Walking the Path

Thoughts about the things happening in my life, often with some relation to the Kindreds and how my relationship with them is deepening.

Solar Eclipse 2017 Sigil Work

I decided that for the solar eclipse in 2017, aka the “Great American Eclipse”, that I would be doing some sigil work.  As a quick primer of what sigil work is, the idea is you have a focus, often a phrase, that you convert into a symbol.  You then “charge” the symbol in some way before “firing” it.  The process is designed to move the focus of your work from your conscious mind into the collective unconscious so that it can activate and your focus can come to fruition.  In practice, this means you want your sigil to be simple enough to draw, but complex enough that you can’t draw it again from memory.  You’d have to reference the original to be able to do it.

 

So, I gave some thought on what kind of magic I wanted to do in relation to what the solar eclipse may already be empowering.  The Sun can represent what is easily known, the conscious mind, logic and reasoning.  The Moon can represent what is typically hidden, the unconscious, emotion and intuition.  So, in this case, my focus is allowing my intuitive brain to take precedence over my logical brain, specifically for the purpose of enhancing further magical work and devotional relationships that I may develop over the next 6 months.

 

My next step was to actually create my sigil.  I use a stylized letter elimination method for creating my sigils.  Because “sigils are monograms of thought” (Austin Osman Spare) I took my focus: “Allow my intuitive brain to take precedence over my logical brain, specifically for the purpose of enhancing further magical work and devotional relationships that I may develop over the next 6 months” and converted it to the simple phrase “Intuition over Logic.”  I then thought it would be cool to put Inituition in the Moon, and Logic in the Sun, and draw them overlapping.  literally Intuition over Logic.  Next was to remove repeat letters from each word, and stylize them into my symbols.

 

a stylized symbol that resembles the moon passing across the sun with symbols in each planetary body.

 

My symbol now created, now I needed to transfer it to a pinhole camera.  I transferred it to a piece of foil and punched out the design with a thumb tack.  When the eclipse happens later today I will be charging my sigil as the eclipse occurs, nearing totality.  (We’ll have 86% totality here).  At the point of max coverage I will fire my sigil off, releasing my focus into the unconscious so that it can manifest.

 

the sigil punched into a paper plate held out in the sun and projecting the image onto a piece of paper

 

If you desire to do similar work, you can either create your own sigil for your personal focus, or you are welcome to print off this design and use it as a template for punching out your own magical pinhole camera.

November Prayers: Day 7

When the black dog has her claws hooked in you,
threatening to never let go,
trying to pull you under, into the darkness…
When the world is too loud, and too bright,
overwhelming all your senses,
pushing you to escape into the void…
When the night seems to go on forever,
dragging into the black,
until it seems even the stars have lost their light…
Then is when the sky will lighten,
Then is when the cloud-cover will dissipate,
Then is when the Dawn will come.
So, after the storm has raged,
go to where the Waters flow more freely now,
won and blessed for you,
and find your peace in nature.

November Prayers: Day 5

A Meal Blessing of Thanks:
We thank the Earth Mother, first and foremost,
for the bounty she has shared.
We also thank:
The Ancestors, for teaching us their ways,
The Nature Spirits, for sharing of themselves,
And The Shining Ones, for walking with us.
To all those spirits we love,
Come, join us at our feast,
and be welcomed by our hospitality.

November Prayers: Day 4

Darkness is spread like a blanket across the sky
as I call out to Hypnos to let me sip from his horn.
Come to me, Mist Cloaked one,
and work your magic on me.
Bring your brothers and your sons,
The Oneiroi, Morpheus first among them,
to share their magic of sweet dreams.
A deep and peaceful sleep I desire:
Come to me, Hypnos, Come!

November Prayers: Day 3

When a tempest rages around my being,
When a maelstrom spins beyond control,
I stand centered, firm and grounded, at my core.
Rational thought continues to guide me,
my emotions acknowledged, but not my yoke.
For the God of the Deep, Lord of the Raging Sea,
I thank you as I continue my work as your devotee:
You’ve taught me perseverance in the face of turbulence;
You’ve taught me to when and where to unleash my temper;
You’ve taught me that all things ebb and flow,
and that in that cycle, balance can  be found.
Poseidon, Earth Shaker, Wave Bringer,
To you I give my deep praise and heartfelt thanks.

November Prayers: Day 2

My Day 2 #prayeraday for #nanowrimo is to one of my spirit allies I’ve met in my clergy and initiate trance work.  As much as we’ve worked closely together for somewhere around two and half years now, I’ve never felt the need to get formal with names.  In writing this, I’m feeling like I may need to ask what he’d prefer to be called, because it sounds silly and irreverent when I don’t really mean it to be.  Then again, maybe that’s okay too.  He is a bit impish in his wisdom and demeanor.
Pinpricks of light spark in the night sky.
I see you, many dancing spirits.
Falling to the earth, in brilliant streams of silver.
I see you, in your solitary glory, racing for the earth.
Alighting upon the land to dance atop the stones,
to dance atop the Mound.
In a burst of flame, dancing and flowing,
I see you, your impact spreading like wildfire across the land.
Strange and alien, fiery streak,
with your watery blue flesh belying the heat of your skin,
trailing a flickering path of crimson and gold
smoothing your way across the bosom of the mother.
Your tentacles make eye contact with me as you flow in my direction.
Slug of Fire, I welcome your presence in my life,
Just as I welcome your wisdom in my Work.
Be with me as I continue my journey.
#adfdruidry

November Prayers: Day 1

I think my contribution to #nanowrimo is going to be a variation.  I’ve not been writing as much in general, and want something to kind of kick start my devotional practice again, since there’s been a lot of changes in my life the past few months.  So, I’m going to write a prayer a day.  Since I decided this around 8 or 9 pm last night, I’ll try to manage two today 😃
Day 1:
A new step on this journey,
a new breath of life in this practice…
I call out to the Powers of Inspiration:
Be with me in my work this month.
Sing through my heart and soul
and drip your sweet honey from my lips and pen onto these pages.
Breathe life into my thoughts, and hopes, and dreams.
Invigorate my practice and my work.
Help me to notice the meaning in each moment,
be present with it, and let it inspire my voice.
Inspiration, I write this first prayer to you,
who will walk with me this month,
allowing my vision and words to flow with ease.
Powers of Inspiration, be with me!