY AGING FUNNY BONE…

Daily Horoscopes for Monday, September 19th

Although loving Venus is very powerful in her home sign of fair-minded Libra, we may not be so objective today as her stressful square with passionate Pluto yesterday brought intense emotions to the surface. Raw feelings linger and we might provoke a showdown if our needs differ from someone else’s, especially now that expressive Mars is in demonstrative Leo. Meanwhile the changeable Gemini Moon is subdued by a midday trine to enduring Saturn.

 

Aries Horoscope
Aries Horoscope (Mar 21 – Apr 19)

You are very excited, but you can’t necessarily put your finger on the reason for your current good mood. You might even feel okay in the face of something unpleasant that you learn today. Someone may place an obstacle on your path to happiness, but you probably won’t even mind because you’re able to dance your way around nearly anything that stands in your way now. Still, it’s wise to allow plenty of time to finish your work because everything could take longer than you think.

Taurus Horoscope
Taurus Horoscope (Apr 20 – May 20)

It’s difficult to make a significant decision today since it feels like you’re being pulled in several different directions. Usually you’re able to process complex issues and condense the information into one simple conclusion, but no single solution seems correct now. Don’t force an answer; it will come naturally on its own.

Gemini Horoscope
Gemini Horoscope (May 21 – Jun 20)

You aren’t very sure of yourself today as the Moon in your adaptable sign squares mental Mercury. You may become self-critical if you’re having trouble dealing with the more practical side of life. Fortunately, you know that you’ll figure things out, but it could take another day or two. If you can’t put the big picture together yet, just concentrate on the little pieces of the puzzle until everything fits into place.

Cancer Horoscope
Cancer Horoscope (June 21 – Jul 22)

You’re ready for a change, but oddly enough, you don’t necessarily know what you want. You may try to overcompensate for your fear of the unknown by acting with false bravado. However, faking your enthusiasm will only complicate the situation even further, so just be as honest as you can by telling others what you are truly feeling.

Leo Horoscope
Leo Horoscope (Jul 23 – Aug 22)

You may be very entertaining today, but putting on a show won’t likely bring you the happiness you seek. Instead of pretending that you have it all together, preparing for a later performance can make a big difference. However, it’s important to strike a balance between following the script and being flexible enough to improvise in the present moment. Aside from practicing your lines, listen to those around you and respond from your heart.

Virgo Horoscope
Virgo Horoscope (Aug 23 – Sep 22)

You may not want to retreat from a position you recently took, but you might realize today that you were too eager or overly confident. Finally, reality is starting to set in and you might see the consequences of your undelivered promises and unfinished work. But don’t waste any energy being mad at yourself. The best thing to do is apologize if necessary and then move on.

Libra Horoscope
Libra Horoscope (Sep 23 – Oct 22)

You may not actually hear voices today, but you’re likely aware of the guidance you’re receiving from aliens, angels or your subconscious mind. One thing is for certain: this isn’t business as usual. Something strange and wonderful is occurring now, so don’t push it away. Pay attention to the symbols that appear in your fantasies and dreams because they could contain the message you have been seeking all along.

Scorpio Horoscope
Scorpio Horoscope (Oct 23 – Nov 21)

You are usually attracted to the mysteries of life, yet now you prefer straightforward answers to more practical concerns. Sadly, there isn’t an easy way out today so it’s better to seek satisfaction by contemplating the meaning of life, rather than wasting time chasing your tail. Just keep in mind that letting go is not the same thing as giving up.

Sagittarius Horoscope
Sagittarius Horoscope (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

You’re still a bit too serious today because you don’t want to scale back your plans just to make them more realistic. Even if you’re being tested by current circumstances, there’s no good reason to lose confidence. You can realize your dreams, but it helps to compromise. If you acknowledge the things that are not negotiable, you may be surprised at how fast you progress to establishing common ground.

Capricorn Horoscope
Capricorn Horoscope (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

The intensity level of your emotions is on the rise today, and you’re not sure how to handle your feelings. It may seem like everything is out of control, magnifying your uneasiness with the suppressed and irrational side of your nature. Unfortunately, you cannot stuff your fears back into the box. Don’t sink into denial; instead, muster up enough courage to face the unknown.

Aquarius Horoscope
Aquarius Horoscope (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

You may be anticipating an easygoing day, but the Moon’s visit to your 5th House of Fun and Games makes things difficult because you are required to play by someone else’s specific instructions. Unfortunately, others are changing the rules as fast as you create them now. Ironically, you can shift the dynamics and place yourself in a winning position by acquiescing today. Letting another person take charge may not be your usual style, but it could be the best strategy at this time.

Pisces Horoscope
Pisces Horoscope (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

You truly believe that you have your life back under control today, but someone may still appear to challenge the basis of your authority. You are comfortable with running the show when your leadership is needed, but you’re not interested in fighting to get the position. Luckily, there are many exciting possibilities ahead and keeping your options open is wiser than making a wrong decision under haste.

Little Things To Ponder Today for Sept. 14th

25 Truths of Life

1. If you’re too open-minded, your brains will fall out.
2. Don’t worry about what people think, they don’t do it very often.
3. Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
4. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
5. If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you’ve never tried before.
6. My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
7. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
8. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
9. For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.
10. If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
11. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
12. A conscience is what hurts when all of your other parts feel so good.
13. Eat well, stay fit, die anyway.
14. Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it!
15. No man has ever been shot while doing the dishes.
16. A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
17. Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.
18. Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
19. Junk is something you’ve kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.
20. There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.
21. Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
22. By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
23. Thou shall not weigh more than thy refrigerator.
24. Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the real world.
25. It ain’t the jeans that make your butt look fat.

 

      N. Lellande

OH MY AGING FUNNY BONE…

** MAGICK 1 — WHY MAGICK **

USED BY PERMISSION

** MAGICK 1 — WHY MAGICK **

The ability to think seems to set us apart from

other creatures. And although we are concerned with

living in the physical world, we are mental beings. The

fact is we are thinking all the time. We plan, we brood,

we get depressed or elated — all of it is thought. But

the universe is mental too, and if we could control our

thinking we would see magnificent results in the everyday

world.

Many systems have been developed over the ages to

help us control our thoughts. A great amound of dogma too

has been kicked around in an attempt to make us into better

people. Magick (the occult kind, spelled with a ‘k’) is one

of the oldest and most general of these systems. Magick is

the study and application of psychic forces. It uses mental

training, concentration, and a system of symbols to program

the mind. The purpose of magick is to alter the self and the

environment according to the will.

Most of the magick we see today comes to us from

ancient Egypt and Chaldea. The Chinese, Hindus, and Tibetans

developed their own unique types of magick. Western magick

was locked up by the Egyptian priests for thousands of years

and then supressed by the rise of Christianity. It was not

until medieval Europe that magical knowledge was rediscovered

by the alchemists and Cabalists. Only during the past hundred

years or so has western culture been open minded enough to

permit widespread investigation of the subject. Only since

the start of the twentieth century has science shown much

interest in it al all.

PARAPSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIC PHENOMENA

Through parapsychology, we are at last beginning to

gain insights into the hidden nature of man. Parapsychology

is a branch of psychology which studies psychic phenomena.

Remarkable evidence has been gathered on numerous cases of

psychic phenomena. Knowledge gained from parapsychology

studies can be applied, so far as it goes, to the much

broader based, much more theoretical study and practice of

magick.

