Green Grimoire Entry 11: Green Magick 102 Final Exam

Final Exam

1. Now that you have completed Green Magick 101 and 102, how has your understanding of green magick changed?

I have gained a much better understanding of elemental magick, something I was unfamiliar with when I started this class.

The Four Elements (Irene, 2015)

I am much more familiar with the Air Element also, trying to deepen my interactions with it to the point where it is intuitive. A significant portion of these assignments allowed me to be reflective on a very deep level, allowing me to make connections with the Great Spirit and Gaia that I had not previously made. It has turned the world into my temple, one epic circle that is constantly sharing its secrets with me.  I can feel the magick in the natural world, on a very intuitive level, something I had noticed slightly before, but now to a much greater extent.  I credit the learning in these two classes for this. 🙂

2. How do you see green magick as fitting into your own magickal practices? What new ideas have you come up with? What would you like to try?

It is part of what I do everyday.  I pay attention to the natural world, watch for its changes, see what’s happening now, and soak it all in. I love to watch for the changes in the seasons, the moving of the moon through its monthly cycle, rise and fall of the local rivers, the buds spring forth and flutter away in the breeze.

Cherry Blossom Petals in the Wind (Jeremyjuice, 2016)

I want to take this and develop an American Shinto, an indigenous practice that builds on how the Japanese see and work with the natural world, but in ways that make sense to my American background.  I want to develop microseasons like the Japanese have traditionally observed, but again, something that is distinctive of where I live and come from.  Like a pumpkin season in the Fall, or the first frost.  Maybe even the first planting, or a cherry blossom festival. It will all end up here in my journal 🙂

3. Talk about the process of creating and using your green grimoire. How has it helped you in studying green magick?

My green grimoire has been one of the most spectacular things I’ve done.  It allows me to be creative and express myself, while documenting my magickal adventures for reading in the future.  It gives me something to reflect on almost daily, a confidant, and a way to remember, many years from now.  I’m glad to have it!

4. Please share at least one entry from your green grimoire.

https://lunasfoxchild.wordpress.com/2016/08/02/green-grimoire-10-ash-cave/

This is about an adventure I had to Ash Cave, where I had my first experience of Misogi, a Japanese Shinto purification ritual!

5. Describe one spell, meditation, or other working that you carried out at your green altar.

I don’t really have a green altar, at least a permanent one.  I do make shift rituals in a very impromptu way.  I prefer the spontaneity of it, sometimes unruly like the natural world, sometimes very formal and ritualized, like things that have a beautiful symmetry or an underlying order to them.

Tree Spirits, Studio Ghibli Style (Martin, 2014)

In my meditations, I’ve worked on change, the cycle of life and death, spirits of the forests and rivers, or just simply taken it all in.  It’s a big dose of awesome and when coupled with a curious nature, makes for one extraordinary adventure.  I wouldn’t want it any other way.  When I do finalize my altar, I will perform the microseasons like I previously stated.  Everyday will have me engage the spirits of nature, hopefully in a way that is unique as well as respectful and appreciative.

6. In terms of green magick, what would you like to learn or try next?

I’m going to continue to pursue the Eastern magicks and spiritual practices, particularly Shinto and Taoism.

Japanese Garden (Storrier, 2016)

My calling is to understand how these work, one very formal, and one very informal, two sides of how nature appears to us, organized and unorganized.  I want to develop an American version of Shinto, but first things first, and I want to really get my head into it so that I may better understand what they do.

 

Works Cited

Irene, Jeon. “Which of the Four Elements Represents You Most? (Based on Tarot Cards Reading).” <http://www.playbuzz.com/flareevangelineg10/which-among-the-four-elements-represents-you-the-most-based-on-tarot-cards-reading&gt;. 5 Nov. 2015. Web. 13 Jul. 2016.

Jeremyjuice. “Cherry Blossoms Wind.” Photobucket. <http://s852.photobucket.com/user/Jeremyjuice/media/cherryblossoms.jpg.html&gt; 2016. Web. 11 Jul. 2016.

Martin, Ian. “A Deeper Look at Hayao Miyazaki’s Nature.” The Japan Times-Culture. 2 Aug. 2014. Web. 1 Aug. 2016.

“Storrier Sterns Japanese Garden.” <http://www.japanesegardenpasadena.com/&gt;. 2016. Web. 1 Aug. 2016.

