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I am pleased to announce that I have just completed two new books.

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The Magickal Pen: A Collection of Esoteric Writings  spanning a decade of writing, ritual and magickal practice.

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Awakening the Paths-Qabalah: The Inner Chamber Series Vol. Three

Awakening the Paths is the companion to Volume Two: Poetry of the Spheres.

I will be bringing copies of these and my other books to Sacred Space Conference this weekend.

As donation to the New Alexandrian Library Project of the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel, I will match up to $200 in pledge for receipts from sales of any of my books. For more information about these and my other books please visit my website at: Robin Fennelly Books.

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I wrote last week about the challenges of a spiritual practice. Continuing that thought, this week’s post explores the inevitable detours we find ourselves encountering on our chosen path.

Daily mundane life is ripe with detours.  We decide to go one route to work in favor of another, which takes us further out of our way because of construction and find ourselves on yet a third route.  We plan to have a nice quiet evening at home and forget about the promise we made to volunteer for the schools bake sale.  We tell ourselves we will go to the gym faithfully every other day after work, you know, just “do it for me time” and the car needs unexpected repair, the dog has to go to the vet, work needs an extra hour and before you know it the week has come to an end and exhaustion wins out.   Now before this post takes on the tone of Debbie Downer, let me wholeheartedly tell you that detours, distractions and otherwise annoying events that keep you from doing what you had planned are a positive step towards keeping yourself honest in your spiritual work!

A healthy path to growth involves disruption.  In fact that is how we physically grow. Shedding old skin cells, replacing with new; limbs stretching, muscles growing, healing and renewing.  Expansion and contraction of flesh and bone and settling in to what a matured human being looks like.  We take these as a given and don’t give much thought to how this movement in all directions is vital for healthy growth.  As children, we constantly took detours and the less beaten paths.  This was how we learned what was safe, what caused harm and what was risky but well worth the risk. These little forays into and off of the structured course formulated many of our preferences and who we became as adults.

As teens we constantly tested the boundaries, detouring from what our parents wanted in search of pure and unfettered joy in existence and being unstoppable and indestructible.  We didn’t think of these excursions as detours, but each was in its own way self-imposed roadblocks that led us down the path that struck our fancy at the time.  These side trips helped to set the course for what we thought our life could be and the grand visions and dreams we crafted for our adult experience.

Now, all of these examples may seem purely mundane and you may question how these relate to our spiritual practice/path.  We strive on these paths to interweave the mundane and the magickal.  We proclaim the fact that we live our spiritual truths 24/7 365-days per year.  So in essence, everything that takes us off the main course we expected and all of the delays and roadblocks encountered at a mundane level are the products of the work accomplished on the paths of our spiritual course. Conversely every spiritual detour we take offers new wisdom and lessons learned that directly relate to how we move through our physical affairs and world and what we seek from the mundane to feed the spiritual.

I have been High Priestess of Oak and Willow for 13 years and during that time there have been many members who have joined and many who have left.  Most departures have been amiable and most often the result of spiritual growth that has set that member in a new direction.  Some may consider it a detour taken from the pagan path they began; particularly for those who left the Wiccan path and began the steps of Eastern practice or return to Christianity.  Although saddened by each departure I have also honored the truth that any productive spiritual seeking will involve becoming more aware of what the choices of expression are and the many roads that may be taken.  The challenges encountered in defining what our spiritual path and practice look like become the opportunities to detour from what is expected and explore a road less travelled.  New experiences, new community and new beliefs come to light.  Some may give deeper perspective and knowing as we continue on this detour and eventually return to the original road we began the journey on.  Others may completely take us in a different direction, having the wisdom brought forward from where we began and refining it in accord with the new road taken and stayed upon.

Embrace these detours, roadblocks, set-backs and more.  They strengthen your resolve in what you truly believe and wish to pursue in devotion.  They allow time for pause and reflection in a world that often moves too quickly and leaves us hungering for what we would never have known or been able to use. They bend and mold and change who we are and who we will become.  So, the next time you are driving and come to a detour, set off down a new road and grand adventure and an opportunity to perhaps appreciate the direct route you are normally able to take.

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Stop, pause
Ready, set- Go!
Damn, another roadblock!

Try the other route
Not quite right but
Maybe I’ll get through.

Yellow sign ahead
Another detour on the path
Ok, just breathe
Maybe this route won’t be too bad.

Stop, pause
Ready, set- Go!
Lots to keep your
Interest on this new route.

Stop, pause
Let’s give it a try
Detours are so bad after all!

Never would have tried
Something new that
Became my new passion and
Answered my heart’s call!

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The Moon is Full tomorrow in the astrological sign of Leo. Take the Lion’s Share…

Rest looking out on moon lit waters
Pause anchored strongly in self-knowing
Moon shines on mirrored surface and
Water reaches towards primal force
Majestic in its Power and strength.

