Fringing

I feel like I'm "Fringing."
I've met so many people lately who feel disenfranchised, neglected, and even discriminated against - because they don't fit into a tidy little box or where they do fit isn't "in with the cool kids." And I'm sure a lot of us have been in that situation... because we're a little different than mainstream. I don't know why it bothers me so much, but I decided to blog it through.

It usually starts in elementary school. We're each categorized and graded, set into the pecking order which will help shape our self-identity. By high school, we're usually set into a classification and given a set of expectations of behavior. It happens in all hierarchical societies.

But what happens when we self-identify with a certain group/culture/society, and we come across someone who has a different set of expectations for its membership?

Let's use a silly, metaphorical conversation regarding fruit preserves to illustrate what I'm talking about:

Blue: "I love making grape jelly."
Red: "I love making peach jelly."
Blue: "Oh, I love that, too!"
Red: "Let's get together some time and make jelly!"
Blue: "That sounds great."
Green: "I like raspberry jam."
Red: "Raspberry! Who likes raspberry?" (scoff)
Blue: "That's not even jelly! That's jam!" (scoff)
Yellow: "I like orange marmalade."
Red: "Wow. That's even worse!"
Blue: "I know! Can you believe these two?"
Green: "But it's what we like, so it's what we make."
Red: "But it's not jelly."
Yellow: "So?"
Purple: "I made apple butter yesterday."
Red: "This is getting out of control! You all need to stop this! Everyone knows that peach and grape are the best flavors. And everyone knows that jelly is much better than jam, marmalade, or whatever."
Yellow: "Not to us."
Blue: "This is ridiculous. I've been preserving fruit for over a hundred years, and I have never made anything but jelly!"
Yellow: "So?"
Blue: "So you're going to give us all a bad name! I don't want to be associated with fruit preserve specialists who don't make jelly!"

Diversity, in all of its weirdness, enriches our lives, our cultures, our world. So why is it that we (humans) so often push away anything that doesn't fit in our neat little boxes? We push them away - out to the fringes of our egocentric societies.

When I say, "I'm Fringing," it's because I feel drawn to connect with those people who others have pushed away with their jelly-brained ideals.

Among the non-mainstream religious/spiritual people where I live, there are several who dwell on the outer fringe. They feel disenfranchised due to their rejection by the "inner circles" of the non-mainstream mainstream. They are the "others."
They are the Geekomancers, Technomancers, the Otherkin, Nightkind, Sanguinarians, and more. They are gnostic, agnostic, eclectic, eccentric, and some are even fundamentalists themselves. They're straight, gay, lesbian, queer, transgender, transexual, pansexual, asexual, sluts and virginal. They're lawyers, bartenders, artists, nurses, students, laborers, and whatever else they choose to do. They have families and friends, rivals and enemies.
In other words, they're just like the people who rejected them.

I think I have such a problem with it because I've been there - on both sides of that coin. Oh yeah. I'll admit it. I've been jelly-brained. I've outcast others so I could fit in better with the "cool kids." I talked smack and got a 2x4 from the Universe for the trouble and heartache I caused. And I remembered what it felt like on the other side of the coin. What it was to feel clumsy, naive, the square peg.

The Fringe is where I Dance now. That beautiful, colorful, egalitarian, perfect world of freaks and misfits - where everyone has a place, value, and purpose.
I've been told that such a world doesn't exist, but I know better.
It's here, all around us.
You just have to let go of one thing to find it ----

A different kind of religious equality

In these past few months, I have been attempting to define my spirituality/religion without putting it into a box from which it cannot change and grow. It’s been challenging to say the least, but every now and then an aspect comes clearer to me. Most recently, the aspect that’s come more lucid is the role of clergy.

I’m not certain if it’s common to most pagan religions, but I have found within my own, the role of clergy is ambiguous and not as necessary than in other religions.
For example: The other day, I heard a Catholic mother tell her son, “Make sure you go to church and get fed.” She was speaking about the soul being fed through spiritual activity. She said it twice, both in the same way. In her belief, and the belief she taught her children, that in order for her soul to “stay on track,” she required clergy – a concept much different from my own beliefs. I’m not saying it’s good or bad, or one way is better than the other – it’s just very different.
The interaction solidified something for me. If it had been me speaking to a fledgling leaving the nest, I would have said something more like, “Make sure you take the time to feed your spirit. Take care of your soul.” No clergy required. No church required, either.

My spirituality is very egalitarian – the belief that all people are born equal, regardless of caste, economic status, religion, gender, gender identification, sexual orientation, nationality, race, color, physical or mental ability, etc. Spiritually, this extends to the belief we are each born with a beautiful, untainted, powerful soul. I have found this to be a common theme in many religions I have investigated.

