Sulum Factum Magus

In a time of trouble or sorrow, to invoke the healing and/or protection of the Lady Brighid try the following:

Light a candle (Beeswax best), and place it on your altar (in the
east is best), along with image or icon (if available).

Prepare yourself and create space as you normally would, then say the
following with appropriate visualisation:

“Lady Brighid, thy healing flame in my belly, thy transforming flame
in my heart, thy inspiring flame at my brow.”

“Lady Brighid, thy mantle arround me, thy strength within me, thy
blessing upon me”

“Moon crowned Brighid of the undying flame, as spring follows winter,
so in me”

Visualize whatever you wish to be done with being placed into the
Lady’s flame to be transformed positively. These can be either
external circumstances or your own negative qualities.

This should be done every morning (dawn is best!) until the situation
is resolved, at which time give an offering of thanks to the Lady.

The candle should never be blown out, always extinguished with
moistened thumb and finger, or with candle snuffer. The candle should
be new at the beginning, and not used for any other purpose except
for lighting when invoking the protection and blessing of the Lady
Brighid.

If circumstances do not permit you to light a candle, then visualise
the entire sequence!

In Her service,

Robyn

Another of the Deities that I work with is Lady Brighid, a Celtic Goddess of great antiquity, whose practices and lore passed into Irish Catholicism, and who is a much loved Goddess of many modern pagans, epecially those with connections to things Celtic. She is of course the Lady of the blessed flame, and the holy well. The flame is regarded in the system of magic which I follow to be expressed in triple form, as the flame in the belly, the flame in the heart, and the flame in the brow.

The flame in the belly is the flame of health and vitality. A strong flame in the belly gives one the power to digest food and absorb nutrients. In the olden days, the process of digestion was seen by some as “cooking” the food by the stomach. Today, in Chinese medicine and naturopathy, cooked food is regarded as easier to assimilate than raw food. You may have noticed when laughing a jolly belly laugh, that heat is generated in the lower abdomen around the naval area. This is also the flame in the belly, the energy of mirth and merriment, which is healing and restorative in so many ways. In Shiatsu, Japanes finger pressure massage, the hara, the region around the naval, is considered to be the key to healing transformation, and the energy is felt as heat moving in this region. In Tai Chi, and Chi Gung, the life energy is cultivated in the lower abdomen, at a point just below the naval, called the tien ten. In our own Australian English vernacular, people speak of the fire-in-the-belly possessed by certain go-getters who live with energy and passion, and who won’t countenance defeat or set-back. Behind these different expressions is an energetic secret of health and longevity, which I regard as the cultivation of the first of the three flames of Brighid.

This is the place to begin with cultivating the flame, as health and humour are the foundations upon which all else must build.

The flame in the heart is a symbol of western mysticism that goes back many years, perhaps most conspicuous as the symbol of the sacred heart of Jesus in the Catholic religion, which is depicted as a heart merged with a candle flame. While I don’t myself work specifically with the sacred heart of Jesus, as a pagan, the symbol is not out of place as Brighid is regarded in Ireland as the foster mother of Jesus. However the symbol of the flame in the heart transcends the Christian religion. In the system which I follow, it represents the flame of alchemical transformation. Just as the flame applied to the alchemical vessel results in transformation and change, hopefully in a positive direction towards the philosopher’s stone, so does the application of love to any situation result in positive transformation and change towards enlightenment.

But the flame in the heart is more than just a metaphor. It is an effective transformative symbol, a switch, which can be applied through visualisation, in order to bring love into a situation. The visualisation is the flame burning in the heart. The feeling is the opening of the heart chakra. The effect is the creation of loving energy which emerges into the energy field of the interaction, and which transforms negative energy in that same energy field. The effect is subtle, but powerful. It should be noted that the potential exists to misuse such loving energy in order to manipulate people. Needless to say, operating in this way is unethical, and will sooner or later re-bound upon the practitioner.

The fire in the brow represents the energy of creativity, and direct connection with divine creative energy. It is expressed through extemporisation in music and poetry, in which the greater consciousness has its opportunity to manifest its expression through the poet or musician, artist or writer. It is also associated with seeing through the inner window, or opening of the third eye. A basic technique in Yoga is to visualize a candle flame, while holding the attention lightly on the brow chakra. In druidic lore, the Awen is the stream of divine inspiration which moves the poet.

The three flames of Brighid are both a symbol of the threefold way of wisdom – a healthy body, a healthy heart, and a healthy mind, and an energetic presence that one can work with esoterically. In these days, in which individualism is taken as a matter of course, it is easy to forget that we are part of something greater than ourselves. The flame of Brighid is both a symbolic reminder and an esoteric technique for linking with and experiencing ourselves as part of a greater existence.

All who work with the healing energy of Brighid are linked by the matrix of the Goddess as she transmits and transmutes the healing energy. To meditate upon the flame of the heart is to invite an opening into the oneness of love. To work with the fire of the brow, the flow of the Divine inspiration, is to transmit and mediate the creative conscious expression of the spirit realms. In each case, these practices and experiences transcend the everyday conscious mind, and one becomes a part of something greater and all-embracing.

The up-side of such experiences is plain. These transcendental experiences are generally a peak experience for people, in which feelings of happiness and upliftment replace the habitual modes of being, and in which the usual mind chatter focussed on the efforts of the rational conscious identity to confirm its own existence, is swept aside by an experience of being that is deeper, wider, and more mysterious.

The down-side of these experiences is often over-looked. To taste the nectar of the Gods makes other food taste like cardboard. Things that ordinarily one would enjoy and find satisfying may pale by comparison into empty and hollow experiences. Activities where the individual rational consciousness is running the show seem to be devoid of the luminous depth and intensity of transcendental contact. One pines for these experiences once one has had the taste of them, yet mysteriously, or frustratingly, life seems to require one to put them aside – in order to carry out one’s mundane duties.

