A Witch's Sacred Journey

Corresponding to the subtle bodies within humans are seven planes of existence, each defined by its state of manifest form from densest to most refined. Rising from the denser to the finer, are the Physical, the Astral, the Mental or Devachanic, the Buddhic, and the Nirvanic and two others beyond. The Astral realm is the second in level of density and the most frequented by human and non-human.

This realm is often called the realm of illusion. Largely because as we move up the planes, the energy becomes more refined and rarified and becomes increasingly difficult to comprehend in the current form of our evolved state. Contact made within this realm itself acts as a catalyst for change upon those energies and beings that journey through its space and information is gathered primarily in response and awakening of the memory, images and innate knowledge we carry from past lifetimes.

According to C. W. Leadbeater…

“The first conscious introduction to this remarkable region comes to people in various ways. Some only once in their whole lives under some unusual influence become sensitive enough to recognize the presence of one of its inhabitants, and perhaps, because the experience does not repeat itself, they may come in time to believe that on that occasion they must have been the victims of hallucination. Others find themselves with increasing frequency seeing and hearing something to which those around them are blind and deaf; others again – and perhaps this is the commonest experience of all – begin to recollect with greater and greater clearness that which they have seen or heard on that other plane during sleep.

Most of us, then, are awake on the astral plane during the sleep of the physical body, and yet we are generally very little awake to the plane, and are consequently conscious of our surroundings there only vaguely, if at all. We are still wrapped up in our waking thoughts and our physical-plane affairs, and we pay scarcely any attention to the world of intensely active life that surrounds us. Our first step, then, is to shake off this habit of thought, and learn to see that new and beautiful world, so that we may be able intelligently to work in it. Even when that is achieved, it does not necessarily follow that we shall be able to bring over into our waking consciousness any recollection of those astral experiences. But that question of physical-plane remembrance is an entirely different matter, and does not in any way affect our power to do excellent astral work.”

The astral realm is one of potential. Imagination, idea and thought can be brought to a space of form on this plane and if fueled with will and clarity of intent can be brought down into the manifest world. Additionally, thoughtforms are given life within the astral realm. The combined and collective will directed from human kind if focused and engendered with enough life, and energy can be brought to creation in its more refined nature on the astral.

For complete and comprehensive information:

The Astral Plane: Its Scenery, Inhabitants, And Phenomena by C. W. Leadbeater or take a look at it in e-book format as a downloadable
pdf (123pgs) The Astral Plane

Also…

Astral Dynamics: The Complete Book of Out of Body Experience by Robert Bruce

For another perspective on the Astral Plane, take a look at the information and lessons relevant to the sphere of Yesod in the study of Qabalah.

Foundations of Practice:

I have purposely saved the Foundational exercises for this last post of the lesson. This lesson is one that moves in and out of the planes of reality and although not always apparent and visible to us is still present nonetheless. These foundations have been planned and in the background scenery, waiting just the right timing and readiness on your part to reveal themselves as catalysts to action in their execution.

Go To Foundations of Practice- 11

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May 1st
Lesson Twelve: The Greater Work Within Community

This pathworking correlates to the energy of the Qabalistic Sphere of Yesod within the Tree of Life. Each of the Ten spheres of the Tree represents a specific form of energy. Yesod is the sphere of memory, the subconscious and the Astral. This pathworking will take you on a journey into one of the many ways that the Astral realm may be experienced.

Turn your focus and attention to your breath. Allow your consciousness to move with the rise and fall of your chest and the filling and release of the lungs. Continue in this manner for several breaths; allowing each to become softer, smoother and slower.

You step out onto a well-worn path- and you smell the dampness of the earth and can make out the silhouettes of the trees surrounding you. Above, the sky is velvety black and the moon shines down like a spot light creating a circle of light around you. This is Malkuth; your physical world. Take a moment to look around. As you stand in this circle of moonlit space a violet mist swirls around you. It encircles and embraces you within its violet glow and you feel as though you are being lifted upwards.

