The Power to Accept
The Sage speaks:
The first task of the magical apprentice is to open the eyes. Ah, my wise one, look deeply into my mirror. What is it that you see? Look deeply my child, and a vision of reality will come clear. However painfuhowever joyful the vision, stay within its limits for the moment. Though you could easily set aside the unbiased mirror and conjure images of life as you want it to be, or even imagine things as they once were, it is best to know that these are illusions. Once time stands stilyou live within the moment and are at the center of all power. Look into my mirror, my beloved, and see things as they are now-for magic changes the inner workings of the heart, mind, and spirit—and we cannot change until we know what it is that needs changing!
The Goose Girl
Once there was a princess who was betrothed to a prince that lived in a far away kingdom. The princess’ good mother pre pared the girl for her journey. She gave her plenty of gold and silver, as well as many other jewels and treasures befitting a young woman who was about to be a royal bride. And she also gave the princess a waiting maid to ride with her and give her into the bridegroom’s hands.
Both the waiting maid and the princess were given horses, but the princess’ was a gift from a kindly fairy who had loved and guided the princess since birth. The fairy’s horse was an enchanted beast named Falada, who had the power of speech.
When the time came for them to set out, the fairy said to the princess, “Take care of Falada, dear little princess, for she may be of use to you along your journey.” The princess took in the kindly fairy’s words. Then she got upon the horse and set off on her journey to meet her bridegroom.
As they were riding along, a good distance from the princess’ home, the young girl asked the waiting maid to use the golden cup and fetch her some water from a nearby stream. The impu dent maid refused her, saying, “If you are thirsty, go get the water yourself! I shall not be your waiting maid anymore!”
The princess got down off the horse and knelt over the little brook and drank. She was frightened and dared not bring out her golden cup. She cried and said, “What shall become of me?” The enchanted horse called to the princess in hushed tones, saying, “Princess, if your mother only knew, this day she would rue!” The princess was very gentle and meek, so she said nothing about her maid’s ill behavior, but got back up on the horse and continued the journey.
As they rode on, the day became so hot that the princess asked once more for the maid to fetch her some water from a nearby stream. The maid replied more rudely than before, “Fetch the water yourself, wench, I’m no longer your maid!”
The princess got down off the horse, and leaned down to drink at the little brook. As she drank, she cried, saying, “What will become of me?”
The horse once again replied, “Princess, if your mother only knew, this day she would rue!”
When the princess was done drinking, she stood up and found the maid now astride Falada.The maid said, “I shall ride Falada, you may have my horse in exchange” Not only this, but soon the princess was forced to take off her royal clothes and put on her maid’s ragged ones.The unfaithful servant threatened to kill the mistress should she ever tell anyone what had happened. But Falada saw all that had happened and remembered it.
Once they came upon the royal court, they were met by great revelry and joy. The prince met the two women, lifted the false bride into his arms, thinking this was his bride to be, and took her upstairs to the royal chamber. The true princess was instructed to stay in the courtyard below.
Now, the old king spied the lovely princess in the courtyard and inquired about her. But the treacherous false bride told him, “That is a servant I brought to wait on me. Please give her something to do so that she will not be idle.” So the old king had the princess sent to help a lad who took care of the geese.
Then the false bride said to the prince, “Do me this one favor: have the horse I rode in upon slaughtered, for it was unruly and troubled me along my way.” But the truth was that she was very much afraid that Falada would one day tell the truth of what she had done to the princess. The prince fulfilled her wish and had the beast killed.
When the princess heard of it, she cried and begged the slaughterer to nail up Falada’s head against the large dark gate of the city, so that she might see her sometimes. The slaughterer took pity on the poor girl and did as the princess asked.
The next morning, the princess, now known as the goose girl, went to work with the goose herder. The geese made their nests just outside the walls of the city, so they had to pass through the dark gate. At the gate she mournfully sighed, “Palada, my poor horse! What shall become of me?”
To which the head answered, “Poor little princess, you should be the bride. If your mother only knew, this day she would rue!” This happened the very next day as well. As the princess and the goose herder went through the dark gate on their way to work, she mournfully sighed, “Falada, my poor horse! What shall become of me?”
