riccimagic

The first step toward enlightenment

2011-01-11T22:21:00.000-07:00

A birthday gift from the Angels on my window this morning!

The year of practice is complete! I have learned so much. I am transformed. And yet, I am still me. Am I enlightened? I have come to know that enlightenment is an asymptote. I can come close to the target, but never quite get there. I am definitely moving. Today I have begun to reflect on the form of that movement and I want to post on some of the changes I have made in my life. One comes to mind immediately—my sense of sacred space.

The Temple of Riccimagic

A few months ago a friend offered an insight he heard somewhere along his journey, "The first step toward enlightenment is to clean your house." I have learned how true this! Intuitively I began my journey doing just that—purging my storage room, sorting through all the contents, reorganizing my home, and creating a new room in place of the storage area. I now have a holy space, a temple infused with the energy of spirit. This room has become a magical container for my practices such as yoga, meditation, Kundalini, prayer, writing, and ritual. What a gift this space has become for me! And what a gift it has been to rid myself of the piles of boxes with their mixed-up contents. It was like sorting through my underworld, peering into my shadowy self. I cleared out the old and created space for new light to flood in. Blessed Be! New light is flooding in—in rainbow colors. I am entering the Land of Many-Colors and my vision has been expanded in the light.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

My Meditation Bath

2010-12-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

I resisted the practice of meditation for a very long time. Sitting still does not come easy for me and every time I tried, it resulted in a lot of fidgeting, shifting and clock watching—trying in vain to make the time hurry by. Every session left me more and more convinced that meditating was not a practice I would ever be able to do.

Unmoved by my whining, Hermes held his ground. "Meditation is a core practice. Do it daily. No exceptions. No excuses."

Then he made a suggestion. "Try combining it with something you like, something that gives you pleasure, something you do eagerly and regularly." Immediately I thought of my daily hot water soak. Pure sensuous delight. Could meditation become part of that delight?

Indeed it has! Now, even during the busiest periods of my life, I create space for my mediation bath. I adore those moments of solace, silence and stillness. I have been doing this for more than two years and it has created deep inner change and an unexpected bonus. I now find delight in the mediation process itself—with or without the bath. What a wonderful transformation!

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Less than 60 days left

2010-11-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

My black blot chart

Last week November 11 came and went, signifying that I have just two months left before my birthday. I need to be fully in the practice by then. I have been keeping track of all 13 practices every day on a checklist that I developed and wrote about last April. This lets me know how I am doing—and I have seen improvement over the last ten months as I do more of the practices more regularly.

The closeness to my birthday makes me realize that I need to kick it up a notch. Hermes teaches that practices must be done every single day. He allows that "life happens" and I may miss one day of a practice, but any more than that and, "You're not in the practice. You are just fooling yourself," he says.

So I decided I needed to add another element to my chart system—a magic marker. I am now marking each time I miss two days in a row with a big black blot—making it instantly apparent where I have slipped out of the practice.

With less than 60 days left, it is imperative that the big black spots come to an end. Here I go, into the final stretch of claiming the practice and my own path to higher consciousness.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Enlightenment as Asymptote

2010-11-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

A few days ago a friend said, "So, you're getting close to your enlightenment." Indeed, the days are getting short before the arrival of my birthday on January 11, and that's the deadline I set for my own enlightenment. But I have to admit that his comment made me feel uncomfortable and a whole lot of inner voices chimed in with their familiar song: Who in the hell do you think you are?

Time to break out the Sorels!

I know those voices. They are the ones that put up barriers in the path of all of humanity from obtaining our birthright of our own godhood. They tell us we are unworthy and tainted and full of sin. They spit on us and call us damned. Believing those voices releases of our responsibility to do anything about our condition.

For many years I believed those voices, until Hermes began to teach me about the alchemy of human consciousness. He taught me that enlightenment is available for all humans and Buddha, Christ and others were early masters of it. The philosopher's stone to bring it about, he said, is the practice—the daily commitment to a set of 13 practices. He then began to show me how the practices work together and how to implement them in my life.

Hermes, working as any good alchemist does, wanted to set up an experiment—and he wanted to use the laboratory of my life. We made a plan for me to integrate all 13 practices in my life this year, culminating on my January birthday. I have been working hard at this, and am close to achieving the assignment of practicing all 13 on a daily basis. That brings me to today, looking ahead and wondering what kind of fireworks will explode on the magical moment when the calendar turns to 1-11-11.

No fireworks, Hermes says. Enlightenment is an Asymptote. An asymptote is an algebraic concept that describes a straight line that a curve approaches but never quite reaches. "The 13 practices bring you to the line," he says, "but that does not stop the energy of continually moving toward it. Continued devotion to the 13 practices keeps you in the active state of enlightenment—of hovering next to the asymptote. That is a magical state that will transform you (and the world) day by day by day."

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Awakening to the Golden Dawn

2010-11-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

The Golden Dawn from my patio this morning

I awoke to the Golden Dawn this morning. I photographed it. The Golden Dawn precedes the Golden Age. I see this morning's omen as a reflection of my own spiritual journey.

I dreamed my lover was incarcerated. He had done something against the culture of the day. He was being held in my home in a cupboard above my room. I thought I would go in and do an erotic dance for him to cheer him up. But, by opening up the cupboard, I enabled him to get out—and then he slipped away through the back door.

I set my inner lover free. That feels like a Golden Dawn to me—releasing my imprisoned inner masculine. The healthy one, the beloved one. I didn't realize I had imprisoned him. Blessed Be. He is free.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

My guides are telling me to post more

2010-11-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

I am resisting this because right now there are a zillion things I need to do before I leave in two hours to pick up Mom. She will be staying with me until Christmas. Beyond that, I don't know. Plans will be determined as my family unravels the complicated dynamics of physically, emotionally and financially caring for our own Sacred Mother.

Even though I am feeling a strong magnetic pull right now to put away dishes, vacuum the house, set up a budget for this new phase of my life and fold clothes, I am here, showing up with a post. My guides tell me it will take only a few minutes. "Set the stop watch," they say. "You'll see. In less than 20 minutes you'll have this done and you will be well on your way to reclaiming your writing voice."

Generally I follow the guidance offered me. But I do resist. Certain areas bring up more resistance than others: yoga, Kundalini, writing. But the guides persist as much as I resist, and eventually I give in to their consistent and gentle nudgings. Like today. It was the "set the stopwatch" piece that got me. That made a bit of a game of it. I'm at 6 minutes, 6 seconds now.

The resistance is not because I don't want to write. Often during the day I think of little mini-posts in my head. I want to tell more about my pilgrimage to the Black Madonna and how on the way home I met James Jereb and ended up buying his last original Stargate painting, Doorway to the Stargate—Egypt. The painting has the image of Hermes in the center. James delivered it a few weeks ago and we spent a magical day and a half together discussing the unfolding of human consciousness.

I want to write about Mom's presence here and the profound healing of it on an archetypal level. I want to write about my journey into the 13 practices and how I am finding a rhythm of doing them all. I am also noticing that I am becoming lighter both in psychic weight and brightness. I am not becoming lighter in physical weight, though, and I have been bothered by that. The teacher I need for this particular sticking point appeared a few days ago in the form of Marianne Williamson's book, A Course in Weight Loss. I have known for some time that weight issues are not about food, and not about exercise, but that they are somehow rooted in the psyche and spirit. That's the premise of this book. And solutions are offered in the form of 21 spiritual lessons that unfold day by day by day. I want to write about my experiences on this journey.

I want to post about the book Mom and I will be writing together...but my 20 minutes are up. All these awesome topics will be grist for the mill and incentive to push past tomorrow's resistance—and the next day, and the next, and the next...

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

I have been on pilgrimage

2010-10-09T11:00:00.005-06:00

Our Lady of San Juan del Valle

I recently returned from a pilgrimage to the bottom of Texas where I participated in a healing ceremony at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle. I also received the gifts of:

a walk into the Belly of Our Mother at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico
a solution to my money worries
a day at the Stardreaming Ranch in Santa Fe
inspiring conversation with visionary artist James Jereb
a miracle in the dark night
and a friend's loving embrace.

The mystical power of the dark Mother

What a gorgeous life this is!

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Carlsbad Caverns

Lilith at Stardreaming Ranch

Another Quarterly Report on My Enlightenment

2010-09-15T07:30:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday I passed another mile marker—the 11th of September. Now I have just four more months before I reach my destination—January 11th, my 55th birthday. That makes just one quarter left before the year I have dedicated to the 13 practices comes to an end and launches me into a new phase of my life.

This quarter has been full of change and transformation. Gratefully I received happy closure on the dark night that vexed me. Also, Mom has begun to live with me much of the time. Her disabilities (hip removal and stroke) make her support needs high, and her arrival into my home has been much like having a baby—a blessing and a challenge all rolled into one!

My progress on incorporating all 13 practices into my life has been good, but not good enough. Caring for Mom is a practice in itself (sacred care) and yet I have to learn how to keep it from monopolizing my time so much that I abandon the other 12 practices.

These are the issues I will be working with in this final quarter of my experiment. I must be doing all 13 practices daily in order to hold the vibration of enlightened consciousness. The alchemy is not accomplished without the philosopher's stone of practice.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

PS: Here's a photo of Mom when we recently walked the Labyrinth in a nearby park!

I took Mom to Our Lady of Peace in Pine Bluffs Wyoming

2010-07-17T09:05:00.002-06:00

"Case Closed"

2010-07-14T12:23:00.010-06:00

That was the subject line of the email sent to my boss Tuesday by the investigators. No findings. NOTHING. I have been exonerated. The nightmare is over. I didn't expect this—especially so soon! I didn't expect it because I have been in hell so long I began to think I lived there. I didn't expect it because I thought the lies had influenced people and the truth was getting lost. I didn't expect the process to move so quickly—it has already been more than 15 months. When the investigators were here they gave a time line that didn't offer hope of quick resolution. They said they would complete the report by about August 1 and send it up the line for decision by highers up. The higher-ups would mull it for a while before issuing a decision. Then my organization would respond. I expected months more of hell. And I didn't think I could take it.

But now it's over. The OIG didn't find enough to move forward with it. Case closed. My friends sent me a big bouquet of flowers with a card that read, "Congratulations! Complete vindication. You rock!"

Wow! I am free! I am rising up as if I have been in deep, deep water. I'm taking it slow. Rising too fast from the depths poses its own danger. But my thoughts have shifted. My mind is thinking creative thoughts. My heart is opening. My energy returning. People say I look different and sound different. I am born again!

