I often think about time, and what I think it is defined by, what makes it tick, literally. The thing is, time is really just us marking down the movement of objects in space, and applying all these lines of measurement to it. It's really funny measurements too, they aren't even at all, for example, the number of days in a year is actually an estimate, and to keep it from getting too off they created the leap years!
So I guess that's the first thing about time I want to discuss. The whys and hows of the measurement process are not all that important, though it is a funny thing about our current system for time. What is important to understand is that time is an invention of the minds of humans, as a way to mark the movement of our planet around the sun, and the events of our lives on the earth while it does so. Really it just gives us a frame of reference for that unknowable constant, the present, and it's relationship to the past and future.
The present itself is a bit hard to conceptualize as well. The moment that it is, is just that, and it is gone before you can even think of it as being the present. It's nothing but a marker for the precise moment that divides the past from the future. Really, it defies our ability to define it, and you could argue that it's nothing at all.
You may be wondering then, what time is, if the present is nothing but a marker for the division between the past and the future. Well, I feel like time is bound both by the earth itself, and by our minds. In other words, time did not come to be until we defined it, and through our definition of it, we have bound it to the movement of our planet as well. If you think about it, we have one day for one revolution of the earth, one year for one revolution of the earth around the sun. In the past we also had the months divided by the moon cycles, though now it's a bit more loosely based on that. This means that if humans were on another planet, even in this solar system, their time would be different. I think that if we do end up with multiple planets with human civilizations, we will need to revise this. It's crazy to try to keep track of the minutes and hours and days when you are on a planet that doesn't match up that way, it would get way too confusing. I believe that time has to be bound to the terrestrial home of the intelligent being that is keeping track of it, because this is part of how it is defined for us. Either how we define it or standardize it will need to change, or our understanding as a whole does. Though going to in depth into that is not really important as that hasn't happened yet.
One part about time that is important to define is the future, the unknowable void towards which we are always heading, to the end of time. There is some prediction possible for the future, but there are so many variables that the further from the present you get, the less likely you are to be correct in your prediction. But with divination, the view into time is different than coming up with a prediction based on the likelihood of an event. Divination is using a medium to contact the spirits or energy, however you define it, that exist outside of time and outside of what we know of the physical world. The information about the future that you get through divination is guided by your use of the medium, and your interpretation of the answers given. More than that though it is guided by the energies that come into play. The future seems to be veiled from us, but really it is there all along, and often times will come to pass just as it seems it will. The times when it does not are the important times. When things don't go as expected, that is when you can see the changeable nature of existence, and the amazing adaptability of all life forms.
The past to me is very important, but in the concept of the meaning of time, it's simply memories. Memories written down, or recalled in our own minds. Memories that are passed down in cultures or families. The fact is that the past is only what we remember of it. It's different for everyone, and often times inaccurate.
Time, as a concept is like I said, our invention, the lines we are marking out to keep track of ourselves. In other words, it's our perception of it, in a measurable form. If you allow time to branch out in it's meaning you can think about the perception of it, outside it's measurable (numeric) form. I'm sure most everyone can agree that a period of time can seem longer or shorter than the clock says it is. Sometimes just a few moments can seem like hours, and vice versa.
In using magic to manipulate time, generally I feel like the only part of time that I have been successful in manipulating is the perception of time. I can make the perception of time for myself and sometimes others I am with change, either to seem like more or less time than it really is. Sometimes when I am late I will imagine a clock moving less slowly, but I find it hard to effectively do. I usually would try imagining whatever clock it is that I need to slow, like my supervisor's clock on his computer, or the clock for the receptionist, depending of course on what I am late to. I don't really feel like that type of time manipulation has actually worked for me. The other way that I try to manipulate time in a more indirect manner is through fixing in my mind the need for me to get quickly through obstacles, and that has worked before. Like, having all the traffic lights green, or a car moving out of the way, that type of thing. I think it could also work better to cause a person to mistake the time they see, or to not check what time it is, or not care.
One bit of warning: when I have manipulated time and it had a dramatic effect, I also seemed to have some consequences for my success. Time seems to need a balance, so if you slow time down, you should account for time to speed up again and if you don't want it to do that at a certain point, you should probably assign the balance as well, so if you were slowing time down to get to work, you would want to allow time to speed up to balance itself out afterwards. Otherwise, time might speed up before, meaning you are still late! Or, if you were making something last longer, like a special weekend or trip, you need to account for the time that will be speeding up. So, to make sure that you avoid some twist of time coming back to bite you, account for the opposite of what you intend to accomplish in your spell too.
To sum this all up, I think time is something that is unchangeable, but the perception of that constant, and the manipulation of the people and things that exist in a certain time and place make it possible to change time with magic, but be wary of the balance needed to accomplish time manipulation.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Looking beyond the Earth - Magic in the Cosmos
Well, I am the type of person who ponders life's questions, sometimes for years until I feel I have reached an acceptable answer for me at the time. I find I end up redefining things and shifting my beliefs fairly often lately, as I reason things out and come to new, more insightful conclusions. This post contains my thoughts on using the whole universe, and even what lies beyond, rather than the more limited approach to invocation- of calling on magical energy from local sources.
