For Fall Equinox, I decided to visit the Sandy Delta Park, near Portland. I’ve been there before, but it had been a while and I wanted to honor the spirit of the Columbia, while also doing my ritual for the equinox. However I was prompted to get creative with my approach to doing the ritual and thought I would share what I came up with. I ultimately decided to do a walking ritual, where I called in the sphere and the circle while walking the park.
Book Reviews May to September 2022
Book Review: Can I be Honest with you? by Amy Palatnick (affiliate link)
This is an edgy, empowering and deep read. As I read this book I reflected on the lessons that it brought up for me, both in regards to when I have been too pushy with what I've wanted, but also not honest enough with myself or other people. Reading this book pushed me to make some changes in my communication and work harder at both letting myself in and other people in while also being true to myself. It wasn't easy to read. There were times I really squirmed and felt called out, but it also gave me the courage to examine where I have fallen short in my communication with other people and start making some changes. I definitely will re-read this book again because I think there is a lot here for anyone to explore and work through.
Book Review: Psychic Skills for Magic and Witchcraft by Cat Gina Cole (affiliate link)
This is an excellent exploration of the intersection between Psychic and magical powers. The author does a good job of presenting the intersection and showing how psychic powers can enhance magical skills, while also sharing survival skills of sorts for how to use psychic abilities for internal work and processing. It provides some useful exercises that the reader will benefit from implementing.
Goetic pathworking for internal work
Over the course of this year I’ve been taking a Goetic Daemon a week course offered by S. Connolly on her Patreon. It’s been a fascinating course to take and its helped me expand my experiences and knowledge of working with daemons. While I already had some experience working with them going into the course, I’m glad I’ve taken the course because of the insights I’ve gained.
One of the suggestions that S. Connolly is working with the Daemons for the purpose of doing internal work and I’ve found this to be a great practice. Often it seems that people think of working with the Goetia when they need an external result or want to do an evocation, but there is a lot of value to be discovered in doing internal work with them.
How to become resilient in Magic and Life part 2
In this week’s video I share how resiliency must come from within, but also why the right resources can help you cultivate that resiliency and strengthen your inner core. I also share how to identify those resources and why it’s important to develop an approach to self-care that carries you through any situation you encounter.
How to Become Resilient in Magic and Life part 1
I discuss how to become resilient in magic and life and share one of the core skills that you need to draw upon in order to be resilient in the face of changes that inevitably occur in life.
The wild man and the sacred masculine
I’ve recently been reading a book called Iron John, which is a fascinating exploration of the Wild Man and the journey of a boy to discover sacred masculinity, through the wild man, as well as the sacred connection between the land and the spiritual king. I’m only halfway through the book at the time of this writing, but what strikes me about this book is a theme of journeys, and specifically the journey the boy is initiated through when he chooses to free the wild man (Iron John) from the cage he is in, and goes with him to the wilderness.
It reminds me of the Green Knight and the journey Gawain goes on to return the axe to the Green Knight as well as offer his head. All the experiences Gawain has along the way are part of an initiation into the mystery of the sacred masculine. When he first leaves on his quest, although Gawain is technically a man, he’s really a boy. He only begins to discover his own masculinity, in a sacred context, when he undergoes the various trials that reveal his weaknesses and failings as well as his strengths.
Why it can be good to get a second divinatory opinion
I discuss why it can be good to get a divinatory reading from someone else, in order to confirm details of a situation or get a different perspective and why an unbiased reading can be beneficial if the person doesn't know much about you.
Healing the soul through nature
One of the spiritual practices I try to do regularly is walk the land. This is a practice of communing with the spirits of the land and nature in order to develop a relationship with them, but it can also have other aspects, which can be equally important, such as healing. Whether I’m walking in my suburban neighborhood, or in a urban area, or in a park or in the countryside, I find that the spirits of the land are always with us, just waiting for us to open ourselves to them, if we are willing to be receptive.
On the 4th of July weekend I hiked Spencer Butte for the first time. I had been meaning to go it for a while, but hadn’t found a good time to do so. The long weekend presented that opportunity and I decided to take myself on a date and visit the Butte. Walking the land on the Butte became a healing experience for me, setting my soul to rest as I soaked in the experience of nature and let the land into speak to and through me.
Book Reviews June 2022
Book Review: Creating by Robert Fritz (Affiliate link)
This is one of the most unique and thought provoking books I’ve read. The author explores the act of creating in depth. The perspective and depth he brings to the topic of creativity can help you change your understanding of creativity, what it means to create and also become more creative in the process. His perspective on long term thinking, alone is invaluable and necessary.
