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Excellent Eating Habits Spread

From Sasha Graham’s 365 Tarot Spreads

The spread for January 7

Excellent Eating Habits Spread

On This Day The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, a gastronomic class, was published this day in 1896. Its emphasis on good foods, fresh flavor, and variety is why it remains a favorite to this day.

Summation of Spread The consumption and preparation of food is a connection to the life force itself—an opportunity to indulge in pleasure and health simultaneously. If you plan to change eating habits, emphasize the positive rather than dwell on the negative. This spread focuses on cultivating excellent eating habits.

Cast Your Cards Notice bright sunlight dappling your kitchen, feel the health radiating from a juicy apple, and cast your cards.

1. What role does food play in my life?

2. Do I ever abuse myself with food?

3. How can I nurture myself with food?

4. How does food tie in to my emotional state?

5. When do I eat the most unhealthy?

6. What habitual eating pattern is the most important to change?

7. What encourages me to eat natural, unprocessed foods?

8. What helps me plan ahead for better eating?

9. What is a small step I can take right now?

The Spiritual Work of Winter

Winter is a time that we, in the Northern Hemisphere, naturally turn inward. Well, I should say that it would be the perfect time to turn inward, but mostly our society keeps us moving full tilt all year long. But still, for those of us interested in attending to our spirits, we tend to turn inward in the winter.

The work best suited for this time is quiet and contemplative. On the outside, it may look like nothing is going on, but there are (or can be) profound changes…dare I say “transformations”?).

This is a good time to look at what you’d planned for the year, what you accomplished, what you didn’t, what energy you want to keep and bring forward to spring, and what energy you want to release to be worked into the soil of your soul to fertilize the ground to nourish new energy.

For this spread, simply lay out one card for each question. If you prefer reading with more cards, use groups of three.

1. What could I do to restore harmony to the parts of my life that are out of balance?

This may not necessarily mean doing more but perhaps doing less. Excess thinking, obligations, and commitments can throw a life off balance. Perhaps it is a matter of doing things differently.

2. Where do I need to focus more attention or resources in order to bring my inner and outer lives into harmony?

Wholeness is different from balance. This is how the parts of your life work together for mutual support. How are you using your resources to set systems in motion that would make your life easier, more conducive of balance?

3. Where in my life must I create trust in order to restore the strength and wholeness of my heart?

It may be a lack the trust that you are fundamentally of value or incapable of achieving harmony, balance, and wholeness. The lack of trust could be internal or external, about yourself or about others, about your thoughts/beliefs or about your actions in the world.

4. In what ways are my fears of the future and attachments to outcomes suffocating the energy that could strengthen my heart so it can guide me.

To Fly in the Clouds, to Walk on the Water: The Grimoires and Magickal Super Powers

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Aaron Leitch, author of several books, including Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires, The Angelical Language Volume I and Volume II, and his new Essential Enochian Grimoire.

There is a lot to be said for the mysterious and romantic nature of the old grimoires—such as the the Lemegeton, Key of Solomon, Abramelin, etc. Their pages are filled with ancient and powerful magickal formulae, the secrets of conjuring demons and calling down angels, and magickal talismans for every conceivable purpose. They represent a deep and complex occult tradition, drawing from the spirit lore, astrology, and alchemy of their day to address the problems of everyday life, politics, education, and even warfare.

But that’s not all they promise. Along with the expected spells for healing, love, protection in battle, and victory in court (things we can all use even today), you will discover the grimoires also promise you super powers. They claim that you’ll be able to fly, raise the dead, pass through locked doors, have spirits mine and coin gold for you, summon demonic armies, manifest lavish banquets, and a thousand other miracles that—in our modern world—are more associated with fantasy and Hollywood than with legitimate spiritual pursuits. Here are some examples:

These are descriptions of talismans from the Key of Solomon:

“The seventh and last pentacle of the Sun: If any be by chance imprisoned or detained in fetters of iron, at the presence of this pentacle, which should be engraved in Gold on the day and hour of the Sun, he will be immediately delivered and set at liberty.”
“The fifth and last pentacle of Mercury: This commandeth the spirits of Mercury, and serveth to open doors in whatever way they may be closed, and nothing it may encounter can resist it.”
“The sixth and last pentacle of the Moon.: This is wonderfully good, and serveth excellently to excite and cause heavy rains, if it be engraved upon a plate of silver; and if it be placed under water, as long as it remaineth there, there will he rain. It should be engraved, drawn, or written in the day and hour of the Moon.” [Key of Solomon the King]


