Trench Coat Magic

 

The other day I needed to get a new trench coat. I've had my old one for over ten years, and its well worn, well loved, and even has a hole or two in it. In short its time to retire it. So the other day I went to Burlington coat factory and found a very nice replacement. As soon as I put it on, I felt like I was settling into this warm, comfortable garment that served to not only protect my body from the cold but also, in its own way, became a magical robe of sorts. I've actually felt that way about all of my trench coats.

For me a trench coat is a magical garment. It's a lot like a robe, really. It's got nice long sleeves, and it flows most of the way down your body, plus it wraps around you to cover your entire body. When I'm wearing a trench coat I feel like I'm wrapped not only in the cloth, but also magic itself. Perhaps part of what I like about a trench coat is that it is just a bit formless. When you put it on, you can't tell that much about the person's body or what s/he is concealing underneath the coat. As someone who's grown up with some street smarts, I can tell you that anything which is concealing in that way is quite useful as a posturing tool of sorts.

A trench coat is warm. The lining does an excellent job of keeping your body heat. That warmth reminds me just a bit of the description of Raistlin and his body heat. When I put the coat on, and I feel the heat as a result, I also feel like the magic is surrounding me. I've done enough rituals out in the winter cold to appreciate a good trench coat and how marvelous it can be for keeping me warm, but also how it feels as I move around and the garment presses against me, or flows around me, much like a magician's robe might.

I don't know that there is any inherent magic to a trench coat or any other garment, but I think what it evokes for me is what makes the coat special. It's how I feel as a result of wearing it that really matters. That experience is magical and in turn it makes the coat magical.

Expectations and Magic

I came across this intriguing post from Chirotus Infinitum about weather magic and expectations of failure the other day. What I liked about it is that he really explores the expectation that some people carry around that magic will fail, which is coupled in turn with putting it all on a deity instead. I'm inclined to agree with Chirotus's perspective, which is that it's a load of BS to have expectations that magic will fail. But it also doesn't surprise me that some people try to put a moratorium on weather magic or magic of any type that's practical. I think that some people find the idea of practical magic to be a bit threatening. Practical magic is all about applying change to the environment around you and when you do that you're taking something into your hands that typically has been associated with deities and the like. You're taking power into your hands and all the responsibility that comes with it.

Chirotus is quite right that weather is a complex system to work with, but what I find fascinating is how there is this tendency to discourage practical magic in certain quarters of Paganism. Chirotus discusses how there's an expectation set up that a person will fail, and I think that expectation comes from the fact that in some cases people don't know what they are doing with magic. And so the expectation to fail is easily set up because if you don't understand what you're doing, you really can't succeed.

One of the problems I have with spell books is that when you look at your typical spell it's a recipe that gives you a set of instruction, but doesn't really explain the underlying principles of magic or how its supposed to work. You do the spell and then you wait and see if something happens...it's all left up to chance. Chance is a bitch. I have a similar problem with deferring to a higher authority to make things happen. You see that deferment in the Christian religion and sometimes you see it in Paganism, which Chirotus points out in his article. Let deity X handle this problem for me. The problem with doing that is you're relying on the whim of some other being to actually favor you. On the plus side, if the situation doesn't work out, you can always blame deity x for not doing anything, but then you might ask a question which is: "Why should deity X care about my situation enough to do something?" And the answer is that deity x probably doesn't care because deity X is busy doing what Deity X needs to do...or maybe s/he cares, but s/he is busy fielding all the other requests as well (From what I hear this gets pretty tiresome).

There's a saying that God takes care of those who takes care of themselves. I like that saying, because it puts the responsibility back on you. You take care of it instead of waiting for something else to come along and do it for you. You take the power and the responsibility and you do something. And yes sometimes you'll fail, but if you're smart you'll learn from that failure because you'll look at magic as a process instead of as something you do in the hopes that something might happen. You'll look at what you've done and you'll take it apart to figure out what didn't work and then you'll put it back together again, better than before.

And get rid of expectations. They are another form of fixating on results to the point that you lust for them. Yes that's true even with negative expectations. If you expect that magic will fail you are setting up a negative result and focusing on it to the point that you blind to other possibilities. That's the last thing you need in your magical process. Forget expectations about magic and focus on working your process and learning from it. And do some practical magic to solve your problems instead of waiting for something to come along. Do the practical magic because you know it's better to take action and push for a change. That's how magic works really. It works because you do it, because you see a need for it, and you take it on yourself to exercise the power within you to change reality. And for some people that's frightening...but if you're a magician its something you take on because you know you have the power and the responsibility to handle it.

Round 7 of The Process of Magic Starts on Dec 11

 

Round 7 of the Process of Magic class starts on Wednesday December 11th.

Magic is a process that changes you and your relationship with the world, if you understand how the process works.

In this 24 lesson class, we will explore what the process of magic is and how it applies to you and your magical work. If you’re looking for a different perspective on magic that explores the underlying principles of how magic works, instead of focusing on the tools, ceremonies, and other optional features, this class is for you.

I decided to take Taylor Ellwood’s Process of Magic class after many years of magical practice and study as a way to reboot my work. I’ve been involved with a few traditions but have generally been very eclectic in my approach. In my view eclecticism is a strength if you can find a way to synthesize all of those disparate takes on the magical path. Taylor has stripped away most of the window dressings associated with magic. Instead of focusing on style and aesthetics he focuses on the roots of practice and the processes underlying them. For those who are already involved in magic but are wondering how to weave together the rich variety of strands available to us in the 21st century, examining the processes that underly all magic, no matter the flavor, is an excellent place to start. For newcomers and beginners this course will help you quickly move beyond the 101 stage and help you start getting your hands dirty with practical magic.

Testimonial from Justin Patrick Moore

Outline of the class

Lesson 1: An overview of the process of magic Lesson 2: You and Definitions of Magic Lesson 3: Results, Change, and their respective roles in magic Lesson 4: The anatomy of the process of magic Lesson 5: Culture, Ethics and Ideology Lesson 6: What isn't essential to the process of magic Lesson 7: Connection and its role in the magical process Lesson 8: Intention, Attention, and Magic Lesson 9: Inhibitory Actions and Magic Lesson 10: Excitatory Actions and Magic Lesson 11: Internal Work Lesson 12: Spiritual allies and the magical process Lesson 13: Invocation 1 Lesson 14: Invocation 2 Lesson 15: Evocation 1 Lesson 16: Evocation 2 Lesson 17: Divination Lesson 18: Enchantment Lesson 19: Astral Projection Lesson 20: Banishing Lesson 21: Attunement with the land Lesson 22: The Role of Limitation in the Process of Magic Lesson 23: The role of Transformation in the Process of Magic Lesson 24: The role of Mundane actions in the Process of Magic

Interested in learning more or signing up? Visit the Process of Magic class page.

