Tag: Magic Page 1 of 5

Witch-hunting

Everybody’s gangster ’til they can’t find their car-keys.

Unless they know how to dowse.

Successful dowsing requires a tool such as a forked stick or a pendulum to translate knowledge directly from the unconscious mind and into the physical body. This takes advantage of a what is called the ideomotor response. This essentially means that small muscle movements are allowed to be controlled without direction from the conscious mind.

Usually this is done by an individual rather than by the group effort required for such things as Ouija boards or table-tipping.

Traditional dowsing, (which is sometimes called water-witching) was done for the purpose of finding hidden resources under the ground. Most commonly water but anything may be targeted. Dowsing can be used to locate oil, minerals, buried pipes or unmarked gravesites. Since this a function of the mind rather than some magnetic or electrical phenomena, the composition of the target doesn’t matter.

Like with the development of any other talent, practice is the key. Most old-time descriptions of this art speak of the use of a forked stick taken from a hazel tree or some other thin, flexible wood. One hand holds each of the two forks with the stem pointed away from the practitioner. I myself have never tried this method as I have had great success using a weighted pendulum instead.

A pendulum can also be used as a general divination tool that can not only point in a direction but also to answer simple questions of the “yes” and “no” variety.

You can obtain a fancy purpose-made pendulum from a New-Age shop but a machine-nut tied to a piece of string will suffice. Hold the string with the weighted end hanging freely. You can use one hand or both at the same time. Try to hold it as still as you can until the weight stops swinging. Now you are going to basically interrogate the pendulum to find out how it will work. Address it as if it has a spirit of it’s own and ask it how it will indicate a “Yes” when responding to a question. This step is important because pendulums behave differently with different people. So a “Yes” answer could be swinging to and fro or it could be a side-to-side movement. It may also swing in a clockwise or counterclockwise circle. In this same way, find out what a “No” looks like. Now ask it to indicate a particular direction such as “North” or “To the front door”. The size of the swinging arc can also be an indicator of the strength or confidence of the response. It is also important to vary the length of the string as you will find it works best at a certain length which varies person to person.

Once you understand your pendulums “language”, it’s time to get in some practice. Essentially, you have to try to find something that you don’t know the location of. One way to accomplish this is to have a friend hide or bury a small object within a delineated area such a yard or a small field while you are not around. Then you go to that place afterwards and see if you can find the object. It is important that you do this without having that friend with you at the time lest their body-language or reactions give you clues even if only subconsciously. Another way to practice this which I sometimes do for fun is to use the Geocaching app to get your self to the general area of a geocache and then use the pendulum to narrow the search until you find it.

Don’t get discouraged if success is elusive. No archer hits the bullseye the first time she picks up a bow. Try different things. Try different states of mind. Try switching hands. Look for clues around you. Keep your mind open to other avenues of information. Sometimes a blowing leaf or the path of a bird in flight can give you direction.

As you get better at it, you will notice that you can predict what the pendulum will do next before it begins to move or change direction. This is because the information is coming from you, not the pendulum. As you begin to master this, you will find over time that you don’t actually need the pendulum at all and can find things without it.

Always remember that the magick comes from the magician. Not the tool.

It’s Elementary

The foundation of ceremonial magic is symbolized by the four alchemical elements of the Western Tradition. Those being Earth, Water, Air and Fire as proclaimed by Hermes Trismegistus in the Kore Kosmou. Aristotle later added a fifth element, Aether which was not adopted by many traditions because it’s nature was too nebulous and easily confused with Fire.

Each element contains dual qualities. Earth is cold and dry while Water is cold and wet. Air is hot and wet while fire is hot and dry.

Each alchemical element was given a symbol that was based on the equilateral triangle. Fire was a triangle with one point at the top. Water had the point on the bottom. Fire and water together made the Seal of Solomon that we see on today’s flag of Israel. I represents the combining of fire and water as the achievement of the impossible. It represents the paradox that is the attainment of Enlightenment also called the Great Work. Air was represented as an upright triangle with a horizontal line across the center while Earth was an inverted triangle with the same line across it.

