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.

occult authority

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The problem with authority in occultism

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One of the statements I frequently make in my videos and writing is that you are the ultimate authority of your life. I go onto point out that no one else, me and other occult authors included, are the authority of your life. I make this statement for a couple very important reasons that I think need to be spelled out, because all too often people give away their own authority to someone else they deem to be a guru or spiritual master.

A person who self-proclaims themselves to be a guru or a master isn’t one at all. They are making such a proclamation from a place of ego and insecurity, and perhaps because they want power over other people. Such a person should always be regarded with skepticism and carefully tested, and perhaps ultimately avoided, because anything they offer is coming from the wrong place. The fact that they need to proclaim themselves an authority makes them suspect and even if they do offer some genuine wisdom, you will want to temper that offer carefully.

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image and reality

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I always find it fascinating to study people considered famous within a given subculture. I wonder what makes them famous, what makes people want to follow after them, what is the glamour that draws them so? And yet I know what it is. It's an ability to create an image that glosses over the reality. That probably sounds cynical, but there's an element of truth to it as well. Do we really know anything about that actor, singer, or author, beyond what the tabloids gossip about or the marketing facade that is built by the person?There's a false kind of intimacy that is created with marketing. We look at pictures of this person, look at how the person portrays this rosy kind of image that is merely a gilded picture, and yet is so captivating because the person has spun a glamour that doesn't even hint at the realities underlying the gilded picture.

I've never really bought into the glamour. Maybe it's because I'm an occult author. Maybe it's because I've actually made it a point to talk with people as myself, instead of trying to trade off on the fact that I've written books. I remember one time a person said to me that he was amazed I'd spend time talking with him, because I was an author. I told him that writing was something I did, but that it didn't define my reality or how I would treat him. That's always been my approach. I don't want people to fall in love with an image, or buy into some presentation. If you want to get to know me, then get to know me for who I am, warts and all.

At the same time, from a magical perspective, there's a lot to be learned from such glamour tactics. Knowing how to present only what you want people to see can be quite useful in job interviews, as well as in other situations that call for a different appearance beyond what is usually present. Of course you run the risk that if people see through it or discover that you weren't authentic, they may feel deceived or betrayed.

There is something to be said for being humble enough to be honest. And there is a strength in that reality, magically and mundanely that goes beyond any glamour that is put together. It's when we can take the mask off, step outside of the illusion that we then discover the reality behind the image.