Sulum Factum Magus

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 :)

Sometimes life throws up some difficult choices, and it’s hard to know which way to go. There may be the voice of reason saying one thing, the heart calling in a different direction, a variety of talents and possibilities demanding to be given time and attention, various people in your life ready with advice, some good, some bad, and somewhere lost in the clamour, the calling of the soul.

Sometimes the biggest problem is being immobilised by the need to choose, and not knowing which direction to take. So we do nothing, and allow the status quo to carry on. However this is rarely in our best interest.

One of the sayings I am fond of is that often, it’s not so much about making the right decision, but making the decision right. Some people become immobilised, because they can’t figure out the right decision. Maybe they can’t figure it out because there is no alternative that is right, with all the others wrong. Any alternative would do, if only one would make a decision and stick to it. Making the decision right, means to commit to a course of action, and put your best foot forward, whatever you have chosen. This commitment will in turn bring with it energy and enthusiasm, and this will act in the situation to give the best chance of a positive outcome.

Another aspect of ‘making the decision right’ is the process of coming to a decision. My philosophy is to work with a balance of all the human faculties. I try to think things through from a practical perspective (engage the mind). I try to come to an awareness of my feelings about each alternative, and the source of these feelings, whether they be from fears, or past experiences positive or negative, or indications of a soul calling. I also engage my intuition about the various alternatives, perhaps through tools such as a tarot spread, which incorporate also the willingness to take guidance from guides and inner world contacts, and my own higher self. I may also engage my imagination in trying to picture to myself how life will turn out under the different decisions, what I will be doing each day, where I will be living, my state of mind, the happiness of my self and my family, whether I am in tune with my soul calling and so on. After such a process, the decision is often much easier. You’ve made the decision right, so you can make the decision right!

There are a number of tarot cards that are tied up with decisions and choices. The three that come to my mind are the seven of cups, the lovers, and the hanged man. The seven of cups is seen in many decks as the need to make a choice, or being unable to decide on a direction, because there are many possibilities before one. Often this is seen as a positive sign, indicating choices and options, but when reversed, may mean stagnation or immobilisation through inability to make a necessary choice. The lovers is said to indicate a time of choice in the process of individuation. The young man pictured in the card must choose between loyalty to his mother, and the desire and love for a young woman. It marks the process of growth and becoming one’s own person, separating from the parental influence and guidance, and making one’s own way in life. On a deeper level, the mother represents to me the internalised bonds, the apron strings, that often tie a young man to his mother. These are bonds of strong emotion which also circumvent one’s life experience. There comes a time when the safety of home must be left behind in order to experience the full richness of life. The young women represents on a deeper level, the calling of soul, which ever beckons one to follow, and to leave behind one’s comfort zone. The symbolism on this level applies as well to either sex.

To me this card then represents the fundamental choice which must be faced time and time again by the person who wishes to grow into their spiritual maturity – the choice to follow the calling of soul, and leave behind the familiar. It is all the more poignant for the love and comfort that surrounds one in the familiar. It would be easy enough if one’s present was full of conflict and misery when soul called you to something different. However when one’s life is full of love, comfort, and the many satisfactions of a happy home or work environment, it is a much more painful choice when soul comes calling you to something different. But the call must be answered, for to refuse it, leaves one strangely hollow, and a little disappointed. Domestic comfort and the loves of home begin to lose their shine, for the soul begins to pine. Yet it is still a choice, as one cannot be forced to follow the call of soul.

Another card that talks about choice is, to me, the hanged man. The card is often interpreted to mean sacrifice. However I see it as sacrifice in the sense that something must be cut away from one’s life in order to make space for something new. Otherwise the new has no room to grow and develop. However it is not easy to cut away parts of one’s life – there is always a cost attached. It may be a monetary cost, for example, forgone income when one chooses to work part time in order to give oneself time for study or a project of personal importance. It may be the cost of foregone dreams or goals, as in for example giving up practising the violin, and the dream of performing, in order to spend time writing a novel. To me, the card represents the hoary old truth that only by painful sacrifice can worthwhile things come about. Considering the sacrifice involved in almost any undertaking, is it worth it? My view is that only the call of the soul is capable of justifying the sacrifice required.

