the 'idea' of spellcasting

I just love the ideas of "spellwork". Of course I can't give it too much of a 'majickal' name or definitive because it is such a common aspect of life. There are those who think they have acquired a special ability through following some mythology by diligent practice and/or adherence to some set of arcane systemological rules....but this is mere folly.......because we all "cast spells" every day of our lives. A 'spell' is little more than a focused intention, wish, or prayer. In all three one is asking some "higher power" to help one acquire an objective. That and nothing more. How much effort you put forth and how willing you are to be perspective....plus how able you are to comprehend the odds of achieving such...will dictate the rate of success.

Many people wish for winnings such as lotteries. It stands to reason that they are all asking for 'higher-power' intervention.......and if such can be acquired it would seem as though there are constant discussions going on at ethereal tables by a host of powerful entities. Maybe they have a big basket and one entity cranks the handle while the names of those who are currently wishing roll around inside on small bits of paper. Somehow.............I don't think this is the case. Once you accept that the underlying problem is directly related to survival issues.....the result can be your wish for security manifesting in a different way.

Another popular wish is for the perfect mate...especially those who perceive their current mate as imperfect. Separations and divorces have resulted in what we commonly refer to as 'rebound' wherein the newly single person finds themself in a parallel relationship shortly thereafter. This can create a marvelous opportunity for some soul-searching to try and figure out how one was drawn into a repetetive relationship. If the problem is exposed and sincere effort is made to change the source point-of-view.....the next relationship will have better terms.

There are mountains of literature right across the spiritual/psychological/intellectual 'gulf' which assert that each of us has untapped strength inside our minds and some of these treatises claim it to be of 'godlike essence'. Scientific communities assert we use only nominal portions of our mental capacity and I think the figure at best is a mere 12%.....so how do we get into the other 88% which is laying dormant. I think it is in the acceptance of this dynamic kind of thinking that we find our best ability to make our dreams manifest. This dynamic thinking needs a practical way of formatting a goal so the intention is clear and not muddled or lost in subconscious rhetoric. Most of us wish for something in the future as we go through each day. Even those of us who have learned to marginalize such habitual projections still project in various forms and situations.

In some spiritual circles...... adherents warn of trying to control negative forces for vindictive uses. The idea is these forces will rebound and cause the perpetrator far more grief than the victim. Yet......if the perpetrator does not understand this principle then how will he know when he is suffering from the effect of his transgression ?? I think the answer lies somewhere in the pontificated belief....not in the actual fact. Retribution is an easy ideology to formulate for vindication......but it is much harder to prove in actual fact.

I think if you are going to wish or pray or cast a spell for something......you have to be as completely aware of your intention, as possible, in order for it to come to fruition. This requires the acceptance that many others who are equally deserving may be attempting the same desire and so indicates a need for focus and patience........for the universe's schedule most certainly includes you.....in its own time.

"The Viking"

Journeywork in varying imagery can be astounding at times in spontaneous creation. Even though a visualization may seem orchestrated, our minds have a way of taking subtle hints from some inner signal relating to the 'guided images' and deliberately setting off in their own direction. It is a good thing to know, when one is using imagery for 'recreational' purposes, that any part of the 'tour' may 'spark' the memory banks and send one off in a different direction. this can be rewarding in very personal ways at times.

Remember for the best results have another read these to you slowly or record them in your own voice and play them back while you relax..........

Close your eyes......breathe in , breathe out, and count from 21 back to 0 slowly.....and open the inner doors.....

open your inner eyes and find your self standing upon a boulder with a hawk perched upon your shoulder. The overcast sky above beckons a a journey across the deep water which stretches beyond where your eyes can follow..........

On your head rests a hammered iron helmet replete with wings.......your body is wrapped in fur and leather skins and heavy sandals adorn your feet with criss-crossed straps circling your calves and rising to your knees. In the edge of your right eye you glimpse the hilt of a large broadsword which rides in its sheath strapped diagonally across your back.........its weight is a comfort to you.

Below you, rocking quietly and anchored by a heavy braid of rope, floats a forty foot open sailing vessel.........adorning its prow is the figure of a dragon's head rising from the bow on a long curved neck. Your clan are finishing preparations and the vessel rests fully laden with provisions . They are 21 strong men and women....a warrior clan if ever there was and they await your command......It is time to set out.......on a journey to the edge of this realm.

