Still Trying

Yesterday I made some progress.  On the decluttering front, I completed Day 2, and since I completed Day 3 this past weekend, you can say I'm done for today also.  On the Infinite Possibilities challenge, I'm still trying to find visuals for a few of my yearly goals.  It's a bit tougher than I initially thought.  I've started a board on Pinterest to collect all the pictures, so when the time comes to create a collage out of them they will all be in one place.

I'm a bit concerned that being over two weeks behind on this, I'll end up losing out on the program, so I've copied all the text from the site's daily entries and am downloading the YouTube videos so they're available for me in the future.

Yesterday I began to read "Magical Path: Creating the Life of Your Dreams and a World That Works for All" by Marc Allen.  It's one of the books I've chosen as a guide for 2016 and is a book I've had for a few years now.  The first chapter is full of very useful meditations on the Middle Pillar and I've decided to go ahead and buy the Audible version so that I have them in a format that will allow me to listen and follow.  So I've finished with Chapter 1, and plan to read Chapter 2 today.

Back on Track?

Today was the day I set for myself to return to this blog - and allow for all the madness to take its course. I went to the clutter SparkPeople post and decided to have a go at it since the first day is the medicine cabinet and I was planning to do that today anyway.  Yesterday I organized my cosmetics. I've been receiving monthly subscription boxes and they have grown exponentially. I guess the plan to do the medicine cabinet jogged my memory of the post which jarred my memory of the blog.  Things in our mind are connected in non-linear ways sometimes, so it's always a chicken-egg argument.

In any event, all that is now done and I'm also turning my sights to the other challenge.  When last I left it - on the 4th, the plan was to find visual reminders of what you wish to achieve.  I'm still looking, but I've taken a picture of myself and placed it where I leave my keys and charge my phone.  It's an area I'm at often as I charge other electronics there also.  I think I will set up there the visual reminders.  It may take me a day or so, but whatever.

On the magick front, I got to get moving with that.  I'm going to set up a schedule to focus on this at a particular time of every day.  Trying to find time for it hasn't been working.

Just started reading "The Book of Mastery" by Paul Selig who receives clairaudient dictation from unseen intellects called the Guides - has quickly become the most important and celebrated expression of channeling since A Course in Miracles rose to prominence in the 1970s. Selig's three previous books - I Am the Word, The Book of Love and Creation, and The Book of Knowing and Worth - have won a growing following around the world for their depth, intimacy, and psychological insight. The Book of Mastery provides a deeply practical prescription for heightening your abilities, aptitudes, and sense of personal excellence.

The Book of Mastery provides a deeply practical prescription for heightening your abilities, aptitudes, and sense of personal excellence. The Guides' teachings go much further, however, instructing you how to improve life for others and, ultimately, for global humanity. As the Guides themselves put it: "We will tell you this: No one who reads these books will be left unchanged. They will be like molecular systems that reinvigorate and realign and reclaim the reader to themselves in their worth, in their identity and, beyond that, in their physical realm. Underline physical realm if you like. Because the physical realm that we teach in is about to go back to the stone ages unless you all get it together."

I took all that from the description at Audible.  I highly recommend Paul Selig's books - they are high quality channeling.

There is progress, and I'm eager for more!

Other A Year to Clear Clutter Questions

Jan 5:

What does your "new you" look and feel like?  Pretty much like the everyday me, but this me doesn't have incomplete things to feel bad about.  This me feels more in control and feels like she gets things done.

On the TUT challenge, I am still too busy to find the visual reminders. :(

Jan 6:
Can you imagine a life where there was no friction or resistance? What would that look and feel like?
No, I don't think it's possible to live a life without friction or resistance. We get triggered for a lot of things and sometimes this is good. Friction and resistance can give purpose, such as when one notices injustices.

Jan 7:
No question posed, but goes into why the course is slow and recommends you buy her book.  Okay, now I'm even more disappointed.

Jan 8:
No question or task posed.  Says that "Awareness changes everything: and that we should "Swish it around in your head space and heart space and see what happens. The theme for this week is "Inviting Awareness.".  WTF?

