There are two main aspects of UnderWorld spirituality
and magic: Transformation and Regeneration.
These have been the two pillars
of the UnderWorld traditions worldwide for millenniums,
regardless of culture, religion, race, or geographical
location. (I use
the spelling UnderWorld intentionally, to refer to a realm
of energy and consciousness, so that we do not think of
organized crime under the surface of the planet).
During the 21st century, at least in the West,
we are finally emerging from a long suppressive
phase of group consciousness,
in which the UnderWorld was equated with evil or, at
least, undesirable earth forces. Why are such
earth forces undesirable?
Because, we have been told repeatedly, they are Below
rather than Above. It takes a long time for
the collective psyche
to emerge from religious manipulation, and we find a
divisive pattern in much of our current spiritual
revival.
Yet, I would propose, such a naïve dualistic argument
fails, even in terms of common sense. Above and below are illusions
fostered by gravity…go far enough below and you
come to the sky again. It is the journey to the stars
beneath that
leads us through the UnderWorld, and liberates us from
antagonistic dualism.
More simply, all growing things are nourished from below:
our very existence on Earth fails without the life forces
that
rise from Below. A tree cannot survive without roots,
and the circulation of energies from Below is the foundation
of all
growth in our world. In the spiritual traditions we discover
that truths of nature are also truths of spirit.
If we refer back to ancestral times, no more than
a century or so, we find folkloric traditions
of the faery and
underworld powers in Western culture. Some of these
have been discussed
in my earlier articles in this series. A little further
back again, and we begin to find UnderWorld spirituality
at the
core of the oldest traditions, such as those of the
Celts, the Norse and Germanic peoples, the Greeks,
and the Romans.
Far from being outmoded old junk and superstition,
such traditions provided a working model of
relationship between
humanity and
the land, the planet, couched in terms of gods and
goddesses, and practiced as ceremonies and magical
techniques. Today
we would call this Environmental Magic, perhaps. But
in the past
there was no “environment”, there was only Life.
And life begins, and ends, in the nourishing, regenerative,
transformative depths of the Earth…in the UnderWorld.
Where is it?
So where, exactly, is this deeper UnderWorld that
our ancestors understood to be the source of life?
It is
somewhat below
the faery realm, though it includes the faery realm,
and it also
includes collective ancestral memories. I will
rephrase that for clarity: the faery realm is
that spiritual
dimension where
humanity intersects with all plants and living
creatures, with the elemental forces of sea,
wind, earth, and
fire. This is
where the faery races are found, somewhere between
the surface world and the deeper planetary forces.
Indeed,
they act
as go-betweens or mediators.
The UnderWorld is deeper than the faery realm alone,
and is embodied to us by the older gods and goddesses,
the titans
and giants, and the vast planetary being itself,
of which they
are all a part.
In ancestral sacro-magical practices, the UnderWorld
was often the realm of a dark goddess. She brought
transformation, as
she was, and still is, the goddess of destruction
and regeneration.
This dark goddess, known by many names worldwide,
personifies the transformative forces of the
planet.
And yes, these are forces that we can, and do work
with. I say, “do work with” because
we interact with such forces continuously, as part
of our life on Earth. We could
not exist without the dark goddess, by whatever
name she chooses to be called. There is a difference,
of course, between intentional
work and unconscious interaction. If we work with
these planetary UnderWorld forces intentionally,
the transformative process
is greatly enhanced and accelerated.
This is one of the so- called “secrets” of the
old magical traditions: if you consciously interact
with the planetary forces of the UnderWorld, you will become transformed.
First destruction (of the false self, of delusion)
then regeneration (of the true self, unalloyed by temporary personality).
How to get there?
For many
years now I have been using a simple visionary technique
for people
to access
the power of the
UnderWorld, through the image of the dark
goddess. Various forms of this
have been published in my books, and are
now widely used in workshops and individual
spiritual
work.
Friends and fellow esoteric pioneers first
undertook this method in the 1970’s, and later, in the early 1980’s
given its first public use at gatherings
in Hawkwood College, Stroud,
England, sponsored and led by Gareth Knight
(author of many books on Kabbalah and white
magic). Since those early days
thousands of people have used this method
to enter the UnderWorld, seek transformation,
and safely return again.
Here
is the shortest version; try it for yourself.
The
Cave and
Pool Vision
(Sit somewhere where you will not be
disturbed)
Using your imagination, see, sense, and
feel before you a spiral stair,
descending down
a well. It
leads into
the UnderWorld.
Feel yourself descend that
stair, spiraling down and down. You leave the surface
world behind. At
last
you come into
a small cave, where the feeling
is one of peace and stillness, in the regenerative
calm shadows,
lit only
by a tiny
lamp, hanging from the roof.
In the center of the cave is a pool
of dark still water.
On the other side of the pool, sense,
see, and feel, the presence
of the dark goddess.
You
must cross through
the
pool, and give
her a gift. Your gift is unconditional,
and spontaneous. Whatever
it may be, you give
it freely, with no
thought of return.
Having given your gift, commune with
the goddess in silence awhile.
When you sense that it is time, you
return across the pool, and climb back
up the
stairs, to the
place where
you began
your vision. Sit still for a few moments,
and readjust to the surface world again.
(Keep a
written record
of your
experiences,
and do this once or twice a week, no
more is necessary).
In Conclusion
If you stay with this very simple exercise,
you will find that it builds
strongly, and that you
can easily
enter into
it.
With practice you may ask
the goddess questions, or she may offer you
insights and tasks.
A wide variety
of experiences
arise from this vision, which
allows our subtle energies to
interact with those flowing
beneath the surface of the land, those
of the UnderWorld.
In a time of environmental crisis, every
effort that we make to enter into a new
relationship with the
land, with
the planet,
no matter how small that effort may be,
is of
immense value. With this simple exercise
we are not merely
restating ancestral
spirituality through a modern vision,
we are participating in a realm of consciousness
and
energy that has
been ignored by materialist humanity for
too long. Now
is the time to
Transform and Regenerate our vision of
the
planet as a living being,
and ourselves as part of that being.
Feel free to email me with your
experiences: contact us. I will
do my best to reply.