Sulum Factum Magus

I am very lucky in where I live. I have magnificent forests a short drive from my door, and I often go for walks there, to reconnect with myself, nature, and the essentials of life. Indeed, more than luck, because I chose to live where I do, because of my love of the forests – or the bush as we say in Australia. It is so easy to forget in the tumult of the Western World, the bustle of the city, and the intensity of the workplace, that humans are but one form of life on this planet. Western culture takes for granted that humans are superior to all other life forms, and that nature is ours to use, exploit, and to eradicate for condominiums. We can trace this back to Judao-Christian world views expressed in biblical terms as God giving Man dominion over the beasts of the field etc.

However this is not the pagan world view. While pagans believe all sorts of different things, a common thread running through the modern neo-pagan movement is respect for nature, and for other forms of life, based upon a view of humans as one of many life forms, each playing an important part in the bio-sphere of our mother the Earth. The mechanistic view of Western Culture sees nature as blind, and beasts as “dumb”, and humans as the pinnacle of evolution or creation, depending on whether you subscribe to the scientific mythology or the religious mythology.

My view is that the natural world is full of life and consciousness and intelligence, but that most people, imprisoned within their individualistic symbolically mediated communication methods, have lost the art of communicating with this intelligence and spiritual energy that manifests through nature.

Today, my walk took me through the rain forest. A light mist cloaked the trees, and the thick clouds let loose sporadic showers of gentle drops. I passed several glades of native violets, as I walked under the canopy, padding along on a thick bed of leaves. Bright red berries of native raspberries beckoned from the side of the path. On a wet week day, there aren’t too many people about, so there were plenty of birds to keep me company. Inquisitive little finch like birds came to check me out, as I stood still for a breather. Rufous fan tails fluttered up the path in front of me. The Wompoo pigeons were calling in the canopy arround me. Everywhere underfoot were the bright rainforest berries of summer. I stopped to talk to a bird that appeared on a branch in front of me. How are you, I asked it in my mind’s ear. How are the insects? Plentiful, it told me, before hopping along its journey. As I made my way along the ridge line, the canopy thinned out, to make way for magnificent white mahoganies. Gradually the path became thinner and more overgrown, the further I tracked away from the road and the car park. I caught sight of a medium sized black bird flying off in the under brush, and turned a corner in the path to see what looked like two handfulls of twigs, planted side by side in the ground – the bower of the Satin Bower bird, which he uses to attract a mate.

The path opened out onto a small clearing, with a large log along one end. I sat on the log, and called my Deities, and honoured the elements, and sat in quiet contemplation. I expanded my aura, reaching out to embrace the forest around me, eyes closed, listening to the sounds of the bush – the many varieties of birds, and the sound of drops of water falling around me onto the forest floor.

There is a music in the sounds of the bush, the twitters and clicks of the birds and insects, and the pat of the falling drops of water gathering on leaves before plopping onto the ground. To become attuned to this music, allow your attention to dwell on your heart as you breath out, and on your third eye as you breathe in, gently, lightly. Feel full of joy and a sense of connection with everything around you. When you feel that you have got the rhythm and pace of this music, allow yourself to join in with it, by making clicking noises with your tongue and popping your lips quietly and gently. Other gentle noises that you can use to join in with this music are the sounds you make by gently sucking air through your top teeth. Try to imitate the sounds around you, of birds, drops, insects, or whatever you can hear.

If you have made the correct preparations, you will find yourself being a part of this magical music. There will be no separation. The energy that moves the rain, the birds and the insects will also be moving you, and you will be part of the music.

There is no further description of this that I can give – except to encourage you to try this out for yourself. You won’t regret it, I am sure.

Blessed Be,

Robyn.

I was feeling a bit down in the dumps this morning, and wanted to get some insight into the reasons why. Of course Pagans have their ups and downs as much as anybody – myself included. Indeed, it has been my experience that the more one commits to following some path of spiritual development, the more ups and downs one has. Of course it could just be me, but I believe that one of the reasons is that most paths of genuine spiritual development involve attunement to something greater than and outside ourselves, and the growth of awareness and sensitivity. This automatically puts one at odds with the human world that we have created and have the pleasure of living in – which encourages lack of awareness, the dulling of sensitivity, and a robotic existance in service of the employer. Sensitivity and awareness leads one to the conciousness of pain – there is so much pain in this world, so much unrealised potential, so much thwarted desire for expression of the true self, so much hunger and poverty, so much destruction and abuse of nature, so much mechanisation of all aspects of life.  The pain of people is not the only thing. The pain of the non-human world also comes crashing through when the gates of sensitivity and awareness begin to open. The pain of slavery, the pain of clear felling, the pain of destruction. I was talking to someone the other day who mentioned that they’d been reading a book by someone whose main thesis was that depression and despair are unavoidavble in today’s world, because at a deep level, all of us feel the depression and despair of the destruction that is being wrought upon our dear Mother Earth. Of course many are successful in shutting off theses feelings, and immersing themselves in their egocentric existance, making a virtue of seperation and independance. Yet every genuine spiritual path that I know of makes it its business to broaden the consciousness, to break down the egocentric self conception, and open an awareness into the collective intelligence that embraces all.

