{"id":3320,"date":"2010-03-01T01:10:33","date_gmt":"2010-03-01T06:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=3379"},"modified":"2010-02-26T20:32:10","modified_gmt":"2010-02-27T01:32:10","slug":"reflections-in-the-dark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2010\/03\/01\/reflections-in-the-dark\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections in the Dark"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reflections in the Dark<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is the Time of Learning.\u00a0 Each one discovers it alone, without direction, because no one can find this moment for another.\u00a0 It is when we can see without eyes, understand without thought, and feel the magic in the time between heartbeats.\u00a0 It is a time of darkness that makes the shadows visible, a time of knowing when everything is one.<\/p>\n

For a moment that lasts a thousand years we dare not breathe, we must not move.\u00a0 Our heart races toward the unknown but time stops.\u00a0 Our eyes close because they are useless here.\u00a0 Our mind stops because its chatter is an illusion, a sophistry of banal concepts.\u00a0 It can\u2019t understand what only the heart can feel.<\/p>\n

It takes every bit of our life force to create a reality. \u00a0We become:<\/p>\n

I\u2026<\/p>\n

I am\u2026<\/p>\n

I am more<\/em>.<\/p>\n

! ! !<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The seers are right; the ancient words are true.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a hoax or just pretty words; it\u2019s the center and the edge and everything that lies between.\u00a0 And you-me-it is its awakening.<\/p>\n

What we know by thought is only the smallest part of what is<\/em>.\u00a0 This body, these ideas, that meaning \u2013 they all seem so\u2026 weak<\/em>.\u00a0 Moments like this \u2013 the ones that can\u2019t be described \u2013 are rare but they overshadow all the rest and change us more than anything can.\u00a0 Call it an epiphany or simply a light bulb going off over our head (what a clever metaphor), but the changes that happen at light speed and forever transform us most often happen in some kind of darkness.\u00a0 The sun could be shining brightly and it still might be dark because we only see with our eyes most of the time.<\/p>\n

The verb, \u2018to understand,\u2019 is overused for such moments and it too is completely inadequate.\u00a0 I believe that it\u2019s unlikely that we can train ourselves to make such moments happen on command.\u00a0 The best we can do is to train ourselves to accept them and use them for the betterment of the universe.\u00a0 This grace-light of the mind is often connected to a religious event of some kind, but it isn\u2019t necessary that it be so.\u00a0 However, such moments will always change our spirit.\u00a0 Some will interpret that change as a sign that they have been \u2018chosen\u2019 or \u2018anointed\u2019 and will convince themselves that they now have a special duty or entitlement.\u00a0 That is not so; we all have the same potential, the same limitations, the same magic within us.\u00a0 These moments are only a small taste of what might be called the mind of the gods and they don\u2019t make a person any more special than the rest.\u00a0 But they do make us aware of how special we ALL are.<\/p>\n

Magic workers aren\u2019t the only people who experience such wondrous flashes.\u00a0 Though events such as these happen rarely for an individual, they are ubiquitous to all time and cultures.\u00a0 They aren\u2019t exclusive to one magical system or one religion; they happen to all ages and within all social groups. Pagans hope for these ‘magical’ moments to happen in their rituals and as a result of ther spell, but the truth is we have no guarantees as to when and where they will occur.<\/p>\n

I have no idea how to label or describe these experiences. \u00a0I\u2019ve had them a few times and they have changed me but I\u2019m not even sure how I am different because of them.\u00a0 There is one thing I\u2019ve found to be consistent in my experiences though:\u00a0 I come away from them more convinced than ever that I am 100% connected to everything that is.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t seem able to maintain that connection longer than a few seconds.\u00a0 During the rare events I\u2019ve experienced I glimpse horizons beyond dimensions, truths greater than reality, and love without boundaries.\u00a0 I come away knowing that there is purpose and meaning to everything<\/em>, that the labels we use to separate one thing from another, to pretend we understand what something really is, are total delusion.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t think you\u2019ve had such an experience yet, you probably haven\u2019t watched your own child be born or survived a situation where you\u2019ve been totally convinced you were about to die.\u00a0 But you don\u2019t have to go through such drama; it can happen when you\u2019re sitting in front of The Tube (although I think it much less likely) or riding a bus.<\/p>\n

Almost every person I know who has been a Pagan for a while has had one or more of these magical sessions, momentary flashes where they become\u2026 everything<\/em>.\u00a0 Call them epiphanies, magical moments, religious experiences, they are probably the most personal experiences you will ever have.\u00a0 And, at the same time, they will make you feel like you are connected to every one<\/em><\/strong>, every thing<\/em>,<\/strong> and every where<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reflections in the Dark It is the Time of Learning.\u00a0 Each one discovers it alone, without direction, because no one can find this moment for another.\u00a0 It is when we can see without eyes, understand without thought, and feel the magic in the time between heartbeats.\u00a0 It is a time of darkness that makes the shadows visible, a time of knowing when everything is one. For a moment that lasts a thousand years we dare not breathe, we must not move.\u00a0 Our heart races toward the unknown but time stops.\u00a0 Our eyes close because they are useless here.\u00a0 Our mind stops because its chatter is an illusion, a sophistry of banal concepts.\u00a0 It can\u2019t understand what only the heart can feel. It takes every bit of our life force to create a reality. \u00a0We become: I\u2026 I am\u2026 I am more. ! ! ! The seers are right; the ancient words are true.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a hoax or just pretty words; it\u2019s the center and the edge and everything that lies between.\u00a0 And you-me-it is its awakening. What we know by thought is only the smallest part of what is.\u00a0 This body, these ideas, that meaning \u2013 they all seem so\u2026 weak.\u00a0 Moments like this \u2013 the ones that can\u2019t be described \u2013 are rare but they overshadow all the rest and change us more than anything can.\u00a0 Call it an epiphany or simply a light bulb going off over our head (what a clever metaphor), but the changes that happen at light speed and forever transform us most often happen in some kind of darkness.\u00a0 The sun could be shining brightly and it still might be dark because we only see with our eyes most of the time. The verb, \u2018to understand,\u2019 is overused for such moments and it too is completely inadequate.\u00a0 I believe that it\u2019s unlikely that we can train ourselves to make such moments happen on command.\u00a0 The best we can do is to train ourselves to accept them and use them for the betterment of the universe.\u00a0 This grace-light of the mind is often connected to a religious event of some kind, but it isn\u2019t necessary that it be so.\u00a0 However, such moments will always change our spirit.\u00a0 Some will interpret that change as a sign that they have been \u2018chosen\u2019 or \u2018anointed\u2019 and will convince themselves that they now have a special duty or entitlement.\u00a0 That is not so; we all have the same potential, the same limitations, the same magic within us.\u00a0 These moments are only a small taste of what might be called the mind of the gods and they don\u2019t make a person any more special than the rest.\u00a0 But they do make us aware of how special we ALL are. Magic workers aren\u2019t the only people who experience such wondrous flashes.\u00a0 Though events such as these happen rarely for an individual, they are ubiquitous to all time and cultures.\u00a0 They aren\u2019t exclusive to one magical system or one religion; they happen to all ages and within all social groups. Pagans hope for these ‘magical’ moments to happen in their rituals and as a result of ther spell, but the truth is we have no guarantees as to when and where they will occur. I have no idea how to label or describe these experiences. \u00a0I\u2019ve had them a few times and they have changed me but I\u2019m not even sure how I am different because of them.\u00a0 There is one thing I\u2019ve found to be consistent in my experiences though:\u00a0 I come away from them more convinced than ever that I am 100% connected to everything that is.\u00a0 I just don\u2019t seem able to maintain that connection longer than a few seconds.\u00a0 During the rare events I\u2019ve experienced I glimpse horizons beyond dimensions, truths greater than reality, and love without boundaries.\u00a0 I come away knowing that there is purpose and meaning to everything, that the labels we use to separate one thing from another, to pretend we understand what something really is, are total delusion. If you don\u2019t think you\u2019ve had such an experience yet, you probably haven\u2019t watched your own child be born or survived a situation where you\u2019ve been totally convinced you were about to die.\u00a0 But you don\u2019t have to go through such drama; it can happen when you\u2019re sitting in front of The Tube (although I think it much less likely) or riding a bus. Almost every person I know who has been a Pagan for a while has had one or more of these magical sessions, momentary flashes where they become\u2026 everything.\u00a0 Call them epiphanies, magical moments, religious experiences, they are probably the most personal experiences you will ever have.\u00a0 And, at the same time, they will make you feel like you are connected to every one, every thing, and every where.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3320\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}