Magical Experiments podcast Nov and Dec 2016

Magical Experiments podcast: The Tao of Craft with Benebell Wen

Magical Experiments podcast: Magical Realism with Nada Decat

Magical Experiments podcast: Pop Culture Magic Tools with Emily Carlin, Jessica Dwyer and Tallah Hovisdottir

Magical Experiments podcast: The introduction of magic to Pagan children with Rowan Moss and T. S. Lamb

Magical Experiments podcast: Esoteric Empathy with Raven Digitalis

Magical Experiments podcast: Theurgical Explorations with Brandy Williams

Magical Experiments podcast: The Sphere of Art with R. J. Stewart and Anastacia Nutt

Magical Experiments podcast: Rituals and Role Playing with S. Rune Emerson

Book Review: Practical Astrology for Witches and Pagans by Ivo Dominguez Jr

If you've wondered how to apply astrology to magic or how astrology even applies to Paganism, this book is a must read. What I like about it is that Ivo does an excellent job of explaining astrology and showing how you can apply it to your magical work without a lot of esoteric jargon or technical terms. When he has to use such terms, he does, but he also explains them. Ivo also provides some exercises that can help you apply the information in the book to your magical practice. This is a certainly a book for someone who has astrology background or magical background and wants to apply astrology to magic, but if you, like me, don't know much about astrology, you'll still get a lot from the book. I do recommend reading the book once and taking notes and then going back through and trying the exercises. This is a much needed resource and I highly recommend it to anyone. One down side to this book is no bibliography or suggested reading list.

Book Review: The True Source of Healing by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

In the pages of this book you will find the keys to unlocking your awareness and ability to be present with yourself. While this book is a quick read, the work is anything but and I recommend doing an initial reading, just to read the book, and then do a second reading, where you go slower, and work through the exercises. By doing this you'll be present with the lessons of the book in a deeper way and get more from it. Tenzin approaches this work in a careful, measured manner that helps you discover your inner resources and liberates you from your inner demons. There is also an audio meditation that you can download with the book, which is helpful for doing the work. The wisdom and teachings in this book helped me a lot, but giving it a second reading was what really made the most impact.

Elemental Balancing Ritual Stillness Month 26

11-24-16 The other day I told Felix that sometimes I felt like I was climbing up a very steep pit, when it came to the process of self growth. It takes a lot of effort to change and sometimes it seems like it would be easier to slide back down the pit. The only problem being what you land in isn't very appetizing. Since I began this work over a decade ago, I've had some slips and falls and I've definitely come face to face with my shadow. Yet I continue doing the work, because while the path is hard, the rewards are worth it. When I struggle I remind myself of this because while the struggle can be hard, the work is worth it in the end. Its only when we give up that we fail.

12-3-16 I've been thinking a lot lately about the nature of fulfillment and what that looks like. I've also been paying attention to environmental stressors and how I respond to those stressors. The two are more linked than you might think, if only because how I've set up my environment is something I've changed because I've realized its amplified the stress instead of decreasing it. Seems to me that stress and fulfillment have an interesting relationship. Stress tells you that you aren't fulfilled (me anyway). So recognizing that is a good step.

12-5-16 What does it really mean to have a safe relationship? I've been pondering that the last few days.

12-9-16 Today Sun Ce died. I got him as a kitten thirteen years ago. He hadn't been eating much this week, so we took him in...It turned out he was in renal failure and it didn't look good. So we made the hard decision to let him go. I didn't want to keep him alive for my sake and the quality of life would not have been good. So we put him to sleep. I held him for a bit and said my goodbyes as did the rest of the family. I am so sad, I miss him so much and I know it will hit me at odd moments when I don't hear him or see him...I love you Sun Ce. Rest in peace.

12-10-16 Sun Ce's death has hit me hard. I look for him in his usual places and he isn't there. I hear his meow and then I realize it's just in my mind. Granted he died yesterday, so of course his death would be on my mind, but I think why it hits me so hard is because he was really the first cat that I got, that was mine. I had other cats before him, but back in December of 2003 I walked in the snow to a pet store and saw this little Gray and White kitten, so fierce and playful and he spoke to me. He told me he wanted to go home with me. So I took him home with me. He could fit into the palm of my hand...