In enormous gratitude for this rebirth,
Riccimagic

Mountain Lion in my Dreams

2010-07-11T12:05:00.008-06:00

The Mountain Lion came to me in a dream. This magnificent animal is a totem of leadership. (My Medicine Cards book says: If Mountain Lion has come to you in dreams, it is a time to stand on your convictions and lead yourself where your heart takes you. ) I am being called to lead from the heart in this very interesting time in my life.

Today is July 11—another 11th day mile marker on my journey to enlightenment. I have now arrived at the half way point. What an amazing path this has turned out to be! The dark night punctuates the need for the practice–requires it, actually. So I commit to it once again. It takes a lot of commitment to integrate all 13 practices into my life.

Last month I gave it a try. I was taking a solitary vacation in Mexico and had complete control over my time and activities. I wanted to see if I could really do it—so I created the circumstances that were pretty much ideal.

It worked. For four full days I completed every one of the 13 Practices. At the time I didn't notice fireworks exploding; yet now I can look back and see that something shifted in me. My vibration lifted a notch or two. That experience gives me a window into the possibilities. When I practice daily, long term, magic abouds! This is the power that will lift me up and transform me. Blessed be!

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

PS: Mom and I hung prayer flags today!

What it Feels Like, Part 2: Pain

2010-07-07T11:33:00.005-06:00

It hurts.

Doctors ask us to describe pain by rating it on a scale of 1-to-10. A rating of 1 is barely noticeable. Ten is excruciatingly unbearable. Doctors also want to know about pain characteristics. Is it continuous, intermittent, throbbing? Then they ask about the context of the pain. What activities trigger or relieve it? What improves or worsens pain? Are there other symptoms associated with it like fatigue, sluggishness or fever?

The pain I am feeling is continuous—although it does intensify or soften based on different circumstances. The continuous part is about a 5 on the pain scale and I experience it as a pall hanging over me—a dark cloud that makes everything pale and colorless. Associated symptoms include lethargy, lack of energy and exhaustion. I am robbed of my capacity to experience delight.

The pain intensifies with exposure to the source. Yesterday I spoke with a colleague from work—my first conversation since I started my leave. The conversation was perfectly fine; and this is a colleague I love and trust. But reconnecting with the source of the wounding has sent me into a tailspin. My pain level has risen to 8. My body protests with a flare up of IBS. I sit here now with a hot pad on my gut to soothe it. My energy level has dropped to 2 and I am on the verge of tears.

Noticing this trigger is good. I am learning what to avoid.

I have also learned over the past few days that the pain is lessened when I shift my focus to caring for my visiting disabled Mom, gardening, housework. Simple tasks offer some relief—when I can generate enough energy to complete them. Right now, I just want to sleep.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

The gaping psychic wound

2010-07-07T08:39:00.005-06:00

In my meditation yesterday I saw my psychic wound. It is large and gaping, as if a grenade has blown up in my chest. My spiritual guides and angels surround me in a flurry, like an emergency medical team at work. I am in danger.

I also see that my team is competent and experienced. I am in good hands. I ask what they need of me to assist in the healing and recovery process.

"Step into the wound," they say. "Kiss it on the mouth. Don't, don't, don't cover it over. Get in there and heal it. Be with your pain. Be with your fear. Be with the betrayal.

"Don't, don't, don't cover it over. That's what humans do—cover over psychic wounds allowing infection to grow underground. The festering mess then attacks you in all sorts of unconscious ways."

Again they admonish me to step into the wound. "And hold on to our hands. Hold on to the hands of friends and loved ones. Hold the hand of your therapist. Hold the hands of the nature spirits in your garden. We'll all get you through."

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Down for the Count

2010-07-05T10:37:00.007-06:00

Riccimagic is "down for the count." I remember that expression from a weekly ritual in my childhood home. Every Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. Dad would turn on the fights while Mom would draw the bath water. Dad watched boxing. Kids had a bath. Big night for us all!

Running through the living room in my birthday suit on those nights gave me enough exposure to the world of boxing to learn a few things. I learned that whenever a man was "down for the count" he had 10 seconds to get up or lose the game. The referee counted in the most animated way, using hand signals to emphasize the numbers. One! Two! Three! Four!

Today it feels as though I have been knocked down and there is a cosmic count underway to see if I will get back up and fight. Yesterday my Dad told me (echoing comments I have heard from a few of my friends) that if I don't get up, I am letting them win.

Is that true? Am I a loser if I don't get up and start duking it out in a fight I never wanted to be in in the first place? I never chose to enter the ring—untrained, unprepared and unwilling. Is it any wonder I have been knocked senseless? The brutality of the whole game offends me deeply. I don't want to be part of it. Can my higher consciousness show me an exit strategy?

My options seem to be two:

stay down and accept the defeat of knockout. This option means I won't go back to work. I will then face the loss of my career and all the hardships associated with it.
Get up and fight. Go back to work and show the world how strong I am. Wear the belt of the Champion.

But is that all there is? My mystical journey has taught me that life rarely offers either/or choices. Instead, both/and solutions abound. Is there a way I can BOTH rise up as champion AND get out of the ring?

Indeed! I pray, let my mystic eyes see the way!

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

What it Feels Like, Part 1: Fear

2010-07-05T00:04:00.005-06:00

Friends say, "I can't even imagine what you are going through."

How can I explain it to them—when I don't even comprehend it myself. I know there are many layers. Last night I entered the cave of deep meditation and saw the makeup of one deep, deep layer. Primal fear. Coming to terms with the fact that a group of people set out to ruin my life, strip me of my freedom, and send me to prison, has triggered a fear response in my deepest core.

Before last week, the possibility of going to prison was never in my psyche. But the accusation of criminal behavior and the ensuing investigation have awakened in me an awareness of the danger and a terror of it. Even though my mind offers reassuring evidence that it could never come to this—the false statements cannot stand up to the evidence—my emotional core has glimpsed the possibility and I am badly shaken.

A few years ago I was grazed by lightning while hiking on a mesa. The close call sent me flying down the hillside screaming. My feet barely touched the ground as I scrambled to my parked car. I have never before been so terrified. I knew I must get to the car or die. The threat to my life created raw, organic panic. Once again, I feel a threat to my life. This one is more subtle, but just as real. This time there is no place to run. No place that feels safe. So the fear bubbles up in every thing I do. Every thought, every conversation, every action—all influenced by the undercurrent of fear. That is not the way I want to live my life. But at this moment, I am not able to stop it.

Fear. That's part 1 of my emotional response. Stay tuned for more parts, as I peel off the layers on my journey to healing and wholeness.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

I am in a dark night

2010-07-03T11:34:00.005-06:00

I am in a dark night. It has been going on since the spring of 2009. I first posted about it in July of that year. I have hesitated to speak of it much because it is complex and there are legal ramifications. Nonetheless, I have come to a place where I know I need to share it as part of my healing. And heal I must. I cannot continue to walk through my life as if through a vat of honey. This thing has brought a pall upon me, sapping my energy, rendering me incapable of focusing and making the simplest tasks seem overwhelming.

I will tell the story here, disguising facts and changing names. Today, I'll give an overview, and details will emerge day by day as I go through the process.

The darkness began for me when the U.S. Inspector General delivered a subpoena to my workplace. The document, presented to my boss, requested all emails, financial records, personnel records and all communications regarding a federally-funded project that I manage. The investigator did not speak to me, nor offer any information about the reason for the investigation—only a sense that allegations had been made against me.

I descended into hell. This hell was filled with fear, humiliation, shame, anger and a hunger to understand what was happening. Last week the hell intensified as the investigators came to my organization to question me as well as members of my staff. They have been investigating the case for nearly two years, yet this is the first time I have spoken to them. The line of their questioning increased my horror and revealed to me that a group of former employees has gotten together to weave a web of lies. I learned for the first time that I, personally, was—and am—under investigation for criminal acts. These former employees have set out to not only ruin my reputation and my livelihood, but to send me to prison. When I left the interview, I was so shaken I could barely walk.

Now I am in somewhat of a PTSD stage. My mind cannot stop thinking about it. I am paralyzed by the pain. After attempting to work a few days, I realized I am unable to do so. I have no capacity to focus. I have no energy. I requested and received some time off. At this moment I feel I can never return. Nonetheless, I know it is not time to make such a decision. I will use the time to gain clarity before I make any life-changing decisions.

Last night I entered into a session with Hermes and asked for clarity. The guidance I received was this: Deepen into the practice. The practice raises your vibrational level and gives you perspective from a higher plane. Achieve that vibration through the discipline of performing all 13 Practices. Then you will be able to make decisions from a perspective of an evolved human. Everything looks different from that perspective. Don't act until you achieve it. Document your experience through this blog. Your life is an important laboratory for your own learning as well as that of others.

So here I am. Documentation has begun.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Quarterly Report on My Enlightenment

2010-04-14T07:48:00.005-06:00

Another 11th day of the month has come and gone—the milepost I use to take stock of my progress. This marks three months since I began my yearlong commitment to transformation—my Enlightenment Challenge. The first quarter is now complete. So what do I have to say for my quarterly report?

It has been a season of preparation, learning and planting seeds. Preparations include the cleansing and sanctifying of my habitat. I have purged clutter and that has lifted my spirits and made me lighter. Yes! I have become lighter, having released the weight of physical baggage and the psychic bonds that hold it to me. Whew! That feels good! I have created space in my psyche for something new, and lighter, to come in.

The project is not yet complete—it keeps expanding! I have tackled the unexpected need to repair stucco around the outside of my home and now I am onto the delightful assignment of turning the new room into a holy temple.

The Practices continue to teach me about themselves. I have all 13 listed on my daily record sheet. There are the seven core: protection, Kundalini, meditation, asking, speak ill of no one, nature and gratitude. The six electives I am working with are: study, sacred consumption, sacred space, meta-practice (the practice of keeping track of the practice), yoga and morning pages. During my purging project I found a "daily work out chart" among my papers. I modified it to be a daily practice chart. It has a row for every day and a column for every practice. I check off a box for the practices I complete each day. My goal is to have it look solid at the end of the month like a black-out Bingo card. You can see by the photo that I still have work to do! Nonetheless, I am making progress—with a simple, yet effective, system to track it.

I love the way the practices teach me about themselves. New understandings about specific practices—like nature or asking—come as I meditate on them. The tracking system makes me get very clear about what it means to actually practice something. How do I know when I can check off the box for "nature" on my chart? New clarity. New discipline. Very nice.

This quarter has definitely been one of preparing ground and planting seeds. I am looking forward to seeing what grows!

