Blogger ARIE said... Not an easy task to know oneself.
To know your self you need a mirror
I believe that everyone who comes into our life is a mirror.
I believe that if we understand them we understand our selves.
And, if we are judgmental to them, we are being so to ourselves(and our soulmates).
I believe we could not comprehend a thing, or forgive it, if we have not been it ourselves.
And that the greatest mirror on this plane is the natural world. African wildebeest show us herd mentality, each hopes to survive personally by letting the weaker element be lion fodder. No matter how much pasture there is, two bulls will fight until one is the master of it all. Lionesses are like women who settle for very little, at the expense of their children's well being. Horses who won't leave their burning barn are like people in abusive relationships who can't find the courage to leave.
The natural world can also give us a positive example of healthy mind: Eagles who mate for life, who rear their young together, who rarely re-mate if one should die, are an example to us of real love. A mother bird doesn't fall into bitterness and depression should one of her chicks die, though it is obvious that she is devoted to them. Caterpillars metamorphosize...
It isn't hard to know yourself if you know the trick to it, and approach it with humility("I am not the best person, nor the worst") and the sort of kindness you would extend to your child, or best friend.
One really enjoyable aspect to doing this - recognizing yourself in your mirrors - is that those pesky personality types who have seemed to haunt you forever, will disappear(or the behavior will), as soon as you have seen and owned the truth they represent.
One thing I have found is that most people, myself included, do those mean and nasty things they do, when they are frightened. To me that is certainly forgivable.
So what does all this have to do with the practice of magic? If you don't know yourself you can't detoxify from the shame and guilt our toxic society hands out to everyone. And the mysteries just don't reveal themselves to toxic minds. And, also, these blind spots in our self awareness are key to healing our psychic wounds, that disempower us - no witch or wizard can stand for anything disempowering. It is the opposite of who we are.
15 comments:
Lily, I agree completely to what your are saying. But this is not exactly what I tried to communicate.
Instead of trying to go into long explanations of something that is quite difficult to explain and may be misunderstood, I would like to propose an exercise. If you will accept this, then you will know what I mean when you finish it.
Blessings
Arie
Sure.
The best tools in the toybox are the ones we've learned to play from.......when we share them, we share our...selves.
Well said my soul sister.
OK I think I may explain it better now.
Regarding the issue of "to know myself". There are many levels of self awareness.
Another level is when I see myself from outside of myself, behaving in a certain way that I would like to change, but do not yet change this behaviour.
The next stage is when I am able to change this behaviour immediately when I observe myself.
Of course I can also do shadow work with the help of magic in order to help me know myself and become aware of shadows still hidden.
Still another example would be to see within myself the interaction of mental, emotional, motoric, instinctive and sexual energies at the moment when I receive an impression and start to react to it.
This is more or less to cut a long story short.
Now the following exercise will be effective only if you go out to work and/or meet people.
Here it is:
For seven consecutive days wear shoes of different colors on each foot. For example a white shoe on your left foot and a black one on your right. Or blue, red, green...
From the time you leave your home untill you return. Wear clothes that don't cover your feet.
Keep a small diary with you and every evening write on your diary following:
Mind - your thoughts regarding this exercise during the day.
Emotions - what where your emotions.
Physical body - what physical changes did you experience.
You can write down short notes during the day so you can get all together in the evening when you get home.
On the 7th day in the evening write a one page report of your findings mentioning the thoughts, emotions and physical levels.
You can share this here or you can keep it to yourself.
After reading this at this moment, what where your first thoughts/emotions/physical? :-)
I wish you good luck.
By the way it has just occured to me. Is the Hermit your birth card?
Reply only if you feel comfortable.
My birth and soul card is the Chariot.
Spring Blessings
Arie
To Spottedwolf - Thank you *hugs*
To Arie - "After reading this at this moment, what where your first thoughts/emotions/physical? :-)"
Okay, I'll play. My first thoughts are: which two shoes will I wear. My first emotion is that I feel happy and a little silly. Physically - ? a little lifted?.
The tarot card that usually turns up as significator for me is High Priestess. Is there another way you know of to determine this? I was born on the cusp of Cancer and Leo...