In this case, I have been pondering the limited view of magical practice. That is, the idea that the magic you do is based on energies from the earth or our solar system. Like the Moon, the Sun and Earth. Generally those are the things called to. That and the elements of the earth, like water, wind, and fire. Earth too, but of course that's redundant. You can also find lots of information about the magical uses of the planets, as far as what types of aspects they embody and what their placement around the earth means at that time. What I'm saying is, that I feel this is limiting yourself. The earth itself is so tiny and insignificant in comparison to the universe at large. Well, it seems to be anyway. There are so many forces that could destroy our tiny fragile existence. I think it's important to look at the big picture, and in this case some of the biggest questions of the universe that science has not been able to answer have to do with the way that galaxies interact, whether the universe is expanding or contracting, and of course what matter is.
I find that in looking at those questions, it's helpful to keep in mind the idea that there are so many different things out there in the universe that are undiscovered, which also means there are so many things that come into play, meaning the magical forces of the universe are much much bigger than just the one star, moons, and planets near us. The challenge then is to keep this open minded attitude about the energies you employ, rather than limiting them by calling to them by name in an invocation, I would rather think of the infinite and call to that.
To me, the mysteries of the universe and the energies I manipulate with my mind when I practice magic are one and the same. I don't need to connect with the defined attributes others have assigned to the cosmos, but rather I'd like to creatively open my options up and work magic that is bigger than just the wind from the earth or the points on the compass. When you look at modern magic, it should employ things that are based on mankind's current understandings of the universe, rather than looking back to the ancients. For one the information from the past is more difficult to verify, so it has less meaning than what you as a person believe, because it doesn't even connect to you personally. If you have to memorize something in order to use it in a spell, then it's just not the right thing to use.
For example, I have been employing the runes for some time now, and though some of the meaning of the runes I have to look up in books, for the most part the language of the runes (the shapes of the symbols themselves) is understandable to me and so they work as a medium for magic. One reason that they do is that I am able to see the shape of a rune and from that understand how the cosmic energy is manipulated. More specifically, uruz is a rune that shows energy from the earth rising and then returning, illustrating the life cycle, where a person born from the earth returns eventually. Uruz is a rune for health, and life and rebirth. It's easy to see how the energy that comes out and returns could be seen as being a cyclical connection to life, rebirth, and health and prosperity. Understanding what the symbols are illustrating is a way of saying something without having to invest the time in explaining it, which is useful in magic because it is easier to fix your intent when you have an emblem like that to focus on that means what you want. If I didn't understand that part about the runes, or if the runes didn't have that, I wouldn't find them as useful to me.
I find that when you break magic down into it's basic form, it's manipulating energy through thought. Well, does distance matter with thought? No. So there's no real need to focus on just the earth. It is however important to know that the earth is the most important life giving entity for all humans. Whether they believe it or not, every second of every day humans, and all life on this planet, depend on the earth to live.One thing about that is that when you employ energy from an unknown source (i.e. a galaxy specifically, you would have to find a way to invoke it) you would want to direct that energy and make strong parameters for it's effect. I have a feeling that calling on something unique like that may have unexpected results. While employing energies outside the earth is a neat idea, the earth is still extremely important, and I'm not saying that the earth should not be involved in magical practice, I'm simply saying it doesn't have to be the only one.
I can see how just throwing out all you know and going back to square one would be too daunting for most people. I am still contemplating how I am going to apply these ideas to my own practice. But if you are interested in taking your practice to the next level, or you feel like you are not finding the answers you seek with your current practice, this may be a way to open up your horizons and find some new answers!
In this case, I have been pondering the limited view of magical practice. That is, the idea that the magic you do is based on energies from the earth or our solar system. Like the Moon, the Sun and Earth. Generally those are the things called to. That and the elements of the earth, like water, wind, and fire. Earth too, but of course that's redundant. You can also find lots of information about the magical uses of the planets, as far as what types of aspects they embody and what their placement around the earth means at that time. What I'm saying is, that I feel this is limiting yourself. The earth itself is so tiny and insignificant in comparison to the universe at large. Well, it seems to be anyway. There are so many forces that could destroy our tiny fragile existence. I think it's important to look at the big picture, and in this case some of the biggest questions of the universe that science has not been able to answer have to do with the way that galaxies interact, whether the universe is expanding or contracting, and of course what matter is.
I find that in looking at those questions, it's helpful to keep in mind the idea that there are so many different things out there in the universe that are undiscovered, which also means there are so many things that come into play, meaning the magical forces of the universe are much much bigger than just the one star, moons, and planets near us. The challenge then is to keep this open minded attitude about the energies you employ, rather than limiting them by calling to them by name in an invocation, I would rather think of the infinite and call to that.
To me, the mysteries of the universe and the energies I manipulate with my mind when I practice magic are one and the same. I don't need to connect with the defined attributes others have assigned to the cosmos, but rather I'd like to creatively open my options up and work magic that is bigger than just the wind from the earth or the points on the compass. When you look at modern magic, it should employ things that are based on mankind's current understandings of the universe, rather than looking back to the ancients. For one the information from the past is more difficult to verify, so it has less meaning than what you as a person believe, because it doesn't even connect to you personally. If you have to memorize something in order to use it in a spell, then it's just not the right thing to use.
