This Sunday, those in my area will be able to see a fabulous full eclipse of the super moon, meaning the moon will appear blood red and larger than average. If you’re in North America and the weather is good, chances are you’ll be able to see it too. Check your local listings for times.
Eclipses are the perfect time to (re)charge scrying mirrors, crystals, and other divination devices. You expose them to the light of the eclipse, then cover them with the soft fabric – preferably silk – and do not let the sun’s rays follow them again. If it is impossible for you to get out during the eclipse, a typical full moon will also do, of course.
This Monday, I will also be celebrating the third anniversary of my baptism and initiation into a Daemonolatry temple. This is not the path for everyone, but I find group interaction – paired with my solitary practice – hugely beneficial and generally enjoyable. During the time I’ve been with them, I’ve completed the Goetia Immersion program and have entered seminary classes. I am now less than a year away from completing those studies. Having a peer group, I can bounce ideas off of and learn from remains encouraging and inspiring. I suspect the lessons will continue as long as I am a member.
My initiation three years ago was a quiet affair, one witnessed only by myself and the high priestess. I remember the darkness of her robe and cowl particularly well, having fixated on that because of how nervous I was. I didn’t want to mess up the personal oath I was making before the Daemonic Divine. I shouldn’t have been worried. After an initial scheduling mix-up, the ceremony passed without incident – without even a flubbed line. On the 21st, I’ll be reaffirming that oath.
In addition to that, my work on the Inner Demons Challenge is halfway complete. So far, its daily card draws have been extremely successful in helping me form the two main characters of my next Dalliances with Demons story. Better yet, the disconnected ideas are beginning to come together into a large picture, generating small snippets and even entire scenes. However, this novella is not coming together like Altar of Belphegore after all. I wrote that story in order from beginning to end, in layers, rather like sedimentary rock. This one springs from random flashes of inspiration, forcing me to connect the dots afterward and see the full picture. This makes sense, given the Daemonic force I am working with, but argh! My process! Forgive me for being coy about who I am working with too. Like many magicians, I believe in the power of keeping silent.
Her – How does it feel when your shadow sides take over your relationships?
Him – How does it feel when your shadow sides take over your relationships?
Her – How can you deepen your shadow work?
Him – How can you deepen your shadow work?
Her – What needs to be nurtured so you can act more consciously?
Him – What needs to be nurtured so you can act more consciously?
Her and Him – What are your inner demons teaching you?
My belief in keeping silent is, in fact, part of what is holding me back from committing to the next Domagick challenge. Meditation is part of my daily practice, and I’ve had quite a few different ideas for how I could participate. That said, meditation is also a very personal part of my practice. While I believe that being accountable makes us better magicians because it forces us to do the work, I feel that sharing the work that we are doing with the public at large isn’t always in the best interest of the work – or of ourselves. Once the work is done, it should undoubtedly be analyzed so the magician can do better, but this analysis must be done by the self and by trusted peers, not by just anyone who feels like commenting on the internet. That’s why I have temple-mates, after all! Random strangers pawing through our work isn’t necessarily helpful and can actually detract from the goals we are trying to achieve if they don’t know how to give decent critique. Sadly, many don’t. It’s a delicate balance, and one very much on my mind these days. Most likely I’ll still be ruminating on it next week, when the time to update comes around again.
Have a good one!