You feel what appears to be soft ground beneath your feet and the swirling mist has now changed into ribbons of indigo colored cloth. The cloth is gauzy and light and is moving quite rapidly although there is no apparent breeze. You are unsure of the origins of this movement and as you begin to focus on this thought the swaths of indigo cloth appear to fade. As your eyes adjust to the dimness of light, you realize that what you thought were ribbons of cloth now are seen as beams of milky white light. You look down and see that what you thought was soft ground beneath is a cottony grey mist that does not seem dense enough to hold your weight. Things are not as they appear in this realm and you make mental note to give pause before making judgment of what you experience here.

As you become more accustomed to the surroundings your senses begin to heighten and you can feel an energy that seems full of many different particles of light, substance and although the form and shapes are not clear you intuit that there is great potential in what encloses you. You look down and see that what you are standing upon has no distinct shape and there appear to be rhythmic pulses within the misty grey depths of this landscape. Outlines of form move and rise to the surface- some contracting back into the greyness and others seem to rise upwards and fade out of sight- never taking solid form. You remember that in the space of Malkuth color, shape and form took on more depth and detail. You could hear every sound. Everything here seems to be just a fleeting image or the muffled sound of something you are unsure of. Everything is just out of grasp of clearly defining its limits and extensions.

As these and many more thoughts pass through your mind you become aware of the light changing as the moon emerges from a frothy cloud of deep purple. The moon is luminescent and you can almost feel the magnetic energy of its pull moving within you. You sense the resonance of the waters within your being and the see them now as tides of time and change. Ebbing and flowing in accord with the natural cycles of the moon and the stars. You feel the interconnectedness of your being and the life that is contained within the quickening and potential of this space.

You sit down and wafts of soft grey mist respond to the movement. You close your eyes and soften your breath moving into a deep contemplative state. As you sit quietly memories flood through your mind. Pictures move like a slide show on your inner screen and all the wishes and dreams you have experienced in this lifetime bubble up to the surface. This is your storehouse of subconscious. Some are directly of your own creation and others have been colored and changed by the co- mingled energies of the collective consciousness. Some are useless day dreams and others hold the potential for new and inventive action.

As these images pass before you the urge to reach out and grasp one – to hold it and feel its weight and strength in your hands takes hold. The images begin to slow and one attracts your attention. You gently reach out and are surprised at the ease with which you were able to draw it to you. You make a mental note of how its energy feels in your hands- and what emotions it may stir within you. You seem able to see more clearly what this image truly is and where the illusion of the situation may have been at the time of the first creation of this image. As you begin to give more attention and definition of clarity to this image you see that it is responding to this outpour. The color is now becoming a golden yellow. Within its core are flecks of azure, violet and deep purple. Each a spark of energy within- a seed of growth- a possibility and potential for manifestation. The energy forms more clearly into a sphere, the continuum of all that is contained within and the connection with all that is without. It glows and pulses within your hand with life. A flood outward of golden yellow and the the sphere opens in spirals of the seeds of light that were within. Scattering like the seeds of the dandelion bulb as you blow on it and grey strands are caught within the winds embrace. You sit for a moment in the glow of this new birth and you feel transformed and changed. Moved to a place of greater understanding of how the Universe works and what is the driving and compelling force of the creative urge for life.

You stand and look once again upwards towards the moon. You now see with clearer intent and the mysteries of her nature will slowly reveal themselves as you continue to visit this realm of dreams and potential. But, for now you must return to the world of the physical. A mist of violet swirlings moves about you and you feel a gentle descent. Slowly and with great ease your feet touch down upon the damp soil of Malkuth.

As you stand once again at the place of your physical being, the swirling of time and space encircle you, the violet color giving way to the earthy colors of the physical realm. This is the receiving place of the combined energy of all the spheres above, emanating downward into the Kingdom of the Four – who find their strength in the return to the One. You smell the earth upon which you make your home and feel the soft breeze of the winds. You see the silhouettes of the trees of the woods and hear the sounds of life all around you. Stand for a moment in this place.