Each element was also symbolized by a different magical implement. For Fire, there was the Sword. For Air, the Wand. Water was represented by the Cup and Earth by the Pentacle. Each of these has a corresponding suit in the Tarot. They are also utilized in the Wiccan tradition as well as other more formal types of ceremonial Magick.

These elements do not consist of only the physical manifestations they are named for but rather are seen to be the basic constituent components of the world much as we see in the atoms and molecules of today.

Hippocrates (according to Galen) assigned each of the elements to one of the four humours of the human body. Those being Black Bile (for Earth), Phlegm (for Water), Blood (for Air) and Yellow Bile (for Fire). Medicine at the time was considered helping a person to balance their own personal blend of humours in the body.

Tradition holds that the Elements have a hierarchical order with Earth at the bottom as being the most base and impure and moving up through water, then air, and topped by fire which is the most pure. Many modern practitioners tend to see the elements as more balanced and complementary.

We still see the descendent of these ideas in modern science’s four states of matter. Those being solids, liquids, gases and plasmas which correspond to their energy states or rates of vibration.

For symbolic purposes, we can see Earth as being solid, foundational and stable. Likewise, Water is relaxed and flowing. Air is free and expansive while Fire is energetic and purifying.

In Occult philosophy, everything consists of a different blend of elements.

In astrology, each Birth Sign belongs to one of the four elements to confer both positive and negative personality traits. Earth signs can be sturdy, logical and hard-working but also stubborn, lazy and materialistic. Water signs can be healing, peaceful and trusting but also erratic, indifferent and indecisive. Air signs may be joyful, communicative and imaginative but also dishonest and self-centered. Fire signs may be compassionate and courageous but they may also be obsessive, jealous and angry.

The rich symbolism of the four elements originated in Tibet and India and from there it was adopted by the ancient Egyptians and the Greek philosophers. And all these years later, we still find them useful symbols and models to help us shape our own minds. And as all magicians know, to shape our minds is to shape the our reality.

Govern-mental

Imagine a small island upon which are 100 castaways. They are strangers to each other and were all shipwrecked at the same time. They can each scrounge enough food and water to live on but not much more.

How might their societal structure develop?

The initial situation is anarchy. Not necessarily a bad thing. There is simply no authority. Each person on the island is equal to the others and nobody is in charge. Alas, utopias cannot last. Sooner or later the more physically powerful and selfish will begin to take resources from their weaker and less assertive companions.

Now we have criminals.

The victims will soon learn to form into groups for mutual defense.

Now we have police.

These groups will sort themselves into hierarchies according to their intelligence and the drive for status of their members.

Now we have government.

The government will create projects to make life easier for the inhabitants (or at least for themselves). This will require a portion of the inhabitants resources.

Now we have taxes.

Et cetera…


I am writing this in response to a friend of mine who is an enthusiastic advocate of anarchy as being the ultimate form of government. Idealism can be a good thing but if it is not tempered by experience and observation, it can lead to large-scale disasters. Communism for example, sounds good in theory and would be a great way to govern a society of angels. As we have seen however, humans are incapable of wielding power without falling into the temptation to accumulate wealth and to manipulate the system for their own ends.


I can imagine a society where children are taught from the very beginning the value of love and kindness to others. Where friendship and compassion and service to others is instilled at an early age as the very foundation of a just and happy society. Where the sharing of resources is…

Ah, never mind.

Fade Away Home

Did you ever notice that things age and fall apart? Stars die. Mountains crumble. Metals oxidize. Organics rot, Memories fade…

Why is that? Why don’t they become better and stronger over time? Why do our bodies weaken and die? Why does the quantum field lose coherence over time?

Well, it’s all about boredom.

You can’t have Something without Nothing. They arise and are defined by each other. The background field of reality is Consciousness. What we might call “God”. By that I do not mean a distant spirit-king. I mean You. With all your “stuff” striped away. With all your “somethings” removed.

Words fail here of course and I have tried to explain why elsewhere.

