Magickal Weapons, Circle Casting, Caer Paladin

Magickal Weapons, Circle Casting, Caer Paladin
Order of Paladins Lesson 3 Magickal Weapons, Circle Casting, Caer Paladin copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Warrior’s Admonition Your body is your temple: Care for it! Do not engage in useless activity. Listen to the Goddess. Help thyself. You create your own reality. The Warrior’s path is creativity. A serene path to enlightenment. Know thyself. Master thyself. Create your own reality. Nurture the ability to perceive the truth in all matters. Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye. Learn from your mistakes. Teach thyself. Do not be negligent, even in trifling matters Grace and guilt do not exist: Strive for responsibility. Honor thyself. This admonition is based on the 13 Warrior Precepts of the Order of Paladins. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

13 Precepts: Know thyself. Nurture the ability to perceive the truth in all matters. You create your own reality. Develop a sense of Right Action. Do not be negligent, even in trifling matters. Your body is your temple: Care for it! Minimal appearance, maximum content. Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye. Power with. Who dares wins. The Gods cannot help those who will not help themselves. Be creative! Do not engage in useless activity. These are the precepts that all members of the Order of Paladins will be expected to adhere to. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Code of Chivalry: All members of the Order of Paladins must live according to the principles of chivalry, which include: Sincerity. Courtesy. Compassion. Perseverance. Industriousness. Justice. Loyalty. Courage. Self-Discipline. Humility. Largesse. Truth. Honor copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Magickal Weapons Magickal Weapons are an element which the founder of modern Wicca, Gerald Gardner, borrowed from Ceremonial Magick when he laid down the basic structure of Wiccan ritual practice. Note: I will spell the word “Weapon” beginning with a capital W in this work when I am using the word in reference to a Magickal Weapon. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Magickal Weapons II In our system, each group of Magickal Weapons is associated with an element: Air (east): The dagger (Athame) or Sword Fire (south): The Wand or Spear Water (west): The Chalice or Cauldron Earth (north): The Pentacle, Shield or Stone Spirit: The Warrior’s mind. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Magickal Weapons II In Ceremonial Magick Magickal Weapons are often referred to as “Elemental Weapons.”[i] The attitude of the Ceremonial Magician is summed up in The Greater Key of Solomon: “In order to properly carry out the greatest and most important Operations of the Art, various Instruments are necessary...”[ii] [i]. Dion FORTUNE. (1978). Moon Magic, pg 80. [ii]. The Greater Key of Solomon, Book Two, Chapter VIII, introductory paragraph. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Magickal Weapons III The Greater Key of Solomon instructs the magician to “beat or strike the air”[i] with his sword while making his conjurations and prayers. Clearly the “instruments” of the art were considered to be weapons for the magician’s protection against the powers that he used. [i]. The Greater Key of Solomon, Book One, Chapter III. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Magickal Weapons are Tools
Magickal Weapons don’t have any power on their own. They are tools that focus YOUR energy. Magickal Weapons and other Magickal paraphernalia that one finds in Ceremonial Magick don’t have any power of their own. They are simply tools that allow us to extend our abilities. They are focusing tools that we use to direct magickal energy at the object of our magick. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Magickal Weapons For the Order, there are several sets of Magickal Weapons which have been adopted from Celtic mythology. Steve Blamires grouped these Weapons into four double groups in his book Glamoury. We have modified his groupings in our practice into five double groupings. This is because Blamires did not include spirit as one of the elements in his list. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Greater Magickal Weapons
Spirit Sword Spear/Staff Cauldron Shield Spirit is the element that binds the other four together. The Magickal Weapons depicted in this slide are the staff, sword, shield and cauldron at the Motherhouse in Surrey. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Lesser Magickal Weapons
