Four Pillars Society Tarot: The Tower

Notes On: The Tower (Lessons Untold)

 

Artist’s Notes:
“Life is what happens to you when you’re making other plans” is a quote that has been attributed to many and I have found it to be quite true. We make plans and we live our lives according to what we believe we know about the way the universe works. Most of us have some clues but as the universe tends to be bigger and more complex than we believe, at least some of the assumptions we work with will prove to be false. What we believe one day to be a worthwhile investment of time, money and effort may turn out in time to be less worthwhile.  This has turned out to be true of relationships, investments, political and spiritual beliefs as well as jobs. We believe we build our lives of concrete, wood and metal when in reality what we build are houses of cards. The farther our assumptions veer from what our inner truth is, the higher we build, and the harder will be the devastation when the tower comes crashing down.
 
The Tower is a wake-up call from the universe that can show us exactly where our false assumptions have been. From the perspective of spiritual growth, it is one of the most positive cards that we can get. Wouldn’t we rather live our lives in accordance with our truest highest self (our true will) as opposed to what we believe we want at any given moment?
The question is after the collapse what do we do? Do we rebuild according to a more experienced view of reality or do we continue to make the same mistakes over and over only to face another collapse? Most of us tend to repeat the same cycles until we grow tired of having to clean up after our own messes. That is when most of us start rebuilding on more solid principles.
 
On a more personal note, the cards that comprise this tower are either decks that I have created myself or decks that were my go-to’s for readings for many decades before my first deck, components with which I have built (countless times) my own Tower, each time more stable and unassailable.
 
 
About the Archetype:
 
For many of us, our lives are akin to a house of cards. We build them up based on how we believe life to work, adding card to card higher and higher. Since at least some of our assumptions are mistaken, however, the houses (or towers) that compose our lives tend to be unstable. As we build higher and higher, the instability increases until finally there is an inevitable collapse. This may result in our relationships or jobs falling apart or some kind of loss. We have met the Tower force full on.
 
The Tower is a wake-up call from the universe that can show us exactly where our false assumptions have been. From the perspective of spiritual growth, it is one of the most positive cards that we can get. Wouldn’t we rather live our lives in accordance with our truest highest self (our true will) as opposed to what we believe we want at any given moment?
 
The question is after the collapse what do we do? Do we rebuild according to a more experienced view of reality or do we continue to make the same mistakes over and over only to face another collapse? Most of us tend to repeat the same cycles until we grow tired of having to clean up after our own messes.
 
 
Astrological Correspondence:
 
Mars is the planet that influences our passions. This passion can be creative or destructive. It can be incredibly sexual as Mars is the planet of sexual energy. It can also be martial as Mars is the planet of war. In an esoteric sense, the Mars energy involves the sacrifice of our spirit to incarnate into the physical as well as the desire to release that energy back into the higher planes. Mars has that tendency to push us to destroy that which is more illusory for that which is more real and vital. In the rulership of Aries, that creative pushing forward energy can be seen and in the rulership of Scorpio, that push towards the death of the personality and the rebirth into a more spiritual higher form. Mars also influences the vitality of the physical body particularly the bloodstream. Mars provides that passionate vital spark that energizes us to go after what we want most either in a way that will enliven us or as the moth towards the flame.
 
 
In a Reading:
 
When the Tower turns up in a reading, it normally indicates turmoil in the querent’s life. Usually, this comes when they have been living their life under a series of false assumptions, such as the stability of their job and/or relationships and life is handing them a wake-up call. It could mean that they have been approaching a particular problem in a certain way under the false assumption that it has been working only to find out that while it may have worked in the short term, in the long term things have proven disastrous. The good news is that this destructive force has given the querent the chance to find a new more reality-based approach that will work better. The card may also mean that the disaster has not happened yet but is approaching and it might be a good idea for the querent to take a look at how they are approaching things. Are they perceiving what is really going on or are they working on the assumption that all is well and ignoring the warning signs?
 