The woods and all they contain gently fade from your sight and you begin the descent back into your physical state of being and the room and space in which you began this pathworking. Return to awareness of the rhythm of your breath and the rise and fall of your chest. Become aware of the physicality of where you are sitting or laying… your body pressed against cushion, chair or floor.

Back to Foundations of Practice: 11

 Journaling

This month’s lessons are about those things that go unseen by most. Your journal practice will serve as support towards formulating your own consistent and insightful conclusions about the worlds that intersect and lay so close to ours. As you open to the greater experiences of communing with the other worlds and its inhabitants, be sure to record these experiences. As you progress in this area, looking back and being able to clearly see what and where your journeys have taken you will be an invaluable tool.

A Chakra Renewal Meditation

These past months you have finely tuned and should by now be able to control your breath in preparation for the work at hand. Begin your practice sessions by taking several calming breaths and opening your self to receive the information you are seeking.

Use this Chakra renewal meditation as often as you wish. It will keep your energetic state moving smoothly and enable you to connect more deeply as you explore the other-worlds.  Chakra Renewal…

A Pathworking of the Astral: Yesod

This pathworking offers a different perspective of the Astral and the keys stored in that realm that may be used to unlock your subconscious and memory. It was written to accompany study of the Qabalistic Tree of Life and one of its spheres- Yesod- the sphere of the Moon and the Astral. Read more about the Qabalah here:

Resources:
If you are not familiar with the Qabalistic Tree of Life, I would recommend reading through the article posted in my other blog, The Magickal Pen entitled “Geburah’s Might” to give you the necessary overview for an introductory base of working knowledge about the Tree. They can be found here:
WitchVox: 13 Keys- The Foundation of Yesod
The Magickal Pen: Geburah’s Might
13 Keys to the Qabalistic Tree of Life

Reading:
The Inner Chamber Series. R. Fennelly
Volume Two: Poetry of the Spheres (2013)
Order at author’s website: Robin Fennelly

Turn your focus and attention to your breath. Allow your consciousness to move with the rise and fall of your chest and the filling and release of the lungs. Continue in this manner for several breaths, allowing each to become softer, smoother and slower. Now, shift your awareness to visualize seven clear glass spheres within your energetic self, each aligned with a specific chakra point along the central column. And approx. 7-8 inches above your head is an eighth glass sphere. This is the transpersonal chakra; the gateway between your parts of Self and the Divine.

Beginning at the root chakra, visualize the sphere filling with ruby red energy and light. As it continues to fill it becomes larger and more brilliant in color and form. When it has reached full capacity, turn your awareness to the sphere just above it.

Visualize this sphere filling with vivid orange energy and light. As it continues to fill the sphere becomes larger and more brilliant in color and form. When it has reached full capacity, turn your awareness to the sphere just above it.

Visualize this sphere filling with sunshine yellow energy and light. As it continues to fill the sphere becomes larger and more brilliant in color and form. When it has reached full capacity, turn your awareness to the sphere just above it.

Visualize this sphere filling with emerald green energy and light. As it continues to fill the sphere becomes larger and more brilliant in color and form. When it has reached full capacity, turn your awareness to the sphere just above it.

Visualize this sphere filling with sky blue energy and light. As it continues to fill the sphere becomes larger and more brilliant in color and form. When it has reached full capacity, turn your awareness to the sphere just above it.

Visualize this sphere filling with indigo blue energy and light. As it continues to fill the sphere becomes larger and more brilliant in color and form. When it has reached full capacity, turn your awareness to the sphere just above it.

Visualize this sphere filling with amethyst purple energy and light. As it continues to fill the sphere becomes larger and more brilliant in color and form. When it has reached full capacity, turn your awareness to the sphere just above it.

You have reached the uppermost sphere, that of your transpersonal space. See this sphere fill with brilliant white light. It pulses radiant light and seems brighter than those below it in clarity and intensity. When it has reached capacity, see all the spheres equal in size, perfectly transparent and filled to capacity with colors that are clear and vibrant. Allow this image to permeate your being for several minutes. Feel the strength and power in each of the spheres and connect with this enlivening energy, engaging all of your sensations.