Thus commences the dark night of the soul. The knowledge of the darkness of one’s life is manifest, where perhaps it wasn’t before. With an experience of light, comes a knowledge of darkness. Living in this darkness is almost unbearable, when one has yet to find a way to structure one’s life around regular transcendental experience. The problem with our current society, is that there are so few ways in which transcendental experience can be expressed or encouraged on a regular daily basis. When people are working 50 and 60 hours a week, commuting a couple of hours a day, and doing their best to raise a family in the time that’s left, there is precious little time available for the cultivation of the transcendental connection. Yet once tasted, this transcendental contact is a necessity of life.

Perhaps one answer is to find a way to have that transcendental connection within one’s normal activities. This is not easy, but is the way of Zen – chopping wood, carrying water, with mindfulness. The problem for many people is that many of us are having to spend our day concentrating, focussing, thinking, planning, decision-making, and other forms of intellectual and rational activity – activities that require us to be in the seat of rational self-identity. With this necessity, the transcendental experience recedes. But perhaps there is a way to incorporate the transcendental awareness into these kinds of activities. The flame of Brighid need not be extinguished, but may burn steadily throughout each day – it is just a matter of holding an awareness of the flame, lightly in the background. In this way an element of numinous awareness may be present in the most mundane of activities.

For more information on the Lady Brighid, see the Ord Brighideach website.

Blessed Be

Rob

One of the deities that I work with is the Lady Arianerhod. She appears in the Welsh tales of the Mabinogion, where she plays the part of an independent noble woman, who lays a Geas on her son, that he won’t have a name until she herself gives it to him, nor will he have arms till she herself gives them to him, nor will he have a mortal wife. A geas is a bit like a curse, but is not necessarily a bad thing. More like a fateful obligation or necessary observance to keep the favour of the Gods. In some ways, a geas is also like a prophecy, as the geas usually indicates that some disaster will befall when the geas is broken. A Geas is typically pronounced at birth, or some other important occasion by a druid or sorceress.

Arianerhod’s son is being brought up by his uncle. In my reading of the story it represents at one level the historical struggle between the patriarchal new order and the matriarchal old order, with the crafty Gwydion, the main character in the story, outwitting his Sister Arianerhod, representing the old matriarchal order. In this reading, Arianerhod appears (from Gwydion’s point of view) as ungracious and ill-wishing, thinking first and foremost of her own social standing in stead of the child’s welfare. However digging a little deeper, we may see on a personal level that Gwydion wants to hurry the natural order and processes of growth, and in his haste and pride deprives the Goddess of her rightful influence in the development of the child, and later young man. The consequence is tragic. Thus the story may be read as a warning against human pride and hubris that seeks to outwit fate, or the Gods.

In any case, we can use this story as a signpost to the qualities and attributes of the Goddess, even though in the story, those attributes are given a negative expression by Gwydion. For example, when first Gwydion and the boy encounter the Lady Arianerhod, she doesn’t recognise the boy as her own. When Gwydion insists that she is his mother, she declares that he will never get a name until she herself gives it to him.

While Gwydion interprets this as a denial, it is no more than Arianerhod’s insistence on her right to name the boy – in her own time, a right that both Gwydion and Arianerhod accept without question. So rather than naming the boy himself, Gwydion asserts his power and independence by resorting to trickery to extract a name out of the Goddess. He and the boy visit her keep in the guise of shoe makers. By a series of ruses, Gwydion causes Arianerhod to board their boat. There she sees the boy shoot a wren, so that the arrow pierces between the sinew and the bone of the leg. The shooting of the wren is a symbol of divine kingship, associated with yearly battle between the dark and bright lords, an association further underlined by the wound being to the leg, a symbol also associated with Kingship. Indeed, the resonance here is with the wounded king, and this is a clue that the boy is destined to become the wounded king, around which develops the wasteland. Arianerhod remarks that the boy is possessed of a skilful hand, and this becomes his name, Llew Law Gyffes. Arianerhod is annoyed by the deception, and angrily pronounces a Geas that he shall have no arms, until she herself grants them to him.

The story, as recorded from Gwydion’s point of view, appears to be the story of a proud and curmudgeonly women who refuses to acknowledge her offspring, and Gwydion’s attempts to outwit her. However we may equally read it as the story of a proud and treacherous man who refuses to acknowledge the prerogative of the Goddess, and tries to rush the natural order of things through his trickery and devices, thinking he knows better than the Goddess. The angry Goddess, on a superficial reading appears to curse the newly named boy, however, on a deeper reading she is but asserting her prerogative once again. In spite of having been tricked out of her rightful name-giving, she now asserts her right of arms-giving, or presiding over the boys coming of age.

Once again, we are invited to interpret this, with Gwydion, as a curse by the Lady, with the expected outcome that no arms will be granted. But if this was the intended effect, why not deliver the curse directly? A similar episode follows, where Gwydion and Llew Law Gyffes go disguised to Arianerhod’s castle, and Gwydion conjures a fleet of invaders to appear in the harbour. Gwydion and Llew Law Gyffes promise to help defend the castle, and to do so, Arianerhod provides them both with arms. At this point the enchantment is lifted, and Gwydion declares that the boy has been armed, in spite of Arianerhod’s ill disposition towards him.

Arianerhod is furious. In the story, we are invited to suppose it is because she wished the boy to remain un-armed. However another possible reading is that she is furious because the arms were given inappropriately, without due ceremony, and therefore the occasion has been robbed of its numinous potential for conferring both power and wisdom, and deepening the connection with the spiritual source. The power of wielding arms, the personal power associated with personal combat, was once, at least in the old tales, taught by sorceress/priestesses, and the arms giving was an initiation into personal power. By tricking Arianerhod into giving arms, Gwydion actually robbed Llew Law Gyffes of this experience, which is not valued by the emerging patriarchal order. The story is one in which the role of the numinous, and the Goddess, is devalued, and replaced by man’s hubris, pride, and confidence in his own power and abilities.

In her anger, Arianerhod, pronounces that the boy shall now never have a women from the races who now inhabit the world, for a wife. In the story, we are invited to read this as an angry curse by a vindictive women. However a deeper reading is possible. Rather than a curse, it is a lament. It acknowledges that in bypassing his initiation at the hands of the matriarchy, hence foregoing his connection with the numinous, but claiming his adult role regardless, he is not a fit husband for any women. Women will see and know his shallowness, his hollowness, and turn him down. He is a man of violence and force, untamed and un-mastered by feminine guidance, and so can’t be trusted.

