Winter Solstice Enlightening Times Magazine 2012

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Reeled in...by Brynneth Nimue Brown

He swam, tiny and persistent

Over expanse of careless ocean

To these cool, smoother waters

Survived the elver hunters

Evaded otter predation

To dangle undignified

From the hook of a man-child

Overgrown infant, oblivious

To the miles journeyed

Secrets in snakelike form.

Just a funny looking thing

To be hoisted out

Giggled over, joked about

Throw back, soon enough?

Or too damaged to continue?

Waters smeared with oil

From yesterday’s little accident

Hide the conclusion.

The not yet man returns

To rod and reclining.

If anything dived beneath his surface

There are no ripples to show for it.

Yet.

www.druidlife.wordpress.com
www.hopelessmaine.com

New Poetry from Enlightening Times Contributors.

Rampant imaginations

Day dreams and sweet temptations.

Crazy ideas and rampant imaginations. 

Lost in a world of madness beyond ken.

While trying to master the art of living Zen.

Winter chills linger, yet the embers been stoked.

The scent of spring brings with it fresh hope.

Tending the tinder’s and keeping warm.

The tempest’s awake, prepare for a storm.

Lay bare, awaiting the new cycle.

Behaving perfectly archetypal.

On fire now, the flame invoked.

Enchanted roots like an Ancient Oak.

No brimstone needed for budding to begin.

As the miracle of creation comes from within.

Follow Your Compass 

How do you know, if it’s time to let go?

How can you tell, when you’re under a spell?

When the die’s been cast, and the cards are on the table.

Can you separate the fact’s from the fable?

Lost in a dream or going out of your mind.

Wondering if sometimes, it’s cruel to be kind.

When the bands playing so loudly, they lift the roof.

Will you be able to hear your own truth?

What if you can’t, how will you know?

When you’re at a crossroads,

With different ways to go.

Tentative and testing, taking your time.

Checking to see if heart and mind are aligned.

Dreams and dilemmas are part of this ride.

Where destiny’s never far from our side.

Make a decision, follow your heart.

You always know, right from the start.

You could resist, you could pretend.

But it’s only pain it causes in the end.

So why wait, use your inner compass.

It might just lead you somewhere tremendous.

©2014~All Rights Reserved Rashelle Reid

ADEO SALUS 

Adeo : to approach, visit, come to, undertake.

Salus : health, safety, well-being, salvation / salutation.

Gifted to the people, with a Golden Key.

From those who walked before us who gave so generously.

Sitting barren and deserted, with locks upon the doors.

No longer helping anyone with all their pain and sores.

Memories of the service aren't filled with joy and glee,

Dentistry more like torture and sex advice for free.

It doesn't seem to resonate, with the clues in full sight.

An Egyptian styled angel sits to the right,

Adeo Salus greets your eyes as  you look above the door.

Begging you to question the tales from old folklore.

Philanthropy was part of this magnificent town of ours,

Poets, Patterns, and Pride in some of our finest hours.

The snail case must have contributed to the culture of blame,

And when we think of the witches, many hold their head in shame.

With curiosity I wonder what else was lost,

When the libraries were looted and the bombs were dropped.

It seems some knew the secrets of the Saints and Sages,

The magic of the Alchemists passed throughout the ages.

It’s time for our town to rise now, like a phoenix from the flames.

Clear the debris from the bleak Heart, and let if flow again,

Community and compassion will shine again one more,

As we lead the way and show the shops the door.

Supporting local business, and working hand in hand.

Inspiring ripples sent across this sacred land.

Many have said and I know it to be true,

Our Salvation lies in nature and our well-being too.

Let us celebrate the river and stand upon the shore,

As we meet the divine by opening up the door.

Educate the citizens, let’s begin to make some noise,

Listen very closely, you will hear the children rejoice.

The truth is your communion and what you choose to do,

With all these blessed moments that are laid out in front of you.

Consumer chaos captured the hearts and minds,

Leaving classrooms and colleges far behind.

It seemed a trance had captured the whole nation.

Lost in the quest for instant gratification,

Failing to notice this moment of now,

We miss Mother Nature taking her bow.

We’ve cut off the source, directly at it’s Heart,

Built shops upon the river, known as the Cart.

