Down the Path

Down the path we go, though little did we know

where it would take us or what it would make us…

But we would go it anyways,

for it could show us many ways,

through which our own-most souls embrace

the pathway that we choose to trace.

With certainty of self we face

the letting go of ego’s race.

The reward it brings exceeds

all treasures of our worldly needs

and a hidden doorway forms,

through which we weather all life storms,

where we are masters of the All

while never forget how deep one can fall.

Forging the Fire

While in many traditional pagan systems, as well as the natural order of the elements (derived from ancient greek philosophy) and alchemy, fire comes in third place, it stands on place one for the celts. It is the initial force of life, the center point within our being, encompassed by the other three elements earth, water and air. Thus, it is both invisible and still intensely prevalent in celtic worldview.

Fire is our driving force keeping us warm and alive, it is the burning rage and hot passion kindling our most primal instincts. It brings the spice to life, yet incomputable like the dancing flame, it is also the most difficult to handle. What we see as anger and despair in the world is nothing but misled fire. Consequently, what it takes is mastery of the self to turn this immense force into our own empowerment.

Like a sword, our inner fire needs to be attended. Through lessons of fire in our life, we learn to forge this raw energy into a sharp tool of innermost self expression. Holding the sword of the flame requires certainty of direction and purehearted intention. It is on us to use its power wisely and for the good of this world.

My favourite book quote to this comes from Druid Power by Amber Wolfe: ‘Now we must learn to trade swords of blood for swords of light. Therein lies true power.’

~ Lady Lenora

Standing Stones

Ancestors of new and old,

caring spirits in crystal mold,

other than what we’ve been told,

far from the tales we have been sold,

you are amidst our lives unfold.

The monuments that we behold

over timelines standing bold

and though your faces may look cold

the truth and wisdom that you hold

runs down to us through veins of gold.

~ Lady Lenora

The metaphoric Phoenix

One symbology that comes to mind when we speak about ashes of the old is the metaphoric Phoenix. The spirit that rises out of its old form into a new dawn.

This power of rejuvination is made possible by the two divine forces, the male and the female, joined together to a tranforming unity.

When we examine those two principles, we see that the male embodies the spreading of life force. In it’s essence, it does not care where it’s flame grows, it’s sole purpose is to make sure that its sparks reach as wide as possible.

The female principle, on the other hand, provides the fertile ground that catches the spark and ensures the growth of a full fire. It has to feed the flames or the fire extinguishes.

Now we have the image of a huge bon fire, lighting up the sky. The fire itself is the unity of both divine forces, it is the process of their uniting. It is equal to a peak experience of the soul, that will at some point come to an end. What remains, is the product of this experience, an enriched and transformed form of matter, equalizing the awakened state after the experience, out of which, according to the cycle of natural law, the new being is born.

This new being, the phoenix, is at its core the same as it was before, and yet it is different. It has gone through the process of death and rebirth and has reached a new state of its Self.

Thus, the metaphoric phoenix is a symbol not only for rebirth, but for the evolution of the Soul through experiences of awakening, whether within this lifetime or spanning over multiple incarnations.

What we ought to remember, is that it takes the sacred unity of both divine principles, be it in the collective context of society or in the personal approach of acknowledging both principles inside our own being, to evolve on our soul’s journey.

Homage to my hometown

Vienna,

old city of dust,

reckless, silent,

city of rust.

The fate of generations

down you thrust.

Children cry

and elders die,

even young mothers,

please, tell me why.

Bound in your arms

they’ll never fly…

You remain stagnant,

as ages pass by.

Your places grow thinner,

their faces grimmer,

mourning a long-gone faded glimmer.

Was it ever there?

I can’t imagine where…

Rotten corpses

and burnt down dome,

Death, truly,

is your only home.

The Abundance of Death

As kind of a new-year-special, this post examines the overall topic of our time.

It reveals itself in a minimalistic way, what at first glance seems to be a fairly simple message is a profound truth that delves deep down into the roots of very existence.