Jan 9:
No question or task posed. Says: "Clearing is not about fixing a problem or reaching for a solution.
It is all about how you relate to the experience. It is the space between the issue and the desired outcome where the real goodies are and where the real clearing happens.Allow yourself to contemplate this one today, even if you have no clue what it means."  ::facepalm::

Jan 10:
This was today's lesson in its entirety:
                              What are you feeling right this second? A little annoyed, to tell the truth.
                              Are you aware of any sensations moving through your body? Not really
                              Your hands: are they hot? Cold? Prickly? Tingly? No, No, No, & No
                              How's your breathing? Is it shallow, or deep? Is it tight or relaxed? Normal, normal, a bit tight b/c I'm annoyed.
                              Nothing to do but notice and allow all sensations to arise - without doing anything  to fix or change them
Jan 11:
Add awareness to weeding out the refrigerator, folding laundry, or talking to a difficult boss or family member. I already do this.

Jan 12:
Look up from this screen for a moment and scan the room you're in. What is one thing of beauty that calls your attention?For one minute allow your awareness to rest on the details: the shape, color, texture, sound, smell, weight. Notice if your attention changes what you see. Notice if your attention changes how you feel. How does it make you feel?
Crystals. They make me happy b/c I think they are pretty. They also remind me that I meant to put them together by category.

Jan 13: I give up. This course is terrible.

The Grind

The first day back at work was brutal.  Memo to myself: don't take a bunch of days off at the end of the year. Manage your time off better.

I expect to be buried for a while.  We are in panicked chaos mode. See you in about two weeks.

Continuing the "A Year to Clear What is Holding you Back" series from Daily OM which I'm trying to do each day, today's question is: How does "clutter" show up in your life?  For me, clutter turns up as incomplete things. Things that I started, but didn't finish. Things that I meant to put away, but got distracted. Things that I plan to do, but never actually start.

I have to say that I bought this course thinking it would offer practical daily de-cluttering guidance, but that hasn't been the case so far.  Perhaps the approach is to understand the psychology inside us that creates clutter, but from my point of view, I'd feel I can do both de-cluttering and psychoanalysis concurrently.  Contemplation is wonderful, but I think I already do plenty of that.  So, at this point in time, I'm disappointed that I shelled out $20 for this.

Meanwhile,  I have found a de-cluttering challenge which I think is pretty good over at SparkPeople:  Declutter Your Home in 30 Days some of the "days" are things that I can do in about 15-20 minutes, like the medicine cabinet and shower; others the "day" could take several hours to complete, like the clothes closet and craft items. I'm happy to devote a weekend afternoon to either of these.  Going through my books, for instance, is a yearly task that takes several weekend days to complete. 

Anyway, I will continue the Daily Om course - especially since I paid for it - but I think I'll just put everything in a draft document to post at a later time.

And I'm still doing the Infinite Possibilities 30 Day Project from TUT, but I have to admit, I got stuck yesterday at putting an emotional connection to my goals.  I'm too cerebral, I guess. I finally put it in a spreadsheet, and was able to come up with at least 5 for each.

Today, I'm to find and place around me visual reminders of what I hope to accomplish.  Too busy right now.

The Quiet Before the Storm

This is it.  The last day of my 10 day vacation.  Tomorrow is back to work, back to the craziness of my daily life.  Sooo not looking forward to it.  I guess I need to improve my attitude.

Tomorrow also marks the end to the lolly-gagging.  I've given myself this time to not put any demands on things to be done and patiently wait for Mars to enter Scorpio to get some things going.  Mars entered Scorpio today. Time to rev up the engines and go somewhere!

Today I did a Tarot spread which I taught my students yesterday.  It's a 3-Step process and I won't get into too much detail here but the first step is to determine where you feel  you are, where you would like to be at the end of the year, and what do you think you need to do to get from one point to the other.  I selected these three cards:

Basically I feel that I've been having too much fun lately at the expense of my physical well-being and would like to regain physical strength and endurance.  In order to do that, I need to come up with a manageable plan.

The second step is where you take the "goal for 2016" card and place it at the top, and then select 4 cards which represent supporting goals to the top goal. Having done that, the deck is shuffled and cards are drawn and placed from bottom to top. The first card represents where you are starting from, the second two cards represents your beliefs and the third group of three represents specific action to take to fulfill the supporting goals.  Not going to get into any analysis here, but the actions to take seem to be partnering with others, getting back to nature, visualization, and having a way to track progress such as creating metrics.  All of those appeal to me.  My beliefs, are a bit contrasting however, I believe in making a list/plan as to what to do specifically, but I also believe that I should just enjoy myself as much as I can.  The last card just shows that my starting point is a stable and abundant life.

