Beltane 2014 - Too Cool for School?

Blessed Happy Beltane to you all!

Traditionally speaking, Beltane is the beginning of the 6 month Season of Fertility, ending at Lughnasadh, The Season of Harvest, on August 2^nd.

This time of year we are midway through the season of Spring, started at Ostara / Vernal Equinox. Beltane is my hands down favorite Sabbat in the Witches’ Wheel of the Year.  We started both Drawing the Circle Productions (16 years ago) & The Silver Broom Ministries (9 years ago) on Beltane.

We celebrate the sabbat & the anniversaries with a party for our coven, my clients, students & other active members within our Silver Broom Community. There is a ceremony to mark the sabbat then we build a bonfire & honor our tradition of doing shots off  an Ice Luge. 

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsKCU5ll3D0

This is why we now call the name of the party, “Fire & Ice.” 
Do you hear Pat Benetar in your head now? I do!

 

The Heart of Beltane

Beltane is the 4^th of the 8 sabbats & corresponds to the 4^th or Heart Chakra, which manages Emotional Power. Because of the Heart Chakra association, it has a lot of powerful symbolic coordinates to guide us through the season, if we work it right.

Tif'eret  
For example, in the Kaballah Tif’eret is the sphere of the Heart. It holds the power of Harmony & Balance. To put a fine point on it, it is EMOTIONAL harmony & balance, a tricky feat any time of the year. But at this sabbat it is highlighted so we can focus on & become empowered with Love. 

Wrath & Fortitude

The Shadow of the Heart is Wrath; that emotional anger & rage that possesses us when we are caught off guard & acting unconsciously. Its healing Grace of Fortitude is the emotional strength to slow the momentum of Wrath, open our hearts & forgive, mostly ourselves.

Marriage

Beltane is also the symbolic sacrament of Marriage, which is perfect because it is the sabbat of the Sacred Marriage between God & Goddess, Sun & Earth, which leads to the consummation of the union & the fertilizing of the land with divine seed into the womb of the earth. This is why Beltane is often referred to the ‘Sex Holiday’ & ‘fertilizing the fields’ often refers to a sacred romp outdoors with a beloved, or close to it.

On a more personal & internal level, it has to do with the known or unknown marriage vows we make to our soul. So many are looking for a soulmate who have not yet mated with their own soul. Beltane is a perfect time to write down those vows & have a wedding within the self. Do you vow to Love, Honor & Cherish yourself, etc..?
 

Sacred Truth

This speaks to the Heart Chakra’s Sacred Truth, “Love is Divine Power.” When we bring the heart into balance - Tif'eret, consistently tempers our Wrath with Fortitude - Shadow/Grace & make new Vows to Self - Marriage the Heart opens like a valve. We can access a range of emotions from contentment, through happiness & into the highest states of emotional freedom, joy, bliss & ecstasy.

But what does it take to be emotionally balanced? That’s a complicated question because we all have very different paths, psychology & physiology to consider. But there is still some common ground we can examine. The Course in Miracles states,

“Happiness is a decision I must make.” 

Not a choice, but a decision. I have learned there is a difference between the two:

• All choices have consequences. The size of the choice often determines the size of the consequence, but not always. 
• Sometimes small physical choices have gigantic consequences. But in retrospect we may find what we thought was a choice was a decision.

• A decision is life changing & takes our lives down a different path or way of being. 
• We make many choices before, during & after a larger decision. 
• Like choices, decisions have consequences. Though as I mentioned above, one may look like the other if we are not aware of what we are doing & more importantly, how we are feeling.   

Happiness is a wonderful emotion. It indicates that the Divine Power of Love is flowing through us & with practice; we can up the voltage into the higher realms of Joy, Bliss, Ecstasy & Exhilaration. 

This is the benefit of a daily spiritual practice within the Heart Chakra & makes the entire 6 month season of Beltane a lot of fun. Our hearts can blossom like spring flowers & emit a vibrational perfume that enhances all of our eternal senses, which leads me to the magick in all of this.

If Happiness is a decision that we must individually & collectively make, then we can decide to imbue its power into our lives & of course our spells. Earlier I was listening to a meditation by Deepak Chopra where he said, “Happiness is Viral.” To me this says that we have a greater power to influence the world when we deliberately decide to set our vibration at Happy & tend to it from a spark (Yule) to a candle, (Imbolc) to a fire (Ostara) to now a bonfire at Beltane.

