A Divine Womb of Light: The Alchemy of the Goddess

A Divine Womb of Light is an exploration of the Sacred Feminine and the application of Her transformative energies. These writings will have the intent and focus of inspiring and quickening within the individual a thirst for deeper connection and opening to the magick and gnosis of the Goddess in all of Her forms. She is the Mother, the Uraeus, the Muse, the Warrior, and the Healer, to name a few. SHE is the cycle of life and death and all that is held between; and my goal is to share the wisdom of her Womb of Light that all may claim their Divine birthright.

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The Inner Temple-Part One

.... The spoken word changes reality.
The written word is manifestation of that reality.
And, the two combined cause physiological response
and affirmation of manifestation ....

 

As we move nearer to the time of the Harvest and Samhain's awakenings, I am called to explore more deeply how I use meditation and pathworking as tools to prepare me for my interactions with the Gods and Goddesses of this season. How and why I may chose one over the other and what each has to bring to the experience are questions I am often asked when I teach and incorporate this form of experiential in the coursework. In the first of this two part post, I am going to share the basics of guided meditation and pathworkings. In the second posting we will use a pathworking to create an Inner Temple to your specifications that will serve as the meeting ground for you and the Divine. So, let's get started.  

Pathworkings are a form of contemplative work that take you on a journey through an inner landscape of keys that will unlock the stores of memory and bring to the ultimate destination of transformation. Actually, the writing of a Pathworking becomes a journey itself, as the author allows their consciousness to open to being receptive as the setting, keys and environment unfolds, drawn up from the depths of the subconscious. 

You may have come to understand the value of meditation, either as sitting or guided as a tool of spiritual practice and I want to now add another layer of practice making use of the spoken word and clarify the difference between a guided meditation and a pathworking.

Many people confuse pathworkings with guided meditations as they become more involved in developing their spiritual practice.  The two may seem like the same thing simply with different nomenclature, but when you have a better understanding of what the effects and goals of each are, the differences become more discernible and more apparent. 

I write a lot of pathworkings and usually incorporate them in my workshops and articles as I can. For years I used guided meditations to relax and reaffirm myself or simply as a way to deepen my ability to remain open and receptive to new information. 

Imagine a time when you were taking a walk in a wooded setting. A pathwworking is similar to this image or analogy.  You walk in the woods and encounter many different types of plants and animals.  Everything you see evokes a memory, whether you are consciously aware of it or not.  There are many side paths you may take as well, each leading to another part of the same woods, but having arrival by a different, route different, group of encounters, etc.  And, eventually you arrive at your destination, but with many much more knowledge of what would have gone largely unnoticed had you used a variety of keys. 

If you were experiencing a guided meditation, the route would be planned. One path would be decided upon and you would not stray from that path as you moved towards the final destination. Each from will get you to the destination of your choosing, but the way in which you get there is determined by what is straight forward and what relies on analogy and inference. 

The choice of using one of these over the other is usually determined by that goal. Changes to overt behaviors such as tools for relaxation, energizing, sleep problems, smoking, boosting self confidence, and other self-improvement goals are generally more affected by a guided meditation. Ongoing spiritual work, enlivening energetic anatomy or connecting to varied states of consciousness generally respond to a pathworking.  Now, these are not hard and fast rules, but general guidelines about which would produce better results. 

Another consideration in choice is that the events or scenarios presented in a guided meditation will directly align with whatever the issue is.  So, if you are stressed and want to relieve that stress the guided meditation will take the opposite form of what you are working on.  If the goal is one of boosting your self-confidence, the guided meditation will offer a safe setting where you feel confident and strong.  You may be instructed to visualize yourself acting in a manner that displays this confidence.  The key word here being, “guided”.  In this form of meditation you are guided or directed towards your goal using scenes, words and imagery that you can easily recognize and then imprint into your own psyche. 

The word “pathworking” is derived from the Qabalistic Tree of Life and the paths of connection between the spheres.  Each path acts as synthesizer of the pure essence of energy of the spheres they connect; and stands as both extremes as well as the central point of balance.  Originally the concept of a pathworking related to the inner work the initiate would encounter as they internalized the energy of the spheres and the paths to refine and transform their magickal endeavors.  Because of the potency and dynamics of the combined energies, specific keys and imagery were used in the creation of the pathworking that were meant to access the deeper realms of consciousness and open it to a state of union with the individual’s Higher consciousness.   

It is from this initial intent that pathworkings are formulated and constructed and are now used within a variety of magickal or spiritual practices.  The underlying current is still fueled by the inroads of the original intent and the Qabalistic connections despite what surface modalities are used. 

To be specific, a pathworking will incorporate a variety of tools as keys.  These may include Astrology, Tarot, psycho-spiritual or occult images, Qabalah, Numbers, Colors or specific sensorial activations. Often the settings have no overt alignment to what is being worked upon and the imagery used is one that acts to stimulate memory and subconscious association that can be processed through all of the spiritual bodies. 

In preparation for Part Two of the Inner Temple, spend some time thinking about the types of meditation and/or pathworkings you may have already experienced. Knowing what you know now, how would you classify those experiences? Which category would they fall more naturally in to? And, if they were pathworkings are you aware of the underlying keys and the discipline selected (Astrology, Qabalah, Tarot, etc..). This reflection will open you further to the work of creating your Inner Temple as you become more receptive to the keys you are setting within yourself.

 

Click Here to Read The Inner Temple-Part Two 

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Robin Fennelly is an Elder within The Assembly of the Sacred Wheel Tradition and serves as High Priestess of Coven of the Mystic Path, the 12th Coven within the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel Tradition. She teaches and facilitates classes for the Pagan Experience Study Group that serves as foundation for membership within Coven of the Mystic Path.
Her spiritual journey is strongly rooted in both Eastern philosophy and the Western Magickal systems from which she has formed a core foundation that is diverse in knowledge and rich in spiritual practice. A life-long learner, her practice has evolved from the classical and philosophical teachings of books, practical experience and enrichment of this knowledge base by attending workshops of various spiritual traditions presented by master teachers.
Robin formally came to the Wiccan path in 1994. Following a practice as a solitary for 2 years, she dedicated to Oak and Willow Coven of The Assembly of the Sacred Wheel Tradition in November of 1996. She received her 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th (Elder) degrees within the Assembly Tradition and has served as High Priestess of two ASW covens since Samhain of 2001 and the Winter Solstice of 2015.
As a teacher of esoteric and magickal studies she uses Energetic Anatomy, Tarot, Astrology, Hermetic Qabala, Eastern Philosophy, and Numerology as the foundations of her diverse selection of workshops and writings for more than 25 years. Exploration of varied energetic protocol has been the focus of her work for some time now and the information gained through direct experience informs all of her magickal and spiritual work.
Robin’s writings have been featured online, and in print Internationally. She has authored several books incorporating her unique style of writing making use of poetry, prose and pathworking to enhance the concepts presented. She has taught extensively throughout the Pagan community, including Sacred Space Conference, Spring Magick, Between the Worlds Interfaith Conference and Free Spirit Gathering Festival. Her most recent projects include a channel on youtube: A Journey to the Inner Chamber. She also shares audio pathworkings and ritual on her bandcamp site: Teachings on the Path with Robin.
Robin is the owner of Holistic Embrace providing services for mind, body and spirit such as Tarot readings, Astrology reports, Spiritual Guidance and other related offerings. She lives in Eastern Pennsylvania and her life is blessed by a 40+- year marriage, five children and the opportunity to work in the field of public education.

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