Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
Lamp & Labyrinth: Witches & Mages, Borderfolk at the Threshold

Lamp & Labyrinth: Witches & Mages, Borderfolk at the Threshold

Last updated on: May 23, 2017 at 10:16 pm by Chris Godwin

Lamp & Labyrinth: Witches & Mages, Borderfolk at the Threshold 2017-05-23T22:16:22+00:00 Chris Godwin

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Drui and the Witch walk on the outside edge, between the wild and the village. We are the Borderfolk, and we are mystics who guard culture and keep it. Therefore, we cannot take part in it the same way we once did. We give a pouring at the crossroads because it is our place and it is the right thing to do at thresholds. Here, we call forth vile droughts of death spells and magics. A suspended place of power is found at the threshold between fear and love, positive and negative thinking.

“The Wonders of the World in Nature” by Robert Sears. From WikiMedia.

The Threshold Minded

We are as a sailor in a coracle on the current with no ability to choose our direction, when we aren’t suspended at the Threshold. It is for this reason that the people worry. Reacting to stimuli as is natural, in many of us, removes us from their seat of our power. Pagan wisdom traditions must employ a level of detachment. We need a new detachment from personal impulses and reactions, and not from the sensual joys of life. Pagan mystics experience joy and sorrow, ascribe meaning to it, but we do not let the stimuli itself move us to reaction or impulse without the consideration of virtue, honor, and what is right by the Sovereignty of others.

Practice devotional honor and worship of the cosmos in this liminal state, and you’ll be able to hold communication and information flow with other beings. This betwixt psychological state is something that the non practicing critics will never understand unless they set aside bias and work to experience it. Bias is a force of ego, just like an overwhelming sense of shame is still a self centered framing of thoughts. Frame your thoughts outside of bias and ego.

Wyrd Ass Atheists

Regardless of what the irreverent believe, mysticism yields the ultimate psychic power and control over our bodies, perception and lucidity. Even reverent and celebratory atheists who walk between worlds attain these states, and so belief isn’t even a real focus. There are perspectives from which all beliefs are true and false. Understanding this is part of embracing the contradiction that is our paradoxical world.

Notice the folks in your life that seem to flow people and events around them as if they’re knots in the world tree. They are fate weavers who weave unplanned wyrd and fírinne themselves as fíodóirí na ndán.

Pagan mysticism isn’t just for the super devout. It isn’t about not having limits, melting ice with our body heat, or breaking boards with chi. It is about safely stretching limits you do have so you can get out of the way of your destiny and potential. Get out of your own way and find your power seat, your true place in the Cosmos. Seek more objective reality and accept it, while considering as many subjective perspectives as possible, then you’ll find your power.

Stellar machinery is the flesh of the cosmos, folded in layers that writhe over one another like snaky dimensions of curled up pockets of time and space. I have felt the blood-flow of all things rushing over me as a river thwarting me and upholding me. One day it will cover and destroy me. I no longer fear this day as my immortality and the immortal nature of every spirit has been revealed to me.

The rushing of the river of cosmic on-goings, it winds and sings songs of fervent reverence. It sings persistent creation of more and more complex natures.

“Jerusalem The Emanation of the Giant Albion” by William Blake. From WikiMedia.

The Danger in the Liminal

The stakes are high here, higher than our lives. We only have one shot to weave the current pattern. The Borderfolk at the Threshold shred our own souls to find out what we even are. We are looking for where our power and agency lies. We must become world destroyers and re-creators, to bring the will of the Shinning Ones to Earth.

Most of us are broken anyway from some trauma or othering which put us on the outside. Yet we’re still here and haven’t fully gone into the Wild. We strengthen ourselves and will this broken thing back together like Liquid Metal Terminator. You have this power. Hobbling, we tinker with ourselves until we sip from the Well of Chaos and Potential and we are revived. Sure the drink brings the drioganna of joy and of terror and sorrow, but Truth is fertile soil from which we regrow our Tribal Trees.

No Glory in Truth

Truth is the soil from which a new Story is grown. Only an Author at the Threshold can write their story.

Truth is the soil from which a new Story is grown.

Walking between worlds is not a gloried position. The veil is many layered and the true nature of all things can be known when the deepest veil, has been pierced. If I have not emphasised terror enough here, Piercing that veil, you may become disillusioned to parts of the world which make you happy or uphold your worldview. It is more than torture to consume a spiritual entheogen and to have every single one of these worldview supports knocked asunder.

Every person has a reason for existence and some of the more foolish reasons will be flash cooked from your mind leaving you adrift for months or even years after the experience. You may just learn what the terrifies the Gods, that this is an anything goes universe that has to be upheld and maintained, eternally. Personally, this is the route I chose. I have run away a little, crawled back a lot, and the gods skinned me alive in their cast iron pot.

These membranes of illusion and thought and spirits can be pierced one of two ways, a spirit on the one side can bring you in, or you must break in and learn the way.

Cuchulain broke into Fairy and landed in the scary terrifying world of Scáth, where he encountered hostile fairy forces. This is what you can expect if you try to attain this liminality on your own. But I take that these allegories exist and are parallel to my experiential devotion, that I’m on the right path.

It is through devotional practice and magic, regularly and piously that we attain these states, gain the favor of the spirits, whatever they are to you, and get invited to their world.

Previous Post

May 15, 2017

Queer Femme Mystic: The Pagan Case Against Donald Trump

Next Post

May 18, 2017 Tree City Witch: A Witch’s Grief & Advice for the Living

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Lakeside Hearth Adventures in Wortcunning Alone In Her Presence Arts, Crafts & Cooking Birthing Hereditary Witchcraft Book of Blackbirds Book Reviews Born-Again Witch Cauldron, Sword, Spear, & Stone Cermony and Liturgy Columns Community Dandelion Seeds Dear Jasmine Druid Thoughts Editor's Picks Everyday Pagan Family & Household Practice Family Traditions Full Frontal Magic Gateway Goddess Guest Articles Happily Heathen Health and Wellness Hearth of Hellenism Heathen Woman Hills of the Horizon History Holidays Horse Goddesses Interfaith Interviews Irish-American Witchcraft Jewish Witch Lamp & Labyrinth Letters from Midgard Literature, Media, Film, Music Loop of Brighid Love, Sex & Relationships Magic or Magick Making Light Naturalistic Traditions Nature News Outside The Circle Pantheisticon Politics Prayers, Poems, Blessings & Stories Queer Femme Mystic Queer of Swords Recipes Ritual and Practice Science and Research Seekers and Guides Seeking the Grail Socially Responsible Magic Spear of Athena Star Made Witch Syncretic Electric Technology The Blooming Staff The Busy Witch The Cartomancer The Crow's Nest The Dance of Pagan Recovery The Hearth of Hellenism The Lady's Quill The Other Side of the Hedge The Path of She The Rantin' Raven The Witches Next Door The Zen Pagan Theology, Ethics, Philosophy Tree City Witch Urban Earthwitch Wayfaring Woman Witch on Fire Wyrd Words

Select a Month January 2026 March 2025 December 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 August 2023 July 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who leaped for joy after being healed at the Temple gate (by Peter, in Jesus' name)?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A Pharisee A blind man A lame man A rich man