Don’t take my word for it. Practice it for yourself, Cast spells from a place of emotional happiness & then deliberately do your best to maintain being happy for as long as you can after casting. Though what you cast for may or may not drop into physical form immediately, you will begin to see symbolic synchronicities, what Muggles call coincidences, creating a trail of bread crumbs toward what we want.

In other words, you can’t live a sad story & have a happy ending. That only happens in fiction. The key to living ‘happily ever after’ is to generate & maintain an open & happy heart every day until we eventually croak at our appointed time. This way, regardless of how long we live, we can live happy & ‘put our hearts’ & ultimately our divine power, in all that we do. It ain’t easy, but it is so very worth discovering this power we all have, but rarely consciously use.

Too Cool for School

I will however, give a small warning. Many of us have emotional shields that we've gathered, like armor around our hearts. This just happens as a reaction to life in this world. Some of us have developed a shell of shields around the heart chakra, making us ‘Too cool for school.’ 

For example, do you sit in a corner snarking at weddings when people are risking looking foolish as they drink & dance the night away? I certainly have, but I made myself outgrow that because I found it to be at its core, cowardice.

The opposite of cowardice is courage. Courage, from the French word for the heart ‘Coeur,’ is about developing the bravery to crack our emotional armor, open our hearts & act on the guidance it gives us to let go & enjoy the moment freely. Simple, but hardly easy as no one is born with courage, it must be developed.

So if you find yourself at a party, wedding, ritual/ ceremony, what have you & the cowardice of ‘too cool for school’ kicks in. Stop for a moment & ask, what am I so afraid of? Has the tribal dictates of the world bound you emotionally? Can you muster the courage to dance, laugh & participate? Is ‘too cool for school’ keeping you left back in your personal spiritual curriculum? Are you in Heart Chakra detention?

Only you can free yourself from this, but it can be done in baby steps, allowing you to mature into a spiritually mature emotional adult. As the Course in Miracles also says:

“In my vulnerability I become invulnerable” 

This is not to be taken literally, but symbolically & more important for the lessons of Beltane, emotionally. So remember this, to keep it simple:

‘Too cool for school’ leads to ‘Too cool for happy.’ 

Wouldn’t you really rather practice that 'Perfect Love & Perfect Trust' we as Witches are always going on about? Then have at it, crack open that heart chakra, bring it into balance, heed its guidance & let the Love & happiness that is divine power influence, everyone around you known or not & the world as a whole.

Blessed “Happy” Beltane,

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

Imbolc 2014: From a Bonfire to a Candle

 Imbolc 2014: From a Bonfire to a Candle

Imbolc/Midwinter is here. Thank the Gods! But it always comes. It is part of the cycle, another spoke of the Wheel of the Year. Imbolc is the 2^nd sabbat in the Wheel. It marks the halfway point of the Winter season, Groundhog’s Day, Feb 2^nd. 

Well, the scheduled day is always February 2^nd. But the astrological moment when the Sun hits 15 degrees Aquarius (Astrological cross quarter) is often days later. This year it falls on Tuesday February 4^th.

One of the biggest Witch’s tricks is aligning with the best of wherever you are in the solar & lunar cycles. It sounds so simple, but is not always easy. But hey, surfing the tides of nature is what being a Witch is to me. It is just wiser in my experience to align with the flow of nature & go downstream. 

 

Am I “24/7” about it? Is anyone? 

Of course I’m not. I forget every day. But that’s why sabbats are significant for me. They are reminders in my calendar with strong symbolic power. I get to choose whether or not I remember to let go, find clarity & cast my spells into that flow.

I usually have 1 spell that I will start at Yule & repeat at each following sabbat for the year. I know exactly what I’m going to cast this sabbat & the following through the year.

I’ve found by teaching the Craft over the decades that it doesn’t matter at what point someone starts doing ‘sabbat work.’ The flow is always present, just slow down. Focus on where you are in the Wheel & tune yourself to it.

Each sabbat gives a different passage into that same flow, if you want it enough. The more you know about the sabbats, the more opportunities you get to access the flow.

