Returning to the Source 2012 Precepts

This year has brought forth a magnitude of blessings to many with an accompanying drift of change and transition. We are living on the brink of a new civilization, though it may seem as an ordinary year for those pulled into their own perceptions, there are massive shifts happening right before our eyes. With the lack of faith in political leaders, people are beginning to realize the own power potential they hold in their own hands and learning ways to bring this light to humanity. Every human possesses a Divine light that encompasses the infinite potential within their makeup. Once we light this torch, we unfold our true potential and begin building our lives and leaving footprints of contribution to our world in which we must cherish and uplift.



One of the most empowering concepts one can grasp is the constitution of the atom. What is it that fuels our essence and drives our motive? What force lays beneath our most powerful creative energies and causes them to bring fruition? Could it be any other than our essence spark? How can we fully develop this potential laid within us all and use it to re-create our lives and worlds in which we dwell in?

Let's take a look!

First, we must truly become conscious of the energy we allow to circulate in our minds and body chemistry. What we allow ourselves to believe, whether conscious or subconscious, has an effect not only on us but on our world. We are catalysts to the universes, but we must cultivate our powers that need tended just like a garden or fruit tree. If we are energy banks, we must not only take the utmost care of our bodies but also our minds. If we use the following analogy, our minds are literally a paintbrush for the cosmos!

If one is an avid musician we must cultivate this skill and use it towards world good. Popular celebrities including people like Dave Chappelle. Will Smith and Joe Rogan just to name a few are using their careers to spread truth regardless of what people think. This does not mean becoming an Alex Jones or a Kevin Trudeau. What it does mean is cultivating our skills and talents to educate the public in the most subtle way and giving people the keys needed for awaking.

The most missing facet from our world is not a vitamin or mineral (although there are many). What's lacking in our world is knowledge, which is rising on every occasion and becoming more widespread across the globe on every continent. Knowledge has been missing and censored before the times of Egypt. Knowledge can be used to create or destroy. In the case of the Atlanteans, their knowledge became too powerful and caused their destruction.

The Romans decided that some knowledge was too powerful and decided to either destroy it or hide it from the public. Even popular religious figures were manipulated to fit their agenda. However, their time has faded and has fallen in the hand of the individual. We are the key holders to the future. How will we use this power is the question, in the case of the elite they used their minuscule knowledge to oppress the people and prepare lower realms for themselves to become students of evolution the hard way.

The power of the human being lays in their sovereignty. We are not straw men/women of the system to build up their empire. We are here to do something much more majestic and heavenly. We have lives planned by ourselves before even coming to this world. To remember this is a precursor to enlightenment. To follow through with them is considered Dharma.

Individuals in line with their Dharma find their lives flow much more graciously and any problem that they encounter becomes dissolved by the mercy of the Divine. We are literally instruments of the Universe for Higher Reasoning. We must become integrated with our Divine nature. We must not fear change or transition. It is time to align with our Dharma.

What can we do to increase our essence powers? With the huge increase of information via the internet and other knowledge mainstreams, we have all the tools needed to bring our consciousness to the highest order. Superfoods are a great example. Eating as much organic and wild harvested foods will not only keep our bodies in the best of shape, but will literally provide us with the right minerals and co-factors to let our consciousness lights soar to infinite heights. Spring water is a new trend that is bringing people back to Source and making life more simple all the while providing missing elements needed by our subtle bodies to bring down Rome and facilitate a more Eden-like world.

People all over are utilizing their essence powers to educate individuals across the globe and increase awareness. Authors, musicians, teachers, celebrities, journalists and lecturers are using their powers of influence to facilitate Universal knowledge. It does not matter what we do in life, anyone can integrate their essence power into what they do. This is the wave encompassing the future and a more ascended civilization.

Once knowledge is taken away from the public who are they to rely on for such information? Fox News? We must become our own wells of knowledge. Everyone has the right to live in abundance and truth. Once we come to terms with our true potentials and learn how to utilize them, we will grasp the essence of this age and live lives in harmony with the science of truth and enjoy the depths of liberation.