I realized yesterday that I took Sun Ce for granted in some ways. I had this notion that he would be with me for at least a few more years. He had been with me through so much, and I just took that presence for granted. I love him, but I wonder if I could've done more for him. To him, I was always first. He always wanted attention from me, more than anyone else, because I was the person he'd chosen. Even when other people were giving him attention he'd look over at me, letting me know that who he really wanted attention and love from was me. And now he's gone. I'll never see his eyes looking toward me for attention or feel his fur under my hand and hear the rumble of his purr or hear him meow for attention.

I miss him so keenly. I was doing my stillness meditation today and I felt my emotions surge and my mind drift to him. Part of me wanted to just hold on so tightly and I realized how that was attachment, but it didn't change that I felt these emotions so strongly. He is gone, my Kirin beast, my Sun Ce and now all I have are memories of him. No more experiences to look forward, no more days to travel together, no more moments of comfort and love. It makes me realize how easy it is to take for granted who is important to you in your life. You can fall into the illusion that they'll be here forever, but there is no forever and there is no guarantee that they'll be there from one day to the next.  So whether its a cat or a person I resolve to be more present and appreciative of the moment I'm with those beings who are important to me. And in doing that I hope I can also honor Sun Ce and appreciate this one last lesson he's given me.

12-17-16 In The True Source of Healing, the author talks about how seeking stillness actually keeps you from it. He's right. The past few months I've sought it and it's eluded me. So for this last week instead of trying to force it I just sat and let whatever happen, happen. And lo and behold there were a few days where I hit stillness. It's a good reminder that what a person fixates on is what is hardest to grasp. The more you want something, the further it can be, but when you can just let go, do what you need to do and let it happen, it happens. In my case, it being stillness. I let myself be still instead of trying to seek stillness.

Beyond that I've continued to process Sun Ce's death. I've been in denial some ways, looking for him in places he would usually be. Eventually I'll hit acceptance.

12-20-16 We had to go to the vet again because one of our other cats was throwing up. Turned out, he's just stressed by Sun Ce's death, but it was a little nerve racking for us, so soon after Sun Ce's death. At a solstice vigil I attended, during the meditation, I ended up connecting with Sun Ce. He wanted to check on me. It surprised me...it wasn't what I expected, but this loss has been on my mind so much and I think it was his way of reassuring me that wherever he is, he's fine and its ok to let go.

Sigils and Attention

In December's magical success I'll be teaching about sigils. In this video I share a little taste of what we'll be learning about in regards to attention stacking and how it can help your sigil work. Learn more about the class and sign up.

Why troubleshooting your magical workings can be important

I think its important to know how to troubleshoot your magical workings. When you can figure out why you aren't getting the result you want, then you can refine your magical workings.

Elemental Balancing Ritual Stillness Month 25

10-23-16 In my latest newsletter I wrote about how my feeling of dissatisfaction drove me to experiment and I thought I should spend some time with that feeling, so I meditated on it today in my stillness work. And not for the purpose of doing anything with it, but rather to just appreciate the feeling for what it is in my life and how it's shown up. I can't say all expressions of my dissatisfaction have been healthy (because it hasn't), but in a lot of ways that feeling has been positive. I wouldn't have written the books I've written or experimented with magic or done so many other things if I didn't have that feeling of dissatisfaction. It highlights to me that its important to to look at a feeling and emotion in terms of how it shows up in your life, acknowledging the expressions of it, instead of just labeling it.

10-31-16 The other day I did almost all my meditations with ear plugs on. It was fascinating because when I was doing my vocal chants, I could hear the vibration more with the ear plugs in. I also noticed I went deeper into the meditative state for each exercise, so I think I will keep doing this practice and see what comes of it. If nothing else it's another way to experience stillness and work with it on a deeper level.

11-6-16 In today's meditation on Stillness I was struck by a realization that what makes a person feel trapped in a situation are the perceptions and the beliefs the person brings to the situation and the lies the person tells him/herself about that feeling of being trapped. I'm not saying there aren't external factors, because sometimes there are, but in my own life what has usually kept me in unhappy situations has had more to do with me and my own unwillingness to face the truth than anything else. What stillness continues to teach me is how to see through my own BS, how to own it and just uncover the real narrative. It is sometimes very uncomfortable, but afterwards the trap is no longer there. I have let myself out of my own cage.