Mind Athame (dagger) Wand Chalice/Grail Pentacle or Stone Mind is the ultimate Lesser Magickal Weapon. Without the mind, none of the other weapons are of any use. Mind links directly to the Greater Magickal Weapon of Spirit. The mind is the key. It is your mind that provides this intent. It is your mind that allows you to access and use the Magickal Weapons and all of the elements. I am reminded of the scene in the movie Braveheart in which uncle Argyle is speaking to the young William Wallace. “First I’ll teach you how to use this,” he says, tapping William on the head with his finger, “Then I’ll teach you how to use this,” he continues, showing William his broadsword. The lesson in this is that the mind is the key to the mastery of Magickal Weapons. The interesting thing is that the mind can ultimately replace all of them. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Correspondences  East/Air/To Will/Sword/Athame  South/Fire/To Imagine/Spear/Wand  West/Water/To Dare/Cauldron/Grail  North/Earth/To Keep Silent/Shield/Pentacle  Center/Spirit/To Know/Spirit/Mind Each of the Greater and Lesser Weapons is related to one another and to an element and direction. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Tuatha De Danaan The first four groupings (sword/athame, spear/wand, cauldron/grail, shield/stone) represent the four treasures of the Tuatha de Danaan The Tuatha Dé Danann ("peoples of the goddess Danu“),often referred to simply as the Tuatha Dé, were the ancient Gods of Ireland. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Four Treasures of the Tuatha de Danaan
City Druid Magickal Weapon Powers Falias Morfesa or Fessus Lia Fáil (stone of Fáil) Would cry out beneath the King who took the sovereignity of Ireland. Gorias Esras Spear (sleg) of Lugh No one ever prevailed against it Findias Uiscias Sword (claideb) of Núada No one ever escaped from it once it was drawn Murias Semias “Undry”, the cauldron (coire) of the Dagda No one ever went away from it unsatisfied copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Magickal Artillery Chapter 3 Magickal Self Defense Chapter 4 Full Contact Magick Order of Paladins students should read Chapter 3 of Magickal Self Defense and Chapter 4 of Full Contact Magick. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Witch’s Pyramid To Know: Base To Keep Silent: North side To Dare: West side To Imagine: South side To Will: East side A lot of what the Order of Paladins teaches is about how to use your energy. The Witch’s Pyramid was first proposed by Clifford Bias in The Ritual Book of Magic and expanded upon in Amber K’s True Magic. It is a five-sided model that helps us understand the interaction of five important magickal principles: "To Know, To Keep Silent, To Dare, To Imagine, To Will.” These five principles or axioms are the cornerstones of the magick of the Wiccan Warrior. Each of these axioms interact together to form a functioning whole. Imagine that each of these five principles forms a side of a pyramid. If any one of them is missing or flawed, the magickal energy enclosed within this pyramid will escape and the resulting magick will be ineffective. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Witch’s Pyramid South: To Imagine West: To Dare East: To Will North: To keep silent This is how the Witch’s Pyramid is set up. I used it for many years, but found that it didn’t quite describe the process of magick as I practiced it. Base: To Know copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Magickal Artillery To Know: The “firebase” To Keep Silent: Your “radar” to detect the objective To Dare: Loading up the ammo To Imagine: Setting your sights To Will: The “trigger” As the Witch’s Pyramid didn’t quite describe magick the way that I wanted, I came up with another model utilizing the same 5 axioms: Magickal Artillery. This is another way of looking at working magick: You think of yourself as a sort of “magickal artillery.” In this model:  Center/Spirit/”To Know”: This is the base that you operate off of, the axis mundi.  North/Earth/”To Keep Silent”: This is the meditative process that brings magickal energy in and “loads” you up.  West/Water/”To Dare”: This is the process that builds up the emotional pressure to send the magickal energy on its way.  South/Fire/”To Imagine”: This is the meditative process that allows you to “aim” the magickal energy by visualising the objective.  East/Air/”To Will”: This is the “trigger” that sends the energy out and directs it on to it’s objective. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Magickal artillery To Will: The Trigger that fires it To Imagine: Aiming To Keep Silent: Target Acquisition Magickal Artillery is a model that helps us understand the interaction of five important magickal principles: "To Know, To Keep Silent, To Dare, To Imagine, To Will.” In magick, these five principles or axioms interact together to form a functioning whole. If any one of these principles is missing or flawed, the magickal energy will either fail to travel to its target or not have the desired effect. The object is to develop each of the five elements of Magickal Artillery in order to master them and your magick. Magickal Artillery is like a gun or a howitzer that shoots magick. To Know is the base from which your magick is launched. It is your fire base, if you will. To Keep Silent is scanning your environment to identify any threats that need to be dealt with. It is like your personal radar, seeking out intruders. To Dare is loading yourself up with the psychic defensive charge that you want to send out. It is the magickal “ammunition.” To Imagine is setting your sights on the target of your magick. To Will is pulling the trigger and letting the magick fly, steering it into its target like a cruise missile. To Dare: the Ammo To Know: The fire base copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