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

A Mignificent Easter Gift

2010-04-04T16:13:00.010-06:00

Wow! I am so excited about an amazing development in my room construction project. Since the beginning, I knew I had been guided by spirit to complete the room; but I didn't really know why. I supposed it was to create a room for Reiki treatments and a studio to record the videos I make for this blog. I also thought an extra guest room would be nice. Although nothing on this list was Earth shaking, the guidance was strong and persistent. So I gathered up some resources and began. Progress has been slow, but steady. The room is waiting for carpet and finishing touches. I have sorted through a lifetime of stuff and still have more to do. Nonetheless, every day I move forward.

Then yesterday a lightning bolt hit. It started when I was gathering materials to share on this blog about the powerful work that James Jereb is doing. He is a visionary artist in New Mexico who receives insights and messages from Masters in higher realms. This inspiration has led him to create stunningly beautiful art as well as to build a series of stone temples (The Temples of the Cosmos) south of Santa Fe.

He has put together a collection of his painted images into a card deck called, The Stargate Deck: Transformative Images for Heightened Awareness. The deck include practices for initiation into the stars. Very powerful. Very important. By attuning ourselves to the vibration of the stars, we attune ourselves to the vibration from which the Universe unfolded. My protection prayer shown at the end of the post is another way to attune yourself to the stars.

So what does this have to do with my Easter gift and construction project? When I clicked on James Jereb's Stardreaming website, I saw photographs of the temple he had created in his home. Instantly I knew, knew, knew, knew, knew, that my little room wants to become a temple! Imagine a whole room dedicated completely to spiritual practice! Imagine creating it with the single-minded intention of sacred space—a container for sacred work. Frankly, I haven't been able to stop imagining it since the idea hit me. I will give you a tour of it when it's complete. I am grateful, so very grateful for this enormous blessing. Easter, a time of birth and regeneration, indeed!

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Attuning to the Stars

Blessed Mother! Let us grow roots.
Let us grow roots into the soil and through the soil,
Into the rock and through the rock,
Into the core, the molten core that is the fire in the belly of our Mother.

Let this fire rise up into us through our roots,
Into our bodies through our legs,
Into our trunks, growing green and glowing green—
The green fire of life on Earth.
Let us remember we are life on Earth!

Let that green fire rise up into our arms, which are our branches,
To the stars from which it came!
Star fire burning in the belly of our planet,
To star fire burning in the belly of our Universe
Star to star—bringing us into the vibration of the stars—
The vibration from which the Universe unfolded.
Let us unfold to the glorious new possibilities for us!
Hold us in that vibration,
Protecting us from all that would harm us and all that we would fear.
Blessed Mother, let us shine as stars!
Blessed Be.

The Flying Blog

2010-03-26T12:17:00.007-06:00

I just started writing for the Flying Confessions Blog. Film producer Jennifer Fox started this blog and website as an extension of her award winning documentary, Flying, Confessions of a Free Woman. This amazing film chronicles the story of being a woman in today's world. Jennifer tells her own story through conversations with women around the world. Six hours in length—worth watching over and over again! Take a look at the trailer.

I am excited to be part of this blog. Check out my recent posts, "Claim Your Brain" and "Completely and Totally Bonkers."Here's a snapshot taken at the opening of Flying at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. I am surrounded by my friend, RM, on the left and Jennifer on the right.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Springtime in the Rockies

2010-03-23T07:22:00.011-06:00

Spring arrived at my house over the weekend with bright sun, clear blue sky, two-foot high snow drifts and lows of 8 degrees Fahrenheit. Here in the high plains of Wyoming, Spring sneaks in a little slowly. She sends calling cards of her coming like the three Robins I saw last week, the mid-day warmth that's starting to melt away the snow and the stirring of the Nature Spirits.

Earlier last week I heard the call of the Nature Spirits inviting me to work in the yard—an invitation I cannot resist! I love to feel them surround me and hear their whispers as I reach my fingers into cool Earth. But the weekend brought a snowstorm so I stayed inside and resumed my ongoing project of sorting through boxes and purging clutter. Boxes are still piled in my living room, but I just keep working through them. I want the project to be over and sometimes I feel overwhelmed by it. Those are the times I remind myself of the purpose: sacred space, simple, clutter-free. "I'm knowing where I am going," I say, and that knowing brings me back to focus and patience with the process.

The new room is beginning to look like an actual room—complete with painted walls, new light fixture and attractive window. Soon the carpet will arrive and the finish work will be done. It is exciting to see this new creation become a part of my house. First there was no room, now there is a room!

The window looks northward across my front yard, giving me a new view of my neighborhood. As I look out, I feel a connection to neighbors and passersby that I have not felt before. Perhaps this foreshadows a shift in me, opening into community in a new way. I will take note of that and observe.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

PS: Couldn't resist sharing a snapshot of Pookie looking for a snack!

March 11th Check In

2010-03-11T10:14:00.007-07:00

The coming month shall bring
winds of change in your life.
—Fortune Cookie, 2/25

It's another "11" day. I'm taking note of it. I feel the winds of change blowing through all aspects of my life. Like Autumn, I am in transition. A few flowers of summer still bloom. Others have gone to seed, providing tasty delights for the birds passing through. The leaves on the tree—part green, part chartreuse, part yellow—vibrate on the branches with the passing wind. How do you report that? Has summer left? Has fall arrived? Might it snow tomorrow bringing winter's first kiss. Yes. The transition contains pieces of all--threads of past, present and future. (Why do I write of Autumn when it is Spring? Because I know Autumn better; I gravitate there.)

I take note of the mile marker on the calendar, the 11th day of the month, because it marks three months into my year-long journey to enlightenment. I started on my birthday, January 11, in response to Hermes urging that I incorporate all 13 practices into my life. He explained that the 13 practices are the Philosopher's Stone for the alchemy of transformation for the human species. He says Homo Sapien can transform into Homo Glorious.

I said I'd do it, even though I didn't then (and still don't) know exactly what my 13 Practices are, or how to practice them. For example, I know that one of the practices is "Nature." But I don't know what it means to practice Nature. I ask. I listen. I begin to learn. Practicing Nature means being in tune with her rhythms. She instructs: Notice the phase of the Moon. Day by day see her movement across the sky. Notice from month to month how she rises later or earlier. What is her position in the sky? Watch the birds as they pass through on their journeys southward or northward. Who lingers longest? Listen to the squirrels. Notice colors of trees and plants and sky. Learn Autumn. Learn Winter. Learn Spring. Learn Summer. Tune into her. Feel your connection to her. Adore her. That is the beginning of the practice of Nature. More lessons to come.

All 13 practices come to me in different ways. I learn bits and pieces. I jot my progress daily on a new chart that I developed. (I'll show it in a future post.)

In three months I am feeling deep changes. I am happier. I see more beauty and vibrancy in the world. I notice a flow, wei wu wei (action without action), beginning to work in my life. Hermes tells me that dedicated practice of all 13 will bring me into a higher, sustained vibration—a state of higher consciousness, enlightenment. I am in awe and eager.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Hot Toddys and Neti Pots

2010-03-07T18:59:00.005-07:00

I just made myself a hot toddy. I used some luscious local honey, herbal tea, organic lemon, and Chivas Regal. It feels good going down. I hope it settles into me and lulls me into a nice long sleep. Yesterday, when I returned home from Washington DC, I brought a touch of the flu along with me. Fever. Body aches. Congestion. Exhaustion. Every move I make seems to take an enormous amount of energy. All the chores I planned to do must be left undone.

This makes me so aware of my body -- how I depend on her -- and how she has faithfully delivered time after time after time. I am so grateful for every muscle, every corpuscle, every bone, every nerve. Blessed body! I am filled with gratitude. Let me remember this gratitude--even in the face of body-hating culture that surrounds me. The soul loves the body and the body loves the soul, let me remember this union always!

As I am working with my body to move through this flu, I want to tell you about my favorite new health tool. Actually, it's not new at all because it's been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine to clean and protect the nasal passages. This has made a huge difference for me to keep my breathing passages clear. What a relief it is!

I'm off to bed now, asking for tomorrow to bring healing and new robustness.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Art and Body

2010-03-03T19:51:00.006-07:00

I am in Washington DC for meetings and yesterday I walked past the Library of Congress where this magnificent statue resides. It is part of a fountain that includes the sea god Neptune, flanked on either side by a horse-riding sea nymph. Notice the robustness of the female body! I love it!

I also had the opportunity to visit the National Gallery of Art. There, too, I saw beautiful paintings and statues of female bodies in all shapes and sizes. Classic art is a wonderful place to find images of all body types.

The National Gallery also offered an unexpected treat--an exhibit of Spanish art called The Sacred Made Real. This was like a walk through a temple to the Sacred Mother. A blessing indeed!

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Aunt Betty

2010-03-02T03:51:00.003-07:00

My purging project has come down to this: sorting through boxes and boxes of papers and exhuming documents of what seems like a former life. I cannot just dump these things because hidden among them are threads to my current life. Like ancestors, they have brought me here.

I sift through them and I feel the presence of my past and the people I have known. Sometimes an artifact of a relationship will pop out as if to greet me, like the business card of a long dead friend that drifted out of the heap and fell to the floor like an autumn leaf.

Or, perhaps it is a dream that will bring someone to mind. That's how Aunt Betty came. I dreamed I was in her big house, looking at it with the intention of buying it from her. In waking, I felt her presence, and an invitation to communicate, so I invoked her during my Saturday night meditation.

She came eagerly and we talked about how we had been in life together. I admitted to her how I had perceived her--as the quintessential mother--kind, caring, a great cook and hard worker--but not a woman of passion, or wildness or art. I saw her as my fat aunt who lived somewhat of a boring life. I even told her how my sister and I had named that little flab of fat that appears under women's arms "Aunt Bettys." As I admitted to these things, she expressed no anger or hurt, but she did say that I had missed something in my estimation of her. I had missed the sacredness of her beautiful body.

I knew she was right. I had viewed her through my own culturally-created projections of what her body type meant to me. Now that my body is beginning to look like hers (a few years ago my Dad told me I reminded him of his sister and I was not pleased) I am wanting to adore it. Aunt Betty came to help me with this, reminding me that this body type is filled with sacred energy. It is the body of a Goddess. I never saw it then, but I do now. I can see a radiant glow in the pictures of her. Aunt Betty is beautiful! I regret that I didn't see it while she was alive, but so very grateful to have the eyes to see it now.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

A Woman in Her Body

2010-02-21T10:10:00.014-07:00

La mujer en su cuerpo
es la fuerza más poderosa del planeta.

