DOMAGICK CHALLENGE DAY SIX
For today’s practice, I chanted the Five Warrior syllables of the Bon tradition and then move directly into vibrating the enn of Salleos. I didn’t worry about using hand gestures because I wanted to concentrate on memorizing the syllables this time around. By the time I was done, tingling had spread across the bridge of my nose, just beneath my third eye. It continued for several minutes afterward. I doubt I understand the concept fully, and that’s what the workshop I am attending this weekend is for, but I can feel some effect from this elemental balancing technique already. I feel calmer and more centered now than I did when waking up. I look forward to learning more about and incorporating it into my daily work.
Here is the video from which I picked up the basic idea.
From there I moved onto what I am beginning to think of as Project Shadow-Work, i.e. I listened to two songs from to the soundtrack for the Novel That Must Not Be Named and contemplated what issues (if any) they brought up for me.
“Hotel California” by the Eagles once triggered me, and with good reason; I was assaulted while the song played in the background. Now, having looked at the song from the perspective of a horror writer for several years, it no longer bothers me. I actually enjoy it very much. I believe I’ve embraced this shadow well enough to not worry about it anymore.
“Haunted” by Poe still churns up mixed feelings in me. In his very Buddhist fashion, my brother told me few months ago that my unhappiness comes from wishing so many things could have worked out differently. In other words, I continue to live in the past. (I’m paraphrasing here, but that’s what I heard, anyway.) I’ve come to agree with him, and recently donated several items representing someone I miss very much to a thrift store to make room for other relationships in my life that I’ve neglected. I suspect that I will have to return to this song again to find that elusive “closure,” however.
The last part of Project Shadow-Work included drawing a ragged and dirty coyote that came to me in the last shamanic journey I undertook. If you look this animal helper up on the internet, you’ll see coyotes are notorious being tricksters, but I don’t feel as if there was enough energy left in this creature to trick anyone. It was so emaciated I couldn’t recognize it as a coyote at first and mistook its skeletal limbs for those of a maned wolf. The name it gave me clued me in I was guessing wrong, though, as maned wolves have black feet, not golden ones. I can’t say I drew the coyote well, but I both began to bond with it and created art at the same time, so that’s a plus.