The Will of Litha/Summer Solstice

The Will of Litha/Summer Solstice

Litha is the peak of the annual solar cycle. We call it the full Moon of the Sun in our coven. It is the 6^th Sabbat & corresponds to the 6^th Chakra, the throat, which manages our Will Power. Because it is midway through the Wheel of the Year, it stands to reason that the intentions we set at Yule/ Winter Solstice 6 months ago, have either grown from their seeds or we have amended our intentions since Yule.

So it goes with the planting/agricultural archetype of the Witch’s Wheel. We have to tend our fields, weed, fertilize, water, etc. Since Litha is linked to the Throat Chakra, there are going to be a lot of choices & life changing decisions in this coming 3- 6 month season. This will take a growing & strengthening of our individual Will.

Growing up, Will Power was a phrase I connected to hard work, giving up stuff & just being a hard ass in general . It was always linked to losing weight or giving up smoking or some such. But as I have grown I have learned that Will really means Choice. Your last will & testament is a list of your final choices about what you want done after you croak. So if you can look at Will Power as Choice Power, you’ll get the connection to the Throat Chakra.

I call the Throat the ‘Spit or Swallow Chakra.’ Of course I would. Not for any sexual innuendo alone, though that makes it fun for me, but more in that it illustrates how we either speak up or shut up in life symbolically. We know sometimes what we say might wound another. We may choose to chew on it for awhile to soften the blow, or just let them have it between the eyes. This is doubly so, especially if it is truth we mean to speak. However, truth without compassion is brutality. Often we are challenged to speak up or just ‘spit it out.’ 

But how do we know the when of which?

Here’s my guideline. Is it empowering? The Throat Chakra has an interesting relationship with the Saboteur Archetype, which governs our decisions. This archetype is always helpings us to learn how to make empowering decisions. It does this by highlighting the subtle & not so subtle ways in which we empower or dis-empower ourselves & others via our daily decisions. It makes sense then that during Litha, being such a powerful solar sabbat, that we must not only choose wisely, we must learn to make wise decisions.

Is there a difference between decisions & choices? I believe so. All choices have consequences, but the voltage of the choice implies the voltage of the consequence. For example, choosing a latte over a cappuccino is probably not going to change the direction of your life. But a decision to stop drinking caffeine will have immediate & long term effects in our lives. (Gods forbid)

Knowing that, look at Litha as a very fast moving season, like a car going at 100 mph. The slightest turn of the wheel makes a huge change in direction. For the next 3 – 6 months we will be traveling very fast, unless we decide to slow things down via meditation, prayer, contemplation or just plain chilling out. Even slowing down a bit is a wise choice that leads to more empowering decisions.

In my life as of late I have really learned a lot  about  the whole Heart Chakra thing of Beltane. I had an amazing Beltane. I gained great big huge momentum since May 1^st & now I’m traveling at very high speed, moving forward & creating my life as I will. WILL, yeah, there’s that word. But because my velocity is so fast, I really have to watch what I choose & decide.

 

The 2 Kabalistic spheres associated with Litha & the Throat Chakra are Gevurah/Judgment & Hesed/Mercy. When you are traveling at high speed, an unmerciful judgment can throw you off the road & into a ditch. Look at it this way, to paraphrase from the Teachings of Abraham. “If you hit a tree going 5 miles an hour it’s not such a big deal. If you hit that same tree at 100 miles an hour, it is a really big deal.” Do you slow down, or evade the tree? A little of both is necessary I find.

In other words, we have to watch what we decide to focus on if our momentum is going really fast. We can either keep the power high, choosing mercifully or downgrade it all at once, which causes an energetic crash or disempowerment. It’s not like unmerciful judgments aren't daily decisions we make. Try to go a full day without one any day of the year. But it is certainly highlighted for those of us who are magically inclined & working with the solar cycles of nature during Litha.

If you find yourself moving into irritating emotional territory, you can go there, but it is a decision that will change your life for a time. Instead use a spiritual practice to calm down, decelerate, chill out & decide yet again. Sure, vent, get it out of your system. Confession is the Symbolic Sacrament associated with the Throat Chakra. It is a way in which we call back the power lost through unmerciful judgment.