All the sabbats are solar, so I work with the element of fire; the power of desire & will. Will is about choice & decision. Think about the choice to light a fire under your ass or to a decision to pursue your passion.

Because the magick I start at Yule is my seed intention for the year, I cast with a big ass Yule Fire. Yule is Birth & it takes a lot of energy to birth something. My coven builds a big pyre in our big fire cauldron outside. We cast our spells into it. Like the one I blogged about this past December.

Now at Imbolc, I work candle magick. A bonfire is nice, but personally, it’s way too cold to stand outside for that long.  A candle is more focused than a pyre & easier to tend.

Imbolc is also called Candlemas by other traditions & religions, a day of blessing candles. So we have a gigantic group mind / thought-form momentum adding power. It is a big wave to ride.

 

 

Imbolc is also associated with the 2^nd Chakra, right below the navel. 

• It’s our sex drive, creativity & ‘gut feelings’ in a very yes/no way. ‘Go with your gut’ is highlighted.   

•  In Sanskrit it is Svadhisthana: One's own place or sweetest abode. 

•  It is associated with Yesod the Kabalistic Sefirot from the Tree of Life, a phallic / creative power. 

•  The Christian Sacrament is Communion. Which to me is about seeing the sacred context within any 1 on 1 relationship.

• The corresponding Grace is Piety. A word we have lost the true meaning of.  

•  The Shadow is Greed which makes sense in dealing with the sex, money & power aspects of the chakra.

•  For me, all of these are encapsulated in the Sacred Truth of the 2^nd Chakra, “Honor One Another.” 

So here’s how I boil it down for myself. Imbolc is linked to the 2^nd Chakra which manages the power of 1 on 1 relationships: my relationship to other individuals, my relationship with money, my relationship with The Divine is even highlighted here because the common name of the 2^nd Chakra is The Sacral Chakra, indicating sacred.

 

It’s a lot to cast for. So I'm taking the Aquarian route, since it is so astrologically available. Rise above it for awhile. See the larger picture. Get clarity about what I want for the whole. Cast for it, then go with the flow. It should be an interesting sabbat as it is also Superbowl Sunday.

So, if you are going to bet, bet with your 2^nd Chakra.

Amongst all of this, I’m getting ready for New York Fashion Week this coming Thursday so… Yeah, I know what I’m casting for along with my spell for this year.

At the moment I’m writing this, it is just after New Moon on Thursday January 30^th. So, the magick has already begun. I just did quite a lovely bit of spellwork at my altar & have a charming little talisman to conceal during NYFW. I do every year actually. 

I’m not kidding when I say I’m a Professional Witch! 

Every little bit of magick I can do now & through till next Thursday is only going to make this year's fashion adventure more fun than ever. 

 

So I encourage you, take some time before Sunday to slow down, chill & ask for clarity of desire. Get in touch with what you really want for your life. Think about it. Focus your mind – Aquarius – Fixed Air/Thought. Then zap it in a candle that goes with what you want. Anoint it with oil that matches (Olive Oil works in a pinch) and have at it.

Whether you are strengthening & focusing on what you started at Yule, starting something new, or coming your first time to Imbolc, really… Have at it! Feel the power of your own fire & it will illuminate steps ahead on your way toward it. 

Take the steps that feel best & then light up again. 

(I realize that last part is going to be interpreted in many ways, but I mean self illumination.)

Go with the flow folks. I wish you the best of the best of the season, because that’s what I want too. May it find you & wish me luck for Fashion Week.

Blessed Imbolc. 

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

Pre-Samhain 2013: Not Looking for a New Love, Baby

I haven’t blogged since Lughnasadh (August 1^st).

My life has changed really quickly since Litha (Summer Solstice) & I wasn’t ready to write about it yet. I’m still integrating it all. How funny that I would start writing it down during a Mercury Retrograde. Well, when the muse calls, I follow.

I didn’t mention it in my last blog at Lughnasadh , but I met someone in July that changed my life, my new boyfriend. I broke up with the guy I had been dating for 6 months, took some time to…well… slut around a bit & was really enjoying myself. I like being single. I have a field day of it most of the time.

