There is a simple spiritual principle that begins, "As above, so below." This principle is a reminder, not only that all things are connected and interrelated, but that everything that exists within our lives is echoed on different levels of reality. Sometimes we may find these echoes in dreams, appearing as visions that give us insight into our daily lives. We can also find these echoes in the natural world, the Weave of Nature acting like a mirror in which we can learn to see ourselves.
When we begin a spiritual path, we are much like an acorn that is beginning the journey to becoming a mighty oak. Around us are all the things we need to thrive and grow. For the fledgling oak tree, these resources would manifest themselves as nutrient-rich soil, the gentle rain, and the life-giving, guiding light of the sun. As the newly born tree begins to reach for the sun, it will face tests and trials. There will be storms to weather, droughts to survive, and parasites to withstand. But each year that passes, the tree will add another ring to it's trunk, it will grow a little stronger, a little taller. With its new-found strength it finds that the storms that once threatened its very existence are much easier to withstand. As it nears the light of the sun that it reaches for, it's perspective begins to change. Where it once lived in a world of darkness beneath the soil, the tiny sapling broke through into the light of the world. As it continued to grow, it left behind an existence where life was a wall of grass and low shrubs, until it towered above the forest and could see to the horizon.
We are very similar to the acorn. Around us, we have all the resources we need to grow, and life is quick to throw challenges our way. Each of us has our sun to reach for, a goal we're growing toward. For some of us, we are on a quest for wisdom and enlightenment. For others, we may simply be seeking to add value to our lives. Whatever our quest is, we reach for the sun, believing that it is right for us to leave the sheltering darkness of the soil to break into the light of the world above.
But before we can grow, we must awaken to the world around us. An acorn cannot make the transition from seed to sapling without first experiencing the soil that shelters it, it must be able to sense the sun before it can reach for its light. Likewise, we cannot make the transition from dreamer to seeker without reaching beyond our shells. Dreamers are content to wonder what lays beyond them, to imagine what they could achieve if they took the steps to grow. Seekers believe their dreams are a roadmap, a glimpse of the path ahead, and they dare to take the steps that will lead them to the place where their dreams are alive.
So how do we connect to the natural energy that surrounds us? How do we reach beyond our shells to experience the world?
Whether we live in the midst of a city or in the depths of the wilderness, there are two sources of natural energy we can draw upon. The first is the sky. Wherever we live, the sun shines upon us and the moon travels across the heavens at night. The second source is the natural energy around us, whether it is a forest, the ocean, a city park, or even a tree that grows on an urban street.
Connecting with the sun is the simplest step we will take together on this path. When you wake up in the morning, go to a place where you can face the east, the direction the sun rises. This place might be a window in your home, a corner of your yard, or any place that you feel drawn to. Stand there quietly and close your eyes. You can see the sunlight through your eyelids and depending on the time of year and your location in the world, you might even be able to feel the warmth of the sunlight on your skin.
As you stand there, experiencing the morning sunlight, take a moment to welcome the sun. This could be something as simple as saying, "Sun, I welcome you to a new day," or as elaborate as reciting a poem that you wrote about the sunrise. It doesn't matter if you speak the words aloud or simply think them in your mind. What is important is that you take a moment to specifically welcome the sun into your day.
Why? Each moment of our life is sacred. Think about it for a moment. Is there anything that is more important to you than your life? While many of us would lay down our lives for those we love, that's our choice of how we live. But what if someone was ready to take away all your choices? What price would you put on your life to have all your choices taken away, to have someone else completely control your will? You would not be allowed to disobey, to resist, but would have to contently serve their every need as their slave, not their servant, until the end of time? Not one of us would do that. Why? Because our lives are important to us. Whether we have trouble admitting it or not, our lives have value. We are each filled with the sacred spark of life. Each of us is a unique expression of the entire expanse of reality. Rather than simply being physical beings, we are love, dreams, imagination, and emotion wrapped in a physical package. We are life. And each of us is extremely sacred for that reason.
And yet we race through life at a breakneck pace. We jump out of bed with our alarm clock and click on the television to fill our morning. We race to the car, turning up the radio for the drive to work. Each moment we surround ourselves with distractions, things that keep our mind occupied as moments pass into days and days into years. In the midst of it all, the sun rises each morning, the moon slowly goes through its cycle, and the seasons slowly turn. And we are oblivious to it all.
