Four Cornerstones
Morgan Drake Eckstein
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 1996, 2010, 2011 Morgan Drake Eckstein
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this ebook are solely those of the author, and no endorsement by Hearthstone Community Church, Inc. and BIOGD/BIORC is implied.
If after reading these articles, you are interested in attending Hearthstone Community Church (Denver Colorado), the dates of the Open Full Moons can be found on their website: http://hearthstone.fnorky.com/
If you are living within reasonable travel distance of Denver, Colorado, and are interested in applying for membership in what I consider the best Golden Dawn lodge in Denver, Bast Temple, you can visit its website: http://basttemple.com/
If you would like to read my latest thoughts about the esoteric, please visit my blog: http://www.gleamingsfromthedawn.blogspot.com/
Four Cornerstones
Chapter 1: Introduction to this collection
Occasionally, I am shocked to learn the impact that my writing has on others. It always catches me off guard when someone mentions an article or blog post that I wrote, and tells me how it affected them. In the back of my mind, I am still just a hack who occasionally writes about Wicca, Golden Dawn and other esoteric subjects--a hack that no one reads.
Three of the articles in this free ebook are proof that my self-image is wrong. One of the articles inspired a public ritual; one of them was issued to the students of a local Wiccan teacher; and one resulted in many comments about it deeply touching the emotions of the reader. These are the first three articles of this collection.
These first three articles were written for the Hearthstone Community Church's monthly newsletter. Hearthstone is a Wiccan church in Denver, Colorado. Hearthstone's purpose is to help provide and organize public Open Full Moon rituals.
One of the articles is contained in Pizza Boxes on the Floor; the other two are from the forth-coming collection, Bad Monkey---The Collected MDE 2011 Hearthstone Articles.
The final article in this free ebook is one that I almost decided not to reprint. It originally appeared in the Fall 1996 issue of Hole in the Stone magazine. Today, I would not agree with many of the things that I wrote back then---I was a lot more militant and ignorant than I am today…or least I hope that I mellowed out and know more today.
The reason that I decided to include it in this collection is that I know that things like this have a habit of resurfacing, coming back to bite one on the rear; this is especially true if one chooses to hide such things under a rock. Well, that is one reason to include it.
There is another reason for me to include it---it was the first article I ever wrote for the Wiccan/pagan/esoteric community.
At the time, I had just suffered a major setback in my job. The setback was simply that I got something that I thought that I wanted. For many years, I had worked to become a restaurant manager, one of the few jobs that I thought that I was qualified for as a high school dropout. I had gotten to function as a manager for nine long months previous to the event that led me to write this article. That was nine months of having the responsibility of doing the manager's job and none of the authority or pay. The reason that I could not have the authority or pay was that I was not properly trained by one of their managers. So after nine months of covering the duties of the manager's position, my bosses finally hired someone to take the position.
The punch line was that I was the one who ended up training the new manager.
So I was pretty annoyed by the situation. And a little lost. Talking to a friend before one of the Open Full Moon rituals, I mentioned that I wished that the Goddess would throw me a sign, an indication of what I should do next.
That night before the ritual began, during the community announcements, someone mentioned that they were starting up a pagan writing group. I wrote down the information.
Before deciding that my best bet of advancing myself was to try to become a restaurant manager, I did attempt to make it as a freelance writer. I was never very good at it. The punch line was that I gave up shortly after I started to get back rejection slips where the editors would hand-write what I was doing wrong.
Thinking about the pagan writing group, I decided that I would go to it. Just for fun. I hacked out an article about something that disturbed me---just in case, there was time to look at my work.
There are actually three punch lines here. One, I was the only one that had something written. Two, I wrote a piece about a subject that the organizer of the writing group was going to pitch as a possible article idea for the next edition of Hole in the Stone (the organizer was one of the magazine's staff members). Three, the article I wrote encouraged Wiccans and pagans to vote, but the article (due to production issues at the magazine) came out late---after the election in fact.
Looking back on this article is painful. Besides being militant and ignorant, I was a damn poor writer. In my defense, I was a high school dropout. The rules of grammar and punctuation were closed books to me. I was also ignorant of the fact that certain things I believed had no basis in reality. As I noted already, I almost decided not to reprint it.
Nevertheless, I still have a soft spot in my heart for that article. After all, it was the very first article I ever wrote for the esoteric community; it was something I never considered doing before that point. So when you read it, please take the subject matter with a grain of salt---I swore I have gotten better (both as a person and a writer) since then.