In spite of this final Geas, Gwydion and his Uncle contrive to create a wife, Bloduwedd, for Llew Law Gyffes by the enchantment of spring flowers – oak blossoms, broom, and meadowsweet. This however turns to tragedy, as we will see. Reading more deeply, we see a symmetry in this part of the story. As Bloduwedd is a contrived women, so also is Llew Law Gyffes a contrived man – both taking their form, in different ways, from the contrivances of Gwydion. Just as the wren was a mirror showing Llew Law Gyffe’s destiny, Bloduwedd is also a mirror for Llew Law Gyffes. As both are contrived, the match between these two beings is doomed to failure. Neither has the skill or maturity to allow love to flower. While Llew Law is away at the masculine court, occupying his mind with manly affairs unbalanced by the numinous, his beautiful wife is left at home, untended, and uncared for. She has an affair with a noble who ventures passed on a stag hunt. Once again, we have a resonance with Llew Law Gyffes, as the Stag represents the sacred King, and to kill him is to take his place. Thus the killing of the stag resonates with the illicit love that follows, and the plot to kill Llew Law Gyffes himself. Through trickery, Bloduwedd discovers how Llew may be killed, and passes the information on to her lover, who carries it out. Llew, grievously wounded, flies off as an eagle, and is discovered by Gwydion, roosting in a tree, where rotting flesh drops away from him, and is being eaten by a sow.

The sow is symbolic of the Goddess, and we may read this as the initiation of the Goddess – the dead flesh dripping away being the pride, arrogance and hubris which is devoured by the Sow, the Goddess, in this devouring form. Thus the initiation into the numinous that was ignored in Llew’s boy hood and youth, cannot be over-looked forever. It is a necessary transformation. In the end, the bitter circumstances of life will contrive to bring him to a numinous understanding of himself, or he will find death and/or despair.

Bloduwedd is banished to become an owl, a creature of the night, to be picked upon by the other birds.

So we can read this story in the Mabinogion as a tale that warns against the pride and hubris that causes men to usurp the rights and perogatives of the Goddess, and the old ways. It shows the consequence of such hubris – failed relationships, war, and bloodshed. And it is a pointer to the role of the Lady Arianerhod – as name giver, arms giver, and initiator. Three initiations are mentioned specifically – the giving of a name, the giving of arms, and the taking of a wife. A fourth initiation, that of bitter circumstances is a result of arrogantly refusing the first three. The Goddess cannot be refused. She is the mentor, the judge, she who bears the gift of contact with the numinous feminine. These pointers show how we may work with the Lady Arianerhod today. She may help with the seeking of the true name. She will mentor someone in the bearing of arms for a just cause. She will provide guidance in the conduct of love relationships, which respect the individuality and personal integrity of each party. She is concerned with coming of age ceremonies and life transitions, and may be invoked for her help in these matters. She may preside over such ceremonies, and provide the means for numinous contact with the true self.

While the story in the Mabinogion revolves the central character of Llew Law Gyffes, it provides a skeleton for contemplating on the spiritual journey, and the ever present danger of thinking that we know better than the Goddess. To put it in more psycho-spriritual terms, The rationo-centric sense of self, believing itself superior to the numinous collective consciousness, repudiates the role of the greater organism in the nurturing of the child of promise. Instead, it seeks to assert its own cleverness, its own agenda, forgetting that it is a servant of the whole. However this results in a person who is cut off from the numinous, the greater organism, and the best part of themselves. Their relationships and whatever they manifest must suffer. The wasteland grows around them. They trust the wrong people. They may suffer and be betrayed, or betray others. If they are to rise to their destiny, then life must intervene to bring them back in touch with the numinous – often this is through bitter circumstances which may as likely bring someone to personal and psychological ruin.

In the end, the rationcentric and the greater sense of the numinous must work together in a balance and harmony. Just as reason alone is barren, intuition can’t work in a vacuum. Both are needed in order to be whole. The balance of the individual and the greater consciousness. This is my reading of the tale, and I trust that it will make your reading deeper and more reqarding – though I don’t expect that all will agree with me! Whether it’s the intention of the original authors, I cannot say – however what we make of the story today is as important for us as what was originally meant. In the end, there is a sacred marriage here as well. The authors of antiquity have created a matrix, into which we project our our meaning, guided, however, by the symbols and narrative that have come down to us, and our own touch of the numinous.

The story of Math, son of Mathonwy, which contains the tale of Gwdion, Arianerhod, and Llew Law Gyffes, is one of the four branches of the Mabinogi. Links to online texts are available from the wikipedia entry.

One of the recurring themes of the Western tradition is the concept of the Demon. In the Christian church, particularly the Catholic church, demons are seen as ethereal creatures of evil, as fallen angels and members of the Devil’s legions, whose task is to lure the unwary into sin, and hence the loss of their soul. Demons are thought to be dark, fearsome, ugly, often with horns and cloven hoofs, and regarded as taking pleasure in tempting the pure into sin, or otherwise making mischief, causing ill-will, or creating problems and difficulties for people. Demons, in the Catholic world-view, are opposed to Angels, who are seen as universally good, who act always in the best interests of any person they are in touch with, who are beings of light and love, and who dwell in the heavenly regions in contact with the supreme deity. They exist to do the will of the divine.

I was brought up with this Catholic world view, and saw no reason to question it for many years, especially as I regarded all such beings as illusory! However, when making a study of Tibetan Buddhism, I discovered that many fearsome deities and ethereal beings were recognised. Some of these seemed to me to resemble the western image of Demons, but were not regarded in Buddhism as purely maleficent beings at all, despite their fearsome appearance. In particular, certain beings were regarded as lords of karma, and regarded to act in a way that might seem quite demonic, concerning themselves with deaths, battles, revenge and so on. However, these beings, despite their appearance and power, are fulfilling a useful function in the scheme of things, and may be usefully contacted, for example, in cases of spiritual healing.