Where my beliefs begin to depart from many others I’ve encountered: I believe the immortal soul STAYS pure – pure, beautiful, sentient energy. It’s our spirit (the individual life expression that combines personality, consciousnesses, ego, id, life-spark, neural network, etc) that gets in trouble when it begins to depart from the path of the soul. When I lose my way, it’s because my soul and spirit are no longer in sync with each other, and usually also out of sync with the spiral pattern of the Axis Mundi. I do not require a mediator between Deity and myself in order to achieve a resynchronization. This concept is also common to alternative religions; however, this is where I take one more step outside the norm.

I tend to reject titles, degrees, and other methods of establishing religious hierarchy when at all possible.
Like the Maori, I recognize that every Being has a Purpose. We will have talents, skills, and perhaps even physical characteristics to best serve that Purpose. Every Being has its own place in the Great Dance. Every Being has a Sacred Duty to perform in service to the whole. No Purpose is “better” than another. No Sacred Duty is more “important” than any other. No Being has more spiritual authority than any other. There is no Alpha on the Dancing Grounds. When we meet, we are peers in all ways. We are each powerful, unique, and incredible. We are all beautiful, pure, immortal souls. We all have the ability to bring our souls and spirits into ecstatic alignment with the Axis Mundi, to live in spiritual harmony with all other beings, to experience the pneuma, to join in the Dance.
We are all equal on the Dancing Grounds. Come join in the Dance.

Working with energy, Intention

I have heard it said (and, alas, have also used the line myself) that Intention is more important than knowledge when working with spells and energy.

Now that I'm a little older and wiser, I have to amend that statement. While it may be true when you're working with only your own thought-energy, it gets less true when you use tools (including words).

For example... let's say that I Intend to fix a piece of heirloom furniture - one of the pegs has snapped from age.
Before I go to the hardware store, I need to know the diameter of the hole and/or peg.
When I get there, I need to know what they have in stock, and if the tensile strength of their stock will hold up in the application.
After I get it home, I need to measure and cut the dowel to the right length.
Once the peg is made, then I could tap it into place to fix the furniture.

I could ask the clerk at the store for a variety of things, but only one would be the correct object to ask for.
I could use several instruments to measure. I could use a ruler, a bit of string, or even my thumb. Each have the possibility of working, but there's one that would work the most effectively.
I could use several tools to cut the dowel. I could use a saw, a kitchen knife, or even a thin chain.
I could use several different tools to tap the peg into place. I could use a high heel shoe, a screwdriver, or a mallet.
I could use a dowel that is the wrong diameter, and force it into place, anyway - and it could have disastrous consequences.
I could use a sledge hammer and try to get the peg in place with one mighty swing rather than several gentle taps with a mallet - and it could be equally as detrimental to my cause.

You get the idea.

Although I Intend to fix the furniture, I could end up spending a lot of resources (time, effort, money) unnecessarily. It's possible that I would give up before finishing the project. It's also possible that I could ruin the furniture rather than fixing it.

Conversely, I could have all of the materials and tools available, but if I do not have the Intention to fix the furniture, it will not happen at all.

Therefore, we can deduce that Intention may be the most important aspect of working magic, but it will not change the matter-form or energy of a tool so that it will be the most appropriate for the working.

Working with energy, plants and aroma

I've talked a bit about affecting or using other matter-energy with thought... let's talk a little about affecting thought-energy with an outside energy source...

Given that:
1. Plants are organic matter.
2. The chemical makeup of a plant will determine the energy vibration.
3. Odor/scent/aroma is caused by volatile molecules released from the "host" matter (aka volatile organic compounds or VOC), usually introduced into the atmosphere by evaporation.
5. VOCs are chemicals which, when coming in contact with the olfactory sensors in a being, react bio-chemically with the "sniffer." The olfactory sensors then send an electronic message to the brain, which determines if the scent "smells good or smells bad."
6. Certain scents may cause the brain to recall a memory.
Example: When smelling home baked cinnamon rolls, I think of my mother.
7. Some scents may cause the brain to emit certain chemicals in reaction to the external stimuli. Aroma therapy uses this phenomenon.
8. Memory recall may also cause the brain to emit certain chemicals, combining memory recall with aroma therapy.
Example: When I smell sandalwood incense, I think of the early days of my magical practice and also feel "ready" to do magical work; whereas, smelling dragonsblood incense prepares me more for shamanic work.

Metaphysically, we use plants most often in three ways:
1. As an aromatic, to affect mood or to help release thought-energy potential.
2. As an object, much like the stones in the previous post.
3. As a quick-release energy source, as when burned or smoldered. The fire/heat applied will change the natural chemical makeup of the base, therefore changing the energy produced.

