We as a society, and I feel
most of what we call "western" society as a whole have lost something.
Something I remember we had even as soon as 12 years ago. No, it is not
innocence. We gave that up when we let the genie out of the atomic bottle.
What we have lost is not even faith, as we can see from our quite
dogmatic neighbors who are vehement in their beliefs, no matter how
skewed they may be. It is not even trust in our leaders, for even as
there are those who are against the current and previous
administrations, there are equally a number of those who are for them.
We have lost something as a society that no one person, save one's self,
can bring back into their lives and spirits.
When all the ills of the world were unleashed from Pandora's box, what was the one thing that remained?
Hope!
We as a society have lost the last thing we had. We have not just lost
it, but we gave it away freely! The sleepers were guided by some unseen
hand to feel as if they are worthless, useless and bad. In that moment
of desperation the human mind reaches out to anything, ANYTHING that can
give them solace, even it that happens to be FALSE hope. We surrendered
our hopes when the towers fell. We surrendered our hopes when the
economy fell. We surrendered our hopes when we felt we had no where else
to turn to but our leaders who also succumbed to false hopes and
ideals. The sleepers surrendered the last bit of what they had, what
they were, to what I call the Black Serpent. This foul beast coils
itself about your very soul and fills the mind with poison. It promises
power, strength and greatness. But all it does it take more and more
each day. It represents the shackles of bondage to a false ideal. An
ideal that is not of your own making. It's only goal is to drag you down
into the pit of despair and hopelessness, consuming that spark of life,
that HOPE, within every living thing.
We who do not sleep. We
who feel the golden light of Hope within us. We who know that "every man
and woman is a star" must press on with our work, our Great Work. Not
everyone knows how tread on the Golden Path but those who do must shine
as brightly as a fusing sun and light the way for those who have lost
all, or feel they have. The Golden Light is the only thing that can
defeat this Black Serpent. This is the Sol Invictus, The Light of Ra,
and the Philosopher's Stone. The path of the Golden Road is never easy,
and the results do not necessarily benefit the pathworker directly. But
when you have helped someone who was in the grip of the Black Serpent,
your very spirit evolves, changes, transmutes and grows as those who do
around you. That solitary star becomes a constellation, then a galaxy,
who's light illuminates even the dark emptiness of space itself.
Do not give up the fight. Do not give up HOPE!
Friday, May 11, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
My Writings
Sometime in March of this year, I had become re-inspired to pursue my writing, both my poetry and my continuing story of the Kind. The Kind are a race of shape-shifters some of which poses various paranormal abilites. I started on this novel in September of 2011 but had stopped sometime in November. As I write more chapters (up to 30 now) I learn more about my self as I add to the detail and back story of the characters. I give here a somewhat brief description of my story and where I draw inspiration.
Science fact, fiction and fantasy
Sci-fi and fantasy play a heavy part in inspiring my writing, but I back it up with some science fact, at least on a theoretical basis. I have always been fascinated by the possibility of time travel. You will see a lot of Back to the Future, Dr. Who and of course H.G. Wells inspiration in my work. I love playing with causality paradoxes, alternate history and flashbacks. Mad science also plays a large part in my style. Who doesn't like a bit of classic horror complete with a mad scientists lab full of Tesla coils, weird bubbling concoctions and bizarre machines? The fantasy aspect comes of course from my 25 plus years of playing D&D and watching various movies from the 1980s such as Conan, Legend and Princess Bride. Space Opera enters into the story direct from the works of Mr. Lucas. Finaly, how can we forget how anime has influenced me? Yes. I will admit that my story is HEAVILY influenced by FullMetal Alchemist, complete with the abilities of transmutation as possessed by the story's main character, and his relations. I simply give the alchemists in this story the ability to transmute matter simply by touch. There are no transmutation circles, no clapping of hands, and hopefully nothing that would get me sued. I honor the work of FMA's creator respectfully. It's simply just another power the Kind posses like fire, ice, storms or telepathy. You can also see a bit of Babylon 5 in the story if you look close enough. And of course there's Harry Potter, Firefly and Farscape. Yep. I'm a geek for sure and just about everything sci-fi and fantasy has influenced me.