Visualize a line of energy moving upwards from the ruby red sphere of the root chakra. This energetic pathway is the same hue of red as that contained within the sphere itself. It moves, and swirls and as it reaches upwards it blends and mingles with the orange energy within the sphere of the belly chakra. Allow the integration and synthesis of this energy to build and circulate.

Now, extend this energy and visualize it moving upwards towards the yellow of the sacral chakra. Allow it to blend and merge creating an energetic column connecting each of the three spheres in turn. Each, feeding one into the other, merging and unifying into a singular stream of vibrant and pulsing energy. Continue in this manner moving up through each of the chakra points rising all the way up and ending at the transpersonal chakra.

When reaching the transpersonal chakra, allow the brilliant white energy of the transpersonal sphere to pulse, infused with crystalline luminosity. As this energy builds it becomes brighter, fuller and more expansive. Allow this energy to grow and expand until it is overflowing and spilling down, pouring its energy into each of the spheres below it. Each, in turn filling with the brilliance of Light, the vibrancy of their individual colors fading and folding into the density of a brilliance of white. This transformation continues downward through each chakra and when it returns to the root chakra allow this energy to circulate, moving up and cascading down through each of the chakras for as long as is needed.

When you feel energized and have a sense of balance, beginning at the transpersonal chakra, see this energy slowly dissipate as each globe clears and returns to a state of transparent glass. Move downward from one sphere to the next. Each in turn fading in brilliance, returning to its resting state of transparency and size. When you have returned to the root chakra and the spheres are once again clear pure transparent glass, chant a sustained “ OM “ to complete the working and coalesce the rate of vibration within each of the chakra columns in each of the subtle bodies.

Final Thoughts: As you begin to work more with the varying energies of each of the chakras and synthesize and use their collective energies, you will begin to sense changes in yourself at all levels- spiritually and mundanely. Be open and receptive to what presents for you. Some will experience these changes as being able to concentrate more deeply on tasks at hand. Others may feel that they are developing a more compassionate attitude and have “softened” a bit in their judgment of others. Others still, may experienced heightened senses and feel more connected to the fluctuations and energetic stimuli that surrounds them. Surrender to the course of flow and allow yourself to be carried forward with the support of your own inner awakening.

Back to Foundations of Practice: 11

The energy of the aura is directly related to the subtle bodies. It reveals where there are weaknesses, disruption of the energetic flow and areas of disease. Working to develop a healthy physical body, interfaces towards promoting health within the subtle bodies. Strong, healthy and flexible subtle bodies allow for an easier interface in communing with the beings of the otherworlds. As each body is infused with Light and energy the boundaries into which those bodies extend becomes more expansive. Awareness, sensation and the spiritual faculties open, expanding the lens from the narrow point of physical being to one that encompasses and overlaps the subtle- normally hidden worlds. Spend some time reviewing the components of The Right Mind Set (Lesson 7)

We also talked in Lesson 7 about developing the magickal persona and the role of the Mind in that process. The Mind is the place of manifesting and bringing that self into the foreground where it can be used. The Mind helps us to re-member and reassemble the pieces that make up who we are- physically, emotionally and Spiritually. And, the more centered and cohesively we can experience ourselves, the better able we are to communicate and experience those subtle worlds that surround us.

As we prepare for interaction with with the Hidden worlds, aligning the parts of self to act as interface between the worlds as well as generating the Magickal Persona which acts as the liaison in communing with the beings of those worlds is the first step towards taking the journey. Take some time to review the information below from one of our previous lessons.

Lower/Physical Self
I Have

The Lower Self ( Lower Mental) is our primal instinctual nature. This is the physical body we inhabit and the conscious self that responds and reacts to stimuli in the physical world through our senses and tactile abilities. This is our place of foundation and the place from which we concretely and tangibly build the world around ourselves. The Lower or physical self obeys the laws of time and because of its density in energy the laws of space and its place within it as well.

