Author: swatiprakash

  • Meditation: The Most Important Thing For Us All

    Meditation: The Most Important Thing For Us All

    What is meditation?

    Meditation means going within (from the latin word medi that means middle or center). We all are something beyond our physical bodies, beyond our feelings, our desires, our thoughts…there is something deeper within us. Meditation is about being with this deeper part of us.

    Why should we meditate?

    In our day to day life we go through many ups and downs, seeing and experiencing both negative and positive things in the world, in our lives…and getting affected by them all. This is a state of duality or illusion…where we fall out of balance, fearful and unaware of who we are. Negative energy, fears or blockages are a result of this imbalance or ignorance…manifesting as diseases, problems, harmful thoughts, negative attachments, destructive beliefs, disturbed behavior or unhappiness of various kinds. Through meditation we awaken to our inner truth and discover inner happiness. We know that there is nothing to fear at all. This brings peace and joy to all of us and puts us all back in a balanced and wholesome state making everything better.

    Who can meditate?

    Anyone can, there are no restrictions of gender and even children can meditate whenever they are ready for it.

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    When should we meditate?

    Meditation is an inner state and not restricted by time. Whether it is morning or night, before food or after, is not so important, although keeping a light stomach helps some people in focusing better, and it helps to be not too sleepy when you are trying to meditate. Women in their periods, or people who are not feeling well can meditate as well. In-fact meditation could help in healing you during uncomfortable times. With practice meditation will become easier and effortlessly possible at any time.

    What should be worn?

    There is no need to wear any special type of outfit. As long as you are comfortable you can meditate whether at work or home in your day to day clothes.

    Are there any specific methods of meditation?

    It does not matter what technique you use to draw focus from outer world to the inner self….some people begin by closing their eyes and sitting still, some prefer listening to soothing music to relax their mind, some focus on chanting or mantras, some focus on their breath, all these are just aids or induction techniques to gradually achieve stillness. Yet these are not meditation itself. Meditation is when we go beyond all this and be without any thoughts to discover the innermost self.

    What are the steps to follow?

    Step 1. Relaxed awareness: In day to day life sometimes we get absorbed in the experiences without remembering our innermost self. The first step in meditation is to draw our senses inwards. You can try this by closing your eyes gently and sitting in a comfortable posture, neither slouching not stiff.

    Step 2: Observation: Instead of getting attached to any feelings, thoughts or mind-chatter, just observe them and watch them quieten. Observing something gives you power over it. Observe your breath and your mind… and watch the space between your thoughts.

    Step 3: Witnessing: When you find the space between your thoughts …when there is inner silence, then you can observe your true self. This is who you really are. Be with yourself as a witness to the self. This takes you beyond the illusion of the world process and in alignment with your inner truth which is pure peace and bliss.

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    For how long should we meditate?

    You can meditate for as long as you want. You might take some time in the beginning to even reach a meditative state and the idea is that once you get there you must stay in it for as long as possible. You can begin with practicing for 30 minutes a day and slowly increase it to one hour a day. As you practice each day after a period of dedicated practice, you will find that the meditative state will come naturally to you and in every part of the day and even at night while sleeping you will be in a deep inner state. Still it will be good to dedicate at least one hour a day for specially being just with yourself and meditating.

    What will happen once you reach a meditative state?

    For each person their own individual and unique experiences are important. You can note and observe our own experiences. For example: Being one with nature, Being one with the universe, Feeling light, Just being, Pure peace and bliss…these are some of the common experiences of people who meditate. After you achieve this ‘enlightened’ state you will not feel superior in any way but will be more compassionate and humble, recognizing that all is one.

    (*)

    Swati Prakash is a spiritual author and founder of Global Wicca tradition of spirituality. You can read more on www.swatiprakash.com

  • God, Goddess and We

    God, Goddess and We

    Who is God…

    Who is Goddess…

    Who am I …

    Who are We…

    In this world full of religions we need to respect all beliefs, whether monotheistic or polytheistic, atheistic or any other.

    In monotheism we find one supreme God who claims that we should not worship anyone else but ‘HIM’ who is perfect in every self-declared way. In polytheism we find all kinds of gods and goddesses…Gods who fall in love ….gods who are sacrificed and die…gods who are reborn…goddesses who are vain…gods who hunt…gods who suffer in pain….goddesses who learn lessons…gods who are exiled…goddesses who burn….goddesses who to earth return. Gods and goddesses going through life, death and rebirths… just like us.

