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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