by Jason Kitchen
(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)
The earth is a very strange and wonderful place. It gives us so much in our daily lives, but most of the time we simply do not see what a gift it truly is. The earth has given us a place of creation, where we can create all the things we have dreamed of and beyond. That said, we have become a disease for our own giving and loving mother Earth. We owe the great mother a little more than what we are giving her.
With our vast stores of needless items, the waste we are storing upon her back, and the neglect we perpetuate, we are making her choke and cry for breath. Of these crimes we are all guilty.
Our air is free; though I am but twenty-seven years old, I fear that by the time I am in my sixties that the free air our mother has given us will no longer be breathable. I worry for my three nephews, and their beautiful sister who follows at their side. Are we truly creating a planet of magick, or are we more concerned with tomorrow, with the trials, tribulations, and excitement it will bring? I can only hope that some day in the near future (and before it is too late) we will come to the aid of this great planet; our Earth can survive without us, but can our creativity survive with Her?
As mentioned, the Earth allows us the freedom of creation, one of the most powerful gifts that God has given us. We can create whatever our hearts desire if we use the correct tools to accomplish the task. In my last few years of studying magick I have learned that this knowledge of creation is the key to anything in this world. Without the use of creation in magick, there would be no magick. We would not have anything to conjure or manifest. We are continuously creating, whether or not we are practicing magick. We create the outcome of everything that happens to us in our lives on this earth. Knowing that we have this power, we need to create the outcome for the earth upon which we live as well. We need to create an Earth, a sphere, of magick.
This may seem a little more daunting than it actually is. Again, this can be done with the power of creation. In the book Tarot & Magic, Donald Michael Kraig talks about how to use the tarot as a magickal tool; the only thing you need to do it is a deck of Tarot cards and a little bit of imagination. This is one way to direct the outcome of your life and the longevity of our home planet. Tarot & Magic, like other good books, also illustrates an excellent point: we are the ones with the power, the power of imagination. We decide what path we take to our success (or for that matter, failure). We must decide to use our collective magickal energies for good, to protect this earth, this sphere of creation in which we live. This, however, is a choice; you must be comfortable and interested in this path of magick and creation.
Once you do find the correct path to follow and you are happy with that path, you should start exploring the art of creation. There is nothing more energizing or spiritual than performing a ritual in which you have collaborated or a spell that you have written. Pool your energies with other like-minded souls; there is nothing more powerful than the directed energy of creation and magick.
We should use the great gifts that we have been given. We should be able to create our own worlds around us. If we do not create, there will be no magickal path for our children to follow; we must give them a road to walk on their journey of creation. We have the freedom of magick, passed down through tradition, written word, and heritage; it is up to us to ensure that future generations likewise enjoy this freedom.
It does not take a professional to create magick. With the right help, anyone can create their own reality, their own Earth, their own spheres of magick. Look through the pages of the New Worlds catalog, or the online catalog at www.llewellyn.com; there are many other people with magickal knowledge greater than yours and mine. Find books, find articles, find anything of interest to you; you will be vastly rewarded on your magickal path.
I am but a young man, one fairly new to the occult at that. I still have a lot to learn, but I also have a little that I can teach as well. If that is what is required to continue the knowledge and power of creation, of new worlds of magick, then that is what I shall do; I will soak up the knowledge and tradition available to me, and I will pass on the words and knowledge I have. I will do whatever is necessary to keep the magick flowing on this great earth and in this vast universe until the day that my spirit becomes one with the powers of above.
Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2008. All rights reserved.
"Life happens. Life in the flow."
We learn over time that nobody can solve our problems, but someone can guide you how to solve the problem. You may receive guidance through a teacher, a guru or even strangers that you run into every day. As we practice yoga we learn that the more we know, the less we truly know. Every day I am reminded how much I truly do not know; a very humbling experience.
Yoga teaches me to be present. To just live for being and enjoying life as it is right NOW. Not ten minutes from now, no five days ago, but right now. We are taught to get out of our heads, to release worries and fears of the past or the future and to only live for this very moment. Presence.
"Lead me from untruth to truth, lead me from darkness to light." ~ Buddha
Through yoga we are reminded that we do have a dark side as well as a light side. We are not to repress the dark side, but embrace that side of our Self. We are the yin and the yang. We ultimately cleanse the dark stuff we hold inside. We shine the light on this. We must make friends with dark side. Both positive and negative balance out the whole. Daily practice refines and improves our inner vision to see our Self more clearly. We no longer need to run from fears. Face them and say I'm not running from you anymore. So much is in our heads, so much dark is only in our heads, self-doubt judgment betrayal. Yoga grounds the body so that the light and dark sides of ourselves become clear. So much is truly untrue. But as we diligently practice we are able to find the middle ground and walk our centered balanced line in life. We gain balance in centered lightheartedness. We can have harmony in both light and dark.
"Yoga tells us that the world is actually a projection of our own thoughts and we can modify our inner world to manifest into our outer world. When our inside realm is at peace and in harmony, our outer world shines this projection back at us." ~ David, Jiva Mukti Yoga co-founder
Yoga is observation.
We can observe our world and see what part that is in us is begin reflected back to us. We can then see what part of us needs modification or adjustment in order to have our outer reality reflect back to us the peace, happiness and love we so greatly desire and deserve.
Yoga is already inside of you. Happiness is there. Yoga helps you peel away the onion layers to get to the core. To freedom. The deepest Divine connection to the Ultimate Light Source.
Come out of wanting and back into acceptance and Joy. A yogi or yogini can turn any situation into bliss. That is a yogi. Yoga is being now. Ultimate yoga is meditation. Just BE.
Yoga is love.
"Love is the light that dissolves all walls between souls." ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
Through a dedicated practice of all forms of yoga we can participate in the world with a sense of freedom, unaffected from trauma, depression, anger, etc. The freedom is balance in both.
Maggie Anderson is a Yoga & Spiritual Teacher, Reiki Master Teacher, Integrated Energy Therapy® Master Instructor, Soul Coach®, Past Life Coach, Magnified Healing® Master Teacher and Angelights Messenger. She is the author of How I Found My True Inner Peace and Divine Embrace. You can contact Maggie at SpiritualCompassConnection.com.
"Follow Your Bliss. It's Your Spiritual Compass."