    To me monotheism and polytheism are both valid. To me there is one God or Goddess, whatever you call the highest power, and it has several forms too at the same time, all different and similar too in many ways across time and space.

    We are all realizing that true unity is possible only with diversity, when no longer does one culture dominate or oppress others. That is why it is so important to see God or Goddess, our own higher self in its many infinite forms and not just as one rigid personality.

    When we speak of a God or Goddess who is supreme we no longer refer to one of the limited forms of god as supreme such as some religions had asserted. Instead…what we refer to is the Universe, ever expanding, diverse, set of our experiences of life that are essentially self-created and not at all separate from us.

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    ‘Aham Brahmasmi… Tat Tvam Asi’

    So basically, I am the Universe …(and by the way) ..you are too…

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    Yes, the gods and goddesses are we all…. living, learning, suffering and liberating themselves in cycles of being and transforming, changing and growing eternally to every higher states of becoming. Each person, animal, plant, thing, particle or wave…anything that has ever been, anything that is and will ever be…is totally and perfectly divine. We are all several gods and goddesses and One at the same time, all at various stages of self-awareness and self-acceptance.  We are the God, the Goddess and we are gods and goddesses…whatever you want to call  this energy or this supreme being in its many multiple avatars and forms…collectively as well as individually.

    When we are unaware of this truth we carry within us we behave less than perfect, yet the inner part of us..our essence is divine always. In every being…no matter how big or small, how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ or even ‘evil’. And the mystery within all of us is so amazingly, and beautifully divine, its a shame that all of us could not recognize it yet.

    Imagine a world where every person recognized his or her own inherent divinity.

    Just imagine! (and it will be so)

    This would be a world free of all evil. A world with so much light, love and happiness…that it will be impossible to even think or imagine anything negative.

    Does this sound scary to some of us?

    If yes, then it is only our own real Self that we fear.

    ‘Let go of the fear…. Embrace our inner truth.’ says the voice within. (Can you hear it now?)

    So imagine (this time without fear) …a world where we are now at peace…where forgiving each other is absolutely effortless in the realization that we all are just our own projections. When there is supreme bliss in knowing that all that happens in life is just our own subconscious projecting itself.

    Peace. Real peace.

    Yet we forgot who we are. We imagined our souls to be limited…as ego…as our physical form, or as a string of lifetimes that began ‘somewhere’ tracing our past lives as those few memories from here or there which we picked up again during our past life regression sessions. We thought I was ‘me’ and you were ‘you’ separate, distinct, different people…

    Oh come on and remember yourself…all the way…through and through. …not just as a soul with a few past life memories, but as the infinite soul…the soul which is all there is.

    So, now…who are you?

    When and how did you start, if ever …and when and how will you end? 

    Someone had once asked…’What is the difference between a dream and reality?…isn’t it just that in a dream you cannot remember how you got there.’

    Is our existence any different than a dream if we cannot remember how we got here in the universe in the first place…how the universe (we) got here in the first place…and which ‘here’???…exactly where is this universe? Will science have the answers (ever!) …maybe, maybe not, maybe spirituality does…but where is the proof?

    For everything that has a beginning has an end. And you (I) have neither.

    Spiritually speaking…it is said that we are all the creation of Brahma who happens to be just a character in a recurring dream emerging from the navel of the consciousness called God who is an aspect of the energy called Goddess that is very simply all there is.

    So then Aham Brahmasmi means… I am merely a dream of the divine…and so are you (by the way).

    What about the divine me, you, everything…??

    Yet the dream is no separate from the dreamer, than your thoughts are from you. Just because the world, you and I are a dream…still… Aham Brahmasmi, Tat Tvam Asi – I am divine and you are too…

    Hope we remember it from now onward in each moment of this lucid dream of our life that we call the universe.

    Blessed Be!

    (*)

    Swati Chandra Prakash

    www.swatprakash.com

    Author page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Swati-Prakash/e/B00V54BBHQ

  • Seven Super Strategies for Success

    Source: Seven Super Strategies for Success

     

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    Success is a subjective concept. It is not necessarily about imitating someone else, or about being as rich or famous as a celebrity or a tycoon. Success depends upon how well you achieve your own goals and your own purpose of life. You have a unique purpose that your soul would know better than anyone else. Success is about achieving it in your own way.

