Whether you are mainstream, new age, or pagan, whether on the right hand path, left hand path, or blended path, whether practicing as witch, magician, or mystic; one of the hallmarks of modern spirituality is alternative forms and individual expression. The one true doctrine arising is that there is no one true doctrine. You must follow your own bliss and find your own truth.
One of my first shocks upon going off road spiritually and exploring alternative paths was coming across groups that seemed just as rigid and just as closed as the mainstream religion I was walking away from. People in those groups had also left behind a faith or lifestyle, describing a feeling of “coming home” to what seemed a more natural or resonant practice. However, many others were eclectic or solitary practitioners who had forged their own spiritual paradigms and invited others to do the same. Recently I formally stepped away from my faith of almost 30 years, after about a five year process of working with alternative practices and various deity. I have studied several esoteric systems, worked with a left-hand path priestess, taken courses in a pagan school, and joined a coven. I feel that it is time for me to work on my own paradigm and am going to outline here my process, perhaps including some of my own results—purely as examples—in case the structure or at least issues raised might help others who wish to create or re-create their own paradigms. I will write the process up in the form of instructions, but I am in actuality instructing myself! The three considerations are the circle, triangle, and square—the circle of Inmost Self or Spirit, the triangle of Soul (mind, heart, will), and the Square of body and practice in the physical world. The Circle of Inmost Self or Spirit At least for me, the place to start is at center—the heart chakra in the Hindu system or Tiphareth on the kabalistic tree of life. From this mountaintop, so to speak, I can consider symbols and themes that have been important throughout my life. I can consider how much developmental time I will need: probably two months is better than two days and for me two years has not been too short. Even now, I want to step back from outside influences and the outcry of so many voices as I think about what the core of my personal paradigm will be. Do I want name myself a “mind witch” or “all-inclusive mystic”? Do I want to commit to a fully LHP (left hand path) approach or to identify as a “chaos magician”? Having a key identity or focal symbol is very potent, and having a central theme is also powerful. Some of the tried and true themes have included salvation, submission, enlightenment, will to power, and self-sovereignty. The Temple of Set focuses on “Xeper.” For me, the circle needs to be dynamic—like the river of Heraclitus, only defined by its own ever-changing flow. This is a concept I have found elsewhere described as “Becoming,” and I often hear folks on alternative paths say, “My ideas may change in future years.” So I will probably use a symbol such as the ouroboros, a serpent who sheds its skin, or an eternally growing tree. The mysticism of the Hermit and the magick of the Magician have become important to me, so such an archetype might serve as a centerpiece. Also non-negotiable for me is openness and inclusivity—not that every path is equally true for me but rather that every path has wisdom or something of value to contribute. However, others might consider only nature religions of value or exclude deity entirely in a hard atheism. Regardless, the center of the circle provides stability and the circumference gives defining borders, boundaries that can be healthy as well as helpful, even if not as rigid as someone who can say, “I follow the Morrigan as a native Irish pagan.” The Triangle of Soul While the circle represents the core identity or higher self, the triangle more or less comprises the medial life divided by Aristotle into mind, heart, and will (logos, pathos, and ethos). In building a personal paradigm, I see three areas where issues may arise and decision may need to be made. 1. How will you choose to address the big questions? First consider how comprehensive you want your paradigm to be. Some may not be interested in considering philosophical issues at all—for example, a witch only involved in practice or an agnostic who is skeptical that we can find any answers. However, depending on your bent, you may want to define your ethics, purpose, or world view. Reviewing important movements of the past such as existentialism or transcendentalism may provide some loose ends to unravel. You may want to consider various versions of the spirit realm, origins, the afterlife, and so on. Do you resonate with a certain view of deity: atheism, theism, deism, pantheism, animism and so on? You may want to consider your place on the spectrum between community and individual spirituality. Do you want to start a new religion, join a coven of solitary practitioners, or live in a world of your own making? 2. How systematic will you be? Will you only be happy with an internally consistent paradigm or can you enjoy a hodge-podge of eclectic pieces? Don Webb and others have suggested spending some time in one system to see how it operates and how the symbols translate into real experience as well as to explore other systems to see the crossovers and similarities—even though there is not a one-to-one correspondence. Some people will choose discipline and consistency over time, others may prefer a loose constitution with frequent amendment, and others may want no structure at all. Not being a lover of cognitive dissonance, I will want my own paradigm to make sense internally but with great freedom to adapt and shift. 3. How will your paradigm apply in consensus reality? In a way this question address the moonlit and sunlit realms and the alchemical principle of “as within, so without.” In other words, does your paradigm work in the real world as the Will or Word is made manifest? The paradigm may make magickal workings more effective or bring about desired self-improvement. While outside validation can be overemphasized, I personally value the respect of outsiders who have no vested interest or particular sympathy with my causes. The Square of Practical Application This final section does address the question of whether a paradigm works in the real world and how it might actually function. Joseph Campbell, in discussing the power of myth, often highlights the social aspects of spirituality as initiation through the passages of life, in ritual, in relationships, and even in the hero’s journey as a boon is brought back to the community. Even if a paradigm is wholly individual, personal growth and development can be seen as tangible fruit of the spiritual root. Here one might consider if actual therapy or principles of real clinical psychology might be of assistance. Is a code of ethics helpful or tried-and-true spiritual disciplines such as yoga, meditation, prayer, or fasting? Can one adopt practical principles from 12-step programs or put methods of seeking guidance into place? Finally, someone creating a personal paradigm might consider whether to include written forms. The Hindus collected the Vedas and Upanishads, and Mohammed so admired “the People of the Book” that he wrote his own scripture. Perhaps the whole library contains your sacred words or perhaps you will write your own grimoire. You might consider gathering the writings most important to you, whether they be Jung or Huxley, Whitman or Nietzsche. At the end of his poem “The Wasteland,” T.S. Eliot describes his own gathering of pieces in the desolation of the modern world in this way: “These fragments I have shored against my ruins.”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Alan>Performing magician, >English teacher, Archives
March 2021
Categories |