In peace & harmony,

~M

Enlightening Times Interview with John Clay 12th May 2012

Welcome to the Enlightening Times Mr Clay! 

We are delighted to have you here to talk to us.

Rik Clay -  "Somewhere Not Here"

hello, thank you

Can u give us a little background on what you do?

well I earn a living as a civil engineering estimator but I've been a musician / guitarist since I was 16 and we also run our own independent record label - Stunted Records, which came into existence 10 years ago

So it would be fair to say that Music is a big part of your life

definitely, it's been one of my main passions

What first got you interested in playing? Are there any particular bands or artists that inspired you?

far too many to mention Bowie, Bill Nelson / Be Bop deluxe in the early days

Magazine in the punk era

What do you think of things like "The Voice" and other talent shows currently popular on TV?

Good or Bad for the Music Industry/Artists?

I think they are killing real talent..they breed short termism in music and are purely money making vehicles for the people behind the shows...the perception that the general public have about the winners getting a million pound is a joke...most of the winners over the years end up playing variety clubs, says it all really

As an insider, from the position of running an independent label, what advice would you give to young bands/artists who are just starting out?

do it because you enjoy making music, there's no other reason, and keep doing it while it's fun and enjoyable....just don't expect fame or fortune...the music industry is in the worst shape it's been in ever, there's little money in it and the bigger labels don't support artists like they did years ago self release both physically and digitally, that way you keep the majority of money from sales, unless you can find a nice independent to work with

Is that why you set up your own label?

no, the industry was much healthier 10 years ago...digital downloads hadn't really kicked in so physical was still selling, and bigger labels were still investing in acts. Things started to slide downhill around 6 years ago.

In the light of filesharing and digital technology, do you think its a plus or a negative from the point of view of the artists?

We set up Stunted initially because we were managing Riks band FULC and had 3 offers from small labels...one of which we actively negotiated with. In the end we realized that the band were signing a lot away for next to nothing, so we decided to self release via Stunted as it provided better protection for them.

The Sensible option!

On the digital side of things whilst our download sales are growing overall, sites like Spotify ( owned by the Majors labels ) are killing revenue streams because people stop buying downloads as well as physical, because they can stream whatever they want...I wish we'd never opted in to the likes of Spotify

I have never used spotify fortunately

I would say that releasing digitally is good for the artist but don't allow the tracks to go on Spotify as it generates zero revenue and there is no evidence that we see for it generating sales

money isn't everything though, depends whether you are aiming for a sustainable career

How would an Artist stop something going on to Spotify? And is there an alternative that allows them to be paid for their creativity?

Because we have a digital agreement with our distributor they service lots of digi stores so we can opt in or out of certain services such as Spotify, for an artist to self release digitally then usually they will just be dealing with one store such as itunes so it's not an issuethe best sites to be on are itunes, amazon mp3 and emusic...they all generate decent sales returnsI refuse to use Spotify on principle from a personal  listening perspective.

On a slightly different note In as little or as much detail as you can manage, can you please tell us a little about rik and the foundation you set up?

Rik had very strong beliefs about the world and how it operated - he didn't like what he saw. When we set up the Rik Clay Foundation we wanted something that kept his spirit alive and maintained those core beliefs. The website was pulled together by one of Riks old work colleagues. I suppose it was a bit of a knee jerk reaction to our loss and the healing process has been so slow that in reality we haven't done too much with it....Chris who did the website wants to develop it but to date we haven't had the energy to get too involved as we are still very much repairing ourselves

Understandably so

the Rik Clay Foundation facebook page has been much more active tbh

http://www.rikclayfoundation.org/

From your point of view. How much did you agree or disagree with the beliefs that Rik was so passionate about? A lot of what I read on his blog resonated very strongly with me, and I know a lot of people have taken on board what he had to say very seriously.