For example, I have been employing the runes for some time now, and though some of the meaning of the runes I have to look up in books, for the most part the language of the runes (the shapes of the symbols themselves) is understandable to me and so they work as a medium for magic. One reason that they do is that I am able to see the shape of a rune and from that understand how the cosmic energy is manipulated. More specifically, uruz is a rune that shows energy from the earth rising and then returning, illustrating the life cycle, where a person born from the earth returns eventually. Uruz is a rune for health, and life and rebirth. It's easy to see how the energy that comes out and returns could be seen as being a cyclical connection to life, rebirth, and health and prosperity. Understanding what the symbols are illustrating is a way of saying something without having to invest the time in explaining it, which is useful in magic because it is easier to fix your intent when you have an emblem like that to focus on that means what you want. If I didn't understand that part about the runes, or if the runes didn't have that, I wouldn't find them as useful to me.
I find that when you break magic down into it's basic form, it's manipulating energy through thought. Well, does distance matter with thought? No. So there's no real need to focus on just the earth. It is however important to know that the earth is the most important life giving entity for all humans. Whether they believe it or not, every second of every day humans, and all life on this planet, depend on the earth to live.One thing about that is that when you employ energy from an unknown source (i.e. a galaxy specifically, you would have to find a way to invoke it) you would want to direct that energy and make strong parameters for it's effect. I have a feeling that calling on something unique like that may have unexpected results. While employing energies outside the earth is a neat idea, the earth is still extremely important, and I'm not saying that the earth should not be involved in magical practice, I'm simply saying it doesn't have to be the only one.
I can see how just throwing out all you know and going back to square one would be too daunting for most people. I am still contemplating how I am going to apply these ideas to my own practice. But if you are interested in taking your practice to the next level, or you feel like you are not finding the answers you seek with your current practice, this may be a way to open up your horizons and find some new answers!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Technology and Rune Magic?
Well, I have an iPhone, and so of course I'm often browsing the app store for interesting applications to play with. I came across a rune divination app that I decided to try out, despite my skepticism that using a phone to cast runes will be meaningful. The name of the app is Rune Magic Lite, and it was created by Dev-iQue for the Order Ars Ascensionis. I tried to look into who that is, but so far I couldn't tell.
I am skeptical for several reasons. I'm not sure of the mathematical formulae used in the app, but no matter what it is, I don't feel that it can mimic the act of casting runes. Generally, when I cast them, I feel the runes in my hand, and the ones that feel just right are the ones I hold on to and cast. I think the energy of your body interacts with the runes, charging them with your intent, your question to the runes, and then the runes respond to that, which is what I'm feeling for. I am certain that you cannot accomplish that with a push on the screen of the phone. Well, I don't know if you can, but I'm pretty sure that the random rune generator used in the app isn't affected by any energy you send into the phone. Okay, so I guess I could suspend my disbelief a little on that point. An agrument could be made that you could indeed do just that. For me though, pressing the glass surface of my phone to get an answer will never be my preferred method. There's a reason I made my runes with my own hand, from wood that I chose. I wanted my runes to be an extension of me, to be inextricably linked to my creativity. For me, a mathematical equation that expresses the random probability of runes to be chosen in a cast is meaningless when compared to the actual act.
Another reason why I am skeptical that the rune casting from a phone would be meaningful is that rune casting is an organic act, something affected by the touch and mind of the person doing it, and in the case of an app that does it for you, it would also be coming from the programmer who created it. If you beleive that the intent of the button pusher can affect the outcome of the rune cast, then you must also allow for the intentions of anyone involved in it's creation. This app was created by a third party app creation company, making it another degree further from the intent of the person pressing the button. There was one person who intended this app be made, and paid for this company to do it, and then, this company assigned the task to one or more software designers whose intentions with regard to the app could be any number of things. When you look at physical runes casting, you can certainly argue that the energies and intentions of the people who made the runes also affect them, but that's why the rune caster themselves often makes the runes, to keep the intentions of others out of the equation. Doing so with a phone application would be much more difficult for the average rune caster.
Despite these concerns, I did invest a bit of my own magical energy into the phone when I pressed the button, and I also came up with solid questions to focus on. Oddly enough, the casts were somewhat fitting to the questions. The rune casting which the free version of this app allowed is the single rune cast (Odin's rune). The runes that I got for my questions could be relevant, but because I do not yet know the outcome of the questions I asked, I cannot tell if the guidance I got was truly helpful to me. I wasn't intending to "test" it's accuracy, really I just wanted to have a quick magical moment at my desk, and at least when casting runes I am execising my mind's visualization and energy manipulation. Also, it does help me to refocus myself towards my goal of health. The other great thing about this app is that it has a study section. I haven't reviewed the information from my rune studying with the info on the app to note differences I see, but it looks pretty awesome so far. I do need to check the differences, if there are any, but really it could be helpful in commiting the meaning of the runes to memory so that when I cast it can be even more effective. In the end, I have decided that I like the app, but there is no way that it can ever replace real rune casting. It's simply a simluation of something real, but it's discreet enough that you could do it anywhere, and it's also a great tool for learning the runes.