Lastly, I like to look at the "shadow" card which is usually found at the bottom of the deck after the cards have been cut and the spread has been laid out.  It tends to either offer advice or give added insight to the issue at hand.  It is letting me know that I need to control my inner chatter - whether it tells me to go ahead and enjoy myself, or whether it's telling me that I can't reach my goals.  I need to tune that out and stick to what I know to be true.  That if I follow a plan, the plan will take me where I want to go.

Following all this, and starting tomorrow, I will choose from  either the top goal card or any one of the supporting goal cards as my goal for the month.  I will look at it in the morning to remind myself what my goal is and then I will shuffle the deck, draw a card, and follow the advice the card is offering me for that day that helps in the attainment of the goal.  This is done every morning for a month, and then the exercise is repeated from the beginning the following month and so on and so forth.

I also gave my students a weekly check-in spread, as well as a monthly brainstorming one.  As I do this, I will post.  I know blog has a lot of Tarot posts lately, but tomorrow it's back to work, and that includes magick work.

I'm also in the process of decluttering. I do this off and on. How I hope to feel as a result of clearing what no longer serves and supports me is peaceful and in control.  When things are awry I cannot think clearly. What I hope to let go of is being frustrated with myself for not doing a better job at keeping things straight. What I hope to attract is calmness and better organizing habits.

I also did finally come up with a theme for 2016: "Staying On Track". Now I need to come up with a list of exciting things that I expect to happen because I met my goals for the year.

End of Day Tarot Life Spread

The Tarot class was awesome! The class was about how to use Tarot to set goals, actions towards your goal, and how to stay on track with them.  My intention was to do the exercises for myself afterwards, but I was too tired to even think about it.  Probably tomorrow.

Since this serves as a journal of sorts, I've decided to use this to keep track of Tarot Life daily spreads.  The internal spread has the Knight of Cups - Conviction as to what to avoid, which I believe suggests not letting myself get off track emotionally, or fritter time in idle pursuits, and to allow the space for myself to demonstrate my convictions.  Then we have the Six of Wands - Triumph in the what to do position, which says that in order to achieve victory over inner conflicts, I should become open to all experiences so as to use them to strengthen my ultimate goals, and to be clear and truthful about my motives and aims.  Perhaps some visualization of myself triumphing over my present obstacles would also be advised.

The external spread has the King of Pentacles  - Power based on Position - there is a man sitting in front of an open vault full of money. For me, I value knowledge, and it's telling me that it's not about how much knowledge I have, but what I do with that knowledge.  To make use of the information I have, I must enter the frame of mind that allows me to use it and act to achieve new results. Don't accumulate knowledge, but use it.  The second card is the first Major Arcana to turn up - The Fool - the search for one's destiny. Consider that I'm beginning a new process, and leave the past behind. Create inner calm and channel my energies constructively. It's time to act, to take a step into my future.


Pretty good cards, I may think of something else tomorrow. Right now I'm beat!

2016 - Other Influences

There are a few things I'm following at the start of this year. One is The Infinite Possibilities Project. I've been receiving daily emails from TUT for many years now and like the optimistic, up-beat messages.  Day One has you being clear about what you want from 2016. For me, it's quite simple as I always align my goals with my yearly Solar Returns.  This year the focus is on my VI house of health, daily habits, and service and the focus is going to be on those daily things we all do that may not be very glamorous, but are the foundation of our lives. 

Particularly, I will focus on losing weight, which will improve my health and to do so I will need to change what I eat on a daily basis (diet is a VI House matter), I plan to work on my daily habits of practicing Magick and meditation, and I plan to change jobs (which is how most people today are "of service").  Mars is presently transiting my natal VI House, bringing energy and willpower to support these efforts, so I have about two months to really get the ball rolling on this and then it will become self-powered.. Also, Jupiter will be transiting my natal V House until the Fall of 2017, and it's a good time to put more energy into promoting my own business, so I'll be also working on creating daily habits that further this in 2016.

I have selected a few books which will guide me through 2016.  The first is "The Book of Mastery" by Paul Selig, which will be released in a few days.  Other books are "Soul Shifts: by Barbara De Angelis, "Dream Alchemy" by Ted Andrews, and "The Hero and the Goddess" by Jean Houston.  I will, of course, continue to study Magick, both through "Modern Magick" as well as using Jason Miller's program/books.  Plus a few others here and there.