To Know Knowing is awareness. To understand so thoroughly that the observer becomes part of the observed Placing yourself in the moment and experiencing it fully Magick is knowing I have labeled this principle "to know" rather than "knowledge" intentionally. Knowing is more than accumulating pieces of knowledge. Knowing is awareness. It is a dynamic process. As Dan Millman once said: "Understanding is one dimensional Realization, on the other hand, is three-dimensional." Another word for this process is “gnosis”, a Greek word meaning “knowing” on a deep psychological and spiritual level. The poet e.e. cummings once described knowledge as “a polite word for dead but not buried imagination.” This is a very apt description, since knowing is a process directly linked to an active awareness of the world around you. Knowing links knowledge with awareness. Those of you familiar with Robert Heinlein’s book “Stranger in a Strange Land” will be familiar with the term “grok.” Grok is a term which he invented to describe the process of coming to a complete and full understanding and awareness of a thing in real time. Or, as Heinlein described it: “...to understand so thoroughly that the observer becomes part of the observed...” This is what I mean by my use of the term “knowing.” The knight places himself in the moment and experiences it fully. This experiencing brings understanding. When the average person examines something they tend to immobilize it. They tend to isolate the thing from its environment. Knowing is perceiving without this immobilization. Bruce Lee once said that "Knowledge is fixed in time, whereas, knowing is continual. Knowledge comes from a source, from an accumulation, from a conclusion, while knowing is movement." It is this characteristic which links this axiom with one of the other five: To Keep Silent. To Know is related to the second Warrior precept: Nurture the ability to perceive the truth in all matters. The only way to control something is to understand it. The more you know about something, the more control you have over it. Knowledge is power. Magick is knowing. There is an old Japanese saying: "From one thing know ten thousand things." The Warrior uses knowing to take charge of his life. Knowing is the foundation from which accurate perception stems. From this foundation the Warrior can separate what is real from what is illusion. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

To Keep Silent Observe what is with undivided awareness . Silence is the warrior's art and meditation is his sword Mind like water, mind like the moon." The mind must be like a still pond, conscious of the slightest ripple, able to accurately reflect reality The lesson implied by this aspect of Magickal Artillery can be summed up in the eighth Warrior Precept: Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye. The first of the five principles that form Magickal Artillery is "to know". Knowing comes from awareness. I told you earlier that the Goddess and the God will speak to you if you will just take the time to listen. One cultivates this awareness in silence. It is said that “Silence is the warrior's art and meditation is his sword." To keep silent is to become still within and without. To clear your mind of distractions. To become aware of subtle currents, instincts, and emotions. To see into the depths not only of the world around you, but into the depths of human nature too. Knowing is awareness. To keep silent is to become pure awareness. You become silent in order to sense the energy currents around you so that you can allow the energy to fill you. You want this energy to flow through you so that you can direct it out again with your will. Psychologists use the word “flow” to describe the fluidity people experience in meditation. Flow states are moments when we are at our best. Living is awareness. Our perception is normally about 70% vision with the remaining 30% divided between the four senses of hearing, smell, touch and taste. Warriors use meditation to enhance their perceptions and bring all four senses up to maximum perceptive levels. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

To Dare Who Dares Wins You have everything that you need to succeed on this path within you at this moment. All you need is the courage to go looking within for what you need. “To dare” is the aspect of Magickal Artillery that supplies the “magickal pressure” that forces the energy out of you towards your objective. It is related to the Tenth Warrior Precept: Who Dares Wins. To dare is to DO what thou wilt. To dare is to have faith in yourself and your abilities. To let go of your inhibitions and doubts. Magick simply does not work for you if you don't believe that it will. As you hone your skills with practice, your experience and confidence will grow, allowing you to push yourself further than before. If you do not trust in your magickal power, it’s strength and energy will be weakened. Belief gives your magick a firm foundation: It will make your magick more effective. Confucius once said that only the supremely wise and the ignorant do not alter. Life is change, and many people let this process of metamorphosis take them where it will. One day they wake up and look in the mirror and don’t recognize the person looking back. It doesn’t have to be this way. You can take charge of your life and make the changes in your life intentional. This is the Warrior’s path that I described in my book, Wiccan Warrior. I strive to create changes in my life in conformity with my will. Yet many people are afraid to take this responsibility. They want to have some control over their situation, but they are afraid that they may fail in the attempt. You have everything that you need to succeed on this path within you at this moment. All you need is the courage to go looking within for what you need. This is another aspect of personal responsibility. Thus the eleventh Warrior Precept is: The Gods cannot help those who will not help themselves. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

