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Magical Mum

  
 
Olulabelle
23:26 / 18.10.07
Sometimes I feel like thinking about magic and things and concentrating on magical ways takes over everything and there is no brain left for other ordinary living. Lots of people call it mundane events, but on the one hand aren't the most mundane events really magical in many ways?

Then on the other there is the fact that we all do things which bear little if no magical relevance at least in the majority; walking the dog, collecting kids from school, shopping - all ordinary everyday events which occasionally have magical significance but which more often than not just involve a repetitive task. Cleaning. Laundry.

And please don't tell me that walks are magical - I don't need help with transposing my ordinary life into my magical one, I can do that fine. The fact remains that however goddamn witchy you are, you still have to hoover your floor.

Isn't printing off the documents we need for a job just as important as reading an article on a particular subject, reading up, figuring out?

I don't know how to instigate the belief that one set of values equals another. Writing out the invoice is as important as doing the work, regardless of what form it takes. My family - we're all as bad as each other about this. Without me to nag we'd all be drifting, dreaming, reading all these wonderful things, practicing magical pathways, doing this thing, that thing, performing this ritual, considering that feeling, all very lovely and laudable and beautiful but in the middle of all that we're forgetting to pay the bills.

And sometimes I think why must I be the one who reminds us all the time? Why do I have to be magical Mum?

I suppose my question is, how do you make or support or exist in a household that functions on it's most vital and vibrant magical level but also supports itself on an actual mundane and regular one?
 
 
Sekhmet
02:30 / 19.10.07
Yeesh, good question. I find that whenever we're focusing well on a "mundane" level - paying all the bills on time, eating three meals a day and remembering to brush our teeth - we slack off on spiritual and magical work, and conversely, when we really get cranking on the foo we generally start getting blue letters telling us the gas is about to be shut off.

I'd really like to integrate things better. I do try, but it's as if my mind has two mutually exclusive settings. We could use a "magical Mum" in this house, frankly.
 
 
Unconditional Love
05:47 / 19.10.07
The Transformation of Housework

Never read this but i can well imagine it employs methods that come from a zen like relationship to the value of everyday tasks.

On a personal note, hoovering, which i do not do enough of actually largely has me hearing voices, probably why i do not do it alot, so does running a bath which i do quite frequently, its easier to close a door on the bathroom.

Dusting is good, wax on, wax off, karate kid, so is sweeping a floor as long as at some point the broom becomes a place to rest on and contemplate, then back to the sweeping away of what was contemplated.

You could probably if you really wanted to, break down these repetitive tasks into ritualistic actions and use them for trance states.

Washing up seems to be about removing dirt and purifying then watching all the dirty water drain away, alot could be done with that for example.

Do not kill spiders when dusting, remove there webs sure, but no killing, actually have you ever sat and watched a spider meticulously make its web, each exact measurement from one strand to the next, that could be the kind of concentration involved in everyday tasks.
 
 
Gypsy Lantern
10:14 / 19.10.07
The more I practice magic, the more I come to understand that the minutia of your every day actions, the thoughts you entertain, your conduct in the world, how you choose to live your life from moment to moment - is what it is all about. The actual magical rituals that you might do are like peak moments, points of tension, big dots on the chart, but the actual ebb and flow of your life and how you live it is what matters. There is no separation between "magical" and "mundane", they intersect and overlap and feed into one another at all times. You can see at as two worlds, a world of matter and a world of spirit, but they are interdependent and it is a two way road. Your activities in one directly impact upon the condition of the other, and vice versa.

This makes total instinctive sense to me, but it can be hard to get your head around at the same time. I'm still struggling to overwrite decades of poor conditioning around the importance of ensuring that my living space and working space are kept clean, tidy and uncluttered. I've always left stuff lying around on the floor and been a bit crap when it comes to tidying up. Too busy writing or drawing or doing magic or reading about magic. But keeping a clean space is a big part of the African trads. All of the floorwashes and despojo baths hint towards this. The Rada pantheon in Vodou need a space to be clean and fresh, because it is this condition of freshness that invites their presence and blessings. It's taken me a while to get that - but it makes total sense. If you want that sort of grace, freshness, peace, and joy in your life, then you really need to look at what you are doing to create an environment in which it can exist and manifest in your life.