11-7-16 I am my own worst enemy and sometimes that only becomes apparent when I create situations where I sabotage myself because I haven't really been present with the narrative.

11-11-16 So much of what I've struggled with in my life comes down to feeling empty. And when I look at that feeling and how it shows up in my life, so much of what I see is that its at the root of so much of my unhappiness and of the bad decisions I've made in my life. Trying to fill that emptiness up has never worked. And I've made some progress with it, but there are times where it feels like that progress is illusory at best.

11-14-16 In my experience there is a certain type of artist or writer or musician who feels such passion and dedication to the work they are doing that there is little to no emotional space left in that person's life for anyone else or for anything else. Loving such a person or being their friend can be a draining experience, because there is no balance. Everything is put toward what they create and while what they create is amazing, what is left for anyone else is well...nothing. You know you are never their top priority or even equal to the art, music, or writing. Everything you give is not reciprocated...instead it is applied toward what they are doing. Having been in several relationships with such people, I find that it is very hard to be with such a person because you know you will always be second to what is most important to them.

I've never been that kind of writer or artist. While I love writing, I find I need a certain balance with it, which includes time with other people and time enjoying other pursuits. Even with magic, which again is something I love, I have still nonetheless found a balance that makes sense for me and allows me to place it in context to everything else in my life.

But if there is one relationship in my life that I can liken to that of the artist or writer who is so focused on their craft, it is my relationship with emptiness, because at times I have felt like I have put everything into that emptiness and had it all sucked away, with unfortunately no creative result to even justify it. And there have been times where that relationship has taken such priority that it has overshadowed any other relationship I have. Nonetheless I am fortunate because the people in my life are willing to call me out on my issues, but also love me and believe in me and that is so precious that it helps me to continue doing this work to balance my relationship with that feeling and enter into something that is healthier as a result.

11-16-16 Even though I write about my internal work and my struggles it feels odd to know I'll talk with them to someone, other than Kat or a trusted friend. I'm well aware of the fact that there's at least one person who reads my writing for reasons that have nothing to do with spiritual enlightenment or a desire to practice magic, but the idea of talking with a stranger...it's been a while since I've done that, but sometimes what you need is a perspective that isn't informed by knowing who you are (or who someone thinks you are).

11-17-16 So I talked with a therapist today about my emptiness and all the experiences of my life that have pertained to that emptiness, the near deaths, being raped, the emotional and physical abuse, and other things...and at the end of all that he said, "You have PTSD." As simple as that. So much of my life I've tried to project this sense of strength...I've pushed people away or never let them in, and it makes sense. And ironically the very thing I've been struggling with the emptiness, has been the mechanism I've used to push people away, to numb myself from everything that happened. And I realize now why I've focused so much on physical sensation, because I've used physical sensation to feel, but also to distract from the emotions. Not an easy thing to sit with, but this therapist I'm seeing is going to help with it. He's got a special technique he uses. When he used it today, it felt like my mind was being rewired. It helped me process some realizations on an emotional level.

11-20-16 I met with the therapist again on Friday and we did an 1 and a half hours of work using the technique. By the end my brain felt like it was on fire, but even more interesting was a feeling difference in how I relate to certain feelings and experiences. I got a look at the technology he uses and I think I'll pick it up for myself. I think there are a number of applications I could apply it to outside the therapeutic model. One thing the therapist is having me do is look at my relationship with emptiness differently. Had I considered it was a protective mechanism? Not really, but now I actually can see how it has been a protective mechanism in its own way when it comes to how I handle emotions.

11-22-16 This entire month has been an interesting journey. I have a different perspective about my emptiness, and for the first time I actually feel I don't have to struggle with it, that I might just be able to live with it and even have it as an ally. And my stillness work has benefitted from taking this approach. I've actually been able to feel that stillness more deeply.

Why I emphasize trust and respect in my working with spirits

In the magical success class this month we've been talking a lot about bringing respect and trust into the work you do with spirits. In this video I share why it is important to create a collaborative relationship with your spirits.

Ear plugs and meditation pt 2

I've continued experimenting with ear plugs while meditating and thought I would share what I learned.