Today I'm teaching a Tarot class about using Tarot to set and follow through with one's goals. I will be recommending Tarot Life 1, which I've done for myself for two years now. As well as other exercises that I feel will help people define goals, define actions, and stay on track.

It Wasn't Time Yet

Hopefully now it is. No way to tell until I get started again, which I'm doing so now.  There have been a lot of changes in the past year. I think I'm clearer on what it is I want and more determined to go my own particular way.

Today is the New Year's Day, and like most people, it's the holiday when we stop and take stock on the directions we are headed and whether we're meeting the goals we desire and/or have set out for ourselves.  So, of course, I too am involved in this.

What was 2015 about for me? Work, work, and more work. Also death and crochet. Strange combination but the way that works is that several friends passed and I retreated into crochet to deal with it.  I've created 6 or 7 blankets, a few shawls, and not sure what else in the past 8 months. It's given me a lot of time to think and to also contemplate how it's consistent action which produces results.  I mean, we all already know that, but it becomes very noticeable when there is a tangible product at the end of it.

Internal work isn't always as quickly obvious. The effects can be subtle and almost imperceptible until we arrive at a point where we realize we are not the same as we once were any more.  Until then, we move forward hoping to become aware of the benefits of our consistent efforts.

Even though this is a public blog, I don't really expect anyone to read it.  So I will be posting whatever suits me that is metaphysical in nature. For starters, I resumed the Tarot Life series of books as I have done in the past two years.  This year though I'll be using two decks one for internal work, the other for external work.  My "Destiny Card" is based on my birthday and is the Two of Pentacles every year, but I've chosen the ones which art resonates best with my goals and where I'm at.  The point is to use the "destiny card" in one's morning contemplation/meditation.

Internal work: Navigator's Tarot of the Mystic Sea: "Remaining stuck in old patterns and unproductive ways of behavior is not conducive to personal growth. You need support from partners and friends to work toward a successful outcome in business or creative projects after you have organized your enterprise carefully" The word above is "permutation", which is a mathematical concept where elements are arranged and/or rearranged in a specific order. It also means transformation and alteration. This is a very "Gemini-looking" card and I really think it represents me well. One person is holding on to the disk, the other is tossing it or levitating it, whichever you prefer.  It speaks to the tangible and the intangible.

External Work: Law of Attraction Tarot; "Indecision: Something is Brewing. A young woman finds herself at a crossroads and is clearly undecided about which way to go. Perhaps to the right, giving precedence to common sense and inner discipline or to the left, giving free rein to the bizarre, the fascinating and mystery that lies within her. Many people cling to what they achieved long ago, but some are afraid to dream because they fer failure, and therefore, won't take responsibility for successes as well as failures."  The card is one of a person weighing their options and trying to choose the right one that will get them to where they want to go.  Will they go the fast one or the scenic one?  Will you wander about a bit and have some fun, or just get to business and be efficient? 

The way this works is that each day two cards are drawn at the end of the day. One is placed on the left and the other on the right. The left one speaks to how to avoid getting side-tracked and the one on the right to what to do to stay on track.  Left: Ace of Pentacles - Generation: there is more to life that worldly fame and going after money, pursue spiritual riches. Right: 3 of Swords - Desolation: Opening up to the root cause of pain/fear will banish it for good.  Allow yourself to feel sorrow and build a new foundation on the surprising results of discovering your inner self. I think it's trying to say that I should not allow things to distract me from the work of getting in touch with the internal work that needs to be addressed.  It's so easy to get distracted and to disappear into hobbies, work, entertainment, friends, etc. The pain and fear which is inside us is what prevents us from moving forward.

And in today's case the card that can sidetrack for internal work is the card that keeps me on track for external work!  How is that for interesting?

Left: Two of Wands - Restlessness: the need to put an end to hesitation. Change means taking risks, exploring unknown territories and living with uncertainty for a period of time.When discomfort becomes unbearable and the benefits you stand to gain outweigh the possible disadvantages, it's time to act.  Right: Ace of Coins - Healing: To be rich is a lifestyle that offers more opportunities, more freedom, and more choices. To become rich is not a privilege granted to a few, but a question of having the right approach to life and being aware that you create your own destiny. This is a very clear message to me that I should move forward with changing jobs.