Real-world magic and the occult
People who know me know that I am no stranger to magic(k) and the occult. I am a practicing alchemist and magickian. I do not follow any one neopagan path. I am not Wiccan, but I have been in the past. My poetry are in fact incantations and chants to the gods, elementals, or the forces of nature. Some of the rituals performed by the Kind are derived from actual real-world Wiccan, pagan, and hermetic ritual. The underlying theme is that Kind ritual formed the basis of human ritual and magic. Everything from Egyptian funerary rites, medieval alchemy and even Freemasonry is thought to be derived from the ancient teachings of the Kind before man began to hunt them down. The concept of the "Hunting Times" is an analogy to the "Burning Times".
I put A LOT of my own personal beliefs and practices into my work. As I said most poems are in fact incantations. I follow meter and rhyme and they almost sound like something out of Shakespeare. My work in alchemy and theoretical science is very obvious in the main character's ability to combine both "magic" and science to come up with new abilities on the fly. The rituals detail various moral, ethical and magical beliefs as well.
Locations
England
I am 5 generations away from that blessed isle. My Great x2 Grandfather was born in the Channel Islands in 1831 and moved to NYC some time in the 1850s. I have always felt a connection to the British isles. I suppose I'm a bit of an anglophile. I feel that there is no other place more seeped in magic and legend than in the UK and Ireland. I have never been there in this lifetime, but hopefully someday. And Stonehenge! I so want to see the stones! IN my story I have included Stonehenge and have done research trying to get a good idea how someone in 2006 would be able to get to the stones discretely. To the Kind, the stones are more than they appear.
Alaska and Canada
Nothing shows more sense of the "wild frontier" in the 21st century that Alaska and Canada. Okay yes, Siberia too, but we'll get to that in a moment. As a therian, alaska's wild open spaces, mountains, lakes, and ice call me home. It is here that the wolves run free, at least that's how I would like to see it. The reality for real wolves is grim with all the current huntings. Perhaps I will write ecology and care for our feral cousins in the story at a later time. Second to England is the North of North America. so wild and free. This is the setting for Grandfather's camp and home of the Whitepaw pack.
I have also been inerested in Canada to an extent. They have something we Americans gave up long ago, possibly due to the politics associated with the War of Independance. One of the main characters resides in Vancouver and I am researching the city and culture to get more a feel for it as well.
United States
What can I say. I'm a yank. So I would write about placed I knkow about. I haver lived in Florida, North Carolina, Minnesota and have been in Arizona, Tennesee, Georgia and Virginia. I was born in New York, but lived most of my life in the South. Robert was born English but was sent to America at a young age that he would not remeber it. He was raised by teachers in Florida, so he has a somewhat more 'southern' attitude. Suz is from the hills of Apalachia, and is even more southern. Grandfather and Amber are Alaskans, with a more frontier life attitude.
Russia/Siberia
Having grown up in the tail end of the cold-war, I was taught to fear the Soviet Union. These were the "bad guys" and that the concept of communisim was diametricaly opposed to the American way of life. These guys also had the atomic bomb and could wipe us out in a heartbeat. Yes I watched "The Day After" and "Red Dawn" in the 1980s and as a kid they gave me the willies. But after the Iron Curtain fell, I wondered were these guys really all that bad? I lived in Minnesota in the 1980s and we had quite a number of Russian Jews emegrating at tht time, some of which I befreinded and taught English to in elementary school. As more of Russian culture leaked out in the 1990s I discovered that they are more alike than not. I learned that it's governments and idealologies that conflict, not the people. Russia's Siberia is very similar to the near arctic realms in Alaska and Canada. I have heard the tales of Baba Yaga and of the shamans of the stepes and tundras and wanted to add that somewhere. So the character of Dmitri was created.
Germany
Always had a fondness for Germany, particularly the Black Forest and Bavaria. It is also here that such tales as from the Brother's Grim come from. I do have some German ancestry as well. The character of Heinrich was created from the Black Forest of Germany and also one of the largest packs in the world.
NYC, Chinatown
City of the World. New York City is full of people of many diverse cultures and groups. I've only been in the city as far as the airports. Yet somewhere else I want to go. Chinatown I imagine would be fun to visit as well, especialy during the New Year festivities with Dragons and Lion dances and fireworks.
The Characters
Okay, I'll admit it. The characters in this story are based on real world people. But I must reiterate that they are NOT these people I know personally. They are people whom I would like to be or meet. I know we cannot shape-shift or use magic powers. I have no intention of offending anyone. The only characters that are seriously close to anyone in real life are Robert and Suz. And yes, these two represent myself and my real-world wife as we were when we were in our 20s. The other characters are merely archetypes and totally made up. Just because I say someone is a cousin or sister in my story does not mean they are my cousin or sister in real life.
