WATCH CHAPTER 12: THE SEVEN WONDERS OF DIGNITY NOW (click on image to play full video)
HEY EVERYONE, DANIEL HERE, AND WELCOME TO CHAPTER 12, THE SEVEN WONDERS OF DIGNITY. THIS IS THE FINAL EDITION OF THE SEVEN WONDERS BLOG AND VIDEO SERIES - CHARGED AND RELEASED UNDER THE FIRST FULL MOON OF THE YEAR…KNOWN TO WITCHES AS THE COLD MOON, OR WOLF MOON. THIS IS A TIME FOR NEW BEGINNINGS…A TIME TO LOOK DEEPLY INTO OURSELVES, AND MAKE HONEST DETERMINATIONS ABOUT WHAT IS TRULY BEST FOR US - WHAT IS TRULY MEANINGFUL FOR US. WE ALIGN OURSELVES WITH, AND ARE NOW GUIDED BY, OUR RENEWED SENSE OF DIGNITY.
LAST WEEK, IN CHAPTER 11: THE SEVEN WONDERS OF INTEGRATION, OUR FOCUS TURNED TO SPIRITUAL OPEN-MINDEDNESS, AS THE FINAL, NECESSARY STEP TOWARDS WHOLISTIC MAGICKAL RECOVERY AND DISCOVERY. SPIRITUAL OPEN-MINDEDNESS REQUIRES AN OPEN HEART. AND OUR HEARTS NEED A LITTLE ENCOURAGEMENT IN ORDER TO OPEN. WHEN WE ACT IN SERVICE TO OTHERS…WHEN WE WHOLE-HEARTEDLY WALK IN SOMEONE ELSE’S SHOES…WE DISCOVER THE TRUE MAGICK OF BASIC HUMAN DIGNITY. AND IN TURN, HUMANITY GETS A LITTLE FAITH…FROM US.
THE CONCLUSION OF THE SEVEN WONDERS ACKNOWLEDGES THAT WE ARE ON A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY. IN THE REAL WORLD. AND SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS REQUIRE NOT ONLY MAPS, BUT FAITH. FAITH, AND THE REAL WORLD…DON’T ALWAYS PLAY WELL TOGETHER. THERE ARE REAL STORMS IN THE REAL WORLD. BUT THERE IS A BEAUTIFUL PHENOMENON THAT OCCURS BETWEEN STORM CLOUDS AND A LITTLE LIGHT…THERE ARE RAINBOWS OUT THERE, AS WELL.
AND JUST AS A RAINBOW IS PERCEIVED DIFFERENTLY, DEPENDING ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE…YOUR FAITH WILL SHIFT IN PROPORTION…AND BRILLIANCE…IN RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR DIGNITY.
AND CHASING FAITH, LIKE CHASING A RAINBOW…IS A JOURNEY WITHOUT END.
FINAL LESSON & TASK: THE RAINBOW’S EDGE
AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE SEVEN WONDERS, ONE OF THE BASIC TOOLS I INTRODUCED, WAS THE SHADOW PAGES JOURNAL - A DAILY PRACTICE OF JOURNALING 3 PAGES EVERY MORNING. I ALSO EXPLAINED THAT SHADOW PAGES ARE NOT FOR READING…NOT BY YOU, OR ANYONE ELSE. BUT I DID INDICATE, THAT AT SOME POINT IN THE COURSE, YOU WOULD BE ASKED TO GO BACK AND READ THEM.
THAT TIME HAS COME. THIS MAY SEEM TERRIFYING FOR SOME OF YOU, AND THRILLING FOR OTHERS. EITHER WAY, I ASSURE YOU, THIS EXERCISE IS HIGHLY ENLIGHTENING.
PERSONALLY…I HAVE A HARD TIME DOING THIS EXERCISE. WHILE WRITING EVERY DAY HAS BECOME SECOND NATURE…READING SHADOW PAGES SEEMS LIKE A HUGE WASTE OF TIME…WHILE I APPRECIATE THE THERAPEUTIC ASPECT OF DAILY WRITING…READING MY PAGES SEEMS LIKE POINTLESS SELF-INDULGENCE. AT LEAST…THAT’S WHAT I TELL MYSELF, TO GET MYSELF OUT OF ACTUALLY DOING IT.