The Tower can also mean that the querent is receiving or is about to receive a call to wake up to a deeper reality than they have known up to this point. They may be on the brink of a peak experience or about to receive news that will make them see their lives in a totally different way. This may also feel destructive but sometimes you have to destroy in order to build.
 
 
 
When the Tower comes out reversed or badly aspected, it may mean either that the disaster that the Tower force has brought into their lives has not been a total one or that they have started rebuilding their lives back up under the same set of false assumptions on which they have built before. This is often seen in patterns of abusive relationships where the person finds the same type of partner who has abused them before, convinced that this time will be different. The reversed Tower can also mean that the querent keeps ‘shoring up’ the problem areas rather than facing what may be causing them in the first place, therefore, putting off the inevitable collapse. The reversed card also may mean that by proper action, the querent may be able to avoid disaster altogether if they act quickly and honestly.
 
 
— GAR
 
 
Fate’s Whisper:
 
“Every empire falls the same way it rises”
These words were spoken by the Spider of Fate when he cast his first judgement. When an empire rises through conflict it is determined that that leader will die fighting. While that isn’t always the case initially it has been recorded to end the same even if the last leader had no part in that rising. This wisdom taught the dragons that for their legacy to last they had to build slowly and firmly. However, the higher one climber the mightier the fall is when it happens.
 
The Tower is a card about lessons and self-control. The idea is that we as beings will make mistakes and when that happens how will you handle looking at the remains of what you once built? Will you make the same mistake again because your ego can’t accept it? Or will you adjust and make due and start building a sturdier tower?
 
–NF

Four Pillars Tarot: The Devil

Notes on The Devil

(Awakened Indulgence)

Artist’s Notes :
 
The Fool Falls  and awakens the Magician’s Will to Power and begins their journey
 
The Chariot rider brings the outer circumstances of their life under control only to find that their passions will provide them with a much tougher challenge (Strength)
 
With Temperance, we have learned how to ride the balance of our passions after loss, sacrifice and renewal, but then we hit the Devil.
Our personal devils are always with us.
 
As Strength speaks to our wants, the Devil speaks to our needs
What is the difference between a want and a need anyway?
 
When we want something, it is very specific. we want it and we want it now!! No, nothing else will do except that particular thing that we want and we will wait patiently or otherwise for the right specific thing to come along until we get it
A need however is not that specific but it is so much more immediate.
 
“I need it, man, I’ll take it any way you can give it but please I can’t go without it. No, please man, I’m not addicted I just need it for right now”
 
Those needs are what chain us and it is only once we realize what our needs are that we can either satisfy or transcend them
That knowledge of what we need is the Devil’s gift
 
About the Archetype:
 
It makes sense that for many the Devil is a frightening card. It speaks of vice and temptation and excess and being chained by your own desires. While the card can mean that for some in reality it is the representation of Pan and the pure enjoyment fulfilment and use of the sensory world in all of its aspects. Many of us fear the desires and kinks that we carry around and bury them deep. We can all too easily become so terrified by the shadow selves that we repress ourselves and hide them away. Repression is the true trap for something that is too contained cannot expand and pressure builds up until it explodes uncontrollably. By enjoying ourselves and the world around us to its fullest and by deciding when and how we explore our temptations we give ourselves room to grow. The Devil tells us that we are material beings with a sensual nature and that we should delight in this. Our physicality is not something we need to transcend but a valuable tool in our arsenal. It is when we are incarnate that we can best grow and evolve. Learning to channel the carnal material energy that we have can lead us farther than denial ever can. It is only through the physical that we can bring the forces of our subconscious and superconscious into full awareness and manifestation. It is a force of responsibility because if we go to excess, it is up to us to recover and go forward.
 
It is only by going forward, accepting the darkest parts of ourselves that we can achieve true growth and true power for the treasure of our deepest selves lies beyond that.
 