The Illusion of Omnipotence: an exploration of relationships with spirits

I was recently reading one of the issues of Batwoman. In that issue, she's with Wonder Woman and she's hunting down Medusa. Before she does that she meets Pegasus, who is a son of Medusa. He's been attacked by another son of Medusa and although he is alive he has wounds which won't heal for a long, long time, because people don't believe in him anymore, and faith is an integral part of his existence, as well as integral to him being healed. He ultimately ask Wonder Woman to end his life because he will be in lots of pain otherwise, so she does, and afterwards Batwoman asks if he'll ever be able to come back and Wonder Woman says only if people believe in him, at which point Batwoman defiantly says she believes. It's an interesting statement she makes, but what interests me even more is that you see similar such statements about deities and spirits in other fictional works. For example in American Gods, Neal Gaiman talks about how each continent has its own versions of the gods, as well as how the belief in those continents affects the gods. David Eddings, in his books offers a similar metaphysics description of the gods and their reliance on the belief of their worshippers.

While I've seen this perspective offered up in Fiction, I think there's enough corresponding evidence to suggest that there's more to this concept than just fiction. For example, Judeo-Christian mythology has plenty of stories which demonstrate just how jealous Yahweh is, and how much he demands the faith of his worshippers be focused only on him. Then there's the various mythologies which suggest similar expectations on the part of the Gods. The desire for offerings also speaks to this concept having some basis in reality. And what all this suggests to me is two things:

1. Omnipotence is an illusion. What I mean by this is simple. There is no such thing as omnipotence on the part of the spirits or our part either. When there is a reliance on faith and belief, then there's also a recognition that the power that comes about as a result of said faith and belief can dry up. Indeed, if you think about it your average spirit won't exert too much power because there may be a longer term need for it. At the same time there is an expectation in the saying that those who help themselves are helped by God. Omnipotence isn't the name of the game with the spirit world. Rather it is about relationships and cultivating relationships that are mutually beneficial to all involved.

2. We have a symbiotic relationship with spirits. In Healing with Form, Energy, and Light, the author talks about how we have a symbiotic relationship with the spirits. They can help or hinder us, as we can do the same to them. Naturally he advocates taking a compassionate approach to such a relationship and I'm inclined to agree.  Such an approach does involve offerings, but also involves recognizing how the spirits mesh with our lives. We understand that the relationship isn't a one way street in either direction. Rather there is a give and take, a symbiotic connection that can worked with consciously not merely in the form of prayers and offerings, but deeper still into the actual connection we establish with given spirits and how that connection plays out in our everyday lives.

Instead of treating spirits as all powerful beings, what if we were to instead consider to just be different beings that have needs, which are different from ours, but nonetheless are something we can meet. Such an approach might change our relationship with a given spirit, in the sense that we'd consciously recognize how we were interacting with it, as well as how that played out in our lives. This could a healthy way to explore the relationship a given person with spirits.

Now for some people this may not work. They have a particular role that they place their relationship with the spirits and that role defines their interaction. I get that. What I suggest for the rest of you is that you take a moment to consider whatever your given relationship is with your spirits, deities, etc., and ask yourself what you want it to be, as well as what you are willing to give to make it become whatever it could be. For example, recently I've taken to thanking my spirits each day. A simple heartfelt thanks offered each day without expectation, but done simply to say thanks and be grateful. I do it not as a form of worship, but rather as an acknowledgement of their presence. It's subtly different and yet speaks to the relationship I wish to cultivate with them. And I find that they are not offended, but rather are pleased to be engaged with in such a way. The acknowledgement of the symbiosis is a profound acceptance of each other as integral presences within our respective existences.

Call for Writers– Bringing Race to the Table: An Exploration of Racism in the Pagan Community

Email for inquiries and submissions: Crystal Blanton Megalithica Books, an imprint of Immanion Press (Stafford, U.K./Portland, OR, U.S.A) is seeking submissions for the Bring Race to the Table: An Exploration of Racism in the Pagan Community.

This anthology explores the topic of Racism and how Racism shows up in the Pagan community, as well as what we can do to recognize it and proactively work to change it by being consciously aware of race and privilege and actively applying that awareness to the Pagan community. We also examine cultural appropriation and its role in racism, and how we can approach issues of culture with conscious awareness that leads to genuine cultural exchanges instead of appropriation.

The vision for this anthology is to include a combination of academic and personally inspired pieces that show the experiences of racism, and the study of racism.

Here are some suggested topics to give you an idea of the focus of this anthology:

• Your experience of racism and how it has impacted your ability to integrate into the Pagan community
• Cultural Appropriation versus Cultural Exchange
• How to recognize and confront Racism in your spiritual community.
• Being an ally within the Pagan community for people of color.
• Intersectionality of privilege, or examples of this within the community.
• Experiences of a lack of cultural empathy, or sensitivity within Pagan groups, and how that impacts safe place for ethnic minorities.
• Understanding how symbolism within Paganism reinforces racism and separation of diversity within Pagan groups.
• Is preserving the lineage of hereditary practices and/or cultures racist? When is it not racist and what defines inclusion or exclusion in such cases?
• How white power gangs are trying to infiltrate the Pagan community?
• Definitions, understanding or experiences of symbolic, adversive, or systemic racism within the Pagan community.
• Stereotypes and prejudice and the impact on spiritual or magic workings. Being the only person of color in a coven, group or community
• Being a person of color at a pagan convention (and how convention organizers can be more conscious of this).
• How Racism harms the Pagan Community, and how it shows up in the Pagan Community
• How, as a community and as individuals, can we increase awareness of potentially harmful racial dynamics and proactively work to engage positive change.
• What is equity and how does it show up in the Pagan Community practically (what are examples of how equity has been or can be applied to the Pagan community)

Rough drafts are due March 15, 2014. These drafts will be edited in a back-and-forth process with the editors. Essays should be 1500-4000 words, although if your work falls outside those limits, do submit it – we can discuss this during the editing process. Drop us an email if you are unsure whether your idea fits into the content. The sooner you start the communication process the better, as after the deadline we won’t be considering additional ideas.

Essay requirements:

• Citations for all quoted, paraphrased, or otherwise unoriginal material • Bibliography of works cited • Prefer APA format

Write in your voice! If you’re academically inclined or trained, feel free to be as intelligent and technical as you like. If your work entirely talks in the first person about your own experience, please include this also. There is a wide range of voices, and we are interested in being as inclusive of style as possible.

Accepted contributors will receive a free copy of the anthology when it is published and additional copies sold at 40% off the cover price to contributors. All contributors will be provided with a contract upon final acceptance of their essays, not when they are accepted for editing. If your essay is not accepted for the anthology, we will tell you after the first round of edits.

The anthology will be edited by Crystal Blanton, Brandy Williams, and Taylor Ellwood. Crystal is the author of two books with Immanion press; Bridging the Gap; Working Within the Dynamics of Pagan Groups and Society, and Pain and Faith in a Wiccan World.  She is also the editor of the first anthology, Shades of Faith; Minority Voices in Paganism, and the forthcoming anthology, Shades of Ritual; Minority Voices in Practice. She may be found online at http://www.crystalblanton.org and her email address for this anthology is crystal@crystalblanton.com .