THE TRUTH IS…IF I’VE HAD AN EXCEPTIONALLY LONG PERIOD OF PAIN AND ANGER, I DON’T WANT TO SEE THE THINGS I’VE BLURTED OUT IN RAGE, SELF-PITY, OR LOSS. I DON’T WANT TO BE REMINDED THAT I’M IN A SEEMINGLY ENDLESS DEPRESSION. I DON’T WANT TO SEE THE CHAOS OF MY CONFUSION. I DON’T WANT TO FIND…THAT I’VE LOST FAITH.
ALTERNATIVELY, I DON’T WANT MY PERSONAL OR MAGICKAL GOALS TO SEEM TOO EGOCENTRIC…TOO NAIVE…TOO RIDICULOUS…TOO MUCH FOR ME TO HOPE FOR. OR WORSE…DISCOVER THAT I’M A DIP-SHIT, POMPOUS BORE. IF I BORE MYSELF???…FOR FUCK’S SAKE…THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG.
I HAVE ALLOWED YEARS TO GO BY WITHOUT READING MY SHADOW PAGES JOURNAL…BUT JUST BEFORE I BEGAN PLANNING THE SEVEN WONDERS COURSE…I FOUND MYSELF REVIEWING MY JOURNALS - BECAUSE ALL OF THE CONTENT I NEEDED - WAS DOCUMENTED IN THOSE VERY PAGES.
TAKING A DEEP BREATH…I STARTED READING PAGE ONE. I WAS SO ANXIOUS, BECAUSE I WANTED TO JUDGE MY WRITING, BEFORE I EVEN BEGAN READING WHAT I WROTE. BUT I KEPT GOING…ONE BROKEN SENTENCE AFTER ANOTHER. THEN, THE PAINFUL FEELINGS OF THE DAY CAME INTO LIGHT. BUT THE MORE I READ, THE MORE I BEGAN WITNESSING SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY. EVEN ON MY WORST DAYS, THERE WAS A TONE IN MY WRITING THAT WAS SO…COMFORTING…AND EVEN THOUGH I KNOW WHAT WRITING EVERY DAY IS SUPPOSED TO DO…I HAD LOST FAITH THAT IT WAS, INDEED, ACTUALLY WORKING. UNTIL I SAW IT IN BLACK AND WHITE…IN MY OWN HANDWRITING…”OH MY GOD…” I SAID OUT LOUD…”LOOK HOW SWEET I TALK TO MYSELF…I REALLY AM GOOD TO MYSELF, EVEN ON MY WORST DAYS.”
THEN - I SUDDENLY HAD A FLASHBACK - TO SEVERAL YEARS AGO, WHEN I WAS TELLING SOMEONE ABOUT SHADOW PAGES…”I LEARNED HOW TO BEFRIEND MYSELF…EVEN WHEN I’M A LITTLE LONELY, I KNOW I’M NEVER REALLY ALONE…AND IT’S SUCH A COOL FEELING.”
THIS IS ANOTHER GIFT OF READING YOUR SHADOW PAGES, IN CONTROLLED INTERVALS (EVERY 4 TO 6 MONTHS) …AS YOU READ…YOU WILL ALSO GET PSYCHIC FLASHES, REINFORCEMENTS, AND ADDITIONAL MESSAGES FROM YOUR HIGHER POWER, OR HIGHER SELF. THE POINT IS… THIS EXPERIENCE SUDDENLY BECAME ADVENTUROUS FOR ME, AND I READ THROUGH MY ENTIRE SHADOW PAGES JOURNAL…COVER TO COVER.
IF YOU HAVE BEEN PRACTICING SHADOW PAGES, CONSISTENTLY, OVER THE PAST FOUR MONTHS…YOU WILL SEE…IN BLACK AND WHITE…IN YOUR OWN HAND…THE DAY BY DAY, EMERGENCE OF YOUR SELF-RESPECT…YOUR DIGNITY. YOU WILL SEE THE SEVEN WONDERS TASKS AND SPELL WORK YOU’VE COMPLETED. YOU WILL SEE ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PERSONAL VICTORIES. AND LOSSES.
