Orion Foxwood on the Winds of Change

I often find myself in a state of fear regarding the state of the world at the present time.  I have been especially concerned with the apparent state of the worlds oceans and the impact that our society is having on coral reefs.  I spend a lot of my time during my morning and evening practice praying to Manannán mac Lír for the healing of our oceans and waterways.  Along with this I take as much action as possible to respect water, reduce my usage, and keep it clean.  Regardless of the state of the world, however, some part of me still feels hope.  I thanks the gods for that.  I wanted to share this excellent essay by Orion Foxwood, written not long after Katrina and the Tsunami, that has been a real help to me when the world seems dark.

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The Winds of Change: Insights of a Faery Seer by Orion Foxwood

A World in Change
Our world is currently being pummeled by devastating climate changes that are exacting high fees in human life, reconstruction efforts and in all that is familiar to us. We see this pattern in the macrocosm in the form of major destructive weather occurrences and in the microcosm as major shifts in our personal lives. “For the mill of the Gods grinds slow, but exceedingly fine,” quoted one of my Elders many years ago. All levels of our world, inner and outer, are being affected by the apparent changes. We can see it. We can feel it. And often, we are dreaming about it. No doubt, the whirlwind of changes is picking apart the old pattern and rearranging them into new forms that are congruent with new states of consciousness. Now, more than ever, we must look to our wisdom traditions to help us understand what is happening and what, if anything, we should do about it. For those of us in Faery Traditions (and one could say the Hermetic Traditions as well), who revere the potent powers of the primal underworld, we see through our second-sightedness that the inner temples are opening and ancient regenerative power (creation through destruction) is surfacing from the core of our world. This power arrives in waves of change that “cleans the house” and makes ready for the new. In this core is the heart of our planet, which beats forth pulses of life and inner spirit. It is the star beneath our feet….the molten earth’s core and it reflects its nature in our hearts. However, its heartbeat rattles, and even decomposes, the foundations of apathy, stagnation and worn out paradigms. This is good, but not comfortable…initially.

A Challenge to Faith and a Call to Action
As we witness these changes, the graphic destruction we see may cause us to question our faith in spiritual purpose and the will of the Gods (however we understand them) leading to feelings of hopelessness or fear. The fact is, humanity stands at a major “crossroads” and the purifying powers of the Underworld are rising and bringing forth new waves of change…new patterns of being. Nature and the spirit world are not shocked by such changes. But, humanity fears the titanic powers, which it cannot control. This a time when magical and esoteric people are called to task to support the unfolding balance and help those around us to translate the meaning out of what appears to be meaningless chaos. In short, these are the times we have been trained for. The hurricanes, tidal waves and other major elemental forces that are rearranging our lives are but outer reflections of inner dynamics surfacing through imbalanced patterns anchored in the surface world by humanity. Sadly, many of these patterns must be blown apart. As we have already seen, these arising forces may take away much of what is familiar to us. These forces are a call to action for people who consider themselves to be wisdom keepers, magic workers, Priest(esse)s, witches, alchemists, magicians, shaman and the host of other titles used to describe threshold guardians and mediators of spiritual truth.

The Dreamer Awakens
Deep in the inner soul of our planet is the core spiritual being of our natural world. In Faery Seership , we call this being “the Dreamer in the Land” – it is the Anima Mundi, or Soul of the World, of the Renaissance alchemists and magi. This being embodies the collective intelligence and sprit of our planet and its nature lives in everything in the surface world (and this includes all of humanity too). It is, in folkloric tradition, envisioned as an ever young, androgynous child that lays sleeping and dreaming on a bed of blue flame. It is also what tradition calls “the star within the stone”, which is the true stone of destiny. Between aeons of time that marks major ages or chapters in the unfolding vision of our planet, this Dreamer opens one eye and realizes one of its visions. Otherwise, it dreams and these dreams are carried into our world through visions, inspirations, epiphany and invention Each of us is a part of this vision and thus, why currently so many of our fellow humans are being driven by a sort of “divine restlessness” to quest for truth and meaning and put action behind its realization. They are shaking free from outworn patterns to make rooms for new ones…or old one revealed again.