Middle/Emotional Self
I Want (to Become)

The Middle self more closely relates to the subconscious mind. The place of dreams and aspirations; of emotions and feelings. We Feel rather than thinking our way through this world. This is the first place of desire and the catalyst that yearns to Become more than we are and can experience in the physical self. The Lower Self says “I Have or possess this” and the subconscious feeds it the “want and desire” that enlivens and creates connection to what we have acquired.

Higher/Mental SELF
I Will Become

The Higher Mental self is the super or Higher conscious self. It knows the results of the subconscious desire working upon the conscious mind and has transcended to a place of “knowing it will be”. This Higher Self has developed a state of “awareness” and from that awareness evolves the Higher Will. It is not the will of Ego, but instead the Will to create, to manifest to exist. This is the part of Self that is not confined by the bounds of linear time and space.

The Spiritual SELF
The Divine Spark
I AM

The Spiritual SELF is the continued contact and communication with the impulse of the Divine. There is no longer a need to Have or possess. There is no desire for anything; for it is all and at once formed and formless. It is the realization that there is no separateness, only union and synthesis from which all other states of form emanate. It is the Divine Spark that is contained within us all and moves with us as we pass from lifetime to lifetime.

The way in which these parts of self interact when creating and calling forth the Magickal Self are multifold. Each is dependent and interdependent upon the other for forming, coalescing and finally birthing that magickal being that is inherent within us all. The subconscious generates the desire to shape and form the appropriate interface that will allow for movement and access to the higher planes. The conscious self, having been stimulated by the subconscious begins the work of creating the shape and image that magickal form will take. If you have a firmly established magickal persona, this process usually occurs at the point of putting on your ritual grab, a sacred amulet or ring. It intensifies and builds in substance as you enter sacred space. And, once the circle is cast, the quarters called and the energy of the ritual space changes its vibration and intensity the magickal self comes forth more fully to begin the work at hand. As the conscious self seeks the contact of the Higher consciousness (Higher Mental) this form begins to interact with the energies and planes that are being accessed in the ritual. If you are just beginning the process, every ritual, every magickal working that is done with focus and intent will strengthen and bring into greater substance that magickal self.

In those rare moments, when all the parts of self are in alignment and balance with each other the consciousness rises to a place of opening to the Spiritual SELF, sometimes called the Holy Guardian Angel. This of course, is the ultimate goal and is not something easily attained. This contact usually comes through the subconscious mind rather than the conscious waking mind; and can be likened to a brief flash of brilliant light where you are completely at one with the Universe, its mysteries and its source. These moments are quite rare and even with diligent practice towards that end, occur in their own way in their own time (often lifetimes), if at all.

To move more fully into your inner landscape refresh your understanding of:

The Sacred Vessel Mysteries
Your Energetic Anatomy

And, the more your engage your senses in the process, the more complex the connection established:

Sensing the Subtleties – Using the Esoteric nature of our Senses
Magickally Human- Companion posts that look at the physiological

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The Astral

Nature surrounds us, yet we often do not give more than a passing glance in acknowledgement of the beauty and life that is abundant within. Those who live in urban settings find it even more challenging to connect with the vibrancy of nature; being largely drawn into the world of concrete and skyscraper.

Nonetheless, what is unseen within this realm are those Spirits that inhabit the greater Earth that co-exists with the manifest physical realm we inhabit. If we still ourselves and open tot eh reality that we truly “are not alone” we enable a deeper connection to be forged as we explore the inhabitants of these worlds.

The Fae

” (If) Angels stem from the will of God, to execute divine will in all worlds, and human beings come from the mind of God, with free will and creative capacity, than those from the faery realm are rooted in the heart of the creator and help us to tune into the love of the heart…They are associated with both the blue ray of Love and the green ray of Nature.” excerpted: Ascension Magick by Christopher Penczak

If you think for a while on the quote above, perhaps an enhanced understanding of the Faery can be arrived at other than that of traditional lore and myth. In Tradtional thought the Fae/Faery or Sidhe are Otherworld beings that form a blending of the Old Ones or the ancestors, Deities specific to the varied clans and tribes and Devic forces (nature and its impact on the evolutionary lineage of these beings).