Read the Full Post at:

Temple of the Cosmic Spheres

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Last week’s post talked about the Tools and Literature of the Craft.  This week I promised some basic suggestions for Candle Magick. So,let the flame be lit!

The Candle Spell

Gaze into that
Which holds the key
Reflecting back the
Gift of answer to me.

Wood and wax
Crystal and flame
The truth revealed
The heart’s desire
With Will thusly named.

I cast this spell and
Naught shall reverse
My spell is for the power
Of True Magick to fill
This Blessed Universe.

Candle Magick makes use of the properties and energies of a candle, color, etc. to direct the focus of energy towards a desired outcome.  It is for this reason that candles are used in High Magick and Ritual workings. They become the physical representation of God or Goddess, the transformative power that lights all others or the symbol of the inner fires of Will.  Within our coven we routinely pour coven candles for each member annually.  The wax used comes from the remainders of the previous year’s candles and is melted down. All contribute an herb or oil to the mix and we pour energy and intent into the heated wax.  A large candle is poured that will be used in ritual by all and then individual candles are poured for each member to take home. This becomes a way to connect energetically with covenmates if the individual is unable to be physically present for working or meeting.  This past year we were unable to schedule a time for this, but we still had plenty of candle left to carry us through and maintain the connection.

In spell work a candle not only provides a point of focus, but also acts as a container for the energies gathered and worked upon. Allowing the candle to burn down completely releases the spell into the flow of universal law. Lighting the candle for several nights can build the effect and acts something like a slow simmer. Holding the heat and intensity, but carefully and slowly releasing the essence allowing all the flavors and nuances to mature. Candle magick is simple, easy and can be quite effective in its purpose.  The beauty is that it can also be rather transparent to others, as many use candles as décor in their homes.  They are portable and relatively easy to make, if you are so inclined.  If you choose to make your own candles, additional items can be integrated.  I have crushed a small crystal and added its energy to the wax.  Herbs and oils are readily available and can enhance the general properties and even the timing of pouring the candle can bolster the intent.  Aligning the pouring with New , Full or Waning moon energy customizes the effectiveness for specific types of workings for which the candle will be used.

Store bought candles can be similarly customized. Remove the wrapping and apply oil to the candle, anointing it with the properties of whatever oil you choose.  Frankincense serves as durable purifier. And, Myrrh will stimulate the Higher Self and offer connection to spiritual realms.  You can press finely crushed crystals into the base of the candle by heating the bottom slightly to soften the wax and then pressing in down into the crystalline substance, much like coating fish with breadcrumbs. Leaving the candle out under moonlight of any particular phase can attune it to those particular energies. And, placing the candle in a window or outside (depending on the heat temperature) under the sun’s watchful eye can enliven the candle for use in solar, energy or fire workings. Scribing sigils, runes or other sacred markings on the candle and envisioning these symbols moving into the center of the candle can be used to sustain long-term workings.  Each time the candle is relit envision the energy of the symbol emanating, much like an aura from within the candle.

Additionally, using a specifically colored candle enhances the effectiveness of the spell.  Some basic colors are listed below. If you cannot find a specifically colored candle, a makeshift way is to use a small round mirror (can find these at craft stores, and should be approx. 2-inches larger than the base diameter of the candle) and colored paper.  Cut a circle just slightly larger than the candle base out of the colored paper that you have selected for the working.  Place this on top of the mirror.  Place a white candle on top of this.  The reflective energies of the mirror will draw up the color rom the paper into the candle’s field of energy.  And, when eh candle is lit the flame will enhance the glow reflecting back into the mirror creating a beautiful energetic circuit.

White – Light and the reflection of all colors.

Red – Will, action and vitality.

Pink – Used for love of the heart.

Orange Used for attraction, communication, energy.

Yellow Well-being, concentration, intuition, health, strength.

Green – Represents health and healing, money, changes and renewal, fertility.

Blue – Spiritual, healing, memory, calming and centering.

Indigo – Brow, third eye, psychic center. Psychic awareness.

Purple – Crown center, royal color, Deity, spiritual workings.

Brown – Stability, the earth, growth, potential.

Grey – Represents intuition.

Black – Contains and holds all colors, shields and filters.

These are just a few very simple and basic ideas to get you started in how to use candles for magick.  Be creative.  See the candle as not only an object of Fire’s expression, but also containing the properties of Water (fluid wax when heated), Air (the aroma and oxygen accessed in keeping the candle light) and Earth, in its solid form. The element of Spirit is your intent infused and connected to the malleable form of wax, color, scent and more. And, the magick is in the ability to create Light in a small pocket of space that was not so brightly illumined just prior.

For a Sample of a Candle Magick Working that extended through the New, Full and Dark moon, read the post in Temple of the Cosmic Spheres that kicked off the dedication of the Temple of the Moon observations:

Temple of the Moon: Ritual of Dedication

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Chesed MyTree

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take my hand, child
You have come far and
Your journey has been
Long and treacherous.