Thus, the human mind and body appears to broadcast

psychic energy or force, much like a radio station. Kirlian

photography and cloud chamber tests tend to support this

theory. Although the exact nature of this psychic force is

subtle and unknown, it is undoubtedly the energy behind all

psychic phenomena and magick. However, it is *not* a radio

wave, since it behaves somewhat differently. The psychic

force is too weak to be measured directly (at least so far as

we know). Everyone has some psychic ability. There are

numerous types of psychic phenomena. Parapsychology separates

them into two groups: ESP and PK…

5

EXAMPLES OF ESP

ESP, the abreviation for extra sensory perception,

means the reception of information through paranormal means

(ie. not regular physical senses of sight, sound, touch,

smell, or taste). In theory, this is accomplished by

receiving psychic force from outside the body. Here are some

examples of ESP:

1) Clairvoyance, or Remote Viewing — the ability to

sense or ‘see’ (non-physically) distant objects, places, and

people. Individuals who see ghosts and spirits are probably

clairvoyant.

2) Astral Projection (OOBE) or Traveling Clairvoyance

— Full experience at a remote location while the physical

body sleeps.

3) Psychometry — the reading of information by the

touch of physical objects.

4) Telepathic receiver — the ability to directly

receive thought (communication) at a distance, with no

physical connection to the sender. There are many everyday

examples of this, in which we think something just as another

person is about to say it. This is an easy one to test for

through experiment. Very dramatic cases of telepathy have

been recorded; there is often an emotional element in such

cases.

5) A medium, as in a seance.

6) Experience with a Ouija board, pendulum, or

automatic writing.

7) Precognition — to forsee the future. Again,

highly emotional events are the ones most likely to be ‘tuned

in’.

EXAMPLES OF PK

PK, the abreviation for psychokinesis, is the active

or sending side of psychic phenomena. The theory here is that

psychic force is sent out from the individual. Examples of PK

include:

1) Telepathic sender — the transmitter in the

telepathy just discussed.

2) Psychokinesis (or telekinesis) proper — the

ability to move objects by means of psychic force.

3) Somewhat along the same lines are poltergeist

(noisy ghost) phenomena in which objects move of their own

accord or noises are heard. There is always a human agent

involved — frequently a teenage girl — who appears to be

the source of psychic energy.

4) Psychic healing — the ability to heal various

illnesses and infirmities. There are many documented cases of

this. Usually it involves a healer and a subject, although

there are recent cases invloving cancer patients learning to

heal themselves.

5) Teleportation, apportation, and levitation.

Some occultists feel a magician producing PK effects

is simply a channel for universal energy. Others think the

force originates some way directly within the magician.

 

6

 

THE SUBCONSCIOUS

 

Postulated by Freud and others, the concept of the

 

subconscious mind is an important one. Basicly, this is the

 

idea that part of the mind normally operates below or outside

 

of ordinary consciousness and awareness. Dreams and hypnosis

 

are examples of this. Also subconscious are the many

 

automatic functions of the physical body such as respiration

 

and digestion.

 

WHY DO MAGICK?

 

Magick encompasses many things — science and art,

 

philosophy and metaphysics, psychology and comparative

 

religion. Magick is an adventure at the borderlands of the

 

unknown. It can fit the pieces of the puzzel of life into a

 

meaningful whole.

 

_Magick is fun_ and interesting. Use magick to help

 

raise consciousness without drugs. Gain new experiences.

 

Fantacy can come alive through magick. Psychic phenomena can

 

be controlled and be fun and helpful.

 

_Magick is beneficial_. It can help you to have

 

excellent health, and bring you good luck. With magick life

 

runs smoothly; life is good. Also use magick for personality

 

improvement, to control bad habits and to develop new

 

motivations.

 

_Magick is powerful_. Never underestimate the

 

tremendous power of magick. Use magick to alter events and to

 

achieve your goals. Exert an influence over people and

 

phenomena. But power for its own sake is self defeating. The

 

power which magick can give you should not be your primary

 

reason for studying it.

 

MAGICK AND WITCHCRAFT

 

A number of other occult disciplines are prevalent

 

today besides magick. There are many cults and sects which

 

profess their own views, but there are really few differences

 

between them. One popular area in the occult today is

 

witchcraft. This is far removed from the cliche of devil

 

worship. Real witchcraft is a nature religion (pagan).

 

Witchcraft has much in common with magick.

 

Alchemy also has much in common with magick. It’s

 

heritage comes from the middle ages. Alchemy fathered

 

chemistry and the physical sciences. But the avowed purpose

 

of alchemy, turning lead into gold, is too limiting to be

 

called magick. Sometimes the goal of alchemy is interpreted

 

in another way, as the transformation of man into a spiritual

 

being.

 

Then there are the numerous modern day seers or

 

‘pychics’, as they like to be called, who operate within

 

their own somewhat unique systems. Although many of these

 

people are deluded frauds, some are very powerful occultists

 

indeed.

 

Of course, everything I have said here is a

 

generalization. Magick, witchcraft, alchemy, or any occult

 

field are complex subjects. Suffice it to say that magick

 

7

 

includes them all (it is eclectic). For magick is undoubtedly

 

a philosophy which has, as the late Aleister Crowley wrote,

 

“The method of science — the aim of religion.”

 

REVIEW QUESTIONS

 

1) Define magick.

 

2) Define ESP and PK. Give examples.

 

3) What is the subconsicous?

 

BOOK LIST

 

Hal N. Banks, An Introduction to Psychic Studies.

 

Annie Besant, Thought Power.

 

Michael H. Brown, PK, A Report on the Power of Psychokinesis.

 

Richard Cavendish, The Black Arts.

 

Alexandira David-Neel, Magic and Mystery in Tibet.

 

Raynor C. Johnson, The Imprisoned Splendour.

 

Ostrander and Shroeder, Psychic Discoveries Behind the

 

Iron Curtan.

 

** MAGICK 2 — THE SUBJECTIVITY OF EXPERIENCE — **

 

Your awareness of the physical world and of your

 

place within it is mostly based upon the physical senses

 

(hearing, sight, smell, touch, taste). These five senses

 

continually send information to the mind, and it is up to

 

the mind to select and interpret them. If you could not do

 

so, your senses would overwhelm you and be meaningless.

 

Selection and interpretation of your sensory inputs is

 

essentially an automatic, mostly subconscious function of

 

the mind. The program or map which the subconscious follows

 

as its reference point is called a _model_. The model is a

 

subconscious mental photograph of how you believe the world

 

looks (ie. worldview, mindset, egregore, or belief system).

 

It was built up from an early age by your religious and

 

cultural background through interaction with family and

 

others. It contains your experiences, attitudes, and

 

habits. And whether you realize it or not, most of your

 

behavior, thoughts, feelings, and habits are based upon and

 

conditioned by that model; even personality. The model is

 

one of the mind’s master programs. Change in behavior

 

generally requires a change in the model. These limitations

 

built into our way of thinking cause our perceptions to be

 

subjective. That is why Hindu philosophy looks upon the

 

world as illusory (maya); the world itself (object) is not

 

an illusion, however from our viewpoint through perception

 

(subject) it is.