To Imagine Be creative! Diligently follow the Path of Two-Swords as one Include color, action, size and emotion in your visualizations Creativity and imagination are aspects of the element of fire. They are essential elements in the practice of magick. You must allow the inspiration to fill you. The photos depicts Order of Scáthach members helping each other put on Warrior face paint prior to an Armoring ritual. It relates to the twelfth Warrior Precept: Be creative! Miyamoto Musashi had another way of expressing this precept: “Diligently follow the Path of Two-Swords as one.” When I first ask my students what they think this statement by Musashi might mean, I get all kinds of interesting answers (many of them quite good, if not exactly what I was seeking). So let me tell you a story about Miyamoto that will help make the meaning of his precept clear: In the 16th century in which Miyamoto lived, the Samurai carried a pair of swords: One sword (the katana) was long and one (the wakizashi) was short. When faced with an aggressive opponent, the Samurai carefully considered the situation and his environment and chose one of the two swords. The chosen sword was grasped with two hands. This is the way that everyone was taught: Two hands, one sword. Miyamoto taught himself how to use the Katana. When faced with an opponent, he drew both of his swords, holding one in each hand. They way Miyamoto saw it was this: Two hands, two swords. This caused considerable consternation. Opponents would complain that this was not traditional, or that it was improper, or that it was unfair. Non-traditional it may have been, but it was extremely effective. Miyamoto was never defeated. Can you see what the meaning of the precept is now? Don’t do something because “this is the way that it has always been done.” Don’t do things simply because they are “traditional.” Use a particular technique because it works. The French moralist, Marquis de Luc Vauvenargues once said: “Most people grow old within a small circle of ideas, which they have not discovered for themselves. There are perhaps less wrong-minded people than thoughtless.” This is the sort of attitude that you find in out of the way rural villages in which things are done a certain way only because that is the way that they’ve always been done. Being out of touch with new developments sometimes leads to stagnation of thought. People in isolated societies often fall into an existence defined by routines. Yet there is always something new to learn. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

To Will Where there is no intention, there is no thought of moving To will is to have an unwavering purpose Energy follows intent There is an old Zen adage,“munen muso,” which means “where there is no intention, there is no thought of moving.” In order to utilize magickal energy, the Wiccan must use his will. In Eastern philosophies this magickal energy is known as chi. So another way of stating this is to say that chi (energy) follows your intent or will. Remember that I said that daring was the magickal “pressure” that helped you to send the energy out of you? Daring is the switch that turns the magickal energy on to send it on its way. Will is the steering mechanism that directs the energy to the objective. Without will, the energy that you sent out wouldn’t go anywhere. It would simply disperse randomly into the universe. To will is to have an unwavering purpose. Will is the channeling of your awareness to focus precisely on that which you want with burning intensity. If you don't know where you're going, then you'll probably arrive someplace else. To develop your will is to teach yourself to clearly define your objective. Concentration is essential to magick. If you simply broadcast the energy that you raise in no particular direction, or with a very vague or general focus, it will not have much effect. But if all of your energy is focused on a very narrow purpose, or on a very clearly defined goal, it will invariably succeed. This is the same principle that makes a punch so effective in Karate: Energy (chi) is concentrated and focused with intent. One recent explanation presented to explain magick and psychokinetic phenomena involves a principle in quantum physics called Schrödinger’s Wave Equation or “Wave Function”. The equation predicts the probability that the measurable attributes of a particle will have a certain value. The implication for magick is this: From this view point, one could say that practicing magick is the process of causing Schrödinger’s Wave Equation to collapse in the place required to achieve the desired result. The key to this process is will. Will provides the intent that causes the collapse in the correct place. I encourage the reader to explore this subject of quantum physics, psychokinesis and “intentionality” in more detail in Astronaut Edgar Mitchell’s recent book, The Way of the Explorer. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Circle Casting Chapter 10 Full Contact Magick This lesson is where we start to create the Circles that we need for Wiccan ritual. Next lesson I will build on this, talking about exactly how they work to protect us and how we get in and out of them. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

