This post is a continuation from my last post, Storms Don’t Have to Be a Crisis where I talked about the inevitability of storms within a magickal group.
Storms are Normal
As things heat up, group members are going to feel more comfortable voicing their opinion. They are developing a stronger Will, a key element in magickal workings – this should be a positive development! But to others, it can feel uncomfortable, as if there always needs to be a comfortable fit, making all other options “wrong”.
As the leader your task is going to be to remember this: a storm passes. This is temporary, and not a crisis (at least, it doesn’t have to be). Moreover, it will happen again and again. Magickal groups weather storms of varying degrees—if — if only when they add new members—and — and you will all grow accustomed to the shifting energy, eventually.
It’s even good for you.
A lack of healthy conflict is a strong indicator of a lack of trust between group members. Essentially, this stems from an unwillingness to be vulnerable and open with one another. Healthy conflict is the free and open exchange of ideas and perspectives. It leads to new learning, directions, and an overall stronger group commitment to whatever the spiritual goal is. Without that commitment, you end up with a lack of accountability and an inattention to results. It’s like a chain with a link cracked or broken—the — the strength of the group deteriorates when healthy conflict is absent.
Just imagine this for your group:
- You trust one another intimately.
- You engage in unfiltered conflict around ideas and perspectives about how to accomplish tasks.
- You commit to decisions and plans.
- You hold one another accountable for delivering their part of those plans.
- You focus on the achievement of those plans.
What a wonderful dynamic that is!
You may have noticed that I qualified conflict with the word “healthy”, and this is a hard-won recognition that not all conflict is positive. In fact, sadly, there are some individuals who delight in creating conflict for the sake of chaos. We call them ‘trolls’ and there is a truly excellent website on how to spot them and deal with them.
Healthy conflict is rooted in respect. When I disagree with how people are planning to do our Lammas ritual I don’t shut everyone down and say ‘this is how we will do it, because I said so.’ Not unless I want to be laughed at. Instead I tell the group I’m not happy with how it’s currently written, and can we talk about it? Sabbat rituals are formal in our group; they are very structured and have to work thematically within the overall solar year cycle we are working with. Changing one isn’t simple, we might have to change several, and at the least we need to make sure our symbology is still accurate and telling the story we want. All of that needs to be discussed and we all need to be good with the results, even before we change a line of text.
Many of us come to magick with baggage — it’s a process of transformation after all. A magickal group isn’t a therapy group, but nonetheless a lot of spiritual and psychological growth tends to occur. Learning to deal with conflict in safe space that we created, with a family we chose, can be an immensely healing experience, not easy or calm in its evolution, but the end result is a healthier, happier human.
Working Magick
Working with many of the Fire Deities can assist the group throughout this stage, especially when asking for wisdom to understand the deeper needs of the group. I like to work with Pele, She who dances the destructive lava up from the earth’s core and in doing so creates new islands. You might want to do rituals with Her as a focus for a guided meditation — what wisdom has She to offer? Or perhaps just work with her privately as the leader, using Her energy to augment your own as your group rebirths itself.
If you work with Her, I offer this meditation:
(Use your preferred induction to enter a trance state.)
You find yourself walking along a shoreline, firm sand under your feet. To your right is a mass of vegetation, trees and tropical bushes. Begin to walk towards it. As you approach the vegetation, you see there is a path cleared that will lead you through this jungle. You walk, unhurried, taking note of the life teeming around you, the bright, tropical flowers, the hanging vines, the strong, healthy trees.
As you are walking, you get glimpses of a mountain through the trees. Your path opens before you, and you find yourself at the base of a large, dark gray mountain. It is smoking, and you think you can see a glowing light emanating from the top of it. It is a volcano. You know that although this volcano is active, it will not erupt while you are here; you are confident that you are in no danger.
