The Magickal Pen

Within the Qabalistic Tree of Life, the energy of the sphere of Geburah is one of the most feared of the spheres. It is the nature of the surgeon wielding the scalpel that will excise, albeit painfully, what is no longer productive or useful for the health of his patient.  It is the love a parent who turns her child in to the police for having committed a crime, knowing that this is the only lesson that will ultimately ensure that the child will not die a needless death from his behavior. It is the love that will walk away from an unhealthy relationship, broken hearted and abused, so the suffering of a cruel love will no longer hang heavy.

In order to understand the nature of this sphere you must have a bit a knowledge about the Tree itself and the other spheres that form the greater whole.  The subject matter of the Qabalah is one that  many pagans do not easily gravitate towards, either deterred by the sheer mass of its scope or feeling that this particular overlay of system has no  reference to the purely magickal systems.  Although, rooted in the Judaic mystical system the Kabbalah(spelling is Judaic form)/Qabalah (spelling used to distinguish as Western Hermetic overlay) this construct of energy, thought and working is a  suitable companion to any magickal system. The sheer fact that a statement such as that can be made offers testament to the enduring scope and permanence of its application over a broad and diverse spectrum.  Within the Tradition to which I belong, The Assembly of the Sacred Wheel, the principles of the Qabalah are strongly and consistently used throughout all of our covens and the enhancement to the magickal workings and rituals is undeniable.

Qabalah Boot Camp- Just the Basics:

The Qabalistic Tree of Life describes the descent of the divine into the manifest world, and methods by which divine union may be attained in this life. It can be viewed as a map of the human psyche and of the workings of creation, both manifest and un-manifest. Some of its components are:

10 Sephiroth (Spheres) each having their own specific energetic signature and action and having a Hebrew and English name of assignation. (Geburah ‘s name is Might)

22 Paths that connect the spheres and act as the synthesizing conduits of connection

3 Pillars of Application of that energy (Geburah is the middle of three spheres on the Pillar of Severity)

4 Worlds of Action– Each of the spheres exists in each of the four worlds and has a slightly different emphasis of intent depending on which of the worlds is acting upon it.

The Qabalistic story of the creative action of manifestation from the Source of All/Godhead down to the realm of physical and manifest form can be described in this way:

In the beginning there was nothingness- the absence of substance and form (Ain) ; and as the nothing became aware of itself it also realized the limitlessness nature (Ain Soph) of its being. This realization expanded and with more awareness came the birthing of limitless light (Ain Soph Aur) . This limitless light felt the urge to create- and from it emanated Divine Intelligence – Kether. All things needing balance- in its wisdom Kether split and from this source of being the remaining 9 spheres became emanations of the varied permutations of light, knowledge, mercy, severity, beauty, love, glory, imagination and finally rest in the Kingdom of Earth- Malkuth.

10 Sephiroth (spheres) of Emanation

The Sephiroth are States of Being and act as vessels to contain the Divine energy that spills forth from the God-Head or Crown of Kether (being the highest expression of the Divine) down into Malkuth, the densest and manifest physical world of Man. The spheres at the top of the tree are lighter and finer in energy – more transparent and expressive of pure Light. As we descend down the tree each sphere gains more density- less clarity of brilliance of light until we come to rest in the earth plane of Malkuth. Each sphere has both an English and Hebrew name and countless correspondences attributed to each. These are keywords only.

