I explore the relationship between directions, correspondences and intentions and use this exploration to demonstrate a profound aspect of magical practice in relationship to how we call in the spiritual forces in our lives.
Creating The Beltane altar for Coalessence
Picture courtesy Joanna Brook
Recently I was given the opportunity to create an altar for the Coalessence Ecstatic dance community which has dances every Sunday and Tuesday. It was the Sunday before Beltaine, and on a spur of the moment I decided to volunteer, feeling moved to create an altar. I decided that the theme/focus of the altar would be around Beltaine, and I would dedicate the altar to my patron goddess Aphrodite and patron god Eros.
My approach to creating this altar was also informed by a desire to consider the aesthetics of the deities I was working with as well as the energy I wanted to call into the dance hall. I wanted to make the altar into an art magic working that would call forth the divine power of Aphrodite and Eros and inspire the dancers to celebrate the energies of Beltaine.
I started my process by choosing the items I would bring from my home to the space I was going to be working in. I brought my statues of Aphrodite and Eros, conch shells I had placed on the altar, a bracelet with the inscription of “Live in the Moment,” some crystals in the shapes of hearts, a Lapis Lazuli necklace, a crystal goblet, and roses I recently bought for my beloved, but also as an offering to Aphrodite, since we both work with her.
How to setup your magical space
I discuss how to setup a magical space and what considerations to keep in mind in order to make that space effective for your magical work.
Thanksgiving 2022 Musings
I discuss the power of gratitude, muse on my recent Thanksgiving and share why its so important to honor, respect and love yourself. I also discuss my plans for 2023 in terms of books and classes.
Wealth Magic 3: The Application of Magic
In this third installment we explore the application of magic to wealth, building off the foundation of need and discipline that presents us with an informed awareness about wealth in our lives. I share why its important to apply short and long term perspectives to your magical approach and discuss the benefits of working with spirits or doing wealth magic through practical magic, as well as when to blend the efforts together.
Timing and Magic Part 2: Further thoughts on when to do magic
I explore the significance of planetary hours in magic and share an experiment I’m currently engaged in and what some of my thoughts are on the experiment and how its allowing me to explore my process of magic from a different perspective.
Manifestation is the realization of the imaginal
When we manifest the imagination into reality we turn the seed of potential into a new identity for ourselves and reality. I explain what this means and why it can change your approach to magic when you approach manifestation from your identity instead of from your scarcity.
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Imagination as the seed of reality
Imagination is where reality begins. It is the seed of potential and the promise of manifestation and I share why your imagination can be one of your most potent magical tools, as well as how to work it in to your magical practice.
Sign up for From Imagination to Manifestation: https://magical-experiments.teachable.com/p/from-imagination-to-manifestation
Finding a place to go in your magical work
For many magicians, the magic work stops once they get the result they are seeking to manifest. This makes sense, especially with practical magic, where so much of the point is about getting specific results in order to change your life in some way that ideally improves it. You get the result and the magic work ends because you’ve obtained what you want.
Yet, I find that the focus on results is so limited. That may seem odd, especially if the point is to get a result. After all, if I get the result, isn’t that the point? Why is that so limiting? There’s a couple reasons its so limiting, and why we need to think beyond the obvious and work the magic beyond the result.
The first reason is that the achievement of a result inevitably brings with it consequences. There’s a ripple effect, because the result doesn’t happen in a vacuum. You get a result, and what you bring with it (which so many magicians fail to recognize) are the changes that occur because you got the result. You work magic to get a job and that job brings with it change. You work magic to get a lover, and you get the lover and everything that comes with that person. You work magic to change some aspect of your life and you get that result and the changes that spill out from that result.
A generative approach to results
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the process of magic and specifically how to develop an awareness of the organic nature of magical work. If tis sounds odd to you, its perhaps because for the most part, magic is not considered to be an organic process, so much as a designed process that in both a practical and spiritual sense is used to achieve specific outcome or results.
“So why Taylor, are you taking a different angle to magical work? What do you even mean when you talk about the organic nature of magical work?”
Case Study: An Experiment with Modifying an existing Magical Working
Photo by Josh Sorenson from Pexels
In last week’s article I shared my perspective on when it’s best to start experimenting with magic. This week I thought I would share an example of an ongoing experiment I’m doing with an existing magical working that I’ve modified extensively. The working in question is the Sphere of Art. I first learned about this working through Robert Stewarts books entitled The Sphere of Art. Before we get into the ongoing work, let me provide a bit of history around what I’ve done with this working.
In October of 2017 I decided to do the Sphere of Art working. The first task I undertook involved memorizing the chants for the sphere of art so I could call in the relevant spirits and energies for setting up the basic Sphere of Art. This memorization took approximately 6 months to accomplish. The benefit of it is that conditioned my mind and body to receive and connect with the spirits and energies embodied by the sphere. The original chants were for the four directions of East, South, West, and North with appropriate correspondences derived for each direction, but after I memorized those chants I made my first modification.
