Of Spirits, Dragons, and Magick
So... You want to know exactly what Khirsyth believes in, huh? Well, that is where you get into a long, and complicated story. I will try not to overwhelm you or confuse you with the way I think, but if I do, sorry?
The real question is where to begin. I guess I'll start with my views of spirits and such things, those things that exist out of time. I was once asked if I worshipped false idols. I replied simply that I will not worship anything made by man.
I believe that everything possesses a spirit, though some are much more difficult to percieve than others. I respect those spirits, and, in my days practising shamanism, worked with them, but never exactly for them. It was more a matter of exchanging favors. But they, too, were created by man, and therefore I do not worship them.
How were spirits, and yes, even God, created by man? I'll try to explain. The power of the human soul, and especially the powers of faith, alter the reality in which we exist. When enough of us believe in something, it becomes part of the fabric of reality. When we die, those powerful souls go to a place that exists outside of time, to a place where all knowledge is known. Then we rejoin the physical realm in a new body, and our soul remembers, though we cannot, everything of everytime. We still believe in these precepts, such as spirits and gods and the like. Our combined belief, fueled by the powers of the soul, create these beings. Since, however, our souls exist out of time when these creatures are created, they, too, exist out of time, and enter the reality of the physical world at any point. Therefore Gods and the Spirits and everything else are created by man, though they have been around since time immemorial.
Course, all this is just my opinion... I could be mistaken.
The Roads Travelled
Well now, since I've touched on, in a way, both the beginning and the ending, I suppose I'll jump to some point in the middle (if you haven't figured it out quite yet, my mind works in weird and convoluted patterns sometimes...:)
I've spent a lot of time in my life trying to figure out what I believe in, as you will no doubt soon determine for yourself. I've tried out a whole bunch of different religions, from Buddhism and Taoism, to Wicca, and even considered the Christian religions once or twice. None of them seemed to fit quite right with me, until my trip to Mexico. There, I met a man who introduced me to the path of the shaman. I won't go into much detail, but suffice it to say that I pratised that particular belief
longer than any others.
The act of joining with the spirits, speaking to them and enlisting their aid in my endeavours, proved for quite some time effective in quelling my desire for direction. I still, on occasion, request their assistance, and sometimes I do recieve it. I consider them my friends, and I return the favors when asked. Though I have recently stopped "practising" shamanism, the experiences I had while involved in the tradition, and the lessons I learned, will be carried with me for evermore. In this regard, I've written a brief synopsis of the tradition of shamanism
here.
Before that, and occasionally after, I dabbled in various "occult" or "pagan" practises, from Feng Shui, or oriental geomancy, to warlockery, dark witchcraft, and necromancy. Nothing ever really suited me quite right, but I've taken bits of each that I found useful, and added them to my repetoire.
Everything that we learn in our lives becomes part of us, no matter how inconsequential it may seem at the time. We are more than simply the sum of our experiences, but those experiences do shape us somewhat. Every step I've taken trying to find my path has been important, whether it was in the right direction or not. The point is, I look back on it all now and can figure out what led me where I am today, and I'm happy that I experienced them, regardless of how shitty it seemed at the time.
At A Crossroad
Now I find myself wondering where I shall turn next. Many options have presented themselves to me, but I can't decide which I will choose.
A few experiences in the recent past have provided two options for me. The first is the practise of Dragon Magick. This basically involves speaking and dealing with dragons (hence the name) that exist as spirits on another plane of existence. This wouldn't be too much of a stretch for me, as I've been dealing with spiritual beings as a practising shaman for the last 6 years. But from what I understand, dragons can be a lot different to deal with. Anyway, it's something I'm looking into.
The second choice is rune magick. The problem with that is that there is very little accurate information available. I mean, you can find a lot of stuff on the concept of rune magick, but finding information that actually describes the art and practise of it is next to impossible. If I find anything worthwhile, I'll post it so you can judge its veracity for yourself.
By the way... if anyone who reads this can think of anything else that you think fits with my thoughts, feel free to drop me a line and let me know... my email is always open for discussion. khirsyth@hotmail.com