We live in a time of abundance: the abundance of material goods. We have reached the base of absolute materialism. This is a kind of abundance. But what does it bring with it? And where does it come from? It is the visible manifestation of downfall, of decay, which ultimately leads to death. It is the fleshly fruit of the underworld, the low self that dwells in the material and only in the material realm. Which is per se not a bad thing. We like the lusts of the material world, right? Yet what we also see is an abundance of death. Naturally, death comes slowly. It is the creeping pain in our cells, our minds and our systems. It propagates people killing each other and people dying from loss of health. Where I want to go with this? We are collectively going through the process of death, which is the last alchemical stage before the cycle of work is complete. It is the transformation that brings us back – to enlightenment. We need to connect back the transformed matter to the spirit. Right now we are at the point of actual death. We have burnt our social structures and all the forms of morals that have evolved over the last centuries and millennia to ash. What is left, like after a wildfire, is very fertile ground. And here comes the abundance that death provides. Out of death itself, we can draw a kind of abundance that is not to be seen, but to be felt. It is the abundance of life we are bursting with after we shed the old skin. It is time for us as humanity to rise out of the ashes like a phoenix rising up to the light.

It is on us to draw wealth of the soul, which means wealth in any aspect of life, out of the arcane spiral of evolutional growth.

The message is topped by the meaning of the ogham Muin – bramble.

Again, the fruit of bramble (the blackberry) symbolizes fleshly abundance. We can get entangled in the brambles. Yet if we learn to open our hearts, we are setting ourselves free and are able to use the wisdom of love to build true connection. Muin is the plant of celebration and joy, of abundance in relationships. It provides fruit for all if we know how to handle its energy. It tells us to grow through the pain, honor and respect its sharp thorns and go within to accept ourselves.

Then we can utilize the energy of our hearts to build highways of light, that will enhance the earth’s field to unfold our true potential.

Cards: The Earthbound Oracle by Andrew Swartz, http://www.skullgarden.net

~ Lady Lenora

Gaia’s Oracle: Winter Solstice Message

This winter solstice I decided to provide a new series of posts: Gaia’s oracle. The first message is a very important one, as it guides us into and through the coming year.

The pictures show the Solstice Gateway layout I have created for this occasion. I am using the Earthbound Oracle by A. L. Swartz and Mondrunen by Yonanda la Tura.

The main theme of this message is fear. We are at a turning point now, the turning point of the sun, and while we are going through the greatest darkness of this cycle, we are not only asked, but guided to let go of our own fear. There is a vision that we carry, maybe for a long time already. We are called to carry this vision forward, into the next year and into the next chapter. But now is the very time to let go of those things that really hold us back from manifesting this vision on a deep level. Let yourself be guided by your intuition and as the days grow longer, we will rise like the butterfly, effortlessly and gracefully. For now, let this energy be tranformed through the power of the sun, so it can shine when the time comes. This time now is simply that, a point of letting go. That also means recognising both sides, both powers within oneself as equal and embracing the change.

Furthermore, the two runes as energies of the two channels of the gateway, indicate that we need to know ourselves and our goals. Know exactly where you want to go and you are already set on the way. Of course they also show the stillstand, or keeping something under the surface (isa) and the rise after that (tiwaz). They also remind us that it takes courage to live our own truth.

By looking inward we realize: ’You don’t need to fear. Let it go.’

~ Lady Lenora

Our Selves

We all want to live in bliss, right? But what does it mean to live in bliss?

To enter unconditional love and a sense of wholeness, we must know ourselves first.

What does it mean to know our selves? The truth is, we are all different, because we are fractures of the whole, here on earth to experience exactly these aspects of creation which our souls chose to.

If you are part of any minority group and are being discriminated, have you ever asked yourself why this is actually so? And if you have, after long fighting for your rights, as a community or as an individual, received that acceptance, is it because you are really accepted for who you are? Or did society simply add a new template of lifestyle to the social databank and label it as “acceptable”?

Do you bend your inner core and dance to the rules and roles of others? Or do you dance the creation of your own true self?

The real reason why discrimination takes place in human history is because natural diversity holds space to honor the self. This is where great potential is kept and the key to lived spirituality lies.

When we tap into our true selves, we find that we are already whole. We are one creation.