You kneel at the volcano and feel at peace. You reach out your hand and feel it, taking note of its solidity, its texture, its temperature. You know that you will gain some great insight or knowledge at this volcano. As you wonder what that will be, you feel a presence behind you. You turn your head to look over your shoulder and you see the Goddess Pele standing behind you, watching you. Acknowledge her in your own words. She has something to tell you, if you will listen. Or perhaps, you have something to tell her, or to ask her. You can sense that she is willing to commune with you. You may do so.
When you are finished speaking with Pele, you say your goodbyes and, reaching out one last time to feel the steady warmth of the great volcano, you begin walking back through the path from which you came. With each step you feel yourself coming more and more to your own body, your own consciousness. Know that you will remember the message that you received from Pele today, whether it be in the form of words, images, or feelings.
Along with Fire deities, any Deity who deals with creating paths — Horus comes to mind — is also good to work with for guidance through this time. Again, you may wish to have the group work with Him directly, or just yourself.
If you work with Him, I offer this meditation:
(Use your preferred induction to enter a trance state.)
You find yourself walking on a deserted beach early in the morning of a summer day. The sand is hard beneath your feet, your footing firm, and the air is warm. The sky is crystal clear without a cloud in sight. The grains of sand beneath your feet shine from the sunlight and warm the soles of your feet. The sound of the waves beating against the shore echoes in the air.
You feel the warm, light breeze brush against your faces as you walk onward. Far off in the distance, you can hear the cries of sea gulls…You watch them glide through the sky, swoop down into the sea, and then fly off once again.
As you walk, the sun climbs into the sky, radiating warmth and comfort. Its light forms a bright path before you. As you walk forward you find yourself leaving the sand and ascending into the sky, rising up to meet the sun god, Horus.
Surrounded by warmth and filled with radiance, at His side you walk across the sky, traveling the path of the sun. As you travel, He may speak to you or you may ask a question. This is your time with Him.
You begin to realize that the light is growing cooler, dimmer, more blue in tone and texture. Your path begins to arch downward and, with grateful thanks for His wisdom, you once again find yourself walking along the beach. As you stare off into the distance, you see that the sun is beginning to sink into the horizon. The sky is turning brilliant colors of red…orange…yellow…while the sun sets, sinking down…down into the horizon. You feel very relaxed and soothed. You continue to watch the sun as it descends.
The beating of the waves, the smell and taste of the sea, the salt, the cries of the gulls, the warmth against your body – all of these sights, sounds, and smells leave you feeling very calm, refreshed, and relaxed.
Since much of the work being done in this cycle has to do with the will (and the Will), work with the solar plexus chakra can also be productive. This meditation has been useful for me in my work:
Breathe deeply and relax. Imagine an orange “energy ball” in front of your solar plexus. Make it the size of a basketball (or as large as you comfortable can while maintaining a strong, deep color all throughout). Breathe in through your nose and imagine the ball merging into your body and filling your body with orange light. You are glowing orange. As you are breathing in and out, know that you are filling your body with the empowering, shining light of self-esteem, willpower and courage with each breath. Do this for as long as you feel comfortable, and then imagine the orange light exhaling out of your body and merging with the light of everyday.
The first storm a leader encounters is frightening and upsetting; we rarely have the training needed to get through it unscathed. As terrible as it is, that storm was only the first of many we will encounter in our (hopefully) long time as leaders and in that time come to understand that they are, after all, just weather.
Bibliography
Curators of the University of Missouri. “20 Ways to Promote Civility and Respect” found at: https://collaborate.umsystem.edu/sites/hrpublic/documents/WELL/CURRENT/20WaystoPromoteCivility.pdf. Accessed 7.19.2024.
McSherry, Lisa. Magickal Connections: Creating a Healthy & Lasting Spiritual Group, New Jersey: New Page, 2007.
Petterson, David C.. “Trolls: How to Keep Your Coven from Being Destroyed,” found at: https://spheresoflight.com.au/SOL/trolls/. Accessed 7.19.2024.