I'm a Leo. :-))
The way I know is to add the number of your birth date: day + Month + Year.
If for example it adds to 20 then you calculate 2 + 0 = 2 The High Priestess which would then be your personality card. 20 would be your soul card which is Judgement.
In my case it sums up to 25 => 2+5= 7 Chariot. As there is not 25th card then my personality and sould card are the same.
I hope I'm getting this right.
Beth has an excellent explanation somewhere in her blog.
Oh and regarding the exercise:
When you write your report also add the conclusions that you arrived to and any important observations you made.
If we were to consider existence itself as being all-inclusive (anything 'outside' existence could not exist); then everything we viewed from our particular vantage point of conciousness would be an aspect of ourselves.
Ovid in one poem had someone see their 'own' image in a still pool. Bending closer and closer, the lips 'touched' and the image dissolved in ripples.
We can learn more about ourselves by experiencing others - which is what your post suggests to me.
(besides, it could be dark in a navel ;o)
Hi Lil......ja know sumpin'???
You are the 13th witch in my den.......fancy that ol' lunar year cycle. Heh heh heh......
Wildman.....nicely put Bro.....Its easy to go sit on a mountain and cry to the 'gawds' to halp yer hapless arse, or sit in 'monkdom' and spew cliches at a bunch of folks who think you got soopernavel insights. It gets a lot harder when you go out and fumble, stagger, stumble, and bumble around through udder peoples lives..........but thats what gives you the insights which fund true wisdom. Well said dude...well said.
Hello! I found your blog through Dolly and the Black Dog. I have to say that you write very well and your blog is really, really interesting! I look forward to reading more!
STG
with the sould and personality card it is the other way around.
20 would be the personality card and 2 the soul card.
Sorry for mixing it up.
To Wylde Otse - Well said. The only navel's I'll engage are the orange, fruity kind.
To Spottedwolf - Yea!! Lucky thirteen! There is something to be said for having a peaceful retreat from all the attitudes we are assailed by when in the midst of the human sea, but if we hide out there too much I think we begin to stagnate, as you said.
To SeeThroughGreen - Thanks, nice to meet you. Your blog also looks very interesting.
To Arie - I see what you mean now. There is nothing like going against the accepted norm, in such an inexplicable way, to experience first hand how uncomfortable, or comfortable, you are with "stepping outside the herd". And then seeing how people actually react seems to mirror any feelings you might be in denial of. For instance, if a boss angrily confronted you, that would be a reflection of your own inner censer's pov and strength. It went well for me though. I only felt a sort of silly humor, and only got a couple "I'm not even going to ask"s. My work week is over though, so I think I'll cut it short. Thanks for the insight.
Oh, and by your method I am a double Heirophant - I can live with that.
Lily,
How many people did pay attention and how many people didn't notice it at all? What was the proportion?
Arie
How many people did pay attention and how many people didn't notice it at all?
That's a little complicated. There are 29 patients, but many were flat in bed, and most are understandably self absorbed... there were also about 10 or 12 visitors, 3 different RNs, and the CNAs were another 14, over the course of three days. I also saw 5 different kitchen staff, and the laundry person... that about covers it. The CNAs I work with noticed the first night, though actually one noticed and brought to the other's attention - so that's either 1 or 3. Two patients noticed over the course of three days. I think one couple who were visitors noticed, though they made no comment. Over the next two days five more staff members noticed. Lucky I work nights or I wouldn't have gotten away with this at all. So anyway... I'll let you do the math:)
Well you did not finish the exercise did you. :-)
So you could not take full advantage of it.
And could not know what I'm talking about when I asked you this question.
You reached the first interval of the octave and decided to stop it.
It is very difficult to do a task given by someone else.
Quoting from the book " In search of the Miraculous" by P. D. Ouspensky Penguin Arkana books page 161:
"A man has not sufficient will to do, that is to control himself and all his actions, but he has sufficient will to obey another person. And only in this way can he escape from the "law of accident". There is no other way.
I strongly recomend this book to anyone working on self awareness.
Bless Be the Bees :-)))
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