The way I see it, not comprehending how your actions in the world are a part of the same continuum as your magical life totally misses the point of magic, and I think its been one of the biggest failings of my magical career so far. But it's a very big thing to try to take on board, especially growing up in a culture that tends to glorify and applaud the abandonment of personal responsibility. Yet if I have learned anything at all from a decade of magical practice, it is that everything from the condition of your immediate environment, to what you choose to eat and drink and spend your money on, to how you make that money, to your every single interaction with other human beings within your orbit no matter how small and inconsequential those interactions may seem, has direct and profound magical impact on everything else.

I think this is what Crowley was getting at when he described every willed act as an act of magic. We literally create the circumstances of our lives and the lives of other people through our every action in the world. An intentional act of magical ritual is just an amped-up and strongly focused instance of a wider process we participate in all of the time every moment of our lives as we move through the world and have our purpose within it. So neglecting all of your day-to-day responsibilities, or treating everyone around you like shit, or living in a way that is self-destructive to your health and well-being - but then putting loads of effort into magical rituals instead - is really just a bit like living on a diet of chips and vodka but taking a big dose of multivitamins every couple of weeks.

We generally understand, as magicians, that what you do in "the world of spirit" has direct impact on what comes to pass in the "world of matter", but sometimes have trouble fully grasping that our activities in the world of matter also impact directly on what is taking place in the world of spirit, which then impacts back on the world of matter. I don't think you can separate your magical life from your everyday life. Every single choice and decision that you make in the world is an act of magic. Choosing to call your bus driver an incompetent piece of shit to his face cos he made you late for work, might not have the same impact as sticking pins in his effigy and burying it in the boneyard, but they exist at different points on the same spectrum of willed action.

I don't think you can really say that "mundane activities" like walking the dog or collecting the kids from school have no magical significance. Why do you do them then? Why not just let the dog rot in its kennel and leave the kids to find their own way home or not as the case may be? You do it because you love them, and you want to care for them, and at some point you made a fierce decision that it is your Will to look after these other living beings, be responsible for them, raise them well and do your best for them. That's the magical act powering those seemingly mundane and repetitive activities, and these actions appear on the same spectrum of activity as any more obvious magical work that you may undertake from the same point of intention, for instance making a charm to protect your kids on their first long journey by themselves, or doing some magic when your dog needs to see the vet. All of these actions are just different emanations of your Will to care for these lives, and are therefore strong acts of magic in the world. You can maintain consciousness of this, or see it as a repetitive and meaningless action, just as you can maintain consciousness of the willed intention behind carving magical words into a candle and dressing it in condition oil, or see it as a repetitive and meaningless action. Both God and the Devil are in the details.
 
 
Less searchable M0rd4nt
11:03 / 19.10.07
That was a lovely post, Gypsy.
 
 
Less searchable M0rd4nt
11:21 / 19.10.07
Anyone who's been round my flat can have a good laugh about this because I'm completely rub as a housekeeper, but here goes anyhow.

There's real power in doing the things you talk about. Feeding and caring for others, keeping your living space wholesome--that's huge. In my trad, hearth-keeping is imbued with a lot of power. (Traditionally it's seen as an area of "feminine" magic, although thinking of it that way makes me want to put on big boots and go and kick things instead).

A lot of NT folk I know use this kind of work as a way to connect to the Gods and Goddesses, especially the Powers associated with hearth and home like Frigga; and with your "housewight," the particular spirit of your dwelling.

Outside of any particular tradition, you can still weave a lot of non-denominational magic and spirituality into your daily housekeeping activities if you so choose. Note how much rhythmical movement is involved in something like sweeping or vacuuming. Use this time to recite your affirmations or mantras to yourself, turn it into a time of meditation and reflection.