The arteries are clogged and the wells run no more,

And maybe it’s time now to open up the shore.

The river is the life bringer, the waterways must flow,

As within so without that is how it goes.

Let the energy come back to life,

Welcome good times, say goodbye to strife.

I know there is investment, but who does it serve?

As once again the Council do a body swerve.

The green-belt will soon be as thin as string,

That’s if they decide to leave anything!

With purpose let’s sit together and see what we need,

And let our Council serve it’s people not get lost in the greed.

If each one of us, took some time to care.

There’d be thriving communities for us all to share.

Could the flame of the heart be reignited?

By discussions and ideas from those well cited.

Maybe a hub, with an alternative view,

Maintaining the focus, It’s all about you.

Healing, learning, debates all in one central space,

Co-creating together in divine grace.

From surviving to thriving, it’s easy you see.

When you change your thoughts from me to we.

©2013 copyright ~All Rights Reserved Rashelle Reid

Robbers: a poem (inspired by a recent dream)

Presenting themselves in clean skins,
The robbers travel from afar to take, treasure and lives,
Good and honest men and women – from a looking glass view –
Blinded by lenses forged in the cold darkness of polar thought.
The robbers preach an ancient thousands-years-old tapestry,
Now rewoven in intricate patterns of modern trickstering, laws,
Deciphered only by those who can see the newest incarnation preachers,
For who they really are: Conjurers of empty chalice and poisonous drink.

Clothed in deceit, the court jester, the robber leader, performs his best for the royal patrons,
Apparently unaware he in fact stands in the nude.
Ever convinced and confident of his sly dance – a delusions of grandeur high step –
Driven on by the whips of those who own him, a conductor in residence, the court jester parlays.
Bought and paid for from the windy city streets of his own inconsequence,
He sends out the good men and women, robbers, who’ve signed on,
To unwittingly rob those on the other side of the world (and at home, too),
Those who now live and die below a foreign, dirty bald eagle, its shadow threateningly undulating across a burnt earth.

Some of the robed men from their scorched homes promise to avenge the deaths – of their wives and of their mothers, of their fathers and of their sons and of their daughters – someone will pay, the dept.
But probably not the robbers themselves – no, probably the robbers will not, personally, pay.
(Nor will the court jester, their leader, pay.)
For they cannot be reached, safely fenced, in fact and in dogma.
Instead the robbers mount their remote thrones,
And watch the gamed world below unfold in tacit images of nothing that matters, to them.
For payment the robbers will be wined and dined in colorful ribbons of glory, pinned on chests, puffed,
Hearts and minds intoxicated by lies and indifference.
They are sad-false heroes who kill for what the puppet masters want, from the earth and from the people,
And to defend the mirage in which they themselves live: the illusion of freedom and democracy.
Thus the robbers crosshair those who get in the way and fight back;
They aim to extinct those who are likewise lost in the righteous wood,
¬– but who nonetheless have the right to fight, back, for the right of their voice, for the life of their choice –
While also killing those who just seem, a little suspicious,
Or those not even that, at all, “by accident.”

In the end the robber leaders will die, eventually,
Perhaps morally ill-equipped to face their torrid roles,
For that would require them accepting their lives were full of...
Nothing.
They will die old and comfortable in their white houses, on the hill, paid for by the riches of the billions,
Their messes left for their and your and my children,
To clean up.

Andrew R. Steele

http://www.mindfulemergence.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/introduction_613.html

 
Concepts

Icy concepts thaw

in the warm glow of awareness.

Beads of water stream

down my bedroom window

revealing concrete and cars,

restoring my view of paradise.

John Ptacek 2012

 Love Each Other

Have you ever wondered how different life could be?

When you make the choice to live and be your full potentiality!

Letting go of hurts, anger, sadness, pain,

You will soon discover all the Gifts that do remain

Let me walk now with you, I will gently hold your hand.

And together we will help you truly understand.

Love is always the answer to the pain that you may feel.

Everything else is learned and simply isn’t real.

Forgiveness dissolves the past and brings Peace into your being

Compassion lights the way for any darkness you are seeing.

Living in the moment, the worries fall away

Tomorrows isn’t here yet and let’s forget yesterday

The past is over and done, let it go with ease,

Just like the leaves that fall and then are taken by the breeze.

