Growth Beyond Dreams

I am happy to announce that in 19 months I have had over 10,000 page views. This month saw another benchmark, with an all time high of 95 page views in a day. I have an audience in Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia, this something I never anticipated. When I began my blog it was born out of a need born in therapy. I realized that I felt I had no voice and needed to Give Voice to my thoughts and feelings.The URL for my blog reinforces this; Audiam Vocem literally means to verbalize, or speak out loud, i.e. Give Voice.

In the intervening 19 months I have encountered and virtually befriended many great people. Words alone cannot express the gratitude and appreciation I have for you all and the continued support you show for me and my path. So with as much heart and LOVE as I can express in this imperfect medium, Thank You. I look to the future with renewed vigor and optimism. This is a gift I can never fully repay, I shall be forever in your debt.

Many Blessings.
Keep up the Great  Work.
By the Powers Within and Without.
Pax, Amor, Lux.
So Mote It Be.

New Medicine

I have owl medicine. That is to say, owl and I work together. She has taught me much over the years and I don't know where my work would be without her. Owl Woman is one of my patrons, she is an entry point for many different pathways. Now Owl tells me there is another and I must learn her medicine.

Mama Bear has come to me in dreams over and over again. I want to accept her medicine, but I do not know how. I cannot  go and see Bear in the wild like I did Owl. The last bears in this part of

Texas were killed off in the 1950's. our state had no regulations until 1973, and did not prohibit bear hunting until 1983. There is a glimmer of hope, bears have been spotted in the hill country west of where I live and along the Rio Grande corridor. As of yet these have been isolated incidences of young males wandering during drought, looking for new food opportunities. Still I have hope.

Apex predators are a sign of a healthy and thriving ecosystem, for most of North America historically this was the Black Bear. Bear can thrive in most biomes from mountain to forest to seashore to swamp and even desert. Versatility is always good medicine. There is much for me to learn from Bear, but I still do not know how to proceed.


So I will call upon bear and do ritual to honor her spirit. It is Mama Bear who must return, until cubs are born here there is no established population. I will fight for the right of Bear and will work with groups dedicated to her survival. Meanwhile I will use my medicine to call her back, so that she can teach me her medicine. This is how it always is with spiritual allies, we must develop relationships. 
 
Oracion de Espiritu Osos:
Mama Osa llamo a usted con amor en mi corazon y confianza en mi alma. Puedo estar al servicio de  uste dy su tipo. Duchame con las benidiciones de su medicamento. Honro tu espiritu, y doy gracias por tu existencia.Llego los Personas Osos.Benidiciones y Alabanza a ti.

Reverential Relationships and Adorations

Not Worship and Obedience

 Alliances of Mutual Aid

When I work with Plant Spirits, or befriend Animal People, or receive medicine from the Earth, there is always a reciprocal action required. Many have assumed this to be a pay for hire type of arrangement, but that's not really how it works. There are definitely spirits that work that way, and for expediency they may suffice, but just like a convenience store, you will pay more for what you actually get. Long term commitments, here as in romance, are generally the preferred and strongest path to take.  What a spirit needs will vary from individual to individual, although some of the more well known spirit spectrums, have some general items that work as introductory gifts.

Gifting is exactly what is happening here. Sometimes in the process of working together one party or the other realizes that the other is in need. When this situation arises, both parties work together to assure healing and growth, together they gain. Sometimes the need is stated upfront and to the mind of some this seems like a demand for payment, or worse an imposition. But if one only takes the time to consider the great imposition our species has placed upon the entire biosphere, a little hastiness on the part of those we have collectively driven to the brink is to be forgiven. Again one must remember perspective and adjust reality tunnels as much as possible. It is just as important to receive a gift with grace as it is to give with grace. If a spirit offers a gift accept it. When the time comes the spirit will let you know what kind of gift it requires. More often than not you will not need to ask, you will know when a gift of water is enough, and when other actions are required. If there are items and actions you are opposed to let the spirit know up front, it may test you, but do not let it test you more than once, if it tests you again, break off ties with that spirit.

Adoraciones

Adoration is not worship. Worship is not some thing I understand entirely. When I hear someone talk of worshiping gods, my animistic brain can not fathom it. Gods are forces of nature much like lightening, and just as I would not worship lightening or electricity, nor will I worship a god. I will give reverence, that is to say I will honor its spirit, just as I respect rattlesnake by heeding his warning. 

Adoration is a form of reverence, in the same way that having a celebration dinner for a colleague honors their achievements, so too does an oferenda to a spirit ally or feast in honor of a saint.Compliments paid to a friend on their birthday are similar to the spirit of adorations in honor of one's spirit allies and venerated ancestors. Every relationship should be about honor and mutual respect or it will dissolve. 