Chapter 2: The Use of Positive Statements in Ritual
[Originally published in the January 2010 Hearthstone Community Church Newsletter.]
Several years ago, I read a book about positive affirmations. The author, Shad Helmstetter, Ph. D., said that the average person growing up heard the word “No” and other negative statements 148,000 times by the time that they were eighteen. Furthermore, Helmstetter said that research revealed that seventy-five percent of our thoughts are negative, and that seventy-five percent of our health issues are self-induced.
Studying the field of positive affirmations and self-help literature, Helmstetter came to the conclusion that the reason most self-help and motivational programs are ineffective is simply that they do not stand a chance against the static that our childhood programming and our own internal self-talk creates. This conclusion has disturbed me for years, simply because I think that he might be right.
So what can we do about it? How can we overcome the massive weight of negativity that our brains float in?
One of the methods that we can use is the use of positive statements during ritual. One of the initiated secrets is that statements proclaimed during a ritual carry more weight than a statement uttered during ordinary conditions. The reason for the additional weight is the emotional charge that a properly conducted ritual imparts upon the statement.
Let me be clear. When I speak of a properly conducted ritual, I am not talking about a ritual where every word and gesture is letter perfect. A ritual can be letter perfect and still be a complete dud. If we are to effectively use positive statements in a ritual, we must be emotionally stirred. Without the weight of emotional excitement, a statement said during ritual will not have a chance against the sea of negativity that we bathe in on a daily basis.
Now, I will admit that an initiate does have an advantage over a non-initiate. The initiation ritual(s) when properly conducted awakens an emotional response in the initiate. This emotional response can be reawakened by the use of the same symbols and words that were used in the initiation ritual itself.
This does not mean that non-initiates cannot be affected by ritual, or that rituals that are not based on an initiation ritual are useless. The advantage that an initiate has is that they have a programmed response installed during their initiations, a response that grows stronger the more times that the rituals of their tradition are used. Non-initiates can get to the same place; they just have to figure out their own path for themselves.
Good leaders and actors in a ritual will use anything that helps create an emotional response in those taking part or observing their rituals. Audience participation, music, dancing are all ways to heighted the emotional response and the weight of positive statements proclaimed during ritual.
Chapter 3: Leadership and Communication
[Originally published in the July 2011 Hearthstone Community Church Newsletter.]
A question that I occasionally kick around is “What qualities should a leader have?” Inside the initiated traditions, such as Golden Dawn, this question is generally ignored. In the initiated traditions, you are taught that the person who has the most initiations is the leader---after all, the person with the most initiations (and the most secret documents) has the most knowledge. And that is what the initiated traditions are all about---the preservation of esoteric knowledge.
But this standard does not work outside of the initiated traditions. In fact, one could argue that this idea does not really produce good results inside the initiated traditions. With leadership being based on a single thing---initiations and secret information---the system makes would-be leaders to focus on pursuing just that goal. If you want to be a leader in Golden Dawn and other esoteric initiated systems, all that matters is collecting Degrees and Grades. Everything else can be ignored. As a result, one ends up with leaders whose sole qualification to be a group leader is the fact that they have undergone multiple initiations. Leadership inside the esoteric traditions often lack even the most basic skills that leaders in other fields must have.
For instance, it has been my experience that leaders who pride themselves on knowing the most are the ones who are least able to clearly communicate the essence of that knowledge to others. Now, the happy little cynic says that part of this is the simple unwillingness to hand over information to potential rivals. But I suspect that it is also the way that their teachers taught them---after all, we learn to teach the system based on how we were taught the system ourselves. If someone learned the system from someone who was as clear as mud, one tends to teach it to others in the same slurry-licious manner.
One of the ongoing gripes that one hears from leaders of the initiated traditions is that no one outside of their own groups ever listens to them. It hurts their tender feelings that they have lessons to teach, and people tend to chose to give the opinions of non-initiates more weight. They hate people like myself that openly say, “I would rather follow a Neophyte [the lowest Grade in GD] who is willing and able to clearly explain the little that they know. The most advanced Ipsissimus [theoretically, the highest Grade in the GD system] is completely useless if they are unwilling and incapable of explaining their great wisdom.” As one can guess, I do not make many friends with this attitude.