Sphere 1-Kether – The Crown- The Crown of Attainment- the ‘Cause of causes”- the unknowable- The Mystical Consciousness

Sphere 2-Chokmah– Wisdom- The Word of God- true Will untainted by the material nature- The Radiant Consciousness

Sphere 3-Binah– Understanding- The Great Sea- absolute belief- The Sanctified Consciousness

Sphere 4-Chesed– Mercy- Majesty- The place of greater awareness and pure compassion-The Settled Consciousness

Sphere 5-Geburah- Might – Strength and Justice- excision and the necessary cutting away- The Rooted Consciousness

Sphere 6-Tiphareth– Beauty- Sacrifice- the receptive place of the flow of emanations from Kether- The Transcendental Influx Consciousness

Sphere 7-Netzach– Victory- The Beauty of Nature- The Hidden Consciousness

Sphere 8-Hod– Glory- Splendor- the sphere of science and craft- the analytical nature and communicative learning- The Perfect Consciousness

Sphere 9-Yesod– The Foundation- sphere of the subconscious- the Lunar Gates- dreams and illusion – the astral – The Pure Consciousness

Sphere 10-Malkuth– The Kingdom- the plane of physical existence and manifest reality- the elements and all of manifest Life- The Scintillating Consciousness

Back to Geburah

This is a poem I wrote about the energy of Geburah and gives a hint to the potency and dynamics of this 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 have 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.

When we call upon the energy of this sphere we are asking for refinement of transformation and change to occur at the deepest levels of our being. We are trusting that the things that must be purged will produce positive result and we are allowing the organic flow of Geburah’s fiery nature to cleanse and cauterize what has been rendered into new form.

For this week, read through the poem several times and see what images, thoughts and feelings are projected in the reading. Make note of all you experience and in next week’s article I’ll discuss more of how the “tough love” of this sphere can be applied and become part of your spiritual practice.

Next Week:
Geburah’s Might: Practical Application of Its Energy

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As Spring approaches and we find ourselves at another turn of the Great Wheel, opportunity abounds for making deeper connection to the natural world and Gaia’s greening of it. Gaia is seen as the maiden offering the promise of new life in a womb that is still developing and preparing for what will be birthed in full glory as the summer approaches and the peak of all living things is held in father sun’s gentle hold……Read more at:   Witchs’ Voice

Be sure to read the accompanying poem – Gaia’s Mantle – in the Poetry section of WitchVox

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Athletes train and stretch daily to remain strong and supple.  Dancers take class and rehearse so that their performances will be flawless.  Divers painstakingly increase the depth of their submersions so that their lungs can build larger capacity. In all manner of endeavors requiring an exertion of physical output beyond the norms, preparation and gradual introduction and increase of components of the goal are systematically undertaken to produce maximum effects with minimal strain on the point of exertion.

Although, this is not a concept that is applied overtly to magickal practice and energetic working it is a necessity to insure that the magician or energy worker will remain strong and resilient.

Our energetic anatomy and all that it comprises are one of the areas where slow, steady and precise measure of increase in the duration and type of practice modality used will benefit immeasurably if attention is paid towards expansion and flexibility. In particular, applying this practice to the chakras and the subtle bodies will enliven and offer expansion to the well-being of the entire body.

The subtle bodies along with the chakra vortices that are held within them serve to enliven, inform and act as interface and filter between our physical state of being and our Higher state of consciousness. (See the picture below) Flexibility of the subtle bodies is a prerequisite to higher energetic workings.  Flexibility and resilient strengthening of those sheaths of ephemeral layered structure allows for a greater portion of the Divine to fill our being as we commune and offer up devotion to that Divinity. Flexibility to expand into each of these layers and in turn expand the breath into the chakras allows longevity and greater endurance in being able to hold energy and its flow in ritual or magickal workings.

So, how do we go about training and stretching the subtle bodies. The goal is one of flexibility that can contain increasingly more flow of more highly refined energy.  Communion with the Divine in a more intimate way, receiving more of the Divine essence which acts upon our endocrine system and corresponding organs are all staples of Chinese Medicine and Qigong practice.