Dealing with these feelings that well up from the deeps can be over-whelming for people who first set their feet on the path. Especially so for paths that embrace the modern Pagan world view, that the world is alive, and the body of Our Goddess, our dear Lady, our Mother. There is only one thing I know that can counteract these feelings, and that is to embrace and fulfill one’s true nature – the path, in my view, laid out by the Blessed Mother, which leads to that point where inner and outer meet and become one. In this, there is the cure  for the wound, and for the wasteland, the inner distress, and the outer distress, respectively. I’ve written much more about this in my book “The Great Work”, so won’t further belabour the point here.

Back to my story – I decided to draw a tarot card in order to gain some insight into the melancholy condition in which I found myself this morning. It was the page of coins. The deck I chose to use this morning is “The Circle Tarot”, put together by Ann Franklin. It is a very Pagan deck, featuring a lot of traditional British, Wiccan and Druidic symbolism, and the interpretations are very alligned with my own Pagan spirituality. It is always an education to draw one of these cards, which feature the sacred sights of the Brittain and Ireland, herbs, trees, totem animals and God forms familiar to Celtic and Wiccan pagans.

The interpretation for the Page of Coins was the need to pay attention to balance in the physical body – a balance of exercise and relaxation. The implication being that I had become out of balance. This was fair enough, and a welcome reminder. The next card that came up was the seven of cups. In the Sacred Circle deck, this card is associated with delusion, and the need for careful choices. I am no stranger to this card, and its message. One of my regular stumbling blocks is trying to do too many different things, and being unable to choose one direction over another – for fear of loss. Yet life will force the choice that isn’t made pro-actively, after much distress, usually, and failure in many directions for want of focus and commitment.

Of course, being a Pagan, I have several Tarot decks, so naturally I felt like checking on things with another deck. What card should be first up? You guessed it, the Page of Coins! What card should come up second? None other than the seven of cups! OK, OK, Ancient Ones, I get the message!

However the interpretations given by my second deck (The Dragon Tarot by Peter Pracownik and Terry Donaldson) are a bit different. Page of Coins is given the intepretation “the desire for a new line of work”, and the seven of cups “The need to choose among several options”.

It is interesting to note the different interpretations, especially of the page of Coins. How can these be reconciled? Both interpretations are expressions of the Page energy (Air, changeability), applied to the Earth element (Physical Body, Money matters, Job). Yet another traditional interpretation is of Good news (communication – air) about a job (Money – Earth).

For me, perhaps it is an indication of needing new beginnings in the Job world – of finding a job that more closely alligns with my Nature. The inattention to this need then leads to physical imbalance in the body. I will keep you posted how I go!

I wrote the above almost six months ago, but somehow didn’t get around to posting it. In the interim, I have been offered, and accepted, a voluntary redundancy package from my workplace. Page of Coins and Seven of Cups indeed!

BB,

Rob

I recently bought a motorcycle, after about ten years out of the saddle, due to travel and then putting all spare finances into buying a house. Partly, the reason was to try and use less petrol, and do my bit for global warming, and save on my monthly transport bill. But of course a major motivation was simply to enjoy riding again!  Of course it is quite an exercise buying a motorcycle – gathering information, deciding on a budget, and what type of bike to look for. To cut a long story short, I eventually made my decision, and bought a bike. However after some weeks, I found that I was getting a sore back – something that has never happened to me before. Perhaps it was age catching up? I tried all sorts of things. Different riding positions. Putting weight on the pegs going over pot holes. But nothing seemed to be working. The problem was getting worse. So, what to do?

I fell back on the principles of the previous post – energy and attention. First, I began to ride with some attention on the painful areas. I noticed that there was a lot of tension there.  I was holding the muscles of my lower back in a state of tightness and contraction. Every time I went over a bump, my whole back was being jarred, due to the tension, leading me to tighten the muscles even more, and make things worse.

I then began to allow some energy to flow into the area, and with that energy, the muscles could unwind and relax. My back and pelvis began to mold and fit themselves into a more natural position that suited the design of the bike and the saddle.  Now the bumps aren’t so jarring, as with more relaxation, I can move with the bike, instead of against it. The back is now much better! Of course you don’t have to be a pagan to figure out the necessity of relaxing – but using attention and energy can cut short what otherwise might develop into major difficulties.

BB,

Robyn

There are many changes afoot in the world today. I heard some people talking about the new generation the other day, and about how their language is completely changing. “They don’t seem to talk in sentences anymore,” said one person, “it’s all ‘like’ and ’so’, and leaving things off half way through a sentence that the other person has to finish.”

“I don’t know what’s becoming of the education system these days. Don’t they learn anything at all?”

Well, it started me reflecting on the changes facing the world, and the spiritual dimension behind them, that is hidden from the ordinary person’s view. Not because of any great secrecy, but just because most people don’t recognise that it’s there.

