Easy as 1, 2, 3
September 13, 2008
by Jeffrey Pierce


Within spiritual circles, we seek to understand not only our own internal landscape, but the influence of the subtle realms around us. We hear terms like "the astral plane" or "the spirit realm" or, here in the pages of Old Ways, "the Elsewhere." We hear other people's thoughts, follow our own intuition, and have dreams and visions of events before they take place. But that's not all. We do work in the Dreamtime, we exercise our "psychic" abilities, and we manifest reality, somehow distinguishing between magick, miracles, and plain ol' coincidence.

Countless volumes have been written on the distinctions between telepathy and empathy, between the astral and ethereal realms. Ask one question, receive one thousand answers, each bringing additional questions of their own.

Thankfully, it's actually much simpler than all of that.

In the classes that I teach in the offline world, we organize all of the above into three categories. And to make this process as easy as possible, we refer to those categories as Level 1, Level 2, and, you guessed it, Level 3.

As unlikely as it seems, everything within and beyond our potential experiences, from psychic phenomena to the written word, fits neatly into one of these three categories. What's more is that an understanding of how these levels interact and how they are woven together provides us with tremendous insight into the workings of the mystical world. This insight isn't theory - it lends itself to being used as a tool to unravel processes and gain access to deeper and deeper levels of spiritual reality.

Level One

At it's heart, Level One is "any contained linear phenomena that's doesn't rely on symbolism for meaning." Mathematics is the ultimate example of Level One. If you take the equation, "2 + 2" it will always equal "4." Level One is a linear process. You can draw a direct line between the phenomena and it's product - just like you can in a math equation.

The written word is another example of Level One phenomena. Once you've written the words on a page, they don't tend to change unless you edit them, either removing words or adding new words in a concrete, linear fashion.

Level One does have what could actually be considered psychic abilities - namely hearing, touch, taste, and sight. We're reading the words on this page with our eyes, but the images of those words are being carried to our brain through a biological system. Those words aren't actually touching the parts of our brain that translate them into language. That's a linear, concrete process, which qualifies it for Level One.

Level Two

Each step deeper releases more and more of the linear nature of an experience. Level Two is our first experience with that. This is the home of what we term psychic phenomena. It's where magick takes place. On Level Two we experience telepathy, intuition, precognition. It's here that we connect with energy, where symbols are empowered and where dreams take place.

The secret is that we don't need any occult techniques, arcane phrases, or mastery of any particular ability to access each and every experience on Level Two. We experience them all the time. Somewhere along the way (and it looks like it happens about the time we start school and begin focusing so strongly on education - which shifts our focus to Level One), we simply start tuning out experiences and input from Level Two. It doesn't disappear. We don't lose it. We simply focus so completely on other areas that forget that it's there.

Believe it or not, experiencing life from a Level Two perspective is actually pretty easy to understand. One of the examples that we use in the classes that I teach is horseback riding. If you've ever spent time on a horse, you know that if you try to control the horse by pulling on the reins and approaching it through cause and effect (Level One) approach, the horse will fight you every step of the way. However, there's a moment when you and the horse become in sync. At that moment, you can feel the horse's intent, its personality, and the two of you begin to interact on an entirely different level - one that if we were doing it with another human being, we would instantly define as "telepathic." That's Level Two - and you didn't need an ounce of training to reach it.

We pick up on Level Two all the time. All the time. It simply doesn't register in a mind that's been wired to embrace Level One. In the first class that I teach in the "Unpaved Path" series, we go through a process that allows people to perceive their innate ability to connect with and really feel the energy around them. It takes all of forty-five seconds of instruction to begin the process and reconnect with the input you receive on Level Two. This isn't a new ability; it's as simple as saying, "Can you feel the floor beneath your feet?" We rapidly expand to the point where the attendees can sense energy, define the difference between multiple energy sources, and intuitively read the world around them.

And then I point out specific examples of different energy sources an how they feel. The students in the class nod in agreement. And then I remind them that those energy sources aren't present in the room, that they know how each feels because they've always been able to sense them. They're accessing a pool of experiences that they had without knowing it. Those experiences simply didn't consciously register.