Astrological Correspondence:
 
Capricorn(♑︎)-Much like the goat that is its symbol, the Capricorn energy leaps to the top of whatever field it is involved in. In material matters, it is hard-working, ambitious, and practical and has no problem making it over any obstacles in its way to get to where it’s going. It may be considered a ruthless energy in some ways tho Capricorn is always willing to take responsibility for its actions. Spiritually (for Capricorn while grounded has an extreme spiritual aspect and has the ability to manifest its spiritual goals) Capricorn will do the work necessary to reach the heights and the depths with a keen appreciation for every stop along the way. Capricorn has a competitive side and likes to win. It can tend towards the conservative side but uses whatever it needs to get to where it wishes to go. The Capricorn energy has a very sexual side and again there it knows how to get what it wants. Its planetary ruler is Saturn which in its slow-moving way gives Capricorn both patience and an awareness of the limitations it must overcome.
 
 
In a reading:
 
When the Devil turns up in a reading, it can often indicate that one is facing the shadow side of themselves. Perhaps they are feeling tempted by desires they are uncomfortable with. It is only by understanding the need and how to satisfy it that the querent can move past it. The Devil may also indicate that a relationship that the querent finds themselves in maybe damaging in some way tho it is very enticing. Perhaps it is with someone with an air of danger or ‘the forbidden’ to the querent. At the very least it may mean danger to them tho danger is not always a bad thing and can often be an amazing learning experience. The card may also refer to a feeling of being trapped or constrained by either circumstances or desires. This feeling is somewhat delusional and maybe a way of the querent avoiding taking responsibility for their own actions when they can release themselves at any time by making the decision to do so and following through with it. Another meaning of the Devil is obsession or focusing on one area at the expense of others. Excess may lead to wisdom or loss, it is up to the querent.
 
When the Devil turns up reversed or badly aspected, it often is asking the querent if what they currently have in their lives is what they want. They may be coming to an understanding of how they are trapped by their addictions and desires and are preparing to throw off their chains. The reversed card can also mean that the querent is ready to end a relationship that feels destructive. They may be understanding more and more how illusory that feeling of being trapped or constrained by another person in their lives is. It may also be a realization that they have been over-indulging in some area of their lives and it is time to put it aside for a while. The Inversed Devil may also mean that it is time for the querent to detach.
 
 
–GAR
 
 
Fate’s Whisper:
 
In the recesses of our mind, we have chains that hold us back. Ancient dragons once said, “for each being to shine brighter their shadow must grow with it.” What happens when that chain breaks though? After all, what the chain holds back isn’t all the big things but instead the small ones. The more one lives the more those smaller things build up. Everything we swept off with excuses, every shame we ever felt, and many other things. The release of that chain brings may bring out our greater pettiness and hate for everything around us. How will you act when your chain is broken?
–NF

 

FOUR PILLARS SOCIETY TAROT: TEMPERANCE (II)

Notes on Temperance

(Spurred to Evolve)

 

 

Artist’s Notes on the Card:
We may strive for balance and may even attain it, yet as soon as it is attained, the balance shifts. Our path of growth and ascension tends never to be straightforward as much as a constant cycle of transmutation. We transmute our innocence into the experience as we transmute our never-ending potential into realization, with each cycle and movement growing further. We are each our own catalyst and our own kiln in which the clay of our being becomes something new.
At the same time though, we need to continue having the intent to grow and to balance both our natures and that of our environment for if we don’t, the whole thing may either come crashing down or we may become delusional (another word for unbalanced) and believe we have already reached the pinnacle of a mountain that has no end.
 