I think there are differnet levels to it all. I strongly agreed with his views on capitalism, corruption, political manipulations etc but less so on some of the conspiracy / nwo / illuminati stuff...which is not to say it isn't there, but I think some of what Rik said was taken too literally, he made it quite clear that his blog was food for thought, not necessarily truth....then agian the whole thing is still unfolding and the financial collapse in late 2008 was the start of it.

indeed.

Rik was very driven and focussed

Taking things literally seems to happen on a lot of levels, especially when dealing with belief systems.

absolutely....just look at organised religion and see what that has done to the world

So when getting down to brass tacks with regards to Music, Politics ad Religion etc. How much influence do you think Music has on each generation?

I think music has had a massive impact on various generations - Mods / Rockers / Flower Power early 60's, Rock / Prog early 70's, Punk late 70's - all impacted on political, religious, world views etc....since then I'm not so sure and more so now than ever, I don't believe current music ( apart from certain artists ) has much of a message or impact...festivals are just an excuse for a party these days, the music is just a side show it's the dumbing down of society in general....which brings us back to Rik I guess

It certainly does! "Somewhere not here" has inspired me, and continues to do so.

I'm glad it does...I think Rik left behind something wonderful there, I just wish more people would explore that side of him because it's still his spirit at work.

I'll add direct links to this interview because it speaks volumes to everything we have talked about. Thank you Mr Clay. We really appreciate you taking time out to talk to us and please keep us updated informed on any news and new releases from Stunted records.

The Song of the Universe by Tom Hall

I can hear it now
A sound in my ear
It was just suddenly here
It's a kind of song, I think

Yesterday I was walking home
I can't exactly remember the time
But it was a beautiful sunset
When the song came into my mind

I thought it was a radio or something
Somewhere in the distance
But then it was clear
When it's volume erupted in my ear

My mind can't conceive of it's beauty
Or it's random simplicity
But the song blew me away
Into relative obscurity

It makes me feel good
Connected, do you know what I mean?
Not an individual but part of the whole
Part of a bigger better thing

I can still here it now
This song in my ear
It seems to be coming
From everywhere

The Wondrous Journey into the Depth of Our Being by Ilie Cioara

Each human being on planet Earth is – consciously or unconsciously – searching for happiness with unlimited persistence and greed. Happiness appears as a mirage; we try countless ways in order to find it in the external world, with perseverance and determination; nevertheless, each time, the desired happiness finally results in disappointing delusion.

Other, more subjective individuals turn to their inner world; in this case as well, their thirst for happiness is satisfied by sheer deceitful imagination. In each of our attempts to search for it, we start from what we know or imagine. Such happiness is always motivated by an object we anticipate or desire. 

True happiness ensues indirectly. It always appears in a state of non-search. Practically, we do not know what happiness is, but, when the mind is completely silent, in a state of total passiveness, our whole being experiences harmony. In this state, as complete beings, integrated into Life, we are overwhelmed with an immense Joy and Happiness without cause.

Only when It appears as a real experience can we truly know Happiness and Its constant freshness, without turning It into a memory. Ever renewing itself, It is a natural gift offered to the individual who is free from his time-space structure. Only in this way do we discover the true Happiness that the wandering mind of the conditioned man has been searching for throughout the millennia.

 

****

The moment we encounter true Happiness, we are in fact outside time and space. The “ego” – with its intrinsic duality – has completely disappeared.

If the “ego” does not exist anymore, who can evaluate this happy fulfillment?

In that moment, the Sacred within us, also existent in the whole universe, becomes one “Whole” and a Unique movement, in a permanent renewal.

Do we truly experience this union, or do we merely understand it intellectually? You alone can answer this question.

Each human being – from the moment of birth until the moment of the so-called death – persistently searches for this mysterious Happiness. Unfortunately, most people make the mistake of searching for it with the thinking mind.

Because Happiness has no motivations, It is not part of the limited world. Its nature is infinite; therefore the knowing mind cannot encounter It, or understand It, or imagine It. 

Happiness comes to us by Itselnce etc. The very meaning of theeing when the mind becomes humble and silent, as imension has no bounds. In this dimension, no faiths, ideals, desires or any such similar ideas can exist, as they are encountered in the limited dimension. For this reason, in this wondrous climate there is no struggle, contradictions, confusion, pain, hate etc.