I am skeptical for several reasons. I'm not sure of the mathematical formulae used in the app, but no matter what it is, I don't feel that it can mimic the act of casting runes. Generally, when I cast them, I feel the runes in my hand, and the ones that feel just right are the ones I hold on to and cast. I think the energy of your body interacts with the runes, charging them with your intent, your question to the runes, and then the runes respond to that, which is what I'm feeling for. I am certain that you cannot accomplish that with a push on the screen of the phone. Well, I don't know if you can, but I'm pretty sure that the random rune generator used in the app isn't affected by any energy you send into the phone. Okay, so I guess I could suspend my disbelief a little on that point. An agrument could be made that you could indeed do just that. For me though, pressing the glass surface of my phone to get an answer will never be my preferred method. There's a reason I made my runes with my own hand, from wood that I chose. I wanted my runes to be an extension of me, to be inextricably linked to my creativity. For me, a mathematical equation that expresses the random probability of runes to be chosen in a cast is meaningless when compared to the actual act.
Another reason why I am skeptical that the rune casting from a phone would be meaningful is that rune casting is an organic act, something affected by the touch and mind of the person doing it, and in the case of an app that does it for you, it would also be coming from the programmer who created it. If you beleive that the intent of the button pusher can affect the outcome of the rune cast, then you must also allow for the intentions of anyone involved in it's creation. This app was created by a third party app creation company, making it another degree further from the intent of the person pressing the button. There was one person who intended this app be made, and paid for this company to do it, and then, this company assigned the task to one or more software designers whose intentions with regard to the app could be any number of things. When you look at physical runes casting, you can certainly argue that the energies and intentions of the people who made the runes also affect them, but that's why the rune caster themselves often makes the runes, to keep the intentions of others out of the equation. Doing so with a phone application would be much more difficult for the average rune caster.
Despite these concerns, I did invest a bit of my own magical energy into the phone when I pressed the button, and I also came up with solid questions to focus on. Oddly enough, the casts were somewhat fitting to the questions. The rune casting which the free version of this app allowed is the single rune cast (Odin's rune). The runes that I got for my questions could be relevant, but because I do not yet know the outcome of the questions I asked, I cannot tell if the guidance I got was truly helpful to me. I wasn't intending to "test" it's accuracy, really I just wanted to have a quick magical moment at my desk, and at least when casting runes I am execising my mind's visualization and energy manipulation. Also, it does help me to refocus myself towards my goal of health. The other great thing about this app is that it has a study section. I haven't reviewed the information from my rune studying with the info on the app to note differences I see, but it looks pretty awesome so far. I do need to check the differences, if there are any, but really it could be helpful in commiting the meaning of the runes to memory so that when I cast it can be even more effective. In the end, I have decided that I like the app, but there is no way that it can ever replace real rune casting. It's simply a simluation of something real, but it's discreet enough that you could do it anywhere, and it's also a great tool for learning the runes.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Update - The War has begun...
Boy, it has been a while since I have found the time to post on here. Well, I am still sick. I am unsure of whether the spell that my friends and I did had any effect, but one of my doctors beleives that he knows what is wrong with me, so maybe it did. For me, knowing what is wrong is a big releif, but because I am not getting better after doing what my doctor has said to do, I am concerned that he is wrong.
I have been trying to figure out what it is on my own as well, I have done several rune casts to try to get some new ideas. A month or two ago I did a rune cast that at the time I struggled with the meaning. It was clear in the way that the runes fell that my fate was forked, meaning it was up to me which way it ended up.
One path was a bit jumbled, and seemed to lead to death/rebirth through difficult trials, and the other pointed to an Odin rune with the valkyrie rune ( /| ) as the rune that pointed. At the time, I could see which was the best path, the Odin path, but I wasn't sure what that entailed exactly. It was the rune for wisdom and knowledge through Odin, so I was thinking at the time that it meant to seek knowledge, or possibly to become more odinistic. I didn't know what to do, so I didn't do anything. Sometimes, it's a good idea to ponder something, waiting until you feel like you have determined the true meaning, even if you think you are close, lest you do something that then tips your fate the undesirable direction.
Well, the other day I was packing my notebook to take with me on a trip, and happened to look at the drawing I made of the rune cast, and being the type of person who can't let go of something until I understand it, thought it over once again. A few hours later, I had a realization of the meaning of the "path of Odin". Well, I have learned a good amount about the different aspects of the Norse gods, including Odin, so I know that Odin is a warrior god, who values brave warriors and through his valkyries he rescues thier spirits when they have fallen in battle to bring them to Valhalla. Thinking about that, I realized that I must wage war on this illness.
I had planned to build my strength up once I was feeling better, and then banish future sickness by remaining extremely physically fit. I guess it hadn't occured to me that I was somewhat putting the cart before the horse in the matter. I have realized that the way to feel better is to banish this sickness now by becoming stronger than it and forcing it to.
When I think about becoming a warrior for my health, I realized that it's really more that to do this I should become strictly disciplined in both body and mind, devoting myself to my purpose. It goes beyond eating right and getting sleep and exercise, to include becoming strong mentally as well. Expanding my knowledge, meditation, training myself with good habits, all of these things will be needed. I have been somewhat indulgent of myself the last few years, feeling like I need to reward myself in order to feel good, when really it is my own lack of action that keeps me from feeling good, not the lack of perceived rewards. Wouldn't good health truly be a reward? This is what I have realized, that to be happy and healthy, I must give up the empty rewards that only satisfy me in the short-term, and instead focus on the work that needs to be done, knowing that the reward I need is bigger and more important than any other.
