Category Archives: Philosophy
year end reflecting and starting a new
So it has been a very long time since I have written or done any updating on this blog. I have come to realize that there is much for me to learn still, and much I already do know. I have come to realize that it is time to start going back to the basics which started my love for the path I am on. It is time for me to figure out what I do know and what I am.
I just started to read a new book. The book “The Faery teachings” by Orion Foxwood and the first chapter had four basic questions that one should answer. These four questions are the questions in which we all as humans seems to seek to find the answers to through life and religion and basicaly everything. These four questions are the questions that essentially form the basis of the meaning of life.
The four questions are more basic than anything you may actually consider. The first question is : Who am I? The second question is :What is it? (What is God, the force behind creation, Spirit, ect). The third question is Why do I exist? The fourth question is finally Where do I/we go when we die or What happens when we die?. These are the basic questions that all religions and philosophies seek to answer.
I am a college student who studies many things. I study religion, anthropology, religion, philosophy, and in many ways psychology ans sociology. All of these fields of study are interconnected. All of these fields seek to understand the basis of what is essentially the human experience. These areas of study are my passion and they fire my soul. They are why I feel I am here. I am here to gain understanding found in the mysteries of life through the exploration of mysticism found in comparative religions and folklore/theology.
One of the things I have neglected over the years is what “I know”. The questions that Orion says we seek to answer are questions I have never actually really asked myself. I keep reading and reading and saying “yes that makes sense” and what not. When I am asked questions I never respond with “this is my thought”. I typically respond along the lines of “I don’t really know to be honest.”. I have discredited what I know.
The only time I have ever considered what “I know” is when I have to write a paper for school. My teachers have always told me I should be a writer. I have been afraid of doing the writing and getting published. I have never given myself enough credit for my knowledge. I often amaze myself when I read my papers. I have come to realize that the reason I feel I “know nothing” on any subject is that I doubt my personal experiences as well as my own thought processes when compared to others.
Upon finishing the first chapter in the book :”The Faery Teachings” I realized that it was time for me to consider what I know. When the author explained why it was important to answer these questions before starting to follow any path, that it was time for me to actually answer these questions. I feel part of the reason that I don’t really know what I am and who I am is that I have never asked myself these questions. That is why honestly am not secure in my beliefs.
It is time for me now to answer these questions. One of the ways I am going to get through these questions is for me to go through my old diaries. There was a time when I was constantly writing anything and everything that came into my mind. A lot of this will reflect who I am and my thoughts and beliefs at the time. It will also mean going through some of my old papers written at school and on my own. It may even mean digging up very old and in depth gaia posts.
If I am to ever really consider myself a writer then I must start having my thoughts published somewhere. I am going to start with this blog. The next several “essays” will be responces based on the very first question “Who am I”. The first article will be a basic biography of my life. The second will more likely be more thought processes on a specific topic and then the rest will flow from there,
In many ways it may work out to being a book full of essays and exercises much like one of my favorite books on traditional witchcraft (and one I wrote a paper on) “The Witching Way of the Hollow Hill” by Robin Artisson. This is one of the reasons I am starting with the blog. I figure that it is best to start e-publishing through this blog.
So this is the end of a year and the start of a new year.
Winding Way Intro-A pagan Meme
I saw this meme on Angus’ blog and thought that answering this would help anyone who reads this blog. Most of these questions will be expanded on in future blogs.
Please describe briefly your Path:
I would say I am a seeker. A lot of my work does involve the other worlds. I have had some influences from traditional witchcraft (by authors like Robin Artisson and Paddington) which shows the underworld tradition. As I am a member of the Temple tradition that tradition plays a lot into my beliefs and practices. I have also worshiped the Norse Gods. I feel I should start that over again. There is some influence of Germanic paganism in my religion.
I worship a 5 fold God and Goddess. The Goddess may be Frau Holda. I have yet to confirm that through folk tales and UPG. I believe in fate or wyrd. I also believe in all deities. I am a hard polytheist. I believe all deities to be seperate individuals and not faces of one supreme being. I work heavily with Dragons in my practice. I have been working under the Hermetic philosophy as outlined in the Kybalion.