Hermes offered that mantra to me a few years ago while I was on a whale watching vision quest to the coast of Argentina. It means:

A Woman in her body
is the most powerful force on the planet.

Since then I have realized how true it is. As women, our power is linked to our bodies and the more fully we inhabit them, the bigger our power is. We inhabit our bodies by adoring our bodies. The patriarchal world view has stripped us of our power by creating a systemic societal disdain for the body female. As we take this in (and we can't help but take it in), the body we disdain most of all is our own.

Our culture projects upon us thousands of rules, images and size standards that we must adhere to in order to be considered acceptable, loved and beautiful. These standards are, at best, unrealistic and, at worst, misogynistic. I have worked hard to liberate myself, but it has not been easy. Everywhere I see images of thin bodies portrayed as the beautiful ones. My friends are always talking about diets and calories. We even equate health with thinness, which adds another layer of guilt for women whose body type does not match today's "ideal weight."

During my household purging project, I have unearthed many old snapshots. My first and immediate response to these images of my younger self is, "Look how skinny I was!" The irony is that I can remember being that woman in that body and, guess what?! I was on a diet! I haven't felt skinny since I was in high school. The lens from which I see myself has been so affected by cultural projections that it prevents me from seeing the beauty and sacredness of my own precious body.

That makes me mad. But anger doesn't help...unless I use it to propel me to action...action that will heal me.

In the massive pile of papers I've been sorting through (17 boxes of them!) I found something that reminded me of action I took a few years ago. I made a sketch of the Venus of Laussel. Her image carved in Limestone outside of a sacred cave in Southern France indicates the adoration prehistoric people had for her. She was the cover girl of the time, honored and preserved in perpetuity. Discovering her made me realize that our concept of beauty today is just that--a concept--one created by the patriarchal worldview that overlays our entire culture. (Her photo appears at the top of this blog.)

Next to my sketch of the Venus I wrote, "I want to embrace the archetype of her." Indeed! By filling my mind with images of archetypal beauties that match my own physicality, I can reset my personal response to body image. In this way I learn to love the archetype that I am. This shifts me to a place of adoring my own body; inhabiting my body, regaining my feminine power. Last night a friend and I committed to this work together. We will scan our environments for images that match our own body types. We will share them with each other. I invite you to join in the challenge by posting images you find that support your love of your own body. And this isn't just about bigness. There are magnificent archetypal images for small body types, too. Pixies, faeries, goddesses and sprites. There are archetypes that match us all! Let's see what we can find!

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

A pile of marital bagged removed

2010-02-11T08:10:00.006-07:00

My house is a mess. My entire house now has gotten into the act, because all the stuff from my storage room has flowed out into piles that require further sorting and distribution. One big pile left yesterday and I am enormously relieved. That was the pile for my former husband. He came over last night to go through it and take what he wanted. We haven't seen each other since the divorce three years ago and I was nervous. I didn't know how far he had progressed in his healing and processing of what happened between us.

So he came. His demeanor was ridged, guarded, and (most disturbing to me) pathetic. Eeyore-like. That was what hooked me into him in the first place--his helpless, hapless need to be rescued. I rushed in on my Lily White horse and together we created a poster child example of co-dependency. I needed to know that my man would not leave me (like my father did) so my rescuing ensured his dependence on me. In the end, that pattern was too deeply ingrained in our relationship to be healed and I called uncle.

I am saddened to see that he is still feeling victimized, and perhaps still wanting to be rescued. I hope that it was merely seeing me that triggered this old response in him. But that's his deal, not mine; it is not my responsibility to fix him. (Thank God I resigned from that impossible assignment!)

I am grateful that he came over to pick up his things. I am grateful we were civil to each other. I am grateful for the relationship that served our needs for many years. And, most assuredly, I am grateful that it is over. I say for him the Metta prayer: May he be at peace. May his heart remain open. May he awaken to the light of his own true nature. May he be healed. May he be a source of healing for all beings.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

As above, so below

2010-02-10T07:51:00.008-07:00

Today's date is oh-two-one-oh-two-oh-one-oh. I like to notice when the numbers line up.

I spent a restless night with dreams and abdominal pain—my psyche and my guts churning. The dreams and night visions pointed to an urgency for work to be done on Earth. Great work. I have had these episodes before. Reminders that we need to get busy. Very busy.

Actually, busy is not the right word at all because the most critical work for us to do now is not busy-ness in the traditional sense. It is not about doing. It is about imagining.

The imaginal realm is where all things are created before they come into form. What we think comes to be. We know this. Success gurus have been saying this for decades. You become what you think about. This works on a cultural and societal level as well. Our individual thoughts combine with others to create critical mass. Critical mass can either hold on to the status quo, or create change in our world.

We have all contributed to the status quo and holding on to our cultural world view, even though it includes a lot of things that we don't want: environmental degradation, violence, hunger, war, poverty, suffering. We have created together—we humans, over millennia—an illusion that this is the human condition and there is nothing to do about it. We have gotten stuck in this illusion.

But now there is a new vision emerging—a vision that we can evolve as a species into a new kind of human—one with expanded consciousness, new powers and amazing new potential. This is the vision Hermes has been teaching me and opening my mind to throughout the years I have been receiving his channeled messages. He calls it alchemy—the transformation of the old species into the new, golden species.

Many, many people are beginning to hear channeled messages of this kind. Many are experiencing what Andrew Cohen calls the evolutionary impulse–an unstoppable impulse to move yourself and society toward this evolutionary step. Groups are beginning to form around this idea—both in the physical and virtual world. Check out Awakening the Impulse to Evolve.

A big part of evolutionary awakening is to use our imaginations to envision what a new species would be like. Can we imagine a world without war? Can we imagine a world where humans live in harmony with nature? Can we imagine a society made up of Christs and Buddhas? This is part of the great work we can all do, right now, wherever we are. Think thoughts of a new world. Believe in this new world. Create it on the imaginal realm. Let critical mass form around our thoughts. Let it unfold in the physical as we imagine it in the non-physical.

That is what is meant by my signature line, "as above, so below." It is the formula for alchemy.

As above, so below,
Ricimagic

Treasures!

2010-02-08T08:22:00.005-07:00

I am finding treasures in my purging! They poke out of the rubble at the most unexpected moments. I found an earring in the pocket of an old overnight bag, and miracle of miracles, I still have its mate!

I also found a folder with some pages I printed from the Internet on 12/16/04. The pages include Map Quest directions to San Juan, Texas and information about the Virgen de San Jaun del Valle Shrine that I was planning to explore back then. It is a place of pilgrimage, visited by up to 20,000 people each week. They come to pray to Our Lady of San Juan and to be transformed and healed by communion with Her. The trip would have been my first pilgrimage to a Marian site. At the time I was on sabbatical and I wanted to take the 24-hour drive leisurely and meditatively. But the year of my sabbatical turned out to be the year of my divorce and I had no energy nor resources for traveling. The plan was forgotten, until last week, when it reemerged into view.

Another miracle of miracles, this fall my profession's national conference will be held in San Antonio, Texas—just four hours away from San Juan! Yep! I'm going!

I am now more ready than I have ever been. How perfect that the trip falls within the year of my commitment to spiritual practice! Last year I had an opportunity to visit a Marian shrine near Santa Cruz. I knew nothing of the site, but the friend I was visiting mentioned it and asked if I wanted to go. It is a Shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe at Pinto Lake that has sprung up around a tree that has the image of the Virgin growing in the bark. Local devotees have been coming since 1992. Recently I submitted some of the photographs I took there to the lovely blog, The Divined Feminine. This blog is dedicated to showcasing images and symbols of the Feminine that are everywhere in the world around us. You can see my shots there.

My experience at the Guadalupe site was profound! I could really feel the power. Spiritual sites experience a build-up of energy. When we enter this energetic field to heal and pray, the energy washes over us. Healing and transformation are assured. Every spiritual pilgrimage I have taken has changed my life in some way.

Now I have another pilgrimage in my future. A treasure found, indeed!

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Meet Otis

2010-02-06T12:57:00.004-07:00

I'm looking at Otis, a 45-year-old snake curled up in my chair. I just gave him a bath and made him new eyes and a pair of nostrils. He looks pretty good considering he's been holed up in my storage boxes for several decades. I'm glad I rescued him from my stuff. I like having him around. I posted his picture so you can see just how cute he is!

He is one of several stuffed animals I found during my purging project. Some of them might be considered antiques. (Ugh! Let me rephrase: some might be considered vintage—that doesn't sound quite so old!) Others were in such bad shape I decided, sentimentality aside, to throw them away.

Then an idea came. What if I slice them open and give their insides to the squirrels? We've had several nights of double-digit below zero temperatures and maybe my furry friends are looking for some extra insulation. I have seen them tear into patio cushions to get at the stuffing, so why not make an offering to them?

Thursday I put out a clump of the soft stuff and voila! It was gone within 24 hours. I put out another clump yesterday and this time I was here to catch the action. The squirrels came and filled their little mouths with big, huge bites and scurried away along the fence. Such delight!

Here's a picture of my storage purging project as it looked this morning. It still looks horrible, but if you compare it to the photo I posted on January 31, you can see that I have made progress. I'll be busy with it all weekend as construction is scheduled to start next week. I'm holding the vision of the competed project—a new studio for my spiritual work. That keeps me going!

As above, so below
Riccimagic

My friend Flicker

2010-02-03T08:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of the beautiful Flicker that has been visiting my sacred Ash tree every morning. What a delight to have him and his partner in my space!

Before they arrived I began hearing messages from my guides to "pay attention to the birds." Now I feel so very blessed to have them arrive! As I said in an earlier post, the flicker is an auspicious omen of major creative changes in one's life. This is so affirming to me—especially at this time when I have committed to a year of deep spiritual practice.

Notice the black crescent on his breast. My Animal-Speak book says this is representative of the New Moon. "The flicker thus symbolizes a new sensitivity of the heart that is about to be awakened. This will stimulate new healing energies, and it can reflect that you will experience emotions more intensely." How apropos! I am experiencing very intense emotions with my family and working very hard to transmute them for lasting healing.

I spent the last weekend "at home" with Mom and my sister. It was very difficult for me to be there and maintain inner peace. In fact, my insides were churning about with hurt and anger. But I did not act on these emotions. I observed them and let them flow through me--and I took Hermes advice (from my last video session with him) and did not let them into the driver's seat. I know they would have caused a collision!