We are living in a time when one era is opening and one era is closing to open to another. The blue flame of the underworld is rising through this awakening and bringing forth major regenerative change in the primary forms of wind and water. Another way of looking at it is that the inner sea temples are opening and the “aeonic” waters of the underworld are rising in the form of climate changes. Sadly, this means major change that also requires sacrifice in human and other lives. These dear ones who transition from this world to the inner worlds through the gates of death during this transition become a part of a greater, more powerful inner tide then we can imagine. May the Ancient One bless them as they walk the secret roads between the worlds and open the way for wisdom to come forth and balance to be realized. We must hold their sacrifices as holy.

Spiritual Work Actualized
So, what should we, the magical folk do? I recommend the following:

• Remain calm and do not become intoxicated by fear of impermanence.
• Send your spirits deep through the substance of the plant and touch the unfolding vision of our world through prayer, mediation, ritual and visionary processes.
• Commit your spiritual and magical workings to a balanced fulfillment of the surfacing changes to help reduce and buffer the harm.
• Remain steadfast in your commitment to maintain this time as a holy time of change… by not fearing it.
• Light the flames of your altars and send forth prayers and magic for inner stillness and clarity, so that your inner contacts can reveal your individual role in the unfolding changes.
• Eat, sleep, exercise, pray and meditate to keep your tools sharp so that you can mediate the balanced forces into imbalanced chaos fueled by human fear.

Good luck to you all, May the Dreamer reveal your place in the sacred circle the unfolding patterns of change. Keep it sacred.

Great Post by Thorn

 

Read this!  NOW.

http://yezida.livejournal.com/206207.html

 

Podcasts, Here I Come

I wanted to let you all know that I am in the preliminaries of launching a podcast, called “Pages of Air”.  I have been spending the last few weeks assembling equipment, software, and setting up the server environment.  Setting up the server environment has proven to be a real challenge, but I am nearly there.  Pages of Air will be co-produced with my wife Hilary and will be broadcast monthly.  Eventually we would like to go to twice a month.  I will keep you all up to date on when we upload the first episode.

Liber Novus: The Red Book

Exciting times!  Via various sources, including the intrepid Wild Hunt, I have been made aware of a new book being published by one of my most influential mentors and heroes.  “The Red Book” by Carl Gustav Jung, is the magnum opus of one of the greatest minds of the 20th century.  The Red Book is a richly illustrated and deeply personal text that chronicles the individual journey of Jung into the depths of his own psyche and the Underworld itself.  I have been a fan of Jung ever since I was introduced to him during my college years by Colin Smith, a counselor of some local renown in Durango.  Jung’s emphasis on dreams, mythology, vision, and spirituality resonated with me on a deep personal level that has helped to shape my own worldview down to the present day.

Being dubbed, “the Holy Grail of the Unconscious”, “The Red Book” has been in the stewardship of Jung’s family for close to a hundred years.  Since the text is such a personal account of Jung’s inner life, the Jung family has resisted all attempts at publishing the book for years.  After, however, some bits and pieces of the book were found in other locals, the risk that the book would be quoted out of context has made the Jung family rethink it’s secrecy.  I think to the benefit of all.  I can, however, understand the Jung families reluctance  to publish such a personal journey of one of their kin.  It cannot have been an easy decision.

The saga of the books origin and it’s history to publication reads almost like a Dan Brown novel.  An excellent account of it has been written up in the New York Times, a very worthwhile read.  I think this book has real potential for changing human consciousness, and can’t wait to immerse myself in it.  One of the quotes by Jung himself that may shed some light on how he viewed this book really struck home:

“I should advise you to put it all down as beautifully as you can — in some beautifully bound book,” Jung instructed. “It will seem as if you were making the visions banal — but then you need to do that — then you are freed from the power of them. . . . Then when these things are in some precious book you can go to the book & turn over the pages & for you it will be your church — your cathedral — the silent places of your spirit where you will find renewal. If anyone tells you that it is morbid or neurotic and you listen to them — then you will lose your soul — for in that book is your soul.”

The Red Book sounds like it literally is one mans account of his own soul.  I am immensely grateful to Jung for leaving this account behind.  As a recent student of Faery Seership, I was struck by the fact that this chronicles a seven year descent into the Underworld/Innerworld.  The seven year initiation period is a frequent motif in stories about seers and I was amazed to see it pop up with Jung as well.

Great video of an interview of him here about death, as well as a bit of a documentary on Jung here.  Well worth the watch.