The Kind Race
The Kind race is a race of shape-shifters who have an immortal spirit. Yes, this is based in my personal beliefs of reincarnation and of course therianthropy. I use the word "Kind" as there are many types of Kind such as wolvenkind, catkind, foxkind and yes, humankind. I gave them powers traditionally known to werewolves such as fast regeneration and healing, heightened senses and for some, exceptional strength. Some Kind also possess various powers called "gifts". To use these gifts, they must be in anthropomorphic (or were) form. I declined from having them shred clothes during a shift to having the form "surround" their mortal forms. A full transformation is possible, but only when too much power, or rage, is channeled. There is also the risk of loosing one's "self" when fully shifting. The Kind's fast healing and regeneration ability means that Kind do not suffer the same afflictions as man. Surgery, even elective would not be possible, and is not needed due to the regeneration. This happens even in human form, albeit a bit slower. Kind do age, and do begin to progressively slow down after age 50 or so. The mortal and spirit forms are linked on a physical level, so a Kind that is fat, skinny, short, tall, etc... would also have these characteristics in not only their human, but their anthro and full animal forms as well. Hair colour is consistent as well. A red-fox Kind will generally be a ginger. Polar or arctic Kind will develop white hair at a young age.
Life Lessons and Social situations
Here we come to the story under the story. I deal with may mdern day issues, some of which I have personally come to grips with long ago, and others I am still dealing with even in middle age.
Self Acceptance
This story deals mainly with the concept of self-acceptance. The ability to accept yourself for who and what you are regardless of how human society views you. You are who you say you are, not what others would have you be. Our main character, Robert, is a nerd and he fully accepts it. In the start when he discovers what he is and that "magic" is real, he has a tough time accepting that. Over time, and with a little bit of help with his friends, he grows to accept himself as a Kind and eventually, a leader as well.
Size Acceptance
People who know ol' uncle Arcanus know that he does not hide his preference for the big gals. He is married to a wonderful Big Beautiful Woman (BBW) who has also learned to accept herself. In the story, I have written in 3 heroines who do not fit the average model of a Barbie Doll or anorexic supermodel. Suz is quite plump, Amber is an Amazon, and Cassie is an SSBBW (Super Sized). Each one has learned to accept themselves and their size. Granted their sizes do cause a few problems, mostly in getting into small places and in some respects mobility. Never does the issue of health come up, because the Kind simply do not have the ability to get human diseases. I understand that being seriously overweight in the human world is unhealthy, but this is a fantasy story and I would rather deal with the issues of size acceptance than that of health issues. Who wants to read about someone who is constantly dealing with diabetes or heart disease anyway? No thanks.
Now before you smaller folk get your knickers in a twist I have you in mind as well. I have seen big girls bash on skinny girls before but it was only in jest. But sometimes I know that even skinny bashing is as hurtful as fat bashing. While I personally have a preference for the full figured, I accept that there is beauty in ANY size. We have a skinny girl in the story who starts out being a fat-phobic most likely from being bullied on being a skinny girl, learns to accept people of size, and eventually even herself.
Bullying
The main bad guy in the story is a serious bully. He represents all the bullying I have seen growing up and even in the adult world. Childhood bullying is such as teasing, name calling and trying to taunt and egg people on. But there is also "adult" bullying. Size bullying has been mentioned but there is also ideological bullying, bullying others over their faith and even sexual orientation. My story's main evil deals with bullying and causing people to loose faith in themselves and surrendering to the "dark side".
Morality
Ah yes. The classic battle of "good v. evil". What story doesn't have that classic conflict? We mentioned the evils of bullying, but what about the true nature of evil? What is evil and does it exist in nature? In my story the Kind choose which path they will follow based on the "oroborous" serpent. This is in fact my own belief which is based in qabalah and uses the Caduceus of Hermes as a symbol. The Caduceus, which is the modern medical symbol, includes two serpents entwined about a staff surmounted by wings. The two serpents are the red serpent of severity and the blue serpent of mercy. The staff between them is the grey path of alliance. The wings above are the golden wings of hope. But there is a 5th serpent. A serpent that is not chosen unless you do not accept the other four. That is the black serpent of bondage. It is the dark side of cruelty, subjugation, hopelessness and what most would call evil. It is that which is left when the other four are absent. The Golden Light of Hope is mostly opposed to the Darkness of Bondage. It is the Grey path that mediate all things. Severity is fiery, forceful and sharp. It is the stern parent, but it is not evil. Mercy is the kind and caring parent and the generous king.
