INTRODUCTION
Mysticism has been popularly defined as ‘becoming one with God or The Absolute.’ While there are as many ways to seek union with God as there are gods that fill our history’s mythological catalogue, the ways in which we aspire to join the frequency of the Most High can be a uniquely solitary practice, just as it can be a practice of congregational worship. Now, depending on which deity/deities you choose to pursue a spiritual relationship with can provide you with historically well worn paths of spiritual ritual and ceremony. For instance, your practice could look vastly different if your devotion and worship is directed toward Hecate, the queen of the underworld, than if your spiritual beliefs were more aligned with the Hebrew Yahweh, Muslim Abba, or Christian Jesus (the latter three of which are included in the world’s major religions and are mostly well defined by centuries of worship and almost as many institutions that will teach you the how, what, when, where, and why’s of what your worship and a worshipful experience should look like.)
For the sake of this study we will be far less worried with your personal beliefs or religious affiliation, and more so concerned with giving you tried and true ways of devotion, worship, and other spiritual practices that span across the landscape of spirituality in all of its’ forms. For the sake of this study we will approach all of the teachings, tools, rituals, and practices as modalities for you to uncover the unique path of oneness with the God of your own understanding; which will illuminate to you - your own personal power.
In short, over the next six months you’ll be ‘filling up your toolbox’ with the tools that you may or may not end up using on a regular basis in your spiritual practice, but we believe that the knowledge of said tools and the understanding of using them practically will aid you in your own quest to enlightenment…because well, knowledge is power. So, strap in, open your heart and your mind, and let’s embark together on the noble quest of embracing the Modalities of the Mystic.
PART ONE
FOUNDATIONS OF PERSONAL POWER
Power - what is it? When do you feel POWERFUL? You may be more easily able to think back on and identify the uncomfortable times when you felt power-LESS in any given situation in your life. Perhaps it is the overwhelming sense of feeling powerless that prompted humankind to seek ways to build their own personal power in the first place. It isn’t that difficult to imagine where our myths and fables around heroes or gods with great power came from and why they were created when you consider the enormity of everything that early humans observed that they couldn’t explain.
The gods of ancient tribal and pagan, and pre-Christian belief systems usually were personifications of observances of very different natural occurrences. For example Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt was associated with the moon and night, and most all of the creatures that would inhabit the forests at night. The Sun god Apollo, (Diana’s twin brother) was also associated with animals and archery but his associations go on to include music, dance, poetry, light, etc.
While the Norse god Thor is often portrayed as a formidable and powerful warrior who ruled over the domains of thunder, lightning, physical strength, and protection. In each of these instances fables, myths, and legends were created around facets of nature that humankind could not control. But by considering a superhuman, deity, or other such hero who COULD assert control over the wild and unpredictability of nature, humans could gain to seek the favour of these heroes, build personal relationships with them, and ultimately request them to do work on their behalf for outcomes that were desirable in any given situation - and by attaining this favourable relationship..humankind has created some belief systems to help them develop an ideology of their own form of personal power.
Historically, some deities have been believed to have been very real tangible creatures, while some have identified them as simply extensions of the dormant aspects of their own personality that lay, usually un-manifested, in their own subconscious. Others have the belief that there is ONE main God (such as Zeus or Odin) who governs over the pantheon of their own ‘godlike royal family’ or other Demi-gods who have gained favour by the gods and elevated above other men . Others still, in more recent times, have adopted monotheistic beliefs in one God who, instead of working with other lesser gods, works through mankind itself in the roles of messengers, prophets, holy men, etc.
Now, whether you believe in one God or many, the modalities that many mystics throughout history have used to create union in their spiritual relationship(s) with their own interpretations of The Divine, are very similar. It is through these modalities, practices, rituals, and ceremonies that we seek to align ourselves with higher frequencies of being. Whether you’re lighting a candle in the Catholic Church on your street corner, or in the privacy of your home temple on your alter to the Sun god Ra of ancient Egyptian mythology, or even lighting a candle to call on your own higher self -the act of lighting the candle to tune into a higher than human frequency for the purpose of communing with God is the same act. And it is that act that opens us to receive our personal power.
Considering that the purpose of our study is to commit to the path of psychic energy work, it is likely that your own psychic perceptions have helped you to shape an understanding of your interpretation of God, Source, Universe, Divine Energy, Spirit, deities, etc., and the tools that lie herein are adaptable enough to create a path of union with the Divine that feels true to you and can easily be adopted as implementations to your unique adventure with Spirit!