A large portion of the practice of expansion is focused and intent-filled direction of the breath toward the specific area you wish to have an increase in energetic flow.  Energy follows awareness and reinforcing this awareness with the flow and push of breath allows for a rhythm of expansion and contraction to be engaged.  This engagement begins at the physical level of actual breath, but the subtle bodies respond in a manner similar to the law of cause and effect.  The end point is all of the bodies working in a type of unison and accord with one another.   As the breath continues, the focus can now be pulled into the visualization and intent of sensing an expansion in the layers of the subtle bodies.  The easiest to begin with is that of the etheric as it is the closest to the physical layers of our bodies (just extending a few inches away from the outline of our physical silhouette).  Additionally, it s this subtle body that filters information received through the emotional and mental bodies and distributes the energy of prana (or life force) gathered from the sun’s light. Below is an exercise that can be used to strengthen and enliven the etheric body and in turn become more consciously aware of its energy surrounding us:

A Practice of Breathing Into the Etheric Body:

Begin by sitting quietly in a space where you will not be disturbed.  Place your chair so that you have a few feet of clear space directly in front of you.  Begin by closing your eyes and allowing your breath to establish a steady and gentle rhythm. As you fall into a rhythmic pattern shift your focus to the inner screen at the place of the third eye.  Form the image of yourself sitting as you are in this space on that inner screen. See the empty space that is directly in front of you.

Continue to breathe in a steady and rhythmic pace.  Now see an exact image of yourself rise out of this sitting position and come to stand directly in front of and facing away from you.  You see the outline of your own silhouette standing strong and erect with as much detail as possible.

Now, with focus and intention take a deep breath in and as you exhale imagine the full expanse of that breath filling out the outer edges of your standing silhouette; creating a duplicate line of tracing just a bit away from the hard line of the physical form. Continue with a few more breaths in this manner, each with the intent of pushing the extended form of the silhouette just a bit further from the hard line of the physical shape. You should now begin to see a clear line of demarcation just a few inches away from the physical silhouette.  This is the etheric body.  Spend a few minutes just simply breathing into this extension. Not pushing it any further out, just simply filling it more densely with breath.

Again with intent and focus now breathe into this sheath and imagine it filling with a brilliant white light of density. See it become brighter and brighter as you continue to gently breathe into it. When it reaches a state of appearing as though your silhouette is being lit from a bright light in front of it; allow the expanse of this shape and energy to settle.  Just gently breathe into it not adding additional force, just simply feeding this sheath the continued light of your breath.

Begin to draw this energy back into your being.  As you inhale imagine the line of extension around your standing silhouette gently pulling back into the hard edge of it.  Each inhalation drawing the light of this energy back into the central body. When it has been reabsorbed back into the center of your form see the silhouette of your standing form moving backwards towards you.  As you breathe in this form rejoins your physical body sitting in the space in which you started this practice. Continue to breathe in and with intent send the light filled  breath of your extended being into circulation and energizing distribution throughout your physical body. Each breath integrates this energy and each breath brings you back to a state of (w)holistic balance. Shift your focus and awareness to the physicality of yourself sitting in your chair. Awareness to the rise and fall of your breath. Awareness to the energy of your own making that surrounds and enlivens you. And, when you are ready gently flutter our eyes open and be fully present in the here and now- renewed and energized by this experience.

Weekly practice of this protocol will bring a deeper awareness to the energy field that surrounds you.  Breathing into the etheric body will help to strengthen, enliven and expand the flexibility of that subtle form.  Filling this sheath with light will bolster the regenerating process and set up a more refined magnetic attraction to bring more light and energy into all of the bodies and most specifically the time spent in disciplining the mind sharpens the visualization skills needed to give form to those energies and beings that you choose to commune with.

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This posting looks at the Tarot Keys 3 -The Empress and Key 4- The Emperor as individual snapshots and as a union of polarity.  The spreads provided drawn on the energies of each of the cards and the Union of Polarity spread coalesces the energies as a tool for inquiry. Enjoy!

The Empress

Key 3

       My children are many and I tend them

with loving care.

My wisdom born in the belly of the earth.

Within its mantle I sit in gentle repose.

 I am fertility and creation

and through all that you see

I exert my natural will.

 I am harmony and within nine stellar gates will

I open the radiance of light

held in my mental abode

 I hold the key to love’s radiance and beauty

moves like water through

the verdant splendor

of my domain.