But after the toxins are out, as ever, forgive, forgive, forgive. Because that’s the only way we’re ever going to maintain the kind of high vibration we seek as spiritual pilgrims. It is essential if we want to be happy in this life, as the Course in Miracle states clearly, “Happiness is a decision I must make.” It also states "There is no healing without Forgiveness."

I strongly suggest that you take a few days & look over the decisions & choices you have in front of you short & long term. Then decide to do your best to keep your momentum high & your judgments merciful. For example: Everyone is doing the best they can. No one is perfect & we're all learning as we go. It's OK, I/we/they will get through this...  Implement what feels good & remember you can always ‘choose yet again’ if needed.

That said, I have a wild Witchcraft Weekend ahead of me & I’m going to do my best to live it Happy, Healthy, Wealthy & Wise, the very 4-fold intention I cast for at Yule/Winter Solstice. 

From my Yule 2012 Blog:

Yule Spell 2012:

Happy, Healthy, Wealthy & Wise

Ingredients:

Happy - Catnip, Lavender, Witchgrass, Blue Lace Agate

Healthy - Spikenard, Galangal, Nutmeg,

Wealthy - Basil, Cedar, Cinnamon Oil, Mint, Aventurine

Wise - Sage

As the Yuletide Sun does rise,

With all the power it implies,

Waxing Sun with full surprise

Now manifest before my eyes.

All the good that does comprise

Happy, Healthy, Wealthy & Wise.

For the Highest Good & Harming none,

as I will it, so let it be done.

So Mote it Be!

Yes indeed, I am seeing those seeds more than sprout; they are flowering & will soon be ready for the harvest season come Lammas/Lughnasadh around the beginning of August.

I wish you all the very best of the season & that this message finds you all happy, healthy, wealth, wise or willing to be so.

Blessed Litha,

Rev. Mark A. Lyons, President
Drawing the Circle Productions, INC
Drawingthecircle@aol.com
www.drawingthecircle.com
631-968-8307

We're not afraid of the dark...

East & South, West & North...

The Marriage of Beltane

The Marriage of Beltane

Beltane is always a very powerful time of year for me. It is the spoke of the Wheel of the Year where I really look back & clearly see an unbroken line of my path. Any & every sabbat can do that if we work it. I do. 15 & 8 years ago I started Drawing the Circle Productions; then with Amy & Kathy, The Silver Broom Ministries was born. Figuratively speaking I have a 15 year old boy & an 8 year old girl. But this blog isn’t about children, not directly. Beltane is about children… the making of them. It begins the Season of Fertility.

This blog is about the masculine principle & the feminine principle joining in a creative act. This isn’t about gender or genitalia. It is about Yin & Yang, Solar & Lunar & of course, God & Goddess. Since the Gods live within us, it is the Marriage of our own opposites like intuition & intellect, heart & head, etc. Regardless of your relationship status, you have a relationship within yourself that has the opportunity to find balance then join, for a time, to create something.

Beltane is symbolically linked with 4^th Chakra, the Heart. It’s Christian sacrament coordinate is Marriage. The Sphere is Tif’eret/Harmony-Balance on the Kabalistic Tree of Life. The synchronicity of symbolism at Beltane points to an opportunity to bring Divine Power through our hearts. Imagine emerald green light shooting from your hearts, like a cross between Green Lantern & Katy Perry in the Firework video.

 

In Brightest Day, Boom, Boom, Boom!

Then, there’s what is actually manifesting around me physically. This year at our annual Beltane Party my best friend is getting married to her man of over 11 years. It’s taking place in our backyard as the ceremony kicking off the ensuing Fire & Ice party. Amy is one of my best friends, my housemate, my business partner & the High Priestess to the coven we started 18 years ago, our oldest daughter.

Rich & Amy

Yeah, Amy is the other parent to all of my children. Our marriage is one of many things, but we have aptly been called The Wiccan Will & Grace, though not technically Wiccan. Amy is getting Handfasted to her fiancée Rich, who I have known & loved for over a decade. They will be surrounded by over 100 friends & family (Closer to 150 at the moment) and of course, an ice luge.