Brandy Williams is the author of Ecstatic Ritual (published by Immanion Press), Practical Magic for Beginners and The Woman Magician (published by Llewellyn) as well as the editor of Women’s Voices in Magic (published by Immanion Press). She may be found online at http://www.brandywilliams.org

Taylor Ellwood is the author of Pop Culture Magick, Magical Identity, and other books on magic. He is also the managing non-fiction editor of Immanion Press. He can be found online at http://magicalexperiments.com

Immanion Press is a small independent press based in the United Kingdom. Founded by author Storm Constantine, it expanded into occult nonfiction in 2004 with the publication of Taylor Ellwood’s Pop Culture Magick. Today, Immanion’s nonfiction line, under the Megalithica Books imprint, has a growing reputation for edgy, experimental texts on primarily intermediate and advanced pagan and occult topics. Find out more at http://www.immanion-press.com.

I don't care about Teo Bishop's Spiritual Choices (and Neither Should You)

There's been a lot of uproar over Teo Bishop's realization that he's felt a calling back to Jesus Christ. Some people are upset because he's posted about this decision on Pagan blogs, while other people defend him doing so and feel it's important that he posts about his recent coming back to Jesus, especially given that he's been interviewed in the most recent issue of Witches and Pagans. And then there's me. I don't care about Teo Bishops' spiritual choices and I don't think anyone else should either. They are his choices and I feel that a person's spiritual choice is ultimately a private matter, something that can really only be known by the person and the spiritual forces s/he works with. I know, I know, Teo blogs about his spirituality (so do I for that matter). But while a blog post can describe a person's journey, it can't really speak to all of the moments the person experiences, or what s/he does with those experiences.

I have no doubt Teo will continue blogging about his spiritual journey and I'm fine with that. Let his voice be read by the people who want to read it and find it to be valuable. I'm relatively certain that just as with any other writer Teo will find his audience or they will find him and that what will really matter is what that audience offers each other. The rest of us will move on and life will continue.

I don't think it's such a big deal really. Here's this guy and he's having some spiritual realizations which are causing him to move toward what he feels called to. We all have them. I think the only reason this is a big deal is because Teo has a bit of fame (outside of being Pagan) and so people are upset because this person who has a bit of fame might suddenly not be Pagan anymore. Let's ask the honest and tough question everyone seems to be avoiding: Would you really care so much about Teo's conversion if he didn't have some fame attached? I know that must make me sound terribly, terribly cynical, but really, why are people getting so bent out of shape because someone shares that he's going through a spiritual change? Maybe it has nothing to do with his fame, but the thing is, I never heard of Teo Bishop until a year and change ago. Before then, as far as I knew he didn't exist. Then suddenly he pops up and this is partially so important because he's already a public figure and that just might make Paganism look better as a result. So now he's going through some spiritual changes and people are upset (in my opinion) because this person is A BNP and a public figure in other venues outside Paganism.

I don't care about Teo's spiritual choices, or yours for that matter. Believe what you want, practice it how you want. As long as you aren't hurting people I don't have a problem with it. I also don't think we need to make a big deal about it. Mind your own business, live your life...you get the idea and that's all I have to say on the subject of Teo Bishop and his changing spirituality.

How pop culture magic continues to evolve

I came across this article the other day from Frater Isla about pop culture magic. He makes an interesting point when he argues that pop culture magic has evolved from being a technique or tool set to being a form of genuine spirituality. Like him, I've noticed a similar evolution in pop culture magic. I think that where I saw it occur first was with the system of Dehara, which is a magical system and spirituality based around the Wraeththu series. While there is only book on the system of magic (as yet) it nonetheless has continued to evolve beyond the initial work that was done by myself, Storm, and others. And to this day I continue to have a special relationship with Theide Aghama, who is one of the primary Dehara, and at least in my spiritual work, also a spiritual guardian and guide to working with space.

In my own work with pop culture magic, I have always felt that there is a spiritual dimension to pop culture entities that others might write off because it's pop culture, as opposed to being something that is old and traditional. For me the pop culture entities I work with are more than just a psychological category or set of attributes. They are more than just an archetypes or cultural icons. They are alive in their own right. So it doesn't surprise me that other people have similar experiences with pop culture and recognize a spiritual dimension to their encounters with pop culture spirits. In fact seeing this happen has encouraged my own practice and provided some much needed validation.

When I wrote Pop Culture Magick I wrote it primarily as a book that treated pop culture magic as a set of techniques or a tool set you could draw on for magical work. There were elements in it that hinted at how you could explore pop culture magic as a form of spirituality, but it wasn't something I'd fully embraced in my own practice. I'm now writing Pop Culture Magic 2.0 and I'm taking a different approach, which is informed as much by the additional ten years of practice that occurred, as by my recognition that there is more to pop culture magic than just a set of practices. Aside from my continuing relationship with Theide Aghama, I've also been exploring connections with characters such as Batman who has come to have a lot of significance for me. Additionally I've been doing some work with corporate spirits. And beyond that my perspective on pop culture magic has evolved because how I look at the spirit world has also evolved. I see a place for pop culture spirits in the interactions I have with the spirit world and I don't feel this demeans my magical practice or spiritual work, but rather enhances it because it allows me to apply contemporary culture to the spirit world.

That's an important aspect of pop culture magic. Our world has evolved and what we deal with now isn't what our ancestors dealt with. For me, drawing on pop culture as a spirituality allows me to connect it with the contemporary issues of the time. It also allows me to work with spirits that bring their own understanding to the spiritual equation. I recognize that not everyone sees pop culture this way, but I don't think there's anything wrong with applying this perspective to pop culture magic work. If there's a meaningful spiritual connection, explore it, albeit with care, because as with anything else, not all pop culture spirits are your friends.

Some Thoughts on Community, Connection, and Access

The other day I come across this blog post, where the author, Cat Chapin-Bishop discussed a desire to be able to meet with someone as a peer, as opposed to needing to take a class to have access to the person. I then read a post by Jason Miller, which while not written as a response to the one I've mentioned above, fittingly enough does present a counter perspective in regards to who has access to an occult author. In his post Jason makes it clear that certain boundaries are needed when you have a certain degree of fame and that a certain level of protocol and etiquette needs to be maintained in order to connect with him. The issue that both of these people bring up in their respective ways boils down to access, specifically who has access and connection to people who are considered prominent within a given community.

My feeling on this topic comes somewhere between the two perspectives already mentioned. I am in favor of peer relationships, but I also think that the nature of such relationships changes to some degree as you become an expert in your field. Also as someone who has a bit of fame, I've found that people want access to someone famous without necessarily considering that person's needs. They want to bask in their perception of that person and as a result the relationship is less about a peer connection and more about validation of themselves via having a connection to the famous person (A great example of this in action is someone who likes to name drop who they know that's famous. It's more important to them that they are perceived as someone who knows someone famous).

Like Jason, I do have certain protocols in place when it comes to how people can connect with me, and how I prefer for them to connect with me. The reason those protocols are in place is because I want my privacy respected and because I am selective about who I let in my life. On occasion I've had people who've wanted my opinion or perspective on their projects, or even wanted me to participate in those projects (with an expectation that I would participate), as if I should feel obligated to do so. What I've felt instead is that it's been more of an intrusion on my time to write and work on my own ideas, which I'll admit are much more precious to me. As such I tend to limit my connections in specific ways, because in doing so I also preserve and cultivate my creative genius which is an integral part of my own spiritual and practical work.