Such beings, in the western world, have been regarded as demons. Likewise, there is a certain class of ethereal being who is charged with the task of testing the character of the aspirant to the mysteries. Or rather, this is the result of interaction with such beings – whether this is their purpose or not, I do not presume to say. One such character, in my view, is the dark lord of the Wiccan mysteries, lord of the underworld, and master of death. He makes an appearance as the Green Knight in the story of Gawain and the Green Knight.

He offers to Gawain many temptations, of the flesh, of vanity, and of cowardice. Gawain comes through almost unscathed! Yet rather than tempting him to his downfall because this is his goal in which he takes evil pleasure, he does so as an initiatory experience into the fullness of spiritual manhood. The Christian religion has turned the Dark Lord into Satan, the prince of evil, in which an echo of his initiatory purpose remains in the comic book character of total evil.

The hermetic tradition, drawing on Jewish mysticism and esoteric teachings, has much lore on the various kinds of demons and how they may be compelled to serve the will of the magician. From the western Christian perspective, such activities are regarded as perilous to the soul, a flirtation with the devil who will always extract his price in the form of condemnation to hell for eternity. For many pagans brought up in a Catholic (or Christian) tradition, this basic mind set remains, even after many other accoutrements of the Christian world-view drop away, to be replaced by the more natural and organic viewpoints associated with the neo-pagan revival. I discuss some of these, such as the sacred marriage, and the universe as co-created through the interaction of archetypal complementary principals, the Great Mother, and the Great Father, in my book, the Great Work. However, I digress. There is for some people a fearfulness that remains in association with working with demons. This is associated with a fearfulness that it is somehow wrong to cause one’s desires to be fulfilled by magical means.

Now many, but not all, Wiccans, accept the working of magic as a matter of course, and this is often, but not always, directed at the fulfilment of one’s individual or collective desires. There is no need to fear that fulfilling one’s desires is somehow wrong, evil, or sinful, or will otherwise doom your soul to perdition. Of course one must consider the impact that fulfilling one’s desires will have on other people and the collective life of the planet as a whole. Thus the Wiccan Rede: “An it harm none, do what thou wilt”.

So before the working of any magic, one must consider the implications for oneself, one’s friends and associates, and even total strangers, and the planet as a whole. Part of this consideration ought to be connecting into the collective consciousness through intuitive or inspirational connections, to check that actions conform to the highest good of all, not just from an intellectual viewpoint, but as judged by the collective consciousness. This may be accomplished through contact with guides or Deities, or directly through contact with the sacred well or the sacred flame.

Getting back to Demons, there are a class of demons which are much like Genies in the tales of the Arabian Nights. That is, they are powerful ethereal beings, who may work with humans to grant their wishes, that is, to fulfil magical tasks. These demons, like the genies of tales, have no moral scruples, and will happily attempt to perform any task or fulfil any wish given to them. Thus they can be perilous to the practitioner who has not purged the desire for sexual conquests, revenge, or the infliction of petty hurts, as such wishes will be acted upon without scruple by such demons.

In the tales of the Arabian Nights, Genies seem to come out of a bottle or a lamp. That is, they are under the control of the practitioner, who calls them up to do his bidding, and then banishes them again to their bottle when the task is fulfilled. This represents the safe way to interact with such beings. They must be kept under control, and used for the purposes of the practitioner, which like any magical purpose, must be subjected to contemplation until it is clear that no harm will result, and the greater good is being served.

In the Hermetic tradition, there is much written in the mediaeval grimoires about how to call demons into manifestaton, and then banish them once their purpose is fulfilled. In my experience, these demons are attracted to people who exhibit magical power or psychic sensitivity, and will sooner or later present themselves to such people. When this occurs, they will try to tempt you to make use of them by promising to fulfil your desires, whether they be for sexual gratification, revenge, or wealth. However think carefully before making use of such beings. Remember the lesson of the genie. Make sure that you remain the master. And always think carefully about the instructions that you give them. For, without wisdom, they can be perilous. As a matter of psychic hygiene, such entities ought to be kept in a “bottle”, where they won’t bother others. If you have managed to attract one of these entities, you will have the magical skills to banish them to a suitable physical or astral receptacle. My advice would be to do so! Once so banished, the demon may be called out to perform specific tasks. However sparing use when the need arises should be the guide.

Blessed Be

Rob

Regular readers of these pages will know that I suffer from an irritable bowel, according to the medical profession. This seems to be compounded by a sensitivity to wheat and flour, and an underperforming ability to digest food! There was no help from the medical profession, apart from the advice to consume more fibre, and the reassurance that I wasn’t dying of some terrible bowel affliction! This itself was worth the cost of the doctor’s visit! Being of a witchy bent, I have always been interested in herbs, and how they may be used in supporting healing. Over the years I have investigated many different herbs, and tried quite a few of them to see whether they might do something for me. My latest fascination in the herbal world is with Angelica, partly because of the name, partly because it is a traditional witch’s herb, with a history of folk use in European countries, and partly because of its properties, which seemed to me to offer some prospect of alleviation of my intestinal dilemmas!

Angelica may be described as a stimulating tonic with carminative properties. The stimulating aspect refers to the ability to increase circulation and blood flow to the tissues, and generally increase the metabolism. Stimulants in herbal medicine are traditionally used short term to increase vitality in combating particular disease conditions, and to increase the effectiveness of other herbs. In the long term, they are contraindicated , as they can exhaust the body’s reserves, and lead to a collapse of health.

This tendency of a stimulant to exhaust, I thought would be balanced by Angelica’s tonic effect. A tonic in herbal medicine is a substance that, over the long term, builds and nourishes vitality. The carminative aspect refers to the influence on the digestive system, to dispel gas, mitigate griping and cramping, and to generally favour digestion.

Being a witchy type, of course, I needed to buy some of the dried root, tincture it in brandy, soak for three weeks, then decant into storage bottles, and to take combined with tinctures made similarly of burdock root, dandelion root and meadowsweet. The meadowsweet, by the way, I made as an alchemical tincture – the making of which I have described previously. Needless to say, the energy and consciousness that goes into the making of medicines is very important. However the preparations will work regardless!

