PCon!
I'm at PCon! I'm totally fried, alas, but I really enjoyed the first thing I went to, Morpheus' "Black Heart, Shining Soul," though I was so sleepy it was hard to stay awake during the trance part. Here are my notes, taken on my trusty little netbook.
Wow, a lot of people here have at least some exposure to Feri. Woo!
Plan: Explore symbol and experience of the black heart of innocence, and some of the streams of power that arise from it
Best illustration of the BHoI: Victor's quote - “How beautiful is the black, lascivious purity in the hearts of children and animals.”
BHoI is the state of being innocent and at one with your deep innermost nature. We start out that way but twist and wring it out of children. As adults we work hard to reclaim it. Is also present in animals. Locking eyes with a wild animal - you'll see it.
BHoI is a deep state of consciousness difficult to cultivate
Few practices in Feri to cultivate it. But, in a sense, all Feri practices are designed to bring us back to it.
Begins with the alignment of the souls. [walked us through a soul alignment - red moon in pelvis, sun in chest, ring of stars around head. Awaken each in turn, breathe up to align. Then they float up and align until the moon eclipses the sun and there is a black, radiant disc. Draw it down into the heart, heart unfolds into that blackness - that is the BHoI]
Morpheus' question upon entering feri: how to cultivate the BHoI? Starts with alignment, but that's just the start.
What is the BHoI? The state of being utterly true to your nature. Children and animals have it and we adults have lost it.
The pursuit of the BHoI is the pursuit of your true being, of radical authenticity.
We're taught to disguise ourselves, to attempt to fit well into culture. This separates us from our power. The practice of Witchcraft is the practice of reclaiming our power, our authenticity
Self-Possession - similar to being possessed by a spirit or a God. Self-possession is being possessed by your own soul, invoking it into yourself until you are possessed by your own true being. True autonomy = self-possession.
The key to autonomy is sovereignty.
Sovereignty is self-rulership. Think of a sovereign nation - not under the rule of any other nation.
Celtic myth has loads of info on how to attain sovereignty. Grail cycles, etc.
sovereignty, in the Celtic mind, arises from the land. It's the gift of nature to a worthy ruler. If what we're seeking is self-rulership, then we have to turn to nature - our own nature/innocence.
In the myths, when warrior pure of heart approaches a gateway between the worlds w/clear intention and asks the right questions, the goddess of the land arises from faery and gives that warrior the cup from the well of sovereignty, to drink from (the grail). It's a roadmap.
They keys are: that the seeker is both warrior and poet, pure of heart, approaches the journey with intention of seeking this pearl of great price not for personal gain but for the betterment of the world, the gateway between the worlds - usually at a sacred well or a lake, or a spring. Sometimes it's a tree.
The gateway is key. Sovereignty is the gift of the otherworld, so we have to enter it in order to claim sovereignty.
In some lore, the hero enters via traveling. In some, the hero enters by entering the goddess/faery queen via sexual intercourse.
Soul travel journey, for those who dare.
I kept almost nodding off and didn't get as much as I would've liked. Sigh. Summary: well in the middle of the room, walked down steps into it - spiral staircase. Down into faery, clearing with trees with roses growing on them. Pick a rose. Queen of faery arrives and shows us the three roads. Take the middle road. Fountain of fire, queen produces a goblet (grail!) and fills it with the fire. Drink it and it burns away all that is not me. Am left as stars and blackness. She reaches into me and draws out a sword, and gives it to me. Kisses me on the lips - gives the tongue that cannot lie. Take sword and return to body.
Question: pls talk more about Weapon of the soul? “a witch who's on her game is a weapon.” Feri is a warrior trad. It's important to keep our souls honed and sharp and true via daily practice. We need our souls to be true, in the way a sword is true or a bell rings true. Also, daily practice is forging - purification, cleansing out impurities and strengthening, forging, etc.
Wow, a lot of people here have at least some exposure to Feri. Woo!
Plan: Explore symbol and experience of the black heart of innocence, and some of the streams of power that arise from it
Best illustration of the BHoI: Victor's quote - “How beautiful is the black, lascivious purity in the hearts of children and animals.”
BHoI is the state of being innocent and at one with your deep innermost nature. We start out that way but twist and wring it out of children. As adults we work hard to reclaim it. Is also present in animals. Locking eyes with a wild animal - you'll see it.
BHoI is a deep state of consciousness difficult to cultivate
Few practices in Feri to cultivate it. But, in a sense, all Feri practices are designed to bring us back to it.
Begins with the alignment of the souls. [walked us through a soul alignment - red moon in pelvis, sun in chest, ring of stars around head. Awaken each in turn, breathe up to align. Then they float up and align until the moon eclipses the sun and there is a black, radiant disc. Draw it down into the heart, heart unfolds into that blackness - that is the BHoI]
Morpheus' question upon entering feri: how to cultivate the BHoI? Starts with alignment, but that's just the start.
What is the BHoI? The state of being utterly true to your nature. Children and animals have it and we adults have lost it.
The pursuit of the BHoI is the pursuit of your true being, of radical authenticity.
We're taught to disguise ourselves, to attempt to fit well into culture. This separates us from our power. The practice of Witchcraft is the practice of reclaiming our power, our authenticity
Self-Possession - similar to being possessed by a spirit or a God. Self-possession is being possessed by your own soul, invoking it into yourself until you are possessed by your own true being. True autonomy = self-possession.
The key to autonomy is sovereignty.
Sovereignty is self-rulership. Think of a sovereign nation - not under the rule of any other nation.
Celtic myth has loads of info on how to attain sovereignty. Grail cycles, etc.
sovereignty, in the Celtic mind, arises from the land. It's the gift of nature to a worthy ruler. If what we're seeking is self-rulership, then we have to turn to nature - our own nature/innocence.
In the myths, when warrior pure of heart approaches a gateway between the worlds w/clear intention and asks the right questions, the goddess of the land arises from faery and gives that warrior the cup from the well of sovereignty, to drink from (the grail). It's a roadmap.
They keys are: that the seeker is both warrior and poet, pure of heart, approaches the journey with intention of seeking this pearl of great price not for personal gain but for the betterment of the world, the gateway between the worlds - usually at a sacred well or a lake, or a spring. Sometimes it's a tree.
The gateway is key. Sovereignty is the gift of the otherworld, so we have to enter it in order to claim sovereignty.
In some lore, the hero enters via traveling. In some, the hero enters by entering the goddess/faery queen via sexual intercourse.
Soul travel journey, for those who dare.
I kept almost nodding off and didn't get as much as I would've liked. Sigh. Summary: well in the middle of the room, walked down steps into it - spiral staircase. Down into faery, clearing with trees with roses growing on them. Pick a rose. Queen of faery arrives and shows us the three roads. Take the middle road. Fountain of fire, queen produces a goblet (grail!) and fills it with the fire. Drink it and it burns away all that is not me. Am left as stars and blackness. She reaches into me and draws out a sword, and gives it to me. Kisses me on the lips - gives the tongue that cannot lie. Take sword and return to body.
Question: pls talk more about Weapon of the soul? “a witch who's on her game is a weapon.” Feri is a warrior trad. It's important to keep our souls honed and sharp and true via daily practice. We need our souls to be true, in the way a sword is true or a bell rings true. Also, daily practice is forging - purification, cleansing out impurities and strengthening, forging, etc.