Litha 2014: Counsel, Gluttony & But-less Desire

 Litha 2014: Counsel, Gluttony 

& But-less Desire

My, what a powerful Beltane Season it has been. So much to do, so much fun & so much magick since our Beltane Ritual in the beginning of May, a lot went down that day & since. There are a few hints in my last Beltane Blog.

To start with we flash mobbed our own ceremony at Beltane. We held secret rehearsals, about 30 Women / Maenads & myself. I asked two of our ministers from The Silver Broom Ministries to write the worst ceremony they could, on purpose. They did.  

The circle cast had zero umph (on purpose) the quarter calls were also umphless & in the wrong order (again on purpose) & they scripted the Statement of purpose before Invocations, which is a procedural no-no. Really, it was a masterpiece of faux ca-ca ritual design.

Because I am known as a rather lightning-ish Zeus Archetype, we scripted that I would halt the ceremony, practically terrifying all in attendance, even those in on the joke. I stood up, scolded them, took control, did an invocation to Dionysus then said, HIT IT! 

The music began & Pharrell Williams' Happy blasted from the stereo. We got practically the whole place dancing & really, it was so much fun to watch my people cut loose & dance without inhibition. A few keenly intuitive people figured it out when they saw 2 really skilled ministers doing it all wrong. 

But on the whole, people were shocked, pissed at me, then stunned when they realized it was all a set up when we started dancing in unison. What a pisser! I had to swear to never try & pull that off again. (I had my fingers crossed, you never know what I will cook up for Beltane.)

There are no pictures of the "Happy Ritual" because part of the pact we made was that there would be no physical evidence of us dancing without inhibition.

Then, about 30 minutes later a major part of my Sacred Mother Maple, split off & crashed to the ground. We were all set to trim her down the next day in a sacred way, so she got the job started for us. That was magick in action folks & everyone was a bit astounded by it all. It was certainly a prelude of the many powerful changes & manifestation to come. BTW, no one was near it when it happened & no one was hurt.

That said, we are now at Litha / Summer Solstice & I am personally ready to step into those energies that my coven calls, The Full Moon of the Sun. Litha is the longest day, so it would correspond to Full Moon in the sense that the Sun is at its peak. The God born at Yule has matured & is now a KING, ready to rule & guide us through the dark half of the year.

Here’s the thing that had been puzzling me about Litha though. The Sun God is at his peak, but it is the first day of the Sun moving into the sign of Cancer, a feminine, cardinal, water sign. 

Part of it makes sense, when Summer hits, we do slow down a bit because it just gets so hot for the next 3 months, at least on Long Island. It is the perfect time to literally & figuratively chill out, rest, take vacation & look back upon all that has happened in the last 6 months since Yule. But the Sun, is a King, in the sign of Cancer? That made no sense. So, I asked my Gods about this.

Cancer is the sign where my Hera/Queen - Mother Archetype is placed in my chart. So when She said to me that She joins the King / Zeus in rulership as his Queen, it all clicked into place. This isn’t literal of course, but it does speak to the Anima/Animus balance, or the Yin/Yang, Lunar/Solar, Goddess/God energies within us. 

Though this flash of inspired insight came quickly & was greatly clarifying, it also came with a warning. It is an extremely powerful, creative & very Emotional time. I was reminded of a quote from Abraham-Hicks.

 

“If you were driving your vehicle at 100 miles per hour and you hit a tree, you would experience a very big crash. However, if you were to hit the same tree while your vehicle was traveling at just five miles per hour, the outcome would be considerably different. See the speed of your vehicle like the power of your desire. In other words, the more you want something, or the longer you have been focusing upon your desire, the faster the Energy moves. The tree, in our analogy, represents the resistance, or the contradictory thoughts, that may be present. 