Astrologically, and numerologically, we have entered a new millennium, typified by new spiritual currents and a new orientation to life. I am a bit more comfortable talking about the numerological significance, so I will talk about that. We have gone from a “1” millennium, to a “2” millennium. Whereas the “1” signifies the focus on beginnings, and by extension progress, and is a masculine energy, “2” signifies a focus on relationship, and by extension stability, and is a feminine energy.

How will this change of spiritual focus play out? Well, that depends on us, individually and collectively. We may already observe the great changes in the way society is organized, as patriarchal structures have made way for more equality between the sexes.

Now we are beginning to also observe fundamental shifts in the values of the younger generations. Old style patriarchal values of hard work, single minded-ness, determination, focus, hierarchy, intellect and linear career progression, which have underpinned our education system, our scientific endeavour, and our business culture, are making way for new style matriarchal values of relationship building, multi-facetted attention, allowing things to take their own course, work-life balance, non-hierarchical organisation, and a more intuitive approach to life.

This, very naturally, is reflected in the way people speak! The new generation’s use of language is sometimes as much an expression of relationship and intuition as it is a logical conveyor of information with well defined intellectual content. Those who don’t get intuition and relationship, and see language as by necessity conveying logically structured information, don’t get the way the new generation speaks.

Of course there is still logical structure and information content – it’s just that this can sometimes take the back seat. Especially when the person you are talking to gets what you are saying, and you know they’ve got it, there’s no need to labour the point by completing the sentence. However, people who don’t get it, because they are not tuned in to the conversation, and don’t have a habit of using their intuitive faculty in communication, will just hear an incomplete sentence that appears devoid of meaning.

The times are changing, and with the changing times, communication styles are evolving. It’s not regression, or a failure of the education system, but vocal expression of the value of relationship and intuition and empathy.

This is a very encouraging sign to Pagans, of course, whose work with the feminine archetypes enlivens and encourages these collective developments. And of course with the challenges of peak oil and climate change upon us, both of them a direct result of the “drive to progress” of the masculine “1”, it is very timely to be tuning into the “2” energy, of relationships and intuition, which will be needed for our survival.

Blessed Be,

Robyn

I have noticed over the years that there are many people who identify as pagans who are very fond of having a drink. I really don’t know what percentage of pagans are also heavy drinkers, and have no idea whether it is any different to the percentage of heavy drinkers in the overall population. However what I have noticed is that such people often have an influence that is disproportionate to their numbers.

I don’t criticise people for liking to have a few drinks, or even for liking to get falling down drunk. However I have noticed that the presence of even a few drunk people has a negative influence on the general atmosphere of an event, and limits the kind of magical or spiritual work that can be undertaken. Of course this is not a problem if no such work is planned. However if there are others at the event with the expectation of doing some inner work, then they will find themselves unable to fully fulfil that promise. Now it is one thing to have a glass of wine around the fire after dinner or feasting. But it is quite another to launch into Dionysian revels over an extended period – as some are wont to do!

Why should the presence of intoxicated people prevent serious magical work? For a start, intoxicated people become hyper sensitive to energy, but tend to lose perspective and balance. They may react to energy in unpredictable ways, suddenly becoming fearful, aggressive, or even violent. This can be a negative experience both for the intoxicated person, and for the people around them. Secondly, in spite of this hypersensitivity, intoxicated people become insensitive to the needs of people around them. They tend to talk loudly and coarsely. It’s great fun, of course, if you yourself are having a few drinks as well. However anyone in the vicinity has no choice but to listen to loud talk and laughter. Bad luck if you are trying to do some healing work or other inner work, or even get some sleep!

The third reason is that if people are sitting around drinking, then they are not doing something else, such as connecting with each other through meditation, ritual or group energy work. An important part of a magical gathering is the establishment of a group consciousness. The question that must be asked is how do we choose to construct that group consciousness, how may we all connect with it, what will that group consciousness do, and how will it work. The injection of large amounts of alcohol into a few members of that group consciousness limits the formation and construction of the group consciousness. The group consciousness becomes dominated by the alcoholic limitations and propensities of the few, and the desires and aspirations of others must be put on hold as a result.

Those who do the drinking see no harm. After all, they have had a very nice time, and enjoyed camaraderie and good cheer. Those who were conscious of and desirous of building and working within a healing group consciousness are inevitably disappointed. After a time, and a succession of such disappointments, such people inevitably put their time and effort into alternatives.

Most magical and spiritual groups that I know of, who are doing anything of note, have a rule against doing magical or spiritual work while intoxicated by alcohol or any other substance. There are very good reasons for this. For a start, clarity suffers under the influence of an intoxicant. Secondly, any successful result becomes associated with the influence of the intoxicant, which creates an addictive relationship. Thirdly, experiences under the influence of an intoxicant are out of the sphere of conscious control – they follow the physiological response of the body to the substance. Fourthly intoxicants limit one’s flexibility – one may have only that limited range of experiences mediated by the intoxicant – rather than the full flexibility of the trained magical consciousness.

Intoxicants are valued by many people because of the way they feel under their influence, or because of the changes in consciousness or perception that they bring. However there are better ways of achieving the same ends, and much more, through spiritual and magical means.

