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Posts Tagged ‘spiritual development’

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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As we end the year and begin one anew, I would like to share a pathworking of the Zodiac. Each New Year brings  the opportunity to connect more fully with those aspects of your natal chart that offer support to your life’s experience. There is no need to be a professional astrologer or even an advanced student of astrology to begin the process of connection. Simply beginning with an exploration of your natal Sun sign can open your self-awareness to a place of deeper knowledge of the potential of your strengths and bolstering your weaknesses. Let’s begin…. Turn your focus and attention to your breath. Allow the space of  your consciousness to move with the rise and fall of your chest and the filling and release of the lungs. Continue in this manner for several breaths; allowing each to become softer, smoother and slower.  With each breath your physical body appears to become lighter and your center of consciousness floats upwards towards the inner eye. You feel enveloped by the mist of transition between the Physical and Astral.  And as this veil thins you step through a veil of dark blue mist and find yourself standing centrally in a circular room.   As you look around you see that this space opens out to a star lit night sky.  The velvety blackness above holds a twinkling of starry light that fills the panoramic view above.  The walls encircle you and are of a deep bluish purple.   As your eyes adjust to this room you notice an archway just ahead of you.  It glows a deep blood red in color and you are intrigued by what may lay through the archway. imgres You step forward and pass easily through the archway stepping through the glyph of Aries and out into a room that is vibrantly colored red.  To learn more about astrology, check out these resources: Temple of the Cosmic Spheres It’s Written in the Stars. R. Fennelly 2012

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Yearning

I wrote a post in April called “The Hunger”  about how spiritual hunger fuels your desire and aspirations towards spiritual growth. When we yearn for something, this feeling often begins as a hunger. This hunger soon becomes a need and the fires of will begin the process of catalyzing your intent.  When I think of the word yearning, an all consuming desire for something is what I imagine this feeling to be.  Hunger has now transformed itself into a deeper place of having experienced the satisfying of that hunger and now having experienced the state of fullness you are more aware of what it is to be filled by what your desire has attracted to itself.

Yearning comes from the depths of re-membering what quenched your thirst, filled your empty hunger and fed your soul.

What is it you yearn for in the deepest recesses of your being? 

Opening

We go through much of our lives feeling that we have to shut ourselves off in order to remain safe, secure and intact.  Even when we think we have loosened up a bit, there is still a certain amount of guarding that remains, much like the progressive relaxation exercises that still find the place where tension is held.  I attribute this largely to our conditioning.  As a child there are no guards set up and we are open to each and every experience that comes our way.  And at some point this natural state of being begins to grow its own filters as we take in the words, fears, concerns and mistrusting energies of those around us.

When we eventually come to a spiritual path and begin the work of transforming and growing, we find there is much “undoing” that is necessary in order to move forward successfully.  We find that we must loosen our filters and preconceived ideas that shut us down just as we near that precipice of true transformation. We are reminded to breathe into our workings and to allow the grace of Deity, God and Goddess to flow through us informing and enlivening our work. We sit in the space of meditation and expand our awareness allowing ourselves to gently re-open to the spaciousness of our inner landscape.

How do you allow yourself to open to the gifts of your own space of being?

Understanding

You’ve read all the books and done your homework, dotting all the “i”s and crossing all the “t”s.  You  consciously try to walk the walk and talk the talk. You think you understand who you really are.  You don’t!

You offer up devotions, offerings and service to your Gods and honor the monthly cycles of the moon. Carefully and tenderly you call out the names of your beloved Deities and in frustration and desperation you bellow forth calls for help. You think you understand what is needed to connect with the Divine. You haven’t!

You are filled with all manner of knowledge and have transformed it into deep wisdom as the milestones of your spiritual path and practice have been met and achieved. You stand in a place of service to humanity and love and honor, justice and mercy flow easily through all of your interactions.  You understand the meaning of the Great Work and would willingly step into the lace of sacrifice for the greater good of all. You know that you understand the work of this lifetime. You can’t even begin to understand!

Understanding is what remains when all that you think you knew is stripped away.

Understanding is born of experience and the sacrifice is that of surrendering your will to create your own vision to that of the Higher Will whose vision is already realized.

Understanding is standing naked and vulnerable and cloaked only in a trust and gnosis that is unable to be articulated for it is pure essence itself.

Understanding is the integration of all that you are, all that you were and all that you will be for it is all one in the same.