Keywords:

NURTURING

CREATIVITY

PROMISE

MYSTERY

The Empress sits in calm repose. A beatific smile of promise and mystery gracing her countenance and all around her is the splendor and ripeness of the Earth.   She is the expression of the High Priestess in the form of the Great Earth Mother.  Where the High Priestess commands the Spiritual realms, the Empress is the Supreme Mother of the physical, earthly plane of manifestation.  The Empress represents those instinctual and intellectual parts of self that are the Creatrix. Not in the manner of destruction and tearing away to rebuild, but with the quiet assurance that all she creates will be borne of great patience and guidance from a Higher Power, and governed by the stability and foundation of Earth.  The tablet at her feet bears the symbol of the planet Venus and feminine energy. She is at once Virgin, Lover and Mother.  And within her womb is contained the promise of creation formed by the merging of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom. Try the spread below, using The Empress as your anchor, to gain insight into any creative endeavor.

Flash of Creation Spread (rcf)

Remove The Empress Card from the Deck and place it centrally, face up. Focus your query and intent in a meditative way directed towards The Empress card. Lay 4 more cards face down in a semi circle in the order presented below:

1. Thought – Higher Power – all creative endeavors begin as a seed of thought.  This card will reveal the analytical nature required to achieve manifestation.

2. Intuitive Path – this is the filter through which ideas are tried and tested.  What is your gut feeling?

3. Action Required -As thought descends closer to the physical plane of reality the active or birthing process must begin.  What active effort must be provided?

4. Manifestation – what is the ultimate result of this creative process?

Note: In this spread the 4 active cards are the foundation upon which manifestation may be attained.  The number 4 resonates to organized structure, stability and cohesion. All of the sides in balance and in support of one another. The addition of the Empress card creates a vibration of the number 5.  Five is the number of change, catalyst, disruption of the status quo so that something new can be created.

The Emperor

Key 4

I sit in silence

face of stone

sternness and gravity

my demeanor

My will is Law

and I am clothed

in action’s weave

My throne is that

of concrete reality

and strength of foundation

courses through

my royal blood.

Within my hand is

the key to the balance of life

and mercy will prevail in

all matters under my

control

I encompass all and

the laws of the natural world

are etched in the quarters

of my throne.

Keywords:

AUTHORITY

MERCY

STABILITY

STRUCTURE

The Emperor sits upon his throne surrounded by the Ram’s heads of the astrological sign Aries.  He is uncontested authority; representing leadership that needs no coercive means to affect his Will. His leadership is of the Higher Self and his guidance is that of Divinity. He is the Key 4 card of the Major Arcana and as such represents a foundation based upon equal balance and unwavering stability.  Behind his complacent countenance beats the inner workings of clarity of thought, swiftness of action, deliberate aim and a true heart of justice. The Emperor is the more earthly representation of The Magician. His is the domain of manifest decisions and working the magick of harmonious balance-or discord- within physical realms.  Just as the Empress is the Great Mother, the Emperor is the Great Father containing the strength of the Sun and the wisdom of the Sage.

 Simple Four-Card of Foundation Spread (rcf)

The layout of the cards suggests the necessary ingredients for creating a strong foundation that builds one upon the other. This spread can be compared to the Flash of Creation spread presented with the Empress (Feminine principle) above; but its focus is more strongly rooted in the stability of a Kingly authority. Try this spread when you are seeking guidance to begin a new project or new relationship that needs objective foundations.

The Union of the Empress and the Emperor as they work hand and hand is the polarity and support of the attributes of Mother and Father.   The creative flow of the Mother supports the structure of the Father to ensure that stagnation and inertia do not prevail. The strength of nurturing and dedication to progression and movement provides the foundation for authority to be exerted in a manner that is merciful and mindful of what has preceded and led up to this exact point in time.  The Empress and the Emperor are the more human aspects of the High Priestess and the Magician. The former being held within the resonance of mundane and human qualities of experience and the latter being the expression or the Divine as it rises from the base of the human towards a more refined state that crossing into the realms of the otherworldly.