Level Three

One of the concepts that we look at in class is that each level has it's own language. The farther the jump between levels, the harder it is to "translate." For instance, we can use the written word (Level One) to pretty accurately describe Level Two and the things that take place on that level. However, it's much more challenging to use the same written word to describe Level Three - simply because there's a two level jump in between. It's also why people who filter everything through Level One have a difficult time believing in miracles and the like - it's a two level jump in the opposite direction.

The easiest way to understand Level Three is this: if you think of Level One as "manifestation based on a linear process, then Level Three is "manifestation without a linear process." It's how things "just happen" in our world. It's manifestation - on an rather amazing level. It's how, much to the discomfort of three doctors and an orthopedic specialist, my severely damaged knee with two torn ligaments and shredded cartilage, was completely healed without surgery in a period of ten days.

Level Three, simply put, is miracles. It's raw, unexpected emotion. It's intense sexual chemistry. It's primal, powerful, raw - all of which is the very fabric of creation.

Where inner work (for instance, dreaming) on Level Two uses linear form rich with symbolism, Level Three relies on symbolism without form for its language. Chances are you've experienced this, but it's such a big jump from Level Three to Level One (where it would register in your conscious mind) that you don't clearly remember it. You might be picking something up in your intuition right now, but that's Level Two filling in the gaps.

So we use sexual chemistry as an illustration of Level Three, mostly because everyone has experienced it at some point. Remember, Parter A? You were in love, things were good, and sex was an intimate experience that left you feeling warm and loved, wanted and desired, and at home as you curled up in each others arms in the afterglow. Remember Partner B? You trembled when they were near. You don't ever remember being that aroused. When you made love, you swore the world around you disappeared - not symbolically, but part of you somehow remembers that it actually faded away until all that was left was the two of you. You may have never loved them, but, "WOW!" talk about chemistry!

Partner B is an example of a Level Three connection. We can't explain it, at least not in Level One's linear language. But if we find someone else that's experienced it, we can talk about it in, "You know?" and "Uh-huh," and nothing is really said because the core of the conversation is taking place on Level Two.

Living On the Levels

And that's key. We relate to each other, the spirit realm, and the world around us on all three levels - all the time. We instinctively and intuitively (Level Two) navigate our world. We literally have conversations with people, especially those that are close to us that we're "open" with on all three levels simultaneously. What's interesting is that, as you begin to remember to be aware of the connection, you suddenly realize that you're aware that your conversations and interactions take place on multiple levels simultaneously.

You'll be having a conversation with someone and they'll say they're doing fine, but the communication on Level Two tells you that they're heartbroken. With all three levels going, it's impossible to lie as we can't do so on all three levels simultaneously. Approaching life in this manner, our interactions become incredibly honest. Community spontaneously forms. People are knit together. And abilities that we consider "mystical," "magickal," or "psychic" begin to simply appear in every moment of our daily lives.

The key is, this isn't mystical. It's not magick. It's who we are as spiritual beings living life from a physical perspective. That's why, when a knowledgeable teacher can shift our perspective so that we remember what it's like to consciously connect with one of the levels, we're immediately aware of it. It's not just our birthright, it's who we are.

The only caveat to this process is when someone has experienced a great deal of trauma in their world - especially emotional trauma. Our normal response is to put blocks in place - energetic walls that hold the trauma at bay. Unfortunately, we put those walls up in moments of extreme duress - and without the same level of power at our fingertips to bring them down, we have to go through a lengthy process to lower the walls once we choose to do so. That's one of the key reasons we also offer holistic healing in our world. There's a small percentage of people who "don't experience" the energy we work with in class. A very small percentage. Without exception, everyone else in class can feel the energy they're projecting - the person simply can't feel it. Without exception, depending on what they can or cannot sense, we can tell them their history on the spot. The levels briefly and their interaction briefly outlined above are that clearly connected. And if we can make the diagnosis, we can also begin the healing.

The journey that I outlined in Where Spirit Leads is beginning to slowly take shape. I'll be offering a more permanent link for the journey and its supporting details in the near future, but here's where we're at so far.