So, the runes have provided, once I was ready to see the meaning of it, a solution to my problem. I am going to need to figure out a plan for all this, so that it doesn't get simply forgotten about once I have begun to recover. This is something that there is no going back to "normal" on after it's over. Once you commit to be a warrior in the eyes of Odin, you are commited for life. This will be a life change for me, bringing me to my true self, a warrior. I know that this is something that is vitally important for me to understand, that I am not just using this as a tool to get what I want, but instead I am pushing myself to reach my highest potential for good in the world too. It's all interconnected, and without good health, it is clear that everything else I want to accomplish cannot be done.
I have dreams about being a warrior for the forces of good in the world all the time. In fact, deep down I have been searching my soul to figure out what I want my purpose to be, and all along it was there waiting for me to realize. I have the determination, and really just plain stubbornness that is needed to never, ever, ever give up on something important. I also have strength to endure pain, both emotional and physical. This time of my life is certainly a test of my strength. In other words, I am well suited to a life spent fighting for the things that really matter. The true question, I suppose, is what it is I should fight for specifically. That too, I may consult the runes to find out. At this point though, the war that needs fighting is very clear to me, as I know that my choices are to fight, or to die. Literally.
I have been trying to figure out what it is on my own as well, I have done several rune casts to try to get some new ideas. A month or two ago I did a rune cast that at the time I struggled with the meaning. It was clear in the way that the runes fell that my fate was forked, meaning it was up to me which way it ended up.
One path was a bit jumbled, and seemed to lead to death/rebirth through difficult trials, and the other pointed to an Odin rune with the valkyrie rune ( /| ) as the rune that pointed. At the time, I could see which was the best path, the Odin path, but I wasn't sure what that entailed exactly. It was the rune for wisdom and knowledge through Odin, so I was thinking at the time that it meant to seek knowledge, or possibly to become more odinistic. I didn't know what to do, so I didn't do anything. Sometimes, it's a good idea to ponder something, waiting until you feel like you have determined the true meaning, even if you think you are close, lest you do something that then tips your fate the undesirable direction.
Well, the other day I was packing my notebook to take with me on a trip, and happened to look at the drawing I made of the rune cast, and being the type of person who can't let go of something until I understand it, thought it over once again. A few hours later, I had a realization of the meaning of the "path of Odin". Well, I have learned a good amount about the different aspects of the Norse gods, including Odin, so I know that Odin is a warrior god, who values brave warriors and through his valkyries he rescues thier spirits when they have fallen in battle to bring them to Valhalla. Thinking about that, I realized that I must wage war on this illness.
I had planned to build my strength up once I was feeling better, and then banish future sickness by remaining extremely physically fit. I guess it hadn't occured to me that I was somewhat putting the cart before the horse in the matter. I have realized that the way to feel better is to banish this sickness now by becoming stronger than it and forcing it to.
When I think about becoming a warrior for my health, I realized that it's really more that to do this I should become strictly disciplined in both body and mind, devoting myself to my purpose. It goes beyond eating right and getting sleep and exercise, to include becoming strong mentally as well. Expanding my knowledge, meditation, training myself with good habits, all of these things will be needed. I have been somewhat indulgent of myself the last few years, feeling like I need to reward myself in order to feel good, when really it is my own lack of action that keeps me from feeling good, not the lack of perceived rewards. Wouldn't good health truly be a reward? This is what I have realized, that to be happy and healthy, I must give up the empty rewards that only satisfy me in the short-term, and instead focus on the work that needs to be done, knowing that the reward I need is bigger and more important than any other.
So, the runes have provided, once I was ready to see the meaning of it, a solution to my problem. I am going to need to figure out a plan for all this, so that it doesn't get simply forgotten about once I have begun to recover. This is something that there is no going back to "normal" on after it's over. Once you commit to be a warrior in the eyes of Odin, you are commited for life. This will be a life change for me, bringing me to my true self, a warrior. I know that this is something that is vitally important for me to understand, that I am not just using this as a tool to get what I want, but instead I am pushing myself to reach my highest potential for good in the world too. It's all interconnected, and without good health, it is clear that everything else I want to accomplish cannot be done.
I have dreams about being a warrior for the forces of good in the world all the time. In fact, deep down I have been searching my soul to figure out what I want my purpose to be, and all along it was there waiting for me to realize. I have the determination, and really just plain stubbornness that is needed to never, ever, ever give up on something important. I also have strength to endure pain, both emotional and physical. This time of my life is certainly a test of my strength. In other words, I am well suited to a life spent fighting for the things that really matter. The true question, I suppose, is what it is I should fight for specifically. That too, I may consult the runes to find out. At this point though, the war that needs fighting is very clear to me, as I know that my choices are to fight, or to die. Literally.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Bonfire Spell ~ Results
Well, it's been a couple of weeks almost since we did the spell, and I still hadn't posted anything in my blog about how it went! So, here goes. Well, the night before I was really worried that it would snowing or raining too much to be able to even get up to our property for the spell, so I was just sort of hoping for the best.
But, it turned out that it was a beautiful day, with bright sunlight in the morning when I got up. I was so excited! We all met at my place and then we drove up there. The drive went well, and then we walked from the car about a half mile to the cabin. It was really a beautiful day, so after all that walking none of us were cold. We started right away by getting some wood from a big pile we have and my fiance chopped it up for us. We also scavenged some sticks and whatnot from a brush pile.
There was a huge pile of wood ready for the bonfire, so I made a little pile of paper and some smaller sticks with some bigger peices around it to shelter it, and then I let my fiance try to light it with his flint strker for a bit, since he really wanted to try it out, and I was curious to see how it would work, too. Turns out those things are much harder to use than we realized, so I ended up just using a lighter to light the fire after all.