Nonetheless, I also feel that it's important to connect to the community at large. I create certain opportunities for people to connect with me. Some of those opportunities are paid for, such as through the Process of Magic class or the class I'll soon be offering on Space/Time Magic, and some of those opportunities come about as a result of attending a convention where I'm speaking, at which point I do make every effort to speak with people who want to connect with me. I even offer a chance to connect with me once a month, in person, if you happen to be in PDX  (living here or visiting) and attend one of our monthly meet-ups (subscribe to my e-newsletter to learn more). People who attend those meetings regularly end up becoming friends and cultivating a deeper relationship with me because they've come to know me as Taylor the person as opposed to Taylor the author. However all of these ways to connect with me are filtered to a certain degree in order to also allow me to maintain my own space and focus on my own work and also are filtered by the fact that the type of access isn't necessarily a peer relationship, but rather a teacher/student relationship. Such a relationship can still provide a sense of connection and community, but it does not automatically provide a peer connection.

When it comes to peer relationships, I'm picky. I want people I can collaborate with or have a good discussion with, but also people who know and understand that I have my own commitments. I have a few people I connect with on a somewhat regular basis and those people aren't all fellow authors (most of them aren't in fact). They are people I'd happily meet up with for a bagel, but they are also people engaged in a similar level of work and as such my interest in developing a peer relationship is partially motivated by wanting to know more about their work and what they are doing as well as by the opportunity to brain storm together. They are people who intrigue me with what they do and as a result I connect with them because I feel a sense of connection and camaraderie based on our mutual interest (hopefully they feel the same about me).

You can't force a specific type of relationship to happen. A relationship of any type occurs organically, based on what each person brings to the relationship. For me what makes a relationship valuable is how people treat each other. Anyone who contacts me in a respectful manner will be treated respectfully.  At the same time, I do maintain the right to have my own boundaries and enforce them as needed. The fact is I still have a lot I want to write and do and in order to do that I find that I need a fair amount of me time, because that's what really allows me to do the level of research, experimentation, and writing that I want to do. I think recognizing the boundaries you need is an essential part of establishing healthy relationships with yourself and other people.

The Art of Not Knowing

In Thinking in New Boxes, one of the suggestions that the authors make is that you doubt everything you know, or that you cultivate a state of not knowing. I think of this as the art of not knowing and what it really involves is learning to recognize that everything you think you know is a filter that can keep you from being open to what you could learn. I practice the art of not knowing every day and it has helped my creativity and appreciation of the world immensely. Not knowing allows you to move out of your comfort zone (which is what you "know") and experience the magic of life. So how do you cultivate the art of not knowing?

As the authors suggest, learn to doubt everything you think you know. What you know can entrap you because while it seems to provide a sense of certainty about the world, what it also provides are filters for your experience of the world. By doubting everything you keep yourself open to experiencing the present as it is, without holding onto preconceptions that could hold you back from being fully present.

Something else that I do is continually cultivate curiosity. I'm curious about everything. I don't assume I know everything, but rather constantly ask questions and test what I think know because I'm curious to see what I'll discover. By being curious I allow myself to not know and use that not knowing to artfully uncover the mysteries of the universe.

Another way that I cultivate not knowing involves experimenting with what I'm learning about. I never take the authority's word for it, but instead test it myself to see what I can discover. Sometimes what I discover is what the authority has shared and sometimes I discover something else entirely. Whatever it is that I discover, I keep myself open to discovering it by allowing myself to experiment and test, instead of just accepting something as known.

Assume nothing, know nothing and allow yourself to use not knowing to keep you in a place of curiosity, inquiry, and experimentation. You'll discover a lot more and have a lot more fun.

Month 12 Elemental Balancing Ritual Movement: Focus

9-27-13 Since Eros brought up that we'd focus on focus in movement, I've been paying more attention to everything I'm doing from exercising and eating to writing and business. By consciously focusing on what I'm doing or how I'm doing it, I've been able to more consciously interact with the movements of everything I'm doing. I've also been continuing to study movement, especially the movements that occur in any given situation. What I've observed is that everything is in motion and yet the motion creates stillness as well. The stillness is the realization of movement, which nonetheless also leads into more movement, which is potential stillness.

9-28-13 I'm taking part 1 of the Oak, Ash, and Thorn workshop that R. J. Stewart offers. It's been a good experience so far, and one where I'm getting a lot from the workshop. I've been given two symbols that relate to my current work. I've also been mediating about tress and how the roots of a tree extend to the underworld, while the branches of the tree extend to the celestial world and the trunk mediates the mixture of under and over world energy in order to manifest reality. What's fascinating is that the meditations have given me some really interesting ideas about where to take some of the movement work. I'm looking forward to seeing what day 2 brings.

10-2-13 It's been a few days since the workshop with RJ wrapped up. Today I made an offering to Hawthorn. I drove out to a place where I'd found Hawthorn leaves and did a brief prayer of thanks and then made the appropriate offering. I felt a brief sense of acceptance and that was that. I'll start work with the next tree tomorrow in my meditations.

As for the second day of the workshop...I got an idea for pop culture magic 2.0 based on a discussion RJ had about iconotropism, which basically involves the understanding of how icons evolve as cultures bring new tropes to them. We also got into a discussion about mediation and its role in magic. Having RJ's works I felt like the discussion shed further light on what mediation is as a principle of magic and how important it is to be open to being moved by what you work with, while also being able to mediate that for other people and even yourself. I also ended up connecting with Puck as an entity, to the point that I ended up mediating him as well as connecting with another entity, of which I wrote a poem/invocation. What interests me the most about Puck is that he's a gatekeeper of the cross roads, a door opener, which is something I intimately relate to in my own work. I found it even more interesting to realize that all of the entities/deities I work with on a prolonged basis also mediate energies of the cross roads, and I've also thought of myself as an opener of the ways (as well as having others indicate that about me as well). I got a third symbol and I need to spend some time working with these symbols.

Beyond all that I've been contemplating focus and its place or lack thereof in my life. I actually recognize that in some ways I have been very unfocused. That might sound odd to some people, but when I consider the last decade of my life, I see a lot of wandering, a lot of drifting. I'm okay with that because I needed it, but I'm also ready for it to end, and I've been giving a lot of thought to what I can be great at and how that can focus my efforts in whatever I'm doing.

10-3-13 I finished reading Good to Great last night and I woke up early this morning with a profound realization: I need to be great at what I'm called to do and what I'm called to do isn't the business coaching. What I'm called to do is the spiritual work, the writing, the classes, the coaching that I can offer through that particular medium. I've felt so scattered, so unfocused because I've tried to do too many things at the same time and because I've bought into limiting beliefs and fears about being an occult author and pursuing this work full time. Some of those limiting beliefs are my own, formed when I first started writing and felt that as an occult writer I'd never be able to make a living from it (obviously there are writers who can and have done it by offering more than just writing). But some of it also comes from other people who applied their own fears to me or showed me in one form or another that they felt I was a burden or a drain and that they didn't really believe in what I could do. The thing is I've lurched from business to business, trying to find something that makes me want to get up and get started with my day, and as I've done this I've learned certain lessons. I've learned that I prefer to be self-employed. I've also learned that I love working with people. And now I'm really taking to heart something a coach of mine said to me: You can't two chase two rabbits at the same time. I've been chasing two rabbits at the same time for a while now. I've got a publishing business I help run, I've got my writing and spiritual work, and I've got the business coaching, but what I've also got is a split in focus with not much getting done at all. I haven't really given myself over to any one thing.