You really are amazing, a creation made in Love,

You are worthy and you are beautiful and you are more than good enough.

No matter where you are right now the solution is the same

To love as much as possible and remember from where you came.

You are a Spiritual being, here to play and grow

And I'm sure you've heard the saying- We reap what we sow,

Give your love out freely in whatever form

it takes, make some room for Kindness and forgive any mistakes.

And soon you will come to know, as many have discovered

The reason we are here is to LOVE EACH OTHER.

Jan Ferguson, 2013

Alignment 2012
New Painting in the Webstore

  Looking Beyond...

Sometimes we look beyond,

And dream of what should be,

Forgetting that where we focus,

Is only what we see.

As we pine for nature in the concrete mess,
Our hearts get weary, our bodies stressed,

A simple shift is all it takes

To soften all heart-aches,

I am here before your eyes,

As the rain falls slowly from the skies,
And the tears run down your face,
I pray your heart feels my grace,

Your pain, it is clear to see,
Is that you've seperated you from me,
As the drops trickle down the pane,
Do you see the miracle of rain?

The cars, the buildings and all that is,
Is a symbol of eternal bliss.
Though man-made they're still divine,
As you and me are eternally entwined.

No matter how it looks, sweet friend,

I am here, there will be no end.

Together we arise, as once we fell,

Now its time for creating heaven not hell,

I mean for the many not for the few,

Cos just like me, they are part of you.

Forgiveness is the key you'll find,

To all the treasures deep inside.

With weeping hearts we all have seen,

What happens when men turn mean,

Now, it is time to celebrate,

As we journey to our divine fate.

Heaven on Earth for all to see,

Let's do it together, you and me.

Namaste'

Rashellle Reid, 2012
www.rashellereid.com

2012 Judgement, Key 20 and The Hanged Man Key 12 by Cheryl Lynne Bradley.

© Cheryl Lynne Bradley 2012

How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look? Ooh
Some say it's just a part of it
We've got to fullfil the book
Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs

“Redemption Song” by Bob Marley 

 

I have lived in apocalyptic times, in an apocalyptic century….My work to a large extent belongs to that stream of catastrophic literature that attempts to overcome despair. Czeslaw Milosz 

Judgement from the Soulscapes Tarot.

Judgment, Key XX is a card of cosmic fatality; individual discord brought into order by fate. It symbolizes The Last Judgment, discernment and both moral and intellectual freedom as well as the separation of good and evil. It represents changes in our existence and reminds us that we will all be judged for our actions. The Hanged Man, Key XII, represents the Cardinal Virtue of Prudence; it represents foresight, discretion, forethought, reason, wisdom, circumspection, skill, good judgment, perfection of the intellect and providence. The Hanged Man also represents accomplishing the Great Work within oneself; this is the “Magnum Opus” of Hermeticism, Alchemists, Rosicrucians and Freemasons. Eco-theologian Thomas Berry in his book, “The Great Work: Our Way Into the Future” interprets 

The Great Work to be people working together and creating overarching movements, “that give shape and meaning to life by relating the human venture to the larger destinies of the universe." He sees a world in which we can transform our relationship with nature from being destructive and exploitive to being beneficial to both; a radical redemption that would save the mystery and celebrate the wonder of the natural world. 

There is a lot of talk about a Zombie Apocalypse. With the number of people walking around, with their heads down and both thumbs hard at work, completely absorbed in some handheld electronic device, an argument could be made that we are already there. A Zombie is a snake deity with roots in Western Africa and Haiti. In more modern and probably more familiar terms, a Zombie is also a soulless corpse revived, resurrected or reanimated by use of necromancy, witchcraft or other mystical means and which is neither dead or alive. A Necromancer is someone who communicates with the dead by either summoning their spirit or raising their body. Another definition of Zombie is a human in a death like condition with no cognitive abilities, no free will, no soul and no pneuma (spirit). They are called The Undead. We have all seen classic Zombie movies, “The Night of the Living Dead” when first released was considered gruesome and had people vomiting in the movie theaters but “Night of the Living Dead Part 2” is definitely in the realm of high comedy. Philosophy students have a long term love affair with Zombies and Zombie Walks are all the rage in cities and communities around the world. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” has its own cult following of Zombie Flash Mobs. People are making a lot of money selling survival gear for after the Apocalypse. It does make one take a pause and wonder what one’s post-apocalyptic skill set is going to be.