Webs of Meaning

Eventually everything links and you discover the respect you show is returned and you become part of a current much larger than you had ever imagined. Universe is alive and communicating on many different levels, but one must slow down to listen. The cactus wants to teach you something. The

hummingbird wants you to learn how to drink the nectar of life. Rattlesnake brings everything into sharp focus. Spirit dwells everywhere not just in some hoary heaven on high. The ordinary is extra-ordinary, the natural, super-natural.

Once you awaken you cannot go back to sleep, but you can slip into darkness. Walk with fierce love in your heart, beauty in your eyes, and loyalty to Earth in your bones. Remember to look up at night into the depths of space, the Great Mother, and feel awe. Discover the Hidden Wilderness in your soul and feed it daily. Give over to calling. Come dance in the wilderness.

Shadowsof the Underworld

There are times when I know with unquestionable certainty that the course of events unfolding before me are the result my hard work and endeavor. There are times where I feel as if I am one of the most privileged individuals alive just by bearing witness to the amazing things that happening at this very moment. But there are Other Times, the times when I am overwhelmed, the times when I am swept away, the times when I am laid low, the times when I succumb. 

You see I have an on again, off again love affair with the Dark Goddess. Kali, Cerridwen, Hecate, Erzulie, or Santima Muerte, it matters not what you call her, at the heart she is always the same, fierce yet loving, clinging and giving, harsh but truthful, vulgar and refined, reviled and exalted, in essence, Woman Herself. All of the fears our society has of these Goddess forms are the same fears our society has about Women. 

Enter Pomba Gira, a spirit spectrum characterized by being the personification of female beauty, sexuality and lust. I say spirit spectrum because like so many spirit allies, Pomba Gira, is more of class of spirit, most widely used in the Quimbanda and Umbanda traditions of Brazil. Admittedly, some of the imagery may be a bit loaded for someone from the Western Pagan Community, especially if that person is dealing with leaving the christian faith. Open your mind, eyes, and ears, then learn about the evolution of the imagery, and then you can put it into context. Strip away the cultural baggage and a different image of this Spirit Ally presents itself.

Pomba Gira, deserves to sit beside Kali, Cerridwen, Hecate, Erzulie, and Santima Muerte, this is reflected by the fact that like the goddesses mentioned she bears many titles. Amongst them we find examples of her darker side, Rainha do Cemitério (Queen of the

Graveyard),Pomba Gira Arrepiada (Creeped Pomba Gira), and Rosa Caveira (Rose Skull, literally). There is also evidence of her connection to witchcraft, Pomba Gira das Sete Encruzilhadas (Pomba Gira of the Seven Crossroads), Pomba Gira das Almas (Pomba Gira of the Souls), and Pomba Gira Mirongueira (Enchantress Pomba Gira). Like all liminal goddess forms and spirit allies she also goes by names that speak of her role as Primal Female Power, Rainha das Rainhas (Queen of Queens), Dama da Noite (Lady of the Night), and even simply, Praia (Beach). Too often those that do not know or understand her besmirch and defame her much like those she is the protectorate of; women, children, sex-workers and the LGBT community. Pomba Gira is the spirit to elevate us into the Twenty-First century.

So, help me cause I'm falling again, then again, let me fall. Into the sweet arms of the Goddess in her fullness, Lover and Destroyer, Womb and Tomb, Being and Unbeing, let me fall and rejoice in my good fortune. This is  one of those times, when all the other times come together and words fail to convey the feeling, but as anyone who has been there knows, my life will never be the same. So revel in the wonder, and dare to fall in love, with Everything.

Mantram and Visualization - Open Sourcery #5

 

Mantram

If you have been following along from the beginning, you should now know how to become aware of your body, relax your body, breath rhythmically, and focus your attention on your thoughts. Ideally you are doing this for 15 - 30 minutes twice a day, if not don't sweat it just keep at it. These are the exercises that will help your practice to be successful regardless of your path.Now I will introduce the next stage, Mantram. Mantram is beneficial on many levels, it helps develop concentration, lowers stress, and transform consciousness. For these reasons alone mantram would be recommended, but my reason has to do specifically with training your mind for the task of spell work. Many spells work on the principle of Raising Power, this is usually accomplished through repetition of key phrases. I will discuss this in greater detail, but first let me explain how to do mantram.