Jeffrey's journey to teach begins to take shape.
I'm firming up actual dates to teach in Oregon (Salem, Portland, and Lake Oswego), Washington (Vancouver and Ocean Shores), and I have invitations to teach in specific venues in both Arizona and Massachusetts. Requests have been placed to teach in Utah (Salt Lake City) and South Carolina (Charleston) and I have offers of places to sleep in both Southeastern Michigan and Missouri (Kansas City) should my journey take me through those corners of the world.

I'm not putting any limitations on what this journey will be or where it will take me - just that I'm being led to go and teach. So the map is filling up with invitations and, through that process, I imagine the route will take shape. And then I'll go where I'm led.

Right now, I'm planning on driving anywhere within a day's journey of me - but anything beyond that, I plan on relying on rail, bus, and a backpacker's best friend - a well-worn pair of hiking boots.

If you're interested in sitting in on a class, please feel free to invite me out to your corner of the world. My intent is to simply go where I'm led - or in this case, where I'm asked to go.

Imagine that you could clearly and intensely feel magickal energy; connect with it; move it.

Now imagine that you could do so in the course of a one-hour class.

Imagine that you could suddenly feel the flow of reality around you, that you could perceive the difference in energy fields, that you could read the energy of a person, of a room, of a place - of time itself.

Now imagine that you could do so within the SAME one-hour class where you learned to feel magickal energy.

Imagine that you suddenly manifested psychic abilities, that you could accurately give intuitive readings to people, that you could tell me about objects that you've never seen, that you could instantly connect with past life memories.

Now imagine that ALL of that happened within the SAME one-hour class.

That's the key that I was handed at the Body and Soul Festival in Ocean Shores, Washington. I taught a class in a room filled with a combination of spiritual seekers, with people who were struggling with drug and alcohol addictions who had trickled in from the Alcoholics Anonymous convention next door, and with complete skeptics who were there simply to support to their recovering friends and relatives. The night before I had taught the same techniques to a living room of women, the youngest of the fifty-two years old and the rest of them at retirement age or above. People in their seventies and children only seven years old have connected with these concepts INSTANTLY.

Since then, word of mouth is beginning to significantly pick up. I have offers to teach small groups and families in three different states. I'm teaching out of a bookstore who has recommended me to a second bookstore in Washington. In the very near future, I'm going to be traveling extensively, teaching anyone who wants to learn, a journey that I referred to in the last article, Where Spirit Leads.

In class after class, almost everyone in the room experiences firsthand that I mentioned above. If they don't, given the nature of these abilities, I can generally tell them not only what the block is but when and how it happened - and they agree. We heal the blocks and suddenly, not only can they experience all of this, but their quality of life dramatically improves. This class? These experiences? They are just the tip of the iceberg.

If you've read between the lines in Magickal Correspondences and in the articles here at Old Ways, you know that things are beginning to shift in the world around us. This is one of those shifts. People actually experience all of these things in class and continue to experience them after they leave. This isn't a slight of hand, some trick that I figured out how to do, or even a phenomena that only happens in that time and place. It's is key that re-opens doorways and reconnects you to a different flow of reality. Those doors stay open. And the ability to do everything I listed above is just the tip of the iceberg.

With a little understanding and a pinch of perspective you suddenly have the ability to take complete control over your life and the relationships that you have with other people are not only put in perspective, but either deepen with those you love or you find appropriate boundaries with those who would take advantage of your energy. A little more training and you are suddenly on par with most psychics and your magickal workings are greatly empowered. A bit more work and miracles are within your grasp.

Yes, I charge for the classes that I teach. Keep in mind, this is a spiritual path, so it's not $100 or even $50 for instruction. We are not in this to get rich, nor is it about money. For us to flourish on this path, it has to be walked according to spiritual principles. So I've been charging $10 per person for group classes - slightly more expensive than lunch at McDonald's but less than going to see a movie (without concessions) in most cities here in the United States. It's how we make rent and put groceries on the table, both of which have been a little more "walking in faith" than we'd like lately (more on that in a moment.) The one-hour classes are beginning to run long (we had one go three and a half hours the other night) as, after experiencing the doorways opening firsthand, everyone has a million questions.