I can't give up my writing or the magic. It's what I live, love, breathe, etc. It's my life, my work, my everything. And the publishing is part of that work, part of the spiritual calling I have, part of something I need to do for the sake of what that publishing represents. But the business coaching is something else. I like it and I'm good at it, but it doesn't call to me in the same way. It never has. It's also a giant time commitment. The amount of networking I do alone eats up so much time that a lot of days I don't feel like writing. I'm peopled out and just want to recharge.

I woke up this morning and I answered this question of what I can be great at, what I know I''m great at. I told Kat about it, laying it all out, the fears, the realizations, everything and she said to me: I support you completely. I believe in you completely. I know you are called to do this and I'm willing to support what you want to do. Hearing that and knowing it's true, knowing that what I really feel called to do is supported and believed in. This made me feel good. I'm ready to really pursue what I am called to do.

10-6-13 In my meditation today Bune came to visit and we had a long discussion about money habits. He pointed out that I needed to make some changes in lifestyle and really focus in on the long term vision of where Kat and I want to be. It's easy to get so caught up in now, but he's got a really good point and it really struck home to me, especially as he reviewed how I've handled my business money and made some suggestions on things I could change. After my work with him, I went to the crossroads and discovered that the next tree I need to work with is Oak. There's some interesting ideas I'll share eventually in a separate once I've connected with all the trees.

10-7-13 I'm reading Make Magic of your Life by T. Thorn Coyle. She makes an interesting about obsession and how it consumes you. My own experiences with obsession certainly validate that perception of it, whereas she considers desire to be something that runs deeps and speaks to what we really want. Working with desire is uncovering what we really want and making it part of our lives, while obsession is running from what we want, getting lost in something, but not being honest about what we really want from it. When I apply this to myself, I see the obsession show up in my relationships and the driving need I've felt to fill up the emptiness within myself. I still feel that on occasion and I'm still figuring out as a result what my desires are and what my obsessions are, but as I've learned to mediate the emptiness and not run from it, its made it easier for me to focus in on doing this internal work and helping me uncover my desires, while also letting the obsessions go.

10-10-13 The past half week has really drawn my awareness to the fact that I am my own worst enemy when it comes to focus. While I manage to get a lot done, I can be fairly scattered in my approach to work and life. I think in some ways I've been scattered because I've been focused on several different directions. That and realizing how much networking I've been doing and how exhausted I am from it. I'm realizing how much of an introvert I am and this in turn has helped me see how much I need to focus my efforts toward my projects and writing over anything else.

10-16-13 Since I last wrote in this entry I've been examining my focus or lack thereof and come to a few conclusions. I've decided to cut back on networking events for the business coaching, and I've also decided to only check e-mail and social media twice a day. Implementing these actions has already made me feel better and more focused than I was before. I'm getting to some of the writing I've been wanting to do and even planning a class for some time in the future. It's funny how certain situations have to come to a flash point where the arrival at such a point forces you to evaluate what you're doing and how you're doing it and provides you a way to make changes that frees up some of the mental and emotional space you were investing elsewhere.

10-18-13 One of the most important lessons I've learned is that acting on impulse can create a lot of problems. Since the realization I had a few weeks ago about what I'm great at, I've really just focused on thinking about what actions to take, which I've written about above, but ultimately I came to the conclusions that tossing the baby out with the bathwater (i.e. stopping business coaching altogether) isn't a good idea. I do like business coaching, and what I realized I really needed was to evaluate my time and refocus on the writing, but still keep the business coaching, because it is a business that is continuing to grow.

I've always been an impulsive person and it has rarely served me in a good way. My impulsiveness has seen me make life decisions that I've ultimately regretted because they put me in situations where I ended up more miserable than anything else. So spending some time really thinking about my choices and what I want to do has been really helpful and a useful application of focus. I don't need to be scattered and floundering every which way. I've done enough of that already, but being focused and really being present with a given decision...that's something I'm going to keep doing.

10-19-13 Writing is its own magic, a feeling of flow and creative application that turns into manifestation and action on the part of writer and reader. When I write and I am really into it, it feels like the heart of the universe has opened up to me and revealed its secrets, allowing me to be a medium that in turn shares those secrets with anyone willing to read the words I share. Writing brings me to life in a way that almost nothing else does (only magic makes me feel the same). Writing is a reality in and of itself, an altered state of consciousness and identity that causes the rest of the world to fade away in the clatter of keys and the connection to the creative urge that speaks the words of the universe through me.

10-21-13 It's my birthday. I am 37 today, the age my parents were when I was born. That's a bit mind blowing in and of itself. This last weekend Kat took me to Astoria for as a birthday gift. We visited the Flavel House, Cultural Museum, and the Jail where they filmed the opening scenes of the Goonies. Each place was interesting in its own way. At the Flavel house, both Kat and I felt the presence of the ghosts on the property. The town itself is an interesting place with a lot of history.

On Sunday, when we got back, we went for a walk and made offerings to Oak, Ash, and Thorn, followed by the offering  make to Dragon. I felt a bit frustrated in regards to the trees, because I'd had trouble identifying them, so Kat pointed out that I just needed to let myself feel as opposed to think about them and she was quite right. I'd been too busy intellectualizing them. This morning, when I meditated, I let myself reach out to them and I connected to them. They told me the symbols I'd gotten during the weekend workshop were symbols I could use in the space/time magic work I'm doing, and were also meant to help me connect with them. I'm going to meditate on those symbols over the next couple of days.

Usually at this time of year, on this day of my birth I transition from one element to another. I've chosen this time around to stick with the element of movement for another year. There's a lot more for me to experience with that element and I'm open to discovering whatever it is I learn.

Happy Birthday to me!

Why traditional models of elemental magic don't work for me

I've posted about this topic before, but a book I'm reading, Healing with Form, Energy, and Light by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, prompted some further thoughts on this subject. In the book he explains that while five elements may seem too few to account for the diversity, he feels that the five elements can be continually developed into more subtle divisions. And it's a good point he makes. I think if you examine any model of elemental magic, you'll find a similar rationale. But I disagree with it, and while I respect that such a model does work for many people and is traditional foundation for elemental magic I think that why I disagree with it boils down to a sense that while you can associate a variety of attributes to a given element, it doesn't accurately portray those attributes. What it does do is provide a way to categorize behaviors, activities, etc into a particular element so that you can in turn say "X activity, behavior, etc., is like fire." This categorization gives people a way to conceptually understand something, but it also limits that understanding to the context of the association, and this limitation applies both to the element and what's associated with the element. In other words, if I associate certain attributes with fire, I limit my understanding of fire to those attributes.