Having said all of the above, I wouldn’t want to give the impression that I am against all alcohol or intoxication. There is a time and a place for everything, and I also like to have a few drinks from time to time. However I don’t mix my drinks with spiritual or magical group work, and when doing magical group work, I expect other participants to adopt the same attitude. When facilitating a ritual or other work, I refrain from all alcohol for the previous 24 hours, and refrain from getting drunk for three days prior. The reason is that drinking more than one or two glasses of wine (or the equivalent) dulls the senses for a day or two afterwards. As a ritual facilitator, one owes it to those attending to be performing at your peak. I have noticed that even a glass of wine each evening with the evening meal takes the keenness off the edge of one’s inner faculties after a week or ten days – though not something that many would notice. For people interested in developing themselves magically, then, less is definitely more when it comes to alcohol use, in my opinion. Though there is no need to take an extreme position, and repudiate all drinking, it is recommended that one is able to enjoy oneself without it. Enjoy a few glasses of wine on social occasions. But enjoy the power and clarity of sobriety when it comes to magical and spiritual work.

Blessed Be,

Robyn :)

Kangaroo meat has recently turned up in our local supermarket, and my wife and I have gradually been figuring out how to cook it well. There are many reasons to eat kangaroo meat in Australia – including health reasons, environmental reasons and spiritual reasons. On the health front, the meat is very lean, so is supposed to be better for the heart than more fatty meats. Also on the health front, the meat is from wild, free range animals, so there is no residue of antibiotics or other drug treatments used in farmed animals. Also, they graze over natural pastures, so there is less chemical fertiliser or herbicide residue to deal with than with farmed animals which are fed non-organically produced grains or hay.

On the environmental front, kangaroos have evolved to be a natural part of the Australian ecosystem. They lack the hard hooves of sheep and cattle which are responsible for much erosion and land degradation. However, due to increased water supplies and pasture lands as a result of European farming, and the removal of natural predators (Indigenous people and dingoes), populations in many places are out of balance, leading to environmental degradation. Thus culling of the populations is necessary to prevent overwhelming other sensitive plant and animal species. By eating the meat, one is preventing the wastage which would other wise take place when the animals are by necessity killed in order to keep numbers in check, and contributing to a more sustainable food system, in which there is less demand for more environmentally damaging protein sources.

Spiritually there are a number of factors in favour of Kangaroo meat over other meats. Firstly the animals live wild and free lives (until killed for human consumption). This seems far preferable to me than other alternatives such as feed lots and intensive industrial farming practices. Secondly, for people living in Australia, I believe that consumption of Kangaroo meat in a respectful and grateful atmosphere links one to the spirit of the country side in a way that eating introduced farmed species can never do. Of course, there are many who choose to eat no meat at all. I have no problem with the position, and admiration and respect for those who adopt it out of compassion for other creatures and humans who can’t find enough to eat. However if this were to become a universal position, I believe we would have to reintroduce predation by some other species (besides our selves) in order to safeguard the balance of nature.

However enough of the philosophy – how do you cook it? Well the best way that we’ve found is to stir fry it. Here is my recipe…

1. Cut 300gms of kangaroo meat into thin strips, no thicker than 10mm, and as long as your little finger.
2. Dice thin slices of ginger till there is enough to fill one or two tablespoons.
3. Finely mince enough crushed garlic cloves to fill two or three tablespoons
4. Put the meat in a small bowl, and cover with a mixture of olive oil, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar, and mix together with garlic and ginger. The exact amounts are quite forgiving, but as a guide, have more soy than the other two combined, a couple of table spoons of Olive Oil, and a tablespoon of balsamic. Experiment until you find the mixture that suits your taste buds!
5. Marinate the meat for one hour or more in the fridge.
6. Heat a generous portion of Olive Oil in a wok on a high heat, until just before it begins to smoke. Place two or three tablespoons of the meat at a time in the hot oil, reserving the marinade as much as possible.
7. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon till browned all over, then for another minute or two. Test by cutting open a slice of meat. It should be cooked through, but still juicy. It is easy to over cook, and then it goes tough and chewy. Do a small amount of meat at a time so that the oil stays hot. When cooked, transfer to a dish, and do the next batch. Add more oil if required. Three or four small batches should do the job.
8. Finally, pour the reserved marinade into the wok, and bring to the boil. The heat can be turned down. Simmer for several minutes, or until reduced by half. This may be poured over the meat, or kept as a sauce for vegetables.
9. To accompany the meat, cook up a vegetable stir fry – carrots, chinese greens, beans, ginger, garlic, zucchini etc go very well. Just a splash of soy sauce at the end to give some savour and zest is all the flavouring required. And of course some steamed rice completes the meal.

It is a simple and delicious meal, easily prepared, with a lot of good things going for it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Blessed Be

Robyn :)

My first wife’s ex was Vietnamese. They were involved in a bitter custody dispute, which involved a bit of sorcery of the oriental type, some of which came my way. No lasting damage, but scary at the time. One time I was pinned to the ground in a dream, and my nose pinched closed so that I couldn’t breathe. I woke up very distressed – fairly leapt out of bed, waiving my etheric sword about and jumping around the room! Took me a good half an hour to settle down. Anyway, folks might be interested in the following thoughts that have come out of that and other experiences over the years.