 

Green Grimoire Entry 10: Ash Cave and Misogi

This weekend, my family and I went to Ash Cave at Hocking Hills State Park, in south eastern Ohio. It was our first trip to it and what a trip it was! That was one of the most powerful places I have ever been, full of that magickal feeling I get when I’m outside.  Here is an image of what we saw walking up:

Ash Cave Entrance

The huge overhanging archway was dwarfing to those of us there.  Graffiti, some going back a couple hundred years, lined the walls, while sand and powdery dirt insulated the ground.

On the edge of cave, a waterfall spilled over the edge.

Ash Cave Waterfall

It was glorious, and magickal.  I was reminded of what the Japanese do in the wintertime. There is a Shinto ritual called Misogi where a practitioner stands under a cold flowing waterfall to purify themselves.  This I did.

Performing Misogi

It was cold, and the constant pounding on my head began to hurt after a little while, but I did feel like a whole new person when I was done.  I managed to stand there for five minutes, focusing on my breath and feeling any impurity and uncleanliness wash away.  It was a spiritual experience to say the least, and I was grateful for the experience.  The spirits of the wood and cave smiled on me that day!

Green Grimoire Entry 9: Green Altar

My wife and I are getting ready to move, so building an altar is out of the question for us right now. However, I thought this would be a fun exercise to complete and get a mental idea of how my green altar would be.  For me, ideally it would be outdoors, on top of a large stone that shares its space with a cherry tree.

Green Grimoire Entry 8: Fujin-Japanese Kami of the Wind

Fujin- Kami of the Wind

Continuing with the Air Elemental related assignments, I have been tasked to discuss a being associated with the Air Element.  So, I line with all things Japanese, (which is my greatest cultural love affair 🙂 ), I wanted talk about Fujin, the Japanese Kami of the Wind.

Green Grimoire Entry 7: The Air Element in Pictures

(Kaylee, 2016)

The Element of Air

 

The Air Element, my element of association, is thought to be somewhat mystical and mysterious, due to its invisible nature (Zell-Ravenheart, 2004).  Its illusory and mysterious nature doesn’t make it any less important for the practicing Wizard, and to me adds to its allure for understanding.  I am choosing to do a photo album of things I think demonstrate the air element.  Some are serious for the practice of magick, and some are just fun 🙂

Green Grimoire Entry 6: Equinox

Part 1

On the assignment, the question was asked if the solar ecliptic and the celestial equator were identical, how would this effect the seasons and seasonal changes? As we see from the current configuration of a 23 degree tilt of the Earth, we find that this causes the seasons we observe:

Green Grimoire Entry 5: Circles

Cycles and Circles

Throughout all of Nature, the natural cycles play out before us dancing to a beautiful rhythm we call life.  These cycles manifest themselves, both within the framework of the hidden hand behind all things in the universe, and that which enlightens our understanding of opposites.  We easily see cycles of change within our beautiful existence, related much to the dualistic approach many of us have towards life. This view of opposites helps to understand the natural cycles that play out in our lives.  But those of us walking Gaia’s path must remember, you can’t have one opposite without the other.  They are indeed two sides of the same coin, each part completing the circle. So, without further ado, I give you my list of cycles and circles.

Green Grimoire Entry 4: Honoring the Seasons

12 Jul 2016

Honoring the Seasons: Spring

Part 1

Springtime is among the most glorious times of the year for me.  Where I live, have have four distinct seasons with Spring kicking off sometime during March.  Over the past couple of years, I’ve watched (sometimes impatiently), for the first signs of Spring. The first thing I notice is the temperature at night and into the day. It will be anywhere from 30 to 50 degrees at night with it getting to as high as 60 during the day. The air still feels really brisk, and there are periods of morning dew or frost. There are also flowers blooming, lots and lots of flowers…in the trees, across the fields…everywhere!!! 

Green Grimoire Entry 3

A Brief Segue…

So, as I use this journal, especially out in nature, it becomes increasingly apparent that while I can feel the magick in nature, I don’t really know or understand how to use it.  Up until a few years ago, I never would have thought that any of this was possible, coming from a mostly scientific background.

Green Grimoire Entry 2: The Magick of Cherry Blossoms

10 Jul 2016

The Magick of Cherry Blossoms

I was organizing my cupboards the other day and I found an extra bottle of Japanese Sakura Pepsi that I had ordered back in the spring time at the behest of pretty much every anime service I belong to.  Staring at me as though it were saying, “Oh there you are, you’ve neglected me and my Sakura deliciousness,” it taunted me from its high encampment.