Conscious attention combining Will and Imagination is how all the “somethings” are created and how they are shaped and manipulated. As a thing is being created, it does become better and stronger over time. This is the growth stage of all creations. Consciousness is sharply focused during this phase because it is interested. It is learning and experiencing novelty.

The creation will peak at the point of maximum interest. After that, with more and more processes being relegated to autopilot programming, familiarity breeds at least apathy if not contempt and the creation begins to lose it’s fascination.

What we see as being the material world is held together by God’s Will and Imagination.

You are God. Your life is your creation. You can wipe the slate clean anytime you wish. Lose your will to live and your life (meaning the avatar) will end. It may happen suddenly, as in the case of letting it be killed or it may simply drift away into the dissolution of old age and senescence. Then, with your attention removed entirely, the creat-ure will turn to dust and be gone.

Grandma didn’t lose her mind to dementia. She just got tired of her creation. Tired of missing those who’ve gone before. Tired of the pains and illnesses she’s allowed herself to experience. Her True Self is off working on a new reality. Creating another Something as only the indestructible Conscious No-Thing can do.

The Land Down Under

The Underworld.

That which lies beneath the world.

A place that seems illusory from our vantage point. Inhabited by fairies and monsters. Devils and gods. The dead and gone.

The dark and murky waters from whence come our dreams and to where go our memories. The vasty subconscious mind.

It’s where we go whenever we cease to concentrate upon our Creation. Indeed, we are partly there now. Just because we wake up in the morning does not mean that we are no longer dreaming.

These “realities” we create exist like temporary islands floating in an infinite sea of imaginal potential. For just a little while they float along in the sunshine of our awareness. Then, inevitably they sink back into the chthonic depths.

As “children of God” (meaning God Itself as filtered through each unique persona or avatar), we are constantly creating our reality. Because we are at our core the One True God, our ability to create and change The Creation is precise and masterful. This contributes to the illusion that there is a solid and true reality. You may be tempted to say, “If I could create my own reality it certainly wouldn’t be this!”

Bullshit! Look closer. Know Thyself and all else will follow. If your reality seems to be messed up, it means you have lessons to learn. Learn them. Why do you think you are seeking knowledge?

Notice what happens when we stray out to the edge though. When we dabble with magic; when we hunt for bigfoot or UFO’s; when we pray to angels and saints. The things you will encounter exist in a quasi-real state until you solidify them through your belief and attention to become truly real to you. Suddenly you become an Experiencer. Your reality has shifted in amazing ways. You realize that you have gained Powers. If this happens with a comprehension of Who you are and what you are doing, you will become a mystic master. If it happens randomly with no understanding on your part, you will become a delusional mental patient.

Pay attention to your dreams. Study the symbolism. Be conscious of the world around you. Again, study the symbolic nature of what you see. As above, so below. As below, so above. This is the key to the Underworld. Once you have it, you can open the gates as far as you dare.

Your imagination is God’s Imagination.

Transmutation

“Is it just me, or is it getting crazier out there?”

This quote from the 2019 movie “Joker” is one of those lines that gets a laugh because it hits uncomfortably close to home doesn’t it? When a person descends into madness, they become blind to this fact and instead perceive the world around them as flying off the rails.

Our reality simply is what it is. Everything beyond that consists of imagination and embellishment. This is akin to artistry and can be the source of great satisfaction as well as great confusion. Simply put, we can choose how we view the world as well as the people around us.

We are storytellers telling our own stories. We can do this consciously or unconsciously. It’s far better to consciously create our lives but it can be instructive when we let the “auto-pilot” take over too. It is from the inevitable misunderstandings that we learn to do better the next time. These mistakes will appear in our reality as “wrongness”. Pain; suffering; rejection.

The Hebrew word “sin” is an archery reference that simply means “to miss”. It does not mean, “to offend God”. It does not mean, “to do evil”. It just means, “You missed!” The implication being that you can learn from the experience and perhaps do better next time.

Do you see a world filled with chaos and despair? Change it! You will always find what you seek so look for the goodness. Fill your heart with love and the World will reflect that back to you. As within, so without.


Is it just me, or is it getting more wonderful out there?

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