My path is constantly twisting and turning, with some criss crossing. I am a seeker as such my path will change and evolve as I gain wisdom.
Please describe briefly how you practice it:
I practice by holding rituals. Lately I have been lax in my practice. I am working on getting back into practice. Meditation and trance work are essential practices. When I don’t hold a ritual I typically try and do a bit of journeying through the use of Drums.
When did you first commit to your Path?
I started to explore paganism when I was 13. My practices back then were quite odd. I incorporated a lot of the anime I was watching at the time to my practice. At the time I was moody and quite odd. I was confused about a lot of things, add to that most of my information came from Teen Witch and my delusions of being those charecters in this day it makes for an entertaining story now.
When I was 18 I first learned exactly what Wicca was and how it was not what I thought it was. I got in contact with a local coven (now disbanded) which I later found out was associated with Oath breakers. For a while I looked at being a Hellenic pagan. Then I just started to read any book I could find on the subject.
I was 21 when I found the Temple tradition through the books. The next year my mother and I took a weekend workshop with Chris Penczak. It was after working with him and having some of the most vivid experiences that I have ever had that I knew I wanted to learn more from him and seek the deeper mysteries. Last year I was enrolled in Witchcraft 1. I was unable to continue for personal reasons.
It was at that time that I began to remember what I had read from Artisson. Those things have begun to become included in my path. If I had to say I would say it’s only been the last 3 years that I have really committed to trying to follow a specific path. One of the things about the Temple tradition is that I can add in some other practices as I learn and explore.
Why did you choose to follow a path of paganism?
At first I wanted to get out of Christianity. I was angry at Yaweh or Jehova and thought I should explore other things. I went through my confirmation, but it was then that I realized I did not agree with the central doctorine of my church. I was not a trinitarian. I had always believed in other gods and knew that I should leave the church formally and go my own way.
That was when I was 14. During my teen years I was at church on a regular basis. I assisted in the nursery and as a Sunday school teacher. That church had been family. So I had a dual faith for a while where I tried to combine Christianity and generic neo-paganism sometimes called “neo-wicca” a term I hate with a passion. Though I would call it extreme fluffy bunny.
Today I still believe in Jesus and Jehova. I am learning about Jehova through a bible study at the local Kingdom Hall. I feel it is important to understand what other Christians believe. I consider myself pagan as I do not worship Jehova but I do honor him nor do I follow Yaweh or Allah. I choose to be a pagan because I feel my core beliefs do not resonate with Christianity.
How is your practice different now than it was then?
I grew up. I no longer hold the views I did then. I no longer blindly follow rituals and practices outlined in books. Today I basically question everything and work based on what I see as truth. Due to my constant questioning of myself I am constantly changing or revising my views.
Is your practice different today than how you thought it would be back then?
Very much so. I feel I have learned a lot but I know that there is so much more to learn and explore. I have my own beliefs and I no longer follow cultural misapropriation. I have gained wisdom. I see clearly where I once saw only shadows and clouds.
Does your Path and core belief system differ now than how it was when you first started?
In some ways very much so. I used to believe in one divine being that was expressed as a God and Goddess who were seen through the faces of all other deities. That changed when I actually started to read core myths and saw just how different the Goddesses were from each other. I did see some similarities but nothing to say they were all the same.
I now believe in one being known as The All which is an all enompassing living mind. We live with in the mind of The All. I believe in different planes of existence where we learn lessons until we can move to the next plane. The highest plane is being in full union with The All. The universe is infinite and there are myrids of reality.
I also believe that the other planes of existence are seen in the other worlds. In this specific reality the three worlds are one yet viewed seperate. We are all part of one reality connected through an intricate web. Yet we see ourselves as seperate. This is the key to understanding fate. I am still working on getting into my full and true self.
My concept of the soul has changed quite drastically. I include many different philosophies in my view of the soul. Many of them tie into the concept of Wyrd. Though I feel there are a few components missing from Wyrd.
What is your heritage and how does this inform your Path?
