There is an Apple Tree in Amesbury behind the house in which I used to live. I tended this tree, and spent many hours reading books beneath it, and meditating. One day while leaning up against its trunk I asked the Apple Tree in the wordless speech, *Please, tell me about your religion*
The Apple Tree pondered this for awhile, in the way that Trees do, and then replied to me in the wordless speech, *Before I can tell you about my religion, I must first explain to you about the nature of my Life*
*In the beginning there was a Blossom. Bees pollenated the Blossom, and a fruit developed. When the Apple fell from the Tree, it rolled away a bit. Winter came, the time in which most trees sleep, but in the Spring, the ground thawed, and from the Apple, I was born.
*First, I put a root down into the Earth to draw water, & nutrients, and then I sent forth leaves to drink in the Sun. Year by year I grew, and in each year new bark formed around my core. In the days Sun shone upon me, and wind sang through my branches. I listened to birdsong, and observed all the comings & goings of the creatures of the forest. Rain would come at times, washing my leaves, and filling the ground of the Earth with its Blessings.
*Around me grew all manner of other Trees & plants. Together we watched the changings of the Seasons, and the Stars at night. Spreading out from among us, was the whole world, and we lived in communion with all forms of Life. Not a single thing occurred anywhere, that we did not know about, and in the depths of Space & Time, we could feel the presense of the other sentient planets throughout all of the galaxies of the Universe.
*This then, is the Nature of my Life. I want you to ponder this for awhile, so that you will fully understand.
Throughout the rest of the long afternoon, I sat beside the Apple Tree, contemplating what it had *spoken* to me, and holding space with all of the Green Life of the world. Then at dusk, as the Moon rose, and some Planets became visible near the setting Sun, and the first, brightest stars began to shine in the night sky, the Apple Tree *spoke* to me again.
*Now that you understand the Nature of my Life, I can explain to you about my religion. Look now into the Infinite depths of Space. In the Beginning there was a Blossom...
These animated Moving Mandalas are very large files. Please click on the pic, and wait for it to load. The Contemplation will be very enabling, carrying your Mind beyond the mundane world
You are probably familiar with the story of the teacher giving a presentation for his class with a large glass jar. He began by filling the jar with large rocks. He asked the class, if it was full, and they said it was. Next he added lots of pebbles to the jar, shaking it a bit, so that they fit themselves between the large rocks. Again, he asked the class if the jar was full, and the class said that it was. Finally, he poured in a lot of sand, again filling the large glass jar.
Then he explained to the class what he was doing. The jar represented your life. The large rocks represented the most important things you will ever do in life. The pebbles represented stuff that you need to do, in order to sustain yourself. The sand represented stuff that might seem important now, but ten years from now, it won't make one bit of difference, whether you did it or not.
He finished his presentation by pointing out that if you begin by filling the jar of your life with sand, that there will never be room to put anything important in your life. How sad that would be!
You don't appear to be doing anything when you meditate. However, the practice will make your mind calm & clear, and help keep your body healthy. That's got to amount to quite a bit over time...
There are many ways of going about doing things. Some will save you a lot of time and effort, so look for those! Always think things out before you do anything. That alone should cut the time you spend doing things in half!
In a complex project, some things need to be done, before others can be started. That is the Order of Operations. Knowing the Order of Operations, will save you from the Curse of Downtime, where everything is brought to a complete halt, because something that is needed, isn't available for use.
Some things can be done at the same time that other things are being done. This is Multi-tasking. Having as many things being done simultaneously as possible, always speeds up production. If you were cooking, and needed to boil some water, would you stand there watching the pot?
The more good reasons you have for doing something, the higher it should be on your List of Priorities. You may also find that taking a single action, will further progress on several different fronts at the same time. This is Multi-layering. When you are organized, you will take fewer steps in the process of getting things done. A solid principle from Taoist philosophy, is to appear to be doing nothing, yet to get everything done.
At the end of your life, if your jar is one third full of big rocks, one third full of pebbles, and one third full of sand, then you've done alright...
These animated Moving Mandalas are very large files. Please click on the pic, and wait for it to load. The Contemplation will be very enabling, carrying your Mind beyond the mundane world
All living things are objectively, subjectively, or unconsciously employing or misusing the principles of real Magick in their lives already. So before you begin to consciously use Magick in your life, to manefest the conditions of your desires, there are a few things that you MUST know.