Many people who involve themselves in witchcraft, sorcery, or psychic pursuits seem to, at one stage or another of their journey, believe themselves to be the victims of some kind of psychic attack, particularly if something freaks them out. Most of the time, I believe that it is just not the case. If you belong to a coven, group or brotherhood, and have a more experienced magical mentor, talk to them without delay! Here is a checklist for working through if you believe yourself to be under some kind of psychic attack.

(1)Are you drinking alcohol regularly or excessively, or smoking pot, or taking other psychoactive recreational drugs?
If yes, there is a good chance that substances are affecting your judgement and awareness. Desist for a period of one month and review situation. Most times a straighter frame of mind will reveal that there was no psychic attack at all. Even if the attack is real, avoiding all substance use will make you less vulnerable.
(2)Are you receiving prescribed medication for depression, anxiety, or other mental or emotional condition?
If yes, note that some medications may have a side effect of paranoia or delusions in some people. Discuss with your prescriber about changing your medication, reducing your medication, or weaning off your medication.
(3)Are you under stress, or feeling anxiety about work, a relationship, or other life situations?
If yes, you may be feeling hyper-sensitive. It may be attractive to blame someone else for your troubles. Take steps to squarely deal with the situations that face you. Talk to friends. Get professional counselling to support your efforts to take the bull by the horns.
(4)Do you feel that you are constantly under psychic attack from various different people and/or groups?
If yes, you are either a royal arsehole, have a penchant for pissing people off, or (most likely) you need to get some professional help to deal with your delusional thinking.

If you have answered no to the above four questions, and are otherwise healthy, sane and balanced, you may well be the victim of a psychic attack. If so continue the checklist by asking
(5)Who/or what is trying to attack me psychicly?
Is there someone you have really pissed off? Perhaps by ripping off a large amount of money, but most likely by sleeping with their partner or ex-partner, or by leaving a relationship, or through a custody dispute, business dispute, etc. If so, it is possible they are angry and vengeful enough to be bothered attacking you psychicly. If so, do they have the skills? If yes on both counts, maybe you are indeed being psychicly attacked, and need to do something about it.

Most people, unless they are practiced witches/sorcerers, do not have the skills to mount an effective psychic attack. God botherers may on occasion subject you to prayer sessions. And ordinary people can project a lot of negativity, usually without realising it, but neither of these are bothersome unless you make yourself vulnerable by believing they can affect you. A shield of energy/white light/etc is more than adequate – this is the mantle of the Lady for those who cultivate Her presence.

When dealing with focussed attacks by magical practitioners, the simple truth is that any attack on you requires the attacker to make themselves vulnerable. This is because any attack requires their attention to be placed on you. Anyone with a modicum of training and awareness can sense the attention, and follow it back to its source. So any attack provides an opening in the attackers defences.

The best defence against any psychic attack is to withdraw all attention from the supposed attacker, as your attention provides a psychic link which the attacker can use. If there are photos of the “attacker” in your house, take them off display. Remove any objects which remind you of the supposed attacker, etc, as these will pull your attention towards the attacker, and so open a connection. If you find yourself thinking about them, immediately start thinking about something else, for example a protective deity.

What can a psychic attack actually do? Mostly, it can just influence your state of mind. It succeeds if you become fearful, or believe that you are being harmed, or may be harmed. It is really no different to bullying, by any other method, wearing you down into a state of no confidence and a loss of faith in your own abilities.

Most psychic attacks are only as effective as one allows them to be – as it is one’s own vulnerabilities that first surface in a psychic attack. So if you have an episode of being psychicly attacked, the first thing to do is to give thanks for the opportunity to deal with your vulnerabilities. Without such a vulnerability, there is little that can be done against you. Also it is a great learning opportunity to deal with a psychic attack. Mostly you learn what your insecurities are, and how to overcome them! There are some paths that believe in pitting trainees against an adversary in order to test them out and toughen them up. However I find this a bit on the uncivilised side, and think that there are better uses of people’s time and energy.

So if you are being psychicly attacked, there will be a reason – you’ve upset someone with the ability to do such a thing. The best course of action is to withdraw all attention from said attacker, and make your aura impervious to their attention, by whatever visualisations/energy work is your predilection. Refrain from drugs and alcohol. Get plenty of good sleep. Close up your aura on going to bed. Remain alert and aware for any foreign energy impinging on your auric field. Most importantly, place your attention on a higher plane of vibration by whatever means you are accustomed to. Some believe in hitting back. However in hitting back, you also make yourself vulnerable, as you must place your attention on your attacker to do it! Make a considered judgement about whether you can get away with it first!

The rule of three fold return is an interesting one. I believe there is a return of energy – whether tit for tat, or threefold it doesn’t matter. Since I believe in a threefold return for misuse of power, I do aim to see that it happens when misuse is directed towards me. However I believe we are all connected within the body of Herself, so that being hurtful to someone else is damaging to Herself – not withstanding the need to defend oneself (psychicly or physically) from others who hold to a more individualistic viewpoint. So I often allow people’s negativity to dissipate harmlessly, rather than bouncing it back, especially if they are unaware that they are projecting it, as people often are these days.