    Here are some ideas to magnify your own success in amazing ways starting right now:

    1. Know what you want – Yes, the universe does conspire with us to attain our will. Yet there are some people who had never till now thought of writing down their life purpose, and some have not even embarked on a soul-searching journey to find it. Meditate. Find your own purpose and let it come to you from a deep place within yourself in order to be truly authentic.
    2. Focus on your purpose in everything you do, as much as possible – the more you keep in mind your goals in life the better are the chances you will indulge only in those actions that will bring you closer to your goals, without too many distracting forces. Consciously look for opportunities to further your goals everyday, and give it your all without postponing, without excuses and without laziness and say no to wasteful or unnecessary activities. Be dedicated to yourself.
    3. Share your dreams with the right people only. If you talk about your goals or share your dreams with others be sure it is directly helpful to them in some way so that they align to the goal. Also choose only those people who are vibrationally matching with your goals and will not cancel the energy out. You can annouce those accomplishments that have been attained and those projects that have been launched, but there is no need to share your personal unfulfilled wishes with everyone. While your dreams hold a special meaning to you others may be busy in their own goals. Believe in your own power to create your own success as elegantly as possible and nurture your own seeds till they grow. The tree will be fruitful soon.
    4. Be positive in your expression. Speak rarely about your personal problems, grudges or issues with the world, except for those who can directly help you in resolving the issues. Try to go within and achieve your inner healing. Take expert opinion and advise if needed. By criticising, complaining or venting out in public you only bring your energy as well as reputation down. Those people who use social media and blogs to spew negativity and share their frustrations or anger are not the ideal candidates for attracting success. Why not resonate frequencies of love, joy, self-confidence and transformation. Successful people have no time to gossip or cry the world out. They are busy in attaining new positive milestones everyday. They also compliment, encourage and help others out, a lot!
    5. Let your confidence come from a deep self-realization. Feel sure that you can achieve absolutely anything that your soul desires. This is the truth. There is no single thing in this world that any individual cannot achieve if he or she truly believes in it very deeply. If it is indeed meaningful to your soul there will be success some day or the other. Self doubt is something you will need to transform through self-awareness. The more self-realized you are the easier it is for you to believe in your capacity to create.
    6. Stay on the path. Do not abandon your dream just because its not acheived very quickly. You will achieve whatever you dream of as and when you align your frequencies with whatever it is you plan to achieve. This is a process that can take any amount of time depending on your frequency levels and the efforts you take to retune yourself. Almost every person who is successful has worked on self-programming in some or the other way. Work on what is within you and it will surely be true in your outer life. Your dream will come alive in amazing ways.
    7. Focus on the good. Be loving and generous with others as well as yourself, and let not anything make you feel negative. If there is one top quality that high achievers have, it is to be supremely positive at all times in their thoughts, their words, their actions and also in their inner feelings. The ability to choose your vibrational state is always there within you. Learn how to modulate your vibrations to an extent that not only do you prevent anything negative from affecting your energy levels, you also stay brimming with high energy to spread all around. Even when there is criticism, rejection or any negative feedback those who are highly successful have reached there by taking all these as opportunities to improve, learn and do even better, instead of reacting and feeling perturbed. Keep reminding yourself that you are fantastic and will keep doing better and better day after day regardless of what others say.

    All this may sound like a tall order for some of us, while for others it is just a matter of saying – ‘Yes, I can do it!’ Hope it is the latter in your case.

    Success is a choice you are now ready to make right now!

    All the best and feel free to share your story on thepositivemedia@gmail.com

    (*)

    Swati Prakash is a spiritual author and magickal guide www.swatiprakash.com

  • Going Retro…into 2016

    Going Retro…into 2016

    Time, the great illusion is (like everything else) here to teach us many things. The past is not gone until we learn our lessons from it. Problems that repeat again and again in our life are telling us to review our past and grasp the lesson so as to heal that part of us for good.

    Once the lessons from the past are learnt the problems stop recurring.