Eschatology is a belief or doctrine concerning the ultimate or final end of things. The year 2012 is a fascinating one full of speculation about the possibility of this being the time of the Apocalypse. End of Days, End Times, The Zombie Apocalypse, The Paschal Mystery, The Final Judgment, The Resurrection of the Dead, Last Day on the Mayan Calendar, the Hopi Prophecy and The Book of Revelation are topics for discussion and debate everywhere. The Biblical Eschatology or End Times comes with two very strong viewpoints; The Doctrines of Preterism and Futurism. The Doctrine of Preterism is based on the belief that the rise of the Anti-Christ and other signs of the end of our System of Things have already occurred; Futurism says it is all still yet to come.

Apocalypse is a Greek word which means “uncovering” or “revealing”. Armageddon translates as “At Megiddo”; Israel’s largest air force base is located near Megiddo. The Paschal mystery is the passion, crucifixion, death, burial, descent into hell, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ; another aspect of The Hanged Man. The Jews believed that the souls of the dead were “sheol”. Sheol was Hades, an unseen underworld which encompassed the state of death and home of the dead. It was believed that there was no true retribution until the resurrection of the body. Resurrection meant that the dead would be revived in their bodies and live again on earth; The Final Judgment comes after all the dead have come back to life. 

The Biblical depiction of the Apocalypse is dark and disturbing. They are described in the Old Testament in the Book of Daniel, Chapter 12, in the New Testament in the Book of Mark, Chapter 13 and in the Book of The Revelation of St. John the Divine. It does make you wonder if there is not some easier way to redeem human kind from our moral turpitude other than sacrificing Jesus and setting loose the Four Riders of the Apocalypse. Are we even a society that cares about or believe that humanity can redeem itself? The rise of fundamental apocalyptic extremism around our world is a sign that (some) people do believe in redemption through the wholesale slaughter of innocents by other innocents. We have generations of people who have been sold a bad story that the past and the present have no meaning and the only hope for humankind is in some hazy convoluted and vague future that will be perfect after all the infidels or non-believers have been killed. 

Thomas Merton and William Blake have written much dark poetry on apocalyptic and redemptive themes; Merton was arguably Blake’s number one fan. In 1947, Merton published an 8 part poem called “Figures for an Apocalypse”. He warns writers and intellectuals to be vigilant and to escape while they are still able. He calls the women who have dissipated and wasted their lives until they have become “grey, artificial Shebas, spurious queens”. 

“The skylights of our intellect
Have gone grey as frost,
While the dawn makes ready, with coated tongue,
To mutter the last alarm.”

Part 6 of this poem is called “In the Ruins of New York” and it is ominously prescient when you consider it was written in 1947 and compare it to the events of 9/11 and its references to fallen towers and smouldering ash: “has died in the terrors of sudden contemplation.” 

"Christed One" from the Soulscapes Tarot

Blake felt that humanity’s Fall from Grace fragmented us individually; he felt we each consisted of four components called the Four Zoas. They were Urizen (Reason), Urthona (Wisdom), Luvah (Emotions) and Tharmas (Instinct). He believed in a supernatural and revealed religion full of vision and imagination not confined within the boundaried of rational construction. Merton and Blake both shared a common idea that redemption required the union of contraries and the negation of Negation. Urizen (Reason or the Abstract objecting power that Negatives everything) held Heaven and Hell apart and infected them with indifference, nothingness and sickness. 

What does redemption even mean? We have all redeemed a coupon, a gift certificate or rolled up all our change and cashed it in for paper money. Stocks, bonds and insurance policies are also redeemed; exchanged for cash value. We can redeem something by buying it back, paying a ransom, making good by performance, making amends or release from liability or obligation. Mortgages are redeemed when they are paid off. Redemption refers to the act of redeeming or the state of being redeemed but is also represents deliverance and rescue. From a religious perspective, redemption is salvation or the deliverance from sin, forgiveness, the removal of guilt, and the conferral of grace by which we achieve unity with God; it is also atonement for guilt. 

