First Steps on The Spiral Path

I once asked this person its name. The reply I received was the sound of the vast voice of infinite space.

My first memory- my first consciously remembered memory - was when I climbed out of my crib draped with the colorful Okinawan futon that was a gift from our landlord. It was late at night, but that didn't matter. I wanted my parents. Something wonderful had just happened to me, and I wanted to tell them about it. So, I climbed out of bed, and ran into the living room where my parents were, shouting, "I can see! I can see!" At least, that was what I thought I said. I was only 2 and a half, and my parents probably only heard a toddler's gibberish. My mom made her 'That's nice, dear' noises, and packed me back off to bed.

That was the beginning of my conscious life. I may have physically existed before then- but until that moment when the physical and spiritual circuitry was complete, I was only an empty vessel, and my soul was asleep.

That was the start of my climb up the Spiral Path. I would not know for years that I was on a journey to higher consciousness, but even at the age of 5 or 6, I was aware of a steadily increasing understanding of the world around me. Childhood was like climbing out of a fog bank, and bursting out into a sunny plateau. Things were clear and made sense. At 13, I knew that my feet were upon a path, and I decided to follow that path, and see where it led.

26 years later, I have finally found a proper name for my particular path: The Spiral Path. In my journey upward, I have learned and assimilated many things. One of the things I learned about was the cycles and patterns of things. Everything has a pattern. People, jobs, math problems, computer code. These patterns make them what they are. And every pattern is active, and has its own set of cycles. Understanding the inner pattern of a thing enables me to start looking for its cycle. And the opposite is true, too. If I have a feel for the cycle of a thing, I can discern its inner pattern. Lives and events have patterns. Seasons and food, and newsgroups have cycles as part of their patterns. A person with an intimate grasp of a pattern can, for instance, predict the outcome of a series of events with uncanny accuracy.

Patterns influence each other, too. If you collide two patterns, they'll create a third, with the accompanying cycles. Collide a hammer with a nail. The strike of the hammer changes the nail's position and character- as well as the hammer's. Set something on fire. The flame combines with the fuel to create smoke, heat, and finally, ashes. Patterns can be simplified and broken down into smaller components, too, like a puzzle. Each change to a pattern effects those around it. Changes to patterns change cycles, and these changes ripple outward to infinity. Even things that appear to be static are effected- it is just our perception of their long cycle that makes it appear to us that they are not effected. The length of a cycle influences our perception of it. Clock hands move so slowly that they fall below our perception of cycles of motion. But they do move- it is our perceptions that must change to see this. Magickal practice is the conscious changing of our perceptions of the patterns and cycles of ourselves and the world around us. A magician deliberately intersects her own patterns of being with that of others, and with care and knowledge, affects changes within herself and the outer world.

Our physicists have learned that we cannot separate ourselves from the phenomena that we are observing, because our act of observing it effects the cycles and patterns of the thing we're watching. This happens on a quantum level, which, until recently, only lived in the realms of magickal thought. Daily, the two disciplines of science and metaphysics are coming closer to meeting on the coin's edge.

Being on the Spiral Path will remind you that you can learn things, and you can leave them, go around, and return to them- and learn more. Going around a loop of life adds experience and wisdom to your journey. Revisiting events and items from your past permits you to see them through the filter of experience. And understanding the spiral construction of your life path allows you to see these patterns in others lives as well as your own. It's a 'been there, done that" mindset- with a positive twist. Yes, you've been there and done that, and learned from what happened. This allows you to be compassionate when others go through the same trials you've gone through. And it allows you to anticipate any difficulties ahead on your own life path, and prepare to endure them. This works for positive experience too- permitting you to enjoy them without getting lost in them.

Balance and moderation are the keys to travelling the Spiral Path. They permit you to endure the trials, and experience the joys of your life without being totally sucked in and trapped.

These essays are written from the point of view of one life only. Your personality, likes, and dislikes may be totally different from mine. But even so, there will be plenty to enjoy. Let's go!

 © 2000 Sunfell