I shall name her Lila L'Luge

The luge isn’t actually being used in the ceremony. Though, that would be cool. I will keep it in mind should I ever literally tie the knot. The luge arrives after the ceremony & has become one of our personal & community traditions. Dionysus (God of Wine) is my Patron God. Because of that I don’t drink much; a paradox that makes sense to me. But at Beltane… I sorta make up for it. This year I will do my best to not be a dripping tear of joy hot mess for more than 15 minutes. The blessing of having all this happen at my home is I can make costume changes as many times as Cher in Vegas. So if I do get sloppy I am a quick shower & Moroccan Oil application away from looking my best again… Gods willing.

Not what I am wearing.

This year Beltane is close to overwhelming & hasn’t even hit yet. If each sabbat is a gong we ring & the echo carries throughout the 3 month season, then this year we are hitting it hard & with a lot of Love. The echo will be strong.

The Sacred Truth of the Heart Chakra is “Love is Divine Power.” Let’s see, at least 100 Witches & Pagans in attendance, the Handfasting of 2 people who are so very dearly loved, by me & concentric circles of hundreds of people. My back yard lawn is already a sacred space. It is about to become an exceptionally powerful vortex of Divine Power.

The funny thing is, we can do that anywhere, anytime; in our back yards or bathrooms it doesn’t matter. Great big huge sabbat blasts are great… I mean, yeah, wow. I usually need a good lie down & a cigarette after. But the energy we raise all year long builds a foundation for the powerful, pulsing and release of power that a sabbat can provide if we work it.

Dionysus with hidden thyrsus.

I’ll be working it. I am spring cleaning my house in Virgo detail. I am almost there with a week to go. When I tune in to the actual day my heart flies open. I’ll be spending the party with my man Jose at my side, drink in hand, surrounded by the most fun people I know & laughing so hard I cry.

That is my wish for all of you, for Beltane of course, but also for the entire Season of Fertility.

May you be surrounded by those you love.

May your heart open & Divine Power flow through it.

May you laugh so hard you cry as often as possible

& may the Sacred Marriage of God & Goddess,

Solar & Lunar,

Yin & Yang

be manifest within your hearts,

little by little,

all season long.

So Mote It Be!

But… get the powerful, potent, pulsing, pleasurable, primal, Pagan release of power when you can.

Blessed Be & Blessed Beltane!

Rev. Mark A. Lyons.

Drawing the Circle Productions INC.
DrawingtheCircle@aol.com
631-968-8307 @ProfWitch on Twitter
www.drawingthecircle.com

In times of national tragedy...

 

"In times of national tragedy it is a challenge to reach for a higher vibration. Even in personal times of sadness, it often feels inappropriate to turn gently towards optimism. Yet if we look to the lives of the masters, those who came before us & graduated Earth School, we see that reaching higher is exactly what they did. Whether it is through prayer, meditation, charity, outreach, what have you; they attained mastery trough the focus of their minds & the opening of their hearts. That is when your spiritual practice matters the most & takes you the furthest."

Rev. Mark A. Lyons

Understanding Ostara

Understanding Ostara

Ostara is the third sabbat of the Witch’s Wheel of the Year. It is a sacred, holy day (holiday) as it marks the first day of Spring. In about a month & a half we enter The Season of Beltane/Fertility. I love Ostara, though if I have to pick a favorite sabbat, it is Beltane (May 1) but Ostara comes in a close second because it really is an enlivening time for me personally.

Where I live Spring really explodes. Here on the South Shore of Long Island we experience all four seasons full blast. One day it is freezing cold & the next it is sunny & warm, regardless of Groundhog predictions. The Sun makes its way into the first degree of the Fire Sign Aries & all the internal prep work we’ve done since Yule (Dec 21) starts externalizing like Crocus & Daffodils breaking through the surface of the Earth. Everything gets really green really fast here & with the coming of the Lilacs, I am just thrilled to breathe it all in.

Truth be told, I am a Summer person. I don't love the cold. I love to go to the beach, though after Hurricane Sandy I’m not sure how many beaches will be open for awhile. But I can still hit the arboretums & spend some time getting myself steadily & continually into energetic balance. Balance is a key word here, because Ostara is the Vernal Equinox & equinox means equal-night (2 hours of daylight & 12 hours of darkness in balance.) Sabbats are symbolic windows of opportunity where we can match ourselves to what nature is doing. So Ostara, along with its polar opposite Mabon/Fall Equinox, is about balance.

