SYLVAN
WICCA /SHAMANISM
LESSON 8
Lesson 8: Discovering Sacred Space
We're almost there, a single step away from spreading our wings, catching
the wind,
and soaring into the sky. You may be excited about the progress you're
making. You
may be discouraged as the exercise are taking longer for you to complete
than you
thought they would. You may feel like, if you have to record one more
thing in your
notes, you're going to go absolutely insane. But let's look for a moment
at what you've
accomplished so far.You've learned the elements of ritual. You now have a complete personal
guide to
creating any ritual, from a simple rite to the most complex ceremony
imaginable, at your
fingertips. You have developed the ability to visualize and connect to
specific types of
energy, regardless of whether it's from the sun, the moon, a memory, or
an elemental
concept. You can create altars, both to represent your growth on this
path as well as for
use in your rituals. And you have recorded every step along your way.
Witches often keep a book, half magickal journal, half reference manual,
which is
commonly referred to as a Book of Shadows. You may hear it referred to as
a Grimoire in
some circles and I refer to my personal version as a Book of Lore. As you
begin looking
around the Pagan community, you'll find that most are filled with things
copied from
other sources; a poem here, a table of correspondences there. What you
have done, by
recording each step along your way, is begin the process of writing your
own. By the
end of this guide, you will have an in-depth book that covers each and
every topic you
will approach in the normal course of your practice. This is something
that you can
continue to add to, that will continue to grow as you do. When you begin
to work with
students of your own, you will find this reference invaluable as you seek
to relive the
steps you took along your own path. Your notes may take a little
reorganizing to put
them in the format you want, but all of the information will be there.
This leaves us with one final step, one final component to add before we
move into
more advanced applications. We have all the tools we need at this point
to create a
personal practice. We understand ritual and symbolism and we understand
how to
apply it. The only thing we require now is a physical location to use as
sacred space.
It is absolutely necessary that you apply portions of this guide
outdoors. It doesn't
have to be deep in the wilderness as I have done. It can be on a favorite
stretch of
beach, in a park near your home, in a field you played in as a child, in
your backyard, or
in your garden. At the very least, you should develop an indoor location
around a
window you can open and fill the surrounding area with plants, a portion
of which have
a natural lifecycle that sees them die yearly in your environment. But
even if you are
forced to stay indoors (for instance, if you live in an unsafe, urban
environment), I
would encourage you to travel somewhere extremely rural at least every
other month, in
all seasons.The word Pagan comes from the Latin "paganus" which literally means
"country people."
Paganism is a process of reconnecting with nature, growing to understand
the cycles of
life and the world around us. We cannot reconnect if we don't venture out
and immerse
ourselves in this energy.Nature can be found anywhere. I lived in downtown Baltimore, Maryland for
almost three
years, surrounded by paved streets and tall buildings, not trees and open
spaces. The
cycles of nature and the seasons are present even in the heart of an
urban center. But you
will be limited without an outdoor area to work with and you will have to
skip over certain
areas of this guide which will become obvious to you.
Exercise Seven: Discovering Sacred Space
The most powerful aspect of the path I teach is adopting and working
with
an outdoor sacred site. A sacred site is an area where natural
energy is
attracted, where it pools into a deep reservoir that you can draw
from. To
work with such an area requires that you think of it, not as a tool
you can
use, but as holy ground, similar to how a Christian would perceive a
cathedral or other holy site.
Before you begin to seek out such a place, begin to think of the
things you
need from the location. It must be semi-private as you will be using
it both
for meditation as well as for the rituals you create. It must be
somewhere
that you feel comfortable; a park known for its high crime rate is
just as
hazardous as forest during hunting season.If you do choose to seek a place in the wilderness, there are
additional
things you must keep in mind. You will have to practice fire safety
should
you use candles or build a campfire. If you live in an area with
large
predators, you will have to take appropriate precautions. It may
even be
advisable to avoid certain areas during specific times of the year.
In all
things, take care of your own needs first and always see to your own
safety.
