“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit”
― E.E. Cummings
Whispers from a well
begging for release
soul echoes
aching for surcease
mistakes that have brought him low
longing for but hating days long ago
trying to get through, to be through
to belong, to be strong
to be tough, always wrong
but its never enough
so the coin echoes on its way down
striking walls, striking hells
hasn’t struck fancies
on the bottom he dwells
refuses a hand up, to stand u
to claim that he can
beneath him, can’t reach him
no belief can teach him
his self he’s never met
in the mirror loosing bets
refusing love he cannot trust
so much pressure gonna bust
yet somewhere knowing there’s a sun
somehow knowing the day he’s wong…
— G A Rosenberg
“Philemon: “That is the third point that you must note as essential:
namely; that there is nothing for you to understand.”
Jung: “Well, I must confess that that is new and strange. So
nothing at all about magic can be understood?”
Philemon: “Exactly. Magic happens to be precisely everything that
eludes comprehension.”
Jung: “But then how the devil is one to teach and learn magic?”
Philemon: “Magic is neither to be taught nor learned. It’s foolish that you want to learn magic.”
Jung: “But then magic is nothing but deception.”
Philemon: “Watch out-you have started reasoning again.”
Jung: “It’s difficult to exist without reason.”
Philemon: ”And that is exactly how difficult magic is.”
Jung: “Well, in that case it’s hard work. I conclude that it is an
inescapable condition for the adept that he completely unlearns
his reason.”
Philemon: “I’m afraid that is what it amounts to.”
Jung: “Ye Gods, this is serious.””
— Carl Jung- The Red Book/Liber Novus
When doing anything for the first time, it is necessary to get past the idea that it cannot be done. If we start thinking about all of the reasons we have not successfully done it in the past then we are lost in a trap. We need to go forth in whatever we are attempting with full confidence that it is possible even if that confidence defies reason. This is true whether we are performing an act of ceremonial magick, going for our driver’s license or putting together Ikea furniture. If we think of magick as accomplishing something through use of will then anything that challenges our will works against us. Thoughts of failure no matter how logical will make what we wish to accomplish all but impossible. Therefore, there are times that reason like an unruly dog must be set outside in order to get anything done.
Blessings, G
“There are lots of things a warrior can do at a certain time which he couldn’t do years before. Those things themselves did not change; what changed was his idea of himself.”
― Carlos Castaneda
When we’re younger, we have a strange mixture of foolhardiness and lack of confidence. We’ll do things to do things not worried about whether they work or not and tend to give up on things faster if they don’t work the first few times we do them. Other things we won’t try at all because we doubt that we have the expertise or knowledge to pull them off successfully. As we age and gain in knowledge and experience and perhaps even wisdom (if we’re lucky) we develop both more patience and more confidence. We are willing to make mistakes and try again after we’ve learned that very few mistakes are permanent. We have seen evidence that if we follow through on our intent, eventually we will be successful and perhaps that willingness to see something through is the beginning of wisdom.
Blessings, G