In other words, this season is very personal for me in terms of finding balance. Maybe not more so than others, we always need to find the balance in our lives. But the balance of the internal transformation of Winter to the external focus of Spring is one I relish dearly. Manifestations tend to come quickly for me this time of year & continues this way through to Litha/Summer Solstice, which is the longest day of the year.

It is also a very personal sabbat in that it is the third, correlating to the Third Chakra, the Solar Plexus. The Solar Plexus manages Personal Power, where the previous 2 manage Tribal/Group Power (The Root) & 1 on 1 Relationship Power (The Sacrum.) So we have a natural progression of power starting at Yule/Winter Solstice which teaches us how to deal with tribes & families, then at Imbolc we focus on our relationships with individuals. This is how we learn about relationships in life. First we acclimate to the families we are born into, then we learn from the individuals in our lives, especially the Mother & Father Archetypes or lack thereof.

It makes sense then that Ostara provides us with opportunities to clarify our relationships with our selves & our personal power. It is easy to see what a 'headline' personal power has become over the decades. Countless books, workshops & articles focus on the subject, ranging from all forms of self help, weight loss, business & the ever elusive processes of personal empowerment. It is a lot to sort through.

So it is that I do my best to refocus myself every Ostara, leaning in the direction of being a bit more spiritually selfish or Higher Selfish, as I call it. This means listening to & acting upon the gut feelings (Solar Plexus) I receive a bit more than usual, though obviously I practice that as much as I can all year around.

I liken this to the idea of Persephone, The Goddess of Spring, emerging from her 6 month stay underground with her husband Hades, the God of the Underworld. It is as if our intuition / feminine energy is percolating under the surface throughout Fall & Winter. Now it can emerge into the upper or external world through more action. Mind you, we do our best to act on our intuition all year long. But Ostara is when we can more easily take the risk to do so, if it feels right. 

But let's be clear, this process of evolving personal power often contradicts what others would have us do. At core, Ostara is a very selfish time, leading us to follow our own guidance rather than the advice & guidance of others in our lives.

But even that word, selfish, has a habitual sting for me that I'm still healing day by day. I was told growing up not to be selfish, but rather to behave in a way that made others more comfortable. But how selfish is that? "Don't be selfish & follow your own path, follow mine so I feel better, safer & more secure." That is the definition of selfish, coming from others. 

It took me awhile to realize the truth that the spiritual path is always a selfish one, because our paths are individually tailored to each of us. At Ostara I take the time to shift my daily focus to being more Higher Selfish than usual. I then let the chips fall where they may in terms of how others perceive me. If you are a people-pleaser, how I was raised but grew out of, this is not so easy.

Ostara marks this aspect of personal power astrologically with the Sun moving into the first degree of the zodiac sign Aries. Aries is also the first sign of the zodiac which corresponds to 'The Self.' Makes sense doesn't it? We can begin fresh, spring clean both internally & externally & enjoy the warmer weather giving ‘legs’ to our desires & personal manifestation in our lives. We are spiritually urged to break from tribal influences & forge our own way.

Ostara is also when we see the literal rebirth of nature all around us. So it is also the continuation & empowering of The Season of Rebirth that started at Imbolc.  

If we can align ourselves with the sabbat of Ostara we can make a more graceful transition & balance our inner & outer worlds. When we do this, our lives tend to 'spring forward.' But before we just bound ahead, there are a few things I feels are worth sharing. In other words, as wonderful as personal power is, it really needs to be tempered with wisdom in order for it to manifest in healthy ways.

For starters, the Solar Plexus has its own voice as all of the Chakras do. I hear/feel its voice like a camera aperture in that it has varying degrees of open or closed. When it is open it feels really good. Then it as it closes it slides down the scale to feeling rather icky when closed. This is how I make most decisions based on my personal gut. 