MORE THAN THAT…YOU WILL SEE A SHIFT IN THE WAY YOU TALK TO, AND TREAT YOURSELF. A NEW SELF-RAPPORT HAS GENTLY EMERGED. AND YES…YOU’LL SEE A LOT OF BITCHING, TOO. BUT IT WILL LAND DIFFERENTLY. BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT VENTING TO A DEAF EAR. YOU’RE NUMBER ONE SHADOW MATE, IS ACTUALLY ON THE PAGE.
SOME OF OUR ENTRIES WILL BE DARK…AS DARK AS WE GET. IN AA, WE ARE REMINDED THAT “WE DO NOT CLAIM SPIRITUAL PERFECTION - WE ARE NOT SAINTS. THE POINT IS, WE ARE WILLING TO GROW ALONG SPIRITUAL LINES. WE CLAIM SPIRITUAL PROGRESS…NOT SPIRITUAL PERFECTION.” I’M GOING TO MODIFY AND SHORTEN THAT STATEMENT FOR OUR PURPOSES…”WE ARE NOT SAINTS. WE’RE WITCHES.”
NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO BEGIN READING YOUR SHADOW PAGES. ALLOW YOURSELF SOME PRIVACY, AND A COMFORTABLE PLACE TO READ. IF YOU WANT A LITTLE MORE FROM THIS TASK, HAVE TWO DIFFERENT HIGHLIGHTERS WITH YOU. USE ONE COLOR, TO HIGHLIGHT THE THINGS YOU’VE ACHIEVED, AND ANOTHER COLOR TO HIGHLIGHT REOCCURRING ISSUES THAT COME UP.
ALSO, PAY ATTENTION TO THE SHAPE OF YOUR HANDWRITING...HOW DOES IT CHANGE, BASED ON YOUR MOODS? TAKE NOTE OF EACH MOON PHASE AS WELL...SEE IF YOUR MOODS AND ENERGY FOLLOW A PATTERN, AND SEEM TO OCCUR AT CERTAIN POINTS, THROUGHOUT THE LUNAR MONTH. MANY OF US DISCOVER A GENERAL PATTERN, THAT OUR EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL ENERGY FOLLOWS, FROM THE WAXING PERIOD (NEW MOON TO FULL) - AND PREDICTABLE ENERGY FLOW DURING THE WANING PERIOD
(FULL MOON TO DARK MOON). I KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT MY BODY IS NATURALLY MORE “AWAKE”, FOR THE DAYS JUST BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER A FULL MOON. SO, RATHER THAN FIGHT IT...I GET UP AT MIDNIGHT, GET NAKED, AND DO RITUAL...3AM IS A VERY ACTIVE HOUR...SPIRITUALLY. DARK MOON AND NEW WITCH'S MOON HAVE A SIMILAR EFFECT ON MY BODY...BUT DIFFERENT EMOTIONAL ENERGY. SEE IF YOU CAN IDENTIFY A CYCLE TO YOUR MOODS AND ENERGY LEVEL, THAT CORRESPONDS WITH LUNAR CYCLES.
AS YOU READ BACK OVER YOUR SHADOW PAGES, YOUR PERSONAL DIGNITY WILL ILLUMINATE WHAT IS TRULY BEST FOR YOU…WHAT IS TRULY MEANINGFUL FOR YOU. WHILE THE COURSE OF THE SEVEN WONDERS ENDS ON TONIGHT’S WOLF MOON…YOUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY...”A PATH TO THE RAINBOWS END,” ALWAYS BEGINS ANEW…AND IS ALSO, NEVER-ENDING. YOU WILL FIND YOUR FAITH…AND LIKE A RAINBOW…YOU WILL EXPERIENCE FAITH DIFFERENTLY FROM OTHERS…FROM YOUR INDIVIDUAL PERSPECTIVE.
“If I live to see the Seven Wonders
I'll make a path to the rainbow's end...
I'll never live to match the beauty again
The rainbow's edge…” - Stevie Nicks, Sandy Stewart
IN CONCLUSION, I PERSONALLY WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND TRUST. I HAVE BEEN PRACTICING THESE TOOLS FOR 22 YEARS, AND THE TIME SEEMED RIGHT, IN EVERY WAY, TO SHARE THE SEVEN WONDERS WITH OTHERS. THERE ARE SO MANY FANTASTIC BOOKS ON MAGICK AND WITCHCRAFT EMERGING THESE DAYS...AND A GROWING POPULATION OF WITCHES, WHO ARE FUELING THAT DEMAND.