Here are descriptions of some of the magick word-squares from the Book of Abramelin:

The Ninth Chapter: To transform animals into men, and men into animals; etc: To transform men into asses; into stags or deer; into elephants; into wild boars; into dogs; into wolves; or animals into stones.
The Fifteenth Chapter: For the spirits to bring us anything we may wish to eat or to drink, and even all (kinds of food) that we can imagine: For them to bring us bread, meat, wine of all kinds, fish, and cheese.
The Seventeenth Chapter: To fly in the air and travel any whither: In a black cloud; in a white cloud; in the form of an eagle; in the form of a crow (or raven); in the form of a vulture; in the form of a crane.
The Twenty-Ninth Chapter: To cause armed men to appear: To cause an army to appear; armed men for one’s defense; to cause a siege to appear.
The Thirtieth Chapter: To cause comedies, operas, and every kind of music and dances to appear: To cause all kinds of music to be heard; music and extravagant balls; for all kinds of instruments to be played; for comedies, farces and operas. [Book of Abramelin: Book III]


And here are some of the powers of the spirits listed in the Lemegeton’s Goetia:

The 18th spirit is called Bathin, [...] he knoweth the virtue of herbs and precious stones, and can transport men suddenly from one Country into an other…
The 23rd spirit is called Aim, [...] he rideth on a viper, carrying a fire brand in his hand burning, wherewith he sets cities, castles and great places on fire…
The 28th spirit in order as salomon bound them, is named Berith. [...] he can turn all metals into gold…
The 38th spirit is called Halphas [...]; his office is to build up towers and to furnish them with ammunition and weapons, and to send men of war to places appointed…
The 40th spirit is called Raum, [...] his office is to steal treasures out of kings’ houses, and to carry it where he is commanded, and to destroy cities…
The 42d spirit is Named Vepar [...], his office is to guide the waters, and ships laden with armour thereon. He will at the will of the Exorcist cause the seas to be rough and stormy, and to appear full of ships…

Many students have run headlong into these fantastical descriptions, and have questioned what they reveal about the legitimacy of the texts. We don’t tend to scoff at spells that promise to heal a sickness or protect one during travel, but things like levitation, transmutation of metals into gold, and on-demand miracles are usually the purview of con-artists who use occultism as stage-dressing for their scams. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that students have questions about these promises of occult super powers in the grimoires.

Shamanism and Vision Questing

When we look into the beliefs and practices of primitive tribal shamans, we find many of the same powers that would later be included in the grimoires. The shaman was supposed to be able to fly in the air (either unaided or by riding a winged steed, flying reindeer, etc.), to manifest spiritual armies or banquets, to summon spirits to visible appearance, and much more.

However, when we look deeper into these supernatural experiences, we discover they were never intended to be taken literally. Richard Kieckhefer covers this in his Forbidden Rites, where he classifies these occult powers as “illusory”—or what I personally term “visionary” due to their relationship with shamanic vision questing. This is also discussed at length throughout Mercia Eliade’s Shamanism.

One of the primary jobs of the shaman was to leave his body and enter the spiritual realm for various reasons—such as to rescue the soul of a sick person from the underworld, or to fly into the heavens to petition the tribe’s patron deity for favors. These spiritual adventures didn’t happen in waking reality. The shaman would perform his rituals—often including the consumption of some form of hallucinogen—and then fall over as if dead. Any witnesses would see nothing more than that, but the shaman would later awaken with tales of his travels in the spirit realm.

A great number of such vision-quests took place in the underworld, and over time these visions became codified into “Books of the Dead,” such as the Egyptian Pert Em Heru (the Book of Coming Forth by Day). Here we find detailed descriptions of the journey the departed soul will take in the underworld, along with all the spells, weapons, and protective talismans he’ll need to make it safely to his spiritual resting place.

