Magic Of Distillation

Distillation is the process of boiling away all of the unneeded material until the pure essence is all that is left. From the time of the ancient alchemists distillation has been part of the hunt for the greatest treasure. Many times the wise magician will need to distill the product until the final nugget of gold is found. If you are a writer you will have to go over and over your statement of the desire arc of the protagonist until you can concisely state what the hero wants in a way that will set up the story for interesting conflict. No matter what your creative endeavor is you need to distill it down in the planning stages until you can state your goal cleanly and simply. Until you know what the goal is you can't pursue it very well. At times you have to state your goal as 'finding out what you want to pursue or where you want to go.' When that goal is reached you can go on to greater endeavors. At times you may feel that you are caught in an endless loop as you go over and over something. Perhaps you are. But you also may be working on refining your plan or project. Clarity is necessary in order to pursue any goal. Distillation is is part of the process of obtaining clarity. As you search for your refined product don't be afraid to add new liquid, metal, or ideas to the mix. Perhaps what you are trying to distill is incomplete. When you have achieved the needed distillation you will know it because it will be like all magic, it will be right or well formed. Reach out to the magic that surrounds you for the energy to distill your plans and actions into the best possible ones. May the spark be with you.

The Usefulness of the Gyre

A gyre is a spiral. But when it is called a gyre it is cloaked in a bit more magic than the ordinary spiral. Carl Jung referred to the gyre as the pathway of personal growth. Educators build a curriculuum on a spiral model, starting out with simple concepts in a subject and spiraling back to them over the years in greater and greater depth.
Alchemists wrote of the gyre. For your use, in your journey towards life mastery, spiral around and around your knowledge of self, gaining ever more understanding on that majestic journey. The well formedness of the spiral pattern lets you avoid snags yet keeps you on the path you need to follow.
Often nowdays people meditate by walking a labyrinth. If you look at the patterns
that are shown you will often see a spiral leading towards the center. Rather than going around in static circles, spiral around your growth and development. Come close and focus then spiral away and you absorb the lesson gained, then spiral in once more. There you can appreciate what you find or deepen your perception.

Play Tag With Your Shadow

Your shadow self is all that is repressed, the subconscious, the right brain. To quote Carl Jung, "Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is. At all counts, it forms an unconscious snag, thwarting our most well-meant intentions."
The alchemists of old also understood the need for balance. Their axiom was "As above, so below, as within, so without, so that the miracle of the one can be established."
So don't try too hard to be goody, goody. You'll sabatage that part of you. You must accept all that you are. Introspection is a valuable tool for self-knowledge. But too much introspection can be dull and counter productive. So play. Tag, you're it. Notice that which repels you in others. That is the dark part of your shadow showing through. Your shadow has tagged you. Notice that which attracts you in others. Again your shadow had tagged you. Making conscious choices, based on self knowledge is fine. But choices driven by repression may hurt us and others. Journaling can bring self knowledge, getting feedback from friends, reading our dreams. Those are good. But also know the brief flashes that come from jokes we like, the gut twinges we feel. The swift tags of our shadow. We can learn from all that. Learn to know the people we bring into our life. That's also the shadow at work, trying to bring about balance and wholeness. This is a game you can win.