Rage v. Control
The Kind are a dynamic race, they are easily swayed by their emotions and personal and internal conflicts are a constant occurrence. It is more intense in them than in humans. A reason is because they are in touch with their inner fire, the source of their power. This is the rage. The rage does not always have to be fueled by hate or anger, sometimes great joy can power the rage as well. Robert has real issues in controlling his anger, being easily manipulated by Red's taunts early in the story. But as he learns more about himself and his path, Robert begins to learn more and more control. Rage is fine, but to let it control you does have consequences. Something I still deal with in real life even in my 40s. Many things cause me to rage, but none so much as man's inhumanity to man and beast.
Most will see many other things in this story. But the main things I want to give to the reader is a sense of suspension of reality, an idea of what the ideas of alchemy and my personal spirituality mean and the fact that not only does love conquer all, but one must also have hope, balance, severity and mercy as well.
Science fact, fiction and fantasy
Sci-fi and fantasy play a heavy part in inspiring my writing, but I back it up with some science fact, at least on a theoretical basis. I have always been fascinated by the possibility of time travel. You will see a lot of Back to the Future, Dr. Who and of course H.G. Wells inspiration in my work. I love playing with causality paradoxes, alternate history and flashbacks. Mad science also plays a large part in my style. Who doesn't like a bit of classic horror complete with a mad scientists lab full of Tesla coils, weird bubbling concoctions and bizarre machines? The fantasy aspect comes of course from my 25 plus years of playing D&D and watching various movies from the 1980s such as Conan, Legend and Princess Bride. Space Opera enters into the story direct from the works of Mr. Lucas. Finaly, how can we forget how anime has influenced me? Yes. I will admit that my story is HEAVILY influenced by FullMetal Alchemist, complete with the abilities of transmutation as possessed by the story's main character, and his relations. I simply give the alchemists in this story the ability to transmute matter simply by touch. There are no transmutation circles, no clapping of hands, and hopefully nothing that would get me sued. I honor the work of FMA's creator respectfully. It's simply just another power the Kind posses like fire, ice, storms or telepathy. You can also see a bit of Babylon 5 in the story if you look close enough. And of course there's Harry Potter, Firefly and Farscape. Yep. I'm a geek for sure and just about everything sci-fi and fantasy has influenced me.
Real-world magic and the occult
People who know me know that I am no stranger to magic(k) and the occult. I am a practicing alchemist and magickian. I do not follow any one neopagan path. I am not Wiccan, but I have been in the past. My poetry are in fact incantations and chants to the gods, elementals, or the forces of nature. Some of the rituals performed by the Kind are derived from actual real-world Wiccan, pagan, and hermetic ritual. The underlying theme is that Kind ritual formed the basis of human ritual and magic. Everything from Egyptian funerary rites, medieval alchemy and even Freemasonry is thought to be derived from the ancient teachings of the Kind before man began to hunt them down. The concept of the "Hunting Times" is an analogy to the "Burning Times".
I put A LOT of my own personal beliefs and practices into my work. As I said most poems are in fact incantations. I follow meter and rhyme and they almost sound like something out of Shakespeare. My work in alchemy and theoretical science is very obvious in the main character's ability to combine both "magic" and science to come up with new abilities on the fly. The rituals detail various moral, ethical and magical beliefs as well.
Locations
England
I am 5 generations away from that blessed isle. My Great x2 Grandfather was born in the Channel Islands in 1831 and moved to NYC some time in the 1850s. I have always felt a connection to the British isles. I suppose I'm a bit of an anglophile. I feel that there is no other place more seeped in magic and legend than in the UK and Ireland. I have never been there in this lifetime, but hopefully someday. And Stonehenge! I so want to see the stones! IN my story I have included Stonehenge and have done research trying to get a good idea how someone in 2006 would be able to get to the stones discretely. To the Kind, the stones are more than they appear.
Alaska and Canada
Nothing shows more sense of the "wild frontier" in the 21st century that Alaska and Canada. Okay yes, Siberia too, but we'll get to that in a moment. As a therian, alaska's wild open spaces, mountains, lakes, and ice call me home. It is here that the wolves run free, at least that's how I would like to see it. The reality for real wolves is grim with all the current huntings. Perhaps I will write ecology and care for our feral cousins in the story at a later time. Second to England is the North of North America. so wild and free. This is the setting for Grandfather's camp and home of the Whitepaw pack.