It is not pleasant to run into trees, and it is also not pleasant to hold powerful desires in the midst of great resistance. Some try to remedy the imbalance by slowing down their vehicle. In other words, they deny their desire, or they try to release it, and sometimes, with great effort, they are able to diffuse the power of their desire to some degree, but by far, the better remedy would be to reduce your level of resistance.” Abraham

This means that we have the potential to increase the power of our desire / Fire / Solar energies, but have to keep an eye on our emotions to navigate, avoiding the ‘trees’ as it were, by reducing our resistance to the things we want to be, do & have. Not easy, but doable. It does take practice & since I’m not very good at slowing down in that sense, I am getting better at avoiding the trees through something my guides call ‘But-less’ desire.

It goes like this. So many of us want things, we feel the desire & then we follow it with a big BUT. Like, I’d really love to travel the world, BUT…  I’d really like to eat that chocolate, BUT…  I’d really enjoy having a partner in life, BUT…  You see this is conditioned in us since childhood, let along the thousands of past lives where we learned to but into our desires.

So, I’ve been practicing just holding my desires, fanning the flames as it were without sticking my but in it. I think this is what visualization is about at its core. We visualize the things we want to be, do & have without the resistance of why we can’t have it. We imagine ideal scenes free of resistance, just letting ourselves have the experience of what it would feel like to be, do or have what is wanted, without the rest of the contradictory stuff getting n there.

Then we open our eyes, the logical mind takes over & we wipe our buts all over the energy we just generated via visualization. I see well trained witches do this too. They will spend hours drafting a spell, writing it like a contract, going over every line, gathering the right correspondent magickal carriers, even working with astrological timing for the perfect day & moment to cast.

Then, we start spreading our buts around like it’s last call at the singles bar. Enough of that says Zeus & Hera to me. Just hold the delicious feeling of the desire & watch what happens. This isn’t about faith, or belief. It is about knowing. Know that you came into the world from spirit to create. Know that it’s all just a quantum hologram, an illusion of separation, a dream, an hour upon the stage to strut & hopefully not fret so much.

 

So it is that I encourage you to choose what you think & especially say these next 3 months. Litha corresponds to the 5^th Chakra, the Throat. 

The Grace of the Throat is Counsel, the Shadow Passion is Gluttony. Since the power of the Throat Chakra is Will Power or Choice Power, this makes sense. Will we choose to speak to ourselves & others in a way that calms & soothes, speaking positively & in an uplifting way? Or, will we be gluttons of negativity, chewing on ‘what is,’ or even worse, ‘what was’ rather than 'what could be?’

Thankfully we have a whole season to practice & perfect our choices of empowerment, choosing thoughts words & attitudes that empower us & speed us along, but-less & free of hitting trees. 

Maybe that’s what Mother Maple was trying to say. “I’ll take care of the trees, you just stay happy, because Litha is coming & the heat is going to be turned up, as it always is this time of year."

I really wish you all the very best of the season & that you can keep your but out of your dreams. Do the Cancerian Crab thing, keep your dreams to yourself or share in sacred space with those you trust & enjoy the fresh breath that uncontradicted / but-less desire always brings.

Blessed Be & Blessed Litha!

Rev. Mark A. Lyons, President
Drawing the Circle Productions INC.
DrawingtheCircle@aol.com
631-968-8307 @ProfWitch on Twitter

Witchclass Cycle One

 

New Cycle start Monday, April 21st, from 7pm. 

$10 per class, pay as you go.

The Silver Broom

46 Railroad Ave, Sayville NY 11782

This is our longest running class series.
Amy Krinner, my best friend & High Priestess, started teaching together 16 years ago to help clarify, educate & provide feedback to the burgeoning amount of information on Witchcraft.

We offer 3 different cycles on Witchcraft:

• Witchclass Cycle One: The Basic Art & Science
• Witchclass Cycle Two: Spellbook
• Witchclass cycle Three: Gods & Goddesses.

The cycles need not be taken in order & are geared toward practical application & living a magickal life.

For more information check out our website at www.drawingthecircle.com. or drop us a message at DrawingTheCircle@aol.com.