So you can imagine that I wasn’t expecting to be in a relationship so quickly. We had dated 5 years ago in May 2008, right after Beltane. 1 date, which was OK, but we weren’t a match. We said we’d be friends & keep in touch. We didn’t. But you know, the Gods have a sense of humor & are really good at playing Human Chess with our lives. 

In 2008 I joined Facebook & I did one of those things where it sends out invites to the people in your email contacts. I just clickety clicked a bunch of names, he was one of them & the bulk invite was sent. He accepted it & for 5 years we had no contact via Facebook or otherwise. (Not that I didn't poke him. I did, but he wouldn't poke back :(  )

Except once, when he miscalled a number on his cell phone & got me (He told me recently that he was calling another guy named Mark.) I remember I was at my bank in the parking lot. I was a little shocked to see his name on the caller ID, but I took the call. Once we figured out it was a ‘wrong number’ we laughed, said we would keep in touch, again as friends. Aaaaaaaand again, we didn’t.

Now jump to June 2013. I break up with the guy I was dating on Gay Pride Weekend & as I said, I went afield to seek my pleasure. I had at it because, “My Momma told me, you better shop around.” I dated the hottest guy: really tall, smart, darkly funny & so charming. He drove me around in a BMW convertible on 4^th of July weekend. I met his friends, saw an amazing fireworks show across the lake from where they were shooting them off . Did I mention he was REALLY tall? I like TALL, always have. Anyway, he was great. I could have continued dating him indefinitely. He was a Capricorn, they’re like that. They can go the long haul if they want to. I do well with Caps, being a Virgo myself. It’s an earth sign thing.

2 days later I posted a Facebook comment about a spider bite on my finger & the possibility of spider-like powers as a result. (July 9^th. I looked it up.) Well, the aforementioned Mr. May 2008 finally made a move & commented on the post about me spinning my web on him. WHAT? Hi!

I Looked at his profile & FROZE. He’s a Virgo. I had avoided dating other Virgos for most of my life. Well, there were those guys that I never asked their sign, or name... My 30’s were a lot of fun. I had forgotten that we shared the same sign.  In that moment that stretched out for a while I heard, “Just say Hi.” So… I did. 

3 days later he laid True Loves Kiss (TLK) on me & we have been together ever since. So here I am, in a relationship, an open relationship, because it’s only been a little over 3 months. But we really do love each other. He’s on a spiritual path. I didn’t see that one coming, though I had asked for it for years. He is tall, dark, handsome, charming & best of all, funny. You need a real sense of humor to deal with, not just me which takes a lot granted, but also the whole Witch thing, coven, career & oh yeah, that whole clairvoyant empath thing makes it reeeeal interesting.

So we laugh; 2 Virgo smartasses. He cooks, he cleans, he makes me coffee & actually enjoys it. Who knew such men existed? But he’s here as I write this, asleep at 4am like most Muggles are. He stayed here tonight  while I was with my friend Eila on another Fashion World adventure. He fed my cat Sabastian while I was clicking away pictures at a party at Bergdorf Goodman. I chatted with Martha Stewart by the way. Not bad for a Wednesday night. Don’t believe me?

Martha & MAL

But here’s the thing & prepare yourself. Cliché alert! It was nice to come home to him; the house warm, the TV on & him bundled up on the couch in like 20 blankets. (He doesn’t like the cold.) Did I mention he has a Cancer Moon? No, I didn’t because with the amount of Cancerian women that I have in all of my life, I am totally screwed on this one. I’ll try not to mention it again.

So, all of this is to catch you up & catch me up for Samhain, which I will be writing about soon. There’s just no way I could write about Samhain without getting that whole story out. It’ll make more sense later.

But for now, I’m gonna go climb in bed with him. He’s out like a light, so I’m gonna meditate myself to sleep, probably spooned, & thank the Gods for my life. Oh yeah, Spiritual Thanksgiving. Like the Mabon 2013 blog I didn’t write. But I’ll pick up at Mabon next time & soon. But now, I’m gonna go home & sleep with my boyfriend. (Nod to Mr. Green.)

Blessed Be,

Rev. Mark A. Lyons, President
Drawing the Circle Productions, INC
Drawingthecircle@aol.com
www.drawingthecircle.com

P.S. I swear this all totally has to do with the Wheel of the Year & the magick I did starting at Yule of last year.