    Retrograde planetary period symbolise energy going back into the past in the form of the retrograding planet that appears to move backwards as observed from earth. While Sun and Moon never go retrograde (they represent known and unknown self) Rahu and Ketu are always retrograde (they represent Karmic issues carried from past into the present until liberation). The rest of the planets seem to go retrograde from time to time, with Mercury being the most frequent (mercury represents thoughts of mind, travel and communication). This year 2016, there are significant retrogrades besides Mercury, especially Jupiter (represents spiritual wisdom and luck), Saturn (represents boundaries and rules) and Mars (represents initiatives, agression and actions).

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    As you can see in the above illustration, the zodiac signs where the planets are situated or transiting through are as per the Vedic astrology. You may find that western zodiac messages are predominant all over the internet even though their calculations are considered inaccurate and outdated. The sidereal or Vedic signs are preferred by those who wish to be more in sync with the actual astronomical placement of planets. So while the western asrologers will say Mercury is retrograde in Aquarius right now, the Vedic astrologer says its in Capricorn. Its suggested you stick to the Vedic placements and transits and do not get confused with all the other conflicting data from all over the world.

    What does the retrograde mean specifically to you: You have to see what your vedic astrology birth chart looks like first. See which house the zodiac in question represents and also check the various aspects made by the planet to see which other houses are affected. It is best to order a specific reading consultation for clear and accurate analysis than merely follow whatever you are reading in the media as generic predictions, especially for the western signs.

    Retrograde of Mercury usually manifests as delays in travel, redoing of plans, reassessment, communication setbacks, past worries returning to be healed again.

    Retrograde of Jupiter could bring in karmic lessons to enhance our wisdom, or perhaps past karma whether negative or postive will return all together as a twist of fate in your life. Past life messages and gurus from the previous births might reappear.

    Retrograde of Saturn represents past justice or injustice issues returning in the present and a need to gain inner self-discipline, release from any harmful habits and attachments. Obstacles of the past if still lingering in your subconscious can be no longer ignored as they scream for attention.

    Retrograde of Mars can bring back the blast from the past, to help you deal with any anger, aggression or strong passionate energies from the past or from past lives as they re-emerge into consciousness.

    Reflect on the meaning of the planet, what it indicates as it transits with respect to YOUR UNIQUE BIRTHCHART AS A WHOLE and not just for your sunsign or rashi. Check how this planet is connected to various aspects and areas of your life through its transits, placements and aspects for each house of your chart.

    Remedies focus on letting go, forgiving, releasing the baggage from the past in order to reduce any negativity experienced during retrograde periods. Past life therapy, past life healing rituals and positive affirmations designed to let go and release unwanted energies are best.

    Remember through the power of NOW you can heal everything and be successful, healthy and happy in every way regardless of any planetary movements. Be firmly established in your inner truth through meditation.

    Blessed Be

    (*)

    To order your detailed astrological analysis and healing suggestions place your order on www.swatiprakash.com

     

     

  • The Importance of Meditation for those into Witchcraft and Magick

    The Importance of Meditation for those into Witchcraft and Magick

    If there was just ONE thing that I would suggest someone who wishes to be magickally powerful and spiritually enlightened…it would be meditation.

    Its free…you can do it yourself, alone, without any rigorous training.

    Its simple…just relax and observe yourself, your breath, your thoughts, the silence in between thoughts, keep it up… and sooner or later…all thoughts will slowly dissapear and you will be in a state of phenomenal peace and bliss. Whether it takes, days, months or years a daily practice goes a long way to find lasting inner silence.

    You can meditate anytime…anyplace…wearing whatever is comfortable….there are simply no strict rules. In the beginning you can close your eyes and meditate for a few minutes in a silent place. Increase the duration slowly to at least an hour a day…and you will enjoy it so much that you will try and spend maximum time in this state.

    It will be your second nature after a few years of daily practice…so much so that you will be in a meditative state of self-realization and enlightenment permanently. You will be in a state of constant awareness, whether you are doing something or not, whether with others or alone, whether in a quiet place or in a noisy crowd.

    Now how is all this linked to magick and witchcraft?

    Aren’t magick and witchcraft about wearing fancy robes and headgears and playing with all those crafty tools such as wands and athames …brooms and cauldrons.

    Basically isn’t witchcraft a bit more fun?

    Well…if I think about it very deeply the answer is no.

    Witchcraft and magick are NOT about playing dress up to entertain yourself and others through fantastic ceremonies and rituals. And meditative work is so much fun, you would much rather do it all the time….You can combine meditation with almost all spells and rituals for best results.