These practices also made it into the medieval grimoires. There you find spells to summon demonic armies, which date back to shamanic spells to summon armies of spirits specifically for protection from hostile entities while in the underworld. Likewise, we find spells to summon banquets and parties—populated entirely by spirit hosts and guests—that have links back to shamanic visits to the divine courts of their patron deities. There are spells in the grimoires to fly (sometimes unaided, sometimes on winged steeds), become invisible, transform into animals, and more—all of which have much more application to travels in the spirit realm than actions taken in the physical world.

But the authors of the grimoires did not include that information in their books. They wrote as if those powers were something one could achieve in the real world. It could simply be that they saw little reason to explain the distinction in their texts (as the information would have been a “given,” or at least something that should have been taught orally). But there is another, even more likely reason they wrote the way they did: Fakirism.

The term “Fakir” is borrowed from Arabic, where it originally indicated a specific sect of Sufi ascetics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fakir). They fed themselves by putting on street demonstrations of their supernatural powers—such as pushing knives or pins through their flesh, hanging from hooks, walking through fire or across hot coals, swallowing swords, eating fire, dismembering and restoring bodies (resurrection), walking on water, changing sticks into living serpents, etc. If you do a Google image search for “fakirism,” you will see plenty of pictures of these shows in action (https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=886&q=fakirism&oq=fakirism).

You will likely recognize most or all of these miracles as sleight-of-hand or stage illusions. Their techniques were studied and adopted by modern stage magicians and psychics alike, and the word has taken on the idiosyncratic meaning of “fake” (no pun intended) or “illusionist.” Today, at least here in the West, we tend to view these practices as fraudulent and divorced from true magick. It’s the kind of thing Houdini exposed the spiritualists for using during the early 1900s. James Randi continues to expose these practices to this day. And you can still see aspects of it in use during tent revivals, faith healing, spiritual cleansings, and other practices that tend to attract both frauds and the gullible upon which they prey.

But this wasn’t always the case. There was a time when such illusions were perfectly accepted and respectable aspects of the shamanic tradition. Even today, especially in non-Westernized cultures, they are still employed by shamans and healers. Real magick isn’t very exciting for a lay observer to watch. So, if a shaman wanted to win the confidence of his tribe—that is, if he wanted to inspire confidence in his magickal ability—he needed to put on a show. He needed to prove the vast extent of his mighty power to heal or harm, and prove that he was more capable than the shaman down the road, if he wanted to continue to work.

Have you ever met a conjuror from another country—often somewhere from Africa, South America, or the Caribbean—and immediately encountered a personality conflict? The person in question will often make ridiculous claims to super powers and hidden occult knowledge, and will disparage all Western magick and anything learned from or recorded in a book. His magick is bigger and badder than yours—the real thing (unlike your silly practices)—and he by God wants you and everyone else to know it. Oh and, yes, he is for hire. (I even wrote a blog rant on this very subject.)

We Westerners often walk away from such encounters feeling that person is a bombastic and arrogant fraud. And maybe he is. But we often fail to realize that attitude is actually common in non-Westernized cultures, even among real healers and witch doctors. Just like the ancient shaman, they need magickal “street cred”—and the attitude to match—to stay in business.

Now, we can take all of this into account and apply it to what we see in the grimoires. Like the Sufi Fakirs, they claim to provide spells for raising the dead; to make you impervious to injury by water, fire, or weapons; have spirits seek and mine gold for you; teleport you to distant locations; allow you to walk on water; to gain superhuman strength; to read and/or control the minds of others; and a myriad further occult super powers.

Any medieval wizard seeking to sell his services to laypeople would necessarily have to possess the same kind of magickal “street-cred” I mentioned above. His magick book—the source of his power—needed to include such fantastical spells, and he needed to insist he had either seen them accomplished or done them himself.

And while I’ve never encountered a fully developed tradition of fakirism among the medieval Solomonic wizards, I have seen records of them making some good use of lights, sounds, and even hallucinogenic substances to “put on a show” for observers. In one such story, the officiating mage offered everyone present a horrible-tasting drink before the ritual. Everyone but the author of the story accepted the drink—and everyone but the author went on to see and hear the summoned spirits during the ritual.