In Biblical redemption we are enriched by the poverty embraced by Jesus; his submission to God’s will atones for our disobedient ways. His teachings were purported to purify our hearing; his healing and casting out of spirits was to heal us and his death on the Cross was his redemptive mission for the whole world. His death allegorically gives us the forgiveness that we can’t give to ourselves. 

In traditional Hebrew the concept of redemption, or redeeming, means doing something for someone else, or on their behalf, because they can’t do it for themselves; it is viewed as a familial obligation. If no family member is willing or able to help, the king or God is expected to look after the person. Redeemers provide for the redeemed as if they were family. Usually these situations arise over debt and inability to meet financial obligations. 

The Apocalypse is the fate of the world, a Mystery of Redemption. Lions, eagles, oxen, angels, a woman, a prostitute, a new-born baby all play parts in the texts. Many symbols, personalities, numbers, gemstones, animals and colours are associated with the Apocalypse; Archangel Michael and The Dragon. In the End Times, it is Michael’s cosmic task to slay The Dragon? In the final battle between good and evil, the powers of evil will be vanquished. What next? The Consummation, and a new world in which the end will be at the beginning. This is the restoral of paradise and the place where all wrongs are made right. In this new world there will be eternal peace and eternal justice. We should remember as well that many examples of Apocalyptic literature were written to lift the spirits of politically or militarily oppressed people who needed the hope of Divine Intervention, for God to take his role as The Redeemer and Father Protector, in order to survive their situation. 

Are you still wondering what the Mystery of Redemption means? I believe what redeems us is Dunamis. Dunamis is the quality of developing greatness, moral power and excellence of soul. Dunamis is an ancient Greek word for the philosophical concept of potentiality and actuality; a powerful and mysterious word for a powerful and mysterious time. It is inherent power or ability which is part of the virtue our nature and that we can exert; it can also be the power and influence of wealth, the resources of numbers and the power of armies. Dunamis means miraculous powers and strength; it is used in Acts 10 by Peter to describe Jesus performing miracles after being baptized in the Holy Spirit by John the Baptist. 

In closing, we just have to be prepared to go through a resurrection, a coming judgment and the life to come. Develop your dunamis, pick a good post-apocalyptic skill and partner and everything should work out alright. I’m taking up archery! 

Happy New Year! See you in 2013! 

© Cheryl Lynne Bradley 2012

For more writings by Cheryl Please visit her website. :)

Italics are amendments Original Article by the Editor.

Abrasax by Jeremy Lampkin

Numerous spiritual philosophies ran wild in the Roman Empire during the formation of the orthodox church.  The church was compartmental, divided into different sections that took many different views on the creation.  The formation of the church seemed to reflect the "war in heaven" that ousted many of its rebellious angels into eternal damnation.  When you have a team of disorganized writers whose stories go every direction, you'll never get your point across to the ancient Joe Blow.  The powers that be initiated a religious revolution when they decided to eradicate certain branches of their organization in the name of unity.  It is a recurring theme in history for hatred and ignorance to overpower peaceful philosophies.  During the ancient religious war for political control of the emerging orthodoxy, many ideas were swept under the rug.

In all likelihood, the Apocalypse of St. John the Divine would have been constructed as an allegory of the decline and fall of Roman Empire and the rise of the Church.  To write about such things would undoubtedly have been punishable by torture, so the text obviously had to be written in code.  Yet in the same formations of this early church, there were all kinds of disparate philosophies.  The so-called Gnostic members seemed to be major offenders because the uninitiated could not reconcile many of their scriptures with a lot of others.  There were scriptures about Jesus placing curses on many heads all throughout his youth, scriptures that didn't go with the story they wanted to present as the canon.  Like editing a movie, many scenes had to be eliminated for the sake of story logic.  And like a DVD, out-takes can be some of the best parts. 

During these unstable times, fragmented scriptures and ancient amulets point to the worship of a philosophical deity who represented the unity of all things in one being.  This take on all religions as one seemed to be an offspring of Greek philosophy's interpretation of the then-current religious state of affairs in the Roman Empire.  As intellectuals, the Gnostics were similar to a modern day mystery school and likewise would have been a prime target for ancient conspiracy theorists who were far more brutal in those times, before the invention of gunpowder.  Gnostic religious views were based on the aspects of various religions which were found to be universal.  The highest deity of the Gnostic heaven, which was essentially a map of the mind of God, was known as Abrasax.  