As I have some experience with Chinese medicine from my days as a Shiatsu Practitioner, I tend to see the body in terms of yin and yang. After six weeks (with a one week break between two three week periods), I was able to conclude that Angelica adds a substantial Yang portion to the body. I noticed that my urine, which is typically clear and copious, became much more yellowish, scanty, and strong smelling. This is a sign of increased yang in the body (a good thing for me), or decreased yin (a bad thing for me!). So I decided to stop the angelica for a week or so. I found that the urine reverted to my normal clear copiousness in about a day.

This told me that the change was symptomatic rather than systemic. A systemic change should persist after the herb is discontinued, for weeks or months, or forever if you’re fortunate. The change is a response to a readjustment in the bodily system, under the gentle action of the herb. The system continues to operate in the readjusted way, even when the herb is removed. This is the desired form of herbal healing. A symptomatic change is a result of the action of the herb in the body. Once the herb is eliminated from the system, the symptomatic change disappears. This is useful for symptomatic relief, but does not produce, by itself, a true healing.

In my case, the appearance of the darker urine, the presence of yang in the body, was symptomatic. It was gone within 24 hours of ceasing the herb. However there was a more subtle effect that seems to have persisted. I found that after a week or so on Angelica (10 drops, 3 times a day) I was more energetic, more positive in outlook, and generally happier in disposition. My digestion was also better, and gut was less painful.

These effects, particularly on the disposition and outlook, have persisted, and so may be regarded as systemic changes. Of course, it is not just the Angelica, but the combination of herbs, but Angelica is a big part of it, in my view.

The thing that prompted me to give the Angelica a rest was the fact that I started waking up in the wee hours of the morning, unable to easily get back to sleep. Of course, this is a great time to practice some meditation and visualisation, but I was getting a bit run-down. This is just the sought of thing that one might expect when one’s yin becomes deficient – as from over-use of a herbal stimulant. So my next task is to look at building up my yin using tonics like licorice.

Why don’t I just go to a herbalist, I sometimes wonder, and get a mixture? Well on occasion I do. However when money’s tight it is not always possible! And besides, I really enjoy working with herbs, making preparations, observing their effects, and tuning in to their subtle energies and consciousness.

So the verdict? I will have another go a Angelica in a few weeks time, but this time I will add another tonic to my prescription! An option is licorice root. St Mary’s thistle is another option. Saw Palmetto berries also suggest themselves. I will let you know how it turns out!

P.S. While I am not a herbalist, I have made quite a study of herbs, and have studied traditional Chinese Medicine. I have taken courses in traditional western herbalism, Ayurvedic Herbalism, and nutritional healing. I have an extensive reference library. If you wish to treat yourself with herbs, I would recommend doing a course, and first gaining some knowledge!

In this modern world of drugs, pharmaceuticals and scientific evidence based medicine, people sometimes think it very quaint of me to reply on herbs for battling colds, coughs and more serious ailments that beset me and my family. However, I believe that natural approaches, based on mother nature’s wisdom, tested and honed by centuries or more of experience, are better than the modern pills and mixtures. Of course I was glad of modern medicine when I needed to have my appendix removed, and nothing I write here should be construed to mean that I disapprove or disagree with modern medicine, and its ability to save people’s lives. However there is a place for everything, and I subscribe to the principal that the best policy is not to get sick in the first place.

But how is that possible, I hear you asking. Germs are everywhere. Viruses and bacteria are getting spread with every sneeze. And it is true, germs are everywhere – however we only get sick on occasion. Why is it that we get sick at a particular time, and not at another time, if germs are everywhere?

The answer was given by Louis Pasteur, the discoverer of mirco-organisms and their role in infection. At the end of his life, he insisted strongly that germs were only half the answer. The other half is susceptibility, or immunity. In days gone by, the common person called this “constitution” or “vitality”.

So my prescription for a strong constitution and strong vitality is simply to chew your food well, eat only when relaxed and happy, eat only when hungry, eat plenty of vegetables, have a regular bowel movement, and have adequate moderate exercise that builds energy, rather than exercising to the point of exhaustion.

It probably sounds familiar to you – if you are like me, this is the traditional wisdom of the mothers and grandmothers that we ignore at our peril. The other thing that I believe in is if you are sick, take it easy. Take the day off. Relax, and recover your health. Today, too many people are encouraged to soldier on, to push through, to take a magic pill, and inspite of the head ache, the cold, the flu or the pain, to win the marathon, ace the tennis match, or win the contract. Pain and illness are, however, nature’s warnings. Ignore them at your peril!

Soldiering on through illness with the help of a couple of pills exhausts one’s stores of vitality. One eventually becomes more susceptible to illness, and with time, chronic health conditions are likely to set in. Burn out is a real possibility.

So I believe in the pre-emptive strike. If signs of impending illness appear, such as irritability, runny nose, croaky voice, feelings of fatigue, aches and pains, my strategy is to take it easy, and help nature along with a few herbs that support the natural processes of the body – rather than medications which suppress symptoms and give the illusion of feeling well.

My favourite combination for warding off an impending cold or touch of the flu is a combination of Yarrow, Elderflowers and Catmint. One teaspoon each in a cup of boiling water, and let it sit for ten minutes before drinking. A coffee plunger is an ideal way of making medicinal herbal teas. Every four hours until feeling better! You can add a teaspoon of Echinacea as well for some extra support to the immune system.

Yarrow seems to stimulate the circulation, and helps to open the pores and throw off any illness through sweating if a fever is present. Elderflowers are excellent for drying up mucous, especially in the upper respiratory tract. And catmint contains a lot of zinc, which supports the immune system, and helps to relax the body and calm the nerves. This mixture is a stalwart in our house, and helps to moderate the course of coughs and colds, and speeds recovery. However you will need to rest, and take it easy, and give Mother Nature time to do her work.