The interaction between the Fae and humankind has been a longstanding and at times challenging one, as our worlds are so closely related and to some degree dependent upon one another. The current impact of human kind upon our environment and at times blatant disregard for the natural world is a point of dissonance that echoes thunderously through the Faery realms.
The survival of both of these worlds is at the crossroads unless we, as stewards of the physical and manifest form of nature, strengthen are connection to and take heed of the lessons of the Fae.

I have listed below several excellent articles and sites that offer a far more comprehensive understanding of the Faery Realm, its tribes and the greater truths that are held in communing with these great beings.

Resources:
The Realm of the Fae by Helena Domenic

Helena Domenic is currently and Elder of the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel and serves as High Priestess of Chalice of the Living Stars. Helena is a Professor of Art at Cheyney Univ. of Pennsylvania, where she teaches Art History, African Art, and an assortment of drawing and painting classes. Helena has also taught at Sacred Space, Ecumenicon, Etheracon, Morgan’s Cauldron, Akashacon, Rutgers University, The University of the Arts, and a variety of other venues.

Articles by R.J.Stewart:
From 1988 to the present day R J Stewart has taught workshops and classes in the UK and USA. These include work with Celtic and classical mythological traditions, the Faery and Underworld traditions, music and consciousness, and a unique original ongoing program of transforming awareness and spiritual vision, called Inner Temple Traditions.

The Irish Faery Tradition and the Living Land
The UnderWorld Initiation, The Crossroads and the Rivers of Tears and Blood Revisited (The Scottish Faery Tradition)

Devas

The word Deva comes from the Sanskrit language, meaning “a being of brilliant light” and is used to indicate a non-physical being. The natural world is a vast network interconnected, informed and alive and pulsing with energy, form and force. If we liken it to the brain, the systems of root, trunk and leaf all form the neural pathways through which life is sustained in the working organs of the physical; body. IF there is disruption in those pathways, dis-ease, dis-orientation and failure to thrive soon set in.

The beings of the Devic realm work to ensure that the species and form to which they are attached sends the appropriate messages of Life to the greater network of the living world. In this way, the spirits (or refined light bearing essence) of the plant world act collectively as the group mind of all of nature. As the holders of the group mind they also hold the structure and architecture of nature within their being.

Their task is that of creation and expansion, thus the proliferation of plant life and form and the continued regeneration of their species. Working with the Deva of a particular plant form creates a deeper connection to the specific type of energy and memory (or collective consciousness) held within that particular plant.

For more information:
Nature Spirits: Devas

“Devas are usually associated with features of the landscape such as mountains, plains or clearly defined regions. They can be found presiding over areas of woodland or large cultivated areas such as botanical gardens or parkland areas. They direct the activities of all natural processes within their sphere of influence, emitting the appropriate formative impulses for the harmonious functioning of the natural formations and plants in their care.

A Deva has a highly evolved consciousness, being able to encompass all the processes of the planes they work with as well as the activities of the smaller nature spirits who work within their influence. They are highly aware of the activities of animals and people around them and respond with a brightening and quickening of energy to anyone admiring or enjoying the area they oversee. They recognize and acknowledge with a flare of energy the birds, animals or people who live in their area or visit regularly. On occasion they communicate mind-to-mind with human beings. The consciousness of a Deva is unwaveringly bright, encompassing and joyful. They are quite impersonal, having no judgment or opinion of what goes on around them.”

Check Out This title:
The Magic of Findhorn by Paul Hawken

The Elementals
Within each of the forces of Nature- Earth, Air, Fire and Water there exist those beings who are the pure essence of their respective domains.

Image by Josephine Wall

The Elementals rarely initiate contact with humans unless a specific need or request is issued to them. It is for this reason that the Gates of the Elemental energies and beings of those quarter elements are formally called as part of establishing sacred space for ritual work. They are the pure essence of the un-manifest form of the specific element. Each element has contained within its energies a host of beings that operate collectively to build upon and expand its state of being. They reform the structure of the element, ensure its viability, and work in an ordered form of hierarchy.