In my own work with elemental magic, I've decided to treat whatever I'm working with as its own element. For example, instead of associating movement with a classic element, I've made it into its own element. By doing so, I feel that I can interact with and understand movement in a way that wouldn't be possible if I lumped it into another element. In my own approach to elemental magic, I've discovered that working with a given concept as an element in its own right has been more useful because its helped me really engage and understand how that element shows up in my life. This has allowed me to apply that concept more meaningfully to my life and practice because I'm exploring it as it is instead of trying to categorize it.

A traditional model to elemental magic focuses on categorization because its an easy way to understand an experience that's happened. But are you really engaging an experience when you can just categorize file it away? I'd argue that you really can't engage an experience unless you are willing to directly take part in it, which means shedding any categorizations you have and just allowing yourself to have the experience. In working with movement, as I recently shared, I discovered and am continuing to discover a lot I didn't really know about movement and wouldn't have thought of, if I hadn't been willing to treat movement as an elemental force. Now, you might argue that by treating movement as an elemental force, I'm still categorizing it, and you'd be right, by I'm not associating it with other elements, but instead treating it as an elemental force in its own right. And it may be that I am limiting my experience in that way, but I've also found that I'm still experiencing more of movement than I'd ever experienced before.

The same has been true of my work other elements, including the classic elements. When I worked with the element of fire, I had a hard time initially weening myself from the associations I had with it, but I found that as I stripped those associations away, I ended up having a different appreciation of fire as an element. It was much more primal than how I'd thought of it. I'd challenge you to consider taking a different approach to your own elemental work. Instead of sticking with the classic associations, try to just experience the element as it is. It may gave you a different insight and relationship than you'd previously had.

An update on my writing projects

 

It's been a while since I've done an update on my writing projects. So here's where I'm at with various projects.

1. Mystical Journeys: The Magical Journal of Taylor Ellwood (2011-2012) is now available from Immanion Press. This is a collection of all the blog posts on this website from 2011 to 2012. I'm not planning on deleting any of the posts, but if you want a book where all of them are referenced or you are just fascinated with my writing and various ideas, this is a good book to pick up. Both years were productive years, where I re-found my love of writing and magic.

2. The Book of Good Practices Vol 1 and The Book of God Practices Workbook by Bill Whitcomb and Taylor Ellwood is now available (self-published). I've been working on a book project with Bill Whitcomb for about 4 years. We finally finished it and are making the core books available as e-books, and the workbook available as a print book. Parts 2 and 3 will be published in the near future and eventually we plan on publishing all three parts as a print book.

3. The Space/Time Magic Correspondence course is coming together slowly. I think it will come together a lot faster now that I'm re-evaluating some of my priorities and scaling back on other activities which have been a distraction from the writing.

4. Manifesting Wealth (my wealth magic book) is done with editing. I'll be doing layout for it in the near future. The cover is currently being worked on and if all goes well, it'll be available in January of 2014.

5. I've just started on Pop Culture Magic 2.0. At one point I wasn't sure I wanted to write more on the topic of Pop Culture Magic, but I've had a change of heart, due in no small part to seeing so many people actually working with and expanding on the concepts of Pop Culture Magick. I've got some intriguing ideas to share.

So it looks like my writing is fully back. I just need to make sure I have time to do it as well as the related work around it. And down the line, I'm going to start writing some fiction...I have ideas there that would be a lot of fun to write.

Pop Culture Magic/Geekomancer survey

I came across the survey below via S. Rune Emerson's post on Pagansquare and thought I'd answer it as well. The idea was originally taken and adapted from asksecularwitch on Tumblr. I would guess that I'd be considered a geekomancer, given my interest in pop culture magic, so I'm answering the survey in that vein.

1. As a Geekomancer or Practitioner of Geekomancy/pop culture magic, where do your moral and ethics come from?

Primarily they come from my own experiences. It's fair to say that I take a situational approach to morals and ethics. I see situations as shades of gray and act accordingly. All that said, I do have some definite boundaries about what I won't do, and as I've continued to do a lot of meditation and internal work, I've found that the chaos in my life has diminished a lot, so I favor applying more proactive approaches to handling situations and recognizing my role in said situations so I can take appropriate responsibility.

2. Is it hard to interact with people who don't relate to the geekomantic/pop culture magic practices?

It can be when it comes to pop culture magic. While that's not the only type of magic I practice, and I have an extensive foundation in Western and Far Eastern spiritual practices, I find that with pop culture magic you either have people who love it and respond well to it (thankfully much more now) or you have people who get bent out of shape and feel it's a threat to their spiritual practices or try to put it down as something which isn't serious magic. For the most part, I avoid interacting with the latter type of people because they already figure they know everything (thus their dogmatism and need to attack something different) and any argument with me is just going to be an exercise in futility for all involved.

3. Have you had any problems with being a Geekomancer/pop culture magic [such as people being aggressive to you because you're a geek]?

On occasion, mainly when dealing with dogmatic people who think they know everything about magic. Otherwise, it hasn't been an issue. I did go trough a love/hate period with pop culture magic, due in large part to the hostile reactions I got toward it, but I've come to realize that what matters is that what I do works and that I'll find other people who want to share in it, if they feel called to it.

4. What is your opinion on what constitutes "magical orthodoxy?"

Hmmm...I think magic practice can be perceived as a process and if you understand the process, i.e. how magic works, you can apply it to anything you want to draw on. The key is to recognize that the props are merely window dressings, and the real process is what you actually do with magical work.

5. How do you interact [if at all] with more 'traditional' or culturally-accepted spirits and gods?

I have some interaction with a few such beings and we seem to get along fine. I treat them with respect, much as I'd like to be treated.

6. Where are the origins of your practice?

I wanted to practice magic since I was 7 or 8 and first began reading fantasy. Eventually I discovered magic was real and I started experimenting with it. My experiences form the basis of my practice, but they are also informed by my studies and interests. I'd have to say that Raistlin from Dragonlance is part of the origin of my practice. I always resonated with his character and what that character went through, and why magic is so important. I felt and feel the same way to this day.

7. What are the big items that you practice within your practice [example: Divination, Spellwork, Herbalism, Spirit Work, etc] and how do you deal with them on a fundamental level as a Geekomancer?

Meditation, practical magic (sorry I don't do spells), entity work. And ow I deal with them...I make it a part of my everyday life.

8. Have you met other magicians like you?

There's a couple of people I've met in person who have a similar interest in pop culture magic, and a larger amount online as well. That said, it's few and far between, and when you add in my other interests such as space/time magic or Inner alchemy, it becomes even smaller. I'm a pioneer of experimental magical practice, but its good to see more pop culture magicians.

9. Do you have any core doctrines, practices, or principles that you work through? [Such as: Using X gemstones because Y, for example]

I treat magic as a process, and I'd say that informs everything else I do. In that process can be found the principles of magic. My approach to magic is methodical, and that kind of thinking is what really makes my practice what it is.

10. How long have you been practicing Geekomancy, pop culture magic vs Any Other Type of Magic [assuming you've practiced more than Geekomancy]?

I've been practicing pop culture magic since 1995, which is just two years after I started practicing magic. I started sharing my work in 1997 and eventually wrote Pop Culture Magick in 2003 (published 2004).