I want to close this with the words of Michael Jackson, King of his Tribes:

BB

~ Lady Lenora

The rage of the warrior queen, or: A thousand spears to set yourself free

What am I writing about, you may ask. Well, this post will be a little useful practice that can help you unleash that energy you’ve got, without harming anyone, including yourself. We all are currently facing some kind of rough time, right? There might be times when you feel you don’t have yourself under control as much as you would like. And this is just what it is, it’s part of the game we’re in. We don’t have to be nice and calm all the time. Not even ‘controlled’. These shifts in energy, that can make our own energy burst forward, are here for bringing change. But nobody benefits from uncontrolled distruction. Yes, old structures will need to go. Yet you don’t want to distroy yourself, the people and the things you love in the process. That’s why this practice will be a lifesaver if you continue to work with it. If you are facing a lot of pressure these times, and I bet you do in some way, this is for You:

You can do this practice in front of your altar or in your sacred space, in standing position, or just in a meditative state. In that case find a comfortable meditating position in a quiet place where you can make sure you won’t be disrupted. Whether you want to cast a circle or do the work only in your mind, that’s up to you, your preferences and stage of practice. If you don’t do a lot of energy work usually, I highly recommend grounding and centering yourself properly, maybe spending a while in meditation, before you start.

First, out of a meditative state, concentrate on the emotion that is causing your rage. Feel it flowing within you. Only observe. You are a container filled with water. Remember, your body is made up of water and all that water contains the emotion. The emotion is your flowing water, your fluid of power set in-motion by an impulse. Of course you could feel out what that impulse is, but this is not as important right now. Somehow that impulse has heated your specific fluid of life up, creating correspondence. It is completely up to you to alter or transform the state of your fluid any way you wish. Just now, it is flowing within you. Now, direct your fluid down towards the ground of the Earth. You will feel your energy drop, and experience a deep grounding. All your power is going into the ground, where the water melts together with the dry earth. Guess what it creates? A whole big lot of mud. That’s alright, just feel the muddiness of this substance. Imagine you stamping around in that mud, mixing it even better, like a child having its fun. Macha, the warrior queen, enjoys dancing in the mud of the battlefield. Like she is warming it up, preparing for her victory. Hear the beat of her feet stamping on the ground…they resemble your own heartbeat. Do you feel the ground heating up, mud starting to splash all over? Now is the time you’ll want to draw this powerful mix, yes the whole battlefield mud, up into your body again. How does this feel? Is it heavier than before? You can feel the damp earth inside you now, grounding every cell of your being from within with its securing calm energy. You can feel more easily at peace now, while still being aware of the heat that is going up your spine. The energy rises, now set free in your body, and transformes into hot steam. Your own water is now propelling upwards. It has changed its form and wants to burst out through your head. But don’t let it yet. Be aware of the pressure that is produced inside of you and then carefully lift up the lid of the container that is you, only a tiny bit. And let the force that is beaming its way up emerge out of you in a controlled manner. Like a tea pot constantly releasing its hot steam, right into the surveying consciousness of the Goddess.

Release your upheated pressure and gift it to the divine, one theme by one. Imagine each single pack of burden, anger or pressure forming into one single sharp-edged spear. No matter if it is one, ten, fifty spears, or a thousand spears. Release them all. Macha will take care of them. They are a precious gift for her. See the queen dancing on top of the spearheads in her full power. As she gladly appreciates them, she collects them for later use in the battle.

Now return to your own body, feel the calm and peaceful presence of the earth inside you. You are safe and your are loved. You will go the right path because you are secure. There is no other way than the one right for you. Be assured that the divine is always with you. You are connected to it and a part of the universe. You are now part of the earth that is going to be re-formed and you are cared for.

The next time you face that thing whatever caused you trouble, you can be sure that it will turn out alright. There is no need to get raged and fight it. If you feel that this is something that really needs that change, faithfully call on Macha. She will use your very own spears you gifted into her custody to bring about this change with divine force, if it is the right way. If you are called by her then to act your part of it, be prepared to do so, but don’t force anything. Just trust in her judgement.

Imagine her throwing your spears onto the ground that needs to be re-created. They hit the earth as the heaviest of raindrops, having the power to change the landscape forever. Feel the eruptions troughout the earth and be ready to be fundamentally changed too as part of the earth itself. We all will bring about the New Earth. We only need to be willing.

Blessed Be

~ Lady Lenora

Moon Mysteries

Corona around the full harvest moon on the autumn equinox/ Mabon 2021

The Harvest Moon 2021 had a particularly increased energy and, as the september moon is in Pisces, an effect on our spiritual growth and emotions. This photo shows the moon shortly after its complete fullness, emanating its radiant light into a diffuse foggy atmosphere. The effect of this, as visible in the picture, is a beautiful, yet a bit threatening Corona.

We might see it as a sign to evolve, grow through the circumstances that are given to us, and develop a new sense of spiritual wholeness.

So what are we afraid of, actually?