While not doubting there are some individuals around who like the excitement of psychic duelling, the old saying applies – those who live by the sword, die by the sword. Better, in my view, to spend one’s energies creating a world in which all people can realise their full potential without the need for dealing with pointless conflict.

Blessed Be,
Rob

Australia, and in particular Sydney, has just survived the visit of the catholic pontiff. One of the most interesting issues surrounding the visit, in my opinion, were the calls for a pontifical apology for the many cases of sexual abuse perpetrated by catholic clergy. Having had a catholic upbringing, and attending a catholic boys college, this issue has something of a personal relevance. Although I was not personally subject to any sexual abuse, and had no first hand knowledge of any at the time, it was common knowledge in the playground that there were certain members of the teaching staff, not all of them priests or brothers, either, whom one had to be very vigilant around. Indeed, a common playground cry in those days was “Bums to the wall, bums to the wall!”, whenever one of these questionable characters strolled by, thus informing the perpetrator that their activities were public knowledge, at least amongst the students. Adults, however, teachers, clergy and parents, found these cries disrespectful taunts, and treated them as something to be punished, rather than as the warning signals which they obviously were. Perhaps there were also innocent teachers who suffered these taunts. However it seems clear now that underneath this smoke, was a deadly fire, damaging and burning many lives.

When I think about this, and why the warning signals were ignored, I come to the conclusion that our society treats children with contempt and mistrust. The initial assumption is that they are lying, being nasty, or otherwise acting mischievously. Somehow, children, our society seems to assume, are naturally inclined to being naughty, and it is only through discipline, and in those days, corporeal punishment, that the evil is driven out of them.

The origins of this child-hating attitude lies, I believe, in the very doctrines of Christianity itself. The doctrine of original sin teaches that we are all tainted, at birth, with the sinfulness shown by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Baptism, is supposed to wash away the taint of original sin, but it is, apparently, ineffective, if the attitude of the teacher-clerics is anything to go by. This belief in the intrinsic evil of children caused the clergy, in my school days, to be great believers in the discipline of corporeal punishment. They took delight in the strap, the cane, and six of the best.

Even today, we have adherents of this view spouting their nonsense in public. Recently the leader of the state opposition in Queensland, was defending the right of parents to smack their children, saying he was smacked as a child, and it made him a better person – seemingly unaware of the irony of his remarks. Having been raised in a culture of physical and corporal punishment, I regard physical discipline and smacking of children as child abuse. It breaks my heart to see parents smacking their two year olds with repeated slaps. “Stop that, or I’ll give you something to cry about”.

I am a great believer in establishing clear boundaries, and consequences for anti-social behaviour. Establishing in children the consciousness of interacting positively with others, and the need to respect other people emotionally, physically and spiritually is, or should be, one of the principal jobs of parenting. Personally, I feel no need to resort to physical coercion, intimidation or violence to achieve this end.

Indeed, I believe that attempting to teach respect, love and consideration through beatings and physical intimidation is misguided in the extreme. Most often, it results in people who become hardened to their own suffering, and that of others, and all too often, people without scruples about using intimidation and the threat of violence to get their own way in adulthood.

But it goes deeper than simply the doctrine of original sin. There is also the question of sexual innocence and celibacy. As I discuss in my book the Great Work, the concept of celibacy is based on the idea that divinity and sexuality do not mix, and that to be pure, and a suitable emulator of Jesus Christ, one must refrain from any sexual expression, not only in action, but also in thought and imagination. The reason this is thought to be so is that creation is conceptualised as balanced between the ultimate good (God) and the ultimate evil (the Devil). Any union of opposites is mapped onto this basic paradigm, with one side of the coin acquiring a gloss of goodness, and the other acquiring a sinister gloss.

Thus the inevitable conclusions are reached: day is good, night is of the devil, man is good, woman is of the devil, humanity is good, nature is of the devil, reason and rational thought are good, emotion, intuition and instinct are of the devil, activity and progress is good, rest (idleness) is of the devil. These days, our society is not quite so stark and medieval in its outlook, but underneath our so-called modernity and rejection of superstition, lies the very same basic worldview as medieval Christianity. Even in the cartoons, the goodies battle the baddies, re-enforcing the view that the world is driven by the endless battle between good and evil.

This viewpoint, in my opinion, is a destructive and unhelpful one for this period in history, and needless to say, out of step with the viewpoint that underpins many pagan philosophies. The pagan viewpoint that I espouse sees the universe as the creation of equal and complimentary principles: the generative and nurturing (female) archetype, and the inseminating and activating (male) archetype. With this worldview, sexual congress is seen as a resonance with the divine creative process that gives rise to the world. Sexuality, thus has the potential to unite one with one’s divine nature. In the Christian based worldview, sexual congress is seen as a flirtation with the devil, or the lusts of the flesh, something that separates one from one’s divine nature.