As we take a moment each morning to welcome the sun, we stop the maelstrom around us. We pause to recognize the sacred. Rather than distracting ourselves from life, we take a moment to embrace it. Where we were once separate from the cycles of nature that are all around us, we begin to become apart of them. As we stand there, our eyes closed, welcoming the sun to a new day, we become a part of that sunrise. We make ourselves a part of that cycle, and in doing so, we begin to reconnect ourselves to the weave of nature that surrounds us.
After awhile, we'll be ready to take the next step. Like the acorn that must sense the world around it before it can begin to emerge from its shell, we too have experienced the energy of the sun and are ready to reach beyond what we know.
As you stand before the sunrise, your eyes closed, focus on the light you see beyond your eyelids. Imagine that it is more than just light; visualize it as a soft, physical presence, as if you were just ready to climb into a hot shower and the sunlight was warm, glowing steam. Imagine that the light is gently embracing you, that you can feel it touching your skin. As you begin to sense it around you, take a moment and think about how it feels. Does it remind you of something else? An experience or memory? A physical sensation? Take a moment and experience the sunlight as fully as you can.
What you're doing is learning to sense natural energy. Sunlight is one of the simplest forms of energy to work with. It's very vibrant and less subtle (especially in spring and summer) than many other forms of energy we'll work with. Later in the book, as we begin to work with other forms of energy, this daily exercise will make energy work much easier than if you simply approached it without this preparation. The ability that you're nurturing will also improve your spellwork, as the approach I teach relies a great deal on the ability to raise and focus energy.
The next step is just a simple addition of another technique. As you stand there, feeling the energy of the sun all around you, begin to slowly pull it inside you. Imagine that your body is like a crystal wine glass being filled with an amber wine. That wine is the sunlight. Let it fill you until you feel you are glowing with visualized sunlight. Pull it in from wherever it feels comfortable. Some people like to draw energy in through their hands. Others through their eyes, since the sunlight often seems brightest behind your closed eyelids. There isn't a wrong way to do it. What you are doing is developing your skills and techniques for working with energy. Just as each of us has certain talents (for instance, one person might sing while another bakes wonderful cookies), each of us also has a unique way of working with energy. There is no right or wrong way to pull the energy within you. What you're learning is how to do it in the manner that is most natural for you.
By filling yourself with sunlight, you will carry the sun with you, whether you're playing outside, or working in the depths of a windowless office building. In the middle of your day, take a moment to reach inside you, to feel the sunlight you hold within. It might take a moment to find it the light is so subtle. It might be a brilliant presence that surprises you with its intensity. But it will be there. If you have trouble finding it, follow the steps you used to connect with the rising sun. Visualize the sunlight inside of you. Each of us keeps it in a different place; mine is stored in my solar plexus. Once you've visualized, whether it's where I keep mine, in the tips of your fingers or even in the top of your head, feel it, connect with it just like you did with the sunrise. It will be there. And it will be with you whenever you choose to call on it.
When you've welcomed the sun, whether you choose just to say a few words or to complete each of the steps, thank the sun for its energy, for the light it shares with your day. Once again, this can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose.
Let's take a look at what you've accomplished. By taking just a couple of minutes out of your morning, you've slowed the pace of your world and chosen to embrace the sacred. You've connected yourself to the natural energy of the rising sun. If you've chosen to use the additional steps, you've practiced visualizing and channeling natural energy and you've charged yourself with solar energy that you can carry with you. Now that's a few minutes well spent!
You can follow the same steps with the moon at night. Welcome it; visualize it; feel it; channel it. Lunar energy is a little different than solar energy, for a number of reasons which we'll explore in later chapters. One reason is that the moon cycles much quicker (about 28 days) than the sun does (roughly 365 days), so that the patterns that lunar energy follows are more immediately noticeable than the solar energy cycle. After all, you've probably noticed that the moon changes from new to full and back again each cycle, but you probably haven't realized that the sun rises north or south of the position of the equinox, depending on the time of year.