I explore how to recognize and let go of expectations around results and how to be present with the actual transformations and changes that occur with your magical work.
The difference between visualization and experiential embodiment
One of the problems I see occasionally in occult literature and conversation is that a given term will be used to try and describe a wide range of experiences that may not fit that term. For example the term visualization is sometimes used to describe sensory experiences that aren’t visually based. It’s a convenient term because its meant to describe an experience you’re having, but the problem is that the focus on the visual and on the sense of sight influences the understanding of that term.
If I use the word visualization to describe a magical working, what I’m typically describing is an experience where the visual component of the experience takes priority. For example, if I’m doing a pathworking, I might visualize specific imagery that is used to create the environment I’m going to work in. Visualization has become a more prevalent technique, in part, because of visual media and the role it plays in our everyday lives.
The Role of Research in Magical Experimentation
One of the perceptions I find fascinating in regards to magical experimentation is the perception that there’s little to no research involved in the choice to experiment with magic. It’s an erroneous perception, but it can be forgiven because most of the time when people think of research in magic, they likely think of it in relationship to the attempt to replicate older magical workings. Certainly that is valid research and a lot of it goes on, when people are trying to either reconstruct older magical workings or learn more about the magic of antiquity.
But magical experimentation involves a fair amount of research as well. The majority of my magical experiments aren’t ones I come up with off the top of my head. They come about because I’ve gotten curious about a topic and decided to do some research in order to answer questions I have. From that research, magical experiments arise because I want to put the research into practical implementation.
The role of compassion in magic
Does compassion have a place in magical work? I explore this question and how compassion informs my approach to magical work and how I interact with other people, as well as my internal work.
Elemental Balancing Ritual Connection and Truth Month 2
11-23-2020 One of the skills I’m practicing now, from The Happiness Trap is recognized when I’m hooked on a story I’m telling myself. By recognizing that I’m caught in the story, I can then step back and unhook myself from it and refocus on what really matters. It’s proving helpful in terms of recognizing the internal stories I tell myself and diffusing them. It’s also helping me be more productive again, because I’m not letting those stories dictate my day and take over my energy.
11-25-2020 One of the realizations I’m continuing to work through is the realization around expectations that I impose on myself as well as the ones imposed on me in the fast. I tend to push myself very hard, because that was always the expectation put on me. Over the last few months I’ve been trying to work less and relax more. Today I talked with Kat about some of my fears around the expectations I’ve put on myself and it really helped to unpack those further and acknowledge those are really just stories I’m telling myself that don’t serve me. I can be more productive by actually doing less.
What's the hardest part of magical work?
I answer a question I was asked about what the hardest part of magical work is and share the why behind my particular answer. I also discuss why I still think its the most essential aspect of magical work.
My Encounter with She Who Watches
A few years ago my partner and I decided to go on a spiritual pilgrimage and explore the Confluence Trail project monuments, which are Native American art installations at parks in Washington and Oregon that call attention to the indigenous tribes and how they were impacted by the Lewis and Clark expedition. While we were on this pilgrimage to learn more about the history of the land we live in, I ended up encountering the spirit of the Columbia river, She Who Watches and since then have had a connection with that spirit that is solely based on a mutual recognition of each other, and in my case a recognition that I am fundamentally rooted to the Columbia river area.
Even before I went on this pilgrimage I felt a connection to the Columbia river. When I first moved to the West coast and traveled through PDX, I felt a sense of connection. I thought initially it was to Portland, but I eventually realized it wasn’t. Within a year I moved down to Portland and while I like living here, I found myself drawn to explore the Columbia valley gorge. There was something about it that drew me in.
How to deal with occult community drama
I discuss my thoughts on occult community drama and how to deal with it. Most importantly I share what you should really focus on and why that is more important than getting into arguments with people about what you do with your spiritual practice.
The top 5 non-occult books every occultist should read
I like to read a lot of books on a wide variety of topics because of how they inspire my thinking and magical practice. For this post, I thought I would share 5 books I would recommend any occultist read because of how those books will change your perspective on magic and life. Reading each of these books has influenced my practice of magic and changed my life for the better.