I have also been inerested in Canada to an extent. They have something we Americans gave up long ago, possibly due to the politics associated with the War of Independance. One of the main characters resides in Vancouver and I am researching the city and culture to get more a feel for it as well.
United States
What can I say. I'm a yank. So I would write about placed I knkow about. I haver lived in Florida, North Carolina, Minnesota and have been in Arizona, Tennesee, Georgia and Virginia. I was born in New York, but lived most of my life in the South. Robert was born English but was sent to America at a young age that he would not remeber it. He was raised by teachers in Florida, so he has a somewhat more 'southern' attitude. Suz is from the hills of Apalachia, and is even more southern. Grandfather and Amber are Alaskans, with a more frontier life attitude.
Russia/Siberia
Having grown up in the tail end of the cold-war, I was taught to fear the Soviet Union. These were the "bad guys" and that the concept of communisim was diametricaly opposed to the American way of life. These guys also had the atomic bomb and could wipe us out in a heartbeat. Yes I watched "The Day After" and "Red Dawn" in the 1980s and as a kid they gave me the willies. But after the Iron Curtain fell, I wondered were these guys really all that bad? I lived in Minnesota in the 1980s and we had quite a number of Russian Jews emegrating at tht time, some of which I befreinded and taught English to in elementary school. As more of Russian culture leaked out in the 1990s I discovered that they are more alike than not. I learned that it's governments and idealologies that conflict, not the people. Russia's Siberia is very similar to the near arctic realms in Alaska and Canada. I have heard the tales of Baba Yaga and of the shamans of the stepes and tundras and wanted to add that somewhere. So the character of Dmitri was created.
Germany
Always had a fondness for Germany, particularly the Black Forest and Bavaria. It is also here that such tales as from the Brother's Grim come from. I do have some German ancestry as well. The character of Heinrich was created from the Black Forest of Germany and also one of the largest packs in the world.
NYC, Chinatown
City of the World. New York City is full of people of many diverse cultures and groups. I've only been in the city as far as the airports. Yet somewhere else I want to go. Chinatown I imagine would be fun to visit as well, especialy during the New Year festivities with Dragons and Lion dances and fireworks.
The Characters
Okay, I'll admit it. The characters in this story are based on real world people. But I must reiterate that they are NOT these people I know personally. They are people whom I would like to be or meet. I know we cannot shape-shift or use magic powers. I have no intention of offending anyone. The only characters that are seriously close to anyone in real life are Robert and Suz. And yes, these two represent myself and my real-world wife as we were when we were in our 20s. The other characters are merely archetypes and totally made up. Just because I say someone is a cousin or sister in my story does not mean they are my cousin or sister in real life.
The Kind Race
The Kind race is a race of shape-shifters who have an immortal spirit. Yes, this is based in my personal beliefs of reincarnation and of course therianthropy. I use the word "Kind" as there are many types of Kind such as wolvenkind, catkind, foxkind and yes, humankind. I gave them powers traditionally known to werewolves such as fast regeneration and healing, heightened senses and for some, exceptional strength. Some Kind also possess various powers called "gifts". To use these gifts, they must be in anthropomorphic (or were) form. I declined from having them shred clothes during a shift to having the form "surround" their mortal forms. A full transformation is possible, but only when too much power, or rage, is channeled. There is also the risk of loosing one's "self" when fully shifting. The Kind's fast healing and regeneration ability means that Kind do not suffer the same afflictions as man. Surgery, even elective would not be possible, and is not needed due to the regeneration. This happens even in human form, albeit a bit slower. Kind do age, and do begin to progressively slow down after age 50 or so. The mortal and spirit forms are linked on a physical level, so a Kind that is fat, skinny, short, tall, etc... would also have these characteristics in not only their human, but their anthro and full animal forms as well. Hair colour is consistent as well. A red-fox Kind will generally be a ginger. Polar or arctic Kind will develop white hair at a young age.
Life Lessons and Social situations
Here we come to the story under the story. I deal with may mdern day issues, some of which I have personally come to grips with long ago, and others I am still dealing with even in middle age.
Self Acceptance
This story deals mainly with the concept of self-acceptance. The ability to accept yourself for who and what you are regardless of how human society views you. You are who you say you are, not what others would have you be. Our main character, Robert, is a nerd and he fully accepts it. In the start when he discovers what he is and that "magic" is real, he has a tough time accepting that. Over time, and with a little bit of help with his friends, he grows to accept himself as a Kind and eventually, a leader as well.
