two keys

Upon my altar are two keys.  They lay upon the silk cloth next to the onyx jar of copal between my grandfather’s pocket watch and the wishing well. I see them every morning and every evening.  They are both simple and profound.

The keys were given to me during my second degree initiation ritual by the Mother and the Father.  They were gifts to remind me of the power that lies within me to lock or unlock any door, any box, I choose.  They are mine to remind me that the doors and the boxes and the locks are mine and the choice to lock or unlock is mine and mine alone.

There are many boxes and doors within me.  Many of them have been locked and hidden for a very long time.  Many remain locked from life-long habit, many because I have completely forgotten that they even exist, and some simply because I do not yet know how to unlock them.

But the keys are there upon my altar to remind me to keep searching and striving and to never forget that the choice is mine, I may not yet know how but, it is within my power and my prerogative to learn.

I am applying myself to learning how to use these keys.  It is both my desire and my intent to learn to unlock each and every door and box within me.  So Mote it Be!

just sitting by the fire...

This past weekend I attended a small Pagan festival with a group from my Tradition.  About forty of us went camping in Virginia with about eighty other Pagans (that we did not know before).  It was raining and sunny, warm and cold, quiet and noisy.  There was learning and teaching, rituals and cooking (and dish duty for those of us that do not cook), eating, drinking and not enough sleeping.  There was laughter and singing, grumbling and bitching, making new friends and visiting with community.  It was both wonderful and exhausting.

I spent a good deal of time just sitting by the fire.  Not the “Big Balefire” but the small campfire in the quiet space at the edge of our encampment.  This was the most profound experience that I engaged in this weekend.  Each time that I had to leave the fire, to go to bed or take a shower, to eat or wash dishes, to attend a class, or a ritual, or to pack up and travel home, I was at least a little reluctant to do so.

From my place beside the fire, I shared in community.  I witnessed family and long-time lovers, two young people making a new connection, and a very wet mother and her two small children warming themselves beside the fire of new friends.  I heard the alarm when the smallest went missing and the joy of her being found wandering unharmed down the road the way little ones will do.  I heard funny songs and told the story of a zombie war and the cauldron at the center of it.  

I sang a chant of my own making and sought to gain answers from the embers.  I asked questions and learned about things from others with knowledge I do not yet possess.  I shared tears with a coven-mate whose heart is amazingly open and full of love.  And, alone for a brief while, I practiced tending the fire (successfully to my great satisfaction).

I had been told over a year ago on a journey that I need to spend time just sitting by the fire, and tending to it.  It was time well spent and I give thanks for the fire and for community.

Joy

Sometimes, I think, we lose track of one of the most important aspects of our incarnate lives here on this Earth.  We lose track of one of the most fundamental and overriding purposes of our human experience.  We become so focused upon the working and struggling and suffering in this life that we forget the most valuable moments: those in which we experience JOY.

Because we do not live in a constant state of bliss, because moments of joy are fleeting, we forget that they are real and indeed the very essence of life.  Life itself is ephemeral (at least in the physical) and joy is a reflection of that transience.

But make no mistake, JOY is our purpose.  We live to experience those moments, those jewels of love, inspiration, creation and transformation.  Our lives are tapestries of many colors and many moments.  And here and there the sparkling gems of enchantment and joy are found within the pattern. 

Each of those moments is a treasure that teaches us the value of that which caused it.  The smell of the smoke from the sacred fire, the sound of a loved one’s laughter, the taste of chocolate or a sip of wine, the soft, warm touch of a lover’s hand, the forsythia blooming in the April Sun.  

The small everyday moments, and the big mountaintop moments, all of the moments we feel joy, no matter how fleeting, these are the moments that we are here to experience. 

This path we walk is one of joy.  The more often we can recognize it and pause to experience it, the more full of joy our lives will be.  And that is one of our most fundamental purposes, to live a life of joy. 

May your life be joyful.  Blessed be.

Intent

Intent is a tricky thing.  It is not simply feeling desire, or wishing for something.  It is not visualizing a desired situation or outcome.  It is not even planning how to achieve that outcome nor taking the steps to enact the plan.

Intent is a decision, a choice.  It is a commitment that " This shall come to pass.”  It is accepting the unknown and unseen consequences.  It is knowing that no matter how one may have imagined the outcome, it may (and probably will) be different from what was imagined.