I have a feeling that this book was meant to come out now, and I am interested to see how or if the psychological community embraces it.  I am also interested to see what effect it has on paganism, and the occult in the years to come.

Pure Unabashed Idolatry: Part the Second

Wanted to make a quick entry about my progress on my Cernunnos shrine.  I have found the perfect place for the shrine and have proceeded to carve, chisel, saw, and file the alabaster block.   It is amazing at how intimidating the stone becomes the closer and closer you get to the finished idol.  You may be able to discern the shape of Cernunnos seated with hands held to the sides and upraised at this point (with a little imagination).  Hopefully.    I have also laid out my tools for your perusal.  Although I had to replace the hammer with a larger, and harder, steel mallet.  The chisels are tempered to such a hardness that the hammer tip literally started breaking apart!  Working with stone takes a lot of patience, but is so rewarding.

Pure Unabashed Idolatry: Part the First

Very excited to be started on a new project, while getting into some long neglected skills.  One of the things I have found that Faery Seership has been doing for me is giving me greater focus and inspiration for living.  I have an amazing creek right behind my house and have picked out a place for a small shrine to Cernunnos.  I have had a nice sized piece of alabaster sitting around in the garage for sometime now, and have decided to use it for the statue (yes *idol*) of Cernunnos.  I have had a few experiences of building shrines in out of the way places, and been amazed at the effect that it has on people who “stumble upon” them.  Even the most simple shrine can make big impressions on those who see them.

I have had some people ask me to chronicle my steps of carving the alabaster and the steps in making the shrine itself.  So here goes.  Like so many projects, it starts in my garage.  I have assembled the following tools:

• 2 Hand Saws (they cut alabaster even more effectively than they cut wood)
• Set of chisels (toothed, straight, and beveled)
• Set of files (ranging from course and broad to small and delicate)
• Towel (for resting the stone on)
• Broom and dust pan (hand sized)

With all of these things assembled I took the stone (which screamed Horned God from the beginning) and looked over what was the best way to use what I have.  Here is the stone in it’s original form:

After mulling it over a good long while (your decisions are pretty slow when sculpting stone), I decided on the first few cuts and then inverted the stone once done:

The center stone in the photo above is the piece I will use for the idol itself.  I plan on basing it loosely on the image of Cernunnos from the Gundestrup Cauldron but including some upright man parts in the process, *wink*, and with more lifelike anatomy all around.   Instead of carving the antlers with the rest of the idol I plan on making two small holes in the top of his head where I can put either alabaster or wood inserts of the antlers that I will carve at the end.  Next post will be some photos of where I am putting the shrine and how I am thinking of constructing it.

Idol worshipers unite!  As an interesting synchronicity The Wild Hunt has a post today about idol making in India.  Check it out.

Neolithic “Cathedral” Found in Orkney Islands

Neolithic Cathedral in Orkney

Some of you may not know that I have a degree in Archaeology even though I now work in the computer world.  I came across this story on the Pagans for Archaeology blog and was hooked.  The archaeology of Neolithic Britain, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany has always fascinated me.  Particularly when looked at through the lens of “civilization” spreading from the Middle East cradle of Sumeria out and up to the “barbarians” of Northern Europe.  Neolithic Archaeology fly’s directly in the face of this theory and appeals to the Celtic Pagan in me.  You see, the earliest and most impressive examples of large tomb, village, and stone circle construction are found in the northernmost areas of Scotland (appealing to the Scot in me as well) not in southern Britain as one might expect.  It also meshes nicely with the ancient tales of the Tuatha Dé Dannan who are said to have come from a group of four islands “in the north”.

This new find adds to the already impressive array of famous Neolithic sites in the Orkney’s, like Skara Brae, the Standing Stones of Stenness, and the Ring of Brodgar.  The sites being so impressive as to have made it a World Heritage Site through UNESCO.  Evidently, this new find, dubbed the “Ness of Brodgar” dwarfs them all:

Measuring 25 metres (82 feet) long by 20 metres (65 feet) wide, the five-metre-thick outer walls remain to a height of approximately one metre (three feet). It is an oft-used phrase, but Structure Ten is truly like nothing found in Orkney, and perhaps Britain, before.