I believe in the old wisdom, and the traditional knowledge of the generations. It is effective, but must come as a complete package. There is no replacement for your cold and flu tablet. But there is, I believe, a better way of living, that is more in tune with our bodies, their needs, and the way that Mother Nature works. In the long run, much illness, I believe, is a result of an absence of the numinous in people’s lives. Those who live with wonder and beauty, and are able to escape self-centredness, are often, it seems to me, a lot more healthy than your average punter, in body mind and heart. And that, to me, is the way of the wise.

BB

Rob

In recent posts I have spoken about my Grandfather, and the need for ancestral healing, and mentioned that I had written a song about him, and planned to perform the song at my father’s 75^th birthday party. As I mentioned previously, it had been quite an experience putting this song together, opening up a connection with my grandfather, and unleashing a great deal of mysterious emotion. The amount of emotion tied up with my grandfather surprises me, on a rational level, because he died before I was born, and I rarely heard anything about him, growing up. I could understand a great deal of emotion about a much loved grandparent who had been involved in my early years. But it is still a mystery to me why this emotional connection seems to be so strong.

Anyway, I had got to the point of being able to sing the song all the way through, without bursting into tears, and so thought I was ready for the performance! My brother who plays the guitar promised to help me out, and so the two of us had a bit of a rehearsal, along with my sister who has a lovely singing voice. The performance went very well, other than me forgetting one of the lines of the song, and I got all the way to the end without breaking down. However I was so overcome with emotion at the last chorus, that I just couldn’t sing any more, and my sister and brother and various others in the gathering had to carry the tune while I composed myself, in time for the last few lines.

My father gave a very dignified and heartfelt speech afterwards, saying that the song encapsulated and expressed very well my grandfather’s life as he remembered it, and the person that he was. He added that his father never talked very much about his wartime experiences, always teaching his children to look forward to better times ahead, rather than to dwell on the negativities of past or present. He also told me afterwards that he could be “a very naughty boy”, referring to his liking for a few drinks.

Afterwards, I was very emotional, more so, in fact than my father. Talking to him afterwards, I felt the need to apologise for being so upset. He said, “You’re not upset, you are emotional. It is alright for men to be emotional.” He also complimented me on the song, and the music, and how well myself and my brother played together.

Like many men, I have some issues revolving around my father. I was discussing this the other day with a friend of mine, a fellow pagan who is also involved in the men’s movement. He told me that many men want nothing more than a blessing from their father, but instead end up receiving a curse. This curse is given, in most cases, quite unconsciously, but in some cases quite cruelly and deliberately.

This resonated with me, as I had always had an uneasy relationship with my father when it came to playing music. The phrase that sticks in my memory goes something like “I rue the day I ever bought you an electric guitar”. His attitude, probably a very sensible one, was that you needed a profession or a trade behind you. Music wouldn’t take one anywhere, except for the gutter with the bum out of your jeans. At least, not unless one was considerably more talented than I was, I always immagined he thought, and even then, it wasn’t a sure thing. Thus there was much conflict. I can remember him shouting disparagingly at me, “Who do you think you are, John Lennon or someone?”, one evening after playing one of my songs around the kitchen table.

So, when it comes to music, I acquired a curse from my father, even though I suppose he thought he was doing his fatherly duty. This curse has persisted throughout my life, and translated itself into lack of confidence, feelings that I am doing the wrong thing when playing music, that I have no talent at it etc etc. It is true that I am no Miles Davis or Roy Orbison, but, I believe I do have something to give.

My father’s comments after my performance the other day were all the more poignant because of this background. When he complimented me on the music, I felt like the curse had been lifted. However, the ramifications of the curse will need time to work themselves out and evaporate from my life. One would think that a witch would be expert at the lifting of curses. However its not so easy when one’s self-talk and self view have consolidated into a negative pattern. The collapsing of the tower is a pertinent image that springs to mind. Not always a negative thing, it can be very freeing and rejuvenating to be required to build up a completely new structure of perception, based, this time, on a father’s blessing.

Blessed Be

Rob

Everyone wants to live a long and healthy life, or so they say. But when you look at people’s actions, one must conclude that this is actually far down the list of priorities. People, in general, don’t seem to put their money, so to speak, where there mouth is, when it comes to living long and healthily. How to do so is no secret. But for some reason, many people seem to have a great deal of difficulty. Well, here for posterity, are my seven keys to health and long life. The key to making these seven keys work is to believe – in yourself, in the seven keys, and the unseen hand which assists all positive undertakings for the highest good of all.

1. B: Breathe with the diaphragm.

2. E: Exercise moderately and regularly.

3. L: Laugh often.

4. I: Intimate physical contact daily.

5. E: Eat moderately. Fast Occasionally.

6. V: Vegetables should be the foundation of your diet.

7. E: Ever-positive outlook.

If you follow these seven keys, then you will have, in all likelihood, a long and healthy life. Of course, there are no guarantees. Fate may have other ideas, with accidents or debilitating disease. However the great majority of degenerative diseases are, in my opinion, a direct result of failure to incorporate one or more of the seven keys into one’s daily life. Now, to discuss these keys a little more closely.

Breathe with the Diaphragm.

Part of the stress response is to breathe quickly and shallowly. By breathing slowly and deeply, one can switch off the stress response, and turn on the relaxation response. In Chinese disciplines such as Tai Chi and Chi Kung, it is called stomach breathing. Of course, we can’t actually breathe into our stomach, but stomach breathing describes how the belly moves out and in during deep diaphragmatic breathing. Such breathing is believed to increase the level of vital energy in the body, and thus one’s resistance to disease, and ability to bounce back quickly from stress, trauma or injury. To breathe in this way, fill up the lungs as you push out the belly, keeping the shoulders and chest relaxed. Then allow the belly to return to its original position as you breathe out. Spend five minutes each morning and evening just being aware of your breath and doing stomach breathing, and whenever you remember during the day.

