Magical History - The Roots of Magic

Ancient Mystery Wisdom
in the Magical Faery Tradition

Magical mystery wisdom has been passed down to us through thousands of years via many different cultures, yet these ancient mysteries remain alive and accessible in the present moment. The mystery schools outline several paths that ultimately lead to the same end, which could be called the experience of alignment. Alignment with what, one may ask? That is where we run into problems for two reasons -

* The experience of alignment is impossible to put into words.

* The words used to describe the experience differ from one culture to another.

Keeper of the Trees - by Bernadette Wulf

We find words like heaven, enlightenment, God, Goddess, nirvana, magic, higher self, etc., that are only mental concepts pointing to alignment with something larger than our ordinary conscious awareness. They indicate an experience that transcends logic and language, yet this experience is so powerful and undeniable that, once we know it, we recognize it as the core essence of who we are.

Long ago, this natural path to the transcendent experience of our core essence became obscured by the tribulations of living in a harsh physical reality. Misuse of power, fear, and greed began to undermine our natural innocence in much the same way they do today. We are all born in harmony with our true core essence, but life pulls us in other directions as we grow up in a culture that is more and more cut off from nature, love, and truth.

Mystery schools were established to outline the path back to the awareness of our core essence, pointing the way to the inner experience of our creative power. Through myths, rituals, symbols, and exploration of the underworlds and overworlds we are able to reconnect with the primal force that creates all the worlds - a force that resides within each one of us. In so doing, we discover magic!

The mystery schools existed in cultures all over the world and were the basis for all the religions that we find in our world today. Unfortunately, many modern religions have evolved into very different establishments that deny the value of Earth and physical life in favor of an expected reward in the afterlife. That is far from the original purpose of the mysteries. They were all about discovering the deepest value and power within the present moment in this life. All aspects of our being, mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual, were honored and held in balance.

Some have speculated that our ancient mystery wisdom came from as far back as Atlantis, or even Lemuria. One thing certain is that modern mystery wisdom can be traced back to ancient Egypt where we have discovered mystery temple structures well over 15,000 years old. Their proportions and placement on the planet are based on sacred geometry. For more information, watch Drunvalo Melchizedek YouTube Video. Drunvalo's books and workshops may be the best researched information on sacred geometry and Egyptian history available today.

Holy Grail - Cauldron of Plenty

Another stream of mystery wisdom, that is not as well documented, but which appears to share the same roots, is the Celtic, which has embraced the pre-Celtic history of Brittan. The Celts were an Indo-European race that eventually settled in the British Isles and northern parts of Europe. We can trace their magical history back through Arthurian lore and the early myths of Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales. Because the Celts believed in passing knowledge through word of mouth alone, we have very little written information about them, yet the vibrant spirit of their culture still resonates through our myths, art, and traditions.

What is unique about the Celtic stream is its deep connection with the Faery tradition and the four Sacred Hallows, the concept of the Holy Grail (which evolved from the Hallows), and the importance of the intuitive sacred feminine, as evidenced by their many circular stone structures, rounded mounds, and the prominence of the Goddess.

Egyptian pyramid

Egypt was primarily concerned with left-brain, logical, or masculine wisdom and sacred geometry, which is reflected in the many straight-sided and angular temples such as the pyramids.

It was the Celtic mystery schools that kept the right-brain, feminine aspect of mystery wisdom alive in the northern hemisphere. This difference between the two streams of mystery wisdom created a balance in the world. Considering how powerful and destructive the masculine "god" force became, this was no easy feat. Hence all the mystery and secrecy in some mystery traditions.

Now that feminine "goddess" energy is returning to mass awareness, the secrets are being revealed. There has recently been a resurgence of interest in all things Celtic, and for good reason. Hidden in the mythology, art, music, and landscape of the Celtic tradition, are keys to understanding life, creation, magic, balance, and our purpose for being.

What About Magic?

sourceress

What, you may wonder, does any of this have to do with magic? The answer is everything! Magic, white magic at least, is based on ancient mystery wisdom, which is all about finding our place within sacred geometry, mythology, the seven directions, the four Sacred Hallows (four elements), and universal laws, such as Law of Attraction. White magic is about the transformation of awareness of the self from limited human to empowered master or Mage.

The other form of magic is called gray, or Practical Magic. Gray magic is folk magic, where Law of Attraction, enhanced by symbols and rituals to engage the subconscious mind, is used to attract what we want in life. Gray magic is by far the more popular and easily accessible form of magic, because everybody wants something. In the Celtic tradition gray magic is closely woven together with mystery wisdom, perhaps more so than anywhere else in Western civilization, and it is probable that all high magic evolved from simple folk magic.

(You may also have heard of black magic, but that is really just gray magic used in an attempt to control or harm others. It will always backfire on the user. Furthermore, nobody else can be controlled or harmed unless they allow someone to harm or control them. The so called "black magician" is really just using the power of suggestion to bring about negative results for those who are already consciously or unconsciously aligned with their negative purpose.)