The Circle Traditionally the Wiccan Circle is said to be nine feet in diameter. This is because the number nine is the number of the Moon in Numerology. A Circle this size works very well for the solitary Wiccan, but is rather a cramped space for more than a handful of people. In reality it is not a two dimensional circle, but a three dimensional sphere. So there is an additional consideration if you are trying to cast the sphere of energy of this sort to contain a group of people standing within a small two dimensional ritual Circle. Circle casting is one of the most common uses of energy for a Wiccan. It is possible to put up a Circle without any ceremony involved. This is an extension of the exercises I just described to create “balls” of energy. The only difference is the size of the energetic “ball” and your position in relation to it. In the earlier energetic exercises I had you molding the energy in front of you. In this case you put yourself inside of the ball of energy. This is precisely what a Wiccan Circle is: A sphere of energy. The Circle is simply where the Sphere intersects the surface on which it is set up. The Casting that most Wiccans use to create a Circle is just a ritualized version of this process. Try using the Holding the Ball exercise I taught you earlier to set up a Circle. It may be easier for you at first if you trace out the perimeter of the Circle on the ground around you. This will help you visualise how far to let the energy ball expand. Stand in the center of the Circle in Entering Tranquility posture, facing North. Raise your arms into the Holding the Ball posture and let the ball of energy form between your outstretched arms. Once you have let the ball of energy form in front of you using this exercise, fling your arms out wide and let the ball expand out to the perimeter of the Circle, enclosing you within it. One thing that you will notice if you have set the Circle up properly is that the temperature inside the Circle seems to increase. A useful exercise for beginners is using the receptive ability in your hands to locate this sphere once you have created it. Reach out and explore the boundaries of it. You should feel that same heat and tingling that you noticed when the chi was flowing. Push a little more energy out and see how far you can get it to expand. To close the Circle down, stand in the middle with your arms spread wide. Imagine the energy sphere collapsing in on itself. Gather it in, encircling it with your arms as if bringing it in to the position in front of your chest once more. Absorb it into the Dantian energy center in your abdomen (behind and below the navel), pressing your hands over this area for a moment. Then take a moment to stand in Entering Tranquility posture. Breathe deeply a few times, letting the chi within you come back into balance. Record your impressions in your Book of Shadows. This will help you keep track of your progress. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

If you make the diameter of the sphere the diameter of the Circle…
you won’t fit in 4.5 feet 9 feet copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

…not if you stand at the perimeter of the Circle!
12 feet copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

So, the trick is to set up your sphere of energy like this:
If you think of the circle being centered on your Dantien or energy center (located behind your navel), then the sphere of energy will naturally center itself like the one shown in the diagram above. The Circle is where the sphere intersects with the ground. This set up has the added advantage that it gives you elbow room, as depicted above. 9 feet copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Circle Casting Techniques
You can use: Holding the Ball (see photo): Form the ball of energy and then let it expand to envelop you and form the sphere; or Pushing Sky (see later slide): Let the energy cascade down around you like a fountain to form the sphere. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Pushing the sky Start in the Entering Tranquility posture. Turn your hands so that the palms face down and the fingers of each hand are turned inwards. Pause and sense the currents in the earth beneath you. Now I’m going to show you a technique for sending out defensive energy. I call it Pushing the Sky. Start in the Entering Tranquility posture, with your arms hanging relaxed at your sides. Turn your hands so that the palms face down and the fingers of each hand are turned inwards. Your hands will now be at right angles to your arms. Keeping the arms straight and hanging downwards, swing the hands inward so that the tips of the fingers are almost but not quite touching. Pause and sense the currents in the earth beneath you. Imagine yourself putting down roots and connect with these currents. Now, with your hands still at right angles and your arms straight, swing your arms in a continuous arc upwards. As you do so, breathe in and imagine the energy flowing up into you. Pause with your hands over your head, fingers almost touching, hands still at right angles at the end of your straight arms, your head tilted slightly back. Hold your breath for a second. Then push upwards, as if pushing the sky. Feel the energy release and flow out of your hands, as if you are pushing it out. Once you have released the energy, let your arms fall in an arc to your sides, hands now relaxed and hanging normally. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Pushing the sky Pause with your hands over your head, fingers almost touching, hands still at right angles at the end of your straight arms, your head tilted slightly back. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Triangle of Defence Bring your hands up to your third eye, palms turned away from you, thumbs and first fingers touching, forming a triangle over the third eye area. Step forward with one foot and thrust your hands forward, sending the triangle of energy out to sever the link. Pagan authors such as Donald Michael Kraig, Chris Penczak, as well as Denning and Phillips all speak of a technique for detecting negative energy called “Triangle of Defense.” I use Triangle of Defense like this: Once you’ve detected the direction that the negative energy is coming from, stand in Entering Tranquility posture and face in that direction. Visualize your energy manifesting at your third eye. Most recommend that you visualize this as a violet or cobalt blue light. This will help you create the right resonance to make this work. Bring your hands up to your third eye, palms turned away from you, thumbs and first fingers touching, forming a triangle. You hold this triangle over the third eye area. Then step forward with one foot (traditionally this is the left but Penczak and I use the right) and thrust your hands forward, sending the triangle of energy out to sever the link. Think of this as a variation on the “Push” technique. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Launching Chi Stand in Entering Tranquility posture or Striking posture Hold one arm out towards objective, the other at your waist Punch forward with the hand at your waist, releasing chi, while drawing the other back to your waist This is exactly what happens in a punch in a martial art like Karate, except that we’re sending out a bolt or shot of energy instead of hitting something. Those of you that have been at one of my Armoring rituals have seen this technique used. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