Exercise moderately and regularly

The key here is moderately! Over the course of a life, extreme exercises may result in wear and injury to the joints, and consequent pain and debility. Regularly pushing oneself to and beyond one’s physical limits exhausts one’s vital reserves, opening the door to illness. Far better to exercise gently and moderately – regularly. One may then preserve one’s mobility and agility into an advanced age. Many elderly people deteriorate rapidly once they lose their mobility. While everyone is different, my opinion is that one ought to aim to elevate one’s breathing and heart rate moderately above resting, and produce a light sweating reaction, 3 or 4 times a week. Brisk walking is perhaps ideal! Exercises such as Yoga and Tai Chi are also ideal. Stretching is important to maintain flexibility and good joint mobility. The pressures of modern life make finding time to exercise difficult. However think of it as your health insurance. Set aside a regular time three or four times a week – doing moderate exercise you enjoy, such as walking, yoga, Tai Chi, swimming or what suits you.

Laugh often

Laughter is the best medicine, the old saying goes. And there is no better proof than in the pudding! Laughter relaxes the nervous system, floods the brain with feel good chemicals, establishes social bonds and feelings of connection, and makes one’s difficulties seem more easily overcome. Ongoing regular stress is a debilitating influence on the body, and laughter can instantly dissolve the physiological stress response. The laughter to aim for is the rich resonant belly laugh, which brings a physical warmth to the lower abdomen.

Intimate physical contact daily.

Humans have evolved over tens of thousands of years as social primates. As such, physical grooming behaviours are in our genes. Without close physical contact each day, we may feel isolated, alone, and may begin to feel depressed and to think poorly about ourselves. Of course people have different needs and levels of comfort with physical intimacy, but without it, it is much more difficult to stay in a positive frame of mind. Physical intimacy must be accompanied by feelings of love and regard. Unwelcome physical intimacy is of course a great source of stress and problematic for one’s health and well-being.

Eat moderately. Fast Occasionally.

Most people in western society eat much more than they need to be healthy. For most desk jockeys, two good meals a day is more than adequate. The Chinese saying is to eat only when you’re hungry, and stop eating when 80% full. However this is very difficult for most people, who love to stuff themselves to the gills in order to feel some kind of satiety. Establish good eating habits, and your old age will be long and healthy. It’s not just what you eat, but how you eat! Eating slowly, and chewing each mouthful well will help you to stop eating before the bloat stage. An overfull stomach reduces the efficiency of digestion, over taxes the stomach and digestive organs, and results in partial digestion. This leads to the production of toxins in the digestive system, and their transfer to the blood stream where they produce tiredness, upset cell metabolism throughout the body, and upset the neural chemicals responsible for mood. The result over a lifetime is accelerated degenerative disease. Occasionally allowing the body to cleanse through a one day or three day fast allows the digestive system and the entire body to go into an elimination phase, like a spring cleanse. This rejuvenates the body. As fasting is contra-indicated for some health conditions, such as diabetes, do seek advice if you have health concerns.

Vegetables should be the foundation of your diet

Many scientific studies have shown that vegetarians have lower rates of cancer, arthritis, diabetes and heart disease. However you don’t have to be a complete vegetarian to experience the magic of vegetables. Just reduce the amount of meat you eat, and increase the amount of vegetables. Instead of a meal revolving around a large piece of meat, have a meal revolving around vegetables, with a small portion of meat. Think of meat as an addition to a meal, rather than the centre of a meal. At each meal, have some vegetables which are uncooked, such as snow peas, beans, sprouts or salad greens. Cook vegetables lightly to preserve the goodness.

Ever-positive outlook

The old saying is “a healthy mind in a healthy body”. A positive frame of mind makes it easier to find the energy and commitment to structure one’s life around the seven keys. In turn, the health benefits make it easier to keep a positive fame of mind. A positive reinforcing cycle begins, enhancing health and well-being. On the other hand, a negative frame of mind makes if much more difficult to adhere to the seven keys. A negative cycle begins, and health and mood may spiral downwards. Many who experience difficulties with negativity, depression and dark moods, will find these less troublesome once they start working with the six other keys. One way to break a negative cycle is to work with affirmations of deservingness. Repeat at every opportunity, “I deserve health and happiness. I deserve prosperity and abundance. I deserve love and physical intimacy.” Or adjust this to your own particular circumstances and needs.

The world of today could hardly be better at causing illness if a team of experts had sat down to design a way of life that maximally stresses the human organism. Therefore it takes a lot of attention, focus, discipline, knowledge and self confidence to stay healthy and positive in the face of the demands of modern life. By remembering the seven keys, and focussing on them, you will be maximising your chances of living a long and healthy life. This will give you every chance to realise and manifest your soul potential, which is at the root of health and happiness. You too can BELIEVE yourself to a healthy and ripe old age!

It is trite to say that the human world seems to operate at a furious pace, and getting faster each year. When I was studying Shiatsu and Chinese medicine many years ago, my teachers pointed out that this was a particular problem for people in Western Society – the push through, soldier on, no time to rest attitude. My teachers said that this leads to exhaustion of the kidney energy, in Chinese Medicine terms. To the rest of us, it manifests as loss of zip, chronic fatigue, melancholy and depression, asthma, coldness, pallor, or lack of vitality, and progresses into more serious chronic diseases. Prevention is much easier than cure, and consists of slowing down, and relaxing. Taking time each day to recharge, through deep breathing, meditation, doing something that you love, being with friends, and eating nutritious wholesome food. The eating had to be done when you were relaxed, and never if you were upset, angry, distressed or anxious. You also had to chew every mouthful 100 times. “Drink your food, and eat your drink” was the rule of thumb they taught us. If you live your life along these lines, you will preserve and build your reserves of vital energy, health will be your companion, and disease a stranger.

I have always remembered this simple prescription, if not always lived up to it. But it remains a constant ideal in my life. However it is difficult in the modern world to take the time to live each day this way. And the consequences are all around us, in the epidemics of chronic disease that make so many miserable, even while our average life span has never been so long!

