Step Away From the Cauldron
Most of you that know me understand that I am pretty tolerant of religious practices that aren't my own. As a leader in my community, part of my job is to encourage people to explore their spiritual paths knowing that the community will be there to back them up. It's about getting along or understanding things that you may not personally do, and encouraging participation and learning in these things, and keeping the peace in whatever fashion is reasonable. However, somewhere down the line you have to learn to establish boundaries and recognize when unethical behaviour is occurring.
Why do people turn to magic? ( I hate spelling it with a k, so just deal with that for now) Basically, because it works. Anything that you devote time and energy to learning to do so successfully, just like a piece of music, you will get a result. With magic, it may not be the expected result even if you follow a strict formula. It can be empowering and encourage growth. It can help you unlock ability you never knew you had. It can bring change or resolution or communication into your life where it was not before. If you follow the impossibly hard "An it harm none, do what thou wilt" rede, then you already have a fair idea that it is entirely possible that what you do magically may come back to you.
One of the very first things you need to understand before you approach the Cauldron is honesty. If you cannot turn that wand back on yourself and own responsibility for what you've done, go back and sit on the bench. Don't even THINK about switching to Team Ego because you're already on it. Why, you ask?
Let's talk about what the Cauldron is as a magical symbol and as a physical object, and why doing any kind of magic can be a pretty big deal.
The Cauldron is a reflection. The Cauldron knows the truth; when it is full you can glimpse your own reflection on the water or whatever else is in it. When you speak words into it or above it, your reflection is your mirror. It will not lie to you; it shows you exactly what is. Any attempts to twist who you are to the Cauldron are not only going to fail, but it's insulting. In the structure of your own face, your own reflection, are the combined faces of an unbroken line of ancestors. Do not dishonor them by lying about who you are or are not.
The Cauldron is a gateway. It might look like a cooking pot, but the Cauldron is a gateway to other realms. It is an access point between you and the wisdom contained therein, and to wherever it leads. Gateways lead to gateways; if you put something in it, it has to come out somewhere. Most often, the Cauldron is a gateway to the ancestors, but some Gods who utilize Cauldrons may also be accessed there. This is another reason it's so important to be honest; if you are approaching the Cauldron with friends that trust you, being present with a false heart will hurt them too. The rich knowledge of the earth can be found within it; so also can the waters of the earth. If you're shlepping to the Otherworld, you better have everything you need.
The Cauldron is a force of transformation. It conducts energy through the use of fire, which heats the contents and transforms it into another state. In Celtic lore, very often the Cauldron is capable of imparting life and death and resurrection and wisdom and a variety of other highly valuable things. So long as something is inside, that thing is being reshaped and changed. By surrendering an item to the Cauldron, you are thereby committing it to change. You are literally giving it over to the powers that be to deal with. Something WILL happen; if your food is over a fire, you can bet it will be cooked. Non-judicious use of the Cauldron will lead to burnt food. An experienced 'cook' will produce the tastiest stew you've ever had and understand the value of steeping times.
The Cauldron is a vessel. It holds stuff. It's a big pot, and things go inside. As with cooking, any magical usage means you still have to clean it when you're done. It will retain the memory of what it was used for. Thinking of it in this way as a physical object helps when deciding if the working you need to do requires the use of this kind of vessel.
The Cauldron is a tool. It is every bit a magical tool as your wand, or your divination method, or your staff, or your spear, or what have you. It serves a function, and that function is to act as a force of transformation. Unlike a ritual fire, you aren't typically handing over the contents forever. You are creating a brew, a soup, a spell, etc. As far as I'm concerned "Taking Up the Cauldron" as a magician carries the same meaning as "Taking Up the Runes" for a Seer. You are intentionally approaching the life of a magician, and all of the baggage that entails. You may not always know how to use a jigsaw the first time you use it, and so you must always respect the power that it has. A responsible spellworker treats all things related to their craft with respect.
The Cauldron is an altar. It is sacred. A sacred object belongs to the Other for you to work or worship with. Do not besmirch it with lies, manipulations, or wild uncommitted acts of passion that you probably shouldn't be doing. When your Cauldron is no longer sacred, it's just a fucking pot.
The Cauldron is a metaphor. It is both a physical object and a symbol, and not necessarily at the same time. Within the Celtic Lore, the Cauldron of Poesy is a poem written by the bard Amergin, and Amergin explains that within each person are three cauldrons in perpetual motion. They are spun by the heat of three inner fires: The fire in the head that inspires, the fire in the heart that drives passion, and the fire in the belly that causes you to physically create something. Your life is measured in their filling and emptying. To understand them and what moves them (and you) you must be able to observe your own behaviour, especially your strengths and weaknesses. When I say Cauldron, I also mean Magic and its craft.
When you use your Cauldron, you are able to use the inspiring poetics of the bard by wordsmithing your spells. You can access your passions and affect change and charge your words. You can create a physical item to show for these things. You need ALL THREE CAULDRONS functioning to be effective. Every act of creation is a fundamentally magical act; what that product is depends on the components that birthed it.
If you attempt to perform a magical working without your inner cauldrons in alignment, you are not going to get the soup you hoped for. Magic is not the answer to all of your problems. It cannot possibly solve all of your problems, ESPECIALLY when those problems are caused in part by your own extremely poor decisions. If you make no attempt to own your responsibility and atone or complete any mundane actions that might indicate to the Powers That Be that you are serious about doing this work, do not be surprised when your life and your effort goes to shit.
You did that all on your own.