Boundlessness cannot be comprehended by imagination or by thought; there is nothing we can say about it. We can only describe and explain that which our mind can encompass. In the face of Limitlessness, the mind is poor, completely unable to understand it. In fact, the moment

<3Cspan style="font-size: small;">Boundlessness cannot be comprehended by imagination or by thought; there is nothing we can say about it. We can only describe and explain that which our mind can encompass. In the face of Limitlessness, the mind is poor, completely unable to understand it. In fact, the moment

The Love dimension is known by different names: Truth, Reality, God, Immensity, the Infinite, Intelligence etc. The very meaning of the words which define it express the fact that this dimension has no bounds. In this dimension, no faiths, ideals, desires or any such similar ideas can exist, as they are encountered in the limited dimension. For this reason, in this wondrous climate there is no struggle, contradictions, confusion, pain, hate etc.

Boundlessness cannot be comprehended by imagination or by thought; there is nothing we can say about it. We can only describe and explain that which our mind can encompass. In the face of Limitlessness, the mind is poor, completely unable to understand it. In fact, the moment

Immensity affirms itself within us, as a living state of the integral human being, the “ego” dimension and its limited way of expression does not exist anymore.

There is not much we can say about the experience of living in the dimension of Love. Nevertheless, we will try to express certain feelings and states of being encountered in this state.

In complete union with Love, we are perfect peace, we live total freedom; the very notion of “self” is missing, although we are endowed with a clarity and sensitivity of the mind such as we have never encountered in the limited realm of thinking.

By melting with silence, we become that silence, equilibrium and harmony, free from duality: our being is extended into Infinity. Practically, by experiencing “psychological nothingness”, the “ego” disappears and, in its place, Immensity envelops us wholly and we become one with It. Integrated into the Great Cosmic Energy, we continue to exist as a state of superconsciousness.

Encountering the Boundless

It is impossible to embrace and comprehend the Infinite UniverseWith the limited “ego”;

All is experienced in total silence,Free from time – the being and the mind are newly born.

Thus, I am Immensity, in perpetual movement,In Unity with the Whole – a creative structure –

I see, feel and act in perfect union with the Sacred,I use language to describe Wisdom.

One with the Boundless, I am Happiness, A divine gift, with no support in the thought process;

Happiness has no motives – a supreme satisfaction,To which, consciously or unconsciously, each human being aspires.

The Freshness of Life

Everything in the Universe is in constant movement,What is now – in a flash – is consumed and dies, The old moment is replaced with the new, appearing rhythmically,A constant succession – inviting us to know ourselves.

Yesterday and the thousands of yesterdays Created our lives of fiction: lies, fear, madness;

All that was – is dead – worthless in the present, The moment – a precious mystery – integrates us into reality.

Intuition is that capacity of the Divinity of our being to warn or to direct us in a perfect way through lightning-like impulses. It is a surprise and an instant mystery. It has no connection with the conditioned mind. On the contrary, it reveals itself to us only in the absence of thinking. We can never, in any way, anticipate its appearance. It cannot be cultivated and we cannot invoke it with the help of a certain formula.

Our only duty is to create a favorable climate in which Intuition can reveal itself, by itself. The only obstacle, obstructing its mysterious presence, is the “ego” and its whole memory baggage – a fictitious entity. When we see it as it is – with the help of lucid Attention – the “ego” disappears spontaneously.

“Psychological emptiness” ensues naturally; our whole being, in perfect harmony and inner simplicity, transcends from the finite world into Boundlessness. In a state of “Pure Consciousness”, intuitive responses are mirrored onto the luminous screen of consciousness.

We can explain this state in the right words only when we are requested to do so, in order to provide a better understanding of life phenomena. These intuitive impulses can reveal to us: either momentary dangers, threatening our lives, or hidden, concealed truths, or small realizations regarding our everyday existence.