 

Thus we are all conditioned by experience. Except

 

that our perceptions, hence our experiences, are first

 

conditioned and limited by the model. Our perceptions and

 

experiences tend to conform to what we expect. We tend to

 

misinterpret or ignore things which do not match our

 

preconcieved notions about them. This is automatic.

 

THE TRUE WILL

 

8

 

The forgoing demonstrates how it is that there are

 

so many different versions of ‘truth’. One’s particular

 

view is almost arbitrary. Although numerous religions,

 

philosophies, and occult systems abound, they do not

 

contradict one and other as much as it might appear.

 

Rather, they describe the same (universal) reality taken

 

from different perspectives. For there can be no ultimate

 

truth in the physical world. We can only base our actions

 

upon assumptions and agreements. All experience is

 

subjective.

 

Yet, there is a separate reality within each of us

 

which is often ignored unless we seek it. This inner self

 

is in magick called the ‘true will’. The true will is the

 

center of consciousness and identity. It is the ‘real you’.

 

Everything else is an interface or link to it from the

 

outer (illusory) world. Since that interface is based upon

 

our model, it is conditoned and may sometimes produce false

 

information. ‘Do what thou wilt’ (Crowley) is an axiom of

 

magick; for the true will expresses our exact desires. And

 

what we truly want (‘down deep’) we tend to automatically

 

get. This isn’t always in our best interests, since the

 

true will can be conditioned (tricked) by the illusion; and

 

then we might desire and obtain that which is not

 

ultimately good for us. (Karma strikes again!) The task of

 

the magician therefor is to awaken his awareneess of the

 

true will, to be free of conditioning, and thereby to

 

transcend maya. (‘My will unconditioned is magical’ —

 

Spare).

 

HAPPINESS IS BEING HAPPY

 

There is no great secret to changing behavior or

 

habits. It is largely a matter of determination. It

 

requires that you ignore the ‘pull’ of the model when you

 

strive for changes within yourself. The model is, after

 

all, a collection of ‘habits’, some of which must be

 

unlearned for permananent change to occur. There are two

 

ways to do this: direct, through will power and awareness

 

alone — observing and acting out in an unattached or

 

indifferent manner; and indirect — through conditioning

 

such as affirmation (explained later), self-hypnosis, and

 

magick. Meditation may help too, by relaxing tension and

 

conflict.

 

Emotions follow physical expression: smile and act

 

happy and you will tend to feel and be happy. The same is

 

also true for other emotions. Also, emotions can be

 

purposely used (or programed) to replace other emotions.

 

Using this technique, a magician is somewhat like an actor

 

in that he learns how to turn his emotions on and off at

 

will. Note that this is not ‘fakeing it’; the magician is

 

probably more in touch with his true feelings than most

 

people. And for these reasons we say that happiness is

 

being happy.

 

SYSTEMS OF MAGICK

 

Magick always involves self-hypnosis. However, it

 

is more than that too. For one thing, there are objective

 

forces involved (or so it would seem). Deities, spirits,

 

and cosmic force can have an independent existence. And the

 

repetitive physical movement sometimes involved in ritual

 

can itself generate PK force. On the other hand, it could

 

be argued that all of this is subjective to the magician.

 

Perhaps all magical effects could be produced through

 

hypnosis alone. But the effects are certainly real.

 

Great complexity is not necessary in magick.

 

Although basicly magick is a medieval system of symbolism

 

(in a modern context), any cosmological system will work

 

from Cabala to Star Wars. We usually use the medieval one

 

in magick because it is convenient and traditional, and

 

because it seems to fit our thought processes well. What

 

really matters is that the model of the magician be

 

understood and programmed, and thus that the model and the

 

cosmological system do correspond.

 

REVIEW QUESTIONS

 

1) Contrast subjective with objective.

 

2) What is a ‘model’?

 

3) Explain the task of the magician.

 

BOOK LIST

 

Eric Berne, Games People Play.

 

Fritjof Capra, The Tao of Physics.

 

Carlos Castaneda, The Fire From Within.

 

Arthur Koestler, The Roots of Coincidence.

 

John C. Lilly, Simulations of God.

 

Alan Watts, The Book (on the taboo against knowing who you are).

 

** MAGICK 3 — THE FOUR WORLDS **

 

The ancients described man as mind, body, and soul.

 

Psychologists of the twentieth century added the

 

subconscious to that deffinition. This produces a four-fold

 

classification. The universe is also divided into four

 

corresponding parts (‘worlds’), as shown below:

 

WORLD BODY QUALITY

 

===== ==== =======

 

spiritual world spiritual body (soul or kia) intuition

 

mental world mental body (conscious mind) rational

 

thought

 

astral world astral body (subconscious) emotions

 

physical world physical body physical senses

 

The astral body (subconscious) is the intermediary

 

for intuition, magical and psychic phenomena, and is the

 

‘psychic link’ to the physical world. Most occult and

 

magical phenomena originate in the invisible, non-sensate,

 

non-physical realm (ie. without physical senses). Each of

 

the four worlds interacts with the other worlds. Psychic

 

energy flows from the spiritual to mental to astral to

 

physical. The physical world is a projection (manifestation,

 

reflection, or shadow) of the higher worlds. Our center of

 

consciousness is generally within these higher worlds.

 

“We are”, to quote the rock music group the Police, “spirits

 

in the material world”.

 

There are many similar terms used by other occult

 

groups. For example, ‘astral light’ is another name for

 

astral world, although it may sometimes also refer to the

 

entire non-physical realm, as may ‘inner planes’ or ‘the

 

invisible world’. Planes are essentially the same as worlds.

 

Vehicles or sheaths are the same as bodies. Some groups

 

include an etheric or vital body between physical and

 

astral: it is mostly ‘physical’ with a little of the

 

lower ‘astral’ besides. And sometimes astral and mental

 

are each divided into two parts (upper and lower). The

 

‘causal body’ is the upper ‘mental’.

 

MICROCOSM AND MACROCOSM

 

We have been describing ‘traditonal’ occult

 

philosophy here, and certainly an important part of the

 

tradition is the idea (and terms) microcosm and macrocosm.

 

The greater universe, known as the *macrocosm*, includes

 

everything that exists. It corresponds with the *microcosm*,

 

or tiny universe, ie. man — who is thought of as a

 

miniature replica of the macrocosm (whole universe).

 

This basic magical relationship is demonstrated in the

 

Bible (Genesis 1.27), where God is the macrocosm; and in

 

the writing of Trismegistus (“As above so below”). Since

 

man is in the image of God (universe) it follows that God

 

is in the image of man (in other words, man and the

 

God/universe match each other). The magician, as a microcosm

 

is thus connected with the macrocosm. There is an intimate

 

relationship of energies between you and everything else.

 

The universe is reflected within us and we are projected

 

into the universe. This is an important theory behind magick

 

and astrology.

 

MAGICK WHITE AND BLACK

 

‘Personal magick’ is that magick used to affect the

 

self; often involving affirmation, self-suggestion, and

 

self-hypnosis. ‘Active magick’ is outer directed magick (as

 

in PK) used to affect someone or thing, or to bring about

 

an event. ‘Passive magick’ is to be affected (as in ESP)

 

by an outside non-physical cause. Everyone possesses some

 

magical (and psychic) potential. Some are especially

 

gifted. Usually people are better at one kind of magick

 

(ie. active or passive) than they are at the other kind;

 

only rarely does an individual excell at both. Traning

 

and practice will, of course, improve ability somewhat.