Blessed Be

Rev. Mark A. Lyons

~~~~~~

Witchclass Cycle One Description & Curriculum:

Whether you’re a Witch, a Witch in training, or just curious, these classes are a fun introduction to the Craft.

With a focus on the Witch’s Rede: “An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will” students learn the basics in the Art & Science of Witchcraft.

Join us for another cycle of this educational & enjoyable journey through the basics of Witchcraft. This 13 week series is in its 14th year of bringing together Witches of every race, age & spiritual background. We have trained Mothers & Daughters, Sisters & Wives. We have taught husbands & brothers, boyfriends & co-workers alike. We have made friends. We have discovered family. We have woven a community strand by strand.

Classes 1 through 11 are open. Classes 12 and 13 are closed,
Private Make up classes are available upon request.

Class One – The Basics of Witchcraft: What is a Witch? What is Witchcraft? Discussions on: the Witches Rede poetic version, the 13 principals of Witchcraft, Grounding / Centering, Witchcraft as an Art & Science. What is a Book of Shadows?

Class Two – Elements & Sacred Space: What are the 5 elements? Discussion of: elemental correspondences, the Pentacle, Altars, Purifying / creating sacred space

Class Three – Basic Spell Casting: How do you cleanse & consecrate? Discussion of: proper spell ingredients, symbolic correspondences, timing Magick with the Moon, phrasing your Intent, wording, taglines & loopholes for safe & effective magick.

Class Four -Astrology ( Intermediate Spell Casting): How Astrology effects Magick & Spellwork. Planet / Sign / House / Intent correspondences. Astrological aspects & spellwork (New & Full Moon alignments)

Class Five – Gods & Goddesses (Advanced Spell Casting): How Spirit = Energy, Plugging spells into divinity, Discussion of different pantheons, Gods & Goddesses Correspondences.

Class Six – The Wheel of the Year: Discussion of: the 8 holidays (holy days) of the Witch’s year, the 4 seasonal quarters, the 4 seasonal cross quarters, Seasonal Correspondences, Long-term spellwork, Ceremony / Ritual ideas.

Class Seven – Circle Casting: What is a Magickal Circle ? What does it do & how does it work? Programming circles. 6 easy to use versatile Circle Casts How to write circle casts for all occasions. Hands on demonstration.

Class Eight – Quarter Calls: What is a Quarter Call? Differences between Elements & Elementals. The how-to’s of Quarter calling: stirring, summoning, calling. How to close Quarters & Extensive directional correspondences

Class Nine – Divination: How a Witch uses divination. We discuss: Tarot, Runes, pendulum work, scrying & other oracles in the use of witchcraft. Several quick & easy spreads to help you fine-tune your magick.

Class Ten – Magickal Tools: Elemental correspondences with the different tools. How tools are used to focus our own inner power.
Magickal Tools show & tell. Fundamental teaching that “The Power is in the Witch.

Class Eleven – Ethics & Etiquette & Cycle Review: What is expected of a proper witch in public ceremonies: Before, During & After ceremony. Ethical do’s & don’ts when; applying specific spellwork, healing, in public& when binding / banishing. A review of classes 1 – 10

Class Twelve – Ritual Design: Application of all that was learned in the first 11 classes. Basic ritual outlines from start to finish. The whole class participates in designing the Graduation Ceremony.

Class Thirteen – Graduation Ceremony: Performance of the Ritual designed in Class 12.

Certificates of Completion given to each student.

Rev. Mark A. Lyons, President
Drawing the Circle Productions INC.
DrawingtheCircle@aol.com
631-968-8307 @ProfWitch on Twitter

Taking Ostara Personally

 

Ostara, at the time I am writing this, is a few days away. But as usual, I’m getting its download early. 

Ostara / Vernal – Spring Equinox is a very powerful sabbat in the Witch’s Wheel of the Year. Not only can we take another step magickally in the spells / intentions we started at Yule / Winter Solstice:We shift from the 2^nd Chakra / Sacrum 1 on 1 relationship dynamic to the 3^rd Chakra / Solar Plexus our relationship with ourselves. In other words, we enter the terrain of Personal Power.

 