So I'm back at home now and feeling better. I am doing a lot of writing about this and realizing that my relationship with my sister has been unhealthy for a long time. We have sugar coated it with niceties, but it has been filled with violations of boundaries, and co-dependent behavior. So this latest blow up is really an opportunity for me to heal my wounds around this in my journey toward wholeness. We are all wounded. Our species carries so many emotional wounds from this lifetime and before. Part of our great work is to heal these wounds, clear our karma so we can rise up to our new radiant selves.

As above, so below
Riccimagic

A time for purification and renewal

2010-02-02T06:38:00.004-07:00

It is Imbolc, Candlemass, Groundhog Day—the cross quarter day between the winter solstice and spring equinox. It is a time to celebrate the return of the light, the waking up of the new year, the stirring of the seed. It is also a time for purification, for washing off the old, clearing out the baggage, making ourselves new for the awakening dawn. In Celtic traditions, Candlemass celebrations are dedicated to Brighid, a triple goddess associated with fire and water. Many holy wells are dedicated to her in the British Isles and Ireland and I visited a few of them on my pilgrimage to Ireland last fall. Her energy is renewing indeed!

Although I didn't consciously plan it this way, my remodeling project is perfectly timed for Brighid's season! I am purifying my house and cleansing my sacred space. This project, that at times feels so overwhelming, is blessing me in ways that I cannot yet understand! Tonight I will celebrate with a ritual for Brighid, lighting candles and saying prayers.

Off to take a cleansing bath before the day begins!

As above, so below
Riccimagic

Stuff Stuff Stuff Stuff Stuff

2010-01-31T09:28:00.007-07:00

I have lived in this house for 15 years and for all that time I have had a 160-square foot dumping ground for household castoffs. It is an unfinished room left that way by the previous owners when they converted a garage to a bedroom. Little by little I have filled this room floor-to-ceiling with stuff.

The time has come to finish this room and make it into a new space for my Reiki practice. However, before the first piece of drywall can be hung, or the first nail hammered, I have do do something with all this stuff.

With a deadline of next Monday, when the contractor is scheduled to begin, I have been working to clear it out. Day by day I have been pulling out boxes and moving shelves and making piles—this goes to garage sale, this to Goodwill, this to give away, this to former spouse, and this I keep. (Since there is no space in my house to keep any more stuff, I also have to clean out closets and cupboards within my living space.) 160 square feet if stuff piled upon stuff takes a lot of time to process.

Part of the processing has been internal. I have done a lot of thinking and made a resolve that I never want to stuff my house full of stuff again. I watched Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff to support my resolve. The stuff we buy has so many hidden costs. For me personally there is the cost I pay for it, the cost of maintaining it, storing it, insuring it, disposing of it and worrying about it. For society, there is the cost to the environment and the people exploited in its manufacture. Stuff is no bargain.

As I sort through my treasures and trash, I am deepening into my practice of Sacred Space. I am learning that I must be very clear and intentional about what I bring into it.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Let me be whole!

2010-01-27T07:20:00.002-07:00

It is Gibbous Waxing. This is the time to contemplate the prayers you want to send to the full Moon when she arrives this weekend. These are prayers for the fullness of your life—the desires of your heart. The first prayer I sent out to her was, "Let me be whole!" That was several years ago and I am still praying it under the full Moon.

Let me be whole! Let me be whole!

Now, after a few years of offering this prayer, I can look back and see how things have been shifting and moving, and how I have been changing toward wholeness. Even now, in the midst of a very upsetting family situation, I can see that it brings up very important work I need to do with my emotions and anger. I cannot be whole when rogue emotions trample around in my psyche. I need to develop new skills. My current upset blesses me by offering me a training ground for these new skills. Blessed Be.

Last weekend, I brought my upset to Hermes and he offered his teaching and guidance. "Observe your anger," he said. "But don't participate in it." Here is a short video of this message.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Speak Ill of No One

2010-01-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

Hermes told me about the core practice of "Speak Ill of No One" more than a year ago, but I have not figured out how to really practice it. Now, he has recommended it to support me in the transmutation of my anger— the push I needed to begin working with it. (In this way, my current upset is actually a gift to nudge me to deepen into this practice!)

While contemplating the meaning of "Speak Ill of No One," I remembered the First Agreement in Don Miguel Ruiz's classic book The Four Agreements. Ruiz says it this way, "Be impeccable with your word." He describes our words as powerful magical tools that can cast spells of poison or of love. When we gossip, or speak ill of others, we cast a spell of pure poison with every word. Now I understand that "Speaking Ill of No One" means putting an end to the poisonous spells I cast with my words.

But it is not easy. My family situation certainly bears this out. My anger makes me want to speak my point of view, which, of course, damns my sister in the process. As Ruiz explains, we live in a world addicted to pain and fear. These addictions drive us to continually create more fear and pain by spewing poison from our lips. We do it automatically, unconsciously, compulsively.

I cannot stop—so I asked for help. The answer arrived in the form of another practice. This is the Buddhist practice of loving-kindness called Metta. The Metta prayer is said to send loving-kindness to oneself, then rippling out toward loved ones, communities, and finally to enemies, or those people with whom we struggle. There are many versions of the Metta prayer. This is the one I have memorized:

May I be at peace.
May my heart remain open.
May I awaken to the light of my own true nature.
May I be healed.
May I be a source of healing for all beings.

I have begun to practice Metta for my sister and I can see how my anger towards her is beginning to soften. As I call her into my awareness I say the words. I mean them. This is truly what I wish for her:

May she be at peace.
May her heart remain open.
May she awaken to the light of her own true nature.
May she be healed.
May she be a source of healing for all beings.

Yes. These are things I can say with sincerity. So I do. And I feel better.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

This is Asking

2010-01-25T07:29:00.000-07:00

I asked Hermes to give me some insight into the practices that will help me transmute my anger. The response was powerful! I have about 35 minutes of video I need to edit and post. In the meantime, here are a few highlights. He said there is no one practice, but all 13 are necessary for true transformation and emotional healing. When we incorporate all 13 Practices into our lives, we are lifted up a few notches in our vibrational level. This puts us into a state where anger transmutation is possible. As humans, we are so addicted to responding with anger and pain, that we need to rise above our human-ness a bit in order to process our emotional responses differently. This is what commitment to the 13 practices can do for us.

I am not yet fully integrated with all 13 practices, so Hermes offered me a strategy for my current need: continue with all the practices that I regularly do, emphasizing Protection, and adding Asking and Speaking Ill of No One.

Protection is the core practice that is an antidote for fear—and fear is the primary wound of our species. We all carry it around with us. Daily practice of requesting protection from "all that would harm us and all that we would fear" relieves us of our chronic fear reaction to every upset. I have been practicing Protection daily for about two years. I posted a video and text of of my protection ritual last August:

My Ritual is a Mosiac.

The second practice that Hermes suggested is "Asking." This Practice is still emerging for me. In other words, I am still receiving guidance about it and how it wants to manifest itself in my life. When Hermes offered it as support for my current situation, I asked for clarification. Here's the dialogue that followed:

Riccimagic: Explain asking. Why is asking going to help?
Hermes: Because you need a miracle! You need help. You don't know how to do this. You don't want to do this! You need help. Ask for help.
RM: Ok. I need help. (Praying)
I need help.
I want help.
Please help me. Mother! Father. Help me!
Angels help me!
Faeries help me!
All the Teachers of the Light that come to me, help me!
Help me rise above this anger. I am not capable of doing it myself.
I need to be lifted up!
Lift me up!

Hermes: (With approval) This is asking!

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Red Shafted Flickers

2010-01-24T12:44:00.001-07:00

A pair of red shafted flickers has joined the collection of visitors who frequent my sacred Ash tree. They come daily—the mourning doves, the big black crows, the chattering squirrels, the sparrows—and now the magnificent flickers. I love to see them. Animal Speak by Ted Andrews tells me they are an omen for creative change. "...latent talents and intuition are going to be activated to a greater degree.... the stimulation of the latent talent is going to be a catalyst for major creative changes in your life. Your physical and material life is going to change."

I like that. It resonates with my intuitive sense that 2010 will be a year of opening and expansion for me. I feel the energy of the red flickers. They arrive during the year of my 13 practices. Auspicious omen, indeed!

I hope to photograph the flickers. They are truly gorgeous birds! In the meantime, here's a shot I took this week in my backyard sanctuary. The Goddess is the centerpiece of my spiral meditation path. She basks in the winter sun, casting a magical spiral shadow!

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

The Cauldron Bubbles

2010-01-20T07:53:00.001-07:00

My guides are saying, "Note to Everybody: You need to be working on your own anger. Stop projecting it on everybody else."

As much as I don't want this family situation to be about me and my anger and what I need to do about it, it seems to be at least part of it. My ego would much rather focus on my sister and HER issues. But my ego has been running the show for too much of my life. I want to hear the wisdom of my spirit—the wisdom that tells me I need to use this upset and anger to propel me to a higher vibrational level. I want that. I want to calm the storms of anger that pass through me. I want to sail on seas of compassion and love. Transmuting this anger toward my sister is my first step.

How can I do this in a real way? Transmuting anger does not mean stuffing it. God knows I've done enough of that. Then it festers and grows and emerges larger and more virulent than before.

The cauldron bubbles within me. Anger, hurt and rage are still present—not easily cast away with the wave of my will. Harsh words have been said. The sting of them still hurts and infuriates me. Compassion, love and forgiveness—desired but elusive. The anger drives them off.

Transmutation means turning that which is toxic into power. That's what I want, but I am affected and stymied by the toxins. I need to cleanse myself through practice. The answer to prayer is always a practice. What is the practice for this situation? Ahhh. That will be a question for my sessions with Hermes this weekend.

As above, so below
Riccimagic

An angel vomiting on a cloud

2010-01-17T11:29:00.001-07:00

If emotions are engines to move me to rapture, why am I still feeling pissed off and hurt? (That's the problem with the messages from spirit guides—they are always big, glorious principles that don't seem to take into account the ego and human frailties we deal with when trying to put them into action!)

Nonetheless, I'm trying. I'm trying to process this from the point of view that my pain and anger are in service of my spiritual advancement. La La La La La. I am an angel singing on a cloud. Then my ego says, "You're not going to let her get away with this are you? ARE YOU?!"

La La La. The angel strikes a sour note. Indeed, I would like to give her a piece of my mind. I'd like to let her know exactly how unconscionable her actions were. I envision the conversation. The words run through my mind. My words. I don't even want to hear her words because I know they will be filled with her own projections on me. I see myself lifting my hand as she opens her mouth and proclaiming, "I don't even want to hear it!"