This attitude of mine, which is occasionally referred to as an “attitude problem,” illustrates a primary difference between the way that the initiated and non-initiate communities chose their leadership. Outside of the circles where possession of knowledge is the holy grail of leadership, it is the ability to communicate that is the key factor in deciding who to follow. The leaders outside of the initiated community are sometimes not even called “leaders.” The leaders in the greater esoteric community are bloggers, workshop teachers, ritual organizers, shop owners, artists and authors, and those people you call when you need some advice. The really great ones all have the ability to communicate their knowledge and opinions. They may not be the most knowledgeable, or even the most pleasant people to hang around with, but they all capable of clearly conveying what is on their minds. And I do not know about you, but to me that counts more than all the initiations and secret documents in the world.
Chapter 4: May you never…
[Originally published in the November 2011 Hearthstone Community Church Newsletter.]
It is that time of year again when American society reminds us to count our blessings, time for the penultimate holiday of the year, Thanksgiving. This is a holiday that tends to be all about food. Personally, I find that all holidays involving food to be fascinating; my interest extends to weddings and funerals also. If there is food involved, you have my attention. I blame this fascination on my childhood.
I grew up poor. Well, poor for an American. Let us be honest; when you look at the overall standard of living that humanity has enjoyed down throughout the ages, few Americans can be considered poor based on global and historical standards. So when I say that I grew up poor, let me be clear: there were holes in the roof; we accepted donations from the local food bank, and my school clothes were brought at yard sales.
I suspect that this fact, the fact that so few Americans are really poor, is the reason that we had to create the mythical holiday of Thanksgiving. And let's be honest, our image of Thanksgiving is mythical. It is very unlikely that a society that was on the verge of extinction by starvation would have such a large feast as depicted in the American mythology. There was probably no turkey. Personally, I tend to imagine the feast as some eels and a few ears of corn. And if the Pilgrims did get a windfall of food, they probably rationed it out as long as they could.
Thanksgiving is the feast that the Pilgrims would have liked to have. It is much like the number of feasts that one encounters in fairy tales, chivalry tales, and Northern mythology. It is not that people were constantly having feasts; it is that they would have liked more food on a daily basis.
One of the things that I know from my impoverished childhood is that at a certain level of need, there arises a constant concern about where your next meal is coming from. You never really get over it. It is one of the reasons that I automatically hate politicians who want to get rid of subsidized school breakfast and lunch programs. Growing up, I was constantly hungry. The free breakfast at the local school was a meal that I could count on. I remember this when a politician claim that schools are only for instruction, and presume that the politician needs to be voted out of office.
This impoverished background colors my views of the current political and economic environment. I am suspicious of any solution that shifts more of the economic burden onto the poor, but I am equally leery of any protest screaming that the rich are hugging all the wealth that does not contain anyone that I would classify as being truly poor. Through most of my childhood, my parents wondered how they were going to keep a roof over their children's heads, where the next meal was coming from, and if they could afford to turn on the heat.
My background also colors how I react to the most common blessing in Wiccan ritual (or at least, it is the most common blessing that I have encountered). "May you never hunger; may you never thirst." Having been poor, this blessing, in many ways, represents the height of human civilization as far as I am concerned. You can talk about spiritual experiences and personal growth; but let's be honest, I have always been more interested in food.
Of course, as a Golden Dawn member, I would modify the blessing slightly. (The Golden Dawn counterpart of Cakes and Ale, the Mystic Repast involves a rose, a lit lamp, bread and salt, and a cup of wine when done according to the official ritual documents.) Or maybe the modification is because I grew up poor. Whatever---it does not matter. What matters is that I extend this blessing to you this holiday season.
May you never be ignorant; may you never be cold; may you never hunger; may you never thirst; may you always be thankful. So mote it be. Happy holidays.
Chapter 5: Born in Another World--The Price That We Pay
[Originally published in the Fall 1996 issue of Hole in the Stone magazine.]
[Author's note: Please bear in mind that this article was written in 1996. I have left all the grammar and punctuation errors intact, and have only changed two misspelled words and inserted one missing word. I have left my statements intact, including my familial and personal history, despite the fact that my feelings have changed about the events in the fifteen years since I wrote this piece. I am presenting this article as a reminder of where I have came from, and not as a statement of how I currently feel about things.]
"We are what we are, my son," Suraklin once said to him. "You know in your heart that there is nothing the we would not do--nothing--to realize our power. We give up everything for it--our lovers, our parents, our homes…the children we might otherwise bear, the people we might otherwise be. …. And we consider ourselves fortunate to be allowed by God to make the trade." (from Dog Wizard by Barbara Hambly, 1992).