It wasn’t until I read and seriously took the time to explore Asatru that I felt a need to get back to those roots. I felt that I should explore those paths seriously. I have read the Eddas several times and they resonate deep within my core. I feel close to Odin as well as Niord and Nerthus. From that point I felt that there should be some element of the religious beliefs of my blood ancestors (and quite likely my Franco-American ancestors as well) in my religion. I quickly inserted ancestral veneration into my practice.
What are your main influences for your Path?
For books I would have to say:
- The Kybalion
- Aradia or the Gospel of the Witches
- Poetic and Prose Eddas
- Temple of witchcraft series
- The Witching Way of the Hollow Hill
- Sorgitzak: Old Forest Craft
- Wicca for one (Buckland)
- Assorted Grimms fairy tales and other folklore
- Essential Asatru
- Exploring the Northern Tradition
Which do you do more: practice or research?
Research. I have to admit it. I have more academic or book knowledge than I do actual experiences. That changed and will continue to change as I work with the Temple tradition and other sources.
Do you feel that one is more important than the other?
No. I feel that they are equally important. I feel research is good for understanding cultural context and exploring new ideas. Practice however is how we actually worship the beings in question. It is how we actually physicalize our beliefs.
What values and ethics are important on your Path and in your practice?
The Nine Nobel Virtues. They are guide lines to help me live a life where I feel I am being ethically responsible. These virtues are:
- COURAGE
- TRUTH
- HONOR
- FIDELITY
- HOSPITALITY
- DISCIPLINE
- INDUSTRIOUSNESS
- SELF-RELIANCE
I am working on discipline.
What sort of cycles do you feel your practice goes through?
Read, ponder, journal, test, reflect, use, nothing….repete
What is one of the greatest obstacles or struggles you have had to over come?
My mental illnesses and my developmental problems.
How do you see yourself practicing in ten years?
Public rituals and writing.
How do you incorporate your practice into your life?
Meditation and energy work.
Has walking your Path changed you as a person?
I think so. I feel I am more free to be open to new thoughts and thus new ways of conducting my behavior. It has also helped me understand my own behaviors. My worldview has changed as well.
Do you consider yourself to be a priest/ess? How so?
No. I have not been trained in the rites and rituals of my tradition to the point where I would call myself a priestess.
A witch? How so?
Yes. I practice witchcraft.
A shaman? How so?
I do not call myself a Shaman. There are elements of Shamanic practices in my practice. These come from European views and not Native American or Siberian.
Which matters more: getting the vocabulary right or the actual practice of what we are trying to define?
The actual practice is important. If there are specific terms to be used in rituals then knowing the correct vocabulary would be more important.
One of the most profound things anyone ever said to you was:
“You only fail if you stop trying” which was told to me by my fiance when ever I feel as if I have failed.
A defining moment on your Path was:
The journeys I took during the workshop with Chris Penczak. I had started to access the mysteries but I was not yet ready to do so. I needed to start at the beginning, which is where I am now.
Have you ever taken a “leap of faith”?
Yes. I have and I hope to do more so soon.
Please tell us something stupid, reckless or embarrassing you did once in your practice:
I almost set my bathroom on fire with a spark that fell into an open bag of toilet paper. It took a few moments but I fixed it. This happened during one of my ritual bath/meditations.
What is the most frustrating thing about your Path?
I’d say trying to avoid following or taking one authors word with out question.
Have you ever been frightened?
In ritual? Once. I was outside and alone at dusk doing a ritual to gain power.
Can you perform ritual without a script?
Yes. Though I use one when I am trying to invoke a being or try a new evocation that I have written.
Have you ever preformed spontaneous magick/spellcraft?
All the time. It’s how I was able to get parking at school. It also helped my fiance and myself in a financial situation.
What are you still exploring or experimenting with?
Everything?
What (or whom) are you the most committed to in your practice and on your Path?
The Gods who choose to listen to my worship and prayers.
Ritual tools are …
Expensive and fun.
Magickal tools are …
Enjoyable and great helpers and often the same as ritual tools
The one thing you can’t do without is:
My mind and a journal with pen/pencil
power is …
With in and everywhere
Politics and you Path are …
Hardly ever involved. The whole separation of Church and State thing.