    Witchcraft has always been since ancient times a healing craft. The purpose is spiritual healing. I know that since the 20th century witchcraft has become much more popular as a kind of ceremonial magic rooted in the west, yet throughtout ancient times, wise men and women across the world who healed and gave guidance to people were always deeply aware of the spirit and highly powerful through their soul. There were ceremonies and rituals, yes, but that was to induce a trance state to make the healing deeper and more sensory, more tangible – for the crowds who required healing and the new initiates who were being trained.

    These rituals and ceremonies if done without the presence of an aware and enlightened master are just not as useful. The person conducting the healing has to have a deeply awakened soul. Then only will the right positive energy be transferred from the master to the seekers.

    It is only through a crystal clear consciousness that we can be a true channel of divine spirit. That is the only real power. Without this magick would be dark, ignorant, negative or weak in power, with hardly any benefit to anyone. Infact ignorant magical practices such as curses or hate spells could do more harm than good both to the practitioner and the recepient. Powerful magick is rooted in the awareness that ‘As Within So Without’ – that we all are creators of our reality and all our inner energy manifests outside in numerous aspects of our life. The more positive our inner energy the more it is of benefit to ourselves and the world.

    Also we have to remember that in the past,  many tribes and native cultures were developing spiritually. Shamans and seers, healers and witches were born with their powers simply because they had done some spiritual work and meditation in their past lives. Still, there was training in meditative trance, dream-working, understanding the symbolisms of the inner mind…past life healing and energy work to some extent. This formed the base of shamanic and native folk magic in many societies. In addition there was a knowledge of local herbs, stones and animal totems which helped the healer give something more tangible to help the receipient accept the healing through a solid object or special rituals.

    The world has just reawakened in the later half of the 20th century or so…thanks to a fusion of eastern and western spirituality. People are much more self-realized than before and magick is becoming increasingly simple and unbelievably so.

    Today we have meditators who can create magic with simple intentions or affirmations faster than you would take to fetch your wand. Let’s face it, the more spiritually evolved a society becomes, the less occult and less complex its magickal power. Also the more our civilisation evolves, the brighter and more positive its magick becomes. No longer are people interested in cursing and harming each other and not longer are they attached to lowly desires of acquiring a person of their choice. Enlightenment is far too common now as compared to before.

    More and more people find peace, happiness, prosperity, inner-joy, love and wellbeing through enlightened magick which is the hallmark of today’s awakened world.

    Science and spirit unite today and magick is no longer just ‘occult mumbo-jumbo’. Everyone talks of quantum science and vibrational energy… everyone speaks of mind-matter connection and the matrix theory of simulated universe. It won’t be very long…till we have all the answers.

    Today witches, wizards and magickal folk of the past are reborn as the modern spiritual scientists and healers of contemporary times.

    Whether or not we call ourselves witches or magicians, every one of us has an immense magickal power within that can be further awakened through inner work and meditation. If we want to be effective as magickal healers or witches, it will do us well to meditate and sharpen our inner power than to merely tinker around with outer objects in our magickal work.

    If this inspires you to learn more about a deeper kind of healing magick, you can find in-depth information, instructions and spiritual exercises in The Global Wicca Revolution available globally through amazon.

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    Blessed Be

    (*)

    Swati Prakash

  • There is Winter!

    In every ending, there is new beginning

    Each moment renews every thing, every being

    In life there is death and in death there is life,

    For here comes old winter of red, green and white

    Young springtime and summer could never be whole

    All colours exist in this rainbow of soul

    All darkness is light made of hidden vibration

    The secret of joy is our own inspiration

    For nothing exists that is not from within

    The song of creation is our own to sing

    Sadness or gladness are only our choice

    The voice of divine is our own inner voice

    As under the mistletoe’s poisonous fruit

    Sweet kisses are stolen without a dispute

    There is something quite good in each thing if we see

    Let hope spring eternal like evergreen trees

    May our hearts never shrink in the season of cold

    May every soul find inner treasures of gold

    In deep snow and ice there is warmth, love and cheer

    To give and receive every year after year

    Life is a gift made of endless delight

    When darkness discovers the blessing of light

    (*)

    Swati Prakash

     

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  • How to Be a Witch and/ or Wiccan

    How to Be a Witch and/ or Wiccan

    A lot of times I have heard people ask – ‘I want to be a witch, can you teach me?’, or ‘I want to be a Wiccan, can you initiate me?’

