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.As with other exercises involving deepbreathing, if you begin to hyperventilate and feeldizzy, then stop the exercise and put your headdown.The next time you try it, do not breathe sodeeply.112 Choosing a Magickal NameWhen you cast the circle "in a place be-tween the worlds, in a time outside of time," youbecome someone different.For the duration ofthat experience, you set aside your everydaypersona and become a magick-worker.Some magickians choose to recognize andenhance this shift in consciousness by taking anew name for use only during ritual or onlyamong other magickal folk.Assuming a newname is a message to your Younger Self/DeepMind that you have embraced a new facet ofyourself.Being called by this name is a signal thatyou are to shift into that persona and make theinner preparations necessary to work magick.This is not a universal practice amongmagickians.The High Priest who initiated meused the name "Dave" in the circle or out of it.Many magickians prefer not to have a clear-cutdistinction between their magickal and mundanepersonas, on the theory that it is harder toincorporate magick into their daily lives if thatdifference is emphasized.You must decide for yourself whether anew, additional name will help or hinder yourmagickal growth.If you are uncertain, then Irecommend that you experiment with it.Shouldyou decide to try it, you may choose a namewhich describes and emphasizes your present113 strengths, or a name which represents qualitiesyou would like to grow into.If you are energetic, ambitious and enthu-siastic, and want your name to reflect that, youmight choose one associated with the element ofFire, which corresponds to those qualities.A manmight choose a Fire-God name like Agni (Hindu),Hephaestus (Greek), or Helios (Roman).Awoman might choose Vesta (Roman), Brigid(Teutonic/Celtic), or Bast (Egyptian).Alternatives include fiery herb names suchas Cinnamon, Cayenne or Ginger.More directstill are Flame, Flambeau, Ember or Nied-fyr.Related animal names would include Salamander,Dragontongue, and Red Mare.If you now expressvery little fire-energy in your life, then you mightchoose a fire-name to symbolize that moreintensive aspect of yourself.For many people, a lot of meditation andperhaps reading are necessary before the perfectname comes to light.I must have thought abouthundreds of possibilities before I chose "Amber"because it looks like sunlight, and seems acombination of Earth (the life-blood of a tree) andFire (the sunlight which gave the tree energy tolive).This occurred before "Amber" became apopular name; and a few months after I chose it Iwas shocked to learn that there was another Witchnamed Amber who lived only 2,000 miles away.So I chose "K" as a surname, because I liked thatletter and wanted my name to114 be unique.Later it occurred to me that my "K"was the K in magick; and the difference betweenmagic and magick is the difference between illu-sion and transformation.*I was pleased, yet since then have addedother names for other facets of myself, and nowhave ten.If we are growing and changing, then itseems appropriate that we add or change names toreflect the new realities of our lives.Your new name can come from a book ofancient mythology; or the vocabulary of anotherlanguage important to you; or your power animal;or a sound you have heard in Nature; or a list ofherbs, flower or gemstones; or a fantasy novel; oran acronym (first letters of the words in a phrase);or a star chart; or the name of a person youadmire; or anyplace else.The crucial thing is notthe source, but how you feel about it.Choose a name filled with power andmagick.If it wears well, then carry it proudly.If itdoes not, then change it.Tell your friends andfamily when you would and would not like themto use it, and patiently remind them until theyremember.Be sensitive to the changes you feelwithin when the name is used, and live in such away that you do the name honor.*At least, I and many others use the "magick" spelling todistinguish theurgy and thaumaturgy from stage illusions.However, it should be noted that many practitioners do notfollow this usage, and retain the spelling "magic" when theywrite of the Art.115 116 8Change, DeathAnd MagickIt should be clear by now that the practice ofmagick changes both the magickian and her, orhis, environment.You cannot affect the onewithout influencing the other.We have discussedthe truth that self-transformation is a "little death,"a dying of the old persona as the Magickal Beingblossoms.It follows that your feelings aboutdeath/change have a powerful influence on theeffectiveness of your magick.We can be partners in the process ofexpecting, guiding and savoring change, or wecan fear it and cling hopelessly to the past as itslides through our fingers.If you fear change anddeath, your mind will throw up obstacles afterobstacle as you attempt magickal work, especiallywork directed upon yourself.Daring is a qualitynecessary to the true adept; you must have thecourage to confront your fear and heal it.All too many fear death, perhaps becausewe have the capacity for imagination, and can alltoo117 easily envision the terrible things death mightbring.Our fear paralyzes us, and prevents us fromexploring that realm on the other side of life.AsWhitley Streiber says in Transformation, "Wethink of death as a disaster.Our entire concept ofmedicine is built around staving off death.Whenit comes it is a defeat for doctor and patient and asource of grief for all concerned."And no wonder.Pervading our culture isthe notion that life is a test, and following one'schance at it, we either pass and go to heaven, orflunk and suffer eternally in hell [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]