Even John Dee seems to have engaged in some necessary fraud—quite possibly writing “predictions” from the angels into his journals after the events had already taken place, and in one case using misdirection to convince a room full of observers that he had destroyed all of his angelic books, only for them to magically “restore” themselves later on. e and Edward Kelley may have also engaged in some sleight-of-hand in Prague to convince Emperor Rudolph they could transmute lead into gold.

So the grimoires would appear to be the culmination of (or have borrowed from) many ancient traditions—with real magick mixed liberally with fantastical claims. The existence of some fakirism in their pages does not indicate fraud as we Westerners would know it. A shaman or magician who makes use of illusions as part of his magick is engaging in a practice that was (and remains) necessary within a culture that accepts magick as real. We modern Western magicians take our purely magickal practices for granted—but those outside of our circles would find what we do boring and uninspiring. And, as a consequence, laypeople do not seek our services nearly to the same extent as they do Santeros, Houngans, and folk conjurors.

Before I sign off, I do want to make it clear that none of this is intended to write off every fantastical magickal operation as merely vision-questing or fakirism. Any occultist with enough experience can tell you that literally anything is possible. (I’ve personally seen things that defy scientific explanation.) Plus, you should always summon the appropriate spirit and ask about what it can do for you before you make a judgment. Maybe it will tell you the spell is metaphorical—such as “summoning an army” resulting in the arrival of police, or “teleportation” simply meaning to make a trip quickly and safely, or “invisibility” merely meaning to go unnoticed. Or, perhaps, the spirit will tell you it really can make you stronger, faster, and nearly impossible to kill. You don’t know until you try it for yourself.

But even with that being said, it’s very unlikely you’re ever going to see an Abramelin adept flying through your city and casting thunderbolts from his fingertips like Dr. Strange. And, of course, the mere existence of spells to raise the dead or fly through the clouds do not automatically devalue the grimoires. They are simply hold-overs from a different time, when there were different requirements for wizards.

Our thanks to Aaron for his guest post! Visit Aaron Leitch’s author page for more information, including articles and his books.

3 Reasons to Be Self-Compassionate–And 1 Way to Do It

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Catherine Dowling, author of the new Radical Awareness.

Compassion flows from spiritual experiences. When our awareness expands into the realm of spirit and we experience union with life/the universe, we can feel bathed and held in unconditional love. That love is unconditional because criticism has given way to compassion. And it feels amazing.

It can be hard to sustain that level of self-compassion in daily life. We can become accustomed to thinking that being stern and self-critical will make us perform better, achieve more, even be better people. Sometimes we think a good dose of self-criticism will make us kinder to others. The opposite is true, and there’s a wealth of scientific evidence to prove it. Here are three good reasons to be gentler, more compassionate with yourself.

 

Increased Motivation: It’s hard to find anything as de-motivating as self-criticism. When we’re trying to accomplish a task: lose weight or stop smoking, for example, a 2010 study in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology shows that self-criticism can be lethal. When we lapse—sneak that cigarette or dive into a tub of ice cream—self-criticism makes us feel so low that we rush to self-soothe. What we use to self-soothe is often the thing we’re trying to stop doing (smoking, over-eating, etc.). Self-criticism can drive us to the very outcome we do not want.
Increased Creativity: Whether we’re writers, artists, musicians, tech nerds, or simply like to live a creative life, creativity involves the free flow of thoughts from the conscious and unconscious mind. Ideas bubble up, get tried out, accepted, rejected, molded into new shapes. Many of us have a little critic sitting on our shoulder telling us what we’re doing is not up to standard almost before our ideas are fully formed. A study in the Creativity Research Journal shows that self-compassion, silencing that critic, facilitates creativity and originality.
Increased Social Connection: Self-criticism causes us to fear rejection. Fear of rejection, of not being interesting or attractive, limits our ability to feel at ease in company and make connections with other people. Lack of social connection, according to the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford, is a greater detriment to health than smoking, obesity, or high blood pressure.

The most important step towards silencing self-criticism is Awareness. A good exercise in becoming aware is to keep a self-criticism journal. Record every self-critical thought that passes through our mind for just one day. Then imagine a young, lovely, innocent child standing before us. Deluge them with the criticism from the journal. It doesn’t last long. It’s almost impossible to criticize a child the way we criticize ourselves. This awareness exercises is worth repeating regularly until we begin to find our self-criticism preposterous.