You climb down from your perch as the hawk suddenly shrieks and takes flight flapping its wings and lifting itself from your shoulder to rise high soaring above......it will be your eyes for this journey as it has been in many others in your time. You climb into your ship and briefly survey the eager faces of your clan.....and with one sharp command your clan hoists a sail emblazoned with a dragon while striking oars to water...........this is your life.....your dragon boat.......your warrior clan...........and you feel a deep welling up of pride in the strength life offers to those who are willing to take it..

Wind fills your sail and the vessel picks up speed sliding easily into the open sea.......you turn to look back and briefly lift a hand to those who cannot go with you any longer.........the open sea is smooth for now but has a heavy roll to it.......making your way to the bow you spread your legs wide to absorb the pitch of the vessel and breathe the salt-air deeply.........one brief glance back to home and the shoreline is merging with the horizon............a strong sense of oneness with all things flows through you and you know it is a good life you live.

ar out on the open sea now where land is no longer seen you lift your eyes to the heavy grey sky searching for your hawk and suddenly your eyes change and you are far above the vessel looking down at the sea and the boat......it is a mystical place you are seeking and faith is your only guide for you won't find this place until you find the 'rainbow fog'. After a brief look at all below you return to your own eyes leaving the hawk to guide you.

As the day passes and twilight changes to night...the clouds lift to a moonless sky...........you set your eyes on the brightest star on the horizon and sail for the land of the ice giants............a cold wind pushes you onward but you cannot sleep so you stand by the dragon listening to the creaking wood of the vessel and the wind filling its sail........until a subtle sense tells you morning is breaking......with the morning sun cresting the horizon behind you and its rays overtaking the craft the wind drops and your sail settles.....................rouse your crew and tell the drummer to begin the old chant and strike the beat for the oars..........................at a murmur from the crew you spy a multi-colored shimmering fog in the distance ........the morning sky is bursting all around and excitedly you urge them forward with your commands..........take heed of this place for it is a place of legend where others have gone never to return......calling to the hawk it swoops low and lands upon your shoulder sensing your mood and reassuring you with its presence.....

As your boat slides into the fog there is a cracking feeling like electricity, a burnt smell like brimstone on a mountain, and you speak to reassure your warriors that all it as was foretold by the old one in your village.....they quiet under your words as a crystalline sand covered beach appears amidst the rainbows of electric colors about you........you bark orders to pull hard on the oars for this beach and as the craft slides up on its shore you jump from the bow telling them to wait here for your return........the hawk flaps his wings and is gone again....

Before you among the boulders and rocks appears a footpath which winds upward into a forest...... a stone gateway with two chained dragons guarding it.............one red........one black....and they begin roaring as you approach.....and spewing flame across the path blocking your way...............these are the colors of life and death.......red for the blood and black for the void.........call out to them and request an audience with their keeper for it is he who you seek council with....

After staring at you intently they stop roaring and allow you pass and you continue up this path into clouds until you find a golden arch spanning the path......... a strong voice like thunder commands you stop and asks,

"who dares enter the realm of the ice giants?!!"

An apparition appears before you as if from the thin air......he sits on a throne of ice wrapped in robes of silver fur with a huge golden sword in hand...... Long thick silver hair and beard cascade down his shoulders and chest while eagle-like eyes gleam from beneath silvered eyebrows..........on either side of him two enormous winged wolves pace restlessly watching with lips curled back and snarling in unison as his voice thunders again..,....."what do you want?"

speak up !! Ask for your blessing!!

He carves the air with quick side to side motion and lightening shoots out from the blade to shape a symbol like the letter 'Y'............

His voice thunders again, " this is my gift to you mortal...it is "Elhaz the elk"...a great and powerful force for divination and protection....You would do well to meditate of its deeper meaning !!!...Go now for this is all I give today and all you need for tomorrow!!!"

Turn now and hurry back to your craft...........pass by the dragons for they are sleeping now and greet your crew...aboard now !! and away with you...watch the fog as it disappears to the cries of your winged friend who soars above you once again............you are very tired and must rest now knowing it won't be long till you rejoin the others back home......rest now.......