Happy indeed is the man who, detached from the “self”, abandons himself to the will of Divinity, offering himself as an instrument through which the Divine affirms Its Sacred guidance.

Excerpt from The Wondrous Journey by Ilie Cioara

Ilie Cioara was an enlightened mystic who lived in Eastern Europe. His writings in 16 books describe the experience of meditation and enlightenment, as well as the practice of Self-knowing using all-encompassing Attention.  The Silence of the Mind and The Wondrous Journey are the first two books in a tetralogy by Ilie Cioara, published by OBooks.  Soon to follow: Life is Eternal Newness and I Am Boundlessness.

Website thesilencebook.blogspot.com

Facebook Page facebook.com/silencebook

OBooks Link

o-books.com/books/wondrous-journey-the

Magik beyond the edge of perception by Richard Gordon

The belief in and the ability to perform occult based magik has made it one of the most controversial belief systems known to humanity, couple this with the fact that its practitioners are mostly unwilling to share their pinch of knowledge or exactly how they have achieved their results and it becomes clear why there appears to no single defining path to follow. The entire subject is shrouded in myth and hearsay and now encompasses elements from many other belief systems and religions. It is for these very reasons that the belief in magik has become somewhat distrusted and even ridiculed by the media and general public or its results put down to coincidence. That said, it has also become the chosen pursuit and belief system of artists, musicians, writers and intellectuals on a worldwide basis.

The very origins of the belief in magik began way back in the ancestral minds of our pre-history. Theirs was a shamanic connection to natural magik that involved a celebration of the seasons, sun worship, and archaic techniques such as rhythmic chanting and drumming that lead to trance like states of consciousness during which they could enter the realms of the spirits and gods. With the event of recorded history magik took on a myriad of different guises before the belief in it eventually became corrupted or suppressed by the doctrine of religion. Yet from time to time like all elements of truth, the ancient essence of magic would resurface within the open minds of the time and has had several renaissances.

Many people may find it strange to find that in our modern scientific computer driven world that lots of us are now returning to the study and practise of magik in order to improve the quality of our daily lives, but this is increasingly the case. There are many paths available for the student to follow ranging from simple spell work to powerful systems such as creational magic in which the magician becomes a co-creator in harmony with the universe, and is the system that I‘ll be discussing here.

The practice of magik can be best defined as being the ability to cause a willed change within the structure of reality, and that is essentially the case, but enlightenment without understanding and meaning is all but useless, if we are to fully comprehend the inner workings of magik we firstly need to build a visual model of how the reality which we aim to change actually becomes manifest as the world we live in.

The consensus opinion within many esoteric, mystical and occult circles is that the universe manifests from a single source, as such the entire contents of our universe are actually no more than different aspects of the same energy, separation and time being no more than secondary illusions. Creational reality manifests itself in a very distinct order. The first stage of this process begins with what can only be described as total and utter state of nothingness, from “there” it then manifests as an infinite sea of pure living energy, some have described this as the “abyss” a pre-manifest state of being in which all information and possible/probable outcomes are contained.

The final stage of this creational activity manifests as complex multi layered planes of existence, the higher reaches or ethereal planes of this system being the realms of the gods, spirits, demons and multidimensional entities. As the vibrational speed of the energy slows down throughout the lower levels it eventually becomes manifested as higher forms of energy and actual solidified matter, our world and surrounding universe being on the lowest end of the scale, in fact what we see and take as being reality is actually akin to being the outer shell of this creational activity.

I believe that a misunderstanding of these ideologies is where many of the traditional religious or magikal belief systems have gone wrong, they tend to present their spiritual leaders as those in the familiar portraits of haloed saints looking upwards to heaven, or reaching outwards towards the creator, when we should in fact be not searching within our hearts or minds or any actual physical direction, but connecting to the divine spark of the “creator“, by tracing our vital energy back towards it’s pre-manifest source.

