...I've been through the desert...

Historically and in modern times it is a common practice for sages, shamans, seers, mystics, indigenous populations, and any other title you can give someone who follows a spiritual path to use psychedelic substances to enhance their work. This altered state of consciousness breaks down the practitioners personal barriers and the barriers of the universe so the practitioner can easily travel and connect with the universe in addition to their own inner Self. This is in addition to the increased connectivity and empathy with themselves, others, and the universe. There are unlimited counts of these experiences with/without the how/why published and unpublished. Though, a good place to start is from Albert Hofmann, Christopher M. Bache, P.h.D.., and Aldous Huxley.

Since the criminalization of psychedelics in the 1960's and 1970's its spiritual use has been forced underground which has limited it to individuals and small circles. There are some notable exceptions to this such as Native American Church. In addition, throughout the years there have been studies to show how some psychedelics, especially LSD can be used to treat various mental illnesses, trauma, and addiction.

Due to my spirituality I have been interested in this experience for sometime (especially since the events of this last year and some change) but I have never sought it out. I figured if it was my path to walk, the universe would provide the opportunity.

Well, the universe did provide the experience to benefit from the conscious alternating effects of LSD. The experience, was well; complicated, amazing, and mind opening. This sums it up nicely:

As the effects started to kick in space and time warped and became fluid or nonexistent so the 12 hours experience felt like an eternity and an instant at the time. Though time is just an illusion anyway. The best explanation of time I ever heard was this;

"...time is nothing more than fractal successions of consciousness strung together into what we call out existence..."

  

During my experience, a lot of things happened and I could probably write a book on everything I remember and how I felt but I think I will try to hit the main points;

• Saw and experienced lots of pretty colors and sounds
• Watched stationary items move and morph or into other items
• Became one with the universe and its energy
• Felt and watched the world breathe
• Became a magnificent Buddha as I traveled inwards 
• Had many out of body experiences
• Got lost in the atoms
•  Rode the waves of mental and emotional anguish
• Connected with random objects and the sky and ground
• Saw skeletons in the wood
• Saw monsters in the dark
• Saw fish in the sky
• Connected on a deep and unfettered level with those who were with me on the journey
• Experienced a shared consciousness with those who were with me on the journey
• Played an intimate chess game with my Shadow
• Ate static 
• Watched the Chesire Cat dance around the screen for awhile
• Rode the waves of physical, mental, and emotional euphoria

In summary, I was an explorer first and foremost on this journey. I let the energy of the universe push and pull in various directions and open random doors to the universe and explored just long enough before I choose a new door. I came away from this experience with four important things;

1. That I needed to get a specific tattoo (one of the ones I have been thinking about for years) with some additions to represent where I have been, where I am going, and to remind me of things every day. 

2. That I do not need to forgive myself for some of the things I have done that causes extreme guilt and self loathing (and have hurt other people deeply). I need to accept that these things needed to happen in one way or another for me to become who I am today and who I am becoming. I am not at this acceptance yet, but I am working towards it. 

3. Honestly, I just feel better about life in general. 

4. All the people who were with me during the journey shared very intimate connections. Think of the intimacy of being in ritual with someone but times it by 100. When you Self is completely exposed and you are one with the universe you also intertwine with the people around you and it creates a unique bond that is powerful.

Swords of Fire

In preparation of a project I want to start in the near future, I have been doing research and meditating on the subject of elements and their correspondences in regard to the Tarot. I have come to the conclusion that swords are fire. Though, before anyone starts viciously banging on their keyboard to let me know how wrong I am let me explain how I came to this conclusion.

The correlation with Swords of Air probably originated from A.E. Waite's The Pictorial Key to the Tarot as his Tarot system is one of the most widely used today. In the RWS system, swords is correlated with air and wands fire. Deborah Lipp draws an interesting conclusion about this in her book The Way of Four;

"The Tarot suit of Air is Swords, although there is an interesting story behind this correspondence.

In 1910, Arthur Edward Waite published his book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot and his “Rider-Waite” Tarot deck. Waite was a Kabbalist and a member of the Golden Dawn magical lodge. His was the first deck to give all seventy-eight cards unique illustrations, and the first to draw associations between the Tarot and the Kabbalah. The Rider-Waite deck became he most popular and influential Tarot ever created, and its influences are seen in the vast majority decks available today.