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

I have always been a proponent of The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. As a Witch, it’s just a very wise thought system based on ancient Toltec wisdom.

Personal power issues & wisdom lessons are year round if not daily. Following our gut is the simplest way to start practicing & refining our own self empowerment. The Solar plexus is the seat of Survival Intuition, the turn left, turn right guidance we are constantly offered. Whether we feel & act upon it accordingly is squarely in the center of personal empowerment.

When your Solar Plexus says NO & you say YES, you are sabotaging yourself. Period! Sure, small choices may seem small, but that’s the paradox of wisdom isn’t it: small things are big & big things are small very often on the spiritual path.

But there’s a more subtle & challenging aspect to all of this. Hence my above reference to The Four Agreements. They follow as such:

 This blog is about #2

Don Miguel Ruiz goes into each one in the book heavy duty. The whole book is life changing as is his follow up, The Mastery of Love, where he applies the agreements to personal relationships. There is of course a steady focus on the relationship with your Self/self.

But what draws my attention the most is the 2^nd Agreement of the four, “Don’t take anything personally.”

What could be more important at Ostara than a claiming of personal responsibility by making an agreement to practice, at least till Beltane / May 1^st to not take anything personally? It sets up a boundary to contain your own focus as well as protect yourself from emotional hell rides that delay you manifesting what you really want in your life.

To me it’s right up there with forgiveness, kindness & spiritual practice. Not taking things personally is a spiritual practice because you have to understand what’s really going on, which leads us to the Shadow & Grace of Ostara & the Solar Plexus Chakra, Entitlement & Understanding.

 The Solar Plexus is the Yellow One

When you take things personally & you get that knot in your stomach, look & see if there is an aspect of Entitlement at work. Entitlement is a tricky shadow, well they all are tricky, but this one particularly so because it is so very easy to spot in others, but not so much in ourselves.

What is Entitlement as a Shadow Passion? We can identify it easily on TV, especially reality TV. It is a sense of being owed something we didn’t earn or attract via our own life process of growth. We liken it to Princess Syndrome or The Brat Child Archetype. It’s toxic & nauseating, because it hits right in the stomach. 

I discuss this more in last year’s Ostara Blog: Understanding Ostara.

What the Four Agreements give us is a framework in which we can understand what’s happening to us & others when we are possessed by the Shadow of Entitlement. That Understanding is the only Grace I have ever found to untie that knot in myself whether it is my own shadow or another wresting with Entitlement.

  Classic case of Entitlement vs Understanding

So we can quite literally go with our guts through Ostara, keeping in mind that if we take things personally, we will derail & delay our own process, growth & the manifestations of what is wanted.

It behooves us to re-estimate day to day on how we feel in this chakra. One of the powers it manage is Self Esteem, the basic verb of self empowerment. When it twists, it’s an indication that we are thinking something without the Understanding that our soul has on the subject. So we can hear that alarm in our stomachs, pull back, reevaluate & re-estimate where we are in the moment.

Does this really have anything to do with me? Am I taking this personally? Does this trigger my own unfinished business inside? Am I playing Victim? Did I not keep my personal boundaries & Honor code in tact?

It’s a lot to look at & I am sure from personal experience that taking ‘personal time’ is essential to my own process. Without it, the alchemy from Entitlement to Understanding or lead to gold takes longer. But if I listen to the wakeup call, pull back & claim personal space, I can begin the alchemy by entering into the sacrament associated with the Solar Plexus – Confession.

 

