June 25, 2003
Vacation Story 3
Anyone who’s read my blog over the past couple of years knows my affinity for creating magic. At least my vision of what’s magical. In case you’re wondering, I talked about it a little in my old interview with Frank Paynter. This is what I said:
… all art began as rituals to appease or connect with the unknown, with whatever the people defined as their deity or deities. So, theatre, music, dance, poetry all began as sacred ritual. Poets are magicians. I just take it back to its origins and turn the performance back into ritual.
It’s interesting to me that Diane di Prima now is into all that as well. Maybe that’s a logical progression for feminist/poets. We find ways to use the power of ritual and the arts to help others connect with the deepest parts of themselves – parts that, I believe, are the true sources of the divine. (I have many times on my blog asserted my position as an irreverent non-believer.)
Now, does magic work? Sure – the way that psychotherapy works. It’s all in our perception. One of my favorite writers is Alice Hoffman. Her novels reflect the magic all around us in ordinary time if we choose to perceive it all through that lens. Thus, my ritual this weekend on behalf of RageBoy. Will it work? If he believes it will work, it will work. And, am I really going to go out under the full moon with my ritual objects that I am in the process of creating and his ritual EGR words from the Ghost Dance post? Oh yes, indeed. And I will draw a circle and light candles and maybe even do a little ghost dance of my own. Because you never know.
Last week in Maine, on the evening of the Solstice, we stirred up some magic for ourselves.
The thing we drew in the sand is simply a spiral (powerful ancient symbol) with stuff in it. Before we left for the beach, we each chose a Rune stone and meditated on what it meant to us. On the beach, we placed our Rune symbols in the North, South, East,or West on the spiral, depending on what we were hoping for in our lives (each direction has a symbolic meaning). Also in the spiral are a Tibetan bell, which we rang while there, and the stick used to extend the bell sound as long as possible. Those are in the spiral too, as well as the beach stick (in the center) that we used to make the spiral (great phallic symbol, no?). Then we washed our favorite tumbled stones in the ocean -- good vibes, you know.
A while ago, I bought a Tibetan pendant with the Double Dorje symbol on it. Inside was a seed supposedly blessed by a Tibetan priest. It never felt right to me when I wore it, so I didn’t wear it. At the shore, I tossed the seed into the waves and washed out the pendant with sea water. In it now is a tiny feather that P found on the beach, a tiny intact pearlized shell that M contributed, and a tiny stone that I found. Now when I wear it, it feels right.
When we got back to the cottage, we smudged the whole place both with a smudge stick and the sound of the Tibetan bell (the vibration of which you can feel in your very bones, just like those of the Singing Bowls). Then we went out to the deck, lit candles and used a little cauldron I have to first burn pieces of paper on which we had written the things (and things about people) in our lives that we needed to get rid of (NO, I didn't write my mom's name on one of them!) and then burn pieces of paper on which we wrote those things we want to bring into our lives and the lives of those we love.
Then we went inside, had some decaf coffee and Kalua, and played Boggle until we laughed so hard we almost peed in our pants.
Now, that’s the kind of magic that works.
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Old Comments (5)
Rana on 25 Jun 2003
Wonderful!
I felt moved by this story; spirals are a large part of my life, and lately I have had a longing for the coast and driftwood and smooth stones. Thank you!
Kate S. on 25 Jun 2003
Oh Great Kalilily! You truly are a treasure. So full of life and life spirit, you are destined to change the shape of the world. I can feel it in my old bones.
myrln on 25 Jun 2003
Probably you might avoid such vacations in Salem, Mass.;-))
Richard on 26 Jun 2003
Hi, Elaine.
Speaking of magic, you may be interested in various works of Alan Moore. You may recall me quoting Mr. moore at some point over at my place. He is best known as a comics writer but for a couple of years now he has considered himself a magician. He is a brilliant writer and his magical works (hey, as you and he might say, all art is magic)are remarkable. If you're interested I can recommend some specific titles you might be interested in (recordings, or workings if you will, and comics).
I wonder where that seed is now. . .
Tom Shugart on 26 Jun 2003
I just knew you were up to something. I could feel it in the air all the way out here on the west coast.