 
About the Archetype:
 
In the trump the Lovers, we become aware that there is an existence outside of our own and sensibilities very different from ours. It is this difference that makes us start to question our lives. With Temperance, we learn to synthesize these differences and consciously incorporate them into our own being. Temperance or Art is the card of Balancing Transformation. It is connected by many with the art of Alchemy. When many people think of Alchemy, they think of the Philosopher’s stone which results in the ability to change lead into gold. The Alchemist’s true goal was to change the lead of coarse matter into the gold of spiritual awareness. This was done by blending and combining the contrasting elements within one’s being. Combining in other words who we are with who we are not, our shadow selves to become something greater. The tiger in the card stands in contrast and admixture to the water that surrounds it By being aware of who we are and who we are not, we can consciously acquire new talents and abilities, blend the two and become something greater, the being who we wish to be. Just as the alchemist followed very specific methods with very specific ingredients, this transformation does not happen in a wild and uncontrolled form but through self-examination and meditation and quite usually through ritual (even the ones we create for ourselves).
 
 
Astrological Correspondent:
 
Sagittarius (♐︎)-The Sagittarius energy is an exploratory one that hungers for the freedom to search out the truth. It is an enthusiastic fiery energy and one that shifts in viewpoint and location to further its understanding. Its symbol is the hunting centaur (denoted by the centaur’s arrow). The centaur is part man and part horse and partakes of the nature of man and beast and masters the blending of them both. Sagittarius’ ruling planet is Jupiter and has an optimistic and expansive aura. It is an energy that takes risks in its desire to do more, know more, and understand more and it becomes what it needs to in order to achieve this end. The Sagittarius influence is one that focuses on self-truth, personal integrity, and self-perfection. Sagittarius brings back what its arrows aim for.
 
 
In a reading:
 
When Temperance turns up in a reading, it can indicate that one’s life has reached a state of balance. The querent may be at a stage where they allot enough time to do the things they want to do and the things they have to do. They work when they need to and have enough time for family and leisure. It may mean tho that it is time for them to examine their lives and figure out how to bring this state of balance about in a conscious way. Temperance may also show in a spiritual sense that the querent is undergoing a transformative experience and that they have made it through the trials and are integrating it with their conscious awareness. The card may be cautioning the querent against going to extremes and learning when to assert themselves in a conscious manner. A keynote for the card is taking responsibility for one’s life in a conscientious way. In a situation where the querent feels torn between two different paths, it suggests finding a synthesis of the two
 
 
 
Temperance reversed or badly aspected, refers to the imbalance in the querent’s life. It could mean that they are going to extremes, first acting in one way and then acting wildly the opposite in order to try to balance the two. This may be because they lack any long-term plan or purpose for their lives and they need to take conscious responsibility for it. It may refer to passive-aggressive behaviour on the querent’s part. The reversed Temperance may also refer to someone being so cautious and afraid of their own actions that they hesitate too much refusing to act at all. The card reversed may also refer to someone who is unable to integrate recent changes in awareness into their lives possibly out of fear of how others will react.
 
 
Fate’s Whisper:
 
“The Seed of Infinity lies in the hearts of those beneath us.”
These were the words of one of the oldest dragons as he watched reality grow. Once one has begun their journey to ascend it can be easy to forget where every being starts. Regardless of if you are a God, Daemon, Djinn, Dragon, or any other species, we all begin knowing nothing. Despite this, we all are all given our own unique seed that is our responsibility to foster. If you feed it poor energy and are always malnourished it will only know that. This isn’t absolute, however. Once we get sick of being on the bottom that seed can give birth to great strength. Like Shani is pushing you, you begin to overcome that which once oppressed you. At this point, you are left with one question. What will you nourish your seed with next?