Magical Experiments podcast October 2016

Miss an episode of Magical Experiments podcast in October? Here are all the episodes, plus a couple of book reviews!

Magical Experiments: Tarot Sorcery with Rune Emerson

Magical Experiments: The Pop Culture Magick of Dehara with Storm Constantine

Magical Experiments: The Role of Consent in Initiation with Katessa Harkey and Jonathan Mooney

Magical Experiments: How We Work with Bune and Eligos with Felix Warren

Magical Experiments: The History of Fascism and Occultism with Dr. Amy Hale

Book Review: Daoist Nei Gong: The Philosophical Art of Change by Damo Mitchell

This is an excellent introduction to Nei Gong. While I've already had some experience with Taoist meditation, I found that all of the material was presented was very helpful in either introducing me to new concepts or getting me to think about what I already knew from a different angle. The exercises have also been helpful. I've integrated them into my daily process. I like the author's emphasis on tactile awareness. Too many books on this focus on visualization, so reading a book on this topic with a focus on tactile awareness was refreshing and helpful.

Book Review: Tibetan Yogas of Body, Speech, and Mind by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

This is an excellent book that explores the various Dzogchen meditation practices. In this book the author introduces readers to practices of the body, speech and mind. Each of the practices is walked through and explained so that the reader can try them. I recommend doing the exercises regularly. After you've done them for a bit, you'll start to notice how your mental and physical state of being changes. The author does cover some of these practices in is other books, but what I like about this book is that he presents a different perspective that helps you deepen your understanding of those practices, complementing what he's shared in the other works. If you want to do internal work, this book is a great place to start or continue your journey.

Book Review: Temple Magic by William G. Gray

This is another excellent book by William G. Gray. In it he discusses at length the fundamentals of creating a temple as well as a community around the temple. What I like is that regardless of what your approach to magic is, you can apply this information to your practice. This book is also helpful for getting you to look at your magic from a systems perspective, which is helpful if you are designing a system of your own or working in an existing one but wanting to refine it. This book will help you understand some of the deeper mysteries of magic and is well worth the investment of your time and effort.

Ear plugs and meditation

I recently got ear plugs to see how they'd affect my meditation work. I discuss what differences I've noticed as a result of using ear plugs.

How I come up with magical experiments pt 6

In part 6 I share the temporal consecration prayers and discuss how a experiment where I used them as well as possible future work I'll do with them.

Elemental Balancing Ritual Stillness Month 24

9-26-16 Sometimes stillness meditation isn't about stillness, but is about the state of mind stillness puts me in. I won't be able to fully still my mind, but I can think about things that are on my mind in a way that allows me to put information together and make decisions differently than in my everyday consciousness. So I'll start thinking about a problem and come up with a solution in stillness meditation that would've taken me longer to achieve outside of it. It makes me realize that sometimes being still is really just allowing myself to look at a situation or problem differently.

10-1-16 The last few days I've felt like I've been in a whirlwind. There are so many ideas in my head, so much awareness around what I need to modify and change. It's a bit intimidating, to be honest, but I know I'm up for the challenge. And in the midst of all of it, just practicing stillness, becoming the calm center and keeping myself open to opportunity, while also staying focused on the prize.

10-4-16 The last few days I've been visually mapping what I'll be working on and how I'll be working on it. Doing that is helping me to wrap my head around the work I'll be doing over the next few months. I'm excited about the work and the possible results that will occur if I just knuckle down and do it.

10-5-16 Today it really hit me. I've once again decided to embark on some huge changes and there was this sense of fear and panic. I allowed myself to feel it, to fully step into it and it was terrifying. Change is terrifying and ironically in the midst of all this stillness work I've probably done more changing than I'd ever done before. Yet the lesson in all of this is really finding that center of stillness and still going through with the change. Stillness isn't about being static (or at least it shouldn't be). Stillness has taught me to be present with the change, to accept it for what it is and what it can do for me, but also not to just react to it. And feelings like fear and panic are reactions. So I can be still and feel those feelings and accept them and they may even inform some of why I act, but in being still with them I can get to the narrative underneath and start working with it.

