What does it mean to be a mystic? Almost every human being seeks communion with some sort of creative power in the universe, whether it is called God or Goddess, Jehovah, Allah, Great Spirit, or Brahma. Science is no different, pursuing the origin of life through the intricacies of quantum mechanics or Big Bang theory. We all have a draw toward uncovering the mystery of existence, what is often called the Great Originating Mystery. Is this connection to the unseen reserved for only priests or priestesses, monks or nuns? Are they the select few who get to experience the source of all creation? What if it was the destiny of every human to be able to interact with the unseen force in the ...
There are a great many elements included in shamanic healing. The use of therapeutic and ritual creativity is one of the most powerful. The process of opening to inspiration and manifesting through various forms of art and music empowers individuals by including them as active participants in their own healing. Modern cultures tend to focus on the aesthetics of creativity. Do you have a good voice? Is the painting good enough to sell? Do other people find the sculpture beautiful? When used in healing, it is the process, not the end result, that is most important. Spirit allies and our own higher selves do not care if we can carry a tune or if we are color blind. Opening the creative ...
Alongside writing and teaching witchcraft, I also teach classes on holistic health and alternative healing methods at local centers in the New England area. Most of my students don’t know my background as a Wiccan author, and just assume that I have a more traditional background. I've found that the practices of magickal healing and alternative healing are not always far apart. In a class on the techniques of shamanic healing, I had a very interesting conversation. One participant talked about how spiritually difficult it was to come from European descent, since we only have traditions based upon the Bible. He was upset that, unlike the Native Americans and other tribal people, we ...
One of the things that inspires me so much about the people involved in the New Age community is the undeniable sincerity and unpretentious good humor displayed by many of its members. But many of us (myself included) who openly acknowledge the shift in human consciousness occurring in this New Age find it difficult to reconcile our relationship with the greater web of life while living within modern society. I believe this is because Homo sapiens have created a worldview that I refer to as the "island of humanity." Within this view of reality humans are the most important species on the planet and thus are justified in their control and domination of all other living beings. On a ...