 

FOUR PILLARS SOCIETY TAROT: Death

Notes on Death

(The Innocence of Death)

Artist’s Note on Death:
Death to me is a child eager for life. It wants to understand both the gift it gives and the gift it takes.
To others, it is a skeletal figure upon a white horse.
All will view Death differently, whether as a Threat or as a blessing or perhaps as just one more challenge to surpass and by doing so to grow
With each  person, a key is involved
How easily the key will move all depends on how open each person is to change,
Death, The Persona of Transformation is everchanging. Yet it is also one of the rare beings who can be said to be constant
 
About the Archetype:
 
In the Rider-Waite tarot deck, Death is shown riding a white horse. In its wake are the destroyed remains of a king and in its path is a praying clergyman, a young maiden with her body supplicating itself to the rider while her head is averted, and a young child offering death a flower. All of these are indicative of the various ways and stages in which we react to major life-altering changes. The king, by power and position, thinks he can command Death to stop only to get trampled. The Priest believes that prayer can avert the need to change and he is next to get trampled. The maiden offers herself to Death but only half-heartedly. She won’t survive so well either. It is the child who accepts whatever comes with an open heart that will survive.
 
Death is the transformation to a new stage through the purification of the old. We all go through these transformations. Our jobs become obsolete. Our relationships end. Our viewpoints and our lifestyles evolve as we grow. We have spiritual experiences that transform us. We fall in love. How we accept these changes goes a long way towards determining how far we can grow as people and as spiritual beings we are. The more we resist change, the harder the changes tend to be when they come, and the more we stagnate. It is only by being open to the flow of these changes that we can be open to the flow of life and spirit itself.
 
 
Astrological Correspondent:
 
Scorpio (♏︎)-The Scorpio energy is one of intensity. It is passionate and lustful and yearns for knowledge. It is a secretive force and has a strong attraction towards the transformative. As such it has an attraction towards the mystical and may be drawn towards the mysteries of sex and death especially. While the scorpion with its regenerative powers and sting is well known as a Scorpio symbol, the snake and the eagle also are used to represent this energy. The snake represents both the sexual energy and the knowledge of life and death and the eagle which represents the spiritual life beyond transitory form. Scorpio is known for both its ability to see things through and its ability to see through things, penetrating them to their core.
 
 
In a Reading:
 
When Death turns up in a reading, it usually indicates a major transformative change in the querent’s life or circumstances. Usually, one that demarcates a new chapter in their lives. These changes may include a peak experience, a divorce or break-up, the death of a loved one, or even a near-death experience itself. What is important is how the querent deals with the experience. Do they fight to kick and scream to hold onto life as they have known it or do they accept the changes and move on? Usually, when the Death card shows up it is a change that the querent cannot alter so coming to terms with it is necessary. The card can also indicate a fear of dying on the part of the querent. Carlos Castaneda’s teacher Don Juan, among many others has suggested that we keep in mind that we all will die someday and use our Death as an advisor and indeed it is just one more stage. Seldom tho does the card refer to the querent’s own Death tho it can often refer to the ending of a stage of their life. It can refer to a need for the querent to release the life they have lived to now in order to embrace the life they have.
 
 
 
Death reversed or badly aspected can often show a dramatic resistance to change. The querent may have grown complacent and lazy in their life holding back on living fully in order to stay safe and comfortable. It may also represent the querent refusing to acknowledge changes that have already happened and move on. It is almost as if they are haunting their past rather than living their present. It thus indicates the necessity for change. The reversed Death card can also represent a feeling of loss and grief. In this instance again it is mourning for the way things were.
 
–GR
 
 
Fate’s Whisper:
 
Life and Death have always been dance partners who were inseparable. The aspect of life was usually depicted by a feminine figure while the aspect of death was usually represented by an asexual or masculine figure. Just like a dance, there is an equal push and pull as it persists. The idea of reincarnation was birthed from this philosophy. While it is argued what happens after death not a lot of physical proof exists to back a solid claim.
 
While it is obvious we will all die eventually it is overlooked that we have an enormous amount of micro deaths while we live our lives. Every change for better, or worse, requires we lose something so we can make room for it. This means every change we undergo is the death of part of our being or ego. This card shows that a part of our life is coming to an end. So this begs a question. How are you changing for better or worse?
 