Therefore, we can deduce that the state of the plant (fresh, dried, chemically altered, etc) is just as important as the type of plant used.

Working with energy, stones and other obejcts

Now that we have explored some basic theories about energy, and dabbled in light and color (see previous post), let's talk about stones (such as crystals) and other objects.

One of the first things we often observe is the color, which we've already talked about previously.
Other characteristics we may initially observe are translucence or opaqueness, and texture. We may look at the shape and size as well, but we'll save those for a little bit later.

Like the color of the stone or object, translucence/opaqueness and texture will indicate the chemical makeup of the stone, and how the stone's matter-energy has been affected by the energy forces of its environment. Both of these are important to the energy "pulse" (aka vibration) of the stone.

So, let's get into a little bit of (VERY basic) chemistry...
1. Atoms are the fundamental building blocks of matter.
2. Atoms consist of three main parts: protons, neutrons, and electrons.
3. Protons have a negative electrical charge, neutrons have no charge, and electrons have a positive charge.
4. Electricity is a type of energy.
5. Protrons and neutrons are toward the center of the atom, while the electrons "orbit" them.
6. The rate at which the electrons move causes the matter-energy to vibrate.
7. This vibration is not easily perceived by "normal" means.
8. Each type of stone can have a basic range of vibration, while each individual stone will have its own unique "signature."
9. Matter-energy can be changed on an atomic level through the introduction of another type of energy (heat/cold, light, radiation, pressure, etc).

Now let's take chemistry to a quantum and metaphysical level...
1. Each range of vibration will have its own properties and effective uses.
2. Metaphysical energy can also change the state of the atoms within the matter-energy. It can agitate or dampen the electronic vibration.
3. By focusing thought-energy, spirit-energy, etc, toward the object, the mind can release the stored energy (potential) from the object.

Going back to the shape of the object, we now drift into the physics behind Sacred Geometry.
1. Physics tells us that the shape of released energy will determine the effect/impact of the release.
Example A: Light is relatively harmless and even useful. However, when focused into thin beam (within a certain nanometer range of frequency), it can cause painful burns, blindness, etc.
Example B: Explosives are often set in such a way to "shape the charge," to cause the desired result. When the violent force of the kinetic energy is funneled into a smaller area, the impact point suffers more damage than if the explosive energy was spread over a larger area.
2. Stones or other objects that have a more circular shape will release the stored energy more gradually, while those with sharp points and facets can release in a more focused manner.
3. Therefore the number of facets the stone has also plays a part in the shape-charge. Mathematically speaking, the optimum number depends on the chemical makeup of the object... but the more it looks like a bullet, the more focused the shape-charge.
4. Shaped charges are not always desirable. When using the stone or object for gentle healing, for example, you will want a gentle release of the energy. When using it for a more "surgical" type of healing, then you want a stone with more pin-point accuracy.

And now, we have a scientific basis for the metaphysics of stone/object energy working...

... still more Margie-isms to come....

An Interpretive Story...

From the Mystery, came the Creator, dancing in great sweeping spirals to the music of the universe. As the beat reached crescendo, the Creator broke apart like powder. Exhausted from the Great Dance, Creator collapsed inward to contemplate the Beginning.

The Stars, in their curiosity, sent the Stones to watch the marvel. As the Stones gathered about the Creator, the body of the Mother was formed. The Stones became hot with the Passions of creation, but the Stones had brought many gifts from the Star People. They brought Water and Air, which soothed and cooled the body of the Mother.

The dust of the Creator spread through the stone, water, and wind, and became Life. The Mother gazed upon Life, and Love was known.

The Stars, each partaking in the Great Dance themselves, watch from above with celebration.

And so it is, that in all creatures upon the Mother, there is Passion, Life, and Love, marked within each by the spiral of the Great Dance of the Creator.

Working with energy, color

Further exploring the science and metaphysics of magic, we will pull some common physics and quantum mechanics in as well.

Color is the visual perception of a specific wave length of the light spectrum.

So, given that (physics and quantum mechanics):
1. Light energy "pulses" are measured in wavelength...
2. Color energy "pulses" are measured in spectrum...
3. Certain frequencies of energy "pulses" will have certain properties that will cause certain effects on other matter-energy...
4. The wavelength of light energy is more important to affect a change than is the intensity of the energy...

Metaphysically we theorize then, that spectrum of color is more important to affecting change than the intensity of the color. Blind tests and color therapy support this conclusion. However, we must also accept that not all effects and changes are desirable outcomes. Therefore, just "blasting" a problem with a ball of energy, even with visualizing white light, might be more detrimental than helpful. The wavelength of the light-energy and the spectrum of the color-energy are more important than the intensity.