The site looks to have religious and ritual usage written all over it.  Of course, when archaeologists can’t ind an explanation for a site they often scratch their heads and say, “Hmm, must be for ritual use.”  But I think the case of religious use here, is beyond doubt.  The sites stonework is said to be immaculate and visually stunning on the outside, but rather shoddy on the inside.  This leads some to speculate that the interior was kept dark or barely lit, or was for a select number of religious initiates.  The Underworld associations of this site fascinate the Faery Seer in me to no end.  I look forward to seeing some artist mock-ups of what the structure would have looked like in it’s heyday.

Click here for more details on the site.

Tara vs. the M3

The battle to save the Tara-Skreen Valley and it’s associated sites is reaching a critical time.  Through the commitment of dedicated organizations like Tara Watch USA and other brave individuals the publicity over this issue is growing.  This site should be on the mind of all Celtic Pagans, Pagans, and Faery Seers alike.  Tara has a long history of culture, law, religion, and economics that make it worthy of classification as a World Heritage Site.

In light of this fact I have added my name to an online petition aimed to convince the UN the sacred value of this valley.  Now I know that folks like Jason Pitzl-Waters and others think that online petitions are basically worthless.  I think that this petition is, however, a rare exception to this, if you live outside of Ireland.  I cannot go and protest in person in Ireland, but I can add my voice to many people around the world for it’s protection.

Tara boasts a long history of culture and civilization rivaled by almost no other site on the planet.  The possibilities of archaeologocal, anthropological, and spiritual knowledge of Tara remain untapped:

For many centuries, historians worked to uncover Tara’s mysteries, and suggested that from the time of the first Celtic influence until the 1169 invasion of Richard de Clare, the Hill of Tara was the island’s political and spiritual capital. Due to the history and archaeology of Ireland being not well-integrated, and naturally evolving, archaeologists involved in recent research suggest that the complete story of the wider area around Hill of Tara remains untold.

I urge you to sign the Save Tara Petition and send a message to leaders in the UN that people all over the world (not just in Ireland) recognize the importance of Tara and her many treasures both sacred and secular.

Faery Seership Journals: Entry 2

Well I finally did it.  After months of preparation, work and dedication I have completed my first performance of the Seven Stage Visionary Process from the Tree of Enchantment.  Getting to the point where I felt comfortable doing it, and then performing it, proved to be one of the better magical experiences of my life.  I decided to make a two day experience out of it and felt a need to be alone.  One of my most important mentors told me once that experiences with the Fair Folk are greatly enhanced when you are alone.  They are much more prone to making their presence known.

For the location I choose a remote spot on Pikes Peak, dominated by springs,high altitude marsh, and coniferous forest.  From my experience the genius loci of Pikes Peak concentrates in this valley.  It is a place where it feels respectful to be quiet, is gorgeous to the eyes and senses, and is somewhat intimidating.  To be honest there are times that I genuinely feel like the spirit of the place is looking right into my soul.  Although powerful, the valley is intimidating; like a mentor or guru that sees things about you instantly, things you would rather ignore.  Despite those feelings I feel closer to myself, and to the Truth when I am there.  I figured it was the perfect place for my first full foray into Faery Seership.  I packed for two days and one night, outfitting myself with my Mega Bug tent (I highly recommend it for it’s light weight and it’s ability to be rock solid in high wind), some good simple foods: apples, pre-cooked rice, packets of soy sauce (I get them from the sushi section at King Soopers) and some hazelnuts for offerings.

Flicker Feather

My wife dropped me off at the trail head, gave me a brief blessing and hug, and off I went.  Just after I crested the first rise and disappeared from the view of the road, I stopped dead in my tracks.  Sticking straight up out of the middle of the trail was a Flicker feather!  I have never seen a feather with the point buried in the ground when I am our on a hike before, ever.  I felt like it was a way the spirits of the place where telling me to pay attention.  I picked it up, and from the moment I did to the moment I left the next day, I felt like I was being watched the entire time, it still gives me chills.  The hike up was gorgeous and I found a delicious patch of wild strawberry on the way up.  Yum.

The valley itself is filled with spruce, pine, fir, and aspen.  And the wildflowers!  There were marsh marigolds, elephant heads, shooting stars, indian paintbrush, daisy, dandelions, and a many others that I could not identify.  When you first enter the valley there is a large stone that has a chair shaped basin in it’s midst.  For me, it simply radiates croí.  I took my shoes and socks off before I entered the valley and approached the Stone Chair.  There is just something about the Stone Chair.  I am sure many of you have similiar places in nature that make you feel “different” as well.  After some prayers and silence, I found a place to camp near the edge of the forest.  I felt great.