Size Acceptance
People who know ol' uncle Arcanus know that he does not hide his preference for the big gals. He is married to a wonderful Big Beautiful Woman (BBW) who has also learned to accept herself. In the story, I have written in 3 heroines who do not fit the average model of a Barbie Doll or anorexic supermodel. Suz is quite plump, Amber is an Amazon, and Cassie is an SSBBW (Super Sized). Each one has learned to accept themselves and their size. Granted their sizes do cause a few problems, mostly in getting into small places and in some respects mobility. Never does the issue of health come up, because the Kind simply do not have the ability to get human diseases. I understand that being seriously overweight in the human world is unhealthy, but this is a fantasy story and I would rather deal with the issues of size acceptance than that of health issues. Who wants to read about someone who is constantly dealing with diabetes or heart disease anyway? No thanks.
Now before you smaller folk get your knickers in a twist I have you in mind as well. I have seen big girls bash on skinny girls before but it was only in jest. But sometimes I know that even skinny bashing is as hurtful as fat bashing. While I personally have a preference for the full figured, I accept that there is beauty in ANY size. We have a skinny girl in the story who starts out being a fat-phobic most likely from being bullied on being a skinny girl, learns to accept people of size, and eventually even herself.
Bullying
The main bad guy in the story is a serious bully. He represents all the bullying I have seen growing up and even in the adult world. Childhood bullying is such as teasing, name calling and trying to taunt and egg people on. But there is also "adult" bullying. Size bullying has been mentioned but there is also ideological bullying, bullying others over their faith and even sexual orientation. My story's main evil deals with bullying and causing people to loose faith in themselves and surrendering to the "dark side".
Morality
Ah yes. The classic battle of "good v. evil". What story doesn't have that classic conflict? We mentioned the evils of bullying, but what about the true nature of evil? What is evil and does it exist in nature? In my story the Kind choose which path they will follow based on the "oroborous" serpent. This is in fact my own belief which is based in qabalah and uses the Caduceus of Hermes as a symbol. The Caduceus, which is the modern medical symbol, includes two serpents entwined about a staff surmounted by wings. The two serpents are the red serpent of severity and the blue serpent of mercy. The staff between them is the grey path of alliance. The wings above are the golden wings of hope. But there is a 5th serpent. A serpent that is not chosen unless you do not accept the other four. That is the black serpent of bondage. It is the dark side of cruelty, subjugation, hopelessness and what most would call evil. It is that which is left when the other four are absent. The Golden Light of Hope is mostly opposed to the Darkness of Bondage. It is the Grey path that mediate all things. Severity is fiery, forceful and sharp. It is the stern parent, but it is not evil. Mercy is the kind and caring parent and the generous king.
Rage v. Control
The Kind are a dynamic race, they are easily swayed by their emotions and personal and internal conflicts are a constant occurrence. It is more intense in them than in humans. A reason is because they are in touch with their inner fire, the source of their power. This is the rage. The rage does not always have to be fueled by hate or anger, sometimes great joy can power the rage as well. Robert has real issues in controlling his anger, being easily manipulated by Red's taunts early in the story. But as he learns more about himself and his path, Robert begins to learn more and more control. Rage is fine, but to let it control you does have consequences. Something I still deal with in real life even in my 40s. Many things cause me to rage, but none so much as man's inhumanity to man and beast.
Most will see many other things in this story. But the main things I want to give to the reader is a sense of suspension of reality, an idea of what the ideas of alchemy and my personal spirituality mean and the fact that not only does love conquer all, but one must also have hope, balance, severity and mercy as well.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Thoughts on Energy
Thoughts on energy.
I have come to a conclusion on many so called "new age" energy practices and how they relate to my own experiences, teachings and experimentation. I have been largely self taught as I do not have the financial means to obtain training or "atunements" done. Still I feel I may have felt the same energy as Kudalini and Reiki practitioners even if it is "in the raw" as I am not a practitioner of either of these.
In the begining I was all being shown how to sense energy through both martial and magickal practices. I was trained in the use of the sword and was introduced to the concept of "sentiment du fer" or "feel of the blade". You could anticipate your opponent by sensing it. I akined this to a type of empathic sense. My master then channeled chi-kung and let me feel it. That was when I first experienced energy. I then learned I could generate the same feeling in others. I had no real training, it simply came natural. I could feel the energy as a tingling sensation. This moved on to producing energy balls and "pushy-hands". I still did not know what I was channeling at that time, was this outside or inside? In Wicca, this same energy was used in circle casting with athame, sword or staff. I continued to play around with this energy until I found a book on astral thought forms. I then used the same energy to construct various astral objects filled with intent.