What's in a Name?

witch

Throughout history, the words witch, wizard, pagan, magician, mage, magus, sorcerer, initiate, priestess, priest, druid, or alchemist were used to describe those who followed the mystery path in one way or another. Each name holds a particular vibration and connotation. Some of these words have attracted persecution and they still hold a disturbed energy that needs to be healed. One aspect of magic in modern times can be to take on these names and honor them, regardless of the media images that continue to degrade them. In so doing, a gradual healing can take place.

It is not necessary to "come out of the broom closet," so to speak, in order to follow the magical path. Many still work in secret. But some choose to publicly speak their truth and work to clear the negative energy that has attached itself to words like witch and sorcerer.

The Reclaiming Tradition has taken a stand to use the word "witch" in order to honor our ancestors who were persecuted for their beliefs, and to reclaim the deeper meaning of the word that, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, comes from the Old English "wiccian," meaning "to cast a spell."

What is a Spell?

With the advent of movies and television, the concept of magic has been trivialized to the point where people imagine someone wiggling their nose or pointing a wand and making things fly around the room. In true magic and spell work, we can indeed "make things happen," but we realize the folly of going against the laws of nature.

Wise practitioners align themselves with Nature and Spirit before attempting any magical workings. That is why most of us call in the elements, orient ourselves within the seven directions, and create intentional space for our rituals. We then raise our energy in order to align ourselves with the larger workings of the Universe. Only then do we set forth our intention, though we have usually worked out the precise wording of it before beginning the ritual.

The whole ritual of cleansing, grounding, and aligning could be considered spell working, or some might say the spell itself is only the intention we set forth within the ritual. Either way, the ritual is the thing that differentiates a spell from a simple intention. The ritual serves to shift us out of left-brain logic - the part of the mind that does not believe in magic! Once the right-brain is activated and becomes temporarily dominant through the use of symbols, trance, repetition, rhythm, and ritual, we can more easily set our intentions in motion.

A spell is simply an intention that is offered in the wider awareness of our connection with All-That-Is, our expanded self, the Goddess/God, and all of Nature. It is an intention or wish enhanced and charged by our own vibration of ecstasy, within the larger rhythms of Nature and cosmic order.

The logical mind will never understand this. Scientists may never validate it, though quantum physicists are coming pretty close. Even a part of ourselves may question it, yet we can see the results!

We know our magic is working when we feel uplifted and our lives begin to flow more synchronistically. We see our intentions manifesting in the physical world. Others may doubt what we are doing, but we KNOW. When we change one thing, one tiny thing, the entire universe must change, and that IS something quantum physics validates.

"The psychological mechanism for
transforming energy is the symbol."

- Carl Jung

Symbol is to Magic as language is to thought.
Language has given us the ability to think.
Symbols give us the ability to work magic!

Why Use Symbols?

Both white and gray magic are based on the language of symbols. Everything that exists can be broken down to a few universal symbolic forms known as:

* the flower of life
* the phi ratio
* the Fibonacci series from which the spiraling forms of nature are created
* the Pythagorean solids (also called Platonic solids) that represent the four basic elements of the physical universe - Earth, Fire, Water, and Air - also represented by the four Sacred Hallows in the Faery tradition

Out of these basic forms, all of creation is manifested. Every magical symbol represents a flow of energy that follows these forms in some way. These symbols awaken our own creative energy by touching a place deep in our unconscious awareness. And when that deep awareness is awakened, we begin to sense who we really are! That is the essence of magic!

Following the Magical Path

Magic is an anarchistic, decentralized spiritual path based on enhancing the right-brain values of intuition, consensus, inclusion, diversity, shared power, and respect for all life. This living path is constantly evolving and shifting as each person brings their own energy and imagination to it. As you progress on your magical path, you will create your own unique magical practice, and when you share your practice with others it will enhance the growing body of magical wisdom in the world.

The one and only basic law of magic is - "An' it harm none." That pretty much covers it all. As long as we are not harming anyone or anything, we are free to do whatever we like. Magic is a spiritual tradition, but not a religion in the sense that there is a dogma to follow.

Our Goddess can be seen as Earth and Universe, our God can be seen as Nature, Sun, and Spirit. They have many names and many faces, including the faces of ancestors, descendants, and our very own face. The physical world, in every aspect, is a manifestation of the divine. Therefore, we can commune and communicate with any aspect at any time. Naturally, honor and respect for Nature is inherent in our world view, and many magic workers are also environmental activists.

Magic in Your Life

Faehallows offers one thread in a never-ending tapestry of magical discovery. If you would like to weave this particular thread into your own personal tapestry of life, sign up for the Magical Law of Attraction E-mail Magic Course

We hold the world in balance (or out of balance)
through our own state of Being.
And that's really what Magic is all about.

Brigit's Mantle by Bernadette Wulf

Celtic Mystery School

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We hold the world in balance (or out of balance)
through our own state of Being.
And that's really what Magic is all about.

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