The Magickal Pen

Have you noticed the change in the air? We have just welcomed August, but already the smell of Fall is all around. The warmed air is becoming crisper with threads of  cold woven through and all around us we see nature preparing to shed its mantle of green and don the multicolored cloak of Fall and the Harvest. 

If you drive through the farms lands the crops of Summer’s bounty are falling to the blades of the harvest and with that cutting down the earth is readying itself  for the renewal held in the sacrifice of release.

By the end of this month many will return to classrooms, education, regular work hours and longer nights spent cozy and warm indoors. And, although in the outer world the appearance is that of reaping, internally, there is a new planting and seeding going on simultaneously as we begin another season traditionally given over to learning. 

Personally, I  love this time of the year. In particular, the smells and sounds that abound are ripe with memories of picking out school supplies and a fresh start at learning new things and making the “grade”.  So, as time and weather steadily move us indoors, why not consider making some time to plant some new seeds of thought.  Now is the perfect time to begin the study of something that has held your interest. This new course can be as complex as signing up for an adult education or college class or as simple and self-driven as doing a little research, investing in a book written by an expert in that subject and finding a cozy chair, good reading light and plunge right in. 

We should never stop learning. We should never cease to seek out new knowledge and new experiences. And, we should never underestimate the potential and capabilities we may have inadvertently left unrecognized and unexplored. For it within these paths that we often find just what we need for our own personal growth and when the time of harvesting is upon us once again, our crops are bigger, fuller and more expansive than ever…

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Have you ever given thought to the marvel of stones, and even larger rocks, in a stream that have been smoothed by the continual flow of water over their surface. At times that water is gentle and graceful in current and at other times, it  flows with determined full force, transforming what were the jagged and rough edges of manifest impediments into those that are smooth and easier to pass over and through.

The waters of our emotional outpouring can serve the same purpose if we allow the flow to be purposeful and directed in its course. The stones of jagged edges that we have manifested and held within where forgiveness can not pass easily or anger rips to shreds any gentle thought, can all be smoothed and refined so that the current of healing waters may continue its course.

This action of smoothing and softening is not one of releasing and disintegrating those feelings that are justifiable and have shaped the landscape of our inner river bed. In truth, these unpolished stones are precisely the reminders and supports that are needed to move us forward from stagnation and bitterness; and at times provide the stable ground from which to purposefully exact harsh and swift change.

But, in the softening of their edges the space of acknowledgement of their power, lessons and place in forming who we are can now be used as they become the directors of a flowing current that is deeper in perspective. This newly directed course is that of seeing the potential of what we may BECOME; no longer remaining in a state of pain and haphazard current, but rather flowing in a place of power and unobstructed course.

Each time we purposefully allow our emotions to soothe and reshape what we have manifested as our point of blockage and challenge, those waters of healing and powerful transformation have the vantage of moving in a stronger flow, unimpeded and reaching into all levels of our being. Which of your stones are in need of polishing?

A Brief Visualization of Intention:

Imagine within yourself a river of healing waters flowing through every part of your body. Pick a point of focus and in your mind’s eye travel along the flow of this river as it meanders through you. Pause at each blockage or jagged stone that tries to impede this flow of healing. Take a closer look at what energy it holds and what detail has been carved into is surface. Breathe into the waters that surround it and see them rise and move with force and intent over the edges and surface of this stone. Feel the smoothing and soothing action of this force and flow.

Now see behind you this same stone, no longer with jagged edges protruding. See the waters flowing gently and lovingly over its surface. See it smooth and polished gleaming with the luminosity and power of the healing waters. Each stone refined in this manner as the steps of return to the calmness of your inner shores is laid.

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Yesterday, I had the privilege of helping in a very small way to prepare for the Soft Opening of the New Alexandrian Library. I left early in the morning to avoid Delaware shore traffic and arrived ready to shelve books and do whatever else was needed. Walking into the building produced a wave of excitement and pride at what had been accomplished and what potential was held in its vision.

Bookcases filled the space and books, many of which are now out of print, that were lovingly donated to the library spread from row to row. There is something about the smell of books that have been treasured by their readers and evoke late night studies and a hunger for deeper knowledge. You could almost feel the crowded presence of authors penning there thoughts as practice and path flowed from the time spent with teacher and mentor. Years upon years of accumulated wisdom layered between titled covers that gave only the briefest hint of what lay between. This is the stuff of inspiration; palpable and indescribable in its broader effects.

As I stood in the entryway of the NAL I was reminded of the intention set from the first pouring of the foundation on July 23, 2012 to the completion of the building in December 2014. This was the manifest result of inspired dedication and commitment to something larger than the individuals involved guiding the course.

Inspiration comes in all forms. It is most often overlooked as we move through our busy lives. Each moment is one filled with potential, choice and the ability to allow its energy to inspire us to action, response and a new perspective. The obvious places we look are those of the creative arts. We think of the Muses as a source of inspiration stirring our emotions and fueling our desire to create.