Hades & Persephone in Passing

The good news is, I just need to confess my issues to myself & the Divine. If confessing to another person is required, I know who to turn to. But if I confess it to everyone & in a toxic way, it turns into gossip. So yes, even Gossip into Confession is alchemical lead into gold. 

It’s just really easy to alchemize it from gold to lead again. Personal power, boundaries, self esteem, intuition, self empowerment, it’s a lot, but we have a whole season to refine our personal power.

So I wish you a very blessed Ostara. It’s a Witchcraft week for me. I won’t have a day off till Sunday & even then, there’s stuff going on. But I will be traveling & teaching in New Jersey at Jean’s Place: TheSacred Hearth. We’ll be making Ostara Eggs & sitting round a bonfire.

Personally, that feels empowering to me.

Blessed Ostara,

Rev. Mark A. Lyons, President
Drawing the Circle Productions INC.
DrawingtheCircle@aol.com
631-968-8307 @ProfWitch on Twitter

Full Moon 2014: The Divine Order Potion

  
The Divine Order Potion

By Pisces Sun & Virgo Moon.

God & Goddess in perfect Tune.

 

Jasmine & Lemon Pisces Sun

By your Magick Our Will be done.

 

Virgo Moon’s Lavender 

& Mint

Upon this water, now imprint.

 

Pisces Water & Virgo Salt

Divine Order we now Exalt

 

Holy Water, Sacred Brine

Their blessings be on you Divine

 

That all you touch will blessed be

With Order of Divinity.

 

With ease & grace you now preserve

The path we walk to craft & serve.

 

For the Highest Good & Harming None

As I will it so let it be done.

 

SMIB

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The truth is, Divine Order is always at work in our lives.

But if our lenses are cloudy, we can't see it.

This potion will help to clear you & whatever it touches in a way that can bring you & it into the flow.

Here's the Spell Outline:

• What do I want?: 
• To make a Holy Water based potion
• blessed with high emotion
• to release all aspects of life into the flow of  Divine Order

• Why do I want it?: 
• So I can relax into the process & know for once & for all
• that all aspects from big/general
• to small /specific are being handled by the Divine.
• In this I can relax & trust, go downstream,
• enjoy the ride knowing all is in Divine Order.
• Emotional Guidance Scale of Content to Joy.

• When: 
• Sunday March 16^th, Sun in Pisces, Moon in Virgo at 1:08pm

• Supplies:
• 1 Gallon of Water
• Essential Oils
• Jasmine 6 drops
• Lavender 6 drops
• Lemon 6 drops
• Peppermint 6 drops
• Bottles to decant (misters & spray bottles are fun too.)
• Stones
• Arrange 6 stones in a hexagon around the bowl of water, oils & salt.
• 1 Cup of Salt
• Carnelian-Jade-Jasper-Sapphire - Virgo
•  Amethyst-Aquamarine-Clear Quartz- Pisces 
• Large Bowl
• Wooden Spoon 

• Directions:
• Find a steady feeling place about your life in general
• or any subject you like.
• anywhere from Contentment to Joy.
• Pour most but not necessarily all the water in the bowl
•  set aside the smaller bottles for decanting.
• Place the salt with the bowl & the oils
• Surround with 6 of any of the stones listed above .
• Any combo will do, even if you only have 6 of 1 stone.
• Chant each line as you add each ingredient.
• Keep chanting the line until the ingredient is added
• & stirred deosil (clockwise) at least 3X with a wooden spoon
•   before continuing to the next line / ingredient.
• When all ingredients are added,
•  chant the spell with as much feeling as you can.
• Even if you are feeling Ease & Contentment,
• say it with that feeling.
• Charge the water with this feeling as you stir.
• When the power peaks finish the spell with so mote it be.
• Keep the feeling as long as you can, as the water settles.
• Ground & Center
• Add the Holy Water into the rest of the gallon of water
• Shake & decant into smaller bottles.

It's a water based potion, so it's all about emotion, but not made for drinking.

Blessed Full Moon & let me know how it goes.

Rev. Mark A. Lyons, President
Drawing the Circle Productions INC.
DrawingtheCircle@aol.com
631-968-8307 @ProfWitch on Twitter