Now human beings have evolved to have and enjoy sexual activity. They are blessed with emotional and hormonal drives and desires to seek out sexual partners, and to couple with them. The pagan viewpoint of my path is to honour this aspect of our nature, and to seek to intensify the resonance with the archetypal forces of Divinity. This has the potential to transform the self and one’s relationships, by harnessing and expressing the creative power of the universe in concentrated form. However, indiscriminate and unconscious pursuit of these drives can and does bring pain and heartbreak. Therefore recognising the powerful nature of sexuality, an ethical dimension ought to surround sexual expression – based on mutual consent freely given.

In our society, we have established guidelines for when mutual consent can be freely given, and these guidelines involve the age of the parties, and whether there is any relationship of power or responsibility, or use of any physical, emotional or other form of coercive pressure.

In the Christian clergy, we find people who have, more than most, taken to heart the worldview of Good versus Evil, and where sexual expression is definitely on the Evil side. Clergy are only human, and left to their own devices have just as many sexual thoughts and urges as anyone else. However these thoughts are a source of guilt for such people, as they have bought into a worldview where such natural inclinations and thoughts are seen as the temptations of the devil, and a sign of evil working in their lives.

They may well begin to see themselves as corrupt, guilty, and undeserving. Perhaps they see their young charges as innocent and happy, and desiring this same innocence themselves, an innocence which they have constructed as lost, they wish to possess it again, by sexually possessing these (in their minds) objects of innocence.

In any case, normal modes of sexual expression are denied them. They are in a position of trust and authority. Sexual possession of the innocent may allow them a perverse return to their own sexual innocence – temporarily at least. For of course given the world view they adopt, they must be conscious that their actions are “of the devil”. This leads to greater guilt, and a greater need for redemption, and a greater attraction to childhood innocence. In short, a vicious cycle of sexual predation on the young.

While the Christian religion in particular, and our society in general, sees the world as balanced between Good and Evil, and caught in the everlasting battle between God and the Devil, there will be no let up in the line of abused children.

And it is not just the priests. We are an entire society lusting after the innocence of youth, and at the same time rushing to corrupt and take advantage of youthful innocence to turn a dollar, in marketing, sales to children, TVs, movies, toys, music and so on. However attempting to fulfil this drive to recover our innocence by purchasing the appearance of innocent childhood, will provide no more than temporary relief.

To really reclaim our innocence is to reclaim the sacred nature of sexuality, and the sacred nature of creation, and to erase the brainwashing that says that the union of male and female in sexual congress is evil, and to erase the brainwashing that says that the union of a male and female divinity is blasphemous. It is not blasphemy. It is the beauty of creation, seen through innocent eyes. The reclamation of sexual innocence is not easy, as it requires, for most of us, a fundamental change in world view. Such changes require effort and commitment. However, for the practicing pagan, such a change sneaks up on one. The God and Goddess become real, and their union more than a metaphor. The recreation of the world occurs within the crucible of ritual, every time the Sacred Marriage of God and Goddess is ritually enacted. In time, one looks out upon the world and sees in every process and circumstance the sacred wheel of becoming – the interaction of the fertilising and generative principles, producing their offspring, and continuing on the cycle of life. There is no place for guilt or shame about sexuality itself, and no drive to recover sexual innocence – which in extreme form is, I believe, one of the drivers of child sexual abuse in our society, especially by clergy.

I don’t imagine that changing world views will remove all sexual exploitation. Nor do I believe that the pagan community is itself free from this scourge. There will still be selfish people who think more of satisfying their own desires than about the effect they might be having on others. But I hope that an airing of these issues will help in understanding how to overcome and reduce the sexual exploitation of children in our society.

BB,

Robyn

Well, I fnally bit the bullet, and went along to the Chinese herbalist. As regular readers will know, I have long suffered from various annoying ailments such as irritable bowel syndrome, mouth ulcers and melancholy. Part of my particular affliction was the feeling that, as a witch, I ought to be able to solve such problems myself, based on my own inner resources, and using my own knowledge. However, I came to the conclusion that this is really placing an absurb expectation on myself, especially when the Lord and Lady provide many skilled and knowledgeable people all arround me, just waiting eagerly for the chance to help, and put their years of training into practice.

Also I had been noticing that I was getting short tempered, to add to the list of woes – something that I have never been bothered by before – always priding myself on a great storehouse of patience and tolerance. So I decided to visit a Chinese herbalist for a consultation. Over the years I have tried many different kinds of alternative practitioners, mainly western herbalists, naturopaths, and Chinese medicine practitioners. I have always had most success with the Chinese medicine approach. I think part of the reason is that traditional Chinese medicine preserves its traditional diagnostic and prescribing framework, based on energy, chi, and the observable signs and symptoms – something that western herbalists and naturopaths have largely lost, in my opinion, under the pressure to become acceptable to the medical establishment.

Anyway, after a very long history taking, I hopped on the table and made like a hedghog for twenty minutes, and left with some vitamins, herbs, and a feeling of renewed hope and energy. It was quite an expensive couple of hours, (grumble grumble) but good things cost money, and this was definitely worth it. I feel much more energetic and balanced this morning! Of course it is not over with just one treatment. I will be back in a month to get another batch of herbs!

