In Chapter 2 of Kissing The Limitless, Thorn writes,
“Each spiritual seeker & magic worker sooner or later has to face the oracle that tells us to know ourselves. Without that component our work is lost. We ask a lot of questions & think many things about our conditions, but do we really look at our lives inside & out? Do we see? Do we know?”
The adage “know thyself” is ages old, but how do we approach such a monumental (& frightening) task? How, with lives saddled by responsibility, dulled by routine & fraught with worry, do we connect with that true inner self? One exercise that Thorn suggests is a 1-month journal as a way to observe the details of our daily lives. What other ways do you find to connect with the world and that shadowed inner self?
- @WeiserBooks
In the early morning, and sometimes in the evening, my husband and I take a long walk through our neighborhood. On any given day you might find us discussing our aspirations, our frustrations, our creative challenges, or our ideas about the supernatural and the mystical. There are few, if any topics that are off limits for us. We are a very communicative couple. In fact, you might say that “processing” is somewhat of a pastime for us, with as much as we do it. These daily walks are more than just a healthy habit or a simple form of exercise: they are contemplative acts. Prayer walking, if you will. We walk to connect to the Earth, to our bodies and to each other.
I bring this up in response to @WeiserBooks’s inquiry. The time and energy I invest into my personal spiritual discipline (the seeking of the oracle, if you will), while cherished and prioritized, does not offer as much insight into the deeper nature of my being as does my experience in relationship with others, most especially my husband. I am not alive alone. I am alive in communion.
With that said, I acknowledge that there are some lessons that must be learned on one’s own. I don’t dispute that. What I’m getting at, though, is that the act of “looking at our lives” can be aided in many important ways by the perspective of a friend, a lover, or a partner, and that this sort of assistance has proven to be crucial in my own movement toward “knowing” myself.
@theogeer, in an Autumn Twilight post responding to @WeiserBooks’ question, wrote of the importance of gratitude, and how practicing gratitude helps to keep him focused on the work of “self-possession”. He writes about his own expression and experience of gratitude, saying that “It reaffirms my belief that my life is a partnership between myself and the spirits.” The partnership, or relationship he speaks of is foundational to his understanding of himself, the order of his life and the value of his own spirituality.
So, in honor of @theogeer, his spirits, and the sacred bond with my husband, I shall take a moment to be grateful, too.