Everything that we know, have and pursue is a product of inspiration. And, if you think in these terms then the idea that everything is connected and interconnected becomes easier to fully comprehend. Inspiration produces a chain effect that links inspiration to inspiration, action-to-action, creation-to-creation; on and on endlessly.

Although the focus of this writing has been on the New Alexandrian Library, I will carry the intention to be more present and aware of all that continues to inspire me in every setting. It may be the barista, who patiently takes the demanding order at the coffee shop who inspires me to have that same patience in my interactions with a work colleague. It may be a teacher whose passion for their subject has made its teachings less tedious who inspires me to change my approach as a teacher. It may be the stranger who helps me to collect my belongings after dropping them instead of walking blindly past. The gift of acknowledging these subtle inspirations is one of an opening to gratitude and from its place of awareness you become the source of inspiration for all around you.

These are just a few of my inspirations…

I am inspired by a vision that can become a reality.

I am inspired by the collaborative efforts of community that provide a legacy that will serve future generations in their seeking.

I am inspired by the courage needed to achieve what others may say is not achievable.

I am inspired by the sacrifice and willingness to serve to preserve the foundations of the past that will become the buildings of the future.

For more information about the New Alexandrian Library:
NAL

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I selected Time as the topic for this week’s post on The Pagan Experience as a way to explore what this word that carries so much weight for us as humans really means. It is interesting how, not only the meaning of the word changes, but also the weight of it changes as we grow older.

Time Is (NOT) on our Side

As children, the concept of time means very little. We wake in the morning sure that everything we hope to accomplish in a given day will be achieved. We eat, play and socialize as though time has no control over how those precious minutes and hours are spent. We fall into bed exhausted from the day’s activities and sleep deeply through the night, never mindful that we have grown one day older and the brevity of our life in this form has been shortened by this singular day.

As we become young adults, time is doled out in how much can we cram into a singular day that is not work or otherwise required activity. We burn the proverbial candle at both ends, extending the weekend play into a continued stream of friends, entertainment and hanging out.

The adult years stretch into a never ending stream of work, family and other obligations that, now as responsible and productive adults we fill our time with. Time is creeping up on us and there is never enough in the coffers after all has been spent in meeting the demands of society’s clock.

Now the focus becomes, “how much time is left?”. How long will I live and during that time and will there be adequate time for me to relax and enjoy a retired lifestyle? These and more deftly riddled questions of time fill our minds as we send even more of our time worrying and planning for a future where time momentarily remains still.

And, finally, the blessed days of retirement are upon us. No longer held in the time piece that has driven much of our lives up to this point.We wake in the morning sure that everything we hope to accomplish in a given day will be achieved.  We eat, play and socialize as though time has no control over how those precious minutes and hours are spent. We fall into bed earlier each evening exhausted from the day’s activities and sleep briefly through the night, ever mindful that we have grown one day older and the brevity of our life in this form has been shortened by this singular day.  

Time Is on our Side-A Slightly Different Perspective

Now here is a spiritual reconciliation to what I wrote above. We are held to the mandates of linear time; the construction of the perceived ending and beginning of all facets of our lives that serves as the master clock maker of our live’s experience.  We know this to be true and feel its edict at point if we choose to remain in the collective setting.

Those few who live off the grid, self- sustaining in their lifestyles and held accountable only to themselves for their continued existence abide by the clock of nature. Their work is that of providing food during the seasons and times when food is most abundant. They build, shore-up for the Winter and plan for the Summer all in accord with a time maker that is celestial and cyclical in its ticking.

Now, let’s take this though a bit deeper.  Time exists simultaneously in overlapping waves of past, present and future. In the time that it takes you to read this sentence, the past is already gone (those first few words); the present is occurring in accord with where (the word) you currently are in the sentence and the future is the predicted response that occurs as opinion/reaction to  is formed with each word read along the path of the sentence itself.  Just breathe…. and re-read what I said again, because this may be a lot to wrap your head around. 

If we hold this thought/intention in mind as we move through our daily activities, there is actually a sense of freedom that becomes to occur and the spaciousness of sensing time as a longer stream of occurrence gives us the feeling of having more time available. Whether this by product of seemingly more time is the imaginings induced because we have finally relaxed into the constraints of time or is an in-measurable valid occurrence is really of no import.

The real gift is that of being able to move in accord with linear time and the societal demands it imposes while remaining centered in the timelessness of knowing that time flows in rhythmical course that allows for stops along the way to regroup and rethink the direction that you are allowing yourself to be moved in. Just breathe into the spaciousness of time and you will understand that time is neither ally nor foe, it simply “is”, and our relationship with it leads to a life of feeling under pressure or one of savoring every moment as the soon to be past that informs my present so that I may step courageously into my future.

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