(This is why I get honked off at the model of magic we've inherited from the Victorians. It's all very well to talk about chucking in your job and concentrating on your Magickal Arts to the exclusion of all else if you're loaded and have a fuckton of servants to make your dinner and pick up your socks.)
 
 
Papess
11:23 / 19.10.07
Gosh, that is beautifully stated, Gypsy. I feel the same way and it took some learning and reconditioning to get here. At one time there seemed to be this boundary that Lula is speaking of. Really though, there is no boundary between magickal and mundane activities. The conditioning of "if you want this (exceptional magick), then you can't have that (exceptional "mundane")". It is only when this and that are mixed that both of them become exceptional.

For example, paying the bills leaves more "brainspace" for doing magick work without anxiety. Having that clean space makes your home more inviting for spirit-folk that you want in your home. Actually, not having a clean home can sometimes be an invitation to spirits you don't want around your home. I think the problem is we have never been taught to do things with that intention and understanding. So, these activities get separated from that full and vital, magickal side. Thus, instead of adding to the vibrant and vital, these activities become a drain because they are separate.

However, you say Olulabelle, "I don't need help with transposing my ordinary life into my magical one, I can do that fine." So, I am wondering what you are asking then, really. Given your depiction of yourself as "Magical Mum", it seems you might be suffering a bit of "Superwoman syndrome". We know that it is true, that as women and especially as mothers, we always seem to be doing twice as much with half the recognition. People rely on us to get things (especially the less magickal stuff) done. Then to also tend to our own needs, whether spiritual or mundane, often get left on the back burner because we are picking up the slack for others. Especially, the spiritual needs though, beause they are harder to justify to ourselves when we have to make certain that all the mundane stuff is taken care of. For this,I have to give myself an hour in the morning, and an hour at night. This is for me. This is time for me to honour myself with my practice. Sometimes, I may just want to honour myself by soaking in the tub. Let someone else take care of some of the burdens. It is good practice for them to learn how to incorporate their magick into their "reality" too. Taking on everything yourself, is not really going to help the development of those around you. It is lovely though that you are reliable. As we all have discussed at length here in the Temple, getting so caught up in magick as to avoid the realities of our daily lives, is wholly unhealthy and bad form.
 
 
illmatic
11:38 / 19.10.07
Excellent post.

I'd add that in every indigenous magical tradition, there seem to magical acts associated with the mundane, the everyday spaces where people spend their lives. Yes, there have always been temples and conscrated religious spaces but most of us don't have access to these and the big central heated temple space for the performance of Rosicrucian ceremonies, stemming from the Golden Dawn and ceremonial traditions isn't necessary to get stuff done.

People have been cursing and blessing each other wiht the minutae of their everyday lives throughout history, be it though floorwashes and baths, making charms of soap, working a curse out of sheet metal on a lathe in a factory - one of the earliest examples of magic I know of is a potters charm (taken from the Arthava Veda).
 
 
illmatic
11:41 / 19.10.07
Crossposted with everyone above.
 
 
illmatic
11:44 / 19.10.07
What I meant to say was kind of similar to AB above - bit hungover and incoherent today. Hearth and home magic is a part of most magical traditions, in short.
 
 
electric monk
12:26 / 19.10.07
Thanks for starting this thread, Lula. Your timing is TOPS.
 
 
Gypsy Lantern
12:44 / 19.10.07
This is why I get honked off at the model of magic we've inherited from the Victorians. It's all very well to talk about chucking in your job and concentrating on your Magickal Arts to the exclusion of all else if you're loaded and have a fuckton of servants to make your dinner and pick up your socks.

Bit of an aside, but I was dipping into the Book of Thoth the other day, and I found it interesting that Crowley had hardly anything positive to say about either the Knight or the Prince of Discs. Which I thought was a bit telling, coming from a man who never worked a fucking day in his life. Could you really expect someone with that sort of background and lifestyle to have that deep an understanding of those particular mysteries?