The Empress and the Emperor are the call to achieving a place of balance. The energy between the combined uniting of the two polarities brings us to a place of the middle way of synthesis, harmony and equilibrium.

If we look at the numerology of their union we have:

The Empress – the number 3- the triune of force and form- the triple aspects of deity and the progeny of the union of two singular things joining ad producing the 3^rd.

The Emperor – the number 4- stability- foundation- fertility and equilateral support.

The union of the 3 and 4 produces the number 7- life’s lessons, paths of learning- thresholds to deeper understanding.  Combined, they offer the potential for expanding or base of knowledge (4) towards creation of an energy that is both that of their combined efforts and the focused outpour of something newly birthed.

Polarity Spread

Excerpted from a manuscript in progress:

 The Inner Chamber Vol. V: A Walk Through the Major Arcana

 Images: 

The Empress: Rider Waite Traditional

The Emperor: Radiant Rider-Waite

Next Week:  Emerging from the Well of Silence

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Driving  home from work and listening to Loreena McKennitt’s  recording of “All Soul’s Night”.  A deep longing for a return to a simpler place and time comes over me. The same feeling I remember early on when I had just begun the path of a witch.

I remember hearing this song, and having a visceral and very palpable reaction to the music, the voice and the weaving of the lyrics. The simplicity of dancing around a fire, drums urging you on and the coolness of the night seemed as real as the van I was driving at the time.

I remember the newness of finding a spiritual path so beautiful in its nature and expanse of devotion. And, the simplicity of honoring the Gods and Goddesses in heartfelt song, movement and small tokens of devotional offering.

Flash forward to the present. I think on the many years that I have studied, trained and moved forward on this same path.  Tears well up in eyes that for too long have sought out the complexity of the path and extended far beyond the simple act of acceptance of its beauty at face value.

So, for tonight’s class, no fancy altar to make the lesson better understood. A single white candle lit in honor of our being fully and simply present to do the work of reaching out to the Divine.

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This poem was written in devotion to the Goddess Brighid and celebration of Her energies at the Turning of the Wheel- Imbolc.

Metal flashes and is plunged deep

into Fires from a forge

Of great darkness.                                                                          

Red flame and

Wisps of cauterized

Flesh that are carried

Upwards towards

Focused release.

Emerald green eyes

Open and healing

Tears drain from

A fire filled gaze that

Cuts clean through.

The Goddess has

Awakened and

Her sword deftly

And swiftly plunges

Through its mark.

All pain and suffering

Drain from wounds

That have festered

And sapped life

From blood’s purpose.

The mark of her cross etched

Into every cell, deepening

Into its very core.

Four points of light

Gathered together

As renewal begins.

Goddess’ arms

Open in flaming embrace

And the mind touch of

Inspiration heals and soothes

my transmuted form. 

All Hail to the precision of

Brighid’s Healing sword.

Please visit Witchvox for the companion article.  Blessings of Imbolc.

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“ I reached out and stars fell from the heavens. Light burst forth and a thousand lanterns of rarified light moved around me. I gazed upward and a fountain of liquid life force showered down and flashed like lightening.  All of the Universe opened to me and I became the Light of a million stars that shone in the velvety black night sky”

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The Light Within the Shadow of the Winter Solstice

For most of us the turning of the Greater Wheel to the Winter Solstice (Yule) is one of welcoming the return of the Light of renewal and strength, the promise of increasingly longer hours of daylight and anticipation of warmer weather and a more outer world focused time. This change is subtle in physical form as this is also when the cold of the Winter (Northern Hemisphere) will remain for a few months more prompting us to retreat indoors as the early arrival of evening’s darkness envelopes and calls us into the warmth and light of home.

To Read full article:

http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=uspa&c=holidays&id=15298

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