10-14-16 The last couple of weeks I've been very focused on working on my online marketing. The light came on and I could see what I needed to do differently and that's pretty much informed everything I've done since then. I get this way on occasion, where the totality of my being is wrapped up in what I'm working on and I disappear into it. I suppose that's a kind of stillness as well. I haven't really felt still though. I've felt restless, my mind racing in a lot of a different directions. Not what you want when you're trying for stillness, but sometimes I'm just that way and I still strive to achieve stillness and I'm glad I do, because if I let a moment of restlessness stop me from doing the work than I've given up. If I keep trying though...there will days I won't hit stillness, but there will also be days I do.

10-18-16 Sometimes the best moments of stillness are found in the quiet moments you share with people who are important to you. You could cuddle with a lover or friend, or enjoy an experience and in that moment there's nothing to be said. It's just about appreciating you and the experience of the person with you.

10-19-16 Today I used ear plugs when doing my stillness meditation. It was interesting because suddenly all I could hear was my heart. It was a very intimate experience and I found myself paying close attention to my heart beat and using that to lead me to a place of stillness. I'll keep trying the ear plugs out and see what else comes up as a result.

10-20-16 Sometimes it is hard to be patient with myself. I'm working my way through a class that will help me make some differences to my business, but part of me wants it all done now and when I haven't made a lot of progress because of other circumstances, I get impatient. The thing is sometimes circumstances do come up and they have to be dealt with. This week a lot of domestic matters have come up that have required my attention because I'm the person holding down the home front. So part of stillness is reminding myself to be patient, get to the work when I can, but also take care of the home. And I also know that implementing what I'm working on will take time and its better to be thorough than to rush it.

10-21-16 Yesterday I didn't use ear plugs and today I did. The only noticeable difference so far is that the ear plugs make me more aware of my bodily rhythms, which is still significant in its own right. Still it's early to come to any conclusion, so I'll keep experimenting with them and seeing what happens over a longer period of time.

In other news I'm 40 today. I've been thinking about that a lot this month. I don't know if its really more significant or not, other than it marks the ending of my third decade of life and the beginning of my fourth. When I look back on my thirties I see a stormy beginning and then gradually my life stabilizing. I feel like I figured what I really want to do with my life, in my thirties, as well as who/what is really important to me. Now as I turn 40 I want the next decade to really be about bringing all of that together. I've had my struggles and successes...I've learned a lot and I look forward to continuing to learn even more.

Happy Birthday to me.

Why magic and psychology aren't the same

This week I talk about why magic and psychology aren't the same and the problems I have when people try to explain one discipline with another discipline.

How I experiment with magic pt 5

In part 5, I discuss how to verify information about spirits you're working with, especially if you don't know a lot about them. I use Suvuviel as an example and explain how I verified the information he presented to me. Tao of Craft by Benebell Wen

Temple Magic by William G. Gray

How do you measure your work with Spirits: Influence versus Results

Lately I've been thinking about my work with spirits and how I measure the success of that work. It seems to me that people sometimes have unrealistic expectations of working with spirits. The unrealistic expectation is that really they want the spirit to do the work for them. The reason that expectation is unrealistic is because it demonstrates a lack of understanding about how spirits interact with our world, versus how we interact with the world.

It perhaps doesn't help that what some people really want is a physical, visual manifestation of the spirit, something that'll smack 'em in the face. Something obvious that shows yes these spirits are real. Consequently what I see are people looking very hard for that obvious sign of manifestation and missing everything else that would help them recognize they have connected with a spirit.

When I've worked with spirits, what I've learned is that your average spirit isn't going to solve your problem for you. Nor is the spirit going to manifest and smack you in the face to prove it exists. The spirit doesn't need to prove anything to me, or you, or anyone else.

Case Study: My work with Bune

Bune is really popular right now and I've gotten a few queries from people who tried to work with him and been unsuccessful, so far as they know, in theirs to connect with him. I think part of the problem, on their end is that they seem fairly desperate, and when you're desperate in any type of situation, its not an attractive feature. However, more than that the impression I get is that the people really just want someone else to fix their problems, and Bune doesn't work that way. He's not going to solve your problems for you. He has no interest in fixing your problems. And if you don't pay attention to the signals that he's sending you, well he won't care about that either. Afterall, that's on you, not him.