Once you have relaxed your body and mind, and are breathing in rhythm, recite a simple phrase over and over again, either audibly or silently. Try both techniques as they yield different results. It's really that simple to initiate, but takes a while to master. I recommend using a timer, mala beads, or a Witch's Ladder to aid in your recitation exercises. As for the mantram itself, there are many out there, and many people use something from the eastern traditions or if you are inclined towards Hoodoo christian prayers may work for you. Personally, I make up my own mantras and then use Google Translate to translate them into German or Cyrmu, my primary ancestral tongues. My primary mantra is "ich bin im Frieden mit allem was" which is rough German for "I am at peace with all that is." Try to find something that resonates with you and syncs rhythmically with your breath work.

 

Visualization

Visualization is absolutely one of the most fun Mind Expansion Techniques of which I know. The limits are only defined by your imagination. Let me take a moment to discuss imagination. In our modern, scientifically materialistic world is has become vogue to dismiss thoughts and dreams as "mere" imagination. In fact one could argue that there is an ongoing war against creativity and beauty that could be referred to as the Genocide of the Imagination. Despite this,scientists quite often use visualization techniques and dreams to help them figure out complex problems. Imagination is where ideas are born, and without ideas there is no advancement. If no imagined that the Earth was round our history would be very different, and if no one had dared to dream of long distance communication devices, you would not be reading this now. Never let anyone dismiss your ideas as just imagination.Ideas hold power.

Okay, enough of the diatribe, time for nuts and bolts. The who, what, where, when, and why of visualization. There are as many ways to visualize as there are people teaching visualization. The method I first learned is very similar to the "Eating a Lemon" exercise described here:

Eating a Lemon Visualization Exercise:

Imagine you are in a kitchen somewhere.

On a bench is a basket of lemons. You reach out and select a ripe yellow lemon. You feel the weight of the lemon in your hand..., you slide your fingers over the smooth waxy skin... feel the dimpled texture... You lift the lemon to your face and breathe in that lemony smell... and then you slice the lemon open. As the bright yellow flesh is exposed you see the juice run out... a lovely lemony citrus aroma fills the room. You cut a slice and put it in your mouth. You bite down on it .... the juice runs over your tongue... your mouth fills with the taste of lemon juice...

For more of these exercises go this website for Visualization Techniques. You can also try the techniques described at MindExpansionTechniques. Since I have mentioned the use of visualization in spell work and I do not currently feel like devoting my time to writing on this subject yet, let me direct to others that have; the Beautiful, the Practical, and the Technical. Once again I cannot stress enough the importance of these exercises, add them to your above exercises at least twice a week. Spell work will come later, for now, concentrate on the visualization only.

Recommended Readings

The time has come dear padwan for studies of an intellectual nature. I highly and strongly suggest that the serious student of the occult and magic study the following books, they will give you an understanding of the Magical World Perspective. The list in no particular order;

1. Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland
2. Magick in Theory and Practice by Aleister Crowley
3. A Witches Bible: The Complete Witch's Handbook by Janet and Stewart Farrar
4. Real Magic by Isaac Bonewits
5. The Red Book by Sera J. Beaks
6. Quantum Psychology by Robert Anton Wilson
7. The Magician's Companion by Bill Whitcomb

That should be enough to get you started, there will be test next month. Seriously though, read and practice, read and practice and then read some more. A quick study of Library Sciences might prove to be helpful. Test the theories, do the exercises, write it all down and then share what works and what doesn't. This is the beginning, welcome aboard.

 

Letting Go

Most of the people I know have had to let go of something dear to them this year. Deaths, divorces, and downsizing, whether by choice, illness or just time, have claimed much happiness and left a void in their wake. It is against this backdrop that I have decided to let go, more. Time is precious and the pursuit of stuff is a poor way to spend it, I want more LIFE and less stuff.

This not just a reaction to the losses I and many others have experienced , but rather an exploration of loss and surrender. For one to surrender to the forces around them and give up control is the essence of sacrifice as initiation. The Fool, and The Hanged Man; a leap of faith, a willing sacrifice, an initiation into a different state of being. Notice that I did not say "higher" state of being, such things are greatly overrated, enlightenment is not what most Americans think enlightenment is. I am looking to change my relationship to loss, suffering, and material possession, to reawaken my knowledge of the transitory, numinous nature of existence.

In my last post I made reference to Rhyd Wildermuth's post on Alchemical Capitalism, that article and this post by John Beckett, about the Commodification of Humanity, started mental workings. Then I read Decolonizing Ourselves So We Can Help Others, and remembered Paper Mage which I also recommended in my last post,and enter an Air of Inspiration from the East. Harvest and sacrifice are the same thing. Without sacrifice there is no harvest, and without a harvest there is no sacrifice. That being said, keep in mind that the harvest will never be what you expect. Taking my raw material to the cauldron of inspiration and applying flame something distinct begins to distill.