One thing you wish people would understand about your Path and/or practice is:
I am a witch. I work magic. I will do what is necessary to get what I desire or defend my loved ones.
Do you teach?
No. I may advise and guide though.
What do you feel is the role of clergy in modern Paganism and Heathenism?
To teach and inform the community about our beliefs at large.
When the Veil (or Hedge!) is thin, how does that feel to you?
I feel hyper and I also feel jittery. I hear a lot more things than I normally do at these points.
What entities do you work with most? (ancestors, gods, fae etc)
Ancestors Dragons and the spirits of the land. I also worship deities.
What is your relationship with the Land?
I worked well with the spirit of this land. She lives in an oak tree in my front yard. I have given her hair and money.
The most important aspect of ritual is:
The reverence in which you perform the ritual.
The main purpose of ritual is:
To honor and be close to the deities or beings to which the ritual is directed.
What is the purpose of divination/dowsing (or whichever for of augury you use)?
To gain insight as to how things may come to pass. It also gives me another way of looking at what has happened. I use an oracle deck based on the medicine wheel. Though I feel I may start to look back at something more European.
What was the most difficult book you ever read? (Either difficult to understand or hard to face what it said or both)
It’s actually a book I started but decided I needed to give it more attention than I could at that time. It’s the 3 books of occult philosophy by Agrippa. The language is odd.
The Witching Way of the Hollow Hill was difficult, but I found the Horn of Evan Wood to be much more difficult.
The book I read on Germanic Heathenry was only complicated when it came to the explanation of the calander.
What book do you recommend the most to others?
That will depend on what they are looking for.
What is you favourite podcast (if any) and favourite blog (other than your own)?
I dont know. I have only seen a few blogs and heard one podcast
If you could impart only one last piece of wisdom or knowledge, or share one experience with the world at large, what would it be?
Trust your heart.
Is there an additional question you would like to see here?
Yes
Do you have any specific beliefs regarding the afterlife or what happens after death?
Yes, but I dont have a lot of room here to explain it. Multiple part soul reincarnation and
Please finish this meme with a picture, image or photograph of some sort:
Taoism reflection
Taoism is something that I find interesting if only in practice. I mean really Taoism is more a philosophy than a religion to me. I can see how it could be considered a religion but it is not one that I would practice. There are just somethings I disagree with. There are things I agree with but there are also more things I disagree with. For that reason Taoism is not for me.
One of the things I agree with is living life simply. I agree with that, and it is something I may be adding into my own philosophical practices. I mean I enjoy things like going to the movies, going to the occasional party, and having fun. However I personally see that there is such a thing as to much of something. I find that a simple life with the occasional fun is perfectly fine.
I’d rather have a simple life of school, homework, housework, and classes than a life where I had many people dependaning on me, and tried to do to many things. While there are a lot of things I would like to do in my life, I’m not going to have them get overcomplicated. I’ll focus on one area at a time. Hell I may not even do some of the things I want to do just so I can keep my life simple.
I also agree with the fact that life is the most precious gift we have. With out life we would be unable to learn the lessons we need to learn in order to ascend to the next state. Life teaches us lessons. Life also provides context for the mysteries. Life is essential. While I do believe in reincarnation, I believe that each life is precious and each life has value. So it is important to take good care of yourself and your body. It will have an effect on your future.
I find it interesting that Taoists believe that there is a unified force behind all of nature, but they don’t worship this force. It seems to me that if you were to believe in a supreme connecting force that you would worship it in some way. I mean if there is one force which unites all life, wouldn’t that force also be able to help you address your needs and desires? To me its odd. I find religions with out Gods to be well.. I honestly can’t really understand having a religion with out Gods. I know they exist but I don’t understand how they work.
I am a polytheist. I worship a being called Alshara. Alshara is the first ageless one. Alshara knows all and is all. Alshara to me is sort of like the Tao. It is a force that unites all life and all creation. I worship Alshara because with out Alshara there would be no life. So for me Alshara is essential to life.
Again this is because I see a unifying force like the Tao as a divine being. The only other thing I can think of is that the Tao could in someways maybe be viewed as the force that I use as a witch in my witchcraft. I don’t worship the force that I use in witchcraft. I work with it. I direct and manipulate the energy of that force to specific goals and ideas.