The hanged man also resonates, for me, with a story told about Merlin, when he had returned to court after spending time alone in the wilds as a madman. A boy was brought before him, and he was asked to prophesy how the boy would die. “By falling from a high place”, said Merlin. Then in order to trick the sage, the boy was dressed in different clothes, and brought back. Merlin was asked again to prophesy the way this apparently different boy would meet his death. “By hanging from a tree”, said Merlin. Again the boy was taken away, and this time dressed up as a girl, and brought back. Merlin was asked to prophesy how the ‘girl’ was to die, and he replied, “Women or no, by drowning”.

On becoming a young man, the boy was hunting a stag, if I remember correctly, and died by falling from a rock, upon which his foot got stuck in the cleft of a tree, and he ended up hanging upside down with his head in a stream flowing under the tree, and so drowning. So as it turned out, all three prophesies were fulfilled.

Curiously, considering what I posted recently about him, the Norse God Odin is also associated with hanging from a tree (in this case Yggdrasil, the world tree), and the threefold death, and thus also is associated with the Hanged Man of the Tarot. It is also curious that in the last year, I have taken to sleeping with one leg cocked foot to knee, for no particular conscious reason, just as depicted in the tarot card. Hmmmm.

Blessings

Robyn :)

I recently posted an article about the water cure, explaining how to ease the pain of taking a cold shower by using a bucket of cold water and a washer instead, and washing up each limb section by section, working up towards the heart. However I neglected to mention what to do afterwards! According to Brother Aloysius, the traditional sequel to the bathing, or watering as he calls it, is to put on a woollen shirt or robe, and go to bed, and stay there until dry. Alternatively, one may vigourously exercise until dry.

It’s a bit much taking to bed in a wet woollen shirt on a daily basis, so here is what I do. I towel dry in a way that is reminiscent of skin brushing, starting at the extremities and working up to the heart. The method is to hold the two ends of the towel, one in each hand, and use it like a rope, drying by rapidly pulling the towel backwards and forwards, and gradually moving up each limb towards the heart as you do so.

Start at the left foot, which is easier if you put your toes on the edge of the bath, keeping the other foot firmly on the ground. Lean against a wall if possible, to avoid losing your balance. Then vigourously pull the towel backwards and forwards over the bottom of the foot, at the same time moving it along towards the ankle. Do this three times, and then repeat on the top of the foot. Do the same thing with the towel wrapped behind your calf, and then on the shin. Work up both legs, segment by segment, front and back, three times each. Then the back and front of the body.

You’ll have to be a bit creative doing your arms, as of course there is only one hand available for towelling. But try to get a similar vigourous movement that simultaneously vibrates and massages the muscles, while also gently exfoliating the skin. Finish by towelling the neck, and then backwards and forwards over each shoulder. Lastly use your fingers inside the towel to do your face. Follow the same principle, try to both vibrate the muscles and exfoliate the skin. Of course rubbing too hard is not advised, as you don’t want to hurt yourself, or break or over stretch the skin. So be sensible about it. If you have any medical conditions that might be affected, such as weak bones, damaged joints, slipped discs, displaced vertebrae or skin problems or sores, or have problems with balance, make sure you consult an appropriate health professional to make sure there is no risk of further harming yourself!

You will find it’s actually quite an invigorating way to start the day. Well that’s my story for now. However I am sure my resolve will be tested once winter comes around!

Blessed Be,

Robyn

Personally speaking, I neither impose on my Deities, or make supplications to them in my magical work. I find the imposing of the will (on a Deity) somewhat problematic, as it places one above one’s Deities. Nor do I like supplication – in my view the resort of the week and the powerless. So I don’t place myself below my Deities either.

The old wisdom that I live by is that the Gods admire and respect strength. They won’t come to the aid of someone so lacking in self respect he or she feels the need to grovel before them. Nor will they bow to the will of the arrogant.

The middle way, which I endeavour to follow, is that there is a sacred marriage between the practioner and the Gods, which when combined exceeds the individual will and power of the practitioner alone. Thus from within this magical union one neither compels nor supplicates, but Wills and manifests – with the combined will of the sacred marriage. However the combined will may sometimes be surprising – in that it is not always what one thinks it ought to be from one’s less exalted every day consciousness!

Blessed Be,

Robyn :)