    So allow me to clarify what being a witch and being a Wiccan really are all about and how to be a witch and/ or Wiccan.

    Witch: The meaning of the word is wise-one. In the ancient times those people who were knowledgable about healing, herbalism, native medicine and those who could guide people with their common problems, through psychic predictions such as clairvoyant visions, or through various herbs and folk magic spells were regarded as witches. They occupied positions of respect. All over the world, whether the west or the east we had plenty of witches. What did they do to ‘become’ witches. Did they take classes, pass tests or get initiated into secret naked covens of 13? Or did they have an innate wisdom that they honoured and honed, learning through nature, through their grandparents and their own intuitive inner self?

    Wiccan: The meaning of the word is someone who believes in the Wiccan Rede which means Harming None while doing as you Will. In doing so Wiccans become people who believe in recognising divinity in everyone and everything, being kind to nature, being tolerant with regard to specific beliefs, sexuality, personal choices as long as you harm none, believing in equality of gender, believing in animal-rights, sacredness of trees and forests, water and earth. All these directly flow from the principle of the Wiccan Rede. Wicca is not one of the religions typified by conversion process to be part of it. It is a natural spirituality, also called paganism or neo-paganism (being a new age revival of the ancient ways). What do you have to do to believe in the Wiccan Rede? Does it take an initiation ceremony to believe in something? Or is it something to be done within you, through your own mind?

    Being a witch and being a Wiccan is all about your inner self, your inner choices and beliefs in your divine power, in the divinity of nature, in the sacredness of life, death and the magick of the universe which is constantly unfolding everywhere. There is magick in each moment – the way we are built, the way each cell and molecule of the world is built, the way planets revolve and rotate, the way seasons change, from the smallest to the largest thing in the world, magick is our infinite reality. To be consciosuly aware of this truth, and to use this knowledge wisely for the benefit of ourself and our world, that’s what being a witch and Wiccan is all about.

    Initiation: This simply means getting accepted in a specific spiritual tradition or system, usually lineaged from a founder to a chain of initiates. A tradition means a body of knowledge that is carried forward even if the teacher is no more. The teachings are passed on from teacher to student and the student then becomes a teacher and passes it to other students and so on. This is true of several systems of ancient spirituality and it was the norm in Wiccan spirituality in the beginning till recent times. In Wicca so far, you would get initiated if you get specific skills and training with the aim of being part of an existing Wiccan tradition. However with the advent of technology, books, internet and multiple ways of disseminating information traditional initiation is no longer mandatory.

    Is Initiation for you? Will the students of the original teacher pass on the right knowledge through the chain or will it become chinese whispers? If the original teachers or founders of those traditions that are lineaged were to be alive today, will they remain stuck at their old teachings and beliefs, or would they have transformed and updated their knowledge and practice from the time when they developed it? Are the initiates as good as the original master, or are they a bunch of egotists who are more interested in showing off their lineage and playing power games?

    Thankfully today through books authored directly by the founders of the tradition it is possible to get accurate knowledge straight from the horses mouth. Yet if the authors are deceased its perhaps better to look for new authors too and be updated with the latest discoveries and inventions in the world. Whenever possible look for living masters who teach you directly instead of learning indirectly through a lineage of initiates. That is my advise and my preference as the Founder of Global Wicca.

    Training: Classes, certifications, courses, degree training, all are surely there for those who wish to gain more specific skills either for personal use or for helping others professionally. But to be a witch and to be Wiccan, both are about an inner awareness, an enlightenment you gain yourself through meditation and inner spiritual work. You can learn to be a better witch through teachers and guides who add to your knowledge, who provide you opportunities to practice and hone your skills.

    There is a vast universe within you and your inner self is the best teacher, the best master. Look for those outer teachers and guides who help you get in touch with the inner self instead of leading you to follow them rigidly.

    Also remain focused once you find the right path without wandering around collecting information, collecting certificates, collecting initiations, collecting degrees – do not be a mindless spiritual consumer. If you were doing that then there was something missing within you.

    Be on the right path and stay on the right path that goes straight within.