So what is the true nature of this reality that we find ourselves within? as there appears to be no logical reason why any of the atoms and particles in our base reality have decided to group together to become base matter like rocks or living things such as plants or animals. The only logical answer can be that the energy is reacting to some kind of undetectable master signal that keeps the entire sum of universal creational energy in order, yet allows an apparent freedom of movement and free will within that ordered system. Or in other words, we find that the universe is no more than a bizarrely elaborate illusion, and at the atomic scale no more than energy circling other systems of energy to a specific order. If we delve a little deeper we find that the consistency of the most solid of objects is no more than a combination of empty space and a sea of particles orbiting in time to a signature vibration.

Conscious life forms have an almost direct secondary link to the divine source, in the human body this link is to be found in the small pea sized pineal gland which is located in the brain directly between and behind the eyes, this is commonly referred to as the third eye and is often associated with psychic and mystical experiences. In the case of this hyperspacial link to higher information, the energy connects to the pineal gland and then manifests as informational signals within the subconscious that are then sorted and filtered before becoming actual conscious thought.

It is important to remember that we are in fact a spirit and soul operating a body via a connective channel, not the other way around; the body is a base manifestation, a vessel that is linked to our true higher self and divine source in the very same way that the universe manifests.

Over the last few years scientific experimentation has found that if we measure the energy contained within a vacuum we would expect it to measure zero, but if the container of the said vacuum is glass they found that they could still project a particle of light through to the other side, so it appeared that there was more going on within the vacuum then meets the eye. On measuring the energetic activity within the container the readings would have been expected to be zero, but on close inspection they found the container to be full of energy, endless particles of matter and anti matter that appeared before instantly annihilating each other, leaving only a signature trace of heat based energy to indicate that they were once there. It would appear that this activity occurs throughout the entirety of universal structure and what we take to be reality a creational aftermath of particles that are allowed to remain without being destroyed.

To the magician or occultist this fact is of great importance, it suggests that all possible energy is already in place, it furthermore implies that if we can alter or interfere with the signal that controls and creates this reality, we can then manifest it to our own design, becoming co-creators within the mainframe, or if you like, akin to a virus that re-writes reality, all possibilities becoming capable of becoming probabilities.

We can of course work magically within our base reality, but my opinion of base magik is that it’s only capable of creating minor changes within our daily lives and environment, higher magik needs to be carried out “behind the scenes“, prior to the energy of this world becoming manifest.

This may at first sound simple, but we then come to several great obstacles, and the main one of these is trying to keep a conscious idea intact whilst entering a state of mystical union via the subconscious. This may sound impossible, but if we can create a second ego and magikal self within the subconscious it then becomes very possible.

Many of you will have heard of how artists, musicians and writers claim to receive direct inspiration from their “holy guardian angel”, well it’s my belief that this guardian angel is actually a working example of the second ego and magikal self that has manifested within the subconscious as a true higher self with a direct link to higher states of informational energy and ethereal knowledge.

Ancient magikal tomes such as “The sacred magik of Abramelin” lay out lengthy purification rituals for both the body and soul which are intended to lead to union with your guardian angel: but after studying the subject over the last thirty years I’ve come to the conclusion that union can happen at any moment during your life. I’ve found it of great interest that many people who achieve this state of second consciousness are often not the least bit interested in magik or mysticism, and being totally unaware and unprepared for this life changing event find the transition hard if not impossible to cope with, they may even mistake the occurrence as being a serious mental health issue.

Once again, it is the consensus opinion amongst many modern occultists that this union with the angel or true higher self (the second ego and magikal self) may occur almost automatically once we have attained a high enough level of understanding of magikal theory and underlying awareness of our universal surroundings.

So, supposing that we have achieved union with the higher self, we come to the question of “how do we then work the magik”, as in all things, knowledge without understanding and experience is useless, the greatest lessons are to be learned in the experimentation and actual practice of magik.

There are some merits to be found in traditional ritual work such as the burning of incense or activities such as the use of percussive sound as they stimulate the senses and create a mind set, but many modern magikians and occultist have all but discarded the trappings and paraphernalia of traditional ritual magik and now work mainly within the mind as a visualized activity, in fact I see this way of working as being essentially the future way for many occult practitioners, don’t get me wrong, I myself love nearly all the aspects of ritual magik such as dressing up in robes and creation of a sacred space, yet in truth, a magikian never steps out of their protective circle/dome of energy and needs no special equipment to achieve results.