My first modification was to create chants that represented the underworld, the stellar cosmos, and the final point, a point of fixed manifestation that binds all the forces together. These chants were not arbitrarily added to the Sphere of Art, but rather were included because of careful research I did with both the source texts and supplementary texts that indicated that these chants and the corresponding connections with spirits and energies would fit into the Sphere of Art work. So I came up with and memorized the chants and found that indeed there is a fit with the existing material.
Once I memorized all the chants I was ready for the next phase of work which involved gathering together alchemical materials and prepping them to be worked with in the Sphere of Art. In this case I opted to work with homeopathic materials, which I ordered and then stored in 10 glass vials. I also collect spring water and Vodka to be used in 10 additional glass vials. This was all part of the original working, but I also modified the working by creating sacred art for the planetary/elemental energies being worked with, as well as the archangels being worked with.
In October 2018 I started doing the Sphere of Art work, which involved not only the recitation of the chants but also working with the alchemical substances, specifically charging first the dry and then the wet materials for a specific cycle of time. I did this work over the course of two months. A the end of those two months the charging was done.
At this point I modified the working again. Over the course of the next 10 months, I mediated and worked with the alchemical substances, archangels and corresponding planetary/elemental energies for each alchemical substance. For example, in the first month, I worked with dry and wet substances of Carbon, as well as with the underworld energy of Earth and the archangel Sandalaphon. This work involved creating the sphere of art each day, and then taking the substances of the month and meditating with them in order to mediate their energies into the ritual space. I also put up the sacred art in appropriate locations around the ritual space. The purpose of this work was to create a permanent rarified ritual space where the energies and spirits are continually mediated by the space itself, and by the sphere of art work.
In October of 2019 I concluded that work, but continued on with working with the Sphere of Art, specifically in relationship to cultivating a deep and abiding relationship with the elemental energy of creativity. From October 2019 to October 2020 I worked with this element via the Sphere of Art and found that this, along with the previous years’ work set me up with enough creative ideas and work to last the rest of my life. I currently have at least 50 projects to work on, in terms of books alone, with more ideas waiting in the wings.
During this time I also focused on utilizing the Sphere of Art to enhance practical magical workings, specifically around wealth generation, with the goal being to get me back to full time self-employment. I have found that the SOA does amplify workings done within it because you are setting up a very specific space and time with what you want in that space/time and nothing else, until you do the magical work and release it into the universe.
Current work: I am still doing the Sphere of Art everyday, though I did take a month hiatus in late August/early September due to life events. In the last half year or so I’ve also begun learning a lot more qi gong, specifically nei gong work that involves cultivating the internal qi of the body and marrying it to the external forces one chooses to work with. I do find that the Sphere of Art is uniquely suited to this work because it provides the external environment and mediation of forces that can be worked with, but I’m also finding its necessary to first build up one’s internal stores, which is what the main focus of my current work is. I do anticipate as I get more practice I’ll be able to fruitfully join the practices together to enhance my connection with the relevant energies and spirits, while also working with the internal energies I’m cultivating.
All of this work has been carefully done in stages, with any modifications only being done after ensuring necessary precautions have been taken. Overall the work has been beneficial and life changing. I anticipate that this will continue to be life long work that continually changes and develops because of the continued mediation and refinements of the connections being worked with. I share this case study as an example of long term experimentation and what thought/practice must go into such work.
Magic and Responsibility
I talk about responsibility and magic
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Assumptions, Desire and Doubt in in Magical Practice
Lately I’ve had a few other magicians express doubts about their magical work and when they tell me they feel doubt they feel as if expressing that doubt is somehow bad and makes them less of a magician. I actually find it to be refreshing and see it as a good thing to express and feel. Having some doubt is healthy and is what keeps us grounded when it comes to magic and life. The danger of not entertaining some doubts is that you can make assumptions about your magical work that you aren’t verifying. Doubt is what helps us do our due diligence and check against what we’re doing and how its aligning with the experiences we’re having.
I find that where a magician can start making assumptions is when they don’t entertain any doubt. Certainly I have sometimes made assumptions instead of critically questioning what I was experiencing. A good example of this would be when a situation seems to resolve in your favor, with everything lining up the way you would expect it to when you’ve done a magical working…but you haven’t done a magical working.
How I use dreams for my creative work
One of the ways I’ve been cultivating my creativity has involved using lucid dreams to discover what I should write about, both for fiction and nonfiction. In order to have lucid dreams I’ve found it helpful to change some of my sleep patterns, just enough so I can remember my dreams and still get enough sleep for my health.
If I get a full night of sleep I usually need 7 hours. When I’m doing dream work, I aim for getting around 6 hours of sleep. I find that if I only sleep 6 hours, I wake up around the time that I’m having vivid dreams and can remember those dreams. If I have a journal on hand, then I can write the dream down.
The Process of Magic is now Available
My newest book, The Process of Magic: A Guide to How Magic Works is now available.
The Process of Magic was originally a class I taught I took the 26 lessons, plus some bonus material and converted it into a book.
In The Process of Magic, we explore how magic works and what you can do to improve your magical workings as a result. I also show you how to troubleshoot existing magical workings. The goal of the book is to help you create a stable foundation for your magical practice.