“Swish and Flick” Rest your wand back against one shoulder. Let the energy build up in you. You can do this from Entering Tranquility Posture, or you can assume a martial arts stance (one foot back and turned forward, the forward knee slightly bent with the lower leg perpendicular to the ground and the foot turned slightly in). You’ll recognize the name for this from the first Harry Potter movie: The class at Hogwarts where they are levitating feathers. Wingardium Leviosa! I couldn’t resist. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Caer Paladin Caer is a Gaelic term meaning “castle”. I’ve sent you a description of this place to you along with this lesson (see notes, below). This is an astral temple that I created that you can use as a retreat or to interact with other Order of Paladins members. Imagine a large, deep mountain lake surrounded on the west, north and east by high mountains. The highest mountain is at the north end of the lake. The lake is fed by various mountain streams and one river that runs down a deep valley from the west. The south end of the lake is a waterfall that drops into a widening valley that runs south into plains that recede into the distance. There is a rocky island in this lake, close to the eastern shore. On this island is a stone fortress. On the eastern shore of the lake close to this island is a low stone wall with an arched gate in the middle of it. This gate faces the eastern tower of the fortress, at the base of which is a platform in front of what appears to be a door, twice the height of a man, with the symbol of the Order of Paladins on it. There is no visible bridge connecting this platform to this gate. This gate is made of pure energy and is part of the first ward around this fortress. It is made in the form of Celtic knotwork depicting two griffins. It sparkles and sizzles with energy. Touch it, and you feel the energy run through you. Speak your magickal name, and the gate vanishes: It is designed to admit those who are part of the Order of Paladins only. As the gate vanishes, a slender bridge instantly appears, leading to the platform at the base of the eastern tower. Cross it. When you arrive on the platform in front of the door, the energy gate reappears and the bridge vanishes. Now that you are standing on the platform in front of this massive door, you can see that there are no visible hinges, no door handle, no cracks, joints or seams, no obvious way to open it. This door is part of the inner ward that includes the walls of Caer Paladin. Place your hand on it. You’ll feel a vibration. Let yourself entrain with that vibration. Once you do, you will find that you can pass through this door as if it were merely smoke. Inside you find yourself in a tunnel that slopes gently upward under the eastern tower to an inner plaza. The “door” behind you is now solid again. This large central plaza has a simple stone block one meter square in the middle. On all four sides is inscribed the phrase: “Be glorious.” Around the perimeter of the plaza one can read the 13 precepts of the Order of Paladins inscribed into the perimeter stones. This deceptively simple place is a place of Spirit, which links the four towers of this fortress together. Looking back at the eastern tower, you see that it is a tall, round observatory tower, from the top of which you can observe the stars. Two curving stairways run up either side of the entrance to the tunnel that you just came out of, leading to a platform above at the base of the tower. This circular platform is circled with pillars, a sort of Stonehenge. It is used, like Stonehenge, to mark the seasons by the shadows and light cast by the sun. The pillars are hung with banners and wind chimes. It is a temple of air. In the south is a temple of fire. It has an eternal flame and large fire pit in front of its entrance, with benches around it. The temple itself is a conservatory or green house in the form of a crystal pyramid, full of growing things. In the west, overlooking the widest part of the lake, is a water temple, set up something like an ancient Greek or Roman temple. Here you will find springs feeding a large pool, and smaller hot pools and small fountains and waterfalls, pergolas and private gardens to meditate in. At the entrance is a circular plaza with a cauldron of renewal in the middle that can be used for scrying. In the north you find a massive stone keep in the Japanese style with gabled roofs, mimicking the shape of the largest of the mountains, which stands in the middle distance behind it. This is a temple of earth, with a cavern under it in which you can do earth meditations. On a platform in front of this keep is a massive gong in the shape of a shield. You are all witches and magicians. As members of this group this place is yours to visit and use. If you want, you can create a room for yourself in this place in one or more of the four temples of Caer Paladin. This is not a place in the mundane world, it is a magickal space. This means that whatever personal spaces you create inside will not encroach on others: They can overlap and seem infinite. Just think of it in your mind and it will be whatever you want it to be, with whatever you need. CAUTION: Caer Paladin is a sanctuary, in the spirit of the Wiccan concept of perfect love and perfect trust. We’ve put a lot of energy into this over the years. I made the wards around Caer Paladin in such a way as to keep out anyone who has negative feelings towards anyone else in this group called the Order of Paladins. If you are thinking negative or destructive thoughts about another member of the Order of Paladins when you arrive, the gate and door wards will not let you pass. If you think such thoughts once you are inside, the magick in this place will bounce you out instantly: You’ll find yourself on the wrong side of the gate before you know it. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Perilous Glen In the myth of Cuchullain’s journey to the goddess Scáthach’s island fortress, one of the last obstacles that he encounters is the Perilous Glen. This glen is full of whatever things one fears the most. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Perilous Glen Outside the gates of Caer Paladin one encounters “The Guardians”. These Guardians represent the fears and obstacles that the Knights who came here before you overcame on the way to their Knighthood. You’ll learn all about this in Lesson 18. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Caer Paladin Earth Temple Water Temple Air Temple Water Gate Main Gate You are all witches and magicians. As members of this group this place is yours to visit and use. If you want, you can create a room for yourself in this place in one or more of the four temples of Caer Paladin. This is not a place in the mundane world, it is a magickal space. This means that whatever personal spaces you create inside will not encroach on others: They can overlap and seem infinite. Just think of it in your mind and it will be whatever you want it to be, with whatever you need. Central Plaza Fire Temple copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Magickal Time Caer Paladin is a place outside of time. Time as we normally perceive it in our mundane world doesn’t work the same way there. For example: If you want to meet all of us in the Order of Paladins there at the Caer, just go and we will all be there. It doesn’t matter what all the rest of us might be doing in the mundane world at that time. Whenever you need us all to be there, we will be. To explain how this could possibly be so, you need to understand a concept from quantum physics: Time reversal. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Time Reversal Symmetry
Have you ever thought about how a baseball player hits a ball coming at them at 100 miles per hour? Scientists have calculated that the time that it takes for the batter to see the pitch, decide how to swing and then actually make the swing takes longer than it takes for the ball to go from pitcher to catcher.[1] How then is it possible for the batter to hit the ball? Is the batter’s mind reaching back in time to make the decision? Experiments in modern quantum physics show that time can be experienced backwards or forwards. Experiments in noetic science based on these theories show us that the idea of the batter reaching back in time with his mind is a very real possibility. [1] Hameroff, Stuart, MD. (2004). What the Bleep: Down the Rabbit Hole, Lord of the Wind Films. Hameroff is a Professor of Anesthesiology and Psychology Studies, Associate Director for the Center for Consciousness and an Anesthesiologist at the University of Arizona Medical Center. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