When I came to know my inner beast a bit better I soon learned of another energy. This was violent and chaotic and seemed to well up from the inside. It is this energy that invokes the shift. It is a forceful and angry energy. I have looked into Kudalini and this seems to match with what I experience when this energy raises. It's like a mighty explosion from within. I have used this energy in conjunction with many Golden Dawn derived rituals, such as the middle pillar and LBRP. I use the channeling astral energy mentioned above to cast my circle of pentagrams and then when "within me is the six-rayed star" a beam of light from above shoot down into my centre causing a reaction. That reaction is like an atom bomb going off. A mighty explosion of energy from within blasting everything in the area to oblivion. A fusion of above and below perhaps?
Another thing about those Golden Dawn rits. I have learned that they are primarily used to teach the practitioner what the energy feels like. For example, if you do the LBRP constantly, you will eventually learn what the banishing and invoking energies feel like. Performing the rituals of the hexagram will let you know what planetary energies feel like. Feeling is the first step. Once you know how the energy feels, you can then generate or channel it without the ritual. I have done this on numerous occasions. Is this similar to being attuned to an energy by a master? As I have never experienced an attunement I can only speculate.
My work in alchemy and qabalah have shown me that there are indeed many different energies, or perhaps vibrations of the same energy. The key is knowing what that vibration feels like. There are so many techniques for sensing, channeling or even generating these energy frequencies that they all have a common focus. Wicca is concerned mainly with lunar, solar and elemental energy. Ceremonial magick goes into the energy associated with the planets or qabalistic sephiroth. Alchemy wraps up elemental and planetary and adds the three primes and the transmutative energies associated with the zodiac and the azoth.
As I compare alchemy to what I have seen of both Reiki and Kudalini, I have made the following conclusions.
Reiki seems to me to be the energy from without, or the "universal energy" so often described by its practitioners. This is the energy that is channeled by one so attuned to cause change and healing to the spiritual form. I would associate this energy to the Mercury of the Philosophers. It is the light of the universe itself and is receptive to the spirit, also associated with Our Mercury. Practitioners of other mystical paths may also be channeling this energy, call it the astral or Yetziric plane. I believe that they only scratch the surface when it comes to the full realization of this type of energy.
Kudalini seems to be the opposite. It is said that Kudalini is a "coiled serpent" based at the root chakra and when invoked rises through the chakra points until it explodes in a fountain of energy emanating from the crown. This energy can be channeled or directed in a continuous flow around the body. To the uninitiated this effect when it happens spontaneously can be quite disturbing as it is chaotic and forceful. This seems to associate with the Sulphur of the Philosophers. This is the primal energy or spark of creation. it is a mighty burst of energy from within. This is your soul. When this energy meets the universal energy the alchemic marriage is made.
The last form of energy therefore must be associated with the Salt of the Philosophers. This any scientist, mad or not, knows al too well. This is the energy of what most would call "physical reality". This is heat, light, force, gravity, electromagnetism, radiation, kinetic and potential energy. Using this physical energy in conjunction with the two "mystical" energies will cause true transmutation to occur. Remember the words of the Thrice Greatest.
So therefore in conclusion, it seems that there are 3 forms of energy and a myriad of vibrations of those 3 forms. Even physical electromagnetic energy has a "rainbow" of visible vibrations and hundreds of invisible vibrations. I think the tree of life is a road-map for the vibrational levels of universal and internal energy as well.
There you have it. My thoughts on energy. I have never been attuned by a Reiki master but can only speculate to how it may feel. I only wonder if I have, in a chaos magick sort of way, felt it without knowing. Kudalini is a definite. That energy just explodes like a nuclear blast, although I have learned to use my "mediation of the tempest" to make me a calm center in the raging storm. I also focus this into my therianthropic shifts.
I have come to a conclusion on many so called "new age" energy practices and how they relate to my own experiences, teachings and experimentation. I have been largely self taught as I do not have the financial means to obtain training or "atunements" done. Still I feel I may have felt the same energy as Kudalini and Reiki practitioners even if it is "in the raw" as I am not a practitioner of either of these.