Oh, and the diagnosis? I have stagnant liver chi. A classic pattern apparently, and one whose correction is well understood in Chinese medicine. It may well turn out that I have suffered needlessly for many years! But life seems to be like that. Perhaps suffering, often self-inflicted, though one’s own pride, arrogance or timidity, serves to make us open to the gifts that life has to offer. Of course if we could open to those gifts sooner, the suffering wouldn’t be needed to wear down our defences against the gifts of the Goddess.

Well that is my story for today,

Blessed Be,

Robyn.

One of the most important tasks, I believe, for any person, is to do something each day that nourishes the soul. One’s soul is rather like a neglected child for most of us. Concern for it rates quite a way down the ladder, after things such as money, sex, food, social position, and the many day to day concerns and occupations of life. Some people have even forgotten that they have a soul, and give it no thought at all.

The result is a life that is shallow and unsatisfying on a deep level. Victories, and achievements satisfy for a day or two, only to pale into a sense of vague disquiet. There is the feeling that there must be something more than this.

By the same token, life is no more or less than what we make of it. The pity of it is that many feel driven to make of their lives an arena in which the soul plays no part.

But what exactly is the soul, and how does one nourish it? The soul may be described as the deepest part of a person’s being, that part which is most intimately connected to the collective divinity of life. The soul means to some the spiritual part of a person’s being, which lasts eternally, and takes form within a physical body. There is the idea here of conflict between the soul, which is of spirit, and the needs and requirements of living in the material world, within a material body, an idea related to the philosophical dualism of the christian religion – which has been the subject of a previous post.

From my point of view, the struggle for Soul Expression is a battle not between good and evil, but rather part of the dynamic of spiritual growth. I myself believe that the soul is one’s true self, the spiritual core that transcends any particular life, and the part of one which seeks to drive one’s life and being in the most positive direction.

What does it mean to nourish the soul? The soul desires to be made manifest in one’s life. It desires to create a vehicle for its own experience, an experience of love, joy, and creativity. It desires to grow in wisdom and understanding. Thus it may desire experiences of sickness, death, conflict and misery in order to experience its own inner strength, and develop the ability to rise above such circumstances. However much misery in the world occurs, not through the action of soul expression, but through the lack of soul expression.

A person’s soul loves to express its joy and love and merriment with life. But more than this, a person’s soul has a guiding purpose, a reason for existence. Unless this reason for existence is comprehended, and acted upon, the soul pines and withdraws. This guiding purpose is different for each person, and each incarnation. It represents one’s most important life lesson. Usually people have a mistaken idea of their soul purpose. They adopt the aspirations and goals sanctioned by society, parents or peers, and shut off the messages from soul, in order to fulfil these non-soulful aspirations. In the long run, the achievement of these aspirations provides no lasting fulfilment. I have discussed this in more detail previously.

So how does one nourish one’s soul? Without doubt, the single most important thing is to simply intend to do so. Most people, deep in their heart of hearts, have an idea of what their soul yearns for. Whether it is singing, dancing, writing, gardening, healing, providing a fair business service, cooking, pursuing some scholarly subject, carpentry or what ever. However the yearning of soul is always a yearning to service. The dimension of service to others, or to life itself, is a hallmark of any soul purpose. Howeve it is unfashionable these days to see onself as in service to life, and so few have room in their lives for their own soul purpose. Consequently unhappiness stalks them like a shadow.

So take the time today to enquire into your soul purpose. It will emerge in the stillness of self which is produced by meditation, or by a walk in a beautiful natural landscape, or by listening to uplifting music, or whatever way you can contrive to still the incessant clamouring for attention of the rational mind.

In many old wisdom tales, including those of the Celtic world, there is the idea of the light and dark twins – two brothers who battle for supremacy in the natural world, and by implication in the life of each person. One resonance with this ancient mythological motif is that the dark twin is the aggressive and in-your face one, that incessantly demands attention, and whose actions are marked by selfishness. This is the rational mind in control of the life force and energy. It feels itself the centre of the universe, and the most important being of the universe. It is Mordred in the tales of King Arthur. All of us, without exception, have this aspect within us. In fact, it is what most of us take for ourselves, until shown otherwise through magical development or spiritual training. The other aspect is the light twin. This is the soul self, who exists to serve the Greater Good. This is Arthur himself, who overlooks the petty foibles and treacheries of his companions in pursuit of the Greater Good. The soul self, as does Arthur, often suffers a fatal wound from the dark twin, and is taken back to the other world to recuperate under the care of the Goddess. However the soul self is never defeated, and will return in due course, to complete its cycle of evolution and growth, and to solve the conundrum of how it may serve.

The choice of how one lives one’s life is a personal one. For me, it comes down to making the noble choice, to follow the calling of the soul, in spite of the many set backs and hardships that this necessarily entails, in a world geared up to repudiate the spiritual sensibility. I invite you also to make the noble choice! Start today, by finding a way to nourish your soul self.

Blessed Be,

Robyn