For example, let’s look at a quick hypothetical. If someone asks me to lie to cover something cool like a surprise party, my Solar Plexus is usually OK with this. It feels open, expansive & even excited if I feel like I can steward the secret for the good of the person, myself & the party. But if someone asks me to lie about something more … shadowed... well name it; financial gain, cheating regardless of situation or to cover a wrong done, my gut closes up & essentially says NOPE! Whether I listen to & act/choose accordingly is what Personal Solar Plexus Power is all about. This is the lesson of Ostara. Do I honor my own guidance?

This leads to the sacred Truth of the Solar Plexus, “Honor Thyself" the use of Thy indicating not just me as a person, but the divinity within me. The more I can do this A) the less stress & trouble I find myself in & B) the more personal creativity & fun I tend to have.

Another coordinate for the Solar Plexus is its Shadow & Grace powers. Each Chakra & hence sabbat, has a Shadow & Grace power association. For the Solar Plexus, the Shadow is Entitlement & the Grace Understanding. These shadows & graces can also be seen as the Seven Deadly Sins & the Seven Holy Virtues. Entitlement is running rampant on the planet as most often shown to me via reality TV & what is going on politically in the world.

Entitlement is toxic & can be described as an unhealthy sense of self, often using the word ‘deserve’ in a way demanding that which has not rightfully or vibrationally earned. In other words, I am entitled for you to treat me well no matter how I treat you. I am entitled to be happy, even if I don't work on myself. I am entitled to _____ regardless of my actions. You can probably guess the Gods don't go for that much. They are less so when we use past suffering as leverage in power plays to get what we want. It is very Diva/Prince/Princess Archetype oriented, though any of the Archetypal patterns can display this shadow in the blink of an eye.

The Grace of Understanding is the antidote to Entitlement. The more Understanding we have of who we truly are & who we may erroneously think we are, we see that Entitlement is unnecessary. As we uncover our true spiritual identity we discover we are already worthy of all the things we desire. Deserve just drops away in the light of our true worth. 

The Grace of Understanding is tricky though. It often involves us invoking the Grace when our guts are in knots over something we are personally involved in or attached to. Even watching something on TV can trigger it, like watching a national tragedy or a ‘celebrity’ behaving badly. We find ourselves personally agitated, even though we have no direct physical connection to these people, places & things.

The Solar Plexus bunches up, not because the 'person' is evil, wicked, mean & nasty, but because we perceive them in a way the divine within us does not (Honor Thyself.) The crunch is about our own individual misalignment. By invoking the Grace of Understanding, we can work on that, see where we have behaved that way ourselves, in essence if not in form, then move gradually toward self forgiveness. This usually clears the discomfort we feel.

So this isn’t about understanding why people behave in toxic ways. It is about understanding how we are all interconnected, essentially all one & that our own patterns are being reflected back to us constantly. Ostara gives us an opportunity to channel The Grace of Understanding in a way that empowers us individually. It strengthens our boundaries, promotes internal/external balance, clarifies our personal Honor Code & allows us a healthy sense & practice of the ever erroneously touted self esteem. 

We can learn that self esteem not as a noun that we can have or lose. It is a verb. We are always estimating ourselves. Are we in alignment or out of alignment? Are we being, judgmental or forgiving? We can sense this in a very visceral way in the body via the Solar Plexus.

Add to this the 2 powers associated with Ostara through the Kabbalistic Tree of Life are Endurance & Integrity. Yes, we will have to learn how to endure the people, places & lessons in this world with integrity. Thankfully, that twinge in the Solar Plexus tells us instantly when we aren't hitting that balance square on.

All in All I dedicate myself to being the best that I can be, reevaluating my desires & the feelings & actions that follow. It is a time of personal forgiveness for actions not taken, intuition ignored & what others mirror back to me. It makes, “If you spot it, you’ve got it” a bit more visible to me & allows me to do a bit more spring cleaning inside my own soul. 

Hopefully it will also give me the energy needed to literally spring clean my home. Beltane is a month & a half away. This year I have a gut feeling it is going to be the most powerful & 'loving' one ever. So I have to get my house in order & find the balance  by acting on my intuition as much as possible.There is so much good stuff stirring under the surface. I am really looking forward to it all, shadow & light, with optimism & a sens of personal power.

May this season treat you well & may you treat yourself well as we make our way through yet another season of change & personal empowerment through Understanding Ostara.

Blessed Be,

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