11. How do you view concepts like the soul, ghosts, afterlife, etc?

I don't really care to be honest. I've had enough near death experiences that I know there's something on the other side, but I figure it'll be important when I'm dead.

12. Is there are particular location that you practice in and what are the reasonings for that?

I do magic anywhere, because it is everywhere.

13. Compared to others [either who have answered this survey or who you've met] what is your feelings on others who practice Geekomancy/pop culture magic? It makes me happy to see other people practicing pop culture magic and it makes me feel vindicated that i'm right that pop culture magic is a viable form of magical practice.

Bonus: What comes to mind when I say: "Balloon"?  Loud scrunchy noises, hot air, and bright colors. Pop!

My Altar to Elephant

 

I've always been fascinated with Elephants. Even as a young child, they were my favorite animal and still are to this day. Over the years, I've collected elephant statues, read up on elephants to learn more about how they act, and supported non-profits focused on helping Elephants. An acquaintance gifted me Elephant skin that she'd somehow found as well as bracelets made of Elephant hair. I use both in my magical workings.

In my system of Space/Time Magic, Elephant is one of the spirit guides I work with. He is the guardian of the gates of time and space, the guardian of the crossroads. Before I work with the web, I always ask his permission.

Today, Elephant asked me for his own altar and told me that if I visited the Goodwill store up the street, I'd find what I needed. So I drove up to the goodwill store, and I found a foldable bookshelf and he indicated that the top shelf was for him and anything associated with him. I brought it home, dusted it and prepped it for Elephant. The picture above contains everything related to Elephant that I have, other than the necklaces that I wear on occasion.  I also have a painting I did, as well as a picture of Elephant from an artist. I have a mask of Elephant also, which hangs in my office.

I don't know that I'd call Elephant my totem spirit (perhaps he is). I do know that Elephant is a presence in my life that I strongly resonate with. Someday I plan to get a tattoo of Elephant on my body as another way to honor his presence in my life, but this altar is a good start.

My changing relationship with movement

As I've been working with movement as an elemental force for the last year, my understanding of it has changed. And I have no doubt it'll continue to change as I work with it for another year. When I first began contemplating movement as an elemental force, I thought of it purely in the sense of physical movement, but as I continued to work with Eros as an avatar of movement, and worked with movement as an element overall, I came to realize that there was a lot more to movement than just the obvious physical movement a person can do.

First there's the recognition of what you are moving around and through. Movement of any type takes place in an environment where other factors need to be considered. You might never consider them consciously, but they nonetheless are something that effects how you can move. For example, if you walk into a room you need to consider what's in the room and how you will move around it. Even when you are moving around outside, you still need to move around objects. And an additional factor is navigation. Where are you going and how will you move there?

But movement is more than just physical. When you want to manifest a possibility into reality, it involves movement. You may need to take certain actions, or do a working to align variables that effect the realization of the possibility. When you understand movement plays a role, you can utilize it as a principle of magic that aids you in your workings. Movement as a metaphysical force isn't just the alignment of variables, but also an awareness of how everything fits together. When you move, you aren't just moving one part, but rather everything. This may not be readily apparent, but I find that movement is really a pattern in a way. What's being moved is the pattern of reality, the entirety. A movement may occur in one area and spread out like a ripple. Understanding this about movement can change your awareness of what movement is and how it works in your life.

My work with movement has also helped me appreciate its relationship with stillness. I'll eventually be working with stillness in more depth, but I see how movement leads into stillness, and how constant movement is not necessarily as good for a person as one might think. Movement has its place, but so does stillness, and stillness sets movement up. Both interact with each other to support what each element can provide.

The reason I'm working with movement for another year is that I feel like I've barely scratched the surface. So much of the initial work has centered around my own issues and so there is a need to explore movement further in detail as it applies to the metaphysical and physical realities that I'm engaged in. And I feel that there's a lot to learn as it applies to space/time magic. I've shared some of my realizations along those lines, but there is more to come and I'm open to discovering what it is.

How being great defines my spirituality

I recently finished reading Good to Great (review below). It's a book about what makes some businesses great, but as with anything else you can apply the principles in the book to your spiritual work. As I've been reading this book, I've been thinking a lot about what I'm great at, about what I can do that not just anyone else can do and I recommend reading the book and asking yourself the same question, because you may find that it changes your life, work, and spiritual practices...or it may just confirm something you already know, but give you a different perspective on it.

I think that asking yourself what you can be great at can define your spiritual work as well as your practical life. When you ask yourself what you can be great at spiritually what you are really doing is focusing on what brings you to life, when it comes to spiritual matters. For example if you identify as a reconstructionist, perhaps what you are great at is identifying with, researching, and implementing practices from a spiritual tradition that speaks to you with its values and practices. I'd argue that what you identify with, what you feel called to defines what you can be great at.

I feel called to experiment. I identify myself as an experimenter, and for me its what brings the greatest joy to my spiritual practice. It's what makes great as a magician, because I've recognized that my identification with experimentation makes me great. It's what makes my spiritual path thrive, and it provides me a deep seated sense of connection to magic because I recognize how it fits in with my passion and my curiosity. Reading Good to Great just helped me understand that even more because I recognize that what I am great at is experimenting with magic, experimenting with different perspectives, methodologies, etc. What makes you great with your spiritual practice?

Book Review: Good to Great by Jim Collins

This is a must read book that will change more tan just how you run your business. It will change your life, because it will ask you a tough question: What can you be great at? In this book the author explores what makes some businesses "good" and makes other businesses great. What he reveals is that businesses who know what they are great at and focus on that to the exclusion of everything else are the businesses that become great because they understand their core value and culture. They make themselves great because they are so focused on what they can be great at, that they make it the entire purpose of their work and lives. They define their core values and let those values inform everything they do. This is a book that will help you understand how to be great at your business or your life for that matter. The case studies and principles they explore show how some businesses become great and why they stay great. Buy this book and read it because it will change your perspective on business and life.

Some Thoughts about Oaths and Offerings

This last weekend I attended a weekend workshop by RJ Stewart and Anastacia Nutt which is the Oak, Ash, and Thorn workshop for Faery work. I highly recommend their classes if you are wanting to learn more about magic in general as well about working with the Faery. In any case, they made some interesting points about oaths and offerings, which I want to share, as well as my own considerations of what was said. I've included pictures of my finished dragon tattoo, which is an offering I made to Dragon to honor his role in my life.

In regards to oaths, RJ noted that the stereotypical treatment of oaths is that when an oath is made, if its broken dire consequences occur and that it's implied its entirely on you to honor the oath. However he offered a different perspective on oaths, wherein an oath should be made in good faith, but that both parties need to do their part to honor the oath. In other words, if I make an oath to a particular spirit or deity, it's both on me and the deity to honor the oath. He said that the effort should be 50% from both sides. Not only did I find this to be a much more sensible explanation of oaths, but I also think there's some value to approaching oaths in that way. If an oath is entirely on the head of the person giving the oath, then there is an imbalance already involved because who or whatever the oath is being made to is expecting everything and providing nothing. On the other hand if the deity is also contributing to the upholding of the oath, then what occurs is a genuine relationship. I don't think I've come across an explicit explanation such as what RJ offers, but I find his explanation to make the most sense and certainly to be a better one than the stereotypical definition offered about oaths.