And we've actually been given the answers to share with them.

Christian, pagan, Buddhist, Wiccan, Taoist - it doesn't matter. All of this is simply our birthright as human beings. In fact, these abilities have much in common with how your family dog, without a clock or concept of time, suddenly gets up and waits at the door, knowing that you'll soon be home from school or work. If you've ever gone horseback riding, you know that if you simply use the reins, the horse won't respond. But there's a moment when you and your mount synchronize, when you can actually feel its personality, sense its thoughts and intent, and its then that you begin to ride.

This isn't religion - but I truly believe that this phenomena gave birth to religion. It's not magick - but understanding its principles greatly enhances and empowers any magickal workings. It is, simply put, part of who we are as spiritual beings living life from a physical perspective. It's not only completely natural, but it's our birthright and part of each and every one of us.

The way things are unfolding right now, our holistic healing practice (wholehealing.org) is generally the doorway for learning all of the basic techniques while Old Ways, as things continue to pick up, will be the "advanced" class, sharing everything that unfolds and teaching the advanced techniques before they're published. The shamanic guidance sessions that I offer through Whole Healing are turning more and more into private instructional sessions - often for other spiritual leaders and teachers from a wide range of faiths and beliefs. I'm working like mad on the first book, "The Unpaved Path: Unlocking the Next Step in Human Evolution," and should have the rough draft done within the next three weeks.

If you have a group that would like me to teach in person, please contact me and I'll find someone to get there. Distance is not an issue. It may take some time for me to connect the dots to reach those of you more than a day's journey from me, but those doors will open - but only if we're willing to turn the handle. I define a group as "four or more people," mostly because it's easier to learn the techniques if you have a partner to work with and an additional partner to recreate the results with a second time. I'm in Salem, Oregon - you're most likely not. If you're interested, let's figure out the details together.

And now, onto your mail.

We received a surprise donation from a reader whose email is "Angels" followed by a string of random numbers. I say surprise because, while our donation page is still online, all of the links to that page had been removed. To my knowledge, at the time we received the donation, it was impossible to navigate to that page from anywhere on the site. (We took the donation as a sign to allow donations again and replaced the link on the Old Ways home page.) Needless to say, it's nice to be watched over. Things are financially "interesting" at the moment. If you'd like to donate something to the greater cause, I've put the donation page back online. Gifts of any amount are gratefully received and always appreciated. Thank you, Angels. There's a bit of gratitude being snail mailed to you tomorrow.

Speaking of gifts, our inbox held an email from Hypatia regarding the article, Where Spirit Leads. Her note was just a single paragraph - but it moved me more than anything I've ever received from a reader. "I think I've followed Old Ways for at least five years and looking back, it must have been more than that. I'd love to join your classes; I'm just not in a place I can right now. Please keep me posted as to the planning, because maybe things will even out for me sooner rather than later. I don't think I could ever give back for all you've given me over the years, but you'll never need to sleep under a bridge in SE Michigan. I've got a perfectly good floor that you (and Briana, too) can have whenever you're in the area. Hubby and I are still living in a small one bedroom, or I'd offer you actual furniture. *grin* Thank you for all of your inspiration over the years."

If you're reading this, know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Briana and I love you - truly love you. You've heard us talk about our path in terms of servitude. What you may not realize is that we chose this path out of love. At no point in the eleven years that I've published Old Ways has my salary approached the median income level for our size of family. Most of you would be horrified to know how little we've survived on over the years or how often we've been at or below the poverty line. We feel it's so important, especially in a world where everyone wants something in return, that someone gives freely from their heart. Sometimes the adults in our world skip meals so the little ones won't have to. But we're always taken care of. It may be as simple as Hypatia and her husband offering us their floor to sleep on - or the person who paid for a campsite for us when we did the Ocean Shores convention so that we wouldn't have to sleep in our car. We don't ask for these things. And, if you've ever worked with us, you know that we never demand payment for a service and are always willing to give a little extra and minister to your needs, even if our cupboards are bare. If you can't afford it and need our help, it's free. Simple as that.