Working in this way is relatively simple but requires the acute development of our visualisation skills, if we can’t clearly visualize a desired outcome, it is highly unlikely that we will be able to generate a magikal manifestation.

Beginning within the conscious mind we firstly create a exact visual representation of the desired result, this could be something as simple as an object or the complete recreation of a desired event, this is then reinforced within the subconscious by the second ego and then delivered to a point that exists prior to the actual event of material manifestation within the universal mainframe via the hyperspace link to the energetic source of the pre-manifest universe, the beauty of this system lies in the fact that once the conscious mind has delivered the image to the subconscious mind, the subconscious ego/magikal self does all of the work, it can basically be mostly forgotten about, thus leaving the conscious mind free to get about its daily business whilst waiting for the result to manifest.

Magik may continue to remain a controversial belief system well into the foreseeable future, believing in its power is a personal choice, but there is one thing that is for certain, without total self belief magik never works, self doubt is the most potent of poisons.

Richard Gordon. 2012

Enlightening Times Review: Tarosophy: Tarot to Engage Life, Not Escape It, Marcus Katz

Marcus Katz’ Tarosophy as a tarot introduction, far outranks any other book on Tarot I have had the pleasure of reviewing. The younger generation coming to the Tarot Journey are very lucky to be able to come to the subject and dive right in at this level via this Masterpiece.

It is a veritable treasure-house of Wisdom for Students of any level approaching the subject. Visually laden with stunning imagery, nicely presented chapters with practical applications, and firm grounding in the Western Mystery Tradition.

If you were expecting another dull explanation of symbolism and theory... then forget it. Its an action packed adventure with so many ideas that you will find it hard to put down once you have begun the journey.

For those dipping toes into the waters of Kabbalah there is also an excellent introduction to the subject. The caliber of the teachings in the book evidently stem from the years of research and application that Marcus has dedicated to the subject.

Tarosophy is indispensable as an aid for the Solo Student and Focus Group with equal measure, and should be at the top of the reading list for anyone who wants a no nonsense, practical, deep, insightful and visually stimulating journey into the multifaceted subject of the Tarot.

Marcus Katz is a professional tarot teacher at the Far Away Centre, the first independent contemporary esoteric training centre in the United Kingdom. As the Director of Tarot Professionals, the world’s largest professional tarot organisation, he has studied and taught tarot for 30 years and has delivered more than 10,000 face-to-face readings. Marcus is also the co-creator of Tarot Town, the social network for tarot readers, with thousands of people worldwide sharing innovative tarot development.

Review by Jade Ashcroft 19 03 2012

The Alchemy of Forgiveness

Within my Tarot and Spiritual Counseling sessions I often encounter clients who misunderstand the concept of forgiveness.  I regularly hear spiritual teachers and mentors suggest forgiveness is a key ingredient in the emotional aspect of healing - when it’s accepted that the emotional state has an important relationship with our physical well-being as well as having a strong influence on the reality we create for ourselves, it’s important to get a clear understanding of what’s required so that the healing process is as swift and effective as it can possibly be.

How many times have you been advised to ‘forgive yourself’? For many, the idea can seem perplexing and a professional should never offer this kind of advice to a client without proper explanation - the process of forgiveness is just the beginning in the alchemical flow of transformation. It must be properly followed through to completion to avoid the individual slipping back into the old, unhelpful ways of being.

At the deepest level, we need to recognize the damaging patterns of negative emotions related to a sense of guilt or shame, not being ‘good enough’ or failure associated with low self-worth. The behaviours these emotions create and the projections they offer to others can be thought of as a form of punishment we repeatedly inflict upon ourselves as our external world mirrors our internal state of being.