Then, while the fire was building up, I took the girls back to the spring where we get the water for the cabin. It is so awesome back there, the trees are so tall that you can't even see the tops of them, and it's so quiet and peaceful. I just love it up there. We each picked out a rock that we liked for part of one of the other girls' spells. We then headed back to the fire spot in the middle of the meadow.
The fire was roaring at that point, so it was time to get started. I wasn't sure exactly how we were going to do the circle, since we each have different things that we do, so we talked over that and went over what each one of us had prepared for the spell. I had made papers with the words to my spell on them which I also painted things on with watercolors for fun.
The other two girls are water and earth oriented, so one made a spell to use afterwards to cleanse away any remaing bad things, and the other had a healing rock visualization type thing that she had planned, which is what we would use the river rocks for that we had picked out.
One thing that I hadn't really done before with the circle that I thought was interesting was the triangle made of rocks which pointed north that one of the girls made. It was neat because it makes it a little easier to orient yourself to the directions when you already have a marker for north. I think I will use that myself in the future, because it really came in handy!
It was really neat while we were in the circle together, it was like each of us was responding to things the other person was thinking without the need for much explanation. We seemed to be able to create some pretty strong magic, I think. Each of us have a different specialty so when we band together like that we have a broad range of skills/power to draw upon. It was a great experience for me.
After the inital circle casting and gathering a couple of forgotten items that were outside the circle, we then started my portion of the spell. It went really well, I liked how it all went together. Then, we did some visualization with the rocks where each of us held a rock to the part of my abdomen that has been hurting and visualized the rock taking away the bad thing that is causing all my troubles. A weird thing happened while we were doing that, I get thig buring feeling on my stomach, like really strong buring sensation. Later, upon reflection, I figured it may have been the heat from the fire, as my bare skin was facing it and that fire was super hot!
Once we had completed that part of the spell, well, I had to stop it because my belly was burning too much, but then we had a little drink of some of our homemade apple cider and then we did the cleansing spell. I really liked both of the things that my witch friends had prepared for this, it was so awesome to get to do some magic with other people! It's fun to do spells on your own too, but I really liked the group thing.
So the jury is still out on whether it worked, I am currently on antibiotics so if that doesn't work then I will have to get more tests. I hope the spell worked because I could definitely use some help with this health problem I'm having. Yesterday was a really yucky pain and nausea day, I felt bad all day long, and today is slightly better, but I just feel like my body is all out of balance. I think it takes time for a spell like this to take effect, and certainly they never really do what you expect anyways, but once I know more I will be sure to post about it!
But, it turned out that it was a beautiful day, with bright sunlight in the morning when I got up. I was so excited! We all met at my place and then we drove up there. The drive went well, and then we walked from the car about a half mile to the cabin. It was really a beautiful day, so after all that walking none of us were cold. We started right away by getting some wood from a big pile we have and my fiance chopped it up for us. We also scavenged some sticks and whatnot from a brush pile.
There was a huge pile of wood ready for the bonfire, so I made a little pile of paper and some smaller sticks with some bigger peices around it to shelter it, and then I let my fiance try to light it with his flint strker for a bit, since he really wanted to try it out, and I was curious to see how it would work, too. Turns out those things are much harder to use than we realized, so I ended up just using a lighter to light the fire after all.
Then, while the fire was building up, I took the girls back to the spring where we get the water for the cabin. It is so awesome back there, the trees are so tall that you can't even see the tops of them, and it's so quiet and peaceful. I just love it up there. We each picked out a rock that we liked for part of one of the other girls' spells. We then headed back to the fire spot in the middle of the meadow.
The fire was roaring at that point, so it was time to get started. I wasn't sure exactly how we were going to do the circle, since we each have different things that we do, so we talked over that and went over what each one of us had prepared for the spell. I had made papers with the words to my spell on them which I also painted things on with watercolors for fun.
The other two girls are water and earth oriented, so one made a spell to use afterwards to cleanse away any remaing bad things, and the other had a healing rock visualization type thing that she had planned, which is what we would use the river rocks for that we had picked out.
One thing that I hadn't really done before with the circle that I thought was interesting was the triangle made of rocks which pointed north that one of the girls made. It was neat because it makes it a little easier to orient yourself to the directions when you already have a marker for north. I think I will use that myself in the future, because it really came in handy!
It was really neat while we were in the circle together, it was like each of us was responding to things the other person was thinking without the need for much explanation. We seemed to be able to create some pretty strong magic, I think. Each of us have a different specialty so when we band together like that we have a broad range of skills/power to draw upon. It was a great experience for me.
After the inital circle casting and gathering a couple of forgotten items that were outside the circle, we then started my portion of the spell. It went really well, I liked how it all went together. Then, we did some visualization with the rocks where each of us held a rock to the part of my abdomen that has been hurting and visualized the rock taking away the bad thing that is causing all my troubles. A weird thing happened while we were doing that, I get thig buring feeling on my stomach, like really strong buring sensation. Later, upon reflection, I figured it may have been the heat from the fire, as my bare skin was facing it and that fire was super hot!
