Letters from the Editor

Just finished reading “The Elements of Ritual” by Deborah Lipp.

http://davensjournal.com/RTEoR.xhtml

I think this is a book everyone should have or have access to, especially if you think you are a ritualist.

I read forums and I see some comments that worry me. It’s not a trend yet, but it could get there rapidly.

The doubt in what is happening.

I say “you need to open your third eye and you can see….” then I see a post right after that going “but I can’t do that, I have never had the ability, I don’t know how, I can’t….”

As Richard Bach so elequently put in his book “Illusions”: Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they’re yours.

You cannot have a system based on belief, where willpower is everything, and then say things like “I can’t”. That sets up a pattern in your subconscious that says you will not be able to.

Words have power, they have effects that we don’t know about until looking back over time to see what caused problems in our lives. I decided that money wasn’t important to me, and now I am perpetually on the thin edge of poverty. But with metaphysics and with magick, you have to believe and once you do that, you can accomplish your goals.

I’m not talking hubrus here, nor am I talking about an inflated ego, or anything like that. I’m talking about a real, honest assessment of your abilities and confidence in those abilities. Until that happens, growth and progress will always be held up.

Saying that you have not been able to until now is fine. Saying that you don’t have the skill to do something yet is also acceptable. Saying you can’t is unacceptable. As my father used to say “Can’t never could do anything.”

First and foremost you HAVE to have a belief in your self. The first thing is to believe you can do it, that you can accomplish what you need to. That you can do this job you have never done before. That’s primary and without this step nothing else can be done. After that, you have to have confidence in your ability to learn a new skill and retain that knowledge. Then it’s a matter of actually learning the skill and putting it in practice.

Now, this is not saying that there is no room for improvment. Honest evaluation is the key here. Look at what you have done and accomplished. You can probably do it better, different, quicker, more skilled. But the point is that you actually did it. And that is something that should be acknowledged and celebrated.

Saying you can’t cast a spell or open your chakras is an excuse in my opinion for not trying. I have problems doing multiple things, from writing to designing to house repair to seeing to pleasing my boss. Each and every time I work my backside off to keep from saying “I can’t” followed by a litany of excuses. All that does is give me permission to actually not be able to. I at least try several times to accomplish my goal before tabling the attempts for another time. Please note that I don’t quit. I keep trying over time. It’s possible that what I can’t accomplish today might be possible tomorrow.

But in each and every case I do not quit. I don’t set myself up for failure by saying “I can’t.”

I want “can’t” to be removed from all metaphasician’s lexicon. It is the most self destructive trend I have seen, one that affects every area of life since magick and metaphysical ability is so self improvment oriented, and if you aren’t confident in your own ability, you will not be able to accomplish your desires.

Well, I got around to finally updating my “Recommended Reading List“. In it I added all the books I have read that I really think have a lot to offer those who read them. This is the cream of the crop folks. I advise that you go and at least look at the list and possibly check a few of them out. I promise you that these books get two thumbs up from me, and are excellent references for those who are lost.

They are not only good but they are good general references in Paganism too. Like Buckland’s Complete Book, it gives almost everything you need to start on a Wiccan Path. AND it gives excellent references to continue your education. Plus, I started with that book myself. The concepts weren’t foreign to me since I had used techniques in the book for some time, but it was really good to start me on the sections I wasn’t familliar with and to point me in the right direction. Same for all the other references on there.

This time of “Spell Castings” by Sister Moon

http://davensjournal.com/RSC.xhtml

The Mysteries of Druidry by Brendan “Cathbad” Meyers.

Go read the review, then buy the book.

Okay, there are three (really four) new additions to the Journal:

Child’s Book of Wicca, Chapter 7, Polish Translation
Child’s Book of Wicca, Chapter 8, Polish Translation
Elders
No, You are not under Psychic Attack

What with the problems last night, looks like I’m going to have to do ANOTHER update.