First of all, you must understand the basic LAWS of Creation, the Metaphysics underlying Reality. If you do not understand how things work, then you will doom yourself to breaking yourself against them.
Second, you need to be attuned to what is happening on all planes of reality, from the physical, through the Astral & Mental to the Spiritual Plane itself. These Psychic Exercises will enable you to perceive & process knowledge, experience, & information that will be imparted to you from your Guides on the Higher Planes.
Thirdly, you must develop a wide knowledge that encompasses many Traditions & Sciences. The objectivity of careful experiment, & observation, cannot be discounted, not for a single moment. So an understanding of Buddhism is essential, and in addition to this, you need to be familiar with all that has been posted here.
Finally, you need to comprehend the nature of your own motivations. You need to free yourself from all manner of selfish desires, misconceptions, & Hidden Agendas.
Then, having gained knowledge & perception, with the understanding of the Ways of Nature, and a true insight into yourself & your motivations, you will adopt Virtue, and make yourself worthy for the practice of real Magick.
The next step is Visualization. You must have very clear ideas about what it is, that you want to do. Being vague here, will produce vague results. Image, not only the goal, but the sort of steps leading up to the goal as well. Magick is a process, and the more concrete your vision, the more easily will the Universe conform itself to it. In prayer, we utilize the power of the emotions to stir the Divine. In Magick, we employ the power of the mind in the process of Creation.
On the Peceptive side of the Path, we use meditation to calm the mind, so that we can see clearly. We use Psychic exercises or Yogic practices to attune ourselves to the highest planes of Reality. We study the Ancient & modern sciences to educate ourselves, & broaden our knowledge of the world. Learning to see or feel auras, to Astrally project, & read the Akashic records, all serve to break us of the habit of thinking from merely the material plane, so that our lives can expand to encompass all of Reality. Doing healing work & Karma Yoga teaches us the lessons of compassion.
All of these practices serve to build up a great reservoir of Spiritual energy within us. This is the potential energy we draw upon, when we perform Operative Magick.
In the Far East, they speak of the Law of Karma, cause & effect. In Paganism, they speak of the Law of Three, what you do will return to you three times. Here is how it works.
When you make a decision or take an action, you set up a cause. This cause ripples out into the Universe, creating effects. These effects then ripple out into the Universe creating side-effects. These chains of causality can extend all over the world, affecting people you've never even heard of. An original cause may continue to produce effects long after you have died & reincarnated.... perhaps many times.
When a cause returns to you, it will bring along with it, all of the accumulated effects. Much of that probably will amount to nothing, but be aware that there is compound interest.
On the Perceptive side of the Path, we learn to become sensitive to the forces of Nature, we learn to open ourselves to the Infinite, & become attuned to the Cosmic Laws of the Universe. We are also taught that all living things are One, & that we also fully partake of the nature of Divinity.
In Magick, we exert the power of Creation, using the Cosmic Laws & our accumulated Spiritual Power to manefest our designs in the world. The Divinity within us commands, and Magick proceeds forth, altering the framework of things accordingly. This is an awesome power, not to be used lightly, or for selfish purposes. The Key to its use, is your certainty of what must be. Adopt an attitude of confidence, be pro-active in all of your endeavors, and the Magick will flow....
On the Path, we first need to learn & understand the patterns of Light. Second, we need to root out the patterns of darkness within ourselves. Then, we are ready to proceed with the real operation of Magick, as conscious co-creators of the world in which we live.
In my first 5 posts in this topic, I covered the five points of the Pentacle. In operative Magick, these are known as Condition, Motion, Order, Form, & Direction. The background study described in the first post, is the Condition required for the practice of Magick. Visualization is the quality that sets Magick into Motion. The discipline of study & practice creates the Order needed to manefest Magick. Understanding cause & effect, and the consequences of action, creates the Form of Magick. And finally, it is your attitude of certainty which is the spark that gives the Magick that you do, its Direction.
Thus, this is not merely a topic about how to employ Magick, it is also a powerful Magick spell, designed to unleash the power within you....
A simple altar makes for the most powerful spells. Simplicity makes for clarity, and allows the mind to focus with the greatest concentration. The candle provides light, and its color should be chosen for the properties you wish to manefest. The book should be whatever you are currently studying, a book that is most dear to your Path, or be your personal Book of Shadows. The bell signals when the spell has begun, and releases the power at the end of the session.