I think this is one of the reasons why an awareness of social and cultural context is absolutely vital when we approach any magical text. Pretty obvious, but loads of people seem to make the mistake of approaching magical texts - especially Crowley - as if they are a complete design for life without taking into account the fallibility of the author. But appreciating factors such as this is actually an aid to understanding what some of these authors may have been getting at. If you understand something of the social and cultural context, you can account for it, and more readily see what the heart of the message might be and how it may find different expression in your own social and cultural context. Going off topic a bit aren't I. I'll stop that.
 
 
Papess
13:52 / 19.10.07
and I found it interesting that Crowley had hardly anything positive to say about either the Knight or the Prince of Discs

That is so true! What an interesting observation, GL. I remember briefly noting this as well but not thinking much of it at the time. I thought it might be because Crowley was a libra, and couldn't relate to all that earthiness.

As a magician, being grounded and tending to "ordinary affairs" should be regarded highly. It seems though historically that this separation of magickal from mundane, is where we went really wrong. It gives rise to this notion that magick is all about this hocuc-pocus, and should just happen out of thin air. Common terms like "it happened as if by magick" negate the fact that a lot of magick is daily applied effort based in reality. It is the outer work that compliments the inner work.

But it is interesting to note the far-removed rituals that have previously been what qualified magick, and how that has far outweighed day-to-day intentions.
 
 
Ticker
17:25 / 19.10.07
And sometimes I think why must I be the one who reminds all the time? Why do I have to be magical Mum?

I suppose my question is, how do you make or support or exist in a household that functions on it's most vital and vibrant magical level but also supports itself on an actual mundane and regular one?

For me this question also reads as how does the person who rallies for the less fun but required work get everyone to particpate more equally. Regardless of the magical status of the act it seems Lula (and please correct me) is also saying the drudgery non fun stuff falls off the radar.

Maybe I'm just outright applying my own current state of affairs onto the topic but right now there are moments when I'd rather be doing the fun non-ritual magical stuff above and beyond the required spiritual chores. Often my attention wants to be on the engaging creative endeavor rather than on the maintenance requirement right across the board.

Viewing any of my chores as wonderful opportunities for deepening my practice of being a human has helped immensely. Thich Nhat Hanh's suggestion to really be present when cleaning the toilet for example has altered the way I interact with my requirements. I'm pretty ritualistic by nature so I look forward to routines and cycles of doing things. It's not so much making cleaning the bathroom as exciting as it is seeing it as an offering that has value.

For years I've been lugging things up hills and into the garden to leave as offerings. Many of these things I go to the store and buy but every once in a while I make a point of making them from scratch so it is an offering of my time and creativity, a sacrifice of something I value as a sign of my appreciation. It feels really good to set aside the time to do this thing with care and attention and that's what I hear resonanting in Hanh's suggestion to do these things mindfully.

To be the magical Mum sounds like being the person not only calling others to the less fun chores and responsibilities but the one who would like to show why these things have value.

It's not to say I don't clean the bathroom as fast as I can so I can get to the next thing but knowing it has value as an offering of effort to my life and the p/People I share with it I won't clean so fast that it isn't a decent job. A worthy offering of appreciation.
 
 
harmonic series
20:47 / 20.10.07
This is a great topic...

I was walking through the isles of a used bookstore and found,
A Victorian Grimoire by Patricia Telesco. It transformed my housy world.

Basically it says that during Victorian times the house was the most central venue of life. Many people (women, surely- no offense to men- just a cultural anomaly)- ran the chores of the house on a daily basis. I'm assuming that this refers to all of the countless women who couldn't afford silk curtains. Magic, then, was integrated through-out the home and its corresponding activities.

This book has chapters on ironing, sewing, creating children's games etc.

An excerpt: ...As we work with our clothing, we can maintain a strong image of whatever difficulty burdens us and cast that image onto the clothes. Allow the warmth, water and pressure of the iron to literally, "iron it out"!