  — NF

 

Four Pillars Society Tarot: Wheel of Fortune

Notes on The Wheel of Fortune

(Wheels Within Wheels)

Artist’s Notes on the Card:
 
To exist in space and time is to be caught up in cycles. There is the cycle of the seasons that is a reflection of the zodiacal cycles. There are the cycles of Morning, Noon and Night and cycles of the Moon. Each of these cycles comes with high points and low points and where we are in our own personal cycle can often feel like it is a random chance. Yet, if we can follow the signs and keep our wits and our humour about us, we can more easily navigate through the hard times and even enjoy their lessons. We can also deal with the easier times without expecting them to last or allowing them to make us soft for that is also a challenge. The more we can keep our inner selves in balance, the less we become slaves to circumstance.
For ultimately we embody the cycles as much as we are prey to them. This is as true in the greater game of life as it is in the games of chance that we play. Ultimately we make and generate our own luck as long as we realize that no matter how high a peak we reach, the nadir is just as low.
 
 
About the Archetype:
 
There are many cliches about the cyclic nature of life. How season follows season and how what goes around comes around. One day we are on top of the world with a great job and relationship and the next this has all disappeared. These expressions like all cliches have a good deal of truth to them. Action follows consequence (and sometimes vice versa). Shiva continues his dance and the cycles continue. This is the lesson of Fortune’s Wheel.
 
Life is always in motion. Everywhere we look things move in a cyclic way. Whether it be our own biorhythmic cycles, seasonal changes, political changes (the rise and fall of countries and kingdoms) nothing stops. We need to accept that our lives work in a similarly cyclic way and try to gain perspective from outside the wheels that we find ourselves on. Otherwise too often it may feel like we are hamsters forever on the wheel subject to blind instinct and blind fate.
 
It is difficult at times to perceive our own responsibility in the constant spinning. It is our hands that often keep the wheel in motion and our actions or lack thereof may determine the consequences.
 
 
Astrological Correspondent:
 
Astrological Correspondence-Jupiter (♃)– Jupiter guides our fortune and the areas in which we can be the most successful. Its energies point to the areas of interest that make our hearts sing. Jupiter’s location in our charts can be a strong indicator of where we wish to expand and our interests of exploration and study.
 
Jupiter encourages us to think deeply about our lives and to see where our strengths are. It helps us to determine our personal philosophy and spirituality. Jupiter is the force that encourages us to question deeply and to search for answers. It is an optimistic force that encourages our growth, expansion, and sense of adventure and play. Jupiter encourages us to experiment with ways of expanding our consciousness either chemically or with techniques such as yoga, tantra, or other forms of ritual. At its worst Jupiter can lead us to over-indulgence. It is at times associated with weight gain.
 
 
In a Reading:
 
When the Wheel of Fortune occurs in a reading, it normally means that things are cycling around for the querent and that their circumstances are changing. Perhaps they have found themselves busy with little time for fun and now their schedule is opening up. Perhaps a relationship or a job is ending. How do they accept the changes that life brings them? This idea of acceptance is a major lesson of this card. For people who like to feel in control, the Wheel can be a bit uncomfortable as it means that the changes are unlikely to come from anything that they are doing but rather from forces outside of their control. Yet it is when the querent can roll with whatever has come around for them and they can keep their equilibrium no matter what happens that they can find themselves the happiest. Most often tho when this card is upright, it means that the changes are beneficial ones. Even when they do not seem so based on other cards in the reading or position, patience is always advised for the wheel never stops spinning.
 
 
 
Inversed or badly aspected, the Wheel can mean that the querent is struggling against the changes in their life. There seems to be a run of bad luck that can be due to either past choices that the bill is coming due for or outside interference. Either way, it is best to accept the change in circumstances and deal with how things are rather than try to recreate the past. This does not mean ignoring the examination of the sources of the change as much as it does dealing with the present. Reversed the Wheel can also mean that the querent needs to take responsibility for their lives as opposed to letting circumstances happen as they will. This can mean an examination of how the querent may be causing their own fortune or misfortune and seeing how any action may have far-reaching implications.
 
