Setting Out...

The Fool - Tarot of the Cat People

So here I am, starting out on a journey with my brand-new blog, and I guess it's time for my "Jerry Maguire" style mission statement, as it were. This is a tale of beginnings, of traveling without being sure of the end destination. The goal of this blog is not to provide expert opinion, or definitive statements on any particular topic. Instead, I hope to chronicle the ups and downs of the various aspects of my spiritual journey.  It seems odd to be writing a “beginnings” journal after almost 20 years of wanderings, but in many ways I still feel like a newbie, as I never really settled down to methodical practice. My main focuses will relate to Wiccan beliefs, learning to use the Tarot as a spiritual guide, and learning the techniques of Core Shamanism as a transformative and healing tool. I'm hoping you will join me on this trip, and share your own stories and issues as we stumble through the learning process.

 

Naming my blog: The name of my blog first came from my craft name, Miranda Nightflyer. The name Miranda came to me three times in a series of vivid dreams. The only other thing these dreams had in common was that I could fly in every single one of them. So when it came time to pick a public username for online forums, I chose the name Nightflyer. So, naturally that was the alias I would use here. The second part took more thought. Obviously, I was embarking on a journey, but what kind? A nighttime journey would be like my flying dreams, of the realm of the unconscious, without any control over the destination.  Conversely, a daylight journey, to me,  indicated something undertaken by the more rational, left brain side of me, something of full consciousness and the waking world. I needed something to indicate a more right-brained approach, something that bridged between the conscious and unconscious states, something where I had a certain influence in directing my path, but was still open to the mystical detours and surprises along the way. So I thought of the twilight time, that magical moment that is neither day or night, but rather a threshold, a crossing, between them.*

Wicca and Me: I was always interested in “magic” as a child, although I did not know what real magic was like. In college, I was lucky enough to have a roommate who practiced Asatru, the Norse pagan path, and who had a large occult library, including all her beginner books on Wicca from when she started exploring Paganism. Curious, I began to read, and found myself identifying strongly with what I read. I read every last one, pestered a good-natured friend of hers with questions, and eventually started tentatively taking those first steps on the path, myself. It took me almost 10 years before I felt ready to do a self-dedication of any kind.As a Solitary practitioner, I have found it very hard to keep up a regular spiritual practice of any sort, so I tend to think of myself as a sort of lapsed Wiccan. This year, I had the urge to refocus on my spirituality and beliefs once again, even going so far as to perform a “re-dedication” ritual. I hope this blog will be a tool to help keep me on track.

Tarot and Me: I bought my main deck of Tarot cards, the Tarot of the Cat People, when I was in high school, mostly out of a love of the imagery of cats everywhere. My poor deck endured a few years of inept readings of Celtic Cross spreads regarding whether so-and-so would invite my sister to the big dance, and so forth. It wasn’t until much later that I started trying to expand my repertoire of spreads and improve my interpretations. I still don’t feel much intuitive ability in my readings, mostly due to lack of confidence in my abilities, but I am finally knuckling down to a methodical approach to learning the basic meanings of the cards. I will be using the Tarot Foundations study course from one of my favorite Tarot blog sites, Biddy Tarot, and have ordered a second deck, the Radiant Rider-Waite, to help me in learning the standard symbolism before I branch out into other decks.

Core Shamanism and Me: Core Shamanism is a group of techniques compiled by Michael Harner, author of Way of the Shaman, that are universal or near universal in shamanic cultures across the globe. It is meant to enable people to use the tools and methods regardless of their cultural, religious or ethnic backgrounds. I first encountered mention of this when my college roommate, the one with all the books, came home with a copy of Sandra Ingerman’s Soul Retrieval: Mending the Fragmented Self.  As soon as she was done with it, I borrowed it to read, and realized that this healing technique might be what I needed to help deal with my chronic depression. Unfortunately, as a college student with no money, no car, and what was at the time a newly emerging internet, and not the resource it is today,  I had no access to a trained shamanic healer. Fast forward ten years, when I was still struggling with depression, but finally had a job and a car, and I stumble across Soul Retrieval in a used bookstore, and buy it. After rereading, I get on the net, and actually find a shamanic healer in my neighborhood! I chicken out, and do not call, partly afraid to spend the money, and partly afraid that it just won’t work. Another ten years or so pass, and I pick up the book again, then look to see if the shamanic practitioner is still around. She is! Finally, I pick up the phone and make the appointment. In February, I had my soul retrieval done, and as part of the follow-up work, she taught me the basics of journeying. Turns out I’ve got a bit of a knack for it, so she encouraged me to consider her shamanic training classes. I have not yet fully decided on it, but I would indeed like to participate if I can.

My Plans for the Blog: As of yet, I don’t have too much of a format for what you will see. I hope to chronicle the various shamanic journeys I take, and record some of my Tarot readings and such. I will be doing a Card of the Day reflection, but these will be posted, not in the morning,  but in the evening, after I’ve had a whole day to reflect on the card and its relevance to my life. Other topics may come into play as they crop up. It will be an adventure. I hope you will take it with me.

---  Miranda

*Any evoking of images of sparkly vampires is purely accidental. Everyone knows real vampires don’t sparkle.