Here is a link to Amazon with the book- the page gives you access to the introduction of the book, back cover, index, contents- It really explains it better than I can:

A Victorian Grimoire

The way I use it in my own life:

1. Where ever I'm living becomes my sacred space- bread crumbs and all. I'm aware of that when people visit and maintain control over my domain. Every woman is a priestess of her home, men, a priest.

2. Sometimes I am not in the position to let people know that they are in an intentionally magical house- so subtle knick-knacks, a 'decorative statue', a little sea-salt- doesn't set off anyone's radar. Something like ironing is like this for me (though I hate to iron!)- it's a chance to do something 'quietly'.

3. If my similarly minded friend is getting overwhelmed with her kids, her chores- I consider her part of my community, obviously and go help her. I might distract the children for an afternoon- help her with some errands- then that night when the work is done, we can maybe do some trance work or something fun.

Also, tongue-in-cheek, but a great gift for 'magical mums':
The Housewives Tarot

Thanks for starting this post... I needed a reminder to get my house/brain back in order.
 
 
Quantum
15:13 / 22.10.07
That Housewives Tarot is fucking brilliant.
 
 
Olulabelle
12:52 / 24.10.07
It is indeed very beautiful. I just randomly did a reading and got a wonderful James Deanesque Knight of Swords for my past.

I'm interested in the idea that all household chores should be treated as if they have magical significance, I certainly do it for some but have not extended it to all. I do think it's different for women; there is much more instinctive expectation from a women herself as well as from those around her to keep things clean and tidy. Sometimes it's simply that mess doesn't seem to register on the male 'act now' scale as soon as it does for women and so the women seem to end up doing it more. There's a weird statistic somewhere about women cleaning the loo in relationships and how they do it heaps more than men.

So I think sometimes for women in general but in this case specifically within a magical environment there's a pressure to keep things clean and tidy that perhaps a man feels less. I don't know how that works in same sex magical relationships but I would be interested to know.

Sometimes I find I don't get the magical stuff done that I want to because all the other stuff gets in the way and I suppose even though as Gypsy rightly says, extending magic throughout every aspect of your life and not separating them out can alleviate that, it still means that some specifically magical tasks never get done. I have a big list of things I want to do but never seem to find the time for.

I agree with Sekhmet about the peaks and troughs of living a magical life - when you are immersed in magic and really thinking hard about a thing or doing something specific other things do seem to slide.

It's interesting about Crowley and his never having to work - I do feel sometimes that people are only truly practicing magic if their whole life is dedicated to it but you can't do that if it doesn't pay the bills. And as people have pointed out, perhaps I would feel less like I didn't have time for 'great' magic if I spent more time believing in the pure magical beauty of my life as it is anyway in it's washing up-walking the dog-doing the ironing state. Instead of wishing I was doing other things I should get on and be in the moment of the things I am doing. There is a wonderful satisfaction in having done all the ironing really beautifully and it's a weird thing to say but having a clean house has a very strong feminine power for me, maybe it taps into something deep rooted in my psyche. I suppose I just need to marry that feeling with the feeling of magical feminine power I believe in.
 
 
illmatic
13:26 / 24.10.07
This seems like an appropriate juncture to link to this great piece of writing again. Do Easy

I do feel sometimes that people are only truly practicing magic if their whole life is dedicated to it

I don't feel like this at all. Most of the people I respect, magicians or otherwise, take on and deal with responsibilities in their day to day lives. This can be as much fuel for your spiritual practice as anything else - Why did I react in that way? What obstructed my awareness? How can I do this differently? I use all these kind of thoughts and feelings in my own work.

Running a family is probably the biggest responsibility of the lot, and I appreciate that it may be hard to find time around this for anything consistent. But if you write down your list of stuff that you never get around it, prune it judiciously, and really resolve to apply yourself to what's left, you may surprise yourself.
 
  
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