 
Fate’s Whisper:
 
Every civilization and race or being is given the same cycle to redeem itself. When it is in the paradise phase, a time when prosperity is at its peak for everyone, the Dragon of Reality will send an emissary to gently warn of the danger ahead if a troublesome action keeps occurring. The Descent Phase, a time when the rift between beings isn’t as obvious but is more apparent in comparison to the previous phase, is when the Fish of Time sends prophets to instil fear so the event can be possibly be prevented words alone won’t solve anything. The Usurper Phase, a time when emotions are present about the rift between beings is noticeable but not at a problematic peak, is when the Tiger of Chance will awaken the insecurities of those who are struggling to bring a change for the better due to their circumstances. The Judgement Phase, a time when change is needed no matter the cost due to extreme stagnation being present, is when the Spider of Fate indiscriminately starts purging all living beings using anything and everything till the needed change happens.
Regardless of how big or small, we are all given a personal cycle. Some need harder measures to break out of these cycles while others learn quicker. Identifying what you cycle is key to your growth. After all the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. When change is needed this card can show you are working in the same cycle you have been running in. While this is neither good nor bad stagnation will eventually bring about problems regardless of how sweet the circumstances are. Change and grow into your personal “Infinity” there you will find the greatest source of fulfilment.
 

 

Objective Existance (April 2018)

 

“All the Dark Gods are potential patterns in the psyches of all man, yet in each individual man some of these patterns are activated (energised or developed) and others are not. Carl Gustav Jung used the formation of crystals as an analogy to help explain the difference between archetypal patterns (which are universal) and activated archetypes (which are functioning in us). An archetype is like the invisible pattern that determines what shape and structure a crystal will take when it does form. Once the crystal actually forms, the now recognisable pattern is analogous to an activated archetype.”

–Hagur, Becoming Another God

 

By this I don’t believe Hagur is saying that that the Dark Gods do not have an objective reality as well as a subjective. I believe that they definitely have an objective existence outside of ourselves. Tho about the only way that we can make any kind of connection with the objective spirits (whether they be deity or demon) is by first activating the archetypal reflection of them within ourselves. The more we strengthen that the more we establish a gateway with the being we wish a connection with.

 

Click on images to see full-sized:

 

Aeonic Exhalations (redux) by GAR

 

Gaining Insight by GAR

 

Journey to the Nightside (April 2018)

 

“The journey to the nightside of awareness is foremost an alteration in the states and functions of consciousness. Profane routine gives way to initiatic trance. The whole spectrum of awareness is of course far more vast than the narrow band of waking perception; the ability to deliber­ately shift the reference point of consciousness into novel regions of this spectrum is one technical way of describing the trans-dimensional and trans-æonic otherworld journeys which the initiated magician may wish to embark upon. Nevertheless, the conclusion that these altered states of consciousness somehow ‘are’ the otherworld is esoterically erroneous. This is the case just as it would be a mistake to propose that the shift of consciousness from waking to dreaming to sleeping necessarily involves either a real inscension solely into the subjective realms of consciousness, or an actual projection into other dimensions. Rather, a change in state of awareness simply reconfigures the apparatus of perception in a novel way without actually accomplishing anything else at all. This, however, grants it usefulness where occult matters are concerned. The practitioner skilled in changing his or her state of awareness has the ability to vastly increase the number of options and possibilities able to be consciously accessed in a given situation. Similarly, he has the capacity to perceive a great deal more than someone with a comparatively restricted range of awareness. The capability for ‘abyssal navigation’ is indispensable in æonic and trans-æonic operations as well as any Quest for initiation, particularly a solitary one, since the solitary initiate has to become both cartographer and guide.”
–Victor Voronov, Liber Nigri Solis

 

I may wander in dark woods without becoming lost even if I never return back to my starting place. As long as I travel these roads I will follow the signposts of others as I carve my own in words and images. Tho I meet others on the road, even travel with them for a time I will forge my own way. I will share what I know and ask them the same until our roads divide. I embrace the madness and terror of the journey and I find my way.