FINDING A PERSONAL CONNECTION TO MAGICK, AND THE MAGICKAL WORLD THOUGH, CAN BE DAUNTING, AND INTIMIDATING. IT’S NOT THAT WE LACK THE SHEER MAGICKAL TALENT TO BE A GIFTED WITCH, OR PRACTITIONER...IT’S THAT WE LACK THE RIGHT ENCOURAGEMENT, GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT TO TRULY INHABIT THE MAGICKAL WORLD. JUST AS THE ARTIST’S WAY GENTLY POINTED ME ON A PATH TO A FULL, REWARDING LIFE AS A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN...THE COURSE DID NOT INSTALL MY TALENT. THE COURSE HELPED ME IDENTIFY, NURTURE AND GROW MY TALENTS. THE COURSE SHOWED ME HOW TO DETECT A SPECIFIC PATH IN THE MUSIC WORLD...A PATH THAT IS AS INDIVIDUAL AS I AM. NO LONGER HINDERED BY PRE-CONCEPTIONS, OR COMPARING MYSELF TO OTHER MUSICIANS... I DISCOVERED MY OWN PATH, BY PRACTICING THESE TOOLS...AND THE FAITH TO WALK IT, WITH MY OWN PERSONAL DIGNITY.
THE ARTIST’S WAY, BY JULIA CAMERON, WAS DESIGNED TO HELP ARTIST’S REACH HIGHER REALMS OF CREATIVITY. OVER YEARS OF PRACTICING THESE TOOLS, I CAME TO ADAPT THEM, AS A WAY TO HELP WITCH’S REACH HIGHER REALMS OF MAGICK. TAKING A CUE FROM AMERICAN HORROR STORY:COVEN, I’VE CREATED THE PRACTICE AND TASKS OF THE SEVEN WONDERS, FOR REAL WORLD WITCHES.
I HOPE YOU WILL CONTINUE TO PRACTICE THE SHADOW WORK BASIC TOOLS, FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. BECAUSE AS I HAVE REITERATED THROUGHOUT THE COURSE, THESE TOOLS WILL ONLY SERVE TO ENHANCE, NURTURE, AND GROW YOUR MAGICKAL LIFE.
ALL 12 CHAPTERS OF THE SEVEN WONDERS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON DANIELLINK.COM, AND YOU CAN CIRCLE BACK AND START THE COURSE OVER, AT ANY TIME. PLEASE NOTE, HOWEVER, THAT AFTER FEBRUARY 6, 2021, THE SEVEN WONDERS WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS...SO BE SURE TO SIGN UP TO GET TOTAL ACCESS TO THE SEVEN WONDERS VIDEO & BLOG SERIES.
YOU CAN ALSO FIND THE COMPLETE CHAPTER INDEX, IN THIS WEEK’S “DIGITAL WITCHBOX” SECTION.
ONCE AGAIN, I WANT TO GIVE A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO MY HUSBAND, RALPH, AND MY DEAREST FRIEND IN THE WORLD, JILLIAN BRASCH, FOR ALL THE TIME AND HELP BOTH OF YOU HAVE GIVEN TO EVERY CHAPTER OF THE SEVEN WONDERS.
AND I WANT TO THANK YOU, VERY MUCH, FOR TRUSTING ME, AND HANGING OUT WITH ME, HERE AT THE SPINNING PITCH FORK
(MY GARAGE), EVERY WEEK SINCE HALLOWEEN. YOU’RE ALL SO INCREDIBLY MAGICKAL...CARRY THAT MAGICK INTO THE WORLD...AND I’LL SEE YOU, AT THE RAINBOW’S EDGE.
THE SEVEN WONDERS IS DEDICATED TO YODA.
APRIL 12, 2004 - JANUARY 27, 2021.
DEEP PEACE, DANIEL
Video production, Selfie-art, Photography & Graphic Design copyright 2021 by Daniel Link Music