Black candles draw in negative energies. You can use them to absorb inharmony & purify. When doing massage, a black candle will operate like a heat sink, drinking up all the junk energies that are being massaged out.
Pure, uncolored, beeswax candles have a wonderful scent, and bring about an attunement with the natural forces of the Earth.
Red candles put out a more physical energy & can be used to energize, when you are tired. Also, red candles absorb anger.
Orange candles are for grounding, & promote health.
Yellow candles induce a light-hearted mood.
Green candles are for attracting wealth.
Blue candles are very calming, & good for meditation.
Purple candles attune the mind to work with Astral & higher energies.
White candles are for purity of Spirit, devotional work, & prayer.
The Ancients taught the Mysteries through symbols and allegory. Moreover, these symbols formed the basis of Rituals, and the construction of Temples. All of this was an illustration of the law : As Above, So Below. Thus, did they speak of the Macrocosm & the Microcosm.
The Macrocosm is the Universe. Not only the physical universe, but also all of the higher planes, principles, and Cosmic Laws, which proceed from the Divine. The Microcosm is the human being. Not just the physical body, but also the entire world within. The Microcosm is a mirror image of the Macrocosm, containing all of the qualities & powers inherent in the Macrocosm. And thus it was said that Man was made in the image of God.
The Macrocosm is revealed in the Tree of Life, which is also known as the body of Adam Kadmon, the Divine Adam. And each of the attributes of the Tree of Life, the body of Adam Kadmon, are reflected in the Microcosm, the earthly Adam. In other words, in you. This is what the Christ meant, when he said that the Kingdom of Heaven is within you.
The construction of the Ancient Temples in Egypt, India, Greece, and many other places, followed this pattern. They were laid out in a symbolic representation of the body, meaning the body of God, which is reflected in us. The Initiations were conducted in caves & vaulted chambers symbolizing the skull, & the brain cavity. True initiation into the Mysteries in not a matter of Ritual forms conducted in a Temple, (although it may happen there). True Initiation occurs inside the Mind, when it awakens to the Mysteries of Life. This is the Great Symbol.
There is a relationship between Ceremonial Magick, and the ways that plants grow. The symbols of Magick & Mysticism are often geometric in nature, and in plants we see the repeating patterns of circles, spirals, triangles, squares, pentacles, & Stars of David. The leaves of trees can be shown to be like the mathematical representations of sonic forms. And the flow patterns of wind & water are complex progressions of a high order.
Nature employs these patterns in its unfoldment, & in all Mystical literature, we frequently see the teaching to follow the Ways of Nature. Observe the budding of growth in plants, and you will receive instruction on the methods of Spellwork. Each component of a Magick Ritual grows out from the Center, forming a cohesive whole, just like the petals of a flower. In the Hindu Yoga systems we see the various energy centers described as many petaled Lotuses, and this is no mistake. Life is a dynamic process, always unfolding, & building upon what has gone before. The same should be true in Ceremonial Magick, where each new spell should be treated as a new sprout, budding from the parent plant. Thus, each extension of your Magick, proceeds naturally as a new phase proceeding out from the Center. And as the Ceremony is derived from the processes of Life, then the Magick done, will be imbued with Life, as well.
Nothing harmful can affect you, unless you have created a condition in your mind for it to attach itself to you. Altering your perspective on things, changes your vibration, & then the condition cannot attach itself to you. Reality is fluid, and responds to what we put out by the ways in which we think. When people become rigid in their thinking, they bind themselves to conditions, & cannot see a way out of their suffering. Understanding how this process works is the Key by which you can learn to create the conditions of your desires.
Do not try to effect changes in the outer world, at a time when your inner world is in distress. How could that work? Magick is an act of will, but it must come from a mind that is clear & serene. The conditions that you find occuring in your life, are reflections of your most deeply held attitudes & beliefs. Attach yourself to thoughts of harmony, peace, kindness, strength, wisdom, knowledge & compassion, and these things will find a way to manefest around you in the world. Make the effort to do the inner work, and the external things will take care of themselves. That is the true power of Magick.
These animated Moving Mandalas are very large files. Please click on the pic, and wait for it to load. The Contemplation will be very enabling, carrying your Mind beyond the mundane world