References:

Kelly, A.C., Zuroff, D.C., Foa, C.L., & Gilbert, P. (2010). “Who Benefits From Training in Self-Compassionate Self-Regulation? A Study of Smoking Reduction.” Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology, 29(7): 727-755.

Zabelina, D.L., & Robinson, M.D. (2010). “Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself: Self-Compassion Facilitates Creative Originality Among Self-Judgmental Individuals.” Creativity Research Journal, 22(3): 288-293.

Seppala, Emma, Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, Stanford University.

Our thanks to Catherine for her guest post! For more from Catherine Dowling, read her article “5 Ways to Make Enlightenment Work in Everyday Life.”

Transformation vs Change

 

Image: Death from Llewellyn’s Classic Tarot

One of the wonderful things about tarot is that, if one wishes, it can provide a lifetime of learning. Working with the cards in readings and in personal reflection, our understanding of the cards deepens. The tapestry of our belief system becomes more complex, more nuanced. Sometimes we learn or experience things that cause us to rip former threads of understanding from our tapestry (often this is connected with Tower experiences, which tend to change fundamentals of our belief systems).

For me, I’ve noticed changes in my own understanding and interpretation of the Death card. When I first began learning the cards, I talked about Death, as so many people were back then, in terms of change and transformation. I focused on the new beginning inherent in Death, bringing a positive spin to the card.

Later, I felt that that approach did not honor the process of mourning or the emotions of the one facing Death (in whatever form it took: loss of a loved one, divorce, layoff, firing, break ups, etc.). So I shifted my focus to talk about the experience of going through a Death situation, and I still used the words “change and transformation.”

Now, I realize that change and transformation are not the same thing. Change is when something is made different. Transformation is a more specific type of change. Transformation is a quality of change that we cannot change back from. It is irreversible. It is a metamorphosis. There is a sense of painfulness to it. Our quintessential symbol of metamorphosis is the change from caterpillar to butterfly. The metamorphosis itself is a terrible experience (it seems to me). The caterpillar almost (but not quite) completely liquefies. The remaining parts are reused while the soupy liquid is recreated into something different. For the caterpillar, there is no changing of the mind partway through and going back to being a caterpillar. This is an important difference.

One could argue that all change is transformation because “you can never step in the same river twice.” But I don’t think so. I think there is a line that once crossed moves one from change to transformation. I’ve not worked out what that line is yet, but I’m working on it.

What do you think?

6 Feet of Snow?? Predicting the Weather with Astrology

Image via www.washingtontimes.com

Winter hasn’t even begun, and already Mother Nature has been pummeling most of the United States with unseasonable cold and early snow storms. As of this morning, the giant storm that brought lake-effect snow to the Buffalo, New York area had left at least 6 feet (!!) of snow in its wake, and is being blamed for five deaths already. To add insult to injury, another storm is on the way, expected to bring an additional 2-3 feet of snow.

I’m strictly a Midwest girl, having lived part of my life in Wisconsin and part in Minnesota. I’m hardened to the cold and—having gone from house to house in a snowsuit instead of a costume during the 1991 Halloween blizzard—have learned to deal with the snow. But, I’m only 5’3″ (and that’s in heels), so, in essence, the snow from this storm would swallow me whole if I tried to leave my house.

Even the residents of Buffalo, who are used to vast amounts of snow heading off of Lake Erie and onto their lawns and streets, seem to have been caught off guard by this weather. So, what is the best way to stay one step ahead of the weather?

Meteorological astrology, or astrometeorology, is the practice of using the placement of the planets and stars to chart likely weather patterns. Kris Brandt Riske, MA, noted astrometerologist and astrologer, has a new book—Predicting Weather Events with Astrology—that contains a number of techniques for forecasting weather that will occur weeks, months, or even years in advance. By using past examples of what was in the stars when major events occurred and providing sample calculations for future dates, you can learn to predict large-scale weather events, from snowstorms to hurricanes and tornadoes to droughts and floods.