Now it's time for Sherlock! I've been waiting ALL DAY!!!

Returning in 2015

It’s been a while since my last post, and I’ve stopped doing the daily Sun Salutations and LBRP, though my calendar continues to remind me 3 times a day.  With a new year about to dawn, along with my own Solar Return, I am eager to change things for myself in 2015, as probably is most everyone else.

I will take the next 10 days or so to become organized and then come 2015, I’ll let it rip!

Transformation

Today's card is Death, and no, it doesn't bother me.  It just goes to show that this is a tremendous time of transformation and I need to let go of whatever no longer should be allowed to live on.  For me, primarily, it means to accept the new identity of Magician. 

And, once again, it was the first card pulled from a complete deck.  For extra bonus, yesterday's card, Judgment, was at the bottom of the deck!  I love detailing these "coinicidences"!

Extra bonus points for Trish for doing Liber Resh at noon!

As I was about to pull into my parking spot coming home from work, a Merlin falcon flew in front of my car, and perched on the power wire right to the back of my parking space, I got a good look at the bird, but when I turned around to grab my phone to take a picture, it flew away. Never seen one on the beaches of SFL. Had to google falcon/hawk images to sort out what it was.  Based on the picture below, I'm fairly confident that it was a female Merlin, which is even better - a female magician!

The falcon is associated with Ra and Horus, as these are both depicted as having the head of a falcon which I think it's pretty cool considering I'm hailing Ra every morning. It is also the Egyptian symbol for the rising sun. I looked up the meaning online, and wasn't able to find much.  Most of the posts are about falcons.  I was able to find two references.  One stated that the Marlin signifies that it's time for magical maneuverings.  That fits well with what I'm doing.

The second one is supposed to reference Ted Andrew's work on Animal Spirit Guides and it stated that the keynote for the Merlin is quick and magical maneuvers and shape-shiftings.  I like that!!  It went on to say: 

Merlins, like the mythical character, are magical birds. The Merlin is a 'pigeon hawk.' Its ability to mimic pigeons to capture prey indicates what this bird's message is. Sometimes we must appear as something we're not in order to capture what we need or want, weaving a little shape-shifting magic, creating an illusion in order to accomplish our goals.

The Merlin in falconry was a preference of noble ladies. The Merlin is easily trainable and was then often returned back to the wild after a season of hunting. Because of this, the Merlin is a reminder to weave and use a little magic for the time being. It is an indication of new and often temporary doors of learning will open. We should take advantage of these opportunities, undertake some quick training and accomplish what we need at the moment because our learning will come quickly and will serve its purpose for the time. Now is the time to shape-shift our life and ourselves a little for the greatest benefits.

It's nice for Merlin to pay a visit!

Awakening to New Life

So today's Tarot card is Judgment and I am taking it as a good sign of taking up the desire for a new way of being through resuming magickal training.  And once again, it was the first card I drew when I shuffled a full deck.  I'm not sure how this continues to happen, the odds against it must be astronomical, because each time I do the Tarot Contemplation Ritual, a Major Arcana cards turns up on top.  I guess some things are magickal...

On another note, I was reading Modern Magick last night and in one of the sidebars, the author, Donald Craig, shares his thoughts on what constitutes a good spiritual teacher:

(Click for larger image)

Can I once again say how much I LOVE this author? I so completely agree with him.  Anyone who doesn't sing, doesn't dance and/or doesn't laugh (especially at themselves) is not fit to be a spiritual teacher!

Today I have completed the Liber Resh (except the noon one), the LBRP, meditation and Tarot contemplation.  Let's see what tomorrow brings!

Wondering

So here I was, starting this new course in Magick, everything was going great and then... all hell broke loose in my life.  Not sure what to make of it.  I believe that we create our own reality, and that it's quite possible that any time we try to make any major changes to it, our subconscious resists and creates roadblocks to maintain the status quo.  Not sure if that's what happened here, or... if what I was doing was beginning to bring about situations that would ultimately move me where I needed to be as a magician.

What I do know is that I just wasn't in any sort of mind-space to be able to continue with the daily rituals and I ceased them altogether sometime on Tuesday, Aug 26th, and hence the reason I haven't posted.