Understanding is a deep yearning that primes  us to reach towards the highest expression of the beauty of our humanity as we open to the awe of our Divinity.

May you be cloaked in the exquisite mantle of  Y.O.U.

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Remember the place of beginnings
Remember when the All was One
Solar flame and lunar tides
Contained within manifest core

Remember the great divide
Vibration of form and formless
Remember the volume of time
Friction stirring the belly of outpour
Waters blackened, womb and seed issue forth

Remember the softness of skin
The strength of sinewy limb
Remember the Great Mother and
The secrets her womb carries within
Remember the Father’s golden orb
His body re-membered by magick of Will
Remember the place of separation
And hold sacred the celestial bodies of Light

The Principle of Gender 1.

Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes.

Gender and polarity are often points of confusion. Although gender is an aspect of polarity it is a dynamic point of differentiation in its own right. Gender spans more than the physical dissimilarities that separate a man from a woman. Its energetic principle is one of expansion and contraction moving in a rhythmic force of release and receipt.

On the Qabalistic Tree of Life the Pillar that provides Form is the Feminine Gender. This is the gender of receipt, contraction and boundary. The Pillar that provides Force is that of the Masculine. This is the gender of release, expansion and expulsion of formlessness. Both working rhythmically are the necessary actions for the eventual manifestation in Malkuth, the physical world. It is the container of the feminine egg that receives the insemination of the masculine sperm; the two quickening into the first stirrings of human life.

We don’t have to look too far to see these concepts running through every level of our existence. Recognizing them is just the first step. As we explore their deeper meanings, formulate our own definitions and begin to apply the dynamics of their energies, the magick and mysteries of our place in the mind of the All will begin to reveal itself affirming that we are co-creators in the Great Work.

Reference Post:
1. The Universal Laws

Image Credit:
Holy Union by ap0str03 (DeviantArt)

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Xochiquetzal

The post for this week prompted me to look beyond the pantheons that I normally work with and brought me to a Deity of the Aztecs. Xochiquetzal is a Goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility and protector of women and mothers, pregnancy and the crafts of women such as weaving. Unlike many ofthe Aztec Goddesses who are assigned to the agricultural responsibilities only, she embodies life itself and all of the pleasures, excesses and enjoyment of physical expression. Her archetypal energy is echoed in the more familiar goddesses of Hathor, Brighid, Aphrodite and Parvati.

Xochiquetzal’s  name itself is a composite of two words – xochitl (flower) and quetzalli (feather or precious feather) and when combined means precious flower feather or maiden. She is closely tied to vegetation and butterflies and flowers follow her in honor.  A festival that was held every eight years in honor of Xochiquetzal was highlighted by the maidens wearing animal and flower masks.

She is depicted as a youthful and attractive woman, fully aware of her power of seduction and the potential of that power to be prone to excess. It is for this reason that unlike many of the deities she is depicted wearing fine garments and adorned with luxurious regalia as symbol of the sexual power of youth.

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Her twin brother is the flower prince,  Xochipilli. Similarly his kingdom was one of painting, dance and music and the beauty of the natural world. Together, they are the masculine and feminine energies that flowed through the Aztec people embracing their human qualities fully and aligning them with the beauty of their natural world devoid of the worries and concerns normally befalling an ancient society. These Deities and celebrations of them offered respite from the hard work that typified their existence. 

I always find it interesting to learn more about another Deity from a lesser known pantheon. The treasure hunt continues on making the connections to those deities and pantheons I do know and comparing the cultural and societal differences that arise.  In meditating on Xochiquetzal’s energies the raw experience of that energy and the strong currents of the feminine polarity and gender were quite profound in their simplicity.

The raw power was that of dipping deeply into that well spring of first aroused sexuality; the first experience that seems to validate your place in this cycle of living creative power and the opening of youthful eyes to the beauty and fertility of life that surrounds you at every turn.  You see every thing from a different perspective and experience the pleasures of day to day living with heightened awareness and sensitivity.

I would imagine that this is the same flow of energetic current that sustained and upheld the hard work ad at times harsh conditions of the ancient peoples. This spring of youthful pleasure and the affirmation of their place in a greater cycle of continuum that was life itself.  Every so often its good to take a side trip down a road you’ve not been and open to the experience of another pantheon or another way of experiencing the Gods and Goddesses. What you may find is a reawakening to the vibrancy you once felt when coming upon what currently sustains your practice.