Once we had completed that part of the spell, well, I had to stop it because my belly was burning too much, but then we had a little drink of some of our homemade apple cider and then we did the cleansing spell. I really liked both of the things that my witch friends had prepared for this, it was so awesome to get to do some magic with other people! It's fun to do spells on your own too, but I really liked the group thing.
So the jury is still out on whether it worked, I am currently on antibiotics so if that doesn't work then I will have to get more tests. I hope the spell worked because I could definitely use some help with this health problem I'm having. Yesterday was a really yucky pain and nausea day, I felt bad all day long, and today is slightly better, but I just feel like my body is all out of balance. I think it takes time for a spell like this to take effect, and certainly they never really do what you expect anyways, but once I know more I will be sure to post about it!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Bonfire Spell ~ Words We'll Say
Well, lately I have been really busy and also of course still struggling with health issues so I haven't written the spell out yet for Saturday! I am going to make a rough draft of it here, and probably go back in and edit it a few times until I feel it's just right.
I realized that I also need to write the beginning, just after the circle is closed, because it is when we will begin the first spell we have done together with the three of us. I decided that this is a big deal and wanted to just go with something basic and proven for this. What better way to do it than to use some of the rede! Indeed.
*Note* This is re-worded by me because I don't like saying "thee" and "thy", I feel like I'm roleplaying and then I am thinking about things other than what I should be, which is the purpose of the words.
Here it is:
Bide the wiccan laws we must,
in perfect love and perfect trust.
In these eight words, the wiccan rede fulfill,
and it harm none, do what you will.
Fire light, burn bright,
unleash destruction for this blight,
burn what should have perished,
but save what should be cherished,
feel the intention in our will,
burn for victory from this ill!
Ivy with relentless conviction,
wind your tendrils round this affliction,
cling to it with all your power,
so it too may be devoured.
Fiery agate, transform bad to good,
Cool amethyst, banish fear and doubt,
Strong bloodstone, close the wounds,
Clear crystal, cleanse the body,
Bright diamond, rebuild the defenses,
Truthful hermatite, to learn the new way.
Western Winds, come to us,
come to heal in time of need,
come in haste, we three do plead,
clear the path, bring well-being near.
Flesh and bone be sound as stone,
Spirit, heal, with kiss to seal,
tis well, so mote it be!
Our work is done, let the gift go forth,
like the dancing wild, like the blessing sun,
like the healing rain, like the fruitful earth,
with the blessing power of the ancient gods,
bring good to this work, and harm none.
(close circle, get food ready that wasn't warming at fire, get out cider!)
Blessed be this food,
blessed be the land that nurtured it,
and the sun that gave it power,
and blessed be all hands,
that have brought this food to us.
Then just some grounding/hanging out before we have to go home again. It's going to be pretty cold and I fear it might rain or snow. But, we will give it our best shot and see what happens! There are places we could stop that may have fire possibilities. In the meantime, I am going to hope for an hour or two of sunshine on Saturday afternoon!
Phew, that was a lot. I don't need all of it really, but you know, depending on my mood, I may or may not do it all. But, I do feel good about the plan now. That is really why I like to write it out. Then I am very clear on the purpose for all the parts of the spell so that I can visualize it much more effectively. Mmm now to find a good recipe!
I realized that I also need to write the beginning, just after the circle is closed, because it is when we will begin the first spell we have done together with the three of us. I decided that this is a big deal and wanted to just go with something basic and proven for this. What better way to do it than to use some of the rede! Indeed.
*Note* This is re-worded by me because I don't like saying "thee" and "thy", I feel like I'm roleplaying and then I am thinking about things other than what I should be, which is the purpose of the words.
Here it is:
Bide the wiccan laws we must,
in perfect love and perfect trust.
In these eight words, the wiccan rede fulfill,
and it harm none, do what you will.
Fire light, burn bright,
unleash destruction for this blight,
burn what should have perished,
but save what should be cherished,
feel the intention in our will,
burn for victory from this ill!
Ivy with relentless conviction,
wind your tendrils round this affliction,
cling to it with all your power,
so it too may be devoured.
Fiery agate, transform bad to good,
Cool amethyst, banish fear and doubt,
Strong bloodstone, close the wounds,
Clear crystal, cleanse the body,
Bright diamond, rebuild the defenses,
Truthful hermatite, to learn the new way.
Western Winds, come to us,
come to heal in time of need,
come in haste, we three do plead,
clear the path, bring well-being near.
Flesh and bone be sound as stone,
Spirit, heal, with kiss to seal,
tis well, so mote it be!
Our work is done, let the gift go forth,
like the dancing wild, like the blessing sun,
like the healing rain, like the fruitful earth,
with the blessing power of the ancient gods,
bring good to this work, and harm none.
(close circle, get food ready that wasn't warming at fire, get out cider!)
Blessed be this food,
blessed be the land that nurtured it,
and the sun that gave it power,
and blessed be all hands,
that have brought this food to us.
Then just some grounding/hanging out before we have to go home again. It's going to be pretty cold and I fear it might rain or snow. But, we will give it our best shot and see what happens! There are places we could stop that may have fire possibilities. In the meantime, I am going to hope for an hour or two of sunshine on Saturday afternoon!