When I first connected with Bune, I did the work without any expectations of material gain or outcomes. I wasn't looking for him to manifest a specific dollar amount or to make me fabulously wealthy. Really what I wanted was to learn about wealth, and the difference in that desired result versus a specific dollar amount or becoming fabulously wealthy is distinct.

I wasn't looking for a manifested result from him. I was looking for influence from him.

via GIPHY

I didn't want Bune to solve my problems. I wanted Bune to be an influencer, to point me in the right direction, to make suggestions that I could either follow or ignore. In short, what I really wanted was a voice on my shoulder, at the right time and right space, to point something out. And then leave it up to me to do what I needed to do with the information he provided.

After all, he's a spirit...he doesn't have the same corporeal reality I have. He has access to perspectives and possibilities I don't necessarily have access to. I have access to the physical reality and the ability to turn a possibility into a manifested reality through my actions.

So Bune hasn't solved all my problems, but you know what he has done? He's pointed me in the right direction, to opportunities I might not have discovered otherwise. He's helped me connect with the right people and he also helped me realize how I could create a third viable business, which has significantly improved my resources and continues to, to this day.

But guess what?

I had to do all the work. I had to make the decision to take advantage of the opportunities pointed out to me. I had to talk to the people he indicated I should meet with and I had to start the third business and do the necessary work to make it viable.

Bune continues to be an influencer in my life. He'll show up every so often, and point me to a possible opportunity and then be on his way. Recently he pointed me toward an online conference I'm currently taking classes from. The information is excellent and if I can apply it (which I know I can) it will help my businesses. But its up to me to do the work. Bune has done his part.

This is how I work with spirits in general

Whether its an entity I've created or a demon or Deity I've chosen to work with, the work, across the board, is the same. The desired influence may be different...but its really about influence as opposed to specific results. What I make of that influence is what creates the specific results I'm looking for.

via GIPHY

You want to know what the real secret working with spirits is? You've got to be willing to open yourself up to them....let them in. And that is hard for magicians to do, because magic, in some ways, is all about being in control. So people get this idea of summoning a spirit and compelling the spirit to solve their problems, because then it means they are in control. And being in control is really not about letting a spirit in or allowing it to be a source of influence in your life. Being in control is getting what you want, when you want it, which is why so many magicians suck when it comes to working with spirits, because they are trying too hard to be in control.

When I work with a spirit, I let go of the need to be in control and instead work with the spirit as a collaborative partner. I give the spirit its due and listen to its advice and then I make my choices, recognizing that in the end it is up to me to either follow the advice or not, either take on the influence or let it go.

As the Rolling Stones song goes, "You don't always get what you want, but you do get what you need."

My work with the spirits has always gotten what I needed, if I paid attention and if I follow through on my end it usually gets me what I want as well.

How I come up with experiments part 4

In part 4 of how I come up with experiments, I discuss why I've created specific offerings using art and how those offerings can serve a double purpose.

How to harness the multiplicity of you

I've never really believed in the singular notion of identity. I've always embraced the multiplicity of identity: That it's possible to be multiple people at once. When I was 18 I was diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD), likely because I was telling him about I was talking with faeries and spirits. Yet when I heard about this diagnosis, I was intrigued. Could I really be a multiplicity of me? Was I more than the singular perspective I had of myself?

In the years since, I've embraced the multiplicity of myself, recognizing I didn't need to settle for one version of myself. In fact, I found that by purposely setting up multiple versions of myself, I could actually learn more and do more than if I stayed as a singular unit. Now I haven't yet mastered bi-location in the physical sense of the world, but a person's mind can be so much more than just the perspective of a singular entity.

via GIPHY

I found that the identity of a singular self is largely an illusion anyway. Whether we realize it or not, we really have multiple versions of ourselves within us. One version of yourself might come out for work to help you interact with co-workers and draw on your knowledge and skills. Another version might come out when you come home to spend time with your family. Yet another version will show itself when you hit the bar with your friends, or when your actively pursuing an interest. And when you're alone, yet another version pops up.

Now you can tell yourself that all these versions are the same person, and you're right they are, but all these versions are also distinct, created in part to help you navigate the various situations you find yourself in. They operate on a subconscious level, like a program running on your computer in the background.

What you can do is purposely choose to interact with these versions of yourself and put them to work in your favor.