Book Review: Vastu by Robert Svoboda (affiliate link)
This is a fascinating book which explores the nature of space and how to create an intentional space using knowledge of pranayama and the 5 elements. The author shares case studies of applying vastu to spaces. It was a really unique take on how people embrace and live within a given space. I found the magical aspects to be helpful in designing my own space.
Book Review: The Courage to Be Happy by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga (affiliate link)
Another thought provoking book that will change your life and how you approach love and happiness. Reading this book has provided me valuable insights and I have no doubt I’ll come back to it again and again to learn and consider and apply these principles to my life. Some of what is read isn’t easy to read but it will make you think and grow if you make the choice to consider how to apply it to your life.
Book Review: Mistakes were Made (but not by me) by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson (affiliate link)
This is an eye-opening book that can help you recognize the dissonance in your own life and how you apply that dissonance to justify your choices and mistakes. Reading this book wasn’t easy for me. It caused me to reflect on my mistakes and see instances where I created my own sense of dissonance to justify my choices and behaviors, but reading it also helped me take better ownership and responsibility for those choices. I recommend reading this book because it will help you reflect on how you rationalize your own choices and how you reduce dissonance with those choices.
Book Review: The Tai Chi Space by Paul Cavel (affiliate link)
I recommend reading this book if you have experience with qi gong because then you can take on what is shared and apply it. However like any book on martial arts, the limitation of the book is that text and diagrams can only take you so far. I think it’s a useful supplementary guide that can help you appreciate the movements if you already have experience in those movements, but will not help much if you have no experience.
Book Review: The Art of Black Mirror Scrying by Rosemary Guiley (Affiliate link)
This book presents a fascinating history of scrying, which is a must read if you want to learn more about the background of scrying. The author also provides some explanations for how scrying works and includes exercises you can do to sharpen your skills. She also explains how to create a black mirror for scrying. The book is well written and provided some useful information on scrying.
Book Review: The Process of Creating Life by Christopher Alexander (Affiliate link)
This is another amazing book in this series that explores how architectural design can be used to create a living space. What I found most interesting was how the author wove in multiple disciplines and schools of thought into this work. I read this book over the course of a couple years because it really requires some digestion and perspective, especially if you’re not an architect, which I am now. I nonetheless find the insights are relevant to my own practices and am thankful for this book.
Book Review: The descent of Ishtar by Timothy Stephany (affiliate link)
A translation of the The descent of Ishtar and related sumerian myths. I didn’t get a sense of the Akkadian version, but found the overall content to be fascinating and insightful in regards to some research I’m doing. I do wish the author had included some analysis and translation notes.
Book Review: Courage is Calling by Ryan Holiday (Affiliate link)
Another excellent book from the modern day stoic Ryan Holiday which explores the virtue of courage and how you can instill it in your life. He share some excellent historical stories, but more importantly he explores what it takes to be courageous and what can happen wen you aren’t. Reading this book has helped me see the moments where I hesitated and could have been braver, and also sown what I can do to be braver in my life.
Book Review: Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown (Affiliate link)
This book is a survey of the emotions and how we feel and experience them, but it also more than that. It is an opportunity to explore our relationship with the emotions, but also with connection/disconnection and the way we show up with ourselves and others. Reading this book and meditating on what was shared opened me up to some good realizations, showed me where I need to continue working on my ability to connect with others meaningfully and gave me some direction during a tough time in my life.
Researching Mythology to create magical workings
One of the projects I’ve lately been working on has involved doing research into the Mesopotamian mythos of Ishtar and Gilgamesh. I’m currently reading the Penguin Version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. I’m not just reading the myths, but also the notes and information that the translator has shared because it can be equally valuable in terms of informing the translation but also the work around finding this information. The history is often quite fascinating and provides valuable context. I’m doing all this research because I want to create magical workings around tis mythos, but even though I already have a general knowledge of the mythos, I find it useful to do a deep dive to establish a strong foundation from which to build magical workings off of.
The importance of self-care in magical work
I discuss why self-care is important in magical work and share some thoughts on how you can implement self-care in your magical practice as well as what to consider when incorporating self-care into your magical work.
What is the benefit of internal work?
One of the questions I sometimes ask myself is what the benefit of internal work is. I ask this question because it can be easy to get so caught up in the internal work that you don’t seem to really make progress because you’re busy dealing with whatever is coming up internally. You can get stuck in your head and your heart at times because of how intense internal work can get. Yet I think that staying the course with internal work is ultimately beneficial. After all, when you are doing internal work you are getting the opportunity to recognize your issues and triggers and work through them in a way that can liberate you from them. A life unexamined, in contrast, is often messier in the long run, even if in the short run it seems less complicated.