In the late 70s in California neurophysiologist Ben Libet conducted experiments on patients undergoing brain surgery. He applied a stimulus to the patient’s finger and measured the response time in their brain. He then stimulated their brain to determine how long it would take for the patient to feel this stimulus in their finger. Logic would seem to tell us that if the brain was stimulated the finger should “feel” an immediate response and that if the finger is stimulated there should be a delay as the signal travels to the brain. This is not the case. Libet proved that exactly the opposite occurs. The results of Libet’s experiments can be read in his book Mind Time: The Temporal Factor in Consciousness.[1] Other researchers have since replicated this experiment. [1] Libet, Benjamin. (2004). Mind Time: The Temporal Factor in Consciousness, Harvard University Press; (26 March 2007). Libet’s Short Delay, (26 March 28, 2007), Benjamin Libet, “There’s a line of research which considers the brain as an anticipatory system, which means that a lot of what our brain is engaged in is trying to figure out what's coming next,” says Dr. Dean Radin, a researcher studying quantum effects as they relate to psychic abilities. “...Our brain is always unconsciously scanning for potential danger and for other possibilities. This anticipatory processing means that a large chunk of our cognitive processing is devoted to figuring out probabilities of future events.”[1] Part of this process is evidently reaching back in time with our minds. Another experiment conducted by Dean Radin, Dick Berman and others involves showing people randomly generated emotional images to elicit strong or calm responses and timing the galvanic skin, respiration and heart rate response.[2] The response occurred a ½ second to 2 seconds before the image appeared on the screen. Two other researchers have since replicated this over 400 trials. One key experiment by Radin involved making an audio tape of zeros and ones with a computer random generator.[3] A copy of this tape was made and put in a vault. The subject of the experiment was asked to focus on the completed tape to make it have more ones than zeros without listening to it. Not only did the tape that the subject focused upon have more ones, but the copy in the vault which the subject had never seen was found to be identical to the tape that the subject focused on. This experiment has been replicated again and again. The only possible explanation is that the subject is reaching back in time to influence the tape at the time that it was generated. [1] Radin, Dean, PhD. (April 2006). Interview With Dean Radin, The Bleeping Herald, vol. 2, issue 1, [2] Radin, Dean, PhD. (2004). What the Bleep: Down the Rabbit Hole, Lord of the Wind Films. [3] Ibid. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