If there isn't anywhere rural that you can go in your immediate
area, look
for State or National Parks within driving distance of where you
live. If you
feel uncomfortable working alone in a wild place or don't have a car
to get
there, ask your local metaphysical bookstore if they have a bulletin
board
where you can post a request to work through the outdoor portion of
this
guide with another person. If there isn't such a store in your local
area, try
an on-line resource. If you don't have a computer, many public
libraries are
now hosting computers with Internet access. Go together, but I
encourage
you to work alone, even if it is only a short distance from each
other. You
can discuss the results on the drive home and begin to do ritual
work
together outside of this guide, but the lessons presented here will
have the
most impact if you work them on your own.Once you have a potential area, it's actually a simple matter to
find a site.
There are a thousand clues that point out pooling natural energy.
For
instance, it can be a place that animals are attracted to. In the
wild, you can
look for a location where numerous deer or elk trails intersect; in
an urban
area, like your backyard, look for a place that cats, birds, and
other urban
animals seem to be attracted to. It can be a place where plant life
is
unusually lush and long-lived. A place where children are naturally
drawn
to run and play. Or you can use the most difficult method to locate
the site.
You can trust your own instincts.
Go to the place and wander. Let your feet simply carry you. See if
you are
led in a certain direction and follow that subtle urging. When you
stop,
look around. Are you in a place where you would be comfortable
working?
Does it appeal to you? Does it present what you feel you need? Or do
you
feel drawn a little farther? If you seem to be drawn on, make note
of the
original place you've stopped. Sometimes our sense of adventure can
pull
us onward once we let it out and give it the chance to explore and
you may
find yourself needing to backtrack to the original site. When you've
arrived
in the correct location, you'll know. It might be a corner of your
garden or
the top of a mountain. Wherever it is, it will be uniquely suited to
your
needs.Once you've found the place you're drawn to, it's appropriate to ask
that
you be allowed to use the site for your work.
This requires two
steps. First,introduce yourself and tell the energy of the site what you intend
to be
doing. You are going to be entering a partnership with the natural
world
and this will only work if both sides of the relationship are
willing to
participate. Once you've introduced yourself and explained what
you're
intending to use the site for, leave a small offering of food, about
a
teaspoon of birdseed or a similar sized piece of bread broken into
smaller
portions. Explain that this is your gift to the energy of the place
and, if the
site is willing to have you work with it, to signify this by
accepting your
offering. Once you've completed these two steps, leave. Don't return
until
after the next dawn, but within 48 hours of your offering. If the
offering is
untouched, you must move on and continue looking for a site. If it's
gone
or a noticeable portion of it has been eaten, you've been welcomed
into the
site and may feel free to work with it.
There are numerous reasons why your presence may not be accepted. It
could be as
simple as your presence would unbalance a fragile natural cycle or impact
the local
ecosystem in a negative way. Whatever the reason, don't be discouraged if
your request
isn't welcomed. The perfect site is out there waiting for you. It's just
a matter of finding it.
We will work more with this sacred site in Phase Two of this course. We
will heal it from
any detrimental impact mankind may have had on it. We will consecrate it
as holy ground.
And we will learn to observe its natural cycles, learn from them, and use
them to discover
parallels in our own personal lives and practices. But for now, it's
simply important that
you find it, that you ask to work with it, and that you are accepted.
Time may pass as your
daily life intrudes. You may find weeks or months have gone by until you
can return to the
site. Don't worry that your acceptance has faded away. Nature turns with
the rhythm of
the earth. Our physical lives are merely the briefest instant to the
natural world. The site
will not forget you, your acceptance will not be withdrawn. The site will
be waiting for you
when you return to work with it.The remainder of this guide will be divided between work we do at home
(the hearth) and
work we do outdoors at our sacred site (the Wild). Both have a number of
important
lessons to teach us as both represent different facets of our lives.
There are countless
parallels between our personal lives and the cycles of the world around
us. It's a simple
matter to tap into these resources and learn to use them to grow, both
with this course as
a guide, and later, when you've completed the lessons I've presented here
and moved on
to study on your own.
The First Cycle course is written by Graelan Wintertide
and is © 1999 All Rights Reserved