    All the best

    (*)

    Swati Prakash

     

     

  • Eeeek …Witches! Really?

    Eeeek …Witches! Really?

    ‘Miss. Miss. Miss…can I tell you something?’ an excited three year old girl at my son’s nursery ran to me and started off. ‘There was a woman. She wanted to eat up all the pet animals. She was so scary. She was a witch. She was so evil….’ she went on breathlessly… and then quickly ran away to play with my son. The kids had just been subject to an hour long pantomine that told the wicked tale of the supposed evil that lurks as witches in the world.

    Now what can I say to a small kid of her age? In my book ‘Yes, You Are A Witch!‘ explains in a fun way, to older kids and young adults, how being a Witch is great and positive and how witchcraft is simply wise-craft, a positive application of a spiritual power that all of us are naturally endowed with, to improve our life. Yet instead of books like these, libraries have been stocked with children’s books such as ‘Witches’ by Roald Dahl, that bring forth images of horrible women who turn innocent kids to mice. I am glad that at least JK Rowling and Sir Terry Pratchett brought some kind of balance to this situation by depicting at least a few good witches their legendary fiction books. Yet the amount of misunderstanding that little ones have been subject to, in the name of ‘witchcraft’ and ‘witches’ through fiction and fairytales over the years of growing up right from babyhood is absolutley incredible.

    The other day I was reading a book called ‘Meg and Mog’ to my son which is about a witch who lives with her cat Mog. Turns out predictably that she dresses up in black cloak and a tall hat to fly on a broom up the chimney after midnight with her cauldron brewing bats, spiders, worms, beetles and frogs with her witchy friends at her ‘spell party’ gathering on the hill, where her friends get turned into, guess what – mice.

    Funny? Enjoyable? Yes for sure! But such stories while fictional also strengthen the mis-perception of witches being crazy weirdos having strange super-powers who are upto no good.

    Have you ever heard of any such negative images regarding any other real-life, very much existing, thriving community or sub-culture made of real people being spread amongst kids and adults alike in such a widespread way across centuries? Have you heard of books that have cartooned up any other social, professional, religious, or cultural group in this manner through fiction and non-fiction alike, brainwashing us right from the time we were little? What if we depicted any other professional skill in similar derogatory ways commonly in literature – lets say carpenters as men who sawed kids up, beauticians as ladies who skinned people alive, or religious priests as horrible men who abused little boys? Doesn’t sound fair now, does it?

    The last thing I want my son to grow up thinking is that witches are pure evil, kind of weird, whacko loonies or in any way ‘not normal’ people. Not because I am a Witch, but because I believe in sharing only truth.

    So when can we have some positive stories written about witches for little kids? Any of you writers listening out there? Coz if you don’t do it I surely will!

    (*)

    Swati Prakash

  • The Power of Three

    My breath is the Air, my will is the Fire

    Love is the Water that calms my desire

    Earth is my creation, a manifestation

    Of Spirit in me, and So Mote It Be!

    The world is within, it appears to be out

    All that I need is within me throughout

    My words of power are all invocations

    Of the universe that’s we, and So Mote It Be!

    All of us are many and yet we are One

    By the power of One, this great work is done

    The one manifests as the power of three

    Of Me, He and She, and So Mote It Be!

    Blessed be

    (*)triquetraSwati Prakash

    www.swatiprakash.com

  • All Hallows Tide

    There is no death in this eternal moment

    There is no ending of time or of life

    Except for the death of your own illusion

    Everything changes yet stays all alive

    And what is your sorrow except a delusion

    While all you are made of is pure love and light

    There is no darkness except the ignorance

    Of things that you really know well, deep inside

    There is no destruction, its all transformation

    In truth all you lose is the shadow of lie

    There is simply nothing to fear all around us

    For everything here is just our own disguise

    The veil is not thinning, it is non-existent

    For nothing divides us, we are unified

    So bring on the death of this grandiose illusion

    And wake up again to your own sweet surprise

    Blessed be all of our souls, ever healing

    Rejoining together in all hallows tide

    Together we are only one great truth vibration

    A silence of mind ever conscious and bright

    So close your two eyes and remain ever open

    For all that you know to just perish and die

    To witness the glory of life everlasting

    Unite with the Goddess who is now inside

    (*)

    Swati Prakash

    www.swatiprakash.com

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