Defining Reality by Edward Schiappa (Affiliate link)
Why I recommend it: This book explores the power of definitions and words from a rhetorical perspective. If you want to understand how people use words and the different meanings that can be associated with words, then this is the book to read. It’s a bit academic, but its worth it because you come away with a deeper appreciation of definitions and how they are used to define and construct our perception and experience of reality.
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson (Affiliate link)
Why I recommend it: This book is full of good ideas and practices that can help you reframe your approach to life. What I really like about is how it teaches you to apply a slow, but steady process to achieving what you want. While magic can help you make some short cuts, having this kind of attitude and approach can go a long way toward helping you achieve anything you want.
Welcome to Your World by Sarah Williams Goldhagen (Affiliate link)
Why I recommend it: This book invites you to look at the spaces you live and work in a new way that helps you appreciate the aesthetic power of your space as well as recognize how you can design it. It helped me take a different to constructing ritual space that has enhanced my magical work significantly.
Opening the Energy Gates of your Body by Bruce Frantzis (Affiliate link)
Why I recommend it: If you want an introduction to Qi Gong, this book is a good place to start. The author introduces you to standing qi gong practices and explains in detail how to do the practice. The book really opens your ideas to your physiology and how even just standing can have an effect on your qi. Its good for your help and helps you develop your internal energy and awareness.
Essentialism by Greg McKeown (Affiliate link)
Why I recommend it: The philosophy of essentialism teaches you how to cut out the trivial distractions of your life and focus in on what’s essential and vital for you to do. This book helped me immensely when it came to figuring out the next steps of my life, but you can apply its methodology to magical working by creating minimalist magical workings. Whenever I start to lose focus, I turn to the practices of this book to get me back on track.
My experiences with fasting and cleanses
I share my experiences with fasting and cleanses and talk about the benefits of doing it, but also explain why its important to take good care of yourself and make sure you're doing these activities for the right reasons.
Learn how magic works: https://magical-experiments.teachable.com/p/home
Get free e-books: http://www.magicalexperiments.com/free-books
Become my patron: https://www.patreon.com/TaylorEllwood?fan_landing=true
Book Reviews 12-2-2020
Book Review: Symmetry by Marcus Du Sautoy (Affiliate link)
This is a fascinating exploration of the mathematic of symmetry as well as the history of the people coming up with the math. The author’s stories are fascinating and it also helps me appreciate how integral math is to our lives. What I liked about this book is that I came away with a better understanding of a mathematicians journey to solve a problem. It a year long journey that’s quite intriguing.
Book Review: The Creativity Code by Marcus Du Sautoy (Affiliate link)
The creativity code explores algorithms and how technology is being used to impact creativity, art, and innovation with AI. The author explores AI algorithms in music, writing, art, science and mathematics and shows how algorithms are impacting these disciplines as well as the human response to AIs. It’s a fascinating read that explores how the evolution of technology is impacting our lives, but what I find most intriguing is the possibility of how human creativity can evolve as a result.
Case Study: Creating the Elemental Balancing Ritual
I created the Elemental Balancing Ritual in 2004 and I have used it ever since then as a year-long (or more) magical working dedicated to an element that I work with during that year, as a means of both doing internal work and aligning myself with the elemental energy I’m working with. Elements I’ve worked with include earth, fire, and water, but also include emptiness, love, movement, still, and creativity. This year I’m working with the elements of Connection and Truth, which is the first time I’ve worked with two elements, but there’s a reason for it, because of the spirits I’m working with.
My definition of an elemental energy and/or spirit differs from the conventional definition which only recognize 5 elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit in the West and Earth, Water, Wood, Metal, and Fire in the East. I’m not basing my definition of elements solely on a seasonal perspective or from the perspective of what constitutes the Earth in a primal sense of the word. Instead I consider elements to be primal forces that move us and are mediated by us. For emptiness, as an element is something most people grapple with at some point in their lives and it is something that can move a person to take actions to try and fill that emptiness or come to peace with it.
Gratitude and its Role in Wealth Magic
I discuss the importance of gratitude and how it can enhance your wealth magic work and share a gratitude working I do each day that helps me appreciate wealth in all the forms it shows up in my life.