"am I my brother's keeper ?"

To imply that one's destiny on earth is "more or less" than any other's ......ridicules and impugns equality or equal access to choice. Of course this is much harder to understand by one who believes their affluence , directly proportionate to their ease of living, was God's choice rather than the idea of 'happenstance'.....until they experience the 'cost' of affluence in an unmistakeable way.....which causes great loss of property and/or self-esteem. Most people choose only to believe what parental influence certifies..........and as a result..............they won't step beyond that delusion to the true nature of 'wholeness'.

We are our "brother's keepers".......because they are ours.

Everything we do.....affects all others somehow...somewhere.

the power of dream release

About 9 years ago a young man came into my life who was interested in the more practical aspects of mysticism. His mother is a local and quietly respected medium who I had given quite a bit of time to in her training during this time. "Sonny" had been silently observing her during our friendship and finally came out in the open to ask questions. The first two sessions he participated in stimulated a confrontation with his uncle who had callously insulted him 5 years earlier when he asked the man what he thought of his plans to study psychology once he graduated high school. He simply told his uncle what an ass he was. This took a lot of courage because the uncle had replaced his father as a surrogate since he rarely communicated with his father. Sonny's dad was a long-haul trucker who spent a lot of time on the highways to support his family and this had caused many emotional gaps. As well...his father's childhood had been very rough so there were plenty of denials in the mix. Sonny had retreated to his room for nearly 5 years and lived on the internet rather than pursue college. The second incident was an emotion filled confrontation with his father which opened a whole flood of unrequited love between them. Last but not least......he registered for his 1st year of psychology at UNBC.
During the course of his 1st year he remained quite close to me and practiced a lot of all he was learning. His grasp of healing concepts was quick and strong. At the end of his first year he asked me if I would give a presentation to his class on shamanic principles juxtaposed to the five social sciences. I said no. He asked if he could pose five related questions and write the first part of his theses using my answers as a base. I said yes.
Two days later I spent 20 minutes per question drawing comparisons for him. Two weeks later he came by and told me he'd received an A-..........but he was a bit angry over it. When I asked of the reason for his dissatisfaction, he said his professor told him his paper was profoundly interesting but what about "details". Sonny looked puzzled......so I said he meant for you to prove it. Now Sonny was really puzzled and I started laughing which upset him a bit more. I told him something like this, "Sonny...I've known you a bit over a year and when we met you were a self-centered little 'shit'...hiding behind your mama's skirts. Since that time you've come out swinging like ALI and now you've blown your Psyche Prof's mind with a paper like this.....You've done the homework and your energy is way different...who you trying to kid..Kid?" I saw a light come on and he said he'd call in a day or two...and left.Two days passed and I arrived at his mother's place to be greeted by a confident young man with the second part of his theses ready to hand in. He had suffered a returning nightmare for years and had no recollection of when or why it began. It was very simple. He was walking down a dirt road with his fishing gear to a big lake in the distance. The day was bright and sunny. Up the road at a slight curve there stood a large bush and as he approached he began to lock his eyes on the bush becoming increasingly afraid until the sky had blackened and the wind was blowing and he was frozen stiff scared as hell!!! The he'd wake in a cold sweat shaking.
That was it. One night during the year he had the nightmare and when it woke him he got up, lit a candle, put on a drumming CD and went straight back into his nightmare deliberately......to find it wasn't so difficult this time. So when he finished he restarted the visualization a second time and now he started 'working' it in lucid manner. First he called for help to a 'power animal' I'd mentioned one day......a wolverine.....then he and the wolverine went down to investigate the scary bush. When he stuck his head into the bush because the wolverine said to........he found a GI JOE toy tank !! So he pulled his head out of the bush and told the wolverine of his find. Not sure again he asked the wolverine who reminded him again of my telling him to go into the image. He then stuck his head back into this dream image and then further entered the GI JOE toy tank. The dream completely changed....and out came a clear dream image of something which had happened to him at 9 years old on Christmas morning.........when his parents gifted him with a GI JOE tank and told him not to take it outdoors......which he did anyway........broke it........sneaked it back in and hid it under his bed.......where they found it.....and admonished him verbally......which shamed this ONLY CHILD with so much guilt that he turned it into a nightmare to cover up his inability to accept the pain of lying and being caught by his icons......especially his never-home dad.
The paper was well written using psychological terminology right alongside shamanic terms.........and his professor gave him a 99.....and told him two things.....one was he'd never in all his years seen anything so magnificent as these two papers by a student......and two...whoever was teaching him this new exactly what he was doing. So Sonny promptly asked him why just a 99 then??!!? That little wolverine just doesn't get it sometimes.....and it takes so long to learn not to try and push doors in...