 

Although the forces of magick are neutral, various

 

systems may take on the qualities of good and evil. There

 

is so-called white magick or good magick, black magick or

 

evil magick, and gray magick between them. When many people

 

refer to white magick they mean magick for unselfish

 

purposes, also healing and mental influence with specific

 

permission. By black magick they refer to magick for

 

self-interest and healing *without* specific permission.

 

Using magick to forcefully control another’s will is, in a

 

sense, black magick too. There are also some people on the

 

occult fringe who claim to be, possibly even think they are,

 

‘Satanists’, devil worshipers, or black magicians. These

 

people are most likely charlatans, hoaxters, dablers, or

 

merely misinformed. They may be attracted by the ‘art’ of

 

black magick, or even by the ‘glamor’ of doing something

 

against the ‘rules’. But a real black magician is very

 

dangerous. Because he has dedicated his life to evil. We

 

usually think of ‘white magick’ as having *unselfish

 

intent*, and (in the extreme case) of ‘black magick’ as

 

being actual Satan worship, human or animal sacrifice,

 

dangerous unconventional magical practices, and other

 

bizarre stuff as makes a nightmare. It is all a matter of

 

degree. Most mild self-interest magick (one of the most

 

common kinds) would be called ‘gray’. Better terms may be

 

*constructive magick* as being beneficial; and *aversive

 

magick* as magick intended to work against the natural

 

order, and to tear down. There is also the *high magick* of

 

spiritual alchemy (ie. spiritual growth), also known as ‘the

 

Great Work’; and conversely there is ‘low magick’ which is

 

concerned with materiality.

 

Any magick act is likely to produce side effects

 

regardless of whether or not the desired result is achieved.

 

Such side effects are no problem for constructive magick,

 

since they are benificial as well. However, aversive magick

 

can produce aversive side effects which may even harm the

 

magician — aversive magick is dangerous!

 

MAGICK IS A CONTINUOUS PROCESS

 

What we have been calling ‘magick’ is actually a

 

continuous process. Since your subconscious never rests,

 

your environment is continually being shifted into line with

 

your model. This is true whether you study magick or not.

 

For most people, these effects are usually very subtle, and

 

they are probably not aware of them. However, as you work

 

with the occult, the flow of psychic energy and your

 

awareness of it increases. Your true will is more likely

 

to be strongly expressed. Your luck may be affected (either

 

in a positive or a negative way). Remember, our lives tend

 

to follow what we want down deep. That is why a positive

 

outlook is so very beneficial to us.

 

THE MAGICAL DIARY

 

Sometimes it is helpful to keep a diary of your

 

magical experiments and research. Such a diary should include

 

the date, perhaps even some astrological data (or anything

 

else you think may have a relationship to what you are doing).

 

This is also a good time to begin recording your dreams —

 

at least the important ones — in a dream diary. Your dreams

 

can tell you a great deal about yourself, and may sometimes

 

reveal premonitions. Dreams are personal. Don’t fall for the

 

commercial ‘dream book’ gimmick.

 

AFFIRMATIONS

 

The mind is always open to suggestion — especially the

 

subconscious. Most of the time we censor any suggestions

 

according to the model; but one way to break through the censor

 

is with repetition. An affirmation does this exactly. By

 

suggestion, we mean any statement which is capable of affecting

 

your model. Usually suggestion is in the form of a positive

 

statement (such as the hypnotist’s patter — ” You are

 

becomming sleepy”). An affirmation is the same kind of thing —

 

a positive suggestion, which you repeat (affirm) to yourself

 

aloud or silently (for example, “I remember my dreams”). If

 

there is some quality you wish to change or develope within

 

yourself, an affirmation is ideal. Repeat it several times

 

every day at several different times throughout the day,

 

expecially when you go to bed. Affirmations are subtle and may

 

require a few months to work. Use them for changes, not

 

miracles.

 

SIMPLE BANISHING TECHNIQUE

 

Visualization is another important method we use to

 

influence the subconscious. A good example of this is the

 

simple banishing technique which follows. Banishing is used in

 

magick to ‘clear the air’ of negative ‘vibes’ and

 

interference…

 

Visualize a strong white light flowing out the top of

 

your head, flowing down around you and covering you. At the

 

same time imagine you are throwing away any ‘problem’ vibes.

 

Maintain the visualization for a half a minute or longer.

 

Good way to help you handle your emotions, and to control

 

worry or anger.

 

REVIEW QUESTIONS

 

1) What is a microcosm?

 

2) List the four worlds. Explain.

 

3) What is an affirmation? Give an example.

 

BOOK LIST

 

Geoffry Hodson, Theosophy Answers Some Problems of Life.

 

Marc Edmund Jones, Key Truths of Occult Philosophy.

 

Marion Weinstein, Positive Magic.

 

Nelson & Ann White, The Wizard’s Apprentice.

 

Beatrice Bruteau, The Psychic Grid.

 

** MAGICK 4 — ELEMENTS AND FORCES **

 

The Ancients divided the world into four basic

 

principles or *elements* — earth, water, fire, and air.

 

That viewpoint has mostly changed with advances of science,

 

but the four elements are still accepted in magick, for they

 

are more closely linked with the emotions than modern

 

explanations of the world. Many occultists think of the magical

 

elements as forces, or as *qualities* of energy; especially

 

within the astral world. Each element has a symbol and color.

 

(Common symbols are — fire: a triangle pointing up; air:

 

a triangle pointing up and with a horizontal line through the

 

middle of it; water: a triangle pointing down; earth: a

 

triangle pointing down and with a horizontal line through the

 

middle of it.) Colors of the elements are — earth: brown and

 

green; water: blue; fire: red; air: yellow…The Eastern

 

tattvic system uses different symbols and colors. The elements

 

are often used in magick ritual.

 

Magick sees relationships between things. These

 

relationships are called ‘correspondences’. Although magical

 

correspondences are not literally equal to one another, you can

 

think of them that way (such as gold equals sun). Tables of

 

these relationships, called ‘Correspondence Tables’, are

 

available (an important one is Crowley’s ‘777’). Thus one thing

 

or symbol can be used to suggest another. This is important in

 

magick, for the magician may surround himself with as many

 

appropriate correspondences as he can to vividly affect the

 

senses; thus making his magical contact with the inner planes

 

more lucid.

 

The magical elements have correspondences with the

 

tarrot cards as the four suits. The four quarters (directions

 

of the universe as used in magick ritual) and the Archangels

 

also correspond with these same elements —

 

Element Suit Quarter Archangel

 

======= ==== ======= =========

 

earth pentacles north Uriel

 

water cups west Gabriel

 

fire wands south Michael

 

air swords east Raphael

 

ELEMENTALS

 

The magical elements are said to be peopled by spirits

 

and mythological entities called elementals or nature spirits.

 

These are grouped into four main categories —

 

Gnome (earth) Undine (water) Salamander (fire) Sylph (air)

============= ============== ================= ===========

dwarfs nymphs jin (genies) fairies

elves tritons storm angels

brownies mermaids

hobgoblins mermen

lepricauns sirens

harpies

Elementals are usually only visible to those with

clairvoyant sight and are more likely to be seen at night in

the mountains or country away from cities — especially if you

are tired or sleepy. Although elementals exist naturally, it is

also possible to create one which will exist for a limited time

— no elemental has immortality. A created elemental is called

an ‘artificial elemental’.