Meanwhile... I do feel I want to take this up again, despite the ruckus.  Because whether it's my subconscious or the result of the practice, or just coincidence that I might be misinterpreting, I do wish to continue, I do wish to see where it might take me. 

Tonight I will (finally!) read those pages on kabbalah, and tomorrow morning begin with Liber Resh, meditation, and the LBRP again.  Let's see what happens.

Revised Liber Resh

Now that I understand the purpose of Liber Resh (pls read post prior to this one), I'm more comfortable performing it.  Changing the words to modern English helps also.  Even though I've learned that the Egyptian deity associations are somewhat off, I've decided to leave that alone.  If in my mind I had already formed a firm idea about this matter, I would change it so that I could perform the Liber Resh without internal contradictions.  But since I don't, then I rather join in with everyone who's ever done this as Crowley cooked it up.

Once again, the first card I drew was a Major Arcana.  This time, it was the High Priestess and I felt immediately drawn to the pomegranates behind her, which are placed in the positions of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.

And most particularly to the pomegranate by the High Priestess' head which seeds are not colored red like the others.  This pomegranate corresponds to Da'at (knowledge) in the Tree of Life. In general, Da’at is not really a sephirot, and it operates on two levels: higher knowledge and/or hidden knowledge.  Not educational knowledge but rather to experiential Knowledge through union with the object in question… To experience the Divine, is to Know the Divine. 

 

And I also find this all fitting in light of the fact that I will begin to read about Kabbalah today in Lesson Two.

Not alone at all

I guess I am not the only who finds the funny medieval language a bit forced.  I was able to find two alternate translations.  This one is a modern but bland:

Hail, Sun in the morning!
Spreading rosy fingers over the world,
Bringing new light and purpose to the day!
Welcome from the realm of night! 

This one maintains the Egyptian deities and uses modern language:

Hail, Ra in your triumph and strength!
Coursing through the heavens at sunrise!
Horus at the helm and Thoth at the prow.
Hail to you from the realm of night! 

I'm going to need to research who these deities are, though I know they are all forms of the Egyptian solar god as the sun travels across the sky during the day.  My understanding, after doing a bit of research, is that Crowley assigned the deities to the classically incorrect time of day, as Ra is associated with noon, not sunrise.  This is actually a good thing, as it shows that practitioners can adapt and change old rituals in order to develop something personally workable and meaningful.

The purpose of Liber Resh is for the magician to connect with the divine, via the classic Solar principle, by identifying with the Sun as it progresses across the heavens during the day. This regular, daily practice reminds the magician that he/she is a magician. And to draw spiritual sustenance or energy from the  sun / the divine.

It is fair to assume then, that Liber Resh is essentially a daily invocation to one's Higher Self, using the sun as a proxy, and is intended to ultimately put the magician not just in touch with his/her own Higher Self, but the Divine.  So the ritual itself should be malleable and personal, the real point being a simple focus of will to open one's awareness of the infinite and to doing the Great Work.

Well, it's time for this gal to go greet Khephra and go to sleep!

Medieval English

Woke up and did the morning Liber Resh.  Didn't care for the language, it felt so artificial:

Hail unto Thee who art Ra in thy rising, even unto thee who art Ra in thy strength, who travelest over the heavens in thy bark at the uprising of the sun. Tahuti standeth in his splendor at the prow and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm. Hail unto thee from the abodes of night!

I am going to translate it into modern English.  I'm pretty sure that the Liber Resh has been done in many languages, and that medieval English was modern by ancient Egypt standards, so I’m sure Ra will be fine with it.  How about…

Greetings to you who are Ra in your rising, even unto you who are Ra in your strength, who travels over the skies in your vessel at the rising of the sun. Tahuti stands in his splendor at the prow and Ra-Hoor abides at the helm. Greetings to you from the dwellings of night!

I’ll have to translate all the others, which are mostly the same, except for a change in deity and characteristics.  And I might change it further at a later point. This modern girl doesn't do medieval.

On another note, the LBRP felt more powerful this morning.  I'm starting to get all the details down.  I've also decided to begin again with the Gateway Experience program, and listened to the orientation recording for Wave I.  There was stuff there I didn't get the other times I learned it. And I had totally forgotten that there was a Focus 3.  I find this very interesting, and it's the reason I go over basics from time to time.  It's amazing what you miss. I'm going to replace the Relaxation Ritual with the Gateway Experience, going over each recording every day for a week to be sure I cover it all thoroughly. 

