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Saturday, 20 September 2014

Reflecting on… “To Know, To Will, To Dare, To Keep Silent”

These words urge the incorporation of knowledge, confidence, courage and discretion into the path you choose to walk; because of this ‘phrase’, every step I take on my path is one of assurance, awareness and reverence. I have confidence in my practice and my experiences, I believe in the values which are its foundation because I choose to act on the advice of these words.

To Know
This is not just knowing what words you are going to say or what tools you are going to use; knowing the ingredients and steps of a spell are acts of memorisation; they merely serve as a method. I find it akin to baking a cake… anyone can follow a recipe but only by learning about other things which can affect the cake and then trusting your instincts can you make the cake your own. The knowing this adage speaks of is the same thing… only by understanding the external forces at play can your workings have the best outcome for you.
To Know is the knowing of who you are so that when you send energy into the Universe, you know where it has come from as well as where it is going. To Know is the counsel which tells you to understand what you are learning, rather than just memorise it; it is the act of finding your personal interpretation of all things, know what every thought, feeling and impulse means to you. It is the bridge connecting your sub-conscious and conscious mind. I feel that the lesson of “To Know” is to not settle for what you already know but to strive for what you could know in the future, to chase all the knowledge of the Universe.

To Will
Possibly the most famous line in Wiccan traditions is “As I do will, so mote it be”; every working you do incorporates your will, for spell and ritual work are the projection of your desires. I consider it the most difficult skill of magick to become adept at because your will is where your magick comes from and so it must be strong and pure for the working to be successful. You are projecting your thoughts and feelings to the Universe, everything you want, need, and love is being made into a power concentrate, then exploded into the atmosphere; your will is the power of you – so when you harness it for magickal workings be confident in who you are and what you are looking to achieve. If your will wavers, so will the magick
This also brings to mind, the importance of “To Know” and why the two are inextricably linked… your knowledge fuels your will. The confidence with which you can walk your path, project your will and practice your workings is founded in what you know. If you let your knowledge go un-projected, why did you learn it? And, by the same principle, if you project your will without researching what caused its motivation, how will you know it is your true will and not influenced by others?

To Dare
To Dare is, in my opinion, the flip side of To Will; whilst one is the desire behind the power (to will), the other is the power behind the desire (to dare). This element of the adage is saying to literally have the daring, the courage, and the motivation to proceed with your workings; take the next step on your path, interact with the unseen, experience the unknown and make it known to you. With the knowledge and confidence you gain by living the other elements of this ‘proverb’, daring to continue becomes the motivation behind every step you take. There is no reward greater than combining what you know with what you want to know, having the courage to bring them together and the daring to create something new and magickal. The success you receive when this is done with all that support from your confidence and knowledge is the very reason your workings and your life can become a glorious tapestry, woven with a golden thread.

To Keep Silent
This is the element of the adage I keep closest to my heart but I think it shouldn't be taken too literally – I don’t keep silent about my beliefs; I've shared who I am and what I believe with my family, my colleagues, my friends and many, many people online. Why then do I hold the idea of keeping silent so sacred? What I share with others are my philosophies, beliefs and opinions on subjects which are open to interpretation anyway - deity, nature and magick. There is so much information published on these concepts that my voice, though individual, blends in with all the other individuals. What I share is made silent by being lost in the din of what everybody else shares. As for what I don’t share…
A spiritual path brings to light those elements of the self which have been hidden in the dark. You may have heard the term ‘mysteries’ and wondered what these mysteries are; they are part of the endless search and discovery mission that a spiritual path is but what I have discovered is what I will not share because it is what keeps me searching for more.
Though I've always understood the literal meaning of 'To Keep Silent'; it is the keeping of your magickal secrets, in living these words for so many years, I have found a secondary meaning which is the core of why I hold silence so sacred. The quietening of the mind, sitting in silence, creates a more fluid environment so that you may know, will and dare more powerfully.

There are many ways to follow these words and bring them into your life; these words which mean so much to the pagans and spiritual believers around the world but these are my ways. I am not being silent about them because I'm not saying anything that I believe should remain secret. I am sharing these thoughts because I know that they have meaning, my will is that my thoughts and feelings on them help somebody else who is searching, and I dare every day to have controversial beliefs but today I also dare to put those beliefs out into the world. 

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