I spent the rest of the afternoon marveling at the wildflowers, following elk track, and generally exploring the secret places.  I felt a sense of reverent silence the entire time.  It felt almost blasphemous to make noise.  This also made me somewhat nervous, however, as the valley is known for Black Bear and Mountain Lion, I really did not want to surprise a large carnivore!  But I simply could not bring myself to do anything but be as quiet as possible.  I did find a leg bone of an elk that had quite obviously been cracked open by either a bear or lion for the marrow.  Funny how even the remote possibility of running into a wild carnivore makes you well, alert. 

I set the time for the ceremony that night at midnight, timing it solely by the position of the Moon (which was Full) being directly overhead.  So after exploring I went back to my tent and took a short nap.  I woke up to the sounds of something rather large moving through the forest.  I am not sure what it was (most likely Elk) but it was yet another reminder of the  vulnerability that comes with solitude in the wild.

When the Sun began to go down the feel of the valley changed.  I had never been there at night before, and I was amazed at how alone I felt.  For some reason I began to feel like I had camped in the wrong spot.  At first I chalked it up to being alone and a little scared, but the feeling kept growing.  After the Sun had disappeared from view I began to feel a sense of panic that I must move the campsite.  So I packed up my stuff and moved to the lip of the valley to a flat spot in a small grove of Ponderosa Pine.  I felt instantly and substantively better.  I am still not sure where the feeling came from but I have learned to trust my instincts on these “feelings”.

The Moon came up not long after the Sun had fully set and I ate dinner away from my campsite on top of a massive boulder that overlooks the Great Plains to the east, breathtaking.  I always make it a point to eat a good distance from where I plan to sleep when I am in bear country.  After dinner I did some journaling, the Faery Well, and then rested in the tent as the Moon climbed higher and higher.  This was the first time I had done a ceremony, on my own, at night, out in BFE.  I will be honest, I got more and more freaked out the higher the Moon rose.  I had decided earlier in the day that I would perform the Seven Stages at the Stone Chair.  Thoughts of fear just flooded through me, “I am out here alone with the bears and mountain lions, about to perform a magic ceremony at midnight under the Full Moon.  Am I totally crazy or what?!”  But I had prepared for this for months!  I knew I would have felt like a total failure if I did all that prep work, hiked all the way up there, and then chickened out!  I had to stay the course and do it.

When the Moon was directly overhead I gathered up my ceremonial items and headed down to the Stone Chair.  I was scared out of my mind.  Every hair on my body was standing tall and screaming for me to turn around.  But at the same time I felt totally present, totally alive.  I made it to the Stone Chair, set up, and started.  In the interests of personal privacy I will not go into the experiences of the ceremony itself, but suffice it to say I did make contact, and by the end of the ceremony my fear was gone. GONE.  I felt totally secure afterward, and totally at peace.  I was amazed that I could walk into that valley feeling one way, and leave feeling the exact opposite.  One thing I learned, the opposite of fear is not courage, it is peace.  A bolt of my clan tartan was like a talisman through the whole rite and will be a regular addition to my material repertoire when dealing with the Fair Folk.

I left the next day feeling humbled and centered.  On the hike down I found another feather on the trail!  This time a Stellers Jay feather, deep rich blue with fierce stripes of black.  It fit with the communication I had during the ceremony so perfectly that it was spooky.  All in all, a great experience from start to finish.  My next Seven Stage Ceremonies will be done in the park near my house to get more familiar with the techniques.  When I feel like I have reached a greater level of comfort with it I plan on another solo backpack and ceremony in the Fall.  This time behind the peak near a massive stone pinnacle.

Wish I Had Been There . . .

Although I was not able to attend, the fact that this event was even occurring filled me with hope.  The Ninth Annual Fairy and Human Relations Congress was recently held in Washington state.  Orion was one of the presenters there, and I count myself a poorer human being for not being able to attend.  The work that is starting to take place on a larger scale within human culture with the Faery Realms is very hopeful, and I would argue, reality shifting in it’s scope.  An excellent video has been done of the event (in which Orion makes a quick appearance) and I recommend watching it.  Along with it is a short article from The Spokesman-Review.

I simply have to go next year.  Do I have any blog readers out there who attended?  If so, please let me know how it was!