spirits, Magic
Taylor Ellwood
The relationship between sacred kingship and ...

One of the books I’m reading lately is King, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Robert Moore and Doug Gillette. It’s a fascinating book that explores the archetypes of the mature and sacred masculine. This is currently part of the spiritual work that I’m engaged in as I explore my own relationship with masculinity and heal the ancestoral and contemporary wounds that I’m becoming aware of as it relates to how masculinity is treated and perceived in modern times.

One of the aspects I’m exploring in particular is related to sacred kingship and the land. I am in the process of exploring the new city and surrounding areas that I live in. While I’ve lived here for a year, I didn’t have much opportunity until recently to really begin exploring the area and developing a relationship with the land. I find it fitting and useful that part of the process has also involved cultivating a relationship with the land, particularly on the basis of the relationship has with their home and how that relationship plays out in sacromagical work one does in connecting with the land.

shadow mask

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Shadow mask work

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Image courtesy of Taylor Ellwood 2023

I recently created a couple of masks to do some shadow work. The first shadow mask I created was for the shadow of co-dependency, which is something I have struggled with most of my life. The second shadow mask I created was for the shadow of the nice guy and all the passive aggressive behaviors the nice guy embodies. While the two masks are related, they are also distinctly different in some ways.

I created each shadow mask to embody the specific behavior I wanted to call forth. I painted the 'face' of each mask. On the inside of the face I created a collage where I glued the internal messages I tell myself. By externalizing the shadow into a mask I provide myself the opportunity to explore how that shadow shows up in my life and consciously make myself aware of it, so I can work with it in a way that doesn't allow it to sabotage my life.