"the Runes"

Runes are something I've long loved for their agelessness and multi-level meanings. The 18 Germanic are my favorite. Like many ancient symbols, Runes were born of a need to communicate meanings to others and therefore have secret as well as profane attachments. Personally....they touch the anglo-side of my history in a way I'm drawn to. I used to read them for others and though I was very accurate....in all seriousness....I was mainly just playing with them. This is a meditation exercize some of you may find useful if you are seeking an answer. Make no mistake...this is a journey of mine to a place I know well... and not frivolous fluff. Pay attention if you attempt it. Once you're in the swirling misty fog..............


"as you observe the fog clearing from around you a circle of stone pillars will appear before you high up on a very desolate and deserted cliff overlooking a sea. There is a narrow path which winds among the rocks and climbs toward these pillars. Look carefull about you and be light of step for there are many dangers on this path. Do not waste time for these ancients will but wait for you a short time and if you seek their guidance you must hurry quickly but carefully. The wind, I suppose you're noticing will pick up as you approach the stone pillars. Once you make the edge of this ring you must stop and wait as an old gnarled oak tree should appear in the center of the pillars....................lots of big branches chase skyward but don't get sidetracked here because things just start appearing faster than you can control...............concentrate on the base of the oak and you may see a well appear...........if it does keep concentrating and ...if they want.......three old women wearing long cloaks will appear by the well. Whatever you do ....do not move forward or.....try to look at their faces...............now a tall figure in a hooded cloak will appear out of the tree trunk with a carved wooden staff. He'll have long white hair and beard and will begin to sing in a strange rolling lilt, sort of way. My mind said gaelic the first time I saw him. .....it sounded so familiar yet I could not place it. Take a breath and let it out slowly..............the voice is almost hypnotic..............now if he waves you forward and if he's singing you can move towards the well but should he stop singing you must stop too and wait till he resumes his song................the song itself is balancing your energy to their frequency and you must be patient.............his words should begin to make sense but they won't have any real meaning............just a powerful cadence....This old fellow is a Skald..........a sing-song priest of the Runes and magical as all get out. What he is doing is singing you the story of the runes.....how they came to be and what they mean...........quickly now watch the well for it is there...in its water that you will see many symbols rising and disappearing.................there are hundreds of symbols but they all originate from a few..............keep watching and maybe one or two stop and float on the surface...............if so memorize them now...........and don't forget them for they will assist you in your life.....for years to come. Check the back of your hands to see if they have branded them selves there....................The old one will stop singing when all is as it should be.......and everything will vanish...........but the cliff, the sea, and the wind. I stood for what seemed like an hour before I came back...............and I felt great after. You may well dream on this place at night if you experience like I did."



"Enlightenment awaits those......who can remember where they left it"

"Clarity has two faces.....with one always pushing the other aside to see"

" Legend"

ancient legends told a long way back...by some guys like me

who found themselves upon their quest to set some maiden free

found a dragon and slew the beast...then put him in his grave

in the end they solved the riddles and loosed the gentle slave


well Hey! we're all just copycats...we cannot get away

we're legends born of hand-me-down...writers of our play

yeah...but only simple men and heroes in our quest..

tryin' to mark a page in time but no different than the rest.


its always been the way of life for those who wish to know...

waking up in neverland the star in their own show..

we try to love by playing roles..but acts are just a game..

and damn ourselves to lonliness mostly through our blame


so Hey ! we're all just copycats and there ain't no escape

we're legends born of hand-me-downs...writers of the play

yeah !....but still just simple men..the heroes of this quest

trying to mark the same old page...no different than the rest.


the truth of every circumstance when you finally see

genetics or philosophy..still leaves upon their tree

the wind of change may feel different hinting sweeter gems

but 20 or so years down the road we find we're still like them.