Basically I want to lay on her all my anger (which, admittedly, might contain a few of my own projections), and all her guilt, and all her screwed-up-ness, and then walk away wiping my hands.

Not a pretty picture—and not very rapture-esque. I am grateful that I don't need to see her for a few weeks so I can take more time to work the junk through my system. Kind of like food poisoning. A lot of stinky, ugly stuff spews out before recovery. La La La. I'm an angel vomiting on a cloud.

One bright spot. In a conversation with a friend last night, I saw a glimmer—a tiny slip of an insight. I saw that maybe, just maybe, the upset has roots in my core wounding—the wound that says I am not valued, don't belong here, am more trouble than I'm worth. This wound has vexed me my whole life and I am in the midst of deep work to rid myself of its power over me. What if there is a way this current upset can support the healing of this core wound? That thought feels better—a notch up the emotional scale. Good. I'll work with that.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Emotions are Engines

2010-01-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

Awesome material came through the channel last night! I went in to my session with Hermes bringing the question, “What is the purpose of emotions?” I also went in feeling the affects of a very, very, very upsetting day. The upset was compounded as the day progressed. Not only was I feeling the pain and anger over my family situation; but a problem came up at work, plus a worrisome rush to the vet with my pet tortoise. These three streams of upset converged into one big river of upset—putting me in the perfect (?) state of mind to ask Hermes about emotions.

Hermes delivered a powerful answer! Check out the video for the channeled words. He talks about emotions as engines that move us through our lives—and even through the evolutionary process. I never before noticed the "motion" in emotion! Dictionary.com says the word emotion comes from esmovoir, "to set in motion." Now the challenge for me is to reframe my upsets as motion initiators. What motion is my family situation encouraging in me? Something to ponder over the next few days.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

The wind and waves of my emotions

2010-01-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

Two purring cats on my lap. A warm fire burning in the wood stove. The sun rises in a cloudless sky. All is serene, right? All except the storm that rages in my emotional world. That storm is still churning up thoughts of how I was hurt, how wrong she is, and scenario after scenario about what I should do about it. I am weary of the storm, but I feel powerless to calm it. Didn't Christ calm the storm? How did he do it?

I need that same magical grace to calm this storm. Where can I find it? Is it within my human capacity to perform this miracle? My therapist tells me to forgive myself for being human—for making mistakes, for saying things I wish I hadn't, for getting upset, for getting hurt, for hurting others. Human beings do these things. But I am not satisfied with that. I want to be super human. I want to be the new human, the evolved human. Homo Glorious, not Homo Sapien. Yet the storms keep passing through my life, reminding me that I am, indeed, human.

It helps to talk about my emotions as a storm passing through. I understand weather systems—they cycle through as part of our natural planetary rhythms. Sometimes they cause damage and even death. Can the Christ in me rebuke the waves and wind of my fierce emotional storms and create calm? Hmmm. I'll have to ponder that. What would rebuking the waves and wind of my emotions look like?

Rebuke is an interesting word. It comes from the King James version of the story. Dictionary.com says to rebuke is to "express sharp, stern disapproval of; reprove; reprimand." Another version, the Basic English, says Jesus "gave orders" to the wind and sea. I think I like that better.

Today I'm going to work with this. I am going to notice my storm and rebuke it—or give orders to it—and see if I can calm it. Sounds fun. I'm smiling now at the thought. Already the storm has calmed a bit.

As above, so below
Riccimagic

Rogue Emotions

2010-01-14T07:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a hard day. I was hurt, angry and upset. My two sisters and I are managing the care of my aging mother who was disabled by a stroke a couple of years ago. Last summer she fell and exacerbated her disability with a broken hip and shoulder. I'm learning that caring for an elderly parent brings up new, complicated and intense family dynamics.

Those dynamics rose to a fevered pitch yesterday when one of my sisters acted in a way that felt like a huge betrayal to me. The hurt and rage boiled up in me. I was wild inside, inconsolable. I wanted to lash out, scream, cry, and return the hurt I was feeling. My emotions were running rogue—like an elephant trampling through a village. Get out of the way or you will be run over, bloodied and maimed! The more violent the better! Emotions on a rampage are dangerous.

This doesn't sound much like a mystic filled with love and light, does it? But, don't say anything like that when I'm on a rampage—I'll scratch your eyes out. Rogue emotions are like that. Dictionary.com describes rogue as "having an abnormally savage or unpredictable disposition." Yep. Yesterday proved I am entirely capable of unpredictable savagery. Yet, how do I reconcile that with my spiritual journey?

I first heard the term "rogue emotions" in India two years ago during a series of teachings offered by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He spoke of rogue emotions as detrimental to our spiritual lives and encouraged spiritual practices like meditation to help us get emotions in alignment with our spirit. He wasn't talking about stuffing the anger inside and acting "nice." I've spent much of my life doing that—followed by years in therapy healing the damage and learning to be real.

So what is up with these emotions that flow through us like storms? They must have a purpose, or else they wouldn't have been part of our evolutionary development, right? Can rogue emotions be tamed? Or used in some way to further spiritual development? If so, how? I think I'll ask these questions to Hermes during my next channeling session. (I usually engage in this ritual practice on Friday and Saturday nights.) I'll report back what I learn.

In the meantime, any insights about emotions you can offer from your own lives and spiritual journeys?

As above, so below
Riccimagic

The Practice of Practice

2010-01-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

Meta-practice, or the practice of documenting and studying my own practice was the first elective offered to me by my guides. It came as a result of my sense of being overwhelmed by learning 13 practices and my spiritual whines: "It's too much! How can I learn them all and do them all? How can I possibly keep track?"

Unabashedly, Hermes replied, "You need a practice to monitor your practice." Sounds so simple, but I managed to make it more complicated than I need to—probably so I could procrastinate it as long as possible!

I began looking for an electronic tool to keep track of my practice because I want to be able to search all my notes. (Don't you just love the "find" key? I'd like to have one that works in my house!) After doing some web research, I selected an inexpensive note card system called SuperNotecard by Mindola. It was designed for writers and based on the trusty 3 x 5 card method for collecting and sorting ideas. I am using it for my meta-practice as well as for keeping records of my spiritual journey. (One thing Hermes has emphasized is that I need to treat my spiritual work like a science, recording everything along the way.) You can try SuperNotecard for free, and purchase it for $29.

For my meta-practice, I created a virtual stack of cards (called a Deck by SuperNotecard) for each practice. On the top of each deck, I note the dates that I complete the practice. This gives me an instant overview of how I'm doing. On the cards within the deck, I write notes about how I am experiencing the practices: struggles, joys, indicators of change, new ideas and new ways of understanding the practice. SuperNotecard has a color-coding feature, so I coded the core practices in dark green and the electives in light green.

I posted a screen shot of my card decks below. Sorry you can't read the words; I couldn't get it to appear any larger. But you can see that there are seven dark green cards for the core practices and four electives in light green. (I have not yet been given the other two electives.) On each of the cards I have marked the dates in January that I have completed the practice. Very simple! This can also be done even more simply by using real 3 x 5 cards!

The meta-practice has been great! I am now so much more consistent and accountable for my daily practices. Thanks, Hermes!

As above, so below!
Riccimagic

13 Practices of Transformation

2010-01-12T09:22:00.001-07:00

Now that I’ve said out loud that I’m dedicating the next year to the 13 Practices of Alchemical Transformation, I thought it would be a good idea to clarify just what that means. My spiritual guides, who go by the name of Hermes, have taught me over the past 2 years that human beings can become the catalyst for their own evolutionary advancement by adopting certain spiritual practices. That’s why Hermes calls the 13 practices the Philosopher’s Stone for Evolutionary Alchemy, because they are the necessary ingredients for conscious transformation to take place.

Hermes has taught that the 13 Practices consist of seven core practices and six electives. The core practices are those we all need to incorporate in our lives. The electives are six practices that are individualized for our specific needs for spiritual growth, healing, and emotional wellbeing.

Hermes has been very clear about what it means to be in a practice. “Did you do it today? Did you do it yesterday?” If I can’t answer yes to one or both of those questions, then I am not truly in the practice. I used to fool myself that it was just fine to be intermittent in my practice. Hermes has been nipping that little bit of self-deception in the bud!

So, my commitment for the next year is to practice, really practice, all 13 Practices. Since I have been working with this information for some time I am entering this year-long goal with a pretty good handle on just a few of them. I’m pretty consistent with meditation and protection. I’m getting better with Kundalini, gratitude, yoga and meta-practice.

Meta-practice is the practice of keeping track of your practice. This has been a boon to me—making a huge difference in my ability to be consistent. Next post, more on how this meta-practice works.

As above, so below,

Riccimagic

One One One One One

2010-01-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday. WooHoo! A milepost along my life's journey. This is one b-day I've been contemplating for some time. It's the year before my birthday numbers line up to 1-11-11. Very powerful alignment—especially for new beginnings. I'm taking note and using this year to create something big within me.

I decided to challenge myself to incorporate all of the 13 Practices of Alchemical Transformation into my life this year. These are the practices Hermes has been teaching me. He calls them the Philosopher's Stone for the alchemy of transforming our human species into its next evolutionary step—the golden, glorious human!

Day by day I'll report on my progress. Forward steps as well as backwards ones. This will definitely be a journey of discovery for me and I look forward to sharing it with you. Some of the practices have not yet been revealed to me; but I know they will come when the time is right. I'm starting with those I know. The seven core practices are: protection, kundalini, meditation, gratitude, asking, speak ill of no one and nature. I have received three of my six electives: yoga, meta-practice and breath work. These will all be discussed much more in the days ahead. I have also created a countdown ticker at the top of the blog to help me stay focused.

So here I go—jumping in with both feet. One, two, three, and I'm off!

A New Vision for the Blog: Mystic Living

2010-01-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

It has been more than three months since I posted—having last pressed the “publish” button just before dashing off to Ireland. The Ireland experience was truly transformative (more about Ireland to come!) I am still processing the changes that are arising in me. One of those changes is a new vision for this blog. Originally, I created it to share the richness of my mystical journey and the insights offered by my guide group, Hermes. I began by recording my channeling sessions and posting them. I realize now that something has been missing—the context of my life. In addition to being a mystic and channeler, I am a woman living out my life. This includes joys as well as stressors: job, family, lover, friends, garden, pets, study, household chores. My life as a mystic is not separate from these things—but rather, interwoven with them. I have come to learn that one of my key challenges is to integrate my mysticism into the whole of my life.