In the begining I was all being shown how to sense energy through both martial and magickal practices. I was trained in the use of the sword and was introduced to the concept of "sentiment du fer" or "feel of the blade". You could anticipate your opponent by sensing it. I akined this to a type of empathic sense. My master then channeled chi-kung and let me feel it. That was when I first experienced energy. I then learned I could generate the same feeling in others. I had no real training, it simply came natural. I could feel the energy as a tingling sensation. This moved on to producing energy balls and "pushy-hands". I still did not know what I was channeling at that time, was this outside or inside? In Wicca, this same energy was used in circle casting with athame, sword or staff. I continued to play around with this energy until I found a book on astral thought forms. I then used the same energy to construct various astral objects filled with intent.
When I came to know my inner beast a bit better I soon learned of another energy. This was violent and chaotic and seemed to well up from the inside. It is this energy that invokes the shift. It is a forceful and angry energy. I have looked into Kudalini and this seems to match with what I experience when this energy raises. It's like a mighty explosion from within. I have used this energy in conjunction with many Golden Dawn derived rituals, such as the middle pillar and LBRP. I use the channeling astral energy mentioned above to cast my circle of pentagrams and then when "within me is the six-rayed star" a beam of light from above shoot down into my centre causing a reaction. That reaction is like an atom bomb going off. A mighty explosion of energy from within blasting everything in the area to oblivion. A fusion of above and below perhaps?
Another thing about those Golden Dawn rits. I have learned that they are primarily used to teach the practitioner what the energy feels like. For example, if you do the LBRP constantly, you will eventually learn what the banishing and invoking energies feel like. Performing the rituals of the hexagram will let you know what planetary energies feel like. Feeling is the first step. Once you know how the energy feels, you can then generate or channel it without the ritual. I have done this on numerous occasions. Is this similar to being attuned to an energy by a master? As I have never experienced an attunement I can only speculate.
My work in alchemy and qabalah have shown me that there are indeed many different energies, or perhaps vibrations of the same energy. The key is knowing what that vibration feels like. There are so many techniques for sensing, channeling or even generating these energy frequencies that they all have a common focus. Wicca is concerned mainly with lunar, solar and elemental energy. Ceremonial magick goes into the energy associated with the planets or qabalistic sephiroth. Alchemy wraps up elemental and planetary and adds the three primes and the transmutative energies associated with the zodiac and the azoth.
As I compare alchemy to what I have seen of both Reiki and Kudalini, I have made the following conclusions.
Reiki seems to me to be the energy from without, or the "universal energy" so often described by its practitioners. This is the energy that is channeled by one so attuned to cause change and healing to the spiritual form. I would associate this energy to the Mercury of the Philosophers. It is the light of the universe itself and is receptive to the spirit, also associated with Our Mercury. Practitioners of other mystical paths may also be channeling this energy, call it the astral or Yetziric plane. I believe that they only scratch the surface when it comes to the full realization of this type of energy.
Kudalini seems to be the opposite. It is said that Kudalini is a "coiled serpent" based at the root chakra and when invoked rises through the chakra points until it explodes in a fountain of energy emanating from the crown. This energy can be channeled or directed in a continuous flow around the body. To the uninitiated this effect when it happens spontaneously can be quite disturbing as it is chaotic and forceful. This seems to associate with the Sulphur of the Philosophers. This is the primal energy or spark of creation. it is a mighty burst of energy from within. This is your soul. When this energy meets the universal energy the alchemic marriage is made.
The last form of energy therefore must be associated with the Salt of the Philosophers. This any scientist, mad or not, knows al too well. This is the energy of what most would call "physical reality". This is heat, light, force, gravity, electromagnetism, radiation, kinetic and potential energy. Using this physical energy in conjunction with the two "mystical" energies will cause true transmutation to occur. Remember the words of the Thrice Greatest.
So therefore in conclusion, it seems that there are 3 forms of energy and a myriad of vibrations of those 3 forms. Even physical electromagnetic energy has a "rainbow" of visible vibrations and hundreds of invisible vibrations. I think the tree of life is a road-map for the vibrational levels of universal and internal energy as well.
There you have it. My thoughts on energy. I have never been attuned by a Reiki master but can only speculate to how it may feel. I only wonder if I have, in a chaos magick sort of way, felt it without knowing. Kudalini is a definite. That energy just explodes like a nuclear blast, although I have learned to use my "mediation of the tempest" to make me a calm center in the raging storm. I also focus this into my therianthropic shifts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)