Learn how magic works: https://magical-experiments.teachable.com/p/home
Get free e-books: http://www.magicalexperiments.com/free-books
Become my patron: https://www.patreon.com/TaylorEllwood?fan_landing=true
Elemental Balancing Ritual Connection and Truth Month 1
10-21-2020 Today I switched over to the elements of connection and truth. I don’t normally do two elements but these go hand in hand, because they are the forces that the archangel Suvuviel mediates and he’s one of the two spirits I’ll be working closely this year. The other spirit is She Who Watches. They both made themselves known to me in different ways, with some hard truths coming out, but later healing connection occurring. It’s not the way I imagined my birthday or the start of a new element going, but that’s kind of the point of this work. If you want balance, you necessarily have to open yourself to how that balance will show up in ways you don’t expect or plan for.
I’m glad for the switch though and I’m glad that I’m doing this work now, when I especially need to do it. It will continue to carry me forward on this journey of life and learning I’m on. I wouldn’t have it any other way, because this is the work I need to be doing that calls and speaks to and through me.
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.
Why magic isn't meant to be prescriptive
I discuss why magic isn’t meant to be prescriptive, but often is treated that way because of how it is written about. I also discuss how to take a more descriptive approach to writing about magic and what the benefits of such can be for people who are learning about magic.
Learn how magic works: https://magical-experiments.teachable.com/p/home
Get free e-books: http://www.magicalexperiments.com/free-books
Become my patron: https://www.patreon.com/TaylorEllwood?fan_landing=true
When should you experiment with magic?
One of the questions that pops up from time to time in my inbox or on social media is the question of when someone should start experimenting with magic. In other words, when can you step off the beaten path and start exploring and experimenting and trying things out that don’t fit within conventional occultism. This is a good question to ask because when you experiment with magic that’s when you begin to really make what you practice your own work.
My answer may surprise many of you, but I didn’t start experimenting with magic until I had practiced magic for two years, and even my initial experiments were very low key. It really wasn’t until I had put in a good five years that I really began to experiment with magic. The reason why is simple: I didn’t know enough about magic to know what questions to ask or what experiments to come up with. The only way I get to the point that I could experiment with magic was to actually read the books, do the exercises in them and pay close attention to the resultant experiences. I also didn’t have teachers to talk with and was self-teaching myself magic, so that too contributed to me simultaneously taking my time, but also asking questions.
Magical Experiments Podcast: Spirit Relationships with Bill Duvendack
Bill Duvendack and I discuss how to build relationships with spirits and discuss the commodification of magic and why its important to create the right type of connection with spirits.
To learn more about Bill visit: http://www.418ascendant.com or subscribe to his youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfP7dWvhhyvGo0Aa2PLAnXA
Learn how magic works: https://magical-experiments.teachable.com/p/home
Get free E-books at http://www.magicalexperiments.com/free-books
Become my patron: https://www.patreon.com/TaylorEllwood?fan_landing=true
Algorithms and magic
I recently finished reading The Creativity Code by Marcus Du Sautoy (Affiliate link). What really fascinated me about this book was the in depth exploration of algorithms, which essentially are code that is used to predict behavior. A basic example of this can include visiting a website and then later seeing an ad for that site on your Facebook. When you visit a site, if that site has a Facebook pixel, then when you are on Facebook, you get ads from that site because by visiting that site you’ve indicated interest in what is on that site. Amazon employs algorithms on its site for similar purposes, using your behavior to predict what you are likely to buy.
You’re probably wondering what if anything this has to do with magic. Reading that book and learning more about algorithms got me to thinking about how you might design a magical working to be self-improving or to be behavior based, depending on what you or the focus of the magical working did. In general I treat my magical workings like programming code, because I don’t see a magical working as just a strict execution of the working, but rather as an organic, evolving working that can change, depending on the variables that come into play. Applying an algorithmic perspective could take this even further.
Current projects I'm working on
I share some of the current projects I'm working on magically and where I am with them.
Get free e-books at http://www.magicalexperiments.com/free-books
Become my Patron: https://www.patreon.com/TaylorEllwood?fan_landing=true