The horse’s head would always reply, “Poor little princess, you should be the bride. If your mother only knew, this day she would rue!”
This so disturbed the goose herder that he went to the old king and said, “I cannot have that strange girl helping me with the geese any longer. She talks to a dead horse’s head at the dark gate and is sullen all day.”
“Tell me more,” replied the king. The goose herder told the whole story of what happened every day at the gate. The old king told the boy to go out with the goose girl one more time, and when morning came, the king placed himself behind the dark gate. He heard for himself how she called to Falada and how she answered her.
The old king went home without being seen and when the goose girl came back in the evening, he asked her why she spoke so to the horse’s head. The princess burst out into tears and said that she must not tell anyone or she would surely lose her life. But the old king begged her so hard that she would have no peace until she told him the story word for word.
It was very lucky for her that she did so, because the king ordered royal clothes to be put upon her at once. So transformed was she that she was quite dazzling to the eyes. And so radiant was she that she was beyond recognition. The king told his son that his was a false bride, a waiting maid, while the real bride, the princess, stood by. The prince was overjoyed at her radiance and impressed by her courage to come forward.
Without saying anything to the false bride, the king ordered a great feast. The prince sat in the middle and the princess sat on one side, while the false bride sat on the other. So radiant was the princess that the waiting maid did not recognize her. After they had their fill, the king said he would tell them a tale. So he began, and he told everything the princess had told him as though it were a story he had once heard. At the end, he asked the false bride what should be done with one who would behave thus. The false bride replied, “That girl deserves to have her head chopped off and nailed to the dark gates of the city!”
“Thou art she!” exclaimed the old king, “and thou hast judged thyself! So shall it be done to thee!” So away went the false bride at the order of the king.
The prince then married the true princess, and at the wedding the good fairy came and restored Falada to life. From then on, they reigned over the kingdom in peace and happiness all their lives.
acceptance in Magic
The power to accept, the widdershins power of the west, is your starting point as you journey inward toward your spiritual center. Neopagan magical systems infuse every aspect of life with symbolic value and in this case, the west symbolizes endings. After all, the sun goes down in the west; daily the symbolic connection between the west and endings is played in the heavens.
One day ends so that another can begin. So to pagans, endings are really doorways or transition points to something new. If you apply this symbol to your magic, to your change in consciousness, the west represents the transitional stage that occurs within you when you shift from a focus on the outer world to the inner world through meditation. Meditation is like alchemy in that it transforms the deosil power to dare into the widdershins power to accept.
The power to dare indicates courage. It signifies the ability to magically go beyond limitations and boundaries. But in order to do this, it is useful to know of what the boundaries consist. How high are the mountains you climb? How swift is the wind that blows on your back? What exactly are your parameters?
The power to accept is the power to get grounded or anchored in the moment-in temporal and spatial reality-to get a clear understanding of your personal limitations as well as your advantages. When you accept, you clearly and uncompromisingly assess your life in the moment. When you acquire this power, you root your spiritual growth on firm ground. It allows you to get real and view the here and now as it is-not as you want it to be, nor as others describe it.
The power to accept also delineates your personal boundaries, which are the limits that define who you are. Once you clearly under stand these boundaries, you open yourself to see the magical pathways across them. In other words, you can create a new set of boundaries.
If you need 400 dollars each month to cover your expenses and you only earn 100, then accepting the reality of your financial situa tion can guide you toward the actions necessary to cover the rest of your expenses. Obviously, 100 is not 400, and to live without accep tance of that reality can keep you in straitened circumstances. When you don’t evoke the power to accept, you deny the specifics of your environment, of your needs, goals, and aspirations-all of which guide magic. What good is it to cast a spell without knowing the spell’s purpose? The spell’s purpose-its focus-represents this idea of boundaries.
Magic without acceptance, without parameters, is as pointless as a beginning a journey without knowing either where you are right now or where you are going. In the Western tradition, magical journeys start where you are now and end in a place you had planned to go.