Witches don't convert. One of the reasons for this is that we realize how hard the lifestyle really is. So only people who feel compelled by inner forces enter the Craft. Everyone who enters the Craft ends up paying a price for being true to themselves.
Even in the United States, society demands a price for our differences. I have suffered harassment on the job, have lost friends, had relationships fall apart, and have been disowned by my own mother.
Not all Witches are mageborn. It is possible to be a Witch and not practice magick. At my current state of wisdom, the price that I have paid for being both mageborn and witchborn has been worth it. There are parts of it that I would have preferred not to pay. But pay I did. The most valuable thing in my life is magick. The ability to control my own life. So mote it be.
One of the parts that I wish would have been different was the loss of my best friend. We had known one another since high school. For ten years, we were the best of friends. We talked about everything. Both of us had problems in our lives, some of them the same. Four years ago, she turned towards Christ for help. Her life is better now, or so I have learned.
I have not learned this from her. We have not talked to one another for four years. It is my fault that we don't talk. After ten years of friendship, I revealed to her what I was. Mistake, a big mistake. In our entire friendship, not once did I tell her what I really was. I shouldn't have told her, but she wanted me to move out of state to where she was living. She had arranged for somebody to give me a job there.
She wanted to know why I was saying "no" to the whole idea. Six months before I would have said yes, and would have done it without a second thought. I would have joined the Christian church for her. It was five months too late. I had acquired an apprentice that I didn't want, but I was the only one could help him or that was willing to try. I had also learned that everything that I believed about my potential was a lie. The source of my power was not the Devil, as my mother claimed. I learned that there really was a Goddess, and that She claimed me as one of her own.
This brings me to something else that I wish would have been different. Twelve years earlier, I made the mistake of letting my mother learn that I was a Witch. She reacted with violence. For the next three and a half years, until I left home, not a day went by without a reminder that I committed the ultimate sin, and that I was doomed to pay a price in both this life and in the afterlife. Everyday, for three and a half very long years, my life was in danger from my own mother because I am mageborn and because I am a Witch.
There are some who believe that Witches and Mages, just like Gays, choose our lifestyle. Nobody in reality chooses a lifestyle that potentially endangers their life. Every Mage and Witch is living a lifestyle that potentially endangers their own personal safety. In Africa today, witchhunts are killing people. In the United States, the witchhunts are different but just as deadly. I have talked to Christians who [would] like to see Witches jailed or worse.
So, what can we do about it?
One of the first lessons I learned was to masquerade as something other than what I am. Those of us who are Witches for inner reasons can do this. It may make us uncomfortable, but we can survive it. Even if we don't practice a personal masquerade, we can respect the privacy of others. There are some of us who are only known as Witches among their own covens. Those of us who practice masquerade prefer to decide for ourselves to whom to reveal our true colors.
We also need to be aware of what is going on in politics. We need to vote, and to organize out growing numbers to carry more political power. Most of us don't get involved in politics because of the non-converting rule. This could backfire on us as the other religions influence politicians to do what they want them to do.
Politicians can and do encourage the other religions to vote and campaign for them. There is no such thing as an atheist politician, especially around campaign time. The majority of politicians are Christian--which is not bad by itself. It is bad if they are pursuing an extreme Christian end. Christian values are good and fine, but can be dangerous if carried too far. Has the politician that you are voting for used the Bible as evidence that a proposed bill should become a law? The proceedings of our government are a matter of public record and can be checked. If a politician tends to let religion do their thinking for them, then I would prefer them not to be in office (and I mean any religion, even ours).
In this country we have a government which was founded in the ideals of freedom, which includes the concepts of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the separation of church and state. This means that we should be allowed to worship the Divine in any way we choose, as long as it harms none. We should be able to say whatever we want, as long as it harms none. And, if a politician is using religion as either a crutch or a weapon, then we have the right to vote the turkey out of office.
Remember, a law has to become a law before it can be ruled unconstitutional. It is more effective to prevent it happening in the first place, rather than undo it after it becomes law. Sometimes this means keeping a politician out of office.
So let us all swear, once again--never again the burning--no matter what the form, as long as we can prevent it from happening.
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Morgan Drake Eckstein has been involved in Golden Dawn since March 1992, and has been in Wicca for even longer. Currently, he is an elected officer of Bast Temple (Golden Dawn in the Outer, BIORC in the Inner). Besides writing about anything that strikes his fancy, he is currently studying history and literature at the University of Colorado at Denver. He is happily married to a ceramic artist. He is owned by several cats who wish that he would make more money as a writer, so that they could eat fresh shrimp every night.
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