But folks like "Angels" and Hypatia, you humble us with your generosity. Victoria who was worried about us and mailed us boxes of groceries from the East Coast or Kathryn who brought our family dinner and dumped her spare cash on our table and refused to take it back. Each month, someone like Angels has swooped in, unasked, and freely given exactly what we needed to make it to the next month. Tears are literally streaming down my face as I write this, because all of you, whether you simply write a note to express your gratitude or send a bit of help our way are so beautiful to us. We feel lucky to be able to give you all that we do - and my only regret at the end of the day is that I didn't give you more. That I didn't write another article or post a blog, that I was too busy with preparing materials for a class or following up when someone has referred us to a student or client, that I didn't have time. That I was too tired from helping someone else that came our way in need of what we could give them. You can ask Bri and the first thing she'll tell you is that every day I strive to give all of you more than I did the day before. It's not always apparent as we don't boast about our work and our offline world is pretty invisible to the readers of Old Ways. But it's true. And when you say thank you, it's humbling, because I feel like I haven't given you everything I could - and you're grateful just the same. I cannot even begin to express the honor of having been given the privilege of working for you, teaching you, and providing you with all we can. Thank you.

Someone I respect a great deal wrote in about classes. I'm withholding their name, simply because they use their real name in correspondence and their request for specific instruction can be seen as somewhat personal. "I am definitely interested in your on line classes, so count me in on that. As for topics," they wrote, "I would like to see something on 'really walking your talk in everyday life' if you know what I mean.

As simple as it may sound, "walking the talk" requires the synthesis of two different concepts - trust and intuition. When you've learned that all of existence is love, there is no fear. When you've cranked your intuition up, it's like someone hands you the script for the scenes that await ahead. There are concrete techniques for developing and blending both of those and I'm absolutely willing to teach them. Let me see what I can come up with.

The same person wrote, "For what ever reason i do feel this 'connection' for lack of a better term, with you, in the sense that what you have to share and what you teach and how you teach it REALLY resonates with me. I appreciate how openly and freely you share this, so I wanted to take this time and say thank you. I do look forward to meeting you and Bri in person someday. I have been following this path for quite some time and never really felt a connection like this with someone "teachings", so it is nice to find it. I look forward to scheduling a session with you to just sort things out and see what comes of it."

What most of you probably don't realize is that what this person is describing is a two-way connection. I feel it too. Chances are, given that I'm at a place that I teach these techniques, I may actually feel the connection more strongly than you do. This happens time after time after time. The other part of it that I don't share is that embracing that connection and beginning to work together has its own energy flow and manifests when everyone is ready for it to do so.

For instance, at the convention in Ocean Shores, between the vendors and attendees there were three people that I knew I would be working with at some point - and an additional person that would be working with Bri. On the second day of the convention, one of the three people, an attendee, ended up getting an intuitive reading from me. At the end of the reading, I told them that we would be working together. "Yeah," they admitted. "I knew that from the first moment I saw you - but I didn't think you'd believe me."

I am not some high and mighty spiritual teacher that thinks he's above any of you. Remember, I look at my path as one where I am honored to serve you. I'm the guy who is extremely moved when someone offers me their floor to sleep on. I honor and respect your perspective and insight as much as I honor my own. If you feel something, if you believe something, if it's no more defined as a sense that we'll be working together - please don't ever hesitate to talk to me about it. I'm always open to such things.

What's more is that the world is changing rapidly - and there are a number of us that can be more effective working together than we could ever do so working alone. It's a concept that I'll be writing about in the very near future - most likely next week or the week after.

Brit wrote in to ask, "I'm wondering what your thoughts are on joining a coven as opposed to staying solitary. I know ultimately the decision is my own, but I'm interested in hearing others' stories, and to be honest, simply making some connections in this somewhat secretive world."

First, you need to figure out which approach is right for you. Being a solitary gives you absolute freedom, but you often have to deal without the sense of community you would find in a healthy magickal group. Joining a coven can often provide you with that sense of community, but can also limit the directions you can explore on your own path, especially where the celebration of esbats and sabbats is concerned.

