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Integration
Integration
Self-development wasn't necessarily my intention when I started this project. I wanted to explore the manifestation of hidden powers within the natural world. I did not expect to spend so much time reflecting on the meanings of words and their influence in my life. In retrospect, it's no surprise that I reached this point. Part of my magical training has involved learning to read my natal chart. It's not a coincidence that pursuing these last three natural magic talismans (Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) has had a profound effect on me.
I've found that "ascending" the planets in the way that I have has revealed an insidious lie. In my commentary on natural magic, I mentioned seeing hidden power as underlying reality, rather than "above" it. Models like the Qabalistic Tree of Life or the Heavenly Spheres make it seem like planetary energies are falling like rain on the Earth. This has not been my experience. As I expand my awareness to more planets, I get a sense of depth and encapsulation.
I first noticed this sometime after completing the solar and venusian talismans. Venus and Mercury seemed like two sides of the same coin. I later discovered Hermaphroditus, the divine offspring of Aphrodite and Hermes. This deity's cult involved practices where men and women literally exchanged clothing. It's interesting how much of our expectations of gender can be shaped by our cultural perspective. These notions of perspective and coin faces resonated with my understanding of Luna as pure "perception." From the vantage point of the sun, the lines between mercurial trickery, venusian expression, and lunar revelation became blurry. In a way, the three subsolar "planets" and the Terrestrial realm make up four-fifths of the Sun itself (as opposed to residing in some space "below" it).
I feel this pattern of integration re-initiating with Mars. Building an empire requires two regents (reagents?): destruction and cultivation. I embraced the Athenian aspects of Mars with the Talisman of Discipline, but that's not the full story. The heavy stone I found on my last journey has incredible potential for an object so inert. A heavy stone can be used to bludgeon someone to death, hammer nails into a shingle roof, or support the base of a retaining wall. Even the Martian potential for violence can be distinguished by purpose, whether it's used to defend, expand, avenge, compete, or excise a cancer.
If I'm going to cast a Talisman of Cultivation under Jupiter's influence, I mustn't shy away from the hard choices a regent must make under the influence of Mars. I'm embarking on an alchemical process implemented using natural magic. This alchemical process involves recognition and integration of cascading forces.
Talisman of Action
This talisman was made almost identically to the way I made the Talisman of Discipline. The difference is that now I know my ultimate goal is cultivation. Cultivation may require sacrifice like pruning a plant or prescribed burns of forests and fields. I'm now determined enough to act, wise enough to evaluate the possible outcomes, and brave enough to accept the consequences.
When I returned to the trail to gather natural ingredients I was inspired to craft the items into a tool. I knew I wanted a sharp rock and found that immediately. I then gathered a straight stick and a bamboo leaf. I bound the rock to the stick with the bamboo leaf to make a small tool. This is a bit outside the scope of "natural" magic, but I sensed a resonance between the capacity to craft tools, Promethean fire, and Martial frenzy. This makeshift ceremonial tool reflects the ambiguity between tools and weapons, both of which are instruments of "empire building."
Self-development wasn't necessarily my intention when I started this project. I wanted to explore the manifestation of hidden powers within the natural world. I did not expect to spend so much time reflecting on the meanings of words and their influence in my life. In retrospect, it's no surprise that I reached this point. Part of my magical training has involved learning to read my natal chart. It's not a coincidence that pursuing these last three natural magic talismans (Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) has had a profound effect on me.
I've found that "ascending" the planets in the way that I have has revealed an insidious lie. In my commentary on natural magic, I mentioned seeing hidden power as underlying reality, rather than "above" it. Models like the Qabalistic Tree of Life or the Heavenly Spheres make it seem like planetary energies are falling like rain on the Earth. This has not been my experience. As I expand my awareness to more planets, I get a sense of depth and encapsulation.
I first noticed this sometime after completing the solar and venusian talismans. Venus and Mercury seemed like two sides of the same coin. I later discovered Hermaphroditus, the divine offspring of Aphrodite and Hermes. This deity's cult involved practices where men and women literally exchanged clothing. It's interesting how much of our expectations of gender can be shaped by our cultural perspective. These notions of perspective and coin faces resonated with my understanding of Luna as pure "perception." From the vantage point of the sun, the lines between mercurial trickery, venusian expression, and lunar revelation became blurry. In a way, the three subsolar "planets" and the Terrestrial realm make up four-fifths of the Sun itself (as opposed to residing in some space "below" it).
I feel this pattern of integration re-initiating with Mars. Building an empire requires two regents (reagents?): destruction and cultivation. I embraced the Athenian aspects of Mars with the Talisman of Discipline, but that's not the full story. The heavy stone I found on my last journey has incredible potential for an object so inert. A heavy stone can be used to bludgeon someone to death, hammer nails into a shingle roof, or support the base of a retaining wall. Even the Martian potential for violence can be distinguished by purpose, whether it's used to defend, expand, avenge, compete, or excise a cancer.
If I'm going to cast a Talisman of Cultivation under Jupiter's influence, I mustn't shy away from the hard choices a regent must make under the influence of Mars. I'm embarking on an alchemical process implemented using natural magic. This alchemical process involves recognition and integration of cascading forces.
That which is above is like to that which is below, and that which is below is like to that which is above.
Talisman of Action
This talisman was made almost identically to the way I made the Talisman of Discipline. The difference is that now I know my ultimate goal is cultivation. Cultivation may require sacrifice like pruning a plant or prescribed burns of forests and fields. I'm now determined enough to act, wise enough to evaluate the possible outcomes, and brave enough to accept the consequences.
When I returned to the trail to gather natural ingredients I was inspired to craft the items into a tool. I knew I wanted a sharp rock and found that immediately. I then gathered a straight stick and a bamboo leaf. I bound the rock to the stick with the bamboo leaf to make a small tool. This is a bit outside the scope of "natural" magic, but I sensed a resonance between the capacity to craft tools, Promethean fire, and Martial frenzy. This makeshift ceremonial tool reflects the ambiguity between tools and weapons, both of which are instruments of "empire building."