Pictures:
Xochiquetzal: From the Codex Borgia
Xochipilli. Statue from the Lombards Museum

Resources:
The Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Mythica

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I move continually set
Upon the path of my making.

Encased in what is my space of
Comfort that clouds the clarity
Of my vision but keeps safe
The power of my intent.

Shall I burst free or is
This also a grand illusion
Crafted by the dim luster
Of my will and intent?

For now this veiling
Holds me safe in its
Inner sanctum but
Not forever shall I
Be content to stay
In walls even flexible
Even flexible they may be.

Soon I will burst free
My Will set ablaze
From refined desire’s
Catalytic intent.

And I will rise in full
Glory as the dawning
Of my Will’s sun filled orb.

The word will” is a cornerstone of every spiritual practice. Used as a verb it is the catalyst that brings something into manifestation. The fires of will fueled by heart’s desire acting upon mind create. Desire to become so. Using this word as a noun we define the will as that aspect of our being that becomes the personification of our intent and the authority that determines the outcome. The word then takes on another layer of meaning when consideration is given to where this will is emanating from. We typify the small or lesser will as the force we exert or exact upon others or situations driven by self-serving goals and agendas. This lesser will is focused in the needs of the individual and the level of attachment of the personality within that individual. The Higher Will is that which is informed and aligned with the Higher Self and therefore is not directed by base needs or personal outcome. It is the catalytic fire of those upon a spiritual path who have come closer to a place of individualization (remaining as the single drop that is defined by itself, yet is also part of the larger ocean which is the whole of that definition).

Will permeates our efforts at every level. We make decisions and take action based upon what our will is at that given moment. Will is often used interchangeably with the word intent. And, although the intent of any action is defined more specifically by our will each moves independently of one another. This is often why the magick we set forth does not come to fruition despite the careful efforts of being very specific in intent (or goal). If the energetic bolster of the will is not applied it is merely a schematic of a plan. Moreover, if the raw desire for successful outcome is not directed through the application of will, you may have partial but not lasting success. The furnace has to be consistently fueled for the greatest heat and change to occur. You could think of the intent as being what is focused in upon similar to the fine blade of grass that is set aflame by the directed will of the individual placing the magnifying glass just so to reflect the maximum amount of energy through it.

Another component of will is that of its nature of offering choice of selection for what actions will be taken. Free Will ensures that we are not bound and limited by a predestined path upon which we blindly tread; but rather that at every juncture, and step there is the option of moving in a different direction. And, it is this Free Will that holds us ultimately and solely accountable for what those choices are and co-creators in what our newly determined path offers as result.

Energetically it is at the level of the Throat chakra that we have the fullest expression of free will. The choice in the words we use, the communication we send out into the world and the choices surrounding how, when, in what form, to whom and where we exert that will have the potential for maximum impact. And, again it is the binding together of creative desire (at the level of the Sacral Chakra) and the enlivening of the intent (at the level of the Solar Plexus) drawn into the Heart Center of discernment and refinement of balanced desire and intent. This nexus of intent and desire are brought to a space of quickening moving up into the will of the Throat that infuses that space of communication with power, strength and the ability to manifest.

Moving in accord with this natural flow of will is challenging. Having the necessary discernment to identify what is will that is misdirected and what is Will that is divinely infused can create feelings of disconnect between what we feel our actions should be in this world and how we can freely move into those actions feeling unhampered and having clarity of vision and intent. We become trapped in a shroud of our own making isolated and unsure of how to direct that will in the most productive way. The important thing is to keep moving. To keep testing and looking closely at how we express our will. To look objectively at the product of where we have placed our will and intent and use the lessons of that scrutiny to guide the future steps taken with willful intent. And, to be ever mindful that our greatest strength of will is in the intent of maintaining what makes us uniquely ourselves and then willingly surrender it to the greater collective of what as a whole “IS”.

So, do we shroud ourselves in a bubble, limiting our choices and ever walking without arrival towards the promise of the dawning or setting of our day’s efforts? Or do we use that vision as the microcosmic place of beginning that reflects the outpouring of our will into the Macrocosmic light of the Higher Will?

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The robe slips easily over my shoulders
And drapes my body in magick.

The amulet rests at the space of voice
Just below my upturned head.

