Wolf-Age

"The great Heathen sage Tom Joy once said that we are entering the Wolf-Age; a time of conflict and despair which has been brought upon our world through generations of black deeds and crimes against the very essence of the Earth.

Yet in answer to this, in keeping with the sacred Balance, a Re-Awakening has begun: A Re-Awakening in which multitudes of people are jolting awake to the understanding of what is truly going on and are refuting the theological lies that have been poisoning our existence. They are returning home to the Elder Kin of their hearts and spirits: they are returning to the defense of our home against the minions of the criminally insane who are trying to kill Her."

~Jack Wolf

Magical Living in a Mundane World

Like most people, I spend most of my day mired in the mundane world. I work at a corporate-type job, where I spend several hours a day hunched in front of a computer, working with lots of people I have little in common with, people whose beliefs and interests are totally alien to me. I am expected to dress in a uniform that is unappealing to me, and this means I spend a generous chunk of my not-so-generous salary on clothes that I loathe so that I am "appropriately dressed" for work. I spend hours a week commuting to and from this job. More hours a week are spent in worry over job issues and money issues due to my not-quite-adequate salary for this way-overpriced area of the country I live in.

Photo by Cassandra Wolf

In short, I spend a great deal of my time and energy on mundane things, and not nearly enough time and energy on appreciating and exploring the magical world around me. Out of exhaustion or apathy, I let the magical world slip away and spend what little free time I have on mind-numbing activities that are designed to keep herd folk quietly entertained.

I am not a herdling nor do I want to live like one. I want to stretch my senses, and touch the magical world that surrounds me, and then I want to reach beyond, into the otherworlds. I want to anchor myself so firmly in the magical world that my mundane activities cease to dominate my life.

I want to pursue Magical Living in a Mundane World.

It will not be an easy process, and I expect it will be challenging. I'm also pretty sure that there will be failures along the way, which will hopefully become learning experiences to guide me along the way...lanterns to light the path.

Photo via Flickr - Creative Commons license

I want to pursue this lightly, thoughtfully, playfully. I want this to become like a game, a game against the system. A game to see how much magical living I can draw out of a mundane day.

For too many years I tried to bury my magical self and conform to the mundane world around me. Now I would like to try to see how much of my magical self I can bring into the mundane world.

I plan to begin this experiment formally at the Thornish holiday of Harrownight (31st October - 1st November), which mark the founding of the Thornish traditions and the beginning of the new year for Thornish pagans. I would like to share this journey with you through blogs and updates. I'll try to post journal prompts, experiments, and fun things to try along the way.

I invite you to join me, either within your own traditions or by following along with the Thornish way. Try it for a day, or a week, and see how it works for you. 

Remember....

Forbidden Sorcery by Gabriele Negri (flickr) Creative Commons License

Remember

          who you once were

Wild

          not domesticated and living in boxes

Free

          not bound by chains of debt and obligation

Independent

          not serving so many others you have lost yourself

Strong

          not beaten down by life

Aware

          not mind-dulled by a constant stream of useless information

Primal

          in touch with the world around you

Tribal

          not living alone

          not feeling alone

          not fighting the world alone

Listen

          as the wind whispers in your ear

Hear

          the voices of your ancestors singing in your blood

Fight

          against those who will enslave you

Resist

          those who try to divide isolate you

Know

          that there is more to life than this

Find

          the ones who will stand at your back

Seek

          the primal knowledge that was once known by all

Answer

          the call of the Thornwood.

The LIE Around Us...and the Thornish Way Around It

The world around us is a LIE.

It is a lie designed to keep us enslaved.

It is a lie designed to keep us forever struggling, constantly on edge, and feeling inadequate.

It is a lie designed to strip away your power.

It is a lie designed to make you believe that everything is scarce, to force you into competition with everyone else because THEY know if we work together we can overthrow the system.

There are more of us than there are overseers to imprison us.

But what is the answer? How do we escape? How do we escape the hamster wheel?

The answer is TRIBE.

Tribe. Community. Whatever word you choose to use for like-minded folks working together.

Once you recognize the LIE for what it is, you begin to awaken to other realities. Once you have seen the other realities, and the man-behind-the-curtain truth of our current mundane world, you can never look back to the innocence of days when you did not know.

Once you have seen through the lie, you begin to realize how so many people are simply hollow-eyed herdlings, following the rules, doing what they are told, dancing to the whims of those in power. They become distracted by the bread and circuses, by the Trumps and the sports teams and the Kardashians and high fashion and Game of Thrones and whatever else is being dangled before them as the Popular and Important Thing of the day.

We of the Thornwood cannot afford to be distracted by these things. We need to look beyond, to look forward, to look sideways, to find coyote-paths around the obstacles in front of us. Ours is a way of Balance, of strength, of knowing-beyond-knowing. Of gathering and waiting, of watching and exploring.

The Thornish Path is a way of patience, of knowing when to speak and when to play the Charade. It is not the way of the ox, plowing forward, disregarding all discretion. The Thornish Way is the way of the coyote and the raven. We seek the way over, under, around, and hiding in plain sight.

The time is now. Awaken to the LIE. See it for what it is. Once you see beyond the lie, you will begin to see the ones standing in the shadows, watching and waiting...

Nine Steps to Taking Back the Earth (for Pagans)

Pemberton Hills at Dawn by Jack Wolf

Nine Steps to Taking Back the Earth (for Pagans)

by Cassandra Wolf  © 2011

Reclaim Your Power – By finding, recognizing, and reclaiming the personal power that is your birthright from the Elder Kin, you become strong enough to become a weapon, a tool for the Re-Awakening and the Balance.

Befriend the Wights – By making yourself known to the local land spirits you confirm your intention to learn and work with the powers of the Earth.

Become a Warder of the Land – By warding and protecting the land, we create larger and larger oases of reawakened power. We begin with the wild lands near us, whether public or private. We realize that land is never owned by an individual for it has its own spirit. It should be the goal of all to eventually hold claim to a portion of land where you can work your deep magic and honor the Elder Kin.

Weave the Silver Strands – By creating oases of reawakened and power-full land we create links in the chain of Earth power…eventually reconnecting them at the power points.

Connect with the Elder Kin – By connecting with the Elder Kin we learn what they have to teach us and honor our ancestors as well as furthering the Re-Awakening.

Explore the Otherworlds – With the help of the Elder Kin and our personal

Vörd we learn to see and interact with the worlds beyond ours and their inhabitants.

Awaken the Earth – The industrial and agricultural revolutions have done their best to destroy the deep power latent within the Earth and its inhabitants. By working in conjunction with the land spirits and our animal brothers, we can reawaken the powers of the Earth and help the Earth to heal herself…and open the gates to the Elder Kin.

Build the Fires – By connecting with the Black Root and re-discovering the ancient knowledge and the deep magic we empower ourselves to empower the Earth.

Forge Tribal Bonds – By forging bonds with like-minded people we spread our influence and create more power to reawaken the Earth.