To the Ancients, elementals were the physical

explanation of the universe. However, some contemporary

occultists see them only as symbols for forces and otherwise

not ‘real’ at all. Another word sometimes used for elemental is

‘familiar’ (usually in medieval witchcraft); the term is

ambiguous, as it might merely be an ordinary household pet such

as a dog or cat.

YIN YANG

Chinese philosophy and acupuncture talk of yin yang.

This is the idea of polarity, or opposite pairs, as shown —

YIN YANG

=== ====

water fire

contraction expansion

cold hot

feminine masculine

moon sun

negative positive

passive active

ebb flow

wane wax

The list could go on. In Chinese literature it is quite long.

Some occultists suggest everything can be similarly arranged

into related opposite pairs.

SIMPLE MAGICK

Here is a simple magical technique you may wish to

try. It is a variation of affirmation, which was discussed

in an earlier lesson…To help to you achieve your goal

(magical or otherwise), find a word or short phase which sums

up what it is that you want to accomplish. Write the word (or

phrase) down 10 times each day until you achieve success.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1) List the four elements.

2) What is an elemental?

3) What are correspondences?

BOOK LIST

William Britten, Art Magic (long out of print, but in some

libraries).

Pete Carrol, Liber Null.

Wing-Tsit Chan, A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy.

Manly Hall, Unseen Forces.

** MAGICK 5 — CHAKRAS AND MEDITATION **

According to East Indian philosophy, man possesses seven

major *chakras* or psychic centers on his body. Each of these

forms a bridge, link, or energy transformer; changing pure

(higher) energy into various forms, and connecting the four

bodies (ie. spiritual, mental, astral, and physical) together.

The chakras are located along the nadies (a network of psychic

nerves or channels) and follow the autonomic nervous system

along the spinal cord. Chakras correlate with major acupuncture

points along the ‘governing vessel meridian’ (acupuncture term).

The seven major chakras are connected together by three major

nadies which are parallel and near each other. The middle nadi

is called *sushumna* and it has neutral characteristics. The

nadi on the left (ie. nearest your left hand) is the *ida* nadi

which has yin characteristics. On the other side of sushumna

(nearest your right hand) is the *pingala* nadi, having yang

qualities.

Chakras are visible to clairvoyant sight as varously

colored rotating circles or funnels. In the East they are

described as petaled flowers or lotuses. Sources disagree on the

colors.

The first chakra, located at the base of the spine at

the perineum is the *root chakra*, muladhara. It primarily

relates to the element of earth and to psychic smell.

The second chakra, known as the *sacral center*,

svadhisthana, is located above and behind the genitals. Its

dominant element is water, and it is related to psychic taste.

Third of the chakras is the *solar plexus*, manipura,

located at the navel and corresponding with the emotions and

with the element of fire; also with psychic sight

(clairvoyance).

The *heart chakra*, anahata, is the fourth chakra,

located over the heart and corresponding with the element of

air, and also with psychic touch.

The fifth chakra is the *throat chakra*, vishuddha,

located at the base of the throat (thyroid) and corresponding

with psychic hearing (clairaudience).

The remaining two chakras are very important. They

relate mostly to elevated states of consciousness. The *frontal

chakra*, (or ‘third eye’) ajna, the sixth chakra, is located

between, and slightly above, the eyebrows. Ajna is the center of

psychic powers and can produce many psychic effects. Meditation

on ajna is said to cure nervousness.

Finally, the *crown chakra*, sahasrara, located atop the

head, (pineal gland) is the seventh chakra. It is referred to as

the thousand-petaled lotus and corresponds with astral

projection and enlightenment.

There are also many minor chakras throughout the body.

Each chakra has a sound (letter) and a pitch which is sometimes

used to invoke it.

THE TATTVAS

Some occultists prefer to describe the magical elements

as tattvas according to the Eastern system. Notice that these

symbols and colors are generally different than the western

symbols and colors for the elements.

element tattva tattvic symbol

======= ====== ==============

earth prithivi yellow square

water apas silver crescent

fire tejas red triangle

air vayu blue circle

(spirit) akasa black oval

YOGA

Yoga originated in India. It is a physical or mental

discipline designed to condition and invigorate the mind and

body. There are many kinds of yoga, but they may be generally

divided into three main types…

Hatha yoga — affect the mind through the body using

physical exercises; improve physical health and endurance.

Raja yoga — affect the mind through mental training;

improve concentration.

Mantra yoga — affect the mind through chanting and

affirmation; achieve relaxation.

MEDITATION

This is a much touted area of the occult. There are many

meditation techniques, and many claims made for the benefits of

meditation. Basicly, meditation has two functions — relaxation,

and perhaps, improved concentration. There are two main types…

1) concentration meditation (focusing),

 

 

MAGICK — THE SUBJECTIVITY OF EXPERIENCE

MAGICK — THE SUBJECTIVITY OF EXPERIENCE

Your awareness of the physical world and of your

place within it is mostly based upon the physical senses

(hearing, sight, smell, touch, taste). These five senses

continually send information to the mind, and it is up to

the mind to select and interpret them. If you could not do

so, your senses would overwhelm you and be meaningless.

Selection and interpretation of your sensory inputs is

essentially an automatic, mostly subconscious function of

the mind. The program or map which the subconscious follows

as its reference point is called a _model_. The model is a

subconscious mental photograph of how you believe the world

looks (ie. worldview, mindset, egregore, or belief system).

It was built up from an early age by your religious and

cultural background through interaction with family and

others. It contains your experiences, attitudes, and

habits. And whether you realize it or not, most of your

behavior, thoughts, feelings, and habits are based upon and

conditioned by that model; even personality. The model is

one of the mind’s master programs. Change in behavior

generally requires a change in the model. These limitations

built into our way of thinking cause our perceptions to be

subjective. That is why Hindu philosophy looks upon the

world as illusory (maya); the world itself (object) is not

an illusion, however from our viewpoint through perception

(subject) it is.

Thus we are all conditioned by experience. Except

that our perceptions, hence our experiences, are first

conditioned and limited by the model. Our perceptions and

experiences tend to conform to what we expect. We tend to

misinterpret or ignore things which do not match our

preconcieved notions about them. This is automatic.

Introduction To Scrying – Putting your magickal space to work

Introduction To Scrying

 

Putting your magickal space to work

By the time you have worked the exercises in the previous sections for a few months, you will have established a solid foundation for all your future magickal work. Practically every magickal and meditation technique you will ever encounter is a variation or extension of the skills you have learned in building your magickal space.

Every person will have a different level of “peak performance” with these techniques. Only a rare few are able to enter wholly into the magickal space, and become entirely unconscious of their physical body; for these people, the end result of this work is indistinguishable from the classical descriptions of astral projection. Most people will find that a certain portion of their awareness remains “outside”, and that the intensity of the sensations they have never attains the brightness and clarity of normal perception. I fall at the low end of this latter category myself; in my visions, colors are more implied than they are perceived directly, and most of the time I need to focus intently to perceive fine details.

Being able to put all of your awareness into the magickal space is not necessarily an advantage. What matters more is that you make the best use of the level of skill you do have. It is the meaning you can extract from your experiences, the insights you gain into yourself and the world, and the uses to which you can put them, that count the most. Bright and glorious visions are nothing, if they have no useful content or if your awareness and understanding are not (gradually but permanently) expanded thereby.