And the Major Arcana Tarot card I drew today was The Moon.  I've gone back to using my Radiant RW.  I didn't want to use it because I didn't want to take out the Major Arcana in order to do the TCR, but then I realized that I really didn't need to, and decided to simply shuffle the cards, cut them, and then draw cards until the first Major Arcana turned up.  Today, however, The Moon was the first card.

I think it's fitting considering I decided to begin the Gateway Experience again and a confirmation that I am on the right track,  There's a path to the mountain, and you have to go through the gates to reach it.

Holding Steady

For the greater part of the week I have simply been practicing.  Meditation, LPRP, Tarot, with some astrology thrown in for good measure since that's my foundation.  I don't have a whole lot to report.  The practice part of most disciplines is not always remarkable.  If I were to comment on any difference in the past few days it would be that everything seems somewhat brighter.  Living in South Florida, we are used to it being sunny all the time, but that's not the type of brightness I'm talking about.  Things look different.  Sharper somehow. Like maybe there was some sort of film that I wasn't aware was there until it finally dissipated.  Or it could just be my imagination, getting away from me..

I noticed that what followed after the LBRP and Liber Resh in Lesson 2 was several pages on kabbalah and decided to leave the reading of kabbalah for the weekend as it is somewhat complicated and requires concentration to follow, let alone understand.  So instead, I re-read some of what I had already read, hoping to find information I might have missed.

I've gotten quite good at the LBRP, and can do it in a few minutes.  Have not begun the Liber Resh, but plan to tomorrow.  Figure I'd try it out during the weekend, and become familiar enough to be able to begin to perform during the week.  Still not sure what I'll do about the noon-time ritual.

Psychic Attacks

Proceeding right along with Lesson 2, I was quite heartened to learn that the author and I share similar views regarding psychic attacks.  For starters, we agree that most people who believe they are under psychic attack, seldom truly are.  This has been my experience also, but how do you talk someone out of something they truly believe?  I don't see any point in it, I rather give people advice on how to protect themselves rather than to try to talk them out of their feelings of psychic victimization.

The second thing we agree on is that the few people who are truly under psychic attack, are often under an unintentional attack from the person doing the attacking.  This is because if someone is VERY angry at you, they might not be aware that they are sending a lot of angry energy your way, making you feel as though you are "under attack".  Of course, in a perfect world, we would seek to not anger anyone this much, but misunderstandings happen and sometimes it's just the person's character to become overly upset with real or imagined wrongs.

Those of us who know how to do a psychic attack on another, have also learned why we shouldn't resort to this, even when provoked.  No bueno for us.  Actions have consequences.  So not worth it.  The book provides a small ritual to perform when one feels they might be under psychic attack, which should be immediately followed by the LBRP.

Additionally, Lesson 2 introduces four daily Sun salutations (Liber Resh vel Helios) which are four daily adorations to the Sun common to most Magick practitioners, performed upon awakening, noon, sunset, and before retiring.  I have to admit that I find saluting the Sun and invoking Egyptian "deities" a bit of a far-fetched thing for me to do, but I DID agree to follow this as verbatim as possible, except when it is incredibly inconvenient or incredibly silly (like wearing robes). I'll have to sort out how to do this during lunch, as I work M-F.  Maybe I'll just look at the sun and salute it militarily? LOL

And on a sad note, I just learned today that the author, Donald Michael Kraig, passed away this past March after a short, two month battle with pancreatic cancer.

Modern Magick Editions

I've had the Second Edition of Modern Magick for a while, but must say that the Third Edition is quite an improvement!  Aside from adding an extra lesson, the book is much larger.  (The 2nd Ed. is better to read in bed, though)

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Since I am using both of these books, I am able to appreciate all the extra work that went into the 3rd Edition.  I love the added points of view in performing the Kabbalistic Cross, for instance, as well as the author's encouragement to try things out for one's self, and see what works best.  The Third Edition also adds many graphics which may be very important to those who may not have ever witnessed the rituals described or to understand how to visualize the energy - that alone is a great improvement:

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I learned additional things I didn't know about the LBRP and how it should be performed.  The author recommends a "ritual bath" prior to doing any ritual.  I'm all for bathing.  I do this regularly anyway, but the only way I can do a "ritual bath" prior to a ritual is if I perform the ritual in the morning.  I don't really see myself taking a second bath in the afternoon, not with my already dry, middle-aged skin! As for the garb, I'm going to have to wing it for now.  The only "robe" I have is a pink terry cloth one, not exactly "magickal" material!