History has only preserved fragments of the memory of this supreme deity, so we only have a few solid pieces of evidence to follow.  Modern and recent mystery schools have presented him as Abraxas, and it has become the name he is now generally known as.  But somehow this would appear to be a typo.  The word ABRASAX, in Greek sums up to the total of 365 as he is a god representing the totality of time.  He is depicted as a being with a man's body, but with 2 cobras for legs and a rooster's head.  He holds a shield in one hand and a whip in the other.  His shield was often depicted with the 3 letters of the secret word of God, I-A-O.  Though Abrasax is the supreme deity of the heavens, it does not suggest that he was created first, but that he has knowledge of the first creation.  His occult name Abraxas has been suggested to mean that he is the union of all polar opposites. 

The problem with being all things to all people in all ways is that it can be hard for ordinary people to comprehend a deity like that.  Most people naturally relate better to a story they can follow, so it is no mystery why the story had to be dumbed down.  There were all kinds of dialects and local languages of ordinary people who just didn't have the time or necessarily the capacity to become as wise as the old Greek philosophers.  When unifying a people under a new religion, it's crucial to hit the lowest common denominator.  Unfortunately this meant that the higher philosophical traits of the early church had to be rooted out (meaning books burnt and people killed) so that there were no traces of the mass "heresies" that happened in the early church.  For this reason we are forced to put the pieces together, the few that remain, to glean any understanding of this deity. 

As an artist I found it shocking that an internet search revealed only a few modern depictions of Abraxas, even though he is historically obscure enough to be almost forgotten.  Even those who have honored his name for the past century have misspelled it, as we see how a mispronunciation by even one credible source can alter a name forever.

Jeremy Lampkin 2012

Female Water Snake. Year of Transformation by Mary Shurtleff

Female Water Snake

Year of Transformation

Not everything you see is what you see it as.  It is only how you see it at the moment.

Milton Erickson

'Nothing is as it seems' could possibly be a theme for the year of the Female Water Snake—2013, as she mesmerizes and hypnotizes the masses into believing that which is not really there. As she creates illusions of grandeur, leaving questions of what is real and what is not, it becomes difficult to know what is illusion and what is reality. But then on the other hand---what is the difference between illusion and reality? Doesn't the illusion become our reality? This year could get very tricky!!

The word illusion is an erroneous perception of reality, concept, or belief. The word reality means a state of being actual or true, the totality of all things possessing actuality, existence, or essence.

Simply saying something is a reality doesn’t make it so. Sometimes the reality of a situation is only an illusion of our perception at the time of the incident occurred. We all have different illusions of what reality really is. 
 

Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly"

- Morticia Addams.

This year the Female Water Snake will bring you illusions of what your future can be. As she winds and spins herself higher and higher transforming the world and mesmerizing the belief systems of many, we will see a new consciousness emerge. 
 

World Serpent from the Soulscapes Tarot

The Winter Solstice (December 21, 2012) and the day of doom in the Mayan Calendar, we finally start saying our good byes in Chinese Astrology to the Madman Water Dragon 2012 and our hellos to the Female Water Snake of 2013. The winter solstice begins the transition from the Yang Water Dragon to the smaller dragon known as the Female Water Snake. Between February 4^ththe solar Chinese New Year and February 10^th, 2013, the lunar Chinese New Year, we will see the beginning of spring and the arrival of the beautiful Female Water Snake with her mesmerizing and charismatic aura.

The Female Water Snake is know for her incredibly deep and beautiful eyes that denotes wisdom and is synonymous with the 3rd eye or pineal gland, the seat of spiritual wisdom. The Female water snake is very sexual, sensual, and has many lovers thus making it a year of promiscuous affairs. Prepare yourself to see a world of beauty and splendor as seen through the eyes of the Female Water Snake. These eyes can hypnotize you. This year could prove to be a very illusional or delusional year with lots of mystery and surprises.

The WATER SNAKE of 2013, paves the path for re-birth, new beginnings and transformation as she sheds her skin. Water is the womb of life and seeds being planted for the future. By the year of the HORSE in 2014, when the elements finally line up amicably--wood for growth and creativity and fire for passion –the world will feel right again. The Water Snake year will plant the embryo to bear fruit in 2014. This is a time to set your ship on course to manifest your wildest dreams.