We only experience Newtonian time in our normal consciousness. The 2nd law of thermodynamics tells us about entropy: That things run down over time. However, quantum mechanics proves that reality is quite different. Quantum mechanics tells us that there is what scientists refer to as a time reversal symmetry in the universe. Time can be experienced both forwards and backwards. Quantum researchers such as Kip Thorne[1] and David Deutsch[2] now postulate multiple parallel universes and the possibility of time travel. [1] Hawking, Stephen. (2001). The Universe in a Nutshell, Bantam Books, New York, NY, pg 133 – 153; (24 March 2007). [2] The Physics of David Deutsch, copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Caer Paladin Just as Caer Paladin is a place outside of time, it is a magickal place with no finite boundaries. It may seem at first to be a place that is limited in size, but if you go there you can create your own space within it that is as big as you need without worrying about encroaching on the space of others. It is as big as you need it to be. You can open doors into cozy little places, or you can open doors into infinite space. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Understanding the Subconscious
Remember when you were a child and saw an open book for the first time? All you saw was a collection of symbols that were meaningless to you. Eventually someone came along and pointed out that each symbol had a name and an associated sound. They showed you that if you grouped these symbols together, they formed words with more complex sounds. If you grouped these words, you created sentences with more complex meanings. Now when you open a book, you open it on a whole world of meaning. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Understanding the Subconscious 2
So it is when we first encounter the subconscious. The language of the subconscious is symbols, and they're a language that is typically very specific to you and no one else. You need to learn how to read them. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

The easiest way to do this is to take a pad of paper and a pencil and when you get into your flow state in meditation, ask yourself questions like: • What is the first color that comes into my head? • What is the first shape that comes into my head? • What is the first texture that comes into my head? • What is the first smell that comes into my head? • What is the first taste that comes into my head? copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Note your impressions on your pad or in your journal. These will identify characteristics of what you are seeing, and will help you to piece together a complete picture of what is in your subconscious. With practice you'll eventually arrive at a point where you no longer have to break it down like this. You'll be able to read it like an open book. The language of your subconscious is symbols, and when first experienced, can be bewildering. But if you break it down like this, examining the pieces and then re-assembling them, you suddenly discover that you can make sense of it. And once you start grouping it all together, you find a whole world of meaning in your mind. This is why tarot works for many people: It is a set of symbols that trigger recognition of the symbols dancing in your subconscious. Note your impressions on your pad or in your journal. These will identify characteristics of what you are seeing, and will help you to piece together a complete picture of what is in your subconscious. With practice you'll eventually arrive at a point where you no longer have to break it down like this. You'll be able to read it like an open book. The language of your subconscious is symbols, and when first experienced, can be bewildering. But if you break it down like this, examining the pieces and then re-assembling them, you suddenly discover that you can make sense of it. And once you start grouping it all together, you find a whole world of meaning in your mind. This is why tarot works for many people: It is a set of symbols that trigger recognition of the symbols dancing in your subconscious. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Psychic Ability Every single student that has studied with me has been encouraged to develop their psychic powers with "psychic challenges". I either focus on something near me or I hold an image in my mind and ask them all to tell me what it is that I am focusing on. From time to time over the years a novice student will tell me that they've never been able to do this. I've sat every single one of them down and had them do the same thing: I've had them relax and close their eyes. This eliminates the visual input that makes up about seventy percent of their normal perception, forcing them to start paying attention to the other five senses that only make up thirty percent of their waking perception. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Psychic Ability 2 Once they start to focus on these other senses, I suddenly ask them to answer the list of questions I gave you above about what first pops into their heads. I tell them not to think about it, to just go with their instincts and say whatever comes to mind. And every single time I do this with every single person who thinks they can't do it… they nail every single one of the physical characteristics of the object that I'm focusing on. I've even done this with complete strangers in workshops that I've taught elsewhere in North America. Most of us in Western society have been encouraged to dismiss and even fear psychic abilities. All that needs to happen for us to access these abilities is for us to strip away the doubt and hesitation, allowing us to use our birthright. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Lesson 3 Assignments Go to your astral temple or to Caer Paladin. Look to see if anything, like a magickal weapon, has been left there for you. Once you find it, try to figure out why it was left for you. Practice the energy techniques discussed in this lesson. Specifically Circle casting. You’ll need them for the upcoming lessons. Homework: Practice this until next class. Next class local students will work on sensing each other’s energy “spheres”. On line students will have to find someone to work with or continue with lessons on how to use the energy. I will be sending on line students a more detailed description of this technique. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Magickal Weapons, Circle Casting, Caer Paladin

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Magickal Weapons, Circle Casting, Caer Paladin

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