Today is the beginning of a new version of the blog—one that includes my life journey as context for the channeled messages from Hermes. My posts will be more frequent, shorter, and may or may not include a channeled video. I am also working with audio and photographs — so I hope to keep it media rich. I'm looking forward to this new aspect of my work and I hope to hear the stories of your own mystic living experiences. Let's keep in touch as we take this exciting journey of growth together!

Earth's Kundalini Rising

2009-09-23T00:54:00.000-06:00

I'm headed off to the magical isle of Ireland tomorrow early and I will leave you with the channeling vid I filmed in SLC. I love to observe the power of the messages that come through. Here I saw for the first time how the Kundalini energy rising is a planetary phenomenon—not just an individual human experience. This is what is providing the force and momentum behind our evolutionary unfolding. Amazing!

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Deepening into the Practice: 7 Core

2009-09-06T20:41:00.000-06:00

Deepen into the practice. That's what my guides have been saying to me for more than five years. Gradually that practice has been articulated in a way that is easy to grasp. The practice schema that I have received from my guides includes 13 practices, seven of which are core. I have posted some videos and blogs about this, but I think it will be helpful to bring them all together. The seven core practices are: 1: Protection (see my protection ritual posted last week), 2: Kundalini, 3. Meditation, 4. Asking, 5. Speak Ill of No One, 6. Gratitude and 7. Nature.

I have posted videos on all but 6 and 7, so those videos are included here. Deepening into the practice means organizing your life so that you can do all the practices every day. This takes intention and devotion to the practice. For me, it also takes record keeping, so I can make sure that I don't accidentally drift away from any one of them.

The six remaining practices are called "electives." These are offered to each of us in answer to our prayers. I'll be talking about this more in the coming weeks.

Spiritual practice is the key to our evolution. It is the Philosopher's Stone for the alchemy of creating a new, magnificent human. I am still working on my practice, not having incorporated all 13 yet. I have set a goal for my birthday in January to achieve this. I have a lot of work to do!

As Above, So Below
Riccimagic

My Ritual is a Mosaic

2009-08-27T14:00:00.000-06:00

While in SLC caring for Mom, I had the opportunity to record my protection ritual with a friend who provided lovely accompaniment. Fun!

About the ritual—it has developed over several years as my own practice of protection. (Practice #1). It has been influenced by many teachers and experiences—a mosaic of prayers, songs, phrases, poems and teachings woven together by my own words and those offered by my guides. Its form changes a bit every time I say it and I have never written it down before. I have received requests for a written version, so here is its debut, transcribed from the recording I did in SLC. I have also added notes about some of the teachers who have influenced this mosaic.

Use this as an example of how to create your own ritual. Start small and let it grow, enhanced by the richness of your spiritual journey. Enjoy! Have fun!

As above, So below,
Riccimagic

Riccimagic's Protection Ritual

Angel Raphael, Angel Michael
Angel Gabriel, Angel Uriel
All the teachers of the light
Bring to us your spirits bright
Open up our second sight
All the teachers of the light.

Angel Raphael, Angel Michael
Angel Gabriel, Angel Uriel
All the teachers of the night
Join us on our Earthly plight
Fill us with your holy might
All the teachers of the night. (1)

The dark night has its teachers.

Surrounded now by the sacred masculine,
The holy Archangels,
Reaching now into our awareness of the sacred feminine,
The Holy Mother.

Alleluah Mother
Source of the Heavens and Earth
Blessed are thou amongst Birthers
And glorious are the fruit of thy womb.
Holy One, Mother of God
Awaken within us the Fullness
Of Thy divine presence,
Now! And in the hours of our many births and deaths.
Hear our prayers. (2)

Fill us with your light; hold us in your light.
Let us breathe in your light.
Your heart to our heart, our heart to your heart.
Let this light flow into us with every breath we take,
And out of us through every pore in our body.

Let us be beacons of light, flames of light in the world.
Scour us clean with this light,
Of all our baggage and ego and attachments and wounds.
Heal us from our wounds!
Blessed Mother let this light flow into us healing us from our wounds.

Let this light flow into us.
Let us be the hollow bone. (3)
Let us be the hole in the flute that the Christ breath blows through. (4)
Blessed Mother, let us be the proper vessel giving birth to God (5)
Moment by moment by moment.

Blessed Mother, hold us in this light,
Protecting us from all that would harm us and all that we would fear.
All that we would fear...the thoughts of fear...
Burn them off before they can get inside of us.

Blessed Mother! Let us grow roots. (6)
Let us grow roots into the soil and through the soil,
Into the rock and through the rock,
Into the molten core that is the fire in the belly of our Mother—
The star still burning in the fire in the belly of our Mother.
That belly burns bright!

Let that fire rise up into us through our roots,
And into our bodies through our legs,
And into our trunks that grow green! And glow Green!
In the magnificent fire of life on Earth burning in us.
We are life on Earth.
We are that!

Let that green fire rise up into our arms,
Which are our branches, and reach out to the stars!
The star stuff that burns in the belly of our Earth, (7)
Rising up through us shooting out to the stars from which it came.
Blessed fire of life that unfolded the Universe, (8)
Let us vibrate in that fire!
Protecting us from all that would harm us and all we would fear on all vibrations!
That is power!
Blessed Mother, hold us in that light and let us shine as stars!

Thank you

(1) Calling the Angels song taught to me by Carol Vaccariello, Spiritual Coach
(2) Rosary prayer to the Black Madonna written by fellow Creation Spirituality Student, Su Skjersaa. Su gave me one of her unique creations, a Rosary, that I use while walking my meditation path in my backyard.
(3) From Native American tradition, taught to me by Dan Hayward
(4) Hafiz
(5) I heard His Holiness the Dalai Lama speak at Drepung Losling Monastery in India a few years ago and he spoke of our responsibility to be the proper vessel for our Buddha nature. The metaphor of the vessel has always been a womb space for me, so I saw this vessel giving birth to God.
(6) Grounding practice taught to me by Mara Freeman in the Avalon Mystery School.
(7) "We are star stuff," Carl Sagan.
(8) Inspired by The Universe Story, by Brian Swimme.

A Funny Story About My Tortoise

2009-08-17T18:28:00.000-06:00

I have been busy with family this week—my 84-year-old Mom fell and broke her hip and shoulder. She had hip surgery and is doing remarkably well. I am continuing my magical work and practices. Also, I wanted to introduce you to Pooky, my African Sulcata Tortoise. A funny incident happened that I share on this video. Also, I am posting a video of Pooky climbing out of the rock enclosure in my backyard. Creatures bring us so much joy—and a few surprises, too!

As above, so below
Riccimagic

Gibbous Waxing

2009-08-01T14:27:00.000-06:00

Gibbous waxing is the time to clarify your desires so you can offer them to the full moon when she arrives on August 6. This video shows a conversation I had with Hermes about what I will be offering this month. Hermes helped me to understand that I don't need to have all my desires ready to offer this month, but I can sort through them to see which ones are ripest in my mind and heart. I will select one or two and perform a ritual for each of them Wednesday night in my magical garden under the full moon. Moon magic is very powerful! Craft your desires now. Plan your rituals. Then let the magic of the moon transform them into reality for you. Remember to send only the desires that support life and the well being of all.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Dark Night Healing

2009-07-31T00:03:00.000-06:00

Here is another video about my dark night. I filmed this about two weeks ago—and I would say that was a turning point for me. Something shifted inside and I really did let go of it. What a relief! I felt my power returning. The situation has not been resolved—that will take months, maybe years, yet its capacity to hurt me has changed. Even today I received disturbing news around it and I am grateful to report that it did not send me into a tailspin. Wow! That feels good! In hindsight I can see that it took a little over three months for me to really lift off of this. Meditation practice was key. So was protection. And I did a lot of asking. I also practiced gratitude and nature regularly. Yes! The practice works! And my commitment to it deepens. Now that the pain is lessened, I know that I cannot let up on my practice—or the pain will return again.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Storms in the Desert—My Dark Night

2009-07-28T08:30:00.000-06:00

We have had a rainy summer here in the high desert of the Rocky Mountains. I have observed the storms pass through one after another and they have been helping me to process a dark night that emerged in my life earlier in the spring. Rain, wind, dark clouds, lightening—that is what my emotional life has been like for the past few months. Very stormy and very wet with tears. It has been hard for me to talk about, because the pain has cut deep. But I am beginning to be able to speak of it, so today I'm posting a video that I filmed mid-April.

This darkness started with a betrayal at work. Not a small thing—one with major and long term consequences. I cannot speak of it in specifics at this time, yet I can tell you and show you how I am processing it with my guides. It has been three months since I made this film, and I have continued to grow through the experience. Tomorrow, I will post a more recent film, where I have regained some of my power and confidence. It took a lot of work, prayer and practice to get through this emotional storm.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

What does 2012 ask of us?

2009-07-19T18:32:00.000-06:00

I went into my temple with 2012 on my mind and this video shows what came through the channel.

We need to get busy creating the new species on the imaginal realm so that we can manifest it on the physical realm.

As above, so below, indeed!
Riccimagic

Practice 5: Speak Ill of No One

2009-07-11T16:40:00.000-06:00

"Speak Ill of No One" is an extremely powerful practice, yet it is one of the most difficult to integrate into our lives. Our words have enormous power. When we use them to criticize ourselves and others, it holds us in a low level vibrational pattern. This vibration gives birth to more negativity and we get stuck there, continuing to attract negative things to us. When we stop speaking negative words, we begin to lift up to a higher vibration. That is why this practice is so powerful—it liberates us from the stranglehold of a very negative vibration.

In his book, The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz said we can actually "cast spells" with our words. In Agreement Number 1, "Be impeccable with your word," he says we shouldn't use words against ourselves and others because it is a form of poison. He says we should use our words intentionally for truth and love.

Developing a practice of intentional language is challenging in our culture because the tendency to gossip and complain is a national pastime. Nonetheless, this practice is a necessary component of evolutionary alchemy. In our work to become a species of love and compassion, we can ask ourselves, what would Love say? What would Compassion say?

Sometimes we use ugly words when we are angry, upset, afraid or hurt. Our emotions can trigger words we later regret. This is why Practice 3, Meditation, is such an important support system for the practice of Speaking Ill of No One. Meditation strengthens our capacity to separate ourselves from our thoughts and emotions so we are not carried away by them.

I would love to hear about how you implement this practice. We can all learn from each other as we work to build a new competency in our species. We are building the capacity for love language by embracing the practice of "Speak Ill of No One." How is it working for you?