Phew, that was a lot. I don't need all of it really, but you know, depending on my mood, I may or may not do it all. But, I do feel good about the plan now. That is really why I like to write it out. Then I am very clear on the purpose for all the parts of the spell so that I can visualize it much more effectively. Mmm now to find a good recipe!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Bonfire Spell
Well, lately I have been having some health problems that my doctor has been unable to diagnose, and which are worsening gradually. My friend had the awesome idea to do a spell to help me get better! She checked to see if that was the right thing to do with her Tarot cards, as that is what she prefers for divination. So, once it was determined that we should, it was time to get started planning it. She and our other witch friend will be helping me with it, and each of us is going to prepare something that is in our area of expertise for it. I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends who would want to do something like this for me!
Ok, so for my part I decided the time, place, and type of spell. For the time, it is going to be at mid-day because that is my strongest magical time, it's going to be up at my family's land in the forest, and it's a fire spell, as I'm sure you gathered from the title. Being that it is spring and the fire danger is low, I thought a bonfire would be a really awesome thing to do, because it would work well for the spell and I love them. Additionally, I am going to write out the words for the spell that we will say. As with my last custom made spell, I am going to make a plan first because that helps me to write it. Spell planning can also make my spells more successful because I can keep my thoughts more focused, which of course makes for strong magic.
Ok, first of all, we would need to actually make the fire. I am not going to worry too much about what wood is used for the fire, but I have a really good spot picked out for it. It's in the middle of a meadow where the sound echoes off the hillsides around it. So, the rest of the details of the fire are not too important, in my opinion.
For the materials, we intend to use ivy in the spell, so we will gather some that is growing out there already. It was planted by my grandmother, and while I don't know if that will help, it certainly can't hurt anything. Additionally, we will have some gemstones but I don't know which just yet. I feel like there is something I'm forgetting here, so I might come back and edit this post later to add more.
Ok, on to the meat of the matter, writing a spell!
Ok, first we need to cast the circle, but that I am going to wing it on, as there's three of us and we each probably have some variations.Then we really should make some type of pact to help with using our powers together, like a promise to do no harm to one another and work together towards the same goal.
Next, I'd like to have a short laundry list type section where we say the things which we are going to use, and thier intended purpose. In turn, we can then do whatever action is appropriate for the item in question:
Something that we talked about during the planning of this spell was the fact that each of us have an element that we are strongest in, or identify with more. It's part of who we are. So, I am fire, and we also have water and earth. So, to complete the picture, we need wind, right? Well, I happen to know that there is a good amount of wind in the spot where I will have the fire, so another thing that will be done is that we will call to the wind to help complete the spell.
Finally, I think it will be good to have a unifying stanza which will then direct our focus to the main purpose for all of it, a coming together of the energies at hand. This will be the culmination of the spell, and after, we can then begin to close out the magic. The energy will be sent to it's purpose or back to earth depending on the type, and then we will bust out the food and drink for a celebration of the completion of our first spell together as a group! Yay!
My next post will either be the menu for the after spell feast, with recipes, or the wording to the spell, depending on which I am more inspired about first!
Ok, so for my part I decided the time, place, and type of spell. For the time, it is going to be at mid-day because that is my strongest magical time, it's going to be up at my family's land in the forest, and it's a fire spell, as I'm sure you gathered from the title. Being that it is spring and the fire danger is low, I thought a bonfire would be a really awesome thing to do, because it would work well for the spell and I love them. Additionally, I am going to write out the words for the spell that we will say. As with my last custom made spell, I am going to make a plan first because that helps me to write it. Spell planning can also make my spells more successful because I can keep my thoughts more focused, which of course makes for strong magic.
Ok, first of all, we would need to actually make the fire. I am not going to worry too much about what wood is used for the fire, but I have a really good spot picked out for it. It's in the middle of a meadow where the sound echoes off the hillsides around it. So, the rest of the details of the fire are not too important, in my opinion.
For the materials, we intend to use ivy in the spell, so we will gather some that is growing out there already. It was planted by my grandmother, and while I don't know if that will help, it certainly can't hurt anything. Additionally, we will have some gemstones but I don't know which just yet. I feel like there is something I'm forgetting here, so I might come back and edit this post later to add more.
Ok, on to the meat of the matter, writing a spell!
Ok, first we need to cast the circle, but that I am going to wing it on, as there's three of us and we each probably have some variations.Then we really should make some type of pact to help with using our powers together, like a promise to do no harm to one another and work together towards the same goal.
Next, I'd like to have a short laundry list type section where we say the things which we are going to use, and thier intended purpose. In turn, we can then do whatever action is appropriate for the item in question:
- Fire - feel the heat with hands
- Ivy - put in the fire
- Gems - Charge them with energy, place them (tentative, I don't know what we are doing with them)
Something that we talked about during the planning of this spell was the fact that each of us have an element that we are strongest in, or identify with more. It's part of who we are. So, I am fire, and we also have water and earth. So, to complete the picture, we need wind, right? Well, I happen to know that there is a good amount of wind in the spot where I will have the fire, so another thing that will be done is that we will call to the wind to help complete the spell.
Finally, I think it will be good to have a unifying stanza which will then direct our focus to the main purpose for all of it, a coming together of the energies at hand. This will be the culmination of the spell, and after, we can then begin to close out the magic. The energy will be sent to it's purpose or back to earth depending on the type, and then we will bust out the food and drink for a celebration of the completion of our first spell together as a group! Yay!
My next post will either be the menu for the after spell feast, with recipes, or the wording to the spell, depending on which I am more inspired about first!
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