Llewellyn’s annual calendars, almanacs, and datebooks also make great reference points for weather and gardening. From articles like “Extreme Weather and the Outer Planets” to the best dates for planting and harvesting, Llewellyn’s calendars, almanacs, datebooks can help you plot the best course for your year and keep track of what might be headed your way. Included in each edition of the Moon Sign Book, the number-one lunar guide for over 100 years, are detailed weather predictions for the US from Predicting Weather Events with Astrology author Kris Brandt Riske, along with economic forecasts, best dates for hunting and fishing, and much more.

When Judgement Calls

The Judgement card is a dramatic one, calling us to new life. It is not, as its name implies, about judgement, not exactly. When we hear the call that Judgement heralds, we may judge our current life and find it wanting, but it is not about being judged by anyone or anything external. Instead it is about being invited to a something fresh, something new, something that makes you feel reborn.

In the New Tarot Handbook, Rachel Pollack provides spreads for all the Majors plus other spreads for the suits and court cards. For her, the Judgement card inspired the following spread:

1

2                   3

4                  5

1. What calls me to rise up and become something new?

2. What can I become?

3. How will my life change?

4. How will my change affect others?

5. How am I called to answer?

 

A Useful Yes/No Spread

Many readers do not care for yes/no questions because they feel they are not useful and are not empowering. However, I have found one that is very useful and can pave the way for more empowering information. I like having a clear snapshot of the situation based on things as they stand before moving on to seeking advice. This spread allows me to do that. It has become one of my go-to spreads, providing me a clear synopsis of the energies involved and the direction in which they are flowing. The spread is from Tarot Prediction & Divination by Susyn Blair-Hunt.

It is very simple. After stating the question, shuffle as you usually do and lay out five cards in a horizontal line. First, you determine if the answer is yes or no by counting.

Majors and even numbered cards count as “yes.”

Court cards and odd numbered cards count as “no.”

All 5 “yes” cards would, of course, indicate a strong yes. Likewise, 5 “no” cards suggest a strong “no.”

Anything in between is considered a probable “yes” or “no” depending on the ratio of cards.

After determining the yes/no part, then you interpret the cards as you normally would. There are no positional meanings, so there is a lot of flexibility in the spread.

If the answer is not what is wanted, then subsequent readings can be done for advice regarding how to alter the outcome.

 

Counter-Initiation: The Dark Side of the Force

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Jean-Louis de Biasi, author of Secrets and Practices of the Freemasons, The Divine Arcana of the Aurum Solis, and the forthcoming Rediscover the Magick of the Gods and Goddesses. Jean-Louis is also Lifetime Grand Master of the Ordo Aurum Solis and Kabbalistic Order of the Rose-Cross.

Today in the Western occult world, initiations can be defined as private (or secret) ceremonies that are performed in a sacred temple. These rituals can be purely symbolic, magical, or theurgic. The goals can be diverse, but most of the time the ritual officers try to illustrate moral principles or to create a deep reaction in the psyche of the candidate. This goal is increased with the use of magical laws and invocations.

When a theurgic perspective is involved, the previous goal constitutes the foundation of another purpose, the elevation of the soul of the initiate. When we are performing such theurgic initiations in the Aurum Solis, the ceremony is limited to one initiate at a time. The ritual Officers are working simultaneously on the visible and invisible level helping the soul of the candidate to ascend to the divine. This movement is, in the next weeks, associated with individual rituals in order to seal this movement of spiritual ascent.

It is clear that the purpose is to help someone who is eager to work on his soul. At this point you would think that every Initiatic Order is working according the same principles or with the same goal. Over the years, I had the same opinion but eventually I changed it. Today I must admit that these positive purposes are not universal; they are not shared by every organization. Sometimes the reason is just a lack of ritual understanding but it can be worse. Many times, I’ve seen groups and Orders practicing pretty good initiations from the symbolic point of view. However, nothing was accomplished consciously on the invisible level. In this case, the new initiate rapidly loses the benefit of the ceremony and his desire decreases instead of increasing.

This consequence can be seen merely as a side effect of a magical incompetence and a bad organization of the curriculum. However, there are several other situations in which I choose to use the expression of “counter-initiation.” The main manifestations of the latter are the “inflation of the ego,” the “distraction of the mind,” the “assimilation of the dogmas,” and the “reduction in liberties.”

In fact, it doesn’t matter if such organizations or groups are doing this on purpose. If you are interested by the Initiatic Path, you have to be aware of these obstacles.

