What's on your Mind?

By Rev. John Stitley 2011 WiCoM Teacher's Rep.

Wicca differs from most western region in a number of facets. One of the facets that causes our enemies to complain is that part of occult training is that we teach techniques of mind control as part of our Spiritual practice . The thing that our enemies do not understand is the primary mind control that is appropriate to control is your own minds. Most covens give you an introduction to the subject that will serve as a sort of owner's manual. Like the owners manual for your car, it can cover some of the big issues and common problems. This is the tip of the proverbial iceberg on this topic. Every technique requires practice and work to achieve any significant results. On the other hand with this work there is virtually no part of your life you cannot change, You can teach your self to be better at sports or better at sex, you can teach yourself to have an extraordinary memory or powerful intellectual skills, you can train your spirit to draw success, you can teach yourself how to be loved and how to love. Here as much as anywhere in your training, the effort you put into these skills will determine the value that they will provide. It is often said that the body is the vehicle for the spirit, My first question for anyone examining their own inner processes isWho's Driving? Is it your conscious mind or uncontrolled passions and emotions? Is it you or someone else? How often do others get a chance to turn the wheel while you are sleeping (not being mindful of your life)? For all but the most skilled this answer will be a mixed bag. But if you want the keys to this vehicle you must make the decision to drive for yourself more often. We have often discussed the fact that the Younger Self 1is the mediator between the rational mind and the spirit. To lead a spiritual life, we must engage the spirit and bring its wisdom and compassion into your consciousness and into your life. The path for doing this is through the medium of symbols and the various voices of you Younger Self. We must form a working relationship with this eternal silent partner. There are many varied techniques for achieving this communication including, meditation, tarot and divination, hypnosis, visualization, Shamanic journeys and other kinds of trance work. The field is vast and well explored and happily at present it is well documented. As communication has improved we discover that while nearly every faith uses a large collection of these techniques they do not agree on which ones are secret. A careful reader can learn the basic knowledge of these techniques more easily than ever before. The down side is that they do not often have the access to the experience that would ease the student through the labyrinth of the mind. In the field of understanding the Younger Self there are two approaches with two applications: We can learn the language that our Younger Self speaks; We can train the Younger Self to speak our language; With this knowledge we can influence ourselves, and;
1 For those not familiar with the concept this is more or less equivalent to the Subconscious of psychology and the difference between those concepts need not be discussed for the article to be clear.

 With this knowledge we can influence others. It is my belief that you need both methods and that you will inevitably influence both yourself and others. If you will influence others and change yourself, it might be good for you to have some idea of what and how you are acting and what the consequences of your actions are, both personally and interpersonally. Among common spiritual flaws is that we so often feel powerless that we greatly underestimate the impact that we have on others. Our acts have far greater consequences than we are aware and we are a constant influence on our world even when we do not intend it. The accurate view of the influence we have, for good and bad, demonstrates an awesome impact of each life we touch and it can be greater for those who seek that ability. All in all, learning the language of the Younger Self is the most efficient path to this accomplishment. The exercises presented in Theory of Psychism by Ken Ra (http://www.usfamily.net/web/triskellion1/class6.html) is a good start on this method. The more commonly taught are the harder techniques of training the subconscious. The book, Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain (downloadable from a number of sites as a PDF) is a good basic introduction to this path. For a less occult but no less effective approach is the timeless How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie It is more or less only a matter of degree between the normal influence of social intercourse and the cynical and venal manipulations of politics and Madison Avenue. These each are powers under your control if you understand how they work. In additon there are those which are even more occult. For example it certainly appears that affirmations can have influence beyond ourselves though the method may not be intended and the mechanism is one of speculation. The techniques are part of the answer but how they are used to improve us spiritually is another matter. These tools are like a mechanics tools. Used in a skillful fashion a wrench can greatly improve the performance of a car. Used inappropriately it can cause huge damage and even destroy the car. These are tools to achieve the goal and not the means of finding the goal. To that we must aim at our highest ideal. Start to put out needs in a rational and compassionate balance relative to others. Or as the WiCoM Manual has put it: 1. Does it help you in the bad times? 2. Is it useful to you in the good times? 3. Are you better off for having it in your life? 4. Does it help answer the Big Questions in you life? This is the real reason others are afraid of us. If we are serious we can choose what ever we want and be effective in it, it is possible to draw people to our ends and for our purposes. At some point this is a normal by product of all social interaction but at some further point it is clearly a form of black magic. (which few object to when done by Ad-men but will court a torchlight parade for witches perceived as acting so.) We try and train our students in an ethical path, but as of yet most of our practitioners come to us as adults and for the good or bad their ethical standards are usually set. It is up to you to decide what sort

of person you want to be. You can live a happy balanced life or can choose to excel over others in the mundane world. Each choice has consequences that you may regret later, so your constant attention to what sort of person you are becoming will serve you well. For example, a person may decide to become very truly rich. This can be done but one must put your needs against those of others to a significant degree. Few people get rich while helping others. Many tell themselves that they will improve the world when they achieve their goal. Many of these who achieve this wealth do not appear to do so. It is common for them to say that the machine of their industry has improved peoples lives, but this is usually abstracted. Have you done well when the thousands of people have jobs you provided are living at a poverty level with no health care and you are living in nine houses across the world wanting for nothing material? Whether is is a bad thing depends both on your moral lights and the degree of selfishness used when you make those choices. I think this is morally suspect but I must acknowledge that it is not a simple question. All of us along the way will face difficult , life changing choices that make us who we are. Compromise is nearly inevitable. Watching the long game is difficult for our species at the best of times and the most common lies are the ones that we tell ourselves. By coming to know the longings and the demands of the Younger Self we can approach a deeper understanding of our personal truth.. The search for the meaning and truth of our lives is an essential element of spiritual attainment.