One of the ways I've done this is to create a version of myself that focuses on a specific subject area, such as neuroscience, or ceremonial magic. That self is responsible for cataloging and organizing all information about that topic area. When I need to draw on that information for writing or presenting or experiments, its immediately available.

Aside from having versions focused on specific subject areas and disciplines, I also have versions of myself that are responsible for specific tasks, such as cleaning or driving.

And over all of it, I have my identity, what faces inward and outward to the world. It makes sense to me and it allows me to process a lot of information quickly.

So how do you do it?

via GIPHY

Go into a meditative state, where you then visualize a temple. In temple are rooms. Each room is about a specific topic, subject, discipline, or skill. In each room, visualize another you at work organizing and handling all the information in that room. That version of you is always present but only interfaces with the main version of you when information is needed. You can, of course, go back and visit the temple and individual rooms at any time. Every time you read a book or do an activity or whatever else, the appropriate version of you catalogues the experience and information and then makes it available whenever you next need it.

There's really not much else you need to do. It's not complicated and you may find that you already have versions of yourself at work in the rooms in your temple. What you're really doing is organizing your mental space more effectively, and putting part of yourself to work so that you have the information you need, when you want it.

Note: This article was originally posted on Patreon. If you'd like advanced access to all my writing (including first drafts of books), become my patron.

Magical Experiments September 2016 podcasts

Did you miss an episode of magical experiments in September...well fear not, you can listen to all of the episodes here:

Magical Experiments: Mental illness and magic pt 2 with Felix Warren, Lilian Wrenrick and Colleen Chitty

Magical Experiments: Reiki and Herbalism with Jonathan Evans

Magical Experiments: The pop culture magick of Disneyland with Felix Warren interviewing me

Magical Experiments: Urban Magic with Vincent Piazza, William Mayes and Rune Emerson

If you enjoy the podcasts, please become my patron. Your patronage supports the costs of the podcast.

How I come up with magical experiments pt 3

In part 3 I discuss my initial contact protocol for working with spirits and how that helps me get additional information and establish a relationship from which further work can be done. In working with spirits, I think its really important to establish a process for how you will develop the relationship in order to do the experiments you want to do. And to pick up the book I showed you in the video, go here.

Elemental Balancing Ritual Stillness month 23

8-27-16 After I committed to working with stillness for another year, I had another of those gravitational experiences, where I felt like I was a center of mass that was bringing things toward me by just being still. It was fascinating that it happened after the commitment, kind of a way of Stillness acknowledging my choice and perhaps spurring me on as well. It was tantalizing to experience, and So I just allowed myself to experience it without filtering it or trying to control it. In one sense it was really a surrender to stillness, and that realization provides an important clue about the gravitational experiences.

8-28-16 I had a fascinating experience today with Stillness. Everything slowed down, but instead of being a gravitational effect, or a possibility effect, it was an effect where I could see how all the pieces of events or actions fit together and I could also see how they could be fit together alternatively for different results. It was a distinct state of experience from the latter two, yet similar to them in some ways as well. I'd never experienced it before, via this meditation (though I've had a similar state of experience on other occasions). Being able to activate these various states of consciousness at will would be quite useful, but even in just doing this work it's revealing a lot to me about the nature and depth of stillness.

8-31-16 Throughout my journey into stillness, shame has been a part of the journey. I'm reading a book called Unashamed that I got through Vine. It's a Christian's take on shame. I hadn't expected that when I got the book through Vine, but I'm finding it to be a fascinating read and relevant to the work I'm doing with shame. You might wonder why shame keeps coming up with stillness, but my sense of it is that when you still yourself, you come up against the parts of your life you've been moving away from. Stillness is about being, so naturally shame and other related emotions come up. It's an invitation to work through the shame and so much of this journey has really been about shame as about stillness. I'm glad for that because it has been quite liberating.

9-3-16 I've been learning about some vibrations chants a person can use to deal with different physical conditions. I'm going to experiment with them, but also see if I can't intersperse them with silence (stillness) and see what happens as a result. It's part of the practice in any case, but I'm finding it fascinating how much sound and silence connect together, and of course it's been this work with stillness that's lead me down this route.

