Magickal Correspondences
January 13, 2008
by Jeffrey Pierce
As novel as it may sound to those of you who have read Old Ways for awhile now, the articles and lessons are (oh my gosh) current. Yep, as weird as it may seem, I'm actually caught up. No more bombarding you with material for awhile... well, for a little bit at least.
The latest installment of
The First Cycle, a lesson simply called
Tools, posted this last week. I wrote a blog apologizing for publishing it out of order and
explaining why I had to juxtapose two of the lessons to straighten out the flow of things. I also wrote a blog on letting go and one on being introduced to a pagan community through a service called Second Life.
I shared my second morning today in
Second Life, an online virtual world. The major attraction for me is a pagan campfire chat Sunday mornings that I find myself looking forward to each week. It's a welcome break in my schedule and a time when I can simply relax, hang out with other pagans, and take a backseat as I listen to the stories and experiences of other people on the path. Basic membership is free (which is what I use) and you can find the chat by searching Second Life for Anam Turas, which is the name of the pagan group that hosts the Sunday morning get-togethers.
With a small break in the use of my keyboard, I've begun focusing that energy on other projects. I'm working on a couple of additional
special features for the site. One is a series on magickal defense that relies pretty heavily on martial arts philosophy and Lao Tzu's, "The Art of War." The second is a special feature on sacred relationships, from friendships to co-workers to romance.
You can take a moment and laugh at the irony of the balance between those two topics. I just realized it myself.
I've never charged for lessons or teaching, online or otherwise. At the request of numerous students and readers, I do accept financial "thank you's" but I certainly don't solicit requests. From my perspective, the spiritual and monetary realms are diametrically opposed to each other. But since I accept
gifts - and I'm a spiritual teacher - it's extremely important that I'm open about what I receive and how I use it.
The reasons behind the whole thing are rather complicated, but think of the dance we do here as a ritual. I offer you something with the energy of an openly presented gift. In response, you choose to send a financial gift my way in the same energy. To maintain the integrity of the energy in that exchange, I need to be equally open about the amounts I receive and the manner in which I use the gifts.
All that to say, the records of what I've received and how I've used it are now
posted online. In all honesty, I haven't used the gifts for anything at this point. It's very important to me that I use the gifts in such a way that the energy behind Old Ways is further strengthened. I have a couple of ideas (such as video lessons and the resumption of podcasts) but I'm taking the time to make the right decision.
And now, on to your email.
Patricia wrote in to say, "I have been reading your articles on and off for what feels like years." Actually, it has been years. dear sister. Can you believe that March marks the eleventh year of publication here at Old Ways? She went on to reference the health issues that I've mentioned in the last couple of issues of Magickal Correspondences. "I was not aware that you were having these health issues! I am so happy for you they are resolved." It's a relief, I assure you. And thank you for your very kind words.
Sandy wrote in with comments about my recent health issues as well, sharing her own experiences and the lessons she gleaned from he own challenges. "Every time I looked up there was either a maiden or mother healer from the Charge Nurse, to the Respiratory Nurses. Pentagrams, Goddess figures, dragon tattoos. At times there would be two or three of us (Maiden, Mother and Crone) standing, or in my case lying in the bed, quietly sharing energies. One sweet Goddess said, “Finding an older woman, a Crone who is of like Spirit and willing to teach, lying right here waiting for me is a miracle!” Well, how amazing is this!" Thank you for the sentiment behind your email and your kind gift to Sparrow.
The award for the first person to comment on one of my
blogs goes to Victoria who wrote in about my
January 8th post that focused on the concept of letting go of expectations. "It was something that resonated with me deeply. I find that 'letting go' of expectations is one of the hardest things to do and letting go of the "process leading up to the outcome" is even harder become in essence isn't it really the same thing?"
Letting go of expectations is a process of learning to live in the moment and being open to however reality unfolds around us. It's an accepting of what is rather than trying to rewrite reality to meet our own desires and needs. It's a process of trust. Letting go of the process leading up to the outcome is significantly more difficult. While we can trust that something will work out the way it's supposed to, we'll still get wrapped up in the drama of the journey. That's what I'm learning to let go of - and being a rather passionate, occasionally stubborn type of guy... well, let's just say that I imagine I'm making all of your efforts look quite painless by comparison.
Speaking of blogs, I'm still trying to find my voice on that area of the site. Chances are they're going to shift in perspective from time to time until I find my niche - and hopefully they'll be either useful or enjoyable to you, possibly both.
Mel wrote in regarding the article,
Offering the First Seed. "I was totally on the same page with you almost the whole way through and then you threw me a curve ball at the end. I never thought beyond that there is an other side and that we are here to learn etc... you really made me think and keep thinking." In a second email, Mel mentioned the article
Spinning in Circles, sharing her own experiences with Circle work and how she approaches things. "I like where your articles are taking me...although I feel like I am in the movie 'The Matrix.'" I got a good laugh out of the analogy. If it's any consolation, you're not the first person who has told me that. Thank you for your kind words and I wish you a speedy recovery from your injury.
And that's about it from my end. As always, I truly hope these words find you and yours well and filled with joy. May you be well and truly blessed.
In peace and light,
Jeffrey Pierce
www.oldways.com
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