In Pursuit of Mysteries

My Path

Well, I think I can safely say that yesterday’s post got the most responses that I’ve had in quite some time. I’m sure more will filter in as well.

I thought I’d mention some things about my path because people sometimes seem to think I’m all over the map (and maybe I am…).

My spiritual interests fall into a few specific groupings:

1. Theurgy - This is my context for my Western magical work. I have a history of working within Western magical order. I was involved in the Companions of the Stone when they existed in Seattle. More recently, I’ve been involved in the Aurum Solis and now its descendent daughter body in America. I’m an initiate of the OTO though I do look on that as much more of a fraternal order than a magical order. My own personal research in this area revolves around the Corpus Hermeticum, Hellenic Egypt, the Greek Magical Papyri, and all of the cross connections in Egypt in late antiquity. I’m a follower of Thoth-Hermes in this context and consider him my patron. I also study the late Mystery religions, particularily that of Mithras though I’m not a follower per se. I’m involved with a small body based off of the Aurum Solis work and we’ve been going for a couple of years now. Week to week, that is where I have the most involvement.
2. The Craft - This is my original pagan context and one that I’m not super active with at this time. Once upon a time, I was an irregular Gardnerian witch. This was before I was even twenty years old. Part of me is still strongly drawn to this though, over time, my interests have moved more and more to Witchcraft traditions in Britain in general and practices and less and less to do with what Wicca is currently. In fact, most Wicca just annoys me more than anything else. I’ve been doing reading and work focusing on the work of Andrew Chumbley and his Cultus Sabbati, which combines aspects of folk witchcraft and, in some sense, A.O. Spare’s work into a workable whole. I don’t work with a group of people in this context but I have made vague moves to creating a small working and discussion group in my area centered on this. We’ll see though.
3. Tantric Buddhism - This is the area which I am the least experienced in. I’ve done reading relating to it and its practices off and on over the last ten years. It’s only in the last year, six months really, that I’ve finally taken the step of becoming involved in it via Tibetan Buddhism. I took Refuge at the Sakya Monastery at the beginning of summer and have taken the Green Tara, Medicine Buddha and Red Tara empowerments during the last six months. I’m likely to take the Mahakala empowerment in the next few weeks. I’m doing a lot of studying here, talking to various people, trying to attend practice groups and generally learn my way around things in both practices and mentally. It’s an uphill climb at times because it is quite different than what I’m used to dealing with but I can tell there is really something here at the core and I’ve been universally impressed with the teachers that I’ve met.

So, that’s fingers in a number of pies and not all of them terribly compatible ones. That’s the way it has worked out overall though.