I balance all parts of my self
And allow the mysteries
Of true Magick to flow.

I speak the name of power
And step through the Gates
Of Destiny.

My post this week is multi-layered in its approach and relates to a subject that is as expansive and diverse in its understanding as those who walk its spiritual path.  I am a Wiccan High Priestess of Oak and Willow, a coven within a Syncretic Wiccan Tradition, The Assembly of the Sacred Wheel.  I am a Witch. This designation colors all aspects of my life and in the spirit of all viable spiritual practice is a seamless weaving of mundane and magick.  So, I will offer in this post as little and as much as the reader wishes to know.

The path of the Witch makes use of self-knowledge, energetic practice, healing modalities and magick and takes these tools as a way in which to experience and interact with all of the surrounding world(s).  The natural world is the sacred Temple and all who abide within its domain are the Priests Priestesses and the Divine in all of their expressions. The goal is one of harmony and balance in all things as well as the acceptance of discord and imbalance as the natural polarities needed for spiritual growth. To be a Witch is to strive to “Know Thyself” and in that knowing serve and honor all others who are part of the interconnectedness that is revealed in that place of gnosis.

One of the responsibilities that many Wiccans take on is the role of service.  This may take the form of volunteering and/or spill over into their professional lives as many are also very much attracted to Social Work, Healthcare and Fundraising.  As a way to reach a broader community, in particular those who are solitary witches or the curious seeker, I wrote an online course that was intended to offer the foundations of the Craft.  There is no sign up or fee, and the material has ben freely offered for study at your own pace.  The extract below is from the first lesson and gives the minimum of philosophical approach encompassing a Wiccan path. For those who want to know more the link at the end will take you to the course.

The Wiccan Path is one of initiatory experience. Each step taken leads towards greater understanding of your own Divine nature, which in turn brings a greater understanding of the natural world and the Divinity that exists around you. By definition, initiation is  an act that sets in motion some course of events. In the case of a spiritual pursuit, initiation opens the seeker to embracing their spiritual nature as a support and foundation to their mundane nature. The spiritual path of a Wiccan (witch) is one filled with the beauty of the natural world and the mystery of the world within each of us.  The path leads to the subtle realms of the astral – the far reaches of the cosmos – and the shadows that lay hidden and buried within each of us.  We practice the Craft of the Wise, which in ancient times was the gifts of the healers and the seers whose ability to see far and wide and enter so completely into alliance with the physical natural world was depended upon to ensure viable crops, healthy livestock, fertility and a sustainable life for those in whom the wise lived.  In ancient times the knowledge was carefully passed in the style of oral tradition, the mysteries given ear to ear hand to hand. Although many of those traditions, rituals and wise ways are lost to the modern practitioner of Wicca, many of the core principles remain, having evolved just as we as a people have evolved, become modernized and have at our fingertips ways of communicating large volumes of information.  The information provided barely touches the surface of what is a complex and diverse spiritual path, that to a large degree can only superficially claim its heritage in the ancient practices of which we truly know so little. Wicca is rooted in the experiential, and is a way of life that is not limited by lack of sacred space, for all the world is sacred space from the Wiccan perspective.

To Read More:   A Year and A Day on the Wiccan Path

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Today is November 1st- All Soul’s Day.  The veils between the worlds of the living and the dead are thinning and we have greater access to our ancestors and loved ones who have passed.  This month has been extraordinarily dense for me this year.  Not only in the amount of work expected, but in the general feeling of the pervasiveness of the atmosphere and energy surrounding.  Now this would not normally be unusual given the season of the year and the opening of the veils, but, this year seems different.  The thinning seemed to begin much earlier and the heaviness of death and whispers of those wishing to be heard by the living once again seems to be deafening at times.

The other point in the year where these veils are thinnest occurs at Beltane.  There is a lightness about that opening heralded in the anticipation and promise of new life crossing into the physical realms brought forth by the quickening and fecundity of what is waiting to burst forth.  The opening of Samhain speaks of loss and the anticipation of opportunity to reconnect to those who have passed in this or previous years. It is a bittersweet sadness that colors the celebration of lives well lived and although it is palpable, thick and dense, the density is one of being wrapped in a heavy warm cloak.