Each element is put under the governance of a Monarch or King. These beings are the guides and directives of the specific element. They could be considered the supreme interface between the world and essence of humanity and the highest spiritual form of those elements that comprise all of that exists. When we invite the elementals to work with us in our magick we are affirming our deeper connection to all of nature, the Divine and all that surrounds us as living, breathing space.

Any contact or connection with the beings within any of the elemental realms as well as any of the planes should be held with the deepest respect and care. Approach should be with positive intent and always ending with expression of gratitude for what has been received. Another very important component that often goes overlooked is being sure to follow up at the mundane level with any information that is received to maximize the potential of what has been offered.

We issue the invitation to join or aid us in the rite and then it is at the discretion and interest of the being or Deity as to whether they will answer the call. Following through with that intent it is best to always have a purpose or reason to invite, call or engage the energies of the elementals. Randomly calling with no specific intent will neither draw their attention nor prove a productive exercise.

** Check out the information at Mind Soul Spirit

Air
The Sylphs
Monarch: Paralda

The Air spirits or Sylphs are sources of light that produce inspiration and feed the mind. They appear as very ethereal light beings at times almost imperceptible in their presence. The Sylphs can be called upon to aid in opening the creative flow. Much like the Muses the arts and writing benefit greatly from their energy of pure mind. Because they provide clarity of the raw essence of the thought or idea they can aid us with our spiritual and mystical development.

Be sure to Review AIR in Lesson Two
** The Spirits of AIR

Fire
Salamander
Monarch: Djinn

The Fire spirits or Salamanders provide passion, motivation, will and are the cause of most impulses. They appear as sudden bursts of heat, but as we encounter them they take form from our own minds and most often take the form of the lizard of the same name. They can help us develop will, courage, authoritative bearing, passion, and provide us with raw power. They are catalytic and combustible in nature and are not easily contained if allowed to remain too long.  The Salamanders may also be called upon to aid in physical healing where energy is in a weakened state.

Review FIRE in Lesson Two
** The Spirits of FIRE

Water
Undines
Monarch: Nichsa

The Water spirits or Undines stimulate and feed our various emotions and spiritual impulses, create attraction between people, and nourish our psychic faculties. They may appear as the swirlings of many colors, much like the sea itself, but as we allow their presence to fill the space of our working the forms they take on are those of our visionings and desires. They can be employed to aid in healing and open us to deeper forms of psychism, gaining access to those realms of our psyche that hold the keys of the subconscious.

Review Water in Lesson Two
** The Spirits of WATER

Earth
Gnomes
Monarch: Ghob

The Earth spirits or Gnomes release their energy into matter to give it life. They move as providers of the foundations in which life force (fire), emotions (water) and mind (air) may take take form. Their energy is one that is palpable and dense and can be very effectively used for mundane and physical matters. They are guardians of the mineral and crystal worlds and as such can help to empower these earthly treasures for magickal or spiritual use. Workings that have the intention of being brought into a concrete and physical form benefit from calling into presence the energy of the Gnomes.

Review Earth in Lesson Two
** The Spirits of EARTH

Another Perspective….comes from the The Abbé de Villars (1635-ca. 1673) who is often cited as an authority on the subject of elementals, since he published a treatise entitled Comte de Gabalis (1670), from which a good deal of what follows is drawn.

“According to this work, before the Fall, the creatures of the elements were subject to Adam in all things. By means of certain performances this ancient communication may be restored, and man may once more have at his command the elementary spirits. The abbot gives a brief sketch of the nature of these spirits.

The air, he says, is filled with a great number of sylphs, beings of human form, somewhat fierce in appearance, but really of a docile nature. They are interested in the sciences and are subtle. They are officious toward the sages and hostile toward the foolish and the ignorant. Their wives and daughters are of a masculine type of beauty, such as that of the Amazons.

The seas and rivers are inhabited as well as the air, and the beings dwelling there are designated undines, or nymphs, by the sages. The female population much exceeds the male, the women being so exceedingly beautiful that among the daughters of men there is none to equal them.