Having established the basics, in the following sections we are going to look at various exercises, all of which are forms of “scrying”. Before going into the details, we need to consider — in a general way — the nature of the things a person experiences while scrying.

Dreams, it is often said, are the realm of symbols; the same is true of scrying. But while the symbols of dreams are usually expressions of processes happening below the conscious level of awareness, the symbols seen in scrying are often (in an ideal world, always) the expression of processes and events occurring _above_ the level at which consciousness resides. They are the lowest and most readily apprehended aspect of processes that the consciousness can not yet completely encompass. In a sense, the symbols you see are no more than anchor points; a convenient means by which your awareness is given a connection to something coming from outside its current scope.

The form of the symbol does not necessarily bear any direct relation to the nature of that to which you are being connected. Some symbols — such as the Greek gods or the cabalist’s Tree of Life — have forms that directly reflect some aspect of the inner reality. Others have connections that are largely a matter of convention; they relate to particular aspects of the inner reality only because we habitually use them in such a way. The cabalistic color attributes are in this category. And others yet are seized upon to serve the needs of the moment, and have no particular meaning outside the context of the vision in which they occur.

But in all these cases, when a symbol is seen in a vision it has a direct connection to some magickal power, archetype, thought-form or entity. In order to get the greatest benefit out of your scrying, you must continually attempt to sense _beyond_ the symbol, to extend your awareness along the path it provides and apprehend that which it embodies.

Accomplishing this is a delicate task. The relaxation exercises described previously again become important, this time the portion of them dealing with quieting the mind. This is important in two ways: first, because the mind’s internal chatter will tend to overshadow and conceal that which is being communicated through the symbol, and second, because active parts of the mind will attempt to twist the meaning of the symbol to fit with their own preconceptions.

This is especially the case where the practitioner has personal desires that relate to the information being conveyed, or where the person’s self-image feels threatened. If your conception of yourself is dependent on a particular world-view and the information does not accord with that view, it will be almost impossible for you to see it clearly.

To reduce the possibility of this happening, you should also work consciously to develop a mental state of unattachment towards the content of your visions, a deliberate disregard for any personal significance they contain, and a deliberate refusal to evaluate the contents for truth or falsity. Critical evaluation of the results of a scrying session is definitely necessary, but the time for that evaluation is _after_ the session is completed. While the work is proceeding, you should seek to be in a perfect state of suspended judgment; neither believing nor disbelieving anything that you see or sense, simply seeking to receive the symbols and their attached meanings precisely as they present themselves.

When using scrying techniques in magickal work, you are always trying to penetrate unknown “territory”. Any work that can result in a spiritual advance will be, by definition, at least partly outside the scope of your current perspective and understanding. Like anything truly new, it takes the mind a while to adjust and be able to see it clearly. Further, the meanings behind any symbol can have many different levels; it may take a long time for these to “soak in” to your awareness, and the final significance may be very different from the first, superficial appearances. In my own work, it has sometimes taken up to a year and a half, with repeated exposures, before I fully comprehended what I was being shown. Thus, no evaluation you make should ever be so definite that you cannot change it; all meanings should be tentative until they have been repeatedly reinforced by additional experiences.

I cannot give any assurance as to the manner in which the meanings attached to a symbol will appear to a particular person. I do not have enough information from other people to characterize any particular way as “typical”. In my own case, they come in two or three ways, depending on the amount of power I have managed to invoke and how high above my normal level of consciousness I have managed to raise my awareness.

Usually, they appear as groups of thoughts or associations that appear simultaneously in my mind with the words spoken by some entity, providing a detailed context for the words; it is as if the thoughts out of which the entity produced the words were being transmitted along with the words. If I am looking at a visual symbol rather than hearing words, then they appear as sudden detailed “realizations” of what the symbol is intended to represent, which appear instantly in my awareness.

Less frequently, the hidden meaning of symbols appears as an entire storyline, a long series of events that appear in the mind as if some part of myself had been taken away, taken on a long tour through magickal spaces, and was then returned to the exact moment in time from which it had left. The complete tour is instantly “remembered” as it happened, even though for my conscious awareness, no time at all has passed.

In the rarest case, the meaning appears to my awareness as a tightly-bound packet of mystical energy, which sits in my mind and gradually “unravels” itself into words, images, and meanings over a period ranging from minutes to weeks. These “packets” seem to be some magickal equivalent of books. Their content usually does not seem to be directed at the particular person receiving them, but rather at some general audience; and the content is often radically different from the perspectives and ideas the seer would normally be interested in.

You should not take these as being the only ways in which the meanings behind symbols can present themselves to you; you may find that some other means is more typical for you. But if you do happen to receive information in any of these ways, you can feel confident that you have had some success in this matter.

Spirituality and Magic – Don’t Sell Yourself Short

Spirituality and Magic – Don’t Sell Yourself Short
image
Author: Friendly Spirit

I’ve read some informative and highly interesting articles on Witchvox recently and wanted to share a perspective that perhaps may help some in their dealings with their own spirituality. This includes rituals where many find sources of enlightenment but also includes just about anything else, eclectic or traditional, in the general areas of spirituality, magic, ethics, etc. My comments do not center on promoting my own beliefs. Rather I’d like to comment on keeping a bigger picture in mind no matter which path or paths you choose.

The bigger picture is, what are you really and how does what you are relate to which practices you use or follow in seeking spiritual enlightenment? I’d also like to suggest a few simple things to keep in mind when choosing a path or religion.

Which Path/Religion to Choose?

I don’t think that anyone but you can say which exact path or religion is right for you. And I’m not sure most can tell if they don’t try things. I guess the “right” one is the one that works for you. Try things and see what helps you improve your spiritual life. Does it help you to be a happier person or live a better life or feel more spiritual or does it not?

It’s a simple question really but then things should be simple.

But how do you know what to try in order to see what works best for you? Well, I guess many will try different paths before they find out but I can offer here some very simple guidelines in helping eliminate any while conducting your search. These guidelines work very well for me but, if they are something that does not work for you, then don’t use them:

  1. Does the path/religion preach that you are small or insignificant and it offers you a way to improve? I say reject that path/religion because it is based on a lie. The lie being that you are small and insignificant. You are not. You are an immortal, spiritual being.
  2. Does the path/religion depend substantially on faith, fear of gods or such things as damnation, etc? I say reject that path/religion as it is based on a lie. Your goal in spiritual enlightenment should not be based on fear, mysteries that you cannot comprehend, etc.
  3. Does the path/religion suggest not harming yourself and others and does it have at least some system of ethics against doing the above? I say look into it. Ethics are logic, really. They are things that just make sense if you truly want to expand spiritually or in any other way. It makes sense because you the immortal being are good and you will hinder your own growth when doing harm.
  4. Does the path/religion hold firm beliefs that are contrary to your own, even though your own harms no one including yourself? I don’t suggest getting into it unless you yourself are trying to change your own beliefs, as you feel they are incomplete or somehow wrong.
  5. Does the path/religion involve the use of drugs, hypnotic suggestions, invalidation or evaluation of you by others? I say reject it, as real spiritual enlightenment depends on you either regaining or otherwise obtaining a personal spiritual improvement which, in the end, depends on you and not the invalidation and/or evaluation of others.
  6. Does the path/religion promote kindness and things loving? If so, this is a good point as such things as kindness and love are completely natural to a spiritual being. Those times you could not be more mean or tough in a situation were not really signs of weakness. But the times you could not be more kind were signs of weakness as, again, kindness and love are natural in a spiritual being who, when itself, is truly good.