 

Click on images to see full-sized:

 

Burgeoning Awareness (Redux) by GAR

 

Shadows and Transformation (April 2018)

 

Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they’re yours.
–Richard Bach

 

Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is. At all counts, it forms an unconscious snag, thwarting our most well-meant intentions.”
–Carl Jung

 

The way I reworded the first quote last night was
“When you stop arguing for your limitations, they disappear”. BY limitations I don’t mean practical physical limitations (such as believing that one can eventually grow wings and fly or can live without food or water) but the self-imposed limitations we put on ourselves in our daily lives.
Recently I discovered that a limitation that I believed I had was in actuality self-created. I believed, despite some evidence to the contrary that I was unable to have any sense of any spiritual presences (whether deific or demonic) other than the channeling that occurred with my art. I repeated this fact to several people and became convinced of it. Then I started getting ‘intuitive’ insights into how I could improve my technique and changed up both the rituals I was using and how I went about them.
Shortly after I did this, I did an invocation and then sat down and started typing and what came through, in both style and substance was very different than my normal style of writing. As questions came up in my mind, the answers came through in what I was typing on the screen. Since then there has been more and more evidence that my invocations have been successful.
If I had settled for the self-imposed limit (considering the gift that my creating art has been, it never seemed like a bad trade-off) I would not have tried different techniques to go beyond it.

 

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Forces Converged in Her Self Transformation (redux) by GAR

 

Abyssal Shadows by GAR

 

Nocturnal Goddess (April 2018)

 

The Welcome unto the Goddess
Honour I give to the Hecate, Blessed am I in your presence.
Thaks I give unto thee Mighty Queen of Hell;
I Call forth thy Power and thy Guidance;
The Teachings of Goddess and Horned GOd;
Light the Torch of Gnosis Dark Lady;
The Path of Hecate Illumined;
Through Elven Blood and Dark Wich Night.
–Mark Alan Smith

 

“The goddess is red with the fire of life; the earth, the solar system, the galaxies of far-extending space all swell within her womb. For she is the world creatrix, ever mother, ever virgin. She encompasses the encompassing, nourishes the nourishing, and and is the life of everything that lives.
“She is also the death of everything that dies. The whole round of existence is accomplished within her sway, from birth, through adolescence, maturity, and senescence, to the grave. She is the womb and the tomb: the sow that eats her farrow. Thus she unites the ‘good’ and the ‘bad,’ exhibiting the two modes of the remembered mother. The devotee is expected to contemplate the two with equal equanimity.”
–Joseph Campbell

 

She whispers in my ear and speaks in my dreams. I have awareness of her even when I don’t directly feel her presence. She is there in my choices and in my understanding and now I will seek her more often

 

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From Her Lunar Tower by GAR

 

The Night Is Hers (Redux) by GAR

 

Gnosis and Influences (April 2018)

 

“All phenomena are real in some sense, unreal in some sense, meaningless in some sense, real and meaningless in some sense, unreal and meaningless in some sense, and real and unreal and meaningless in some sense.”
— Robert Anton Wilson

 

I agree with this but would also say that all phenomena are also meaningful in some sense. After all might as well have two sets of paradoxes as one.
The truth is that since we ascribe (realize, know and discover) whatever meaning there is to what we experience, it is as likely as not that we will find meaning in any given phenomena. When we experience the result of a ritual, say an evocation or invocation, what we hear, learn or realize might be either personal, something that we can use or it may be some greater gnosis that will resonate with others. We can find immediate use for what we learn or it may take some time to figure out its relevance if any.
When we share what we learn, other people may find that it clicks with their own gnosis or that it goes against it. They will ascribe their own meanings.

 

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Baneful Influences by GAR

 

Creating a New Form by GAR