Working with a coven can be a beautiful, empowering experience where you not only learn and grow, but develop a very tangible sense of community and loving bonds that stretch for a lifetime. It can also be an absolute disaster. I keep meeting folks who come to me for instruction who are immensely talented but have been significantly shut down by the manipulation of a teacher or group.

The key is to follow your instincts and don't give your personal power away. (Don't allow them to make your choices for you, demand goods or services in return for anything, etc.) You'll recognize good people a mile away and a bad situation will feel "not quite right." Trust your instincts, follow your heart, and you'll be just fine.

If you'd like to make some connect with a coven or circle in your area, try The Witches' Voice (www.witchvox.com). It's the prime networking tool in the pagan and magickal community. If you know where to look, you can even find my profile on the site.

A couple of notes regarding folks that pop up here and there in various installments of Magickal Correspondences. Gralyn, a good friend of mine and a respected spiritual teacher, and her husband have just evacuated from their home in advance of Hurricane Gustav. Prayers and positive energy for her, her family, and all of the folks in that corner of the world are greatly appreciated. And on a much happier note, my good friend, Hawthorne, is expecting a to give birth to a son here in the not-so-distant future.

There will be a new article out in a day or so, "Easy as 1, 2, 3," introducting a practical perspective to the levels of reality and a special edition of Magickal Correspondences, most likely on Friday. I'll be implementing two new features on the site, beginning with the next article. Rather than having to navigate to a "printer friendly" page, the article will reconfigure itself, dropping the navigation on the sides of the page, losing the header graphic, and reconfiguring the font to format it for printing - automatically. You won't see it on your screen, but it will come out of your printer that way. I'll try and go back and do the same thing to older articles and lessons, but there's understandably a lot on my plate at the moment. But all of the new articles, starting with the next one to post on the site, will be configured to respond to printing in that manner.

As always I truly hope that these words find you and yours well and filled with joy. Blessed be.

In peace and light,

Jeffrey Pierce
www.oldways.com

Those of you who have read Old Ways over the last few years have had a ringside seat as I've followed the guidance of Spirit. There was the journey to bury a fossilized Native American dog bone that ended at a small stone chamber at a place called Dog Mountain. I wrote about a night on the Oregon Coast when the ocean rose up to meet me at the top of a cliff, thirty feet above sea level. There was the funeral for a clear-cut grove of awakened trees on a lonely stretch of Washington State coastline and my footsteps disappearing from the sand as I did shamanic work in the same location. Bri and I even followed the guidance of Spirit, leaving for our honeymoon without a destination or an itinerary, finding ourselves camping on the north rim of the Grand Canyon, completely alone with one of the greatest geographical wonders on the continent at the height of the tourist season.

Believe it or not, all of that was simply to prepare me for our experiences at the Body and Soul Festival this last weekend and enable me to step through the doors that were opened in the process.

If you've ever doubted the existence of the mystical, if you've ever wondered if you could do things you've only imagined you could do, you should have been there. I've been given an approach to teaching, a key that opens the doors to the spirit realm, that absolutely anyone can use and find instantaneous results. People experienced psychic phenomena on the spot. Self-professed skeptics worked with energy, laughing at what they could feel.

And everyone began to experience this with less than sixty seconds of instruction.

In an hour long class with a group of retirees (the youngest person in the group is fifty-two years old, the next youngest in their sixties) we were doing tangible energy work within minutes. Then we were learning how to read and interpret energy. We saw auras, accurately received psychic impressions from material objects, worked with the energy of stones, and experienced past lives.

All of that in a single hour.

One woman is already putting together a group in Ocean Shores (Washington) so that I can continue to teach them and hone their abilities. I received another email this morning from a woman who attended the class I taught at the festival, asking me if I would be willing to teach shamanism to her entire family, including her two children. "I want this lifetime to be healing and special and authentic to each of us and as a tribe," she wrote. "I would love for our family to work with you and Bri."

If you've ever found something of value in an article I've written for Old Ways, you should sit in on a class that I offer - the articles pale in comparison. One person was so moved by a class that I taught and the power they experienced, that they brought their spouse to me afterward to see if I could heal them of a serious physical condition.