So What is The Bigger Picture to Keep In Mind in Any Path or Practice?

Keep in mind what you yourself really are verses what is being dealt with in your practice. I feel this is most important in order to obtain the maximum benefit of any path towards spiritual enlightenment.

What you are is very different than what you are being. For example, in this life you may have a female body, be a mother, a wife, an office worker and a Witch. Those are all identities you have assumed as you progressed in life while your body developed from the stage of its birth to where it is now.

Can a good spiritual path help you to be a better mother, Witch, neighbor, wife, etc? Sure it can. It can assist you in being anything you want. But, here again we are addressing what you are being in this lifetime, not what you are.

So, you’re not that body you have, right? I mean, for example, if you lost one of your hands in a car accident does that change that loving thing that is “you?” That thing that loves your children, arts or music? Is your body that thing that soars to wonderful music or what you consider beautiful in nature or otherwise? No, it is not.

I was in a Pagan chat room recently and in it this wonderful lady talked about children and other things, which was a great chat. She was obviously a kind and caring person but she stated that we all love our children because of a genetic imprint that makes us feel nurturing, defending, and so on. I loved her but I wanted to scream out, “YOU ARE MUCH MORE THAN THAT!” Yes, human bodies and animal bodies do have a “life force” and a genetic line that does provide for caring, nurturing, etc. (or else there would be no real continuation of a species), and when you take on a body you tend to be affected by it and the genetic line BUT you are so much more than that.

It was not appropriate to argue in that room nor did I feel a need to argue, but I really wanted her to realize she was SO much more than some sort of “genetic imprint” connected with a body…

Yet science often stops at just that point in trying to measure what you are. The physical universe can make a great “playground” in which to play and bodies can be a “calling card” spiritual beings use to identify and play with each other.

So if you are not your body, are you your mind? Again, you are selling yourself short if you agree that you are your mind. Here is a simple exercise you can do as you read this right now that might help you conclude you are not your mind:

Read these next two paragraphs and then close your eyes and think about it

Pick a pet or other animal you have with you or had with you once. Was it in your house? What color was it? Size? How did it look? When you think of a time with it, do you see it in your living room, outdoors or what? What was it doing then?

You can do this exercise with a child, a friend, whatever. Close you eyes now and do it and, when you are done, open your eyes and continue reading this.

Okay, so I am going to assume you just did the exercise. Who was looking at the picture(s) of that pet, animal, child, friend or whatever after you closed your eyes? It was not your body as your eyes were closed. Was it your mind “looking” at that? No, in fact it was YOU looking at it. And what you were looking at was a part of your mind (the pictures and things you saw).

My point is, you are not your mind. You are an immortal spirit that currently has a mind and a body.

Your body is located in time and in space (for example, here on Earth) and the pictures that make up your mind are locatable as well. But you yourself are not so located except by your own considerations and your agreement with the considerations of others.

While this is a subject that would take up a great deal more writing space than is available here, my whole point is if you want to get maximum spiritual enlightenment from any path you choose, please keep in mind what YOU are and never get confused with what you are not (a body, mind, tools of magic, etc.).

For example, the idea of using crystals, stones and other physical things to produce energy or other effects could really work but not for the reason many think. Matter (physical things) are just solidified energy and if someone figured out (by accident or otherwise) how to “tap it, ” lots could be produced. Some physical things like crystals perhaps store more energy than physical things like granite. I believe that different paths and people of older traditions have discovered a lot of that.

But what’s most important is that it’s NOT something bigger than you (the spirit). You’re tapping into something that can be amazing in terms of what is generally agreed to be possible BUT it is comparatively nothing to what YOU (the spirit) could produce. If it helps you to tap the energy and magic that is “sleeping” inside of you then by all means do it.

If people could practice such things with the bigger picture of what they really are in mind, to the point where they at least don’t worship such things as the tools of magic, then it could really be something special.

Just because we spiritual beings may use bodies and other physical things in order to communicate with each other, does not mean that we must be limited to that or to what is commonly agreed to be the limitations of bodies in order to perceive or communicate.

You know, you have many agreements in place automatically all the time with regard to your body and mind. Such agreements as human eyes see only certain hues, human ears hear only certain sounds, words are important to communication, you must breath air, and so on. If a spiritual being had the body of a cat for a lifetime, it likely would go into agreement with what a cat sees, hears, senses and the like. Same with any other body type. But they are only considerations you have agreed with and you yourself as a spiritual being are not restricted to such limits. If actions taken in rituals or otherwise in different paths help you to simply “disagree” on all those limits to perception, then they are probably good actions if they lead to your own spiritual enlightenment. And they are probably good things to do until some day you will be able to bring all the magic and abilities out of yourself without need of any tools.

Spiritual enlightenment is a matter of rehabilitating the spirit’s (your) abilities so that YOU may make a better life for yourself and others. Don’t be impatient and expect yourself to go from where you are to perfection overnight. If in any way you find yourself improving any aspects of your life (you feel better, you’re no longer depressed, some things come easier now, you feel more love for others, etc.) then by all means be happy as your effort on your path is working. Keep it up. It gets better and better as you grow spiritually and realize more of your own potential.

Just keep in mind that it is you the spiritual being that is awakening and that all the magic there is, is in you now. And if some path helps you find it within yourself for the improvement of you and others then it is a wonderful thing indeed.

You don’t HAVE a spirit. You ARE the spirit. Remember that and I believe you will get much more out of your practice.

Final Comment:

I have made no attempt here to comment on a god or goddess or anything else besides you. I believe that subject is very highly personal and that the more you expand spiritually, the more you understand such things. I only want to point out that you are something very, very special and much more than most people or even many religions let you believe.

Personally I have a very deep affinity for the Goddess. Every time I even reflect on that subject I feel wonderful. I do not categorize her in ways that many others have done. I personally don’t feel her under the many names people have given her in the past. Nor in temples dedicated to her in the various forms that might have been real to people at the time they gave her a name or a temple. Rather, personal to me, I see her everywhere, especially at times where I feel more enlightened. I reflect on her every time I see the love of a mother for her child, when I see anything nurturing, when I so much as see a spore fly in the wind and settle on the ground, knowing some day it may grow to be a plant.

I feel all that at times when I see kindness, love, the good in others. I see her when I see what in many lifetimes I’ve perceived as spirituality, courage, caring, wisdom, magic, strength and all things good. I think of all these things when I think of true “femininity.”

I don’t believe you have to roam anywhere to see her and the best evidence of her is within you now.

Daily Horoscopes for Friday, June 10

The fair-minded Libra Moon grows more judgmental today because she creates several tough aspects, including a conjunction with karmic Saturn. Still, the sharp edges of reality are softened by illusory Neptune’s square to friendly Venus in happy-go-lucky Gemini, enticing us to fill in the missing details with our imagination. Instead of seeing the world objectively now, we view it through Neptune’s filters and our individual fantasies and fears.