However, Waite’s membership in the Golden Dawn included an oath of secrecy, so he hesitated to reveal too much in his deck or accompanying book. He decided to switch two of the elemental correspondences in order to preserver his oath. He couldn’t very well change the association of Cups to Water, since that’s a pretty obvious one, and Pentacles are mostly depicted as coin - and again the association between money and Earth is straightforward and obvious. But Swords and Wands are abstract tools, that were not in common usage at the turn of the last century. The Golden Dawn associated Air with Wands and Fire with Swords, so Waite reversed these two and filled his deck with Fiery Wands and Airy Swords.

If you’re a Tarot reader who has used Waite’s deck or a Waite-derived deck, it’s hard to break the mental picture of Air/Sword and Fire/Wand. Every Wand in Waite’s deck has little flames, salamanders, and orange colors, and every Sword has prominent clouds, sylphs, and a lot of light blue. Perhaps because most Witches read the Tarot, most associate the sword, or athame, with Air.

On the other hand, the original associate used by the Golden Dawn and others makes a good deal of sense. The Sword is the stronger and more destructive tool, and Fire is more destructive than Air. The Wand is the tool of the intellectual magician, but the Sword is the tool of the willful warrior (Fire is associated with will). Once you get to know the tools, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that a person wielding a Sword means business (has will), but a person holding a Wand might still be just thinking it over."

The Golden Dawn also associates the sword with the Sephirah Geburah and the planet Mars in some of their degree work.

Outside of the Golden Dawn, we can look to some of grimoires of western mysticism and esoterics that discuss the sword/fire relation and/or talk about the Golden Dawn's blind. Some of these grimoires Eliphas Levi's The Doctorine and Ritual of High Magic and I have talked about a specific part of said book regarding Powers of the Sphinx (which relates to the element correspondences as well), Franz Bardon's Introduction Into Hermetics, Stephen Skinner and Francis King's Techniques of High Magic, The Farrar's A Witches' Bible, and Stephen Skinner's The Complete Magicians Tables.
We also cannot forget to take into account the influences and contributions of Gerald Gardner and Alex Sanders.

An interesting thing to note is that the tools from The Greater Key of Solomon, The Magus, and other systems that arose in that same time frame are numerous and Agrippa's foundation work (and other texts before it) did not necessarily have elemental correspondences.  The Golden Dawn along with other people like Eliphas Levi seemed to reduce, codify, elementalfy, and attach other esoteric meanings to the working tools.

In addition, there are other traditions to consider that have fire correlation with swords like the Janati.

Finally we have the differences and influences of the Qabbalah and Astrology. Frater Barrabbas touches on this;

"Using the Qabbalah or Astrology to determine the elemental attributes of the four suits of the Tarot seems to produce two different sets of associations. Where the Qabbalah is used, the order of elements begins with Fire, then Water, Air and finally, Earth. When one uses Astrology with Theosophic influences, the elements begin with Air, and proceed to Water, Fire, and Earth.
The order of the four Suits of the Tarot does not change, and it begins with Wands or Scepters (Clubs), Cups (Hearts), Swords (Spades) and finally, Coins or Pentacles (Diamonds). The sequence is a hierarchy associated with the four levels of the European social order of nobility, clergy, military (land owners) and merchants (artisans). The element associations for these four suits differs whether Wands are considered to be Fire and Swords are Air, as in the Qabbalistic system, or whether Wands are considered Air and Swords Fire, as in the Astrological system. These two approaches have produced two different sets of associations, and have spawned two different systems of magick, in as far as the four elemental tools of magick are concerned. Both systems are substantiated by symbolic correspondences and either will work quite well. What is required is for the magician to adhere to one or the other, depending on what makes sense and works for the individual."

For me, it honestly keeps circling back to the act of "to will", how it feels, and what makes the most sense in a magical and esoteric point of view. Though (like what mentioned in the above quote), I think it is important for everyone to find what feels and makes the most sense to them on the magical and esoteric levels - then remembering to be consistent about it.