There's talk of potential classes in the Seattle area, adding a third location in Washington where I'm being asked to teach. Tomorrow, I'm teaching a class at a bookstore here in Salem, Oregon and then another class out of my home this coming Thursday. It's so humbling to be invited to help these people grow and learn, to be entrusted with their spiritual development. I am truly honored that I've been called to serve the spiritual community and all of you mean so much to me that, in the middle of the 50 minute session at the festival, in front of a room filled with people, I was blinking back tears as I talked about a couple that Bri and I had helped to heal.

The key is, when you work with a teacher, you're a student. When you work with a counselor, you're a client. When you work with a doctor, you're a patient. When you work with a shaman, you're part of the shaman's community. Part of their clan. Part of their tribe. And that forges a bond that so many of us are missing here in our Western culture.

I'll be sharing stories and firsthand experiences from the festival this week in my blog. I think you'll really enjoy the tales I have to tell.

But the teaching was just the tip of the iceberg.

I was given the honor of helping two people heal. I was humbled as I was shown how to put an emotionally broken person back together and led to help two addicts find hope, perspective, and strength.

And then, there were the readings.

I've never offered intuitive readings before. Never. I had no idea how to do one, no idea how to even begin. In two different dreams, I'd seen myself in public settings offering such readings, but I wasn't shown the technique or given the slightest amount of insight. But there I was, following the lead of Spirit, thinking, "What in the world have I gotten myself into?" as the first person sat down across from me.

I'd slept nine hours in three days and had barely eaten for the last two. The private class I had taught the night before had kept me there until after eleven and then I had met with someone seeking to be healed at 5:30 AM the following morning.

And now I was doing my first reading.

Everyone found exactly what they needed - and most of them stopped by Bri on their way out (after their experiences with the shamanism class, our sign-up sheet was filled to the point that we sadly had to start turning people away as there simply wasn't time to see them all) letting her know how much they appreciated the readings and how much they helped them. Some folks were encouraged that they were on the right path. Others found peace in answers to questions that they had struggled with. One woman found so much healing in her reading that she scheduled a session with me after the festival ended (there wasn't time anywhere else) and has already emailed me, thanking me for what she found. The reading that made me, of all people, step back in humble astonishment? Telling someone precise details of their path, including the exact school they attended, their major and emphasis of study, their career goals, how their career would unfold, and how they were viewed by their peers - all while the woman simply sat and smiled, offering me nothing in return unless I specifically asked for feedback (which I rarely do - I just keep plowing ahead.)

Stories will be scattered throughout this week's blogs.

The thing was, somewhere along the way, I stepped out of the shadows and began to embrace what I'd been taught in dreams as a child - and discovered that I could not only use those abilities to help other people, but that I could teach them to do the same thing.

Not only will Old Ways continue to grow, but books will come - sooner than later. I've already begun work on "The Unpaved Path" and plan on immediately following it up with more advanced techniques. I'm also going to begin expanding the community that I work with, traveling as much as humanly possible to go where Spirit leads me and to help and teach anyone that needs help.

What's more is that I'm finding that my own training is about to truly begin. Along the way I met the physical incarnation of one of the teachers I had worked with in dreams as a child. I'll be working with her to hone and expand my skills, to understand deeper and more advanced techniques so that I can teach them to you. She is yet another teacher in a long line that I've been blessed to work with who is so gifted as to seem almost fictional. Amidst her many stops on her own spiritual journey, she studied with a South American shaman in Bolivia and mysticism at sacred sites throughout Egypt. As we work together and new horizons continue to open for me, I'll do my best to continue to share them with you.

Blogs will be key from this point forward. I'll continue writing articles, will continue to write Magickal Correspondences, but The First Cycle is already outdated in my opinion. There are better techniques, approaches and philosophies that allow you to simply step through the veil, regardless of how open you are or whether you believe that any of this is real. You can work magick in minutes, develop psychic abilities within an hour, not because they're mystical in nature, but because they are a natural part of us as spiritual beings experiencing life from a physical perspective. And as spiritual beings, it only makes sense that we can do these things as it is the spirit world, not mundane reality, that is truly our home.