If you involved friends in your shit because you weren't honest with them about your intentions, you are going to hurt them. They will set boundaries around you. They will protect themselves from you or your fly-by-night, crazy-ass, unbalanced spellcastings, and they absolutely should. If you are not careful and are completely incapable of utilizing the wisdom so frequently offered by the Cauldron, then do not be surprised to find yourself within it and you will NOT like what's cooking.
When (and ONLY when) you have understood this and taken all of it to heart, and demonstrated so by showing responsibility in your practice, will I even consider helping you out of the pot.
*drops mic*
Why do people turn to magic? ( I hate spelling it with a k, so just deal with that for now) Basically, because it works. Anything that you devote time and energy to learning to do so successfully, just like a piece of music, you will get a result. With magic, it may not be the expected result even if you follow a strict formula. It can be empowering and encourage growth. It can help you unlock ability you never knew you had. It can bring change or resolution or communication into your life where it was not before. If you follow the impossibly hard "An it harm none, do what thou wilt" rede, then you already have a fair idea that it is entirely possible that what you do magically may come back to you.
One of the very first things you need to understand before you approach the Cauldron is honesty. If you cannot turn that wand back on yourself and own responsibility for what you've done, go back and sit on the bench. Don't even THINK about switching to Team Ego because you're already on it. Why, you ask?
Let's talk about what the Cauldron is as a magical symbol and as a physical object, and why doing any kind of magic can be a pretty big deal.
The Cauldron is a reflection. The Cauldron knows the truth; when it is full you can glimpse your own reflection on the water or whatever else is in it. When you speak words into it or above it, your reflection is your mirror. It will not lie to you; it shows you exactly what is. Any attempts to twist who you are to the Cauldron are not only going to fail, but it's insulting. In the structure of your own face, your own reflection, are the combined faces of an unbroken line of ancestors. Do not dishonor them by lying about who you are or are not.
The Cauldron is a force of transformation. It conducts energy through the use of fire, which heats the contents and transforms it into another state. In Celtic lore, very often the Cauldron is capable of imparting life and death and resurrection and wisdom and a variety of other highly valuable things. So long as something is inside, that thing is being reshaped and changed. By surrendering an item to the Cauldron, you are thereby committing it to change. You are literally giving it over to the powers that be to deal with. Something WILL happen; if your food is over a fire, you can bet it will be cooked. Non-judicious use of the Cauldron will lead to burnt food. An experienced 'cook' will produce the tastiest stew you've ever had and understand the value of steeping times.
The Cauldron is a vessel. It holds stuff. It's a big pot, and things go inside. As with cooking, any magical usage means you still have to clean it when you're done. It will retain the memory of what it was used for. Thinking of it in this way as a physical object helps when deciding if the working you need to do requires the use of this kind of vessel.
The Cauldron is a tool. It is every bit a magical tool as your wand, or your divination method, or your staff, or your spear, or what have you. It serves a function, and that function is to act as a force of transformation. Unlike a ritual fire, you aren't typically handing over the contents forever. You are creating a brew, a soup, a spell, etc. As far as I'm concerned "Taking Up the Cauldron" as a magician carries the same meaning as "Taking Up the Runes" for a Seer. You are intentionally approaching the life of a magician, and all of the baggage that entails. You may not always know how to use a jigsaw the first time you use it, and so you must always respect the power that it has. A responsible spellworker treats all things related to their craft with respect.
The Cauldron is an altar. It is sacred. A sacred object belongs to the Other for you to work or worship with. Do not besmirch it with lies, manipulations, or wild uncommitted acts of passion that you probably shouldn't be doing. When your Cauldron is no longer sacred, it's just a fucking pot.
The Cauldron is a metaphor. It is both a physical object and a symbol, and not necessarily at the same time. Within the Celtic Lore, the Cauldron of Poesy is a poem written by the bard Amergin, and Amergin explains that within each person are three cauldrons in perpetual motion. They are spun by the heat of three inner fires: The fire in the head that inspires, the fire in the heart that drives passion, and the fire in the belly that causes you to physically create something. Your life is measured in their filling and emptying. To understand them and what moves them (and you) you must be able to observe your own behaviour, especially your strengths and weaknesses. When I say Cauldron, I also mean Magic and its craft.
When you use your Cauldron, you are able to use the inspiring poetics of the bard by wordsmithing your spells. You can access your passions and affect change and charge your words. You can create a physical item to show for these things. You need ALL THREE CAULDRONS functioning to be effective. Every act of creation is a fundamentally magical act; what that product is depends on the components that birthed it.
If you attempt to perform a magical working without your inner cauldrons in alignment, you are not going to get the soup you hoped for. Magic is not the answer to all of your problems. It cannot possibly solve all of your problems, ESPECIALLY when those problems are caused in part by your own extremely poor decisions. If you make no attempt to own your responsibility and atone or complete any mundane actions that might indicate to the Powers That Be that you are serious about doing this work, do not be surprised when your life and your effort goes to shit.
You did that all on your own.
If you involved friends in your shit because you weren't honest with them about your intentions, you are going to hurt them. They will set boundaries around you. They will protect themselves from you or your fly-by-night, crazy-ass, unbalanced spellcastings, and they absolutely should. If you are not careful and are completely incapable of utilizing the wisdom so frequently offered by the Cauldron, then do not be surprised to find yourself within it and you will NOT like what's cooking.
When (and ONLY when) you have understood this and taken all of it to heart, and demonstrated so by showing responsibility in your practice, will I even consider helping you out of the pot.
*drops mic*
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