In regards to offerings, RJ noted that the reason spirits want food is because they get something back from our process of manifestation. The spirits can't cook food, are responsible for the initial growing process. However when we cook food we are doing something they can't do and changing the nature of the food, and this provides them a kind of sustenance or energy as a result. He recommends making an offering a week, and suggests moderation in this practice. Again this is something which makes sense to me and I like his approach to this particular practice. I have been integrating offerings into my daily work via the form of a prayer of thanks, but his suggestions about offerings are ones I'm also going to integrate.

I recognize that other people have their own perspectives on offerings and oaths, but I find that RJ's perspectives are what resonate with me, and I think it is important to discover and recognize how a given principle of magic manifests in your life. It may manifest differently for you than it would for others, or you may find that one definition makes more sense than another. Different people will have different perspectives on what works and why it works...the key is to find your own and understand and implement it.

Hanaliel Haliel

Hanaliel HalielEst ash lath mor! Est tash mine koros sava! Iat ies Jah More Tu! Toros Sime Yehs Jah Kor!

Hanaliel Haliel guard us as we seek the gates to the heart of the universe Open the doors of the crossroads

Hanaliel Haliel Est ash lath mor! Hanaliel Haliel Guardian Angel of the door six winged messenger and guardian sword your jeweled eyes see all see into our hearts and judge us if we are not worthy to open the doors to the crossroads of creation Open to us who are sincere in our words actions and goals to connect with the spirits of the other worlds

Hanaliel Haliel Est ash lath mor!

Definitions and sense of self as intersections of identity

I'm reading Thinking in New Boxes.  It's a good book, and I know this because it's gotten me thinking along some interesting vectors. In Thinking in New Boxes, the author explains how there's no such thing as thinking outside the box. He claims we all think in boxes and even if we get outside of one box, we're still thinking in another box, because of we use "boxes" to define and explain the world around us. Essentially, boxes are labels, definitions, models, etc., for helping us navigate and understand our experiences. He makes an interesting point when he notes, "To make sense of all these disparate inputs (stimuli, elements, events, etc.,) your mind either relies on preexisting categories that it has already created or, if none of those categories fits the present reality, it generates new ones." And what this prompted me to realize is that categorizations also can apply to a person's sense of self, and thus create intersections of identity.

Part of this realization also comes from something else the author said, namely that in order to deal with complicated aspects of real life we need to use "boxes" in order to compartmentalize those aspects. This compartmentalization creates an intersection of identity, where the "box" is used to shape an identity that handles what's in the box. So for example, you have a job identity, which is different from your romance identity. Both of these identities exist in you and can even come to the fore at the same time, but typically one will be more prevalent than another based on the environment you are in, as well as whatever stimuli you're dealing with at the time. The reason we come up with different identities is to handle the boxes, but also because it allows us to switch off when we go into another situation which calls for another identity to come to the fore.

So this is taking me in some interesting directions, because I'm also thinking about definitions and how they are used to define a perceived reality according to the agenda of the definer. When we add in the above idea, what we come up with as well is that definitions don't just define a perceived reality, but also the identity of the person using the definition. In other words, definitions define the person as much as they define whatever is being defined. This might seem like a bit of a stretch, but consider that part of the agenda for a definition is that it not only defines something, but also defines a person's interaction with that thing, and by extension the identity of the person. In this sense then a definition becomes an intersection of identity, both the identity of the definer, and the identity of the people who use the definition, as well as the definition in and of itself.

For magical work, this intersection of identity and definition can be useful for exploring how particular identities are formed and sustained as well as how they can be modified. If we can consider that definitions are a categorization of not only ideas, but also identity, then whatever definitions we use need to be chose carefully, and in fact this may be why it's better to develop our own definitions. At the same time, we can also explore the identity of the person or people who developed the definitions and better understand why they chose to define something in the way they did. This understanding can help us in the formation of our own identities as well as the definitions we use, and make the magical work more meaningful.

Why Service to your community is an integral part of spiritual work

When we talk about magic and spiritual work, most of the time the focus is on a person's journey into his/her spirituality, but I think that another component of a person's spiritual work is the service you engage in with the community around you. That service can involve the Pagan community you are apart of, but I also think it should include service to the larger community that you are apart of. Service to the community is an integral part of your spiritual work because it provides you a way to give to the community. And service doesn't need to be complicated. It could involve working at a soup kitchen or donating some time to a nonprofit that you believe in, but regardless of what you, why you are doing it is because you feel a call to serve your community.

I also think that this call to be of service can be applied to your profession. As the managing non fiction editor of Immanion Press, one of the things I've focused on is how I can use the press to serve the community. One of the missions that I've set for Immanion Press is that we publish books on issues that need to be addressed in the Pagan community, but aren't being addressed overtly. For example Women's Voices in Magic was published because I felt it important to have an anthology that strictly represented what women had to offer on magic. Similarly Shades of Faith is anthology which focuses on Pagans of color speaking about their experiences in the Pagan community. Immanion Press will be publishing  new anthology called Rooted in the Body, Seeking the Spirit later this year which focuses on people with disabilities sharing their experiences in the Pagan community. Each of these anthologies were put together because I saw a need to focus on these topics.

In each case, I found someone to edit the anthology who was qualified to edit it and could do an excellent job of reaching out to their respective communities. I recognized as a white male that while I saw a need for each of these anthologies and could hep them get published, I wasn't the one to edit them. Instead as part of my service to the community I needed to find the right person who could edit the anthology and who would feel a similar passion for the anthology that I felt. I also recognized that I could help set up the circumstances, but I needed to step away, provide enough support to help each editor, but also let them run the project their way. This showed them that I respected their work and the work with the people they were working with. I think that Brandy Williams, Crystal Blanton, and Tara Masery Miller all demonstrate that passion in their respective anthologies.

What I love the most is hearing how each of these anthologies empowered the people who wrote for them and helped to facilitate and promote much needed conversations in the Pagan community. The anthologies are a way that Immanion Press can serve the community, and it has even helped to get some of the people to continue writing and sharing. To me, while Immanion Press is a publisher that publishes books, it's also a publisher willing to publish work that might be edgy and controversial because it gets conversations to happen and raises awareness about issues that the Pagan community needs to address to continue to evolve.

Publishing is a passion of mine, but part of that passion is informed by my desire to serve the community I am apart of. For me, one the best ways I can serve the Pagan community is no only publish my own work, but empower other people to write their books, in their voice, to their audience. And what really excites me is helping to publish the anthologies and other works that promote discussion about issues in our community that might otherwise not be focused on as overtly. Publishing is part of my spiritual work, because the books we publish are for the Pagan community, and so I see it as a form of service. I don't make a salary for the work I do for Immanion Press, and what little I do get paid amounts to pennies for hours of work, but why I'm doing isn't for the pay, but rather for the opportunity to help people share their words with the audience that needs to read them. In doing so I serve a part of my spiritual calling. And I think that informs a lot of my approach to magic as a result, because it's not just about my journey, but other people's journeys.