The Magickal Pen

“ The spoken word changes reality.
The written word is manifestation of that reality.
And, the two combined cause physiological response
and affirmation of manifestation.”

Many people confuse pathworkings with guided meditations as they become more involved in developing their spiritual practice.  The two may seem like the same thing simply with different nomenclature,  but when you have a better understanding of what the effects and goals of each are, the differences become more discernible and more apparent.

I write a lot of pathworkings and usually incorporate them in my workshops and articles as I can.    For years I used guided meditations to relax and reaffirm myself or simply as a way to deepen my ability to remain open and receptive to new information.

Take a look at the picture above.  A pathwworking is similar to this image or analogy.  You walk in  the woods and encounter many different types of plants and animals.  Everything you see evokes a memory, whether you are consciously aware of it or not.  There are many side paths you may take as well, each leading to another part of the same woods, but having arrival by a different, route different, group of encounters, etc.  And, eventually you arrive at your destination, but with many much more knowledge of what would have gone largely unnoticed had you used a variety of keys.

If you were experiencing a guided meditation, the route would be planned. One path would be decided upon and you would not stray from that path as you moved towards the final destination.  Each from will get you to the destination of your choosing, but the way in which you get there is determined by what is straight forward and what relies on analogy and inference.

The choice of using one of these over the other is usually determined by that goal.  Changes to overt behaviors such as tools for relaxation, energizing, sleep problems, smoking, boosting self confidence, etc.. are generally more effected by a guided meditation.  Ongoing spiritual work, energetic anatomy or connection to varied states of consciousness generally respond to a pathworking.  Now these are not hard and fast rules, but general guidelines about  which would produce better results.

Another consideration in choice is that the events or scenarios presented in a guided meditation will directly align with whatever the issue is.  So, if you are stressed and want to relieve that stress the guided meditation will take the opposite form of what you are working on.  If the goal is one of boosting your self-confidence, the guided meditation will offer a safe setting where you feel confident and strong.  You may be instructed to visualize yourself acting in a manner that displays this confidence.   The key word here being “guided”.  In this form of meditation you are guided or directed towards your goal using scenes, words and imagery that you can easily recognize and then imprint into your own psyche.

The word “pathworking” is derived from the Qabalistic Tree of Life and the paths of connection between the spheres.  Each path acts as synthesizer of the pure essence of energy of the spheres they connect; and stands as both extremes as well as the central point of balance.  Originally the concept of a pathworking related to the inner work the initiate would encounter as they internalized the energy of the spheres and the paths to refine and transform their magickal endeavors.  Because of the potency and dynamics of the combined energies, specific keys and imagery  were used in the creation of the pathworking that were meant to access the deeper realms of consciousness and open it to a state of union with the individual’s Higher consciousness.   It is from this initial intent that pathworkings are formulated and constructed and are now used within a variety of  magickal or spiritual practices.   The underlying current is still fueled by the inroads of the original intent and the Qabalistic connections despite what surface modalities are used.

To be specific, a pathworking will incorporate a variety of tools as keys.  These may include  Astrology, Tarot images, Qabalah, Numbers/Colors or sensations. Often the settings have no overt alignment to what is being worked upon and the imagery used is one that acts to stimulate memory and subconscious association that can be processed through all of the spiritual bodies.

Next week:  I will offer a  Pathworking and a Guided Meditation as sample.

Read Full Post »