Yasmine Galenorn - Magical Meditations: Guided Imagery for the Pagan Path

Text copyright 2003 by Yasmine Galenorn

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except brief excerpts for the purpose of review, without written permission of the publisher.

The Crossing Press
www.crossingpress.com

A division of Ten Speed Press
P.O. Box 7123
Berkeley, California 94707
www.tenspeed.com

Originally published in 1997 under the title Trancing the Witchs Wheel.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the publisher.
eISBN: 978-0-307-78994-5

v3.1

Dedication:

To my favorite authors:

Even though I never met you, Ive learned so much from your books and your poetry: Ray Bradbury, Daphne du Maurier, Richard Adams, Charlotte Bront, Amy Tan, Annie Dillard, W. B. Yeats, George Meredith, Oscar Wilde, Henrik Ibsen, Diane Mott Davidson, J. A. Jance, George Eliot, James Herriot, J.R.R. Tolkien, Michael Crichton, Kenneth Grahame, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, and A. A. Milne.

What can I say but, thank you all?

In the parched path
I have seen the good lizard
(one drop of crocodile)
meditating.

The Old Lizard (El Lagarto Viejo)
Federico Garca Lorca 18981936

Preface

So much has gone on in my life since this book first saw print in 1997. It was my first book to be published and will always hold a special place in my heart. Now Im a well-seasoned author of both fiction and nonfiction, firmly established in my career and much more confident as a writer. Since 1997, my life has been a roller coaster. At the time this book was first published, my husband and I were struggling financially; now we are more secure. During the past few years, my mother died from cancer, my stepfather is currently on his deathbed from cancer, my husband has been tentatively diagnosed with a rare disease (treatable but not curable), and the world feels like its gone topsy-turvy. On the other hand, Im much happier with all my publishers, Ive sold a mystery series and am really enjoying writing novels, Ive started my way on the long road back to health from an accident back in 1994, and this year I celebrate ten wonderful years of marriage to Samwise.

During the past six years since the first publication of this book, my view of religion has shifted dramatically. September 11 had a lot to do with this shift, and with my perception of religion in general. I must admit, Ive become much more cynical, much more proactive about human rights versus religious rights. However, despite these changes, my spirituality has only intensified on an internalized level. Im not talking about rituals, or about how I practice magic, or even about the fact that I no longer spell magic with a k.

No, what Im saying is that I seldom refer to my spirituality as a religion anymoreits simply settled into an integral part of my life path, a personal quest for understanding. Yes, Im still a Witch, and my practice is much more shamanistic than it used to be. While I will always remain true to the core foundation on which my spirituality is based, and while my service to Mielikki and Tapio has become much more definitive and I no longer work within other traditions, my path in life remains an ever-changing, always-evolving spiritual quest, and thats how I want it to be.

So here we go with the new edition of this book. You may notice a few minor changes if youve read the first edition of this book; my writing is much tighter now, and I welcome this chance to clear up a few nagging mistakes that I noticed when Trancing the Witchs Wheel first came out.

If you wish to contact me, you may do so through my website, Galenorn En/Visions, at www.galenorn.com. I have a contact page there that explains how to email me. Or you may write to me in care of the publisher.

My journey into magic and meditation began several years before I ever cast my first spell, chanted my first chant, or pledged myself into the service of the Gods. I began college when I was fifteen years old, a restless and searching time for anyone. For me, the jump from junior high to college signified freedom from an oppressive educational system that had held back both my intellectual and social growth. Liberated from the repressive confines of high school, I was able to stretch my mind among people who actually wanted to be in school, who were as eager to learn as I. I no longer felt like an outcast; I had friends and I had knowledge. I truly felt that I had been let out of a cage, and it was in this atmosphere that I signed up for a Philosophy of Religion class.

I was undergoing a religious crisis at that point. I could no longer accept the religion I had grown up with, yet was too afraid to admit it, even to myself. I took the class with the hope of discovering some sort of resolution. A minister, Ive forgotten to which denomination he belonged, taught the class. At first that made me nervous. I was trying to break out of the hierarchical religious structure, not to embrace it. However, he taught me the most important lesson I was to learn that year, or any other, when he told the class, Question your beliefs, and if they dont hold up, get rid of them. Find out what works for you.

His words were the permission I needed. Like all words, they were magical, congealing thoughts into reality. With his advice as my guidepost, I began a four-year search. I looked into Buddhism and agnosticism, and eventually stumbled onto the New Age movement. From each set of beliefs, I gained more clarity about myself, but nothing fit just right. I knew I believed in something; I just didnt know what.

Then, in a soccer field at Evergreen State College on a cold February night (February 29, 1980leap year day, no less), I met the Goddess under the ancient moon and have considered myself a Witch ever since. I worked alone for many years, culling what I could from the few books I could find. Most of my knowledge came through experimentation. Later, I began to meet and work with other Pagans and Witches, and eventually I began to teach what I had learned over the years. In doing so, I noticed that throughout all my studies, there was one common thread that provided a link between most belief systems. That link is the practice of meditation or trance work.

Thanks to all the time and practice Ive invested in meditation and visualization, my magic works far more often than not. The practice of meditation has touched other areas of my life, as well. Im disciplined with both my writing and with life in general. I can keep my attention focused on the more mundane tasks of life until they are done. Since Im also a professional tarot reader, I must be able to slip into a mild trance at will when reading for a client. Its only through the continual practice of meditation that Im able to do this. The use of meditation, especially guided meditations such as the ones contained in this book, has benefited my life considerably, and I know it can help you too.

the Painted Panther
Y ASMINE G ALENORN