I am a ceremonial magician. My magick is indoor magick. We use temples and altars built by the hand of man. We seek to rise up to the furthest reaches of our souls in hopes of encountering a greater portion of the glory of God, The Goddess, The Creator, The Great Universal It, The Logos or whatever term you have for the ultimate form of That Which Creates.
I cannot imaging posting someday that this work is in error. Though, given that my opinion changes more often than some are wont to believe, nearly anything is possible.
I've been thinking on something of late and given the posts by Hecate and My Gal, I think it is time to express those thoughts here.
Magick is tied to the land. The land influences in the form. The land influences the soul. I first noticed this when I visited Chicago and Milwaukee to attend a wedding in Wisconsin. I was shocked to feel the difference of the land through my feet. I do not have the language to describe the esoteric differences as they are. I'm not sure English has the words. Illinois had a reviving power that I may be able to describe as a vibrant natural economy. The ability of the land to sustain growth was palpable. Wisconsin was greener than my home base (Fresno, CA) but there the natural economy felt sluggish and nearly depressed. One could feel the difference between these two lands at the state border.
This helped me to understand someone that was visiting from the UK five or six years ago. She said, that Fresno was magickally dead and continued, "If you can do magick here, you can do it anywhere." I disagree but I do understand. Her land is so vibrant with water and all that comes with it and this was her first experience with dessert. Dessert has a magick all its own. Its magick is that of endurance. This she could not feel. So my twist on her statement is: If you can do magick anywhere, you can do magick anywhere. You simply have to use the resources and tempo of the land you are on.
Reaching up is grand. Those who do not seek to rise to new heights are missing some things like pain, anguish and reward. Those who fail to find That Which Creates working at their feet are missing something too. I can't say what it is as I've missed it. However, I am doing some things to discover that which is all around me.
Look for future posts on the topic.
5 comments:
I agree 100 percent. Most of our traditions, unless you are doing traditional native shamanism from this neck of the woods, is imported, and it is really interesting to see the changes made by the land on the people who live on it, and to the spiritual practices that they have. Old world sorcerys blend into the new world like plant taking to new soil, and thus they change themselves, and change the environment around them.
New Jersey is a land chock full of magic and energy and life.. we've built over and polluted the hell out of it, but it is still there, and I wish we'd get back to making the Garden State full of life and gardening again!
One of my best friends is from Alabama, right outside of Birmingham, which he relates to us is magically dead as well, not from a lack of moisture, but from the presence of tons and tons of iron in the hills and mountains surrounding. As a result he got very good with doing a lot with a little.
There is a real power to the spirits of the land, and the land itself. We litterally come from it and go to it, and back in the old days it was all the more prominent. You ate what was grown locally be it produce or meat.. and the meat was usually eating the local produce as well.. so.. yeah, you are the land.
As I continue my study in Alchemy it is all the more deep. I don't see parallels, Alchemy moves more like a spiders web than parallel lines, but the lines are there!
"Wisconsin was greener than my home base (Fresno, CA) but there the natural economy felt sluggish and nearly depressed. One could feel the difference between these two lands at the state border."
I have to stick up for my home state a bit.
Milwaukee is not all of Wisconsin. If you move out of the Milwaukee area, you find a vibrant natural economy. There's a book called 'Famous Wisconsin Mystics' which details some of the goings on.
The land is covered with monasteries, grottos, pagan circles, and as you go farther north, Native American mythology and wild spaces.
Finally, you have the power and cold majesty of Lake Superior at the northern border of the state. Lake superior is completely unlike Lake Michigan. Michigan is the for sportsmen, Superior is full of cold, cold water, and is hazardous even during the summer. It's a very, very powerful place to work with.
State Boundaries are mostly arbitrary. I'd almost count Milwaukee as a poor imitation of Chicago, while Wisconsin (the rest of the state) is something much more vibrant, wild and pagan. The rolling hills of Viroqua, the deep woods of Hayward, the barren marshes of the Black River, the beautiful Green Bay, the islands of Door County, the hidden depths of the Dells: There's a lot of mystery in the state.
I've found it to be a great place to be an esoteric. :)
Great post. I was wondering why the Faerie spirit we work with despised Pittsburgh so much: your comment about Birmingham seeming magically dead because of all the iron deposits helped me figure out why. (Pittsburgh is near huge deposits of iron, hence the steel industry - and we all know that the Fae loathe cold iron).
I agree with Jow re New Jersey's magical power. I'm currently in Short Hills, which has a very different magical feel. There is a great deal of magic in Pittsburgh, but it's different, more technological and crafty. I think of Pittsburgh as dwarf country, and suspect there are all kinds of spiritual beings to be encountered in some of those old abandoned mines and factories.
Your remarks about Illinois vs. desert country resonated with me. i grew up in the Midwest, but am in the desert now. i was trying to pin down that feeling of not-rightness that i experience here, and i think you said it well. You reminded me that i need to learn how to work with what i have, just as the desert plants store up water and bloom.
Ha, funny to see you are in Fresno. It to me was the land of the underdogs(I grew up there for 30 something years). I now live in l.a. and it feels unfortunate that I didnt meet you when I lived there. Keep writing on the experiences and keep your air conditioner working!
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