The force I use in witchcraft is simply that. A force that unites all things on this world. By tapping into that force I can cause changes in my life through spells. So if the Tao isn’t a God maybe it’s just another way of expressing magic and how magic works? I am not saying that Taoists are witches, I am saying that maybe there is a little correlation between the two. Maybe they are culturally different expressions of the same truth?
Do I believe in a unifying force? As a divine being yes. As an actual force in the world yes. So maybe I could be a Taoist, if I believed that working witchcraft would be effecting the Tao and my life the two philosophies could in some ways work together. If the Tao is a force that is not magic, then they are different practices. For now I’ll say that while they may be simialer I don’t believe witches to work with the Tao. I believe the Tao to be a specific force. What that force is I might not understand, but it is there.
The Principle of Mentalism
The Principle of Mentalism is one of the 7 hermetic principles. This principle has both spiritual/psychological applications as well as magical applications. It is one of the principles that I have integrated into my practice. So what is the principle of Mentalism?
The principle of Mentalism states:
“The All is Mind, the universe is mental”
To understand this principle you need to understand what the Kybalion means by The All. In essence The All is what many would call the essence of life. It is the source of all things. We are a part of it and we shall return to it.
The All is spirit. The All is everything. The All is everything that makes up reality. Nothing can exist outside the All otherwise the All would not be The All. The All is infinite. Nothing else besides the All defines, confines, or limits the all as there is no other power. The All is Immutable which means it is not subject to change in its nature. There is nothing that the All could change into nor is there anything that it could change from. The All simply is.
The all is unknowable. In many ways the All is the essence of the “Gods”. Yet the All is not a God as it cannot be understood by others and is beyond the realms of the Gods. There are a few quotes from the Kybalion that I would like to state:
“That which is the Fundamental Truth-the Substantial Reality—is beyond true naming, but the wise men call it The All” This quote basically explains that at the core of Truth is the All. If you seek truth you will find The All. Reality here is the state of being real, fixed, true, and enduring.
“The All is Infinite living Mind—The Illumed call it spirit”. Spirit is the essence of life and of everything. So we can say that if the All is everything that is and the start of it all, how were we all created? Well the chapter one the Mental Universe states:
“The All creates in it’s Infinite mind countless universes, which exist for aeons of time—and yet, to The All, the creation, development, decline, and death of a million universes is as the time of the twinkling of an eye.”
According to the Kybalion the All creates the universe mentally. The best way I can explain it as a painter or an author. The artists in both of those situations come up with a world or image in their minds. They then put the world or image on paper and thus the world is created. Simply by thinking of us or imagining us we are created by The All. I found the following quote to be the best example of how this works:
“You are dwelling in the Infinite Mind of The All, and your possibilities and opportunities are infinite both in time and space. At the end of the Grand cycle of Aeons when The All shall draw back into it’s self all of its creations-you will go gladly for you will then be able to know the whole truth of being at one with The All”.
Essentially the central theme of Hermetic philosophy as outlined in the Kybalion is that the universe is mental. If we can think it, it can be created. It also means that what has been imagined by another can be found by others. We are like the All in that we can create mentally. Our minds are a blank canvas where entire worlds could be created and manifested.
The more I think about the principle of mentalism, the more I am starting to see how the principle applies to my life, my world view, and my spirituality. Though my worldview and my spirituality are still evolving and developing, the Kybalion has been one of the gates to my understanding of the universe and my relationship to it.
If the universe itself is spirit, and spirit is unknowable and undefinable, and Spirit is The All and the All is Mind, the universe is there for mental. Spirit can be considered the universal Infinite living mind. In this way of thinking the universe is a creation of The All, existing entirely within the mind of The All.
Though we are all thoughts, we are still subject to the laws of created things. As we are thoughts with in the All our thoughts can also become a reality as the Kybalion did state that with in The All were countless universes. This means our thoughts can be manifested in our universe and in another universe. In practical application this means that by changing our thought patterns we can change and manifest reality as we desire.
Mystic Echoes 