In contrast, the density of this year seems more to be that of unfinished business and the extra weight of what needs to be said; to be heard and to asked. Many I have spoken with agree that this year they are very much in need of the wisdom gifted by their chosen ancestor(s) and those answers to deep and painful questions loom large in the foreground in determining what kind of action will carry them forward  and out of what has been a challenging year for many.

Although, October 31st is the recognized Sabbat for most, the true and astronomical date of Samhain generally occurs somewhere around November 6–9th. This accounts for the lingering aftermath of ancestral energy beyond the Oct. 31st celebrations.  This year the date is November 7th a few days following a potent New Moon in Scorpio and unusual hybrid Solar Eclipse.  So, the astrological energy will be ripe with challenge and potential and Scorpio’s energy will enhance the deep seeking within ourselves and the answers sought out from our Ancestors.

Each year has been different in what I have needed; some years only needing to honor and not to ask. My needs this year are much the same as my friends and the heaviness I have been feeling is as much of my own making as that of the opening of the veils. I set into motion my intent for reaching out to my ancestors last night, drawing on the collective energy that this particular night holds.  Each night I will light the candles on my ancestral altar, paving the way for our meeting.  Each night I will offer up the questions I have and leave offerings of my love and respect for what they gifted in life and what I request from them now.  And, finally on November 7th I will do ritual, celebrate and sit, listening for the answers I seek.

This is my intent as the veils thin and I am reminded of my place in the cycle of life and death, for each must be honored and in those times of union when the two become as one the deeper wisdoms of each may be shared freely in perfect love and perfect trust.

May your Samhain be blessed and fruitful in your intent!

Resources:

If you would like to use a pathworking of meeting the ancestors, please read Parting the Veils and Opening to Ancestral Wisdom on WitchVox. And, a great tool for finding out the true dates of the Solstices, Equinoxes & Cross-Quarters is the Archeoastronomy Site.

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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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The post this week is going to be a brief foray into things that go bump in the night. Now when I talk about the night, this is a  metaphor for things we hold onto in our sub or unconscious mind that rear their nasty heads at the most inopportune times.  These are the demons that we carry with us; integrated, parasitic and reluctant to leave.  Now, when I say demons, I am not referring to those things we don’t like about ourselves or consider our shadow nature. I’m talking about those characteristics  within ourselves that are downright scary, hard to control and if left to their own devices would completely take over. When I say that your personal demons may be scary, I mean this in the sense of fear holding us back and overwhelming us in ways we become so accustomed to that they are transparent to us in their design and insidiousness.  These are the emotions and thoughts that torment (spooling in an endless loop) us and distract us from our true purpose.

By definition the word Vanquish means:

  1. to overcome in battle : subdue completely
  2. to gain mastery over (an emotion, passion, or temptation)

These definitions give some insight into the intensity of approach that is needed to completely and totally remove something negative and destructive from your life.  We hear of the reference to battling demons frequently when reading about an individual’s battle with addiction, disorders and disease.  These are not the natural state of being that we are inheritors of.  And, the torment, fear and pain that is felt is difficult to control. Their conquering  must take the form of mastery over the negative behaviors or cells at war with their physical form. However, gaining mastery is not enough.  There is a needed release and level of dominance that must be achieved to drive out the thoughts, emotions or damaged cells that hold you prisoner.

Take these analogies and now apply them to our spiritual practices and growth. For the most part, we are continually striving for return to the natural state of being that is our spiritual birthright.  We work and we strive towards control of our surroundings so we may craft the supports and foundations we need to grow.  We ward and shield and protect our lands, homes, loved ones and ourselves.  And, yet we still fall prey to the fear and false truths that are our inner demons.  As you move through your week, take some time to think more deeply on what holds you in a place of fear and torment that obscures an image of a healthy and whole individual.

What are those demons that hold you from fully embracing the truth of your own Divinity? Are they the stories you’ve been conditioned to retell and relive about yourself? Are they the excuses you cling to for not sitting in meditation, and showing up fully present for your personal spiritual work for the day?  Is fear holding you back from stepping into your own power?

Drive them away
Take action
Full speed ahead
And stay the course.

They hide and linger
Whilst all about you
None would guess
The heavy burden you carry.

Rise up to challenge
Release and disburse
Whatever holds you in
Its grip of fear.

Their form is not natural
And their intent is to
Lay to waste your
Yearning to step
Full and strong into
Your place of power.

Drive them away
Call each by its name
Vanquish the demons
That bind you and
Emerge whole and free.

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