A small amount of passion goes a long way, and from that initial idea a plan has coalesced, it is time to Let Go. I will be releasing my hold on several material items from now until the Feast of the Ancestors, October 31st. This is sacrifice, ritual, reverence, and initiation all rolled into one. I am seeking to change my relationship to stuff, to embrace Immediacy, to see impermanence as it is; more stuff. So I will be giving away, sticks, stones, roots, bones, shells and feathers. A few books, and perhaps some hand drawn art here and there, will also find Their  way into the mix. I need to lighten my load for the next phase of my work. Water flows in and water flows out, stuff is the same, I'm not wholesale against it, I just need let it flow down the stream again.

Now the fun, interactive part; a veritable Carnival of Delights. Are you brave enough to accept gifts? Dare you receive something for nothing? Is not, Receiver of Generosity, one of your holy names? Can you surrender and accept what fate deals? Did you say yes to one or more of these questions? Then I have a proposition for you. If you said yes to all these questions, seek therapy, just kidding, go take a hike, you deserve a break. Now if you are willing, Friend me on facebook, or just send me a PM with your address and the note "I'm in." Or leave me a comment here. I will contact you with three questions, and then mail you a package based on your answers. Don't worry nothing ominous, just simple things, such as, animal, vegetable, mineral, or fungal. That sort of thing. I just love that Fungi is its own kingdom, now.

Awaiting your responses and then into the realm of Earth, where I manifest that which I have called forth. Letting go is the only way to appreciate what you have. LOVE.

Earthly Wisdom, Harvest Craft, and the Thinning Veils

Hawk and Harvest Moon, 2013, photographer unknown

The earth is speaking, more precisely those in the earth are speaking. The voices of the dead are louder this year, this the Year of the Ghosts. I believe Gordon White over at Rune Soup called it first, but after so many deaths, and the possible "Super-Caliphate" echoing anschluss in the Middle East, it is hard to feel that it is anything other. So in the spirit of the Year of the Ghosts I present the following set of links to articles that have caught my eye and I want to share. On with  the Masquerade.

Earthly Wisdom

There seems to me to be a similar ethos emerging from different Quadrants, an Anarcho-Pagan perspective, that favors results and wisdom to claims of grandeur and possession of stuff. An erudite commentary upon the crumbling of the facade of the current system of consummation to the point of attrition. The wolves are howling dear ones, answer their call.

Cracks in the Kingdom, Gordon White at Rune Soup, discusses the pros and cons of political deconstruction as a path toward global mentality and vitality.

Rhyd Wildermuth over at PAGANARCH, makes some compelling arguments about the greatest enchantment of all, Money.

Finally I want you follow a path with me, Go to Ultraculture Journal by Jason Louv over at Amazon, click on "Look Inside" and read EDITORIAL:MONKSHADELICA, it is the intro and it says everything you need to know.

Fall Harvest, photographer unknown

Harvest Craft

As the harvest time presents us the image of removing the chaff from the grain, so too we begin to pare down and shore for the coming season. Living where it does not snow, my preparations are not as intense as my ancestors, but I still feel the pull of the seasonal tide. Time to mow, to clear the hedgerows and define the boundaries between what is necessary and what is just "stuff".

Harold Roth, proprietor of Alchemy Works, writes in his blog about getting down and dirty with Matters of a Saturnine Nature.

Pagan Murmur has this piece about being Minimalist, as a Postmodern Pinoy Pagan perspective this blog gives me insights few others could. We are all over the world and experimenting with all sorts of things, Be Aware.

Downstrodden has this great piece on making a Besom, a perfect Harvest Season craft that you may use all year.

Thinning Veils

Here we are back where we started with the dead. Ghosts are essentially Imprints, recordings in the substrata, heavy emotional markers. This is why often when there is a violent or tragic death, the area will become haunted. Our whole planet is a graveyard and we live upon our ancestors bones, whether they are Germanic, Native American, Australian Aboriginals, Neanderthals, or Sabre Toothed Salmon.

Again an article by Rhyd Wildermuth about the dead and Where They May Be Found.

Santa Madre te bendiga nuestros caminos,

y guiarnos a través de la tribulación.

Gran poder oculto nos enseña las maneras,

nos guíe cada día, y nos protegen de cualquier daño.

Bendiciones a usted en la Temporada de los Muertos , Santísima Muerte .

"Harvest Moon Ball" by Terry Redlin