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

A Mystic's Bad Day

2009-07-04T14:25:00.000-06:00

Well this video, Riccimagic—The Bitch, pretty much speaks for itself. I had a bad day. Saw my shadow. Examined my shadow. Found grace in the lesson it offered.

As above, so below, Riccimagic

Appreciation for Andrew Cohen at LOHAS

2009-06-20T13:35:00.000-06:00

I attended the LOHAS Forum in Boulder a few weeks ago. LOHAS stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability and it was great to network with more than 500 like minded folks who care about the health of the planet and our own bodies. Wonderful energy.

I heard Andrew Cohen speak about the evolution of human consciousness and I was enthralled with his words, his understanding and his vision. He talked about the evolutionary impulse—the innate, organic part of us that reaches for our own evolution. It is a powerful, life-giving impulse that is different from our survival instinct. Cohen called it an ecstatic passion—a deeply felt urge to develop to a higher level of consciousness. It is filled with overwhelming goodness because our evolution is for the benefit of all. It is the essence of God; the essence of enlightenment. In this higher place we can do things we didn't think possible. When you become aware of this, it changes everything.

Indeed! I know this impulse. I know this awakening! My guide, Hermes, is filled with excitement about it, and information about how we can assist in our own evolutionary journey. I went into my temple to connect with Hermes on Solstice night following my LOHAS experience and filmed this video. Enjoy!

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Practice 4: Asking

2009-06-07T13:36:00.000-06:00

The fourth practice is Asking. The first thing I will ask for is grace for the error I made when I called Gratitude the 4th practice on Twitter. (Gratitude is actually number 6.) How could I possibly get it wrong? Hermes offered the practices to me one by one over a period of several months. He never used numbers—except to say, that the practices number 13 total. Then he became more specific and said seven are core and six are elective. Gradually I began to learn about all seven core practices. When I decided to post them on this blog, I went into a channeling session to speak of all seven. They are numbered in the way that they flowed out during that session. When I Twittered, I didn't recall the order correctly. This is a good reminder that the numbers are provided merely to help us to keep the practices organized, but they are not meant to be dogmatic or heirarchical.

So, back to Asking. The video points out that the practice of Asking is the practice of sending out requests from our authentic, core selves—that flame inside of us that is part of God. That makes sense! Our prayers that come from our God-selves are heard by God. But sometimes we have a hard time discerning our God-selves from our egos. Meditation helps us develop this capacity for discernment. Also, setting the intention of the request helps. I use the intention, "Let this support life!" I have a magic wand that I have infused with this intention. As I pray my prayers I wave the wand and with each pass I proclaim, "Let this support life!"

Asking seems like a simple practice. And it is. Ask and you shall receive. However, there are many subtleties and it is in the subtleties that it holds its power. We will discuss these subtleties in future posts and I will offer examples of my Asking practices from my life. In the meantime, begin asking for the desires of your heart!

As above, so below
Riccimagic

PS: My videos are housed on the video hosting site, Mdialog.com. They require Quicktime to view as well as an up-to-date browser. If you have difficulty viewing them, please let me know so I can work with Mdialog to correct the problem. Let me know your browser and Quicktime version. Thanks!

Which way is east?

2009-06-04T08:48:00.000-06:00

I'm in Arlington, VA for work meetings and I wanted to walk down to the waterfront for my morning protection prayers. Because I always connect with the directions during my prayers, I needed to orient myself. I asked the woman at the desk, "Which way is east?" She responded, "I have no idea. I'm not good at that kind of stuff."

Her response reminded me of how I used to be. I never took time to orient myself. Never settled into a sense of my place on the planet, in the Universe. I lived my life disconnected and dissociated. Never knew the directions, the phases of the moon. Barely tuned into the changes of the seasons. How sad!

It's all different now—and what a source of joy this connection is! It is a practice, this tuning in to Earth and her rhythms. (Practice Number 7, we'll talk about it soon!)

Blessings from Arlington, where the walk toward the waterfront is heading East!

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Practice 3: Meditation

2009-05-30T22:47:00.000-06:00

Meditation is a necessary part of evolutionary alchemy because it gives us the capacity to become observers of our own thinking. Through the regular practice of meditation we learn that we are not our thoughts; we are greater than our thoughts. We can choose the thoughts we allow to enter into our experience. When we learn to take charge of our consciousness in this way, we grow in our capacity for self-actualization, for developing the manifest self. This form of inner alchemy was explored by Carl Jung—the alchemy of transforming the unmanifest self into the manifest self (Jung and the Alchemical Imagination by Jeffrey Raff).

As you develop your own meditation practice, you will find there are many forms of meditation. Choose one that works for you—one that quiets your mind and allows you to become an observer of your thoughts. My daily practice is the Four-Fold Breath that I learned from my teacher Mara Freeman. It is done while sitting. Breathe in to the count of four. Hold the breath to the count of four. Exhale to the count of four; and pause again to the count of four. I do this for 22 repetitions and then I find that I am ready to commune with my guides.
I have posted a few of my channeled videos about the practice of meditation. I would love to hear about your experiences and practices.

As above, so below,
Riccimagic

Practice 2: The Kundalini Rising

2009-05-15T20:40:00.000-06:00

Kundalini is a Sanskrit word that means coiled—as in a coiled serpent sleeping at the base of your spine. The serpent is symbolic of dormant life force energy that can be awakened through visualization and yoga practices. Practices associated with this energy have been researched, experienced and taught for thousands of years. My introduction to it, however, did not come through book learning; it came through the direct teachings of Hermes.

When Hermes told me that Kundalini was one of the seven core practices, I was surprised. I thought it would be too esoteric for people to incorporate in their lives—plus, the literature about it is filled with cautions and warnings. It is not to be toyed with or tried by people who are not on solid spiritual ground. Hermes assured me that it is, indeed, core, and that as people begin to practice all of the seven core practices, their spiritual foundations will be strong enough to support the Kundalini practice. If you ever experience any strange, painful or frightening phenomenon associated with the Kundalini practice, discontinue it until you gain an understanding about what is happening. Check out the Kundalini Survival and Support website for details about potential complications and what to do about them.

A lovely book about a midwestern woman's Kundalini initiation is Unmasking the Rose by Dorothy Walters. I like this book because it is a true, first person account of the experience, told in plain, modern and compelling language. Dorothy also has a blog, Kundalini Splendor, where she continues the conversation.

Here is my channeled video on the practice of Kundalini. This video also shows a demonstration of it that I filmed last winter. You can see from this demonstration the visualization that I use to charm the coiled snake and invite it to rise up in me. I also move my body to create a vibration. Sometimes I create a sound, a vibrating Ahhhh. Other times I sit quietly with the visualization of the snake coiling up through my chakras. What do you think my practice? What is your experience with Kundalini energy? We are exploring this together!

As above, so below,

Riccimagic

My Protection Ritual

2009-05-10T14:32:00.000-06:00

Here is a video of my protection ritual. (I filmed it last fall before I had my high definition camera, so the quality suffers a bit.) I created this ritual from some prayers and songs that I have enjoyed over the years. Calling in the awesome power of the Archangels combined with the compassion and light of the Mother really works for me. Your ritual can be your own creation—or one you have learned from any number of spiritual traditions. There are two important things to remember. First, include protection from harm AND fear. Fear is epidemic in our species, so we need to protect ourselves from fear thoughts. Second, do the practice every day without fail. Don't leave home without it! If you happen to forget before you leave home, do it silently in your mind while you're driving your car, riding the subway, or even attending a staff meeting! Just be sure to do it regularly so that you hold high the energy of your force field of protection.

Next week I will post Practice 2, Kundalini.

As above, so below,

Riccimagic

The 13 Practices of Evolutionary Alchemy

2009-05-09T21:39:00.000-06:00

I use the title of Alchemist because my guide, Hermes, is an alchemist and it is through him that I speak of the alchemical work that is underway on our planet. Hermes has studied alchemy throughout the ages, in many lifetimes and on planes both physical and non-physical. He has progressed to become an alchemist of the highest order, with the central focus of his work being the transformation of the human species into its next evolutionary stage.

In alchemical traditions, the work of the alchemist is to find the philosopher's stone—the tool that makes the alchemy possible. Hermes' magnificent discovery is that the philosopher's stone of human evolution is spiritual practice. This is not really a new discovery because it has been known for thousands of years that the path to enlightenment is spiritual practice; however, Hermes brings a new articulation of the process that resonates with our modern way of thinking.

Hermes teaches that there are 13 practices that make up the philosopher's stone. This means that when you practice all 13 practices regularly and genuinely, you will create the conditions for your own evolutionary advancement. In other words, you will actually be participating in your own magnificent transformation to a new species!

The 13 Practices consist of seven core and six electives. The core practices are for everyone and should be practiced every day. The electives are like electives at college—you need to take all six, but you get to choose the ones that work best for you. Today's video is my channeling session that introduces the concept of the 13 Practices and the first one: Protection.

As above, so below,

Riccimagic

My life as a modern day mystic

2009-03-14T16:33:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my new blog! I'm excited about this method of connecting and communicating about what it means to be a mystic in today's world.

I am pretty much a normal person, with a respectable job, a mortgage, three cats and a tortoise. During the past ten years I have delved deeply into my spirituality through study and practice -- and this has given birth to a whole new mystical self. My study has been eclectic and has included reading a wide range of books, taking several pilgrimages to sacred places around the world, and completing a doctoral degree in spirituality.

About five and a half years ago, in October of 2003, I experienced a breakthrough and I began to have communication with a non-physical guide by the name of Hermes. As I worked with Hermes, I learned that he is connected to a whole system of guides and I began to communicate regularly with this guide group. What an amazing, awesome experience!

The support, insights and wisdom I have received have delighted me and changed my life. Until now, I have kept it to myself. But with the urging of Hermes, I now know that it is time to come out and share my experience. Every one of us has the capacity to access our own guides, to access other realms and to rise up to higher levels of consciousness. As a species we are transforming to new heights and I hope we can compare notes and support each other along the way.

This blog will contain weekly videos that I film in my home "temple" where I connect with Hermes. You will be able to see how we connect together and the dynamic of our ongoing relationship. These videos are filmed in candlelight and the low lighting presents some challenges to quality. Nevertheless, it's important for me to stay true to my ritual practice, so I decided to sacrifice the quality.

I invite you to respond to the blog posts with questions and comments. If you would like to offer questions for me to take into my next session with Hermes, I will take those questions in and post the answers. Perhaps it can unfold as a "Dear Abby to the Spirit Guides." We can create this together and see how it works.

I am eager to explore this and see how it develops. Let's have some fun together!