9-6-16 Some people will always judge you by who you were and the mistakes you've made. I had lunch with one of my authors who told me that a case of guilt by association occurred. We talked about it and I was transparent about me and my flaws and my work toward addressing those flaws. I am most certainly not a perfect person and I have done some stupid things. I've also worked hard to address the issues underlying those actions and to make the appropriate changes. And regardless I know some people will still judge me for who I was. That's part of life and what I've learned is to keep doing the work to become a better person and let go of attachment to caring about how people might judge me. It's always easier after all to throw a rock at someone, rather than actually take a good hard look at your shit and actually do the responsible thing of owning it and working on it. I prefer the latter course, because while it's initially harder, it gets a lot easier as you keep going.

9-7-16 When you have different parts of yourself that have unexpressed needs, what you have to discover is how to met those needs sanely and in a healthy manner that respects the boundaries of all people involved with you. With stillness work I have sometimes really come up close to a part of myself that feels a need or desire, but it isn't being expressed, and so what stillness has allowed me to do is communicate with that part and figure out what can be done to express that need. I think this could be applied to other people, in terms of helping them discover how to meet their needs and wants, in a manner that is healthy and respectful. Today I figured out a way to address a need of mine by interacting with that part of myself that needed an acknowledgement and an outlet. I've figured out what the outlet will be and have already started work on the first expression of it.

9-8-16 I said I was feeling tired earlier, but as I sat with that feeling...nope the tired is just the surface level narrative. I'm feeling pissed off, irritable and pessimistic. I get this way sometimes, and I know what's making me feel this way. Some of its dealing with politics as usual in the Pagan community, some of its my own self doubt rearing its head, and some of it is just ongoing issues that need to be worked through but sometimes are very hard to work through. I'll get over it, but it feels good to express it, albeit in a place where I won't necessarily get expressions of sympathy, which is the last thing I need.

9-11-16 It hit me today that ten years ago I was living in Seattle. I only lived there for a year, but still I came to the Pacific Northwest ten years ago (well technically 10 and a half years ago). So much has happened since then, good and bad. More good than bad, and I've worked for hard it. I'm in Seattle right now for the Esoteric Book Conference, so it hit me as I was driving into Seattle, remembering driving the moving truck so long ago.

9-12-16 Sometimes I feel so awkward and ashamed of my enthusiasm. I can get very enthused about a project or a person and their work and I realize it can be really intense and off-putting. I remember when I was younger how I learned to temper my enthusiasm, to rein back my interest, because people would get weird. I felt passion for something someone was doing and it became clear it was too much. They would pull back. I learned to pull back first, but occasionally I still get really enthusiastic. So I'm feeling some shame around that and sitting with it. In Unashamed, the author mentions how people clothe themselves with their shame...basically how the shame of what they feels becomes a means of hiding the narrative underneath and I think she's got a point. So sitting with shame over something is important because you uncover the narrative by feeling the shame and letting it teach you. In this case what it teaches me is about acceptance or the fear of not being accepted.

9-16-16 My brother called me tonight to tell me that my dad had some health issues come up. Hearing the news was shocking. I know he had issues, but I didn't know everything and now I do. And it makes me more aware of my own mortality and how important it is to keep exercising and taking care of myself. I'll be forty in a little over a month and I feel better than I have because of the exercising I'm doing, but this brings it home even more. It also makes me even happier that I visited him last month.

9-19-16 At this point I've pretty much decided I'm done with the Pagan convention scene. An exchange I had earlier today just demonstrates that the convention organizers have no real interest in being transparent or fair. The apathy on the presenter side of it equally convinces me that most presenters are fine with the current system, even though it screws them over. It's discouraging and disappointing, but it also illustrates why going my own way is ultimately a better choice for me, because the system isn't tenable as is.

9-21-16 It's been a chaotic few days and stillness has been hard to reach. I suppose in a way that just illustrates why its a good idea for me to work with stillness for another year. The work I've done with stillness in the last couple years has helped me go really deep into places I'd have feared to venture before. And its brought a measure of peace and contentment I've never known. So I look at these last few days and consider the circumstances for what they are and recognize how far I've come AND how much further I can go. This elemental balancing work has always been about doing the internal work and a necessary part of doing that work is being present with what is revealed so you can learn more.

How I come up with experiments part 2

In part 2 I share how important research is for magical experiments and use a case study to demonstrate my research process for creating the temporal consecration prayers.