Wherever I go, wherever I'm led, I'll be taking my laptop and camera with me. There are enough wi-fi locations now that I can connect almost anywhere to share with you what I've experienced firsthand and give you glimpses of new techniques that I'm working with, learning how to break down the processes into things I can teach anyone who is willing to learn. When things are stable, I'll offer classes. I think I've found a way to offer telephone-based instruction wherever I go and the webcam lessons should also be possible, once those two technical hurdles are cleared.

There's an ancient tradition of wandering mystics, serving those they encounter, living on gratitude and charity. I've let go of enough ego and fear that it doesn't matter if I'm in a comfy bed or under a bridge - as long as I'm following my intuitive compass and the guidance of Spirit, I'll be content knowing that it's where I'm meant to be. Bri is going to continue our holistic healing practice (an area where her abilities, quite honestly, far surpass my own) and continue offering holistic herbal products. There will be time apart and neither of us are looking forward to the separation. But the distance will slowly transform into us journeying together as the pieces fall into place. The journeying will evolve into land and the land into an eco-village where those seeking spiritual guidance, instruction, and healing can come and find whatever it is they're seeking. Both Bri and I have dreamt of this our entire lives - it's just a matter of walking in faith and making the sacrifices to bring those dreams to life.

The journey ahead should prove to be interesting.

I can hardly wait.

She sat down in the chair across from me. I'd noticed her earlier, first perusing some children's books, then lovingly interacting with her partner. Both of the lesbians had simply beautiful energy, made even more so as it blended with each other, and I'd told them as much as they perused our table. She was dressed casually, in baggy pants and a zipped up sweater - the kind of look enjoyed by baristas and bookstore employees. Her partner was cloaked in a bright red sweatshirt, her face nearly obscured by her glasses and the curly hair that peeked out from around the hood that she'd pulled tightly over her head.

And now here she was, sitting across from me, waiting for me to gaze beyond the mundane and offer her a shamanic reading.

I asked her to hold her hands in front of her, palms facing downward - and she smiled her ever present smile as she did so. My hands went under hers, my palms facing upward, six or seven inches of space between us. I closed my eyes, concentrating on her energy, waiting for the "snippet of film" to play in my head.

Two small video clips, as soundless as they always are, played through my mind. The first was of her walking down the sidewalk toward a building I somehow knew was the Seattle Art Institute. In the second clip, she was in the downtown area of Seattle, walking into a business space. She was older. Very confident and sure of herself, seeming as if she was walking into a place of power.

I opened my eyes and pulled my hands away, watching as she simply smiled, not saying a word.

Piece by piece the story came to me as she sat motionlessly, her smile never wavering. "You're an art student," I told her, "attending the Seattle Art Institute." She didn't say a word, her pleasant smile seeming to be painted on her face. Her energy wasn't that of a sculptor or a painter. It was too focused. Too precise. "You're a graphic design major," I told her.

The woman simply sat there.

"I'm right, aren't I?" I asked.

"Maybe," she quietly replied, still smiling.

"Your peer group probably perceives you as being arrogant," I told her. There was nothing arrogant about this girl. She had beautiful energy. So much love and light poured out of her when she interacted with her partner in front of our table. "It's either because you're extremely confident or extremely talented," I offered. "Or both."

Her smile turned into an interested grin as she nodded. "Probably both," she said simply.

And then her future unfolded, new images unveiling themselves, connecting the dots between her younger self walking toward the school and her older self standing in the midst of her career. I shared what I saw and she thanked me for the reading, immediately returning to her partner where she sat at the children's drawing table, her smile a little bigger, her energy flowing a little brighter.

And then it was her partner's turn in the chair.

Shifting immediately from one reading to the next, I didn't pay any attention to what the first woman was doing. And tired from a long day of healing work, teaching, and reading, I didn't see them leave. But she left behind artwork, a sheet of sketches done in pen and black marker, a single vibrant flower.

As a reader, you learn to connect with the person's energy. And while I had nothing to rely on, not even my intuition would speak to me, I like to think that the flower came after the reading and that what she found as she sat in the chair added a little extra color to her world.