The Invocation of Thoth

This post has to go with a word of warning. I should have been a lot more careful when I made this video.

 Thoth is an Egyptian God and I am not Egyptian, I am a Brythonic Celt, that’s all I am from as far back as I know. I usually do not mix my metaphors but in this case I thought I was simply making a video. It turns out there was more to it than that.

The invocation of Thoth is a ritual translated by Alan Bennett from old Egyptian manuscripts. His translation was adapted by his friend, Aleister Crowley, into the Liber Israfel’ The Liber is what I used in the making of this video. Yes, I’m old enough to know better.

When performing any kind of ceremonial Magic and especially when it involves invoking a powerful spirit, proper care and attention should be paid to the environment and to the process known as “Grounding” The action of grounding is one I often refer to in my books, it involves a recognition of the world as being the place we belong at this time. We inhabit a material world, a reality that we should not lose sight of.

 When I made this video I was not considering any of that. After all, I wasn’t really invoking, I wasn’t trying to do anything magical. That was the first mistake, I rose up powerful energies and the energy had nowhere to go. I had no intent outside of making a cute video and Thoth is not cute. I was not paying attention to my environment, in other words I had not created a sacred space around what I was doing so the energy had nowhere to go except in me. Finally it had not occurred to me to do the things necessary to keep me on this plane. The simple things like eating and drinking.

The end result was that I had the heebie jeebies. I was disoriented for over a week. It took me a long time and the assistance of friends to bring me back from between the worlds. The experience was not pleasant and I hope not to repeat it, although I did, once again, make a mistake during a Druid ritual. That story is for another time.

 For now; If you dare to listen to the video, be warned. I got so caught up in the intensity of the invocation I didn’t realize I actually was invoking Thoth. So here it is; The Invocation of Thoth. The background music is “Om Namaha Shivaya” Arranged by Robert Gass.

A life filled with Magic

REAL MAGIC

There are three kinds of Magic:

The Magic of the Bard: The magic of song and poetry, painting and sculpture, these things have the ability to move us. They can cause joy or despair, laughter or tears, songs and tunes have stirred men to battle and struck fear in the hearts of others, the Magic of the Bard can cause young and old to fall in love. 

The Magic of the Seer: This is the Magic of seeing the things that most people do not see. It is hearing the things that most people do not hear. The plants and animals, even streams and stones have meaning and life. This is the Magic of opening our eyes to our Mother Earth. Perhaps this can be best expressed in an old folk song about a man named Jacob. The song tells of how he searched for God and eventually went to the top of a mountain and asked God to show himself. Down in the valley a gentle rain was falling on an orchard, an Eagle rose out of the orchard and swooped before him with moisture glittering like rainbows from its wings. Jacob walked down the mountain sorrowing, saying “God does not show me and He never will”

The Magic of Manifesting: This is the Magic of bringing our imagination into the World of reality. This is taking those thoughts and desires and making them manifest in the apparent world. If it is Peace, this Magic will grant it. If it is Justice, this Magic will grant it. If it is wealth and material comfort, this Magic will obtain it. This is the Genie in the bottle, released to do your bidding but it’s not done by rubbing a lamp or opening a bottle in the sand. This magic, as with the other two arises from a certain way of living.

This is a World filled with wonder and Magic. Sadly, too many walk around totally unaware of the real Magic that surrounds us. Blindly stumbling in a material world, not seeing the Earth and the air that surrounds us, not seeing our Universe for what it truly contains, and just not seeing.  If we learn to see the things that others do not look at then we will see the things that others do not see, this is the beginning of Magic.

We bring Magic into our lives by living our lives a certain way. By so living real Magic will unfold into our lives. The most common ways by which Magic appears in life are; Luck and Coincidence.
Magic is all about drawing those two elements into our lives by intention rather than by chance. Here are some steps to bring real Magic into your life:

Live your life fully aware of life. By that I mean be aware of the life that surrounds you that you may not have noticed.
Do you know how many Trees are on your street? You may not know their names but are you aware of the differences between them?
Can you feel the warmth of the sun? I don't mean oppressive heat or cold days when it's hidden but the gentle warmth that it always gives? Do you feel the gravity of the Earth? Holding you here because this is where you belong. The birds sing, have you ever wondered about the different sounds they make? Can you listen? Really listen noticing the way a different bird will call and wonder what it is trying to say. When you look at something, your home or your computer or wherever your attention is, have you ever tried to see the air in between?

Perhaps you have never thought about these things before, but here is one of the great secrets of real Magic; If you teach yourself to look at things no one else looks at, you will see the things that no one else sees.

(The interesting thing about the secrets of real Magic is that when you see them you realize you always knew them.)

Feel gratitude. Have you noticed how life is rarely dependable? So many parts of our life are unpredictable, we get let down by Lovers, Friends, Children and even the weather, we seem to get let down so often. Yet, in the midst of all that the Sun gives us a guarantee, the Sun sets but we can depend that it will always return. The cold part of the year sees the sun lose its strength and give way to the night. Yet, we have the promise that, at its weakest point, it will begin to regain strength. The Sun will rise again. This doesn’t mean we should worship the Sun as our ancestors did but we can feel deep inside our gratitude for this certainty in an uncertain World. We can learn that no matter how low we may sink, if the Sun can rise, so can we.

It may seem a simple thing to feel grateful for but it is one thing we certainly can be grateful for. From that one act, if sincerely pursued, other reasons for gratitude will appear before you and, like the Sun, your spirits will rise.

Here is the second secret of real Magic:

Feel grateful for everything that comes your way. For laughter, Joy and Hope follow the grateful. Even feel grateful for the uncomfortable and hard knocks that life might bring. The spiritual leader, Ram Dass, called the stroke that nearly killed him, “Fierce Grace”

Learn to listen;
Listen to people; Pay attention to what is being said. Many times when we are in a conversation we are not listening to what the other person has to say. Instead we are thinking about the next thing we are going to say as soon as the other guy draws a breath. One of the greatest compliments we can pay another is to stop thinking about our response and just listen to what they are saying. The experience is truly worthwhile.
Listen to the world around you;
The breeze and the wind, the trees and plants are moving, Dogs and Cats may seem annoying but if you truly listen and wonder what they are saying you will be amazed.

The third secret of real Magic;
Just quiet your mind and listen.

 

Take time for yourself;
Oh I know, all those self help books and feel good therapists tell you this. I'm saying get to know yourself. No one else needs to know who you are and it may be that you've worn a mask for so many years that you don't even know who you are yourself. “Taking time for yourself” is easier said than done but when you can, sit or lie down and just relax. Random thoughts will come into your mind. Don't get attached to those thoughts but explore them. Think about where that thought came from, what triggered that line of thinking? Follow each thought to its source. You will soon discover the real you. May be scary, may be fun, may be scary fun. Accept who you are without praise or condemnation. You may still wear that mask when the situation deems it appropriate but learn, from deep down, who is the real you. In time you will learn to trust yourself enough that you will not be afraid for others to know the real you.

The fourth secret of real Magic:

 Don't judge yourself just be yourself

Arrive at the Beginning

Now you have arrived, aware of life and the wonderful things that surround you. Aware of yourself, you are secure and confident. Now you will see the coincidences that come your way. Luck will start to happen and you will appreciate it, that appreciation itself will guide you in deciding what to do. Knowing your true self as no other knows you will guide your direction with Certainty.
True Magic will unfold in your life.
And the Magic never ends.