 

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References

Regarding Oaths

Oaths is a very interesting thing in Pagan communities. Most of the 101 books out there (especially Wiccan) warn against oaths of secrecy. This inclusion of this is probably the authors blanket attempt at helping the masses avoid cult like situations. Though, this blanket attempt is misplaced because it is usually given without any much explanation and context other then that should be avoided. This misplaced attempt is disappointing to me because oaths and can very important, solemn, and powerful.

Though, I think it is very important that a person should do as much research as they can if they are looking into joining a group (even non spiritual groups) and should meet as many members as possible as well. Issac Bonewits created an amazing rubric to see if the group you are in or thinking about joining is a cult. It is referred to as the ADVANCED BONEWITS' DANGER EVALUATION FRAME and should be used with critical thinking as a form of checks and balances.

Before I go further, I think it is important to define terms. Oaths per the Websters Dictionary is defined as, "a solemn appeal to a deity, or to some revered person or thing, to witness ones determination to speak the truth, to keep a promise, etc.". Though most people are probably more familiar with the idea of a vow, which is defined by the Websters dictionary as, "a solemn promise, pledge, or personal commitment." A lot of us has taken vows for marriage, for our work (such as doctors, military, police, etc), and for various organizations (such as fraternities, religions, etc). The point of these vows is to make promises with witnesses, in front of your God(s), and yourself.

This point is the same with Oaths, but in a more traditional sense you letting more then just the witnesses, yourself, and your God(s) know your intentions; you are letting the whole universe know.

In the Heathen communities oaths are revered as much as they are feared. This is because of a unique belief within these communities which is those who are witnessed to said oath are responsible for making sure the person upholds their oath and if the oath is broken, the witnesses are also guilty of breaking it. Now there are people that balk at this notion (Pagans, Heathens, the profane, etc) because they think it is insane. If you really think about it and feel it out, this belief makes perfect sense.

A person takes an oath in front of witnesses so the oath is made public. As witnesses it is implied that these people should support the oath taker in helping them keep and fulfill their oath. In addition, the witnesses should be willing to do this out of respect and love for the oath taker. I think it also is implied that the oath taker should feel comfortable enough with these witnesses that they would be able to ask for help and support. With this being said, the oath taker has a deeper responsibility of discussing  their ideas for their oath beforehand with their fellows and should make sure it is within their abilities and the abilities of their witnesses (not just be prideful and drunken boasts or illusions of grandeur). In essence, an oath is a bonding alliance where the oath taker, the witnesses, the God(s), and the spirits all take part. This should never be a problem with a group of true brothers and sisters or any other members of your inner circle.

It was not to long ago that I took one of the most powerful oaths of my life;

As I kneeled on a bearskin I felt invigorated with the strength and presence

of Bother Bear. At the same time my toes were digging into the Earth which 

kept me grounded as I felt the energy of the earth circle through me. This was

all going on as the sounding horn was blown and the proper blessing were set

into place before the ritual could be begin. As my witnesses stepped forward I

felt their love and support wash over me like a wave from the ocean. When I

 I held the horn up time seemed to stop. Each word I spoke to call the universe to 

bear witness reverberated from me like the sound of a hammer striking an anvil.

When I held the cradle up to pledge my peace, truth, and harmony to my 

brothers and sisters each word reverberated from me with the sound of thunder.

When I presented the breath of the life giver to swear my honor to group and 

its spirit each word reverberated from me with the sound of a war cry. Each 

word I spoke when iron bound my skin as I let the universe know I bound myself

harmless to all those that keep the same reverberated out of my like the sound

of countless drums. It was when I felt myself being pulled up did time seem to 

return to normal and my senses became more localized. 

As for Oaths of secrecy? Well these should not always be shied away from just because there is elements of secrecy involved as long as the secrecy is healthy. There is nothing wrong with secrecy if it helps protect members identity because not everyone is out as a pagan or spiritual person, if it helps keep certain practices within the circle and outside of the profane because the profane can have extreme reactions to things they do not understand, etc.

Oaths are extremely important and sacred. I hope that all people, the profane and Pagans alike will start to realize this importance and act accordingly. 

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References