 

Aries Horoscope
Aries Horoscope (Mar 21 – Apr 19)

It’s challenging to know what to do today if your friends send you mixed messages. You may feel as if others set clear limits and then, once you acknowledge them by your actions, they wonder why you have withdrawn. Both of you are confused by the other person’s reactions as you alternate between reality and fantasy. Although the truth seems to fluctuate, your most intelligent strategy is to fall back on communication. If in doubt, check it out.

 

 

Taurus Horoscope
Taurus Horoscope (Apr 20 – May 20)

Your planetary ruler Venus may leave you befuddled today as she squares delusional Neptune. On the other hand, this aspect can also activate your highest ideals. Although this can play out in the realm of relationships, the current activation of your 2nd House of Finances is likely to create a lack of clarity around money issues. Don’t make any unnecessary expenditures since your desires may change dramatically over the next several days.

 

 

Gemini Horoscope
Gemini Horoscope (May 21 – Jun 20)

It’s difficult to concentrate today because Venus, the planet of personal attractions, is doing battle with Neptune, the planet of spiritual attractions. Venus is in dualistic Gemini, making you feel pulled in two entirely different directions, even if the consequences of your choices aren’t very clear. Don’t give in to temptation now; try to listen to the cool voice of reason instead of letting your imagination run wild.

 

 

Cancer Horoscope
Cancer Horoscope (June 21 – Jul 22)

Your dreams are in bright colors today, but the beauty of the images is less important than the serious message that the symbols convey. However, it’s not a good idea to be too concrete in your interpretations, for your imposed logic could squelch your creative high. Instead, do whatever you can to capture the magical energy that is flowing through you. And if others want you to report on your current actions, tell them that you require more time to put your facts in order.

 

 

Leo Horoscope
Leo Horoscope (Jul 23 – Aug 22)

You may not be ready to share what’s on your mind because you can see everything in the form of visions today, and words cannot easily communicate their subtlety. Taking time for things to settle down will enable you to make smarter choices about how much to verbalize. Until you know for sure, it’s wiser to err on the side of discretion. You can always tell more later; however, once you start to open up, you won’t be able to take back what has already been said.

 

 

Virgo Horoscope
Virgo Horoscope (Aug 23 – Sep 22)

Venus’ square to fuzzy Neptune in your 7th House of Others could make others seem more wishy-washy today. It doesn’t matter what you say, they still won’t be specific enough. You can’t respond to the current circumstances if everyone stops short of speaking their mind. Instead of making someone angry with your incorrect assumptions, wait for a couple of days and then start your search for the truth again when you have more information at your disposal.

 

 

Libra Horoscope
Libra Horoscope (Sep 23 – Oct 22)

Your key planet Venus is in your 9th House of Big Ideas yet her square to diffusive Neptune makes it difficult to know exactly what you want. You may be overwhelmed by your dreams of an ideal vacation or your attraction to a new philosophy or religion. But when you get closer to your imagined future, it crumbles before your eyes. Don’t accept defeat; create a more realistic set of goals and try again.

 

 

Scorpio Horoscope
Scorpio Horoscope (Oct 23 – Nov 21)

Your current approach to love is gentler than usual, but it’s still very much you, even if your desires are colored by your vulnerability today. Nevertheless, it’s okay to trust the innate wisdom of the universe; you probably don’t need to keep to yourself as much as you think. Remember that others may not understand your actions now, so it’s wise to take time and explain yourself as clearly as possible.

 

 

Sagittarius Horoscope
Sagittarius Horoscope (Nov 22 – Dec 21)

You might try to keep your feelings in check today, but your desire to be heard will probably win out over your need to play it safe. Unfortunately, your message may be muddled because you don’t actually know what you want, and the more you say the worse it gets. Don’t bother trying to explain yourself yet. Thankfully, you should do better when your clarity begins to return tomorrow.

 

 

Capricorn Horoscope
Capricorn Horoscope (Dec 22 – Jan 19)

You’re in for a bit of melodrama today as your plans stumble over your lack of execution. Even if you usually have a knack for making your dreams come true, your ideas may be less practical than you think. You may take a second stab at reaching your destination and could gain better traction later in the day. But don’t turn back; inching forward slowly is still much better than turning around and giving up too soon.

 

 

Aquarius Horoscope
Aquarius Horoscope (Jan 20 – Feb 18)

You may need to field an unexpected curve ball today that impacts your financial condition. Although you might believe that you were doing okay, you could overlook an apparently unimportant detail that suddenly becomes problematic. Fortunately, you can react quickly by coming up with a very unique solution as long as you don’t assume that you are in complete control. Flexibility is your secret weapon now.

 

 

Pisces Horoscope
Pisces Horoscope (Feb 19 – Mar 20)

Venus squares Neptune in sensitive Pisces, tempting you to wear your heart on your sleeve today. But you may be somewhat confused because you aren’t sure if others are reading you correctly or not. Actually, those close to you will be able to sense your emotions before you say anything at all. Avoid overcompensating by talking too much and diluting your message. You can create magic now without uttering a word.

Don’t Ever Stop

Don’t Ever Stop

 

Even though thoughts, ideas and imagination are very powerful, you can get nothing by just thinking, idealizing or imagining; you must also take action.

Action is the bridge between your ideas and their accomplishment. You have to seriously commit to yourself to pay the price, whatever it is. You can do whatever you want only if you believe you can. You can do whatever you set your mind to and you can accomplish anything if you’re willing to pay the price.

The message is clear; you and only you are responsible for your thoughts, ideas, imagination, health, well being, wealth, life style, economy, happiness, peace, your past, present and future. You and only you are the architect of your fate. You and only you are in the driver’s seat. You and only you are responsible for the kind of life you are living now and the way you will live your old age.

You are a winner! Be honest, responsible and respectful with yourself so you can see the reality of whom you really are and where you are standing. You are a winner! Don’t, EVER, EVER think otherwise. NEVER QUIT! Act, act, act and make your dreams come true. Don’t focus on what you DON’T want, even for a second; instead focus ONLY on what you want. The mind cannot have two thoughts at the same time. Walk, walk, walk and keep walking toward your goals.

I know for a fact that when you are totally clear on what you want, have a burning desire to fulfill your dreams, a blind faith and take action, you can do and accomplish all you can imagine and desire.

I also know that the more time you spend focusing on what you want and the more time you stick to what you need to do, the more satisfaction and happiness you get and you will feel more the essence of your goals.

The more time you spend on getting what you want and the more time you are in contact with your mission, the more familiar you get with what you need to know to accomplish your goal. As a result, you will have plenitude and confidence.

The more time you do more of what is expected from you, more opportunities come to your life and definitively more doors will open for you. The more you are willing to give, the more you will be able to get.

Of course that is possible! Believe in you! Believe in nothing but in the satisfaction, motivation, experience you are getting during the process and also believe that you will accomplish all you have planned regardless of any circumstance, obstacle or setbacks.

DON’T EVER STOP, NEVER, NEVER!

YOU CAN!

YOU HAVE THE TALENT SKILL AND INTELLIGENCE, AND ABOVE ALL, YOU ARE HEALTHY.

If you stop, it is because you need to give yourself time to understand what you need to correct in order to keep acting and walking on the right path. Believe me, at the end of the road there is what you deserve. Every step forward is taking you closer and closer to your goal and fulfillment.

And don’t forget to be happy during the process!

Copyright © 2009 Eduardo Dominguez