Intent is a strange brew of desire, will, faith, and purpose.  It is setting your feet upon a path and seeing it through no matter that you cannot see beyond the first steps.  It is taking each step knowing that it will never be under your control.

Wishing and day-dreaming and planning are nothing without intent.  And without intent, no magick will ever become manifest.

The functions of "I"

This is my first attempt at articulating these concepts of the shadow forms of the parts of self.  They are not clear or precise however, I am attempting to explore them and to strengthen my connections to them.  I would appreciate any insights you care to offer.  I reserve the right to learn and clarify or, to completely change my thoughts on the matter.   

The five parts of the self, the spirit, mind, heart, soul and body, each have a role to play in guiding us on this path.  They each have a vital function in our magick.  Without each one of them being engaged, the process falls short.

“To know, to will, to dare, to keep silent” or in other words, intellect, will, desire and action become manifestation.  These are all necessary however; these are active forms and projective forces. 

Yet each of these parts has a polarity, a shadow form that is receptive and passive. And by shadow I do not refer to the negative darkness that resides inside each of us but, rather the non-rational, non-skeptical, non-logical connection with the universe of which we are each capable if we allow ourselves to see/hear/smell/taste/feel/know it.

I think of them as “the functions of I”

Inspiration, Imagination, Intuition, Integrity, and Instinct.

Magick can originate with any one of them but, they must all be engaged for the process to ultimately work.  They are each a means of receiving information but, intellect alone will not accomplish anything.  For magick to actually occur, the functions of I must each “agree”.

Inspiration is the voice of spirit, that flash or spark that cannot be designed or commanded. 

Imagination is the shadow of intellect.  It is the ability to let go of what is and believe in what could be. 

Intuition resides in the heart.  It is an emotional understanding or knowing something outside of myself.

Integrity is the truth of the soul, the shadow of will.  It is the knowing that something is “right”.

Instinct is the body speaking to us, overriding the logic and language of the “civilized” social human.

Again, this is my first attempt at articulating these concepts.  I am attempting to explore them and to strengthen my connections to them.  I would appreciate any insights you care to offer.  I reserve the right to learn and clarify or completely change my thoughts on the matter.  

Blessed be.  

Hail Thor!

Hail Thor, Strong and Mighty!

Hail Thor, the Father’s Bright Son!

Hail Thor, the Wielder of Mjollnir!

Noble and Honorable is he, the Strongest by far!

He charges forth into battle,

Shining and Glorious with Hammer in hand!

His strength defeats the unjust foe!

His might defeats the false accuser!

He defends the children and kindred!

He defends the home and the land of the ancestors!

He protects the hall and all those who dwell within!

The honest man’s home does he defend!

His Might guards against the vandal!

His Nobility defeats the dishonest thief!

His Strength is above all others!

The Strongest of Warriors is He!

Hail Thor, the Strong and Mighty!

Hail Thor, the Father’s Bright Son!

This is the second fulfillment of vows that I have made to Tyr, Thor and Odin.  I give thanks to Them and praise Them for their Wisdom, Honor, Strength, and Nobility.  They have vindicated Their son and delivered him from peril and will continue to raise him up victorious.  So Mote It Be.  Hail Tyr!  Hail Thor!  Hail Odin!

Hail Tyr!

Hail Tyr, the Just and Righteous!

Hail Tyr, the Father’s Brave Son!

Hail Tyr, the Courageous Warrior!

Noble and  Honorable is he, and  Bravest by far!

He places his hand in the mouth of Fenrir,

He sacrifices his own right hand!

To protect those in peril he does sacrifice

and naught does he withhold!

In service to his children,

He does forfeit his strength and glory!

By his own valor does he surrender his freedom,

to liberate his sons from bondage and peril!

His Sacrifice binds the mad destroyer!

His Courage defeats the deceptive foe!

His Honor is above all others!

The most Honorable of Warriors is He!

Hail Tyr, the Just and Righteous!

Hail Tyr, the Father’s Brave Son!

This is the first fulfillment of vows that I have made to Tyr, Thor and Odin.  I give thanks to Them and praise Them for their Wisdom, Honor, Strength, and Nobility.  They have vindicated Their son and delivered him from peril and will continue to raise him up victorious.  So Mote It Be.  Hail Tyr!  Hail Thor!  Hail Odin!