The first one, the “inflation of the ego,” can be transmitted as a real disease. You can be infected by imitation of “initiates” who love to swagger in their gleaming ritual apparel. The number of degrees, the medals, distinctions, applauses, and titles are all situations in which the ego is flattered. It is essential to keep in mind that initiations are spiritual steps that demonstrate an inner development, nothing more.

The second one, the “distraction of the mind,” is a consequence of focusing the mind of the new initiate on subjects without any importance in regard to his spiritual development. That can be achieved by asking you to learn useless things. This is very common. Keep in mind that everything you learn must be useful in regard to your inner work.

The third one, the “assimilation of dogmas,” is a consequence of the absence of the critical mind. A good way to teach consists of improving curiosity. The student will learn to question everything with a positive and open mind. The counter-initiation is of course opposed to this sane attitude.

The fourth one, the “reduction of liberties,” is a consequence of a twisted philosophy taught as an absolute certainty. Teachings that offend common sense or develop intolerant and racist behaviors are part of that. Threats, even symbolic, during the initiation are part of that, too. Keep in mind that can be done very discreetly.

Of course the counter-initiation is not limited to these main manifestations. I am always worried about organizations that deliberately hijack a sincere aspiration to the divine.

The answer is simple and in two parts: 1) Check the fruits of the tree; remember that we know the latter from its fruits, and 2) Check the presence of the four main manifestations I highlighted in this blog.

Then go ahead and keep your own critical mind and common sense! These parts of you must be honored.

Our thanks to Jean-Louis for his guest post! Visit Jean-Louis de Biasi’s author page for more information, including articles and his books.

Are These Your Feelings? Or Someone Else’s?

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Cyndi Dale, author of Everyday Clairvoyant, Kundalini, The Complete Book of Chakra Healing, Beyond Soul Mates, and the new Spiritual Power of Empathy.

A few years ago, I decided I was tired of being tired—of feelings.

I know. Feelings are good. They express the soul and provide messages from the gods. They alert us to danger but also invite closeness. They are our friends.

The only problem was that I wasn’t sure I was always feeling my feelings. It struck me that I might be absorbing others’ emotions, sort of like the kitchen sponge soaks everything in.

As I listened closely to my clients, students, and personal friends, I realized that I wasn’t the only person pondering this question. I still remember a client stating, only a bit tongue-in-cheek, that she was thinking of only shopping at night, when no one was at the stores.

“I’m tired of entering a shopping center in a good mood,” she moaned, “only to leave with more emotions than I have items in my bags.”

Empathy is defined as the ability to sense what someone else is going through. In moderation, it’s a beautiful endeavor. It brings us closer to others, whispers how to react when threatened, and is the root of bonding. Just as with chocolate though, a little bit is a good thing, but too much? Not so good.

I perceive empathy as a spiritual gift, or the ability to sense what is occurring spiritually. The other terms I exchange for spiritually are psychically, intuitively, and subtly. As such, empathy enables us to sense, feel, know, taste, or perceive what is happening with others.

The term “others” encompasses many types of people and substances, however. Certain types of empaths identify with other individuals, but some pick up on group energy, animals, plants, otherworldly beings, the energy in objects, and even the movements of the stars. In short, empathy is about relating to all sorts of sensations in and through our bodies.

What does this definition help me do? Having expanded my view, I can empower myself. I can decide what—or who—I want to tune into…or not. If I feel uncomfortable with what I’m sensing, I pull back. I take a few deep breaths and ask myself what I’m taking in that is unhealthy or not. If the energy I’m sensing or have absorbed is making me tired, dissociated, anxious, or depressed, I ask my “wise self” to release it. As time has marched on, I’ve discovered that I now have a better filter system. I hardly ever have to review my boundaries; they do the work for me.

This shift has ironically allowed me to be more fully present for others. A good friend needs a listening ear? I’m all there. My son is struggling with an exam or worse—a girl issue? I am compassionate. My dog wants another treat, the third in an hour? Not going to happen; sorry. Being empathic is indeed an awesome gift, as long as we factor ourselves into the quotient.

Our thanks to Cyndi for her guest post! For more from Cyndi Dale, read her article “Empathy as a Spiritual Power: What Type of Empath Are You?.”