Timing and Magic Part 2: Further thoughts on when to do magic
I explore the significance of planetary hours in magic and share an experiment I’m currently engaged in and what some of my thoughts are on the experiment and how its allowing me to explore my process of magic from a different perspective.
When should you do magic? An exploration of timing in magic
Is there an optimal time to do magic for a given type of magical operation? I share some thoughts on timing in magic and why a given day or hour isn’t necessarily as important as one might think as well as how to factor in how to bring in specific influences within your magical working.
Discovering Deity: How my magical path is changing
I've worked with deities on and off in my magical practice over the years, but I’ve never really committed to a dedicated practice to a deity, up until recently. This recent change has come about in part because of learning about my magical partner’s tradition, but part of it has also come about because of a deep longing to connect with deity in this way. In a real sense, in taking part in the rituals and practices that I’ve been learning, its caused me to touch deeply on something I’ve needed and wanted but not really explored before.
Walking with Elemental Spirits is now available!
I started practicing magic when I was 16 and the very first magical discipline and practice I learned was elemental magic. Over the last 29 years I've continued to practice elemental magic and work with elemental spirits.
My latest book Walking with Elemental Spirits is a dissemination of my years of practice and all the experiences I've accumulated along the way.
But it's also more than that.
It's the evolution of elemental magic from the classic model of the 5 elements Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Quintessence into a modernized approach that explores and integrates other elements outside the classic Five elements.
Elements such as gravity, magnetism, time, and space and much, much more.
And I don't just stop there. Within this book you'll find a variety of elemental magic practices and ways to work with the elemental spirits.
The elemental spirits can be potent allies to work with and in this book you’ll learn how the practical magic skills that you can use to forge strong relationships with the elemental spirits that allow you to work with them as allies. In this book you will also learn the following:
The classic Hermetic and Taoist systems of the 5 elements, and my modernized system of elemental magic.
How to connect with elemental spirits using evocation portals and experiential embodiment
How to do internal work and health magic with the elemental spirits.
How to work with the elemental spirits to get practical results
and much more!
If you’re ready to learn a new approach to elemental magic, this book will teach you how to work with the elemental spirits and use elemental magic to get results that transform your life.
Walking with Elemental Spirits is available in E-book, paperback, and hardback.
This is a book I've waited a long time to write, but its time is finally here, and with it, the evolution of elemental magic as we know it.
How I'm applying Essentialism to my life
I have used Essentialism to help me transform the way I live my life. I share some of the ways I’ve been applying essentialism to my life and how this is translating over to my spiritual and magical practices. I also share why essentialism has really empowered me to let go of needless complexity in my life.
Magical Experiments Podcast: Spirit Work with Laurelei Black
In this episode of Magical Experiments Podcast I interview Laurelei Black about her work with Aphrodite and the Goetia. We also discuss divination systems and what a do not call list is for spirit work and why you may want to have one in order to help you determine what spirits to work with, as well as what spirits to not work with.
Laurelei Black is a hedge-rider, a Cunning Woman, a traveler on the crooked path. She is a priestess of love and pleasure, an Ishtar-woman, an Aphrodite-woman. She is a friend to daemons and a mate to the Red God. A bone collector; a temple dancer. Laurelei is the author of 13 books (including Temple of Love and The Witches' Key to the Legion: A Guide to Solomonic Sorcery), a co-Director and frequent presenter at the Babalon Rising Festival, an OTO initiate, a co-owner of Camp Midian, and the proud proprietress of Asteria Books and Events and of Blade & Broom.
The Witches Key to the Legion (Affiliate Link)
Cult of Aphrodite (Affiliate Link)
Manifestation is the realization of the imaginal
When we manifest the imagination into reality we turn the seed of potential into a new identity for ourselves and reality. I explain what this means and why it can change your approach to magic when you approach manifestation from your identity instead of from your scarcity.
Sign up for From Imagination to Manifestation:
How justification and rationalization can get in the way of magical work
One of the books I’ve been reading lately is Mistakes were Made (but not by me) (affiliate link). It’s been a hard book to read because what it naturally causes a reader to face is how they have justified their own mistakes in order to avoid taking responsibility for them. While I’d like to believe that I do take responsibility for my choices, I’ll admit that reading this book did cause me to examine some of my perceptions and beliefs about situations and recognize how I had justified my own behavior or painted other people in a specific light to justify my choices. Needless to say, it made me squirm a bit.
As I continued reading the book I also considered how such justifications can show up in magical work. While I have written and shared my own failures with magic with a fair amount of candor, I still revisited various workings as a result of reading this book and asked myself if I ever justified why a working failed or succeeded. It was a good exercise to take on, because it required a willingness to put aside whatever justifications I had applied to a situation and ask myself if there was anything else that could have contributed to the situation.