And it is not just individuals that are furiously engaged with life on a frenetic basis. Our whole society seems to have been ratcheted up to a furious pace. A never ending roar of trucks, planes, buses, motor cars, trains, and ships all rushing to meet deadlines. Bankers, solicitors, government officials, business people, and tradies, all hurrying to the next job, before the last one is properly tidied away. Up out of bed, quick cup of coffee, quick shower, off to work for a twelve hour day, quick bite to eat at the desk, rush home, call in for take-aways on the way. Rush around the house doing a few chores, getting the kids to bed, or stare mesmerised at the idiot box for an hour, collapse into bed, lights on everywhere, pilot lights on the tv, street lights outside, night-lights so you don’t trip on the way to the bathroom because you haven’t had time to put away the clothes from the floor, light on the digital clock.

Our society has a neurotic fear, it seems, of slowing down, of darkness, of silence. I was out for a walk last night under the (almost!) full moon. It was late, so most people were asleep, and their houses dark. But still, there were people with lights blazing from their garages, and on their patios, in some kind of shrill defiance of the night. What a relief to get to a dark part of the street, without street lights, with dark houses. To enjoy the light of the moon. To slow down. To have time for the eyes to begin adjusting to the night.

I found out an interesting fact the other day. Our eyes keep adjusting to low light conditions for several hours. We need to be out in the dark for two hours or more, before we really start seeing as nature intended. However any blazing street light, or incandescent globe, the lights of a car or such like, sets us back to the beginning again of the dark accommodation process.

Nature has provided us with a mechanism of seeing in the night, which takes two hours or more to reach its maximal effectiveness. This indicates to me that it is our nature to be active during the night for significant periods of time, at least two hours! I have found it to be remarkably refreshing and invigorating to be in the dark long enough, away from all lights, except perhaps the light of the moon, for my night vision to reach its full acuity. I find it relaxing, and re-invigorating. Perhaps this activity is part of our evolutionary heritage, and participating in it activates and utilises the nervous system in the way that Mother Nature intended, and in so doing, gives us the space to relax into ourselves in a deep and primal way.

So next full moon, why not get out into the countryside, away from the street lights, switch off your torch, and allow your eyes to adjust to the dark. As the veil of darkness gradually lifts, you may become surprised at the beauty of the night, and what’s more, how you begin to feel. Most people, after about ten minutes, even less for some, can walk around perfectly safely with no more light than that provided by the full moon. Do give your eyes time to adjust. And do be aware of any dangers that might be around. So slow down. Feel your way, as well as see your way. And enjoy the dark, as Mother nature intended.

I am sure you will find that your energy levels for the following day are much increased! And by the way, that old wives tale that carrots help you to see in the dark? Its true! Carrots contain high amounts of vitamin A, needed for the fundamental chemical reactions of visual perception!

Blessed Be

Rob

No, I don’t mean crazy full moon circles!

In today’s world, where time is so precious, and we are required to be ever busier in order to simply meet the demands of living, it is sometimes difficult to find time to devote to one’s craft and spiritual cultivation. It would be wonderful to have plenty of time to commune with one’s Deities each morning, and to pursue one’s contact with the numinous at leisure. However, for most of us, there is precious little time left in the day after all the daily responsibilities of work and family life are taken care of.

Contact with the numinous, however, is essential to our happiness, and to develop in our craft, we must somehow find a way of weaving a thread of the numinous through our busy lives. One way that I have found to do this is through the use of mental rituals. Mental rituals require no tools or paraphernalia, and can be done anywhere and anytime where one can find a few uninterrupted moments.

Like any ritual, the steps consist of casting a circle, calling the elemental powers, invoking one’s Deities, and then communing with them, or working some magical purpose. Afterwards, one thanks and closes in reverse order. However, in the mental ritual, all these steps are done purely in the imagination. As the active use of visualisation and imagination is an essential part of any ritual, there is hardly any difference, in so far as the effects and results are concerned.

One may imagine oneself performing one’s usual ritual framework. Imagine all the actions and words, and of course the accompanying visualisations, that go with the steps of your usual ritual working. It helps of course to have regularly done the ritual in full, as this provides a template for the imagination. However, this is not absolutely necessary. The mental ritual can be adjusted to suit whatever amount of time is available, from a few minutes on upwards. Its just a matter of paring down to the minimum, and making use of the keys that one has developed in the past through visualisation and previous practice!

 Here is a one minute mental ritual that can be done first thing in the morning, in even the busiest of lives.

(1) Circle scribing. Visualse a red circle arround one. 5 seconds. Visualise a white circle arround one. 5 seconds. Expand the circle to a sphere arround you. 5 seconds.

(2) Elemental energies. Visualise a portal opening to the elemental realm of Air, feel/visualise the energy of Air. 5 seconds. Visualise a portal opening to the elemental realm of Fire, feel/visualize energy of Fire. 5 seconds. And likewise for Water and Earth, 10 more seconds. 

(3) Deities. Call Himself, visualise and feel. 5 seconds. Call Herself, visualise and feel. 5 seconds. 

(4) Working. Empower and energize intention – optional. (e.g. visualise and charge word symbolising intent) 5 seconds. Celebrate sacred union visualise and feel (e.g. cup and blade). 5 seconds.  Bask in the energies and receive blessings. 5 seconds.

(5) Closing. Thank Gods, Close portals, dissolve circle. 5 seconds.

Actually its 65 seconds if you include the charging of intention - but hey – what’s another five seconds between friends! If you have more time available, then of course the different sections can be expanded as appropriate.

It is possible to use this technique on the bus or the train, while walking along, during a visit to the bathroom (perhaps the only place where some of us can be sure of not being interrupted!), in boring meetings (be sure not to look like you are falling asleep!), while showering (careful if you have water restrictions), and in numerous other situations. However perhaps best to refrain from mental rituals while driving – or operating machinery – or other situations where you should have your full attention on the job at hand.

This is one way in which you can begin to weave a thread of the numinous throughout your daily life. One of the keys to magic and the craft is, in my opinion, the ability to use the attention and to place it, under the will of the practitioner, on the realities of the inner worlds, or for that matter, aspects of the physical world. Mental rituals are one way of keeping one’s attention on one’s Deities as one goes about one’s daily activities – they will help to imbue the succeeding hours with a sense of numinousness and inner contact which will uplift and nourish one throughout the day.

Blessed Be

Rob