Come sit beside me
And feel the weight
Of expansion as it moves
Through your being.

Open your eyes and
Look down from the
Great heights you
Have carefully scaled.

All comes to a precise
Point and what once
Was unfocused has
Sharpened to crystal clarity.

I offer you sanctuary but
You must walk through the
Heat of transformative change
Before you come to me.

And, if you stand before me
Having declared your
Intent to service
The threshold shall be opened
And the leap of ultimate faith will
Be your new course.

Chesed is the place of cosmic memory. This is the refined aspect of the sphere of Yesod (the storehouse of images) having been filtered, synthesized and finalized by the spheres acting upon this Yesodic energy in the ascent towards Chesed. Having arrived at this state of full access to memory of the aeons and creation itself, work may begin towards incorporating and using that memory where choice and Free Will are called to action. Chesed teaches and demands obedience to the laws of nature and the cosmic laws……. Read the Full Article at WitchVox

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Geburah Sphere

I sit shivering in the dark
Eyes closed and all of my being
Filled with fear that I will
lose my most valued possession.

Flame and heat surround
yet the air is dense with
energy that moves like
cold steel wielded by a
forceful hand.

What I cling to so fiercely
I have long ago outgrown
But the comfort and safety
provided are like soothing
ointment on wounds that have
yet to be opened.

I want to be free of these chains.
I want to be whole.
What I carry are bits and pieces
of my own folly and the thought of
excision sends me into retreat.

As reason gives way to desire
and understanding stands at the
threshold with outstretched hand
I rise from this place of cowering.
I open my eyes to see what lay
ahead and a cold dark hand
grasps my own as I look into
the eyes of myself.

The only demons I had to fear is what
lay within the spectre of my shadow.
With the single act of embrace
all that is to be discarded
falls from me.

I am free. I am strong and
what I had feared losing the most
has only been transformed and
forged anew.
The dark gives way to light and
I step forward to greet the
final outcome.

This poem was inspired by study of the Qabalistic sphere of Geburah. Read more about the strength of this Sphere at the links below:

The Might of Geburah: WitchVox Article

The Inner Chamber:Poetry of the Spheres.R.Fennelly

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This poem is an excerpt from the final installment of a Three Round working with the Triple Goddess Hecate.  Enjoy!

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I wait for you at the
Dark waning of the Moon.

I wait at the crossroads
And, my silence reaches
Out to draw you back to me.

I have called to you as
The Maiden who knows
The power of her desire.

I have held out loving arms
To enfold you as only a
Mother can do to comfort
The child that has strayed.

And, now I wait in the power
Of age and wisdom that
Has seen all and can see
The truth or dishonesty that
Spills forth from seeking lips.

I am cloaked in the darkness
But those who have the
Courage to come to me
See the truth of my hidden
Light that burns brightly
With the lantern of time’s
Ancient mystery.

 

Read More at Womb of Light

 

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Hecate

All Hail the Full Moon! All Hail the Mother!

I call to you at the
Fullness of the Moon.

You who are my child
Of great promise.

I, alone, wait at the moonlit
Crossroads as only a
Mother will do for
Her wayward child.

I stand ready to defend and to
Teach but you must reach out
In embrace of my stern ways.

I wait and there is only the
Flow of my tears that you
Have not yet found your way
Back to Me.

Read More of this post at my Sage Woman Blog- Womb of Light

Hecate’s Call:  The Sorrow of the Mother

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“ 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.

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The writing below is a reprint of a poem I crafted for one of my daughters in 2009.  At the time she was 19 and a Freshman in college with a pre-med major and taking her first steps towards becoming a doctor. Today, she returns from her first Medical Mission to Uganda, Africa having completed her first year of Medical School.

I offer this to the power of following your dreams. To those who serve through the power of magick, healing and science. To those who see the need for compassion, service and skill to offer hope and relief to those in pain and suffering.

I offer this to the Divine in all its forms that They may continue to weave their strength, inspiration and energy through those who pick up the staff of the medic. and reach out to humanity in service.

The Healer

Cadeuceus

Chocolate brown eyes peer out
From the face of an angel
Graceful hands move deftly
Over my pain wracked body.

Compassion spills from every pore
Of she who stands before me
Gently holding my hand as she
Guides me towards a place of hope.

I close my eyes for a moment of rest
And see her true spirit
Flow of light and healing
Staff of caduceus and rod of relief
A life dedicated to the care of others.

Energy flows between us, connecting heart to heart
And recognition of common spirit and will to live
A gentle smile that says “I understand”
And my hand held in hers knowing the time is near.

For although every illness may not be healed
Peace and surrender are always enlivened
by this Healer’s touch.

And her gentle spirit guides me towards
The end of this life’s journey and the
Release of return to my
Place of ancestral home.

 
… For My Daughter…

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