The book also has some really good advice as to what to do if one's room is not aligned with the directions (if true East/West/North/South ends up being in the corners of the room)

Now, for the next couple of days or so, the practical daily work is 1) the Relaxation Ritual, 2) the LBRP, and 3) the Tarot Contemplation Ritual.  I'll get on this soon. I overslept and woke up with barely enough time to get dressed before my father arrived, and we've had some beers with our lunch, so waiting for the buzz from those to wear off before getting all magickal.

Going Smoothly

It's Saturday and I'm going to spend the weekend reading books and relaxing as this is the only weekend in the month that I'm completely without any obligations to show up anywhere - socially or otherwise.

I finished the first chapter, this final part discussed the reasons for doing the LBRP, which "coincidentally" I had a really great class in about a month ago at a friend's house. One of the reasons it gave was that it would expand one's aura.  Well, I have never heard of that one before, but I can say that I understand why it would probably be true.  Meditation does this also, and it's going to be interesting to see what additional energies I note in my aura once I begin doing the LBRP regularly.

Then the lesson goes into how to prepare for ritual magick, what to consider buying, the altar, candles, "robe" or special clothing and ends with how to draw an Banishing Earth Pentagram in the air, which is what is used in the LBRP, and how to visualize it.

I'm not sure I could wear a ceremonial robe without giggling uncontrollably, though I am not opposed to finding a nice solid-colored housecoat or caftan to wear temporarily as I do a ritual.  I'm going to have to give this some thought. 

The first lesson ends with the advice of practicing the rituals learned in the chapter, and the material, for one month before continuing on to the next lesson.  And even though I said I would follow the book to the letter, here I am on day 5 making an exception.  Considering I have an established meditation practice, I teach tarot (so we can assume I'm familiar with it), and I've known about the LPRP for decades now, I'm not sure I can stick to this chapter for a month without getting bored before this time next week and moving on to something else. So, I'm going to move on to the next lesson.

I've discarded doing the ritual journal in Word, and moved on to put it in a Penzu journal.  This is how the book suggests the journal should be:

 

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And this is my Penzu version:

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I didn't have as much to write today as it's a peaceful, easy day of rest.  Being an astrologer, of course I'm going to detail anything significant occurring in the sky and what might be making aspects to planets in my chart.  Sorry about all the red underlining. 

Then I decided to the Split Hexagram Spread just to see what it would be like.  I used my tablet and the Sacred Isle Tarot deck.

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1) Temperance - unknown spiritual influences
2) The Star - unknown spiritual influences (strongest influence)
3) The Chariot - spiritual advice for the matter
4) Death - unconscious desire
5) The Hanged Man - conscious desire
6) The Hermit - practical advice
7) The World - outcome

I believe these are pretty good cards about beginning a study of Magick.  What more could one want?

Well, that's it for now.  Tomorrow I'll start reading the second lesson and I'll return to report.

The rest of the day will be spent reading, watching movies, and cleaning house.

Tipping Sacred Cows

You have to fall in love with a book that calls absurd the notion that Tarot originated in Egypt.  Even though there is absolutely no proof of this, there are those who want to make Tarot more mysterious than it already is.  Sometimes, it surprises me that people don't attribute it to Atlantis or Lemuria! 

Other times I wonder if Tarot readers have astrology envy.  Astrology has been studied for about as long as humans have been on the planet because, lacking TV and entertainment, our ancestors really did not have anything better to do than look at the night sky.  But I digress...

The book has a good definition of fortunetelling vs divination. Basically, fortunetelling says something will happen and one has no choice in the matter, whereas divination says certain things could happen, and it's up to you whether to allow them or prevent them.  Far more empowering.

Then the book moved on to a Split-Hexagram spread which is a 7 card Major Arcana spread representing spiritual forces being brought down to the physical plane and conscious/unconscious desires, with an outcome card in the middle.  The spread is intended to be used to determine the outcome of Grey Magick in order to avoid unwittingly practicing Black Magick.

Yes, this was the right book for me!  Starting with Tarot is so awesome!