The Earth is filled almost to the center with gnomes, beings of small stature that guard subterranean treasure, minerals, and precious stones. They are ingenious, friendly toward men, and easy to command. They provide the children of the sages with all the money they require, asking no other reward for their services than the glory of performing them. The gnomides, their wives, are small of stature but very good-looking, and they dress very curiously.

As for the salamanders, the inhabitants of the region of fire, they serve the philosophers, but are not overanxious for their company. Their daughters and wives are rarely seen. Their women are very beautiful, beyond all the other elementals, since they dwell in a purer element. Their habits, mode of life, manners, and laws are admirable, and their mental brilliance is even greater than their physical beauty. They know and religiously adore the Supreme Being, but have no hope of eternal enjoyment of him, since their souls are mortal. Being composed of the purest parts of the elements wherein they dwell, and having no contrary qualities, they can live for several centuries, yet they are much troubled because of their mortal nature.

It was revealed to the philosophers, however, that an elementary spirit could attain immortality by marrying a human being. The children born of such unions are more noble and heroic than the children of human men and women, and some of the greatest figures of antiquity—Zoroaster, Alexander, Hercules, and Merlin, to mention a few—are declared to have been the children of elementary spirits.

The salamanders, the Comte de Gabalis goes on to say, are composed of the most subtle particles of the sphere of fire, conglobated and organized by the action of the Universal Fire, so called because it is the principle of all the motions of nature. The sylphs are composed of the purest atoms of the air; the nymphs, of the most delicate particles of water; the gnomes, of the finest essence of earth. Adam was in complete accord with these creatures because, being composed of that which was purest in the four elements, he contained in himself the perfections of these four species and was their natural king. But since by reason of his sin he was cast into the excrements of the elements, there no longer existed the harmony between him, so impure and gross, and these fine and ethereal substances.

The abbot goes on to give instructions on how this state of things can be remedied and the ancient order restored. To attain this end mankind must purify and exalt the element of fire that is within all humans. All that is necessary is to concentrate the fire of the world, by means of concave mirrors, in a globe of glass. There will then be formed within the globe a solar powder that, having purified itself from the mixture of other elements, will become in a very short time a sovereign means of exalting the fire within us and make us, so to speak, of an igneous nature. Thereafter, the creatures of the fire will become our inferiors, and, delighted at the restoration of mutual harmony between themselves and the human race, they will show toward man all the goodwill they have for their own kind.

Sylphs, gnomes, and nymphs are more familiar with humans than are the salamanders, on account of their shorter term of life, and it is therefore easier to get in touch with them. To restore its dominion over the sylphs, gnomes, or nymphs, the human race must close a glass full of air, earth, or water and expose it to the sun for a month, after which its various elements must be separated according to science. This process is easiest in the case of water and earth. “Thus,” states the Comte, “without characters, without ceremonies, without barbarous words, it is possible to rule absolutely over these peoples.”

Next Post:
Your Inner Landscape

The Hidden Worlds

When we think of the Hidden Worlds, there are as many descriptions, inhabitants and scenarios as there are humans, entities and planes of existence to fill them.

In this lesson we move from bathing in the waters of stillness out into the Greater Canopy. It is within this space of fullness and expanse that we find the Hidden Worlds. This lesson is drawn from some experience and many good points of reference that will give you a platter of diverse interaction, concept and understanding of the unseen to formulate your own conclusions around. We will touch on the realms of the allies and guides that support us in our work and take a journey into our own hidden worlds of the auric fields and inner consciousness.

Foundations of Practice:
The Foundations of practice will offer a chakra clearing exercise, a special pathworkings to meet your inner guide (s) and have audience with your ancestors.

Reading and Resources:
Be sure to check out the Reading section this month for some classic books on the astral and new classics that take us into the realm of the non-corporeal.

So, let us begin the work at hand….

Waters flow
Around misty bend
And sun streams through
Leafy fingers beckoning near

Crystal shimmers in
Chiseled river bed
As gentle kiss of
Faery breath carries
Silvery sound on airy wings

Open the gates and step lightly through…….

What Are the Hidden Worlds?