Once these deep patterns have been recognized, we can more clearly see the mask of self-punishment we wear - it causes us to constantly turn on ourselves and results in a lack of security sad sense of disappointment in life. The process of self-forgiveness is very much about removing this mask - both energetically and through clear insight - so that the root causes of our problems can be exposed.

The root causes vary between individuals, but they are almost always negative resonances deeply ingrained in the psyche, energetic blueprint and DNA. They can stem from past lives, ancestral or inherited issues, pre-conceptual patterns related to the ‘soul contract’, pre-birth or birth trauma, childhood problems or dramatic life events. It takes gut and determination to heal these kinds of issues on every level and the results can vary according to our individual receptiveness to change as well as the skill and sensitivity of the practitioners we choose to work with.

Forgiving others is a slightly different story. It’s another common misconception that this kind of forgiveness involves compromising the self to let go of anger towards or disappointment in the other person in order to create a situation whereby it feels acceptable to remain entwined in a relationship with them. These kinds of relationships often involve some kind of co-dependency or dysfunction whereby each party perpetuates the problematic patterns within the other.

Lovers from the Soulscapes Tarot by Jade Ashcroft © 2012

On a conscious or subconscious level, an addictive connection or sense of need is developed between the parties that can seem almost impossible to break. The patterns behind the behaviour that trigger the anger or disappointment are then simply repeated and we become stuck in an emotional ‘groundhog day’ whereby the need for forgiveness arises again and again.

This is the story behind bad marriages, unpleasant family dynamics and unhappy working relationships. We can recognise this sorry state of affairs in most of the situations that we feel we simply have to put up with because we believe other factors make it necessary for us to connect with those people whose actions trigger the anger, disappointment or sadness that holds us back.

The first concept to be aware of when dealing with this kind of challenge is to recognise that continuing to place oneself in the problematic relationship is most likely to be a result of the low self-worth that requires the process of self-forgiveness I’ve already discussed.

When the root causes of low self-worth are identified and tackled, the anger or disappointment in the other person is often also exposed as being connected to those very same issues and the individual realises the dependency or co-dependency that’s been trapping them is an illusion they can easily transcend. 
Of course, we can work on ourselves, but can never force the other person to make what we perceive to be desperately needed changes. Even if we can persuade them to look at what needs transforming, they have their own inner work to do, and whether they do it is a matter of choice. In many cases, it is necessary to hand back the burdens we have on some level agreed to carry for the other person in the situation and assert our own boundaries when it comes to accepting responsibility.

So what’s the outcome of forgiveness when another person is involved? Sometimes our own process can transform the relationship and both parties can make the shift into a healthier connection. On other occasions, we realise the relationship is no longer needed, since the lessons it had to offer us have been processed and learned; we become empowered with freedom and find the strength to step away. This is very different from running away - since the patterns we create will remain prevalent until dealt with, so it’s never enough to extract ourselves from a relationship or situation without dealing with what’s truly going on beneath the surface.

In my view of existence, since we are the One currently enjoying an experience of separation in the form of human incarnation, the situations around us and people we’re connected with are our own creation. They are simply aspects of ourselves that we have chosen to experience in order to learn the lessons we have contracted to explore. They demand transformation so that we can expand and grow, eventually reaching the point where we realise that we are One again, and we see the dance of life from a totally different perspective.
Forgiveness is deep inner work. It requires self-responsibility, a sense of empowerment and the recognition of our own choice and Free Will. All these concepts are beautiful things that are an integral part of the healing process of the soul’s journey and the flow of awakening consciousness as we shift from duality to Oneness. Now’s the time to use forgiveness to explore freedom as we lift the limitations on our personal potential.

When we know how, it’s simple to move from sadness into joy.

Rhian Kivits – Crystal Priestess
Rhian is a Spiritual Teacher, Crystal & Energy Healing Expert, Writer, TV Presenter, Shamanic Seer, Crystal Skull Guardian & Priestess of the Sacred Feminine based in Glastonbury, UK. She is also co-author of the book ‘Crystal Skulls – a Journey of Wisdom, Experiences and the Divine’ which is due to be published in the Spring. Her website is www.templeofthegoldenheart.com