This year let go of all attachments—emotional, mental, physical, financial, and spiritual- that may be holding you back. Transform them, like the Water Snake, into something of value that will help you move ahead to the next level of your be-ing. As with anything, you must research your past to detect patterns and behaviors that no longer work for you in order to change the course of the future.

For more information or your copy of the Female Water Snake 2013: The Year of Transformation visit www.maryshurtleff.com.

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Releasing the primal scream - the power of the single word

It is said that the ancient mages and wizards could change the world via the use of a single word. But how could this be true? Could a single word really contain the incredible power that it would take to manifest a permanent change within the structure of reality?

Unless a word has been specifically created for magickal use or has perhaps built up energy due to its collective use over many years it is most unlikely that it will contain any power what so ever. Some have suggested that it is the vibrational pitch of these words that creates the desired effect, but as words change due to their linguistic and geographical location we can all but dismiss that theory, so what’s really going on and how could we set about harnessing this immense power?

The keys to understanding the inner workings of magick lie in the knowledge of exactly how our bodies, mind and souls actively connect with the universe. We ourselves are a product of universal manifestation, and as such we can in turn alter and manifest the created structure of the universe towards that of our own desired design.

Maison Dieu from the Soulscapes Tarot

The universe and all it contains, although somewhat chaotic in nature, appears to be the creation of a vast intelligence, and its solidity no more than an elaborate illusion. At the atomic scale we mostly find loops of energy orbiting one another, in fact the entire universe is in a state of motion. Our solar system circles the galaxy which in turn circles the black hole at its center; our planet circles the sun, the moon circles the earth etc, etc, yet there appears to be no detectable force that would cause any of these atoms and particles to collectively group together and create our living world and surroundings. Why would these particles of energy choose to become a tree or a part of us?

The only possible answer is that these energies are reacting to some sort of master signal or intellect that holds everything in place towards a certain design, but even if that is the case we ourselves appear to have a certain degree of free will within the constraints of reality. If this all sounds a little unlikely at first reading, then ponder on this: even the most basic of home computers can now produce virtual 3D worlds in great detail for use in game play. I think Edgar Allen Poe summed up this ideology very well in his poem: “All we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream”, or in other words, we find ourselves to be living a life that is akin to an independent dream that exists within the greater dream.

Once we accept this concept as containing more than a certain degree of truth, we can then set about creationally working magick in the very same way as this theoretical mystical master signal, or perhaps we should see ourselves as being more akin to working as a sort of virus that is capable of rewriting the controlling software of reality towards that of our desires.

Reality manifests itself in several distinct stages, it begins as state of absolute nothingness which is usually referred to in eastern belief systems as satori, from this state of nothingness it becomes a sea of pure living energy, and this is the unmanifested level which many refer to as the abyss, it is a state of endless potential and possibilities that may or may not ever come into being, as this transcendental possible energy becomes manifest on the lower levels the speed of its vibrational energy slows and condenses into various forms of actual energy, eventually becoming what we know as physical matter. Ethereally speaking the higher realms of this manifest energy are what we would describe as realms of the idea, the spirits and the gods.

Chariot from the Soulscapes Tarot

Our own spiritual energy also manifests in a very similar way via our true higher self and spirit. Consensus opinion within some circles of thinking is that is that this energy is connected directly to the human body via the pineal gland, a tiny pea shaped structure that is located directly behind the eyes in the centre of the forehead within the brain, this gland is commonly known as the third eye, it is our direct link to prana, our vital life force energy, which in turn becomes manifested as our thoughts.

By raising our perception towards the realization that everything is created from a single source of pure energy, we can then also see that concepts such as separation and time are no more than maya/illusion. Once we have grasped this basic understanding of how this reality manifests itself, it allows us to move beyond the illusion and alter the flow of creation in close proximity to its source, thus any act of magick becomes a set of spiritual, mental and physical techniques that eventually lead to a willed change within the structure of reality.

Although many occultist use elaborate paraphernalia and strict ritualistic regimes to help generate their magickal results, the greater part of all magick is always created internally within the mind in conjunction with our true higher self and the ethereal or astral plane. Because of this fact it is of great importance that the magickal student develops the ability to clearly visualize images within the minds eye, if we can’t visualize a desired result in this way it is again highly unlikely that the result will manifest in the way we intended, the projected image of the minds eye must be an exact representation of whatever we are working towards.

When we have eventually perfected the art of visualisation we then come up against the greatest obstacle of all, for the magick to work we need to achieve what is known as mystical union, a connectivity to the pure unmanifest energy at its highest level.

Many people favour methods such as tracing the universal manifest energy back towards its source by following the kabbalistic tree of life, but this is a lengthy process which takes major dedication to achieve, and although I have used that method my own conclusion is that there is a much simpler way to achieve mystical union, and that is to work in exactly the same way that our first ape like ancestors did, to contact the living force of the universe by reactivating the primal scream and employing ancient shamanic techniques, known as the art of ecstasy.

One technique that is simple but very effective involves rhythmically chanting. You can start by using a drum to keep pace and then move on to using the voice alone, if you wish to try this, just allow your voice to randomly produce vocal tones and then lengthen the notes for as long as your breath allows, you can then increase the volume until it eventually becomes more of a loud chant. Allow yourself to become completely open and never hold back, scream out the notes as if your life depends on it. As you tune deeper into the fields of higher energy the mind will feel itself entering into a state of trance like being; as deeper vibrational tones take over it may feel as if you have gone into autopilot. There will be a sudden stirring of the soul and sense of ancient primordial energy that wells up from somewhere deep inside, echoing the very essence of those early screams and connecting to the very energy that was first experienced so many millennia before, as you ride ever higher on your vibrational waves. It may begin to feel as if you are heading home and escaping the constraints of reality.

That said, you have to remember that this is no simple feat. It may take many attempts before you achieve the desired result, but if you knuckle down and dedicate yourself to the cause you should eventually reach a state of near, if not complete union. It can’t be mistaken as your mind will become flooded with pure white or even violet energy, time will feel as if it has ceased to be, and you will experience a total and all encompassing feeling of power and oneness.  

Once we have achieved this feat, we can never forget the experience, it has become a part of us, only then and with total focus do we have an almost instant access to our higher self and its connection to the universal energies.

The spoken word is a vibrationally manifested thought, a thought that is carried into reality. If we use our willed intent and combine it with a powerful visualization and a chosen word or tone, we are then working within a kind of magickal trinity. Our willed intent at the highest level combines with the visual representation of the desired result and the vocal tone carries the waves of energy forward into our base reality. The longer we can maintain and reinforce this combination of energies the greater the chance becomes that we can impose our desires within the creation of reality: we then become co-creators diverting the universal energy towards it’s new chosen direction.

We find that a single magickal word is not what it at first appears to be, it is actually a synergetic synthesis of three individual actions that are brought together within our bodies via our will, Some manifestations may be almost instantaneous and appear within minutes or hours, others may take endless energy and several weeks or even months of concentrated work before they reach fruition. The key to success lies in having faith in your power to produce the result. Finally as always, we must remember that as in all things magkical and mystical, even the slightest pinch of self doubt will act like the most potent of poisons and stop you in your tracks. If you are going to believe in anything, then the suggestion is that you totally believe in yourself.

Richard Gordon copyright 2012

Richard Gordon Richard Gordon is a UK based writer, philosopher, Magus and practicing mystic and occultist, over the past thirty years he has made an in depth study of tribal traditions such as shamanism along side occult practices such has Hermeticism and ritual magik, this culminated in his completion of the notorious Abramelin ritual in the late 1980's, a life changing event that directed him upon a new life path, his written work is regularly published on various websites and well known magazines and journals such as "Greenmantle" and "The Enlightening Times". His many controversial theories include a unified understanding of creationism with evolution and a co-creational system of manifest magik that he describes as Energetic Universalism.

At this moment he is working on two books, "The Kabbalic code - the universal mandela revealed" in which he aims to reveal the origins of important mystical symbolism, the source of which he believes to have being purposely hidden from Humanity, this is to be followed by "The Lakharne", a two sectioned book that will include an alternative interpretation of the creation of the universe and life within, the rise of Humanity and our awakening towards consciousness, followed by a explanation and guide to co-creational magik and universal wisdom.

Richard Gordon can be contacted via email – thevipersden777@googlemail.com