i have again been feeling the calling to travel the qlipphotic pathways... although strangely,
buddhalotus & i recently missed out on a ritual at the crossroads... the next night, i had wanted to conduct an improvisational psychodrama rpg session (diceless, game-masterless rpg under sensory deprivation with themes of gothic horror, surrealism, magick and the occult in general, psychedelia, conspiracy, madness, weirdness and absurdity, etc.), but everyone was too tired or just plain mellow after the fabulous sumble that evening, so the experiment has been postponed indefinitely...
in related news, i am setting a goal for myself to complete the synthesis of
the shadow tarot with my
RuneQuest campaign, by this winter solstice... that should provide a good segue to take
the Covenant of Survival through the Abyss... to bring illumination into the night, again!
integration of the shadow can often be intimidating for many folks raised by this still all-too puritan culture in which we live... as always, i have been enjoying many wonderful ancient traditions in which such taboos as sex and death are celebrated along with life and rebirth... lately, i have been re-reading
the bardo thodol, aka
the tibetan book of the dead (and its' modern companion,
the psychedelic experience), and searching out connections with other
shamanic cultures; which has led me to realize how much
the ancient traditions have been altered in translation.
i continually return to fascination with and creation of rituals designed to process death anxiety, and i just noticed that there's a film called
Flight from Death inspired by
Ernest Becker's Pulitzer Prize-winning book,
Denial of Death ADDENDUM: 10/02/04 @ 03:51:00
a number of times recently, i have talked at length about
integrating the shadow... maybe it has something to do with the autumn-tide?
heatherthegreat has also been
feeling the pull of the underworld upon her cycle ...
perhaps we all feel closer to death at the harvest time?
however,
each of us must find our own path to survive
the heroic journey, even through dark night of the soul in the belly of the whale.
and tonight, as i gazed into the
abyss of light,
it stared back into me (as
it is often wont to do... online, especially)... and through this exchange, i found a few curious things... this excerpt from
The Heroine's Journey (Within)... as well as this page, called
The Initiation and Descent to the Goddess... and i also came across this odd collection of inspirational quotes about
The Shadow Self.
but maybe i'm over-dramatizing things, as usual?
shimi mentioned that he has ironically found
Meditation for Dummies to be one of the most useful books he's ever found on the subject.
it also seemed to help
buddhalotus & i to get out and engage in chanting and dialogue this evening at the
sgi center... and hearing
contentlove read amusingly erotic poetry at the lodge was titillatingly hilarious! who would have guessed that
98 Percent of the People You Know and Love Are in Dangerous Sexual Situtaions... much less, that it would be such a sexy laugh riot? ironic how satan seems to work through those xtian fundies, isn't it?
i trust that you will all take care of yourselves... no one else can do a better job.
keep up
The Great Work!
ADDENDUM: 03/31/10 @ 03:33:55
it would seem remiss of me to not mention these posts i made, also concerning integration of the shadow in one context or another:
Matriarchal Societies & The Divine Feminine (Return of the Dark Mother)
What dreames may come? more than you ever wanted to know about my rites of passage (1912 words) on being loved ...:::upon awakening to the midnight sun:::... lovecraftian lore