Celebrations in the Otherworld

There are many things you have now learned in the Otherworld.  Your journey has been unique and filled with meaning.  Congratulations!

The Otherworld(s) are also a place where you can celebrate, perform rituals or create.  Take some time from your journey to rejoice with your guides over how far you've come.  Dance, sing, soar in happiness.  Give thanks or offer a plea for help.  Cast spells or create great art.  The possibilities are only as limited as your imagination.

Magic in the Otherworld does transfer over into this one.  Embrace your own power and create the life you want.

May this Equinox bring your balance and blessings!

Travelers and other lessons

As you journey in the Otherworld, you will meet other beings.  Some of them will be projections of yourself, others will be guides, and some will be other travelers.  Every being, great or small, has a lesson to impart in the Otherworld.  It is up to you to decides if and when and how to engage some of these teachers.  The ones I met, will not necessarily be the ones you do.  If at any point a being makes you feel unsafe or scared, feel free to break off that contact and leave.  Things in the Otherworld can only hurt you if you let them.

With this in mind, I will share an experience I had.  In my travels, I often perform mundane tasks such as cleaning my home or cooking food.  Once, while sitting beside a campfire, I was approached by another.  Hooded and hidden, I never the less, invited the being to sit.  he or she, never spoke, only watched the stars and enjoyed the warmth of the fire.  Did I learn something?  Probably.  It was a strange experience.  Silence, for many of us is uncomfortable.  Sharing a meal or fire with a stranger is not a common experience for us.  Our own personal bubbles protect us the waking world from many interactions with strangers, we all bump along, against each other's bubbles with out actually interacting.  I am still processing the experience.

May journeys be blessed with experiences and lessons that strengthen and enlighten you.

The Desert

This journey expands your geographic knowledge of the Otherworld.  Travel south and east, away from the ocean, over the mountains that cradle the lowlands between them and the sea.  These are the desert lands, a place where you can learn to spot hope and life in seeming desolation.  Notice the light here is bright, harsh and strong; it heats the rocks and backs the earth.

Unlike many of the other places you have been led in these journeys, this is a place of austerity and unique adaptation.  The plants, animals and beings that inhabit the desert are important teachers; their power is in their ability to adapt, to persevere, to thrive in a harsh, demanding world.  Here, more than any other place you have been to, requires balance.

Look around at the faded desert shrubbery.  It looks nearly dead, doesn't it? The leaves look dry and brittle, but touch them.  They are surprisingly soft and supple.  The wood of these bushes is cracked and splintery, but they harbor a secret: these fibers have the amazing ability to hold what water comes their way and save it for when it's really needed.  Keep looking.  Do you see how many different animals are here?  From tiny mice, to families of quail, snakes, hares, coyotes, and many others make their home in this land.

The inhabitants here respect one another.  They understand that their lives, and deaths, are part of the great cycle of being.  A snake may eat the mouse, and in turn become food to an eagle, who dies and feeds the land itself.  If one species becomes overpopulated, they all feel the effects of that imbalance, sooner or later.  It doesn't matter whether the species is a grass or predator.  They are equally important.  They have all developed amazing adaptations to survive the heat of the day, the cold of the night, and the lack of regular rainfall.  They blend with their environment so carefully, as to be invisible.

Spend some time observing