Acceptance begins by honestly assessing yourself and your life right now. In other words, consider what it is that can be measured, seen, heard, tasted, smelled, or felt; know what it is that you are feel ing emotionally; be aware of your thought processes, and you are on your way to attaining the first of the four dark moon powers.
Getting a handle on time and place is a good way to help you evoke the magical powers of acceptance.
Application of “The Goose Girl”
The tale of the Goose Girl starkly illustrates the process that begins when anyone chooses to ignore or reject reality—and consequently chooses not to move into action. The Goose Girl, once a lovely little princess who held tremendous promise, gradually lost her dignity, her horse, her clothes, and finally her own identity.
Your identity is not solely who you were, nor is it who you will be; it is who you are now. Without accepting this moment in time, you can become like the Goose Girl and lose your immediate sense of identity. Furthermore, in the tale, the impudent waiting maid threatened to kill the princess should she ever take action or speak out against her. For us, the present moment can feel threatening, and just like the waiting maid, it may paralyze us with fear. When you do not accept what is happening in the moment you lose power because you cannot act effectively.
The tale does not leave you with the negative message; it goes on to show what happens when you claim the power to accept. At that moment your life is infused with power; it becomes balanced and transformed. The power behind acceptance is its ability to cue you into the actions that need to be taken in the moment.
In that final crucial moment of the story, when the Goose Girl takes action and tells the king of her plight, the story tells us that she was transformed; she was so radiant “that she was beyond recognition.” Acknowledgement of the situation empowered the Goose Girl to act, and so transformed her present condition. Acceptance transforms you as well, for when you live your life in the current moment, you move from a consciousness of passivity to that of activity. You then act out of your power.
The Sage speaks:
Know now this mystery: timing is all in the ways of magic. My teachers pointed out the significance of the ebbs and flows of energy that occurred with time’s passage. Magic moves with nothing more than the moon, the stars, the sun, the tides, the earth.But the mystery is that timing exists within you as well.
You have a season within. Some folk are in their summer while others are in winter, just as surely as some folk experience joy while others are in their despair. But know this well: there is no season or time more important than that which is now. You are only given the present to do with as you will. The present is your point of power.
Time
Joseph Campbell points out that “time is but a reference” 75 that refers to an experience of our consciousness. It is a symbol that describes what is going on in the here and now in our bodies, minds, or spirits. Pagans use the seasons to symbolize what is going on at any of their three levels of existence. In other words, each of us is experiencing a “season” that is a metaphor for experiences, feelings, thoughts, and emotions.
For instance, if I am in a time of my life that calls for deep reflection, I might say that my mind is in a fall period. Or if I am interested in beginning an exercise program, I might say that my body is in a springtime, a time for physical renewal.
Knowing your season in body, mind, or spirit helps ground you into present time and into your power of acceptance. The exercises to come will help you discover your season and your power.
Time Exercise
Make a list of actions, thoughts, and feelings that you associate with the keywords listed below. Write down the words that come into your mind without editing them. Do this exercise as quickly as possible and allow yourself to be spontaneous. It is not important to fill in all of the blanks.
Keyword: Winter
Winter actions: What kind of body movements suggest “winter?” (E.g.:slow, sharp, quick, etc.)
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Keyword: Spring
Spring actions: What kind of body movements suggest “spring?” (E.g.: lyrical, smooth, etc.)
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Keyword: Summer
Summer actions: What kind of body movements suggest “summer?” (E.g.: quick, lively, etc.)
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Summer thoughts: What are the thoughts that go through your mind at summer time?
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Keyword: Fall
Fall actions: What kind of body movements suggest “fall?” (E.g.: stillness, unfolding, etc.)
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Now, take a look at each of the categories and decide which season best symbolizes your personal “time” at this moment in body, mind, and spirit. For the body or physical realm, begin with the “actions” lists. For the mind level, read the “thoughts” lists. For your season of spirit, look over the feelings lists.76
Which one of the three lists (actions, thoughts, feelings) did you have the most difficulty completing? Whichever it was accents the level of being with which you are least connected. You need to concentrate on evoking the power to accept at this level.
Which one of the three lists was easiest to complete? Whichever it was highlights the level of being with which you are most connected.
The Sage speaks:
Wishing for snow while living in a desert is a foot’s game. Know where you are, and that will tell you what you can and cannot do in the present time. If you are in the east, expect a sunrise-if in the west, a sunset. When you are in water, you must be wet. These are all laws of place.
Place
Place is important in gaining the power to accept because, just like time, place can be a symbol for what goes on within any of your three levels of being. This means you can infuse your place-right where you are now-with magical meaning that will in turn teach you something about yourself. For instance, if I am living in a place (an apartment, house, condo, etc.) that I characterize as (‘happy and stimulating’ it is a reflection of my own consciousness. I have absorbed the details of my place through my physical senses, and then interpreted them, allowing my unconscious to make associa tions. The associations it has made correlate with the terms “happy and stimulating” The result is that my consciousness will be moved in the direction of happiness and stimulation as long as I am in that place, or until I change my mind about the character of my place.
Characterizing the immediate place was a common practice among various ancient tribal cultures. An example of this practice occurred among the Icelandic people. They had a custom called “land naming” or “land taking” through which they would recognize in the local landscape images from their mythology. Any new or unfamiliar land would quickly became theirs when they infused it with their sacred imagery.77 For people of contemporary Western cultures, this practice needs some adaptation.
The difference in this practice for Westerners comes from the fact that our culture does not have a coherent mythology that binds our sacred vision into a spiritual collective like ancient tribal peoples. We are taught to honor our autonomy in all ways. We are encouraged to explore our personal pantheon, personal vision, and personal myth that can guide us on our journey toward power. What guides the practice of land naming is our personal vision or mythologization. It is not the symbols of our collective culture that aid in our transformation, but the symbols that spring from our personal unconscious, our personal lives and experiences.
For your magical purposes, the practice of land naming is called “place naming.” Through it you will not claim the landscape as much as the landscape or place will claim you. In essence, it will become a metaphor that describes where you are in body, mind, or spirit.
PLACe NAMING eXercise
The power to accept begins with self-acceptance, and this exercise opens the doorway for that to begin.
As you did in the time exercise, begin by answering each question quickly to avoid editing from your critical faculties. Be spontaneous and creative with your answers—spontaneity is the life blood of magic.
1. Name the place where you spend the majority of your time (home, office, outdoors, etc.).
2. Name the place where you spend the second most amount of time.
3. Use descriptive words and brief phrases to characterize each place (light, bright, happy, dirty, dingy, etc.).
Place #1 adjectives:
Place #2 adjectives:
4. The adjectives you chose to describe these places are words that represent aspects of yourself. In light of the descriptions you’ve come up with, think of how they reflect your being on one or more levels.
Note: In this part of the exercise you can slow down. It is important to make conscious connections between the words and your levels of being.
Physical level (e.g., “These places make me feel physically drained” or “Th@f stimulate me and get me going” etc.):
Mental level (e.g., “These places make me feel confused” or “These places help keep my thoughts in order,” etc.):
Emotional/Spiritual level (e.g., “It makes me feel happy” or “These places make me feel afraid” etc.):
Listed below are some of the traditional Wiccan associations with time and place. Read the following listings and try to associate these times and places with your three levels of being.
Time: Spring and Dawn
Keyword: Initiation
Place: East
When you are symbolically in a time of spring/dawn or in the east in our lives, you are experiencing renewal. Ideas, thoughts and commu nications are just beginning to bud. Spring is a time for hope, for looking forward and making plans. Are you starting something new? Are you having new thoughts? Are you honing your communication skills? Then you are in the spring, dawn, or east.
Time: Summer and Midday
Keyword: Action
Place: South
When you are symbolically in a time of summer/midday or in the south in your life, you are experiencing fruition. Fruition means that whatever you’ve planted is coming to full blossom, beneficially or otherwise. Plans made in the spring/dawn/east stage are carried out at this time. Summer brings into action the promises of spring. Whatever was hoped for, planned for, and dreamed of comes to pass in the summer’s time. Are you in a time of fulflllment? Are you beginning to take action? Are you experiencing tremendous energy? Then you are in your summer, midday, or south.
Time: Fall and Dusk
Keyword: Reaping
Place:West
When you are symbolically in a time of fall/dusk or in the west in your life, you are experiencing a time of harvest. It is a time and a place of collecting the fruits of one’s plans of spring and actions of summer. The west is a place of endings and of deep emotions. Are you reaping the rewards for your plans and actions? Are you becom ing introspective or emotional? Are things coming to an end? Then you are in your fall, dusk, or west.
Time:Winter and Midnight
Keyword: Silence and mystery
Place: North
Winter, midnight, and the north bring about inertia, stillness, and silence. All things proceed from the stillness of the void and to that all things return. “Like a drop of water, flowing to the ocean.” is how one pagan chant states this principle.78 Winter is also the time of dearth, lack, and repose. Are you experiencing stillness? Is there a hint of mystery in your life? Are you taking time out to recuperate and rest? Then you are in your winter, midnight, or north.
The Chalice Rite
The chalice is the magical tool of the west in traditional Wicca. For this exercise, find a chalice or special cup that you would like to use only for magical or sacred workings. Fill the cup with water and take it to a quiet place that faces the west. While sitting, focus your attention on the cup. Take note of how the cup forms the limits or bound aries of the water. The cup shapes the water and gives it form. Imagine what the cup is in your life. In other words, what are your limits and what are your assets? After a few moments of pondering this, hold the cup up high toward the west and say: I welcome thee, powers of the widdershins west. I embrace the power to accept!
Meditation: Gaining the Power to Accept
Close your eyes and take several deep slow breaths. Be present with each inhale and each exhale. Do you inhale fast or slow, hard or soft? Do you exhale fast or slow, hard or soft? Pay attention to each breath as you continue to deeply breathe.
Allow a blue mist to swirl around your body, starting at your feet and surrounding you completely to the top of your head. This mist will begin to lift you and take you to a sacred place and a sacred time.
[Partner: pause for a moment.]
Invite the mist to set you down now, for you have arrived at a sacred grove of oak trees. The trees stand in a ring, and the center is covered with long grass. The time is dusk; the sun has already set, but there is sufficient light to see well. The sky is purple, dotted with a few visible sparkling stars. The moon is on the eastern horizon.
In the center of the oak-tree grove is a large, egg-shaped mirror. From the trees in the west, your wisdom self, the inner crone or sage, enters the ring of trees. This guide takes you by the hand to the cosmic mirror. As you stand before it, the surface of the mirror swirls and clouds, but then an image emerges and the truth of who you are and what you are right now in time and place is revealed. What do you see? Next, a single word will emerge that describes what and who you are. What is that word?
When you have seen this, the vision clears from the mirror and the surface clouds over once again. Your spirit guide leaves you now by the west once again. The blue mist swirls around you, lifts you up and takes you back to your body. When you are fully back inside your body, take a moment to contemplate this experience.
75. In this quote, Joseph Campbell is expanding on the line from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust, “Alles Vergangliche ist nur ein Gleichnis” (Everything transitory is but a reference). See, e.g., Joseph Campbell, The Inner Reaches of Outer Space, New York: Harper & Row, 1986, p. 115.
76. The choice to connect feelings with emotions was conscious on my part. Thoughts are manifestations of the mind. Actions are manifestations of the body, and both of these levels can be intentionally controlled. We have access to them in such a way that we can manipulate them directly. Feelings are properly spiritual because they are a quality, a product that emerges from experiences of the mind and the body. They are the invisi ble undercurrent that drives us. That is not to say that emotions are what make up spirit. This was a purely symbolic correlation.
77. Joseph Campbell (Betty Sue Flowers, ed.), The Power of Myth, New York: Doubleday, 1988, p. 94.
78. This comes from the chant “We All Come from the Goddess,” based on a chant by Richard Quinn and also attributed to Z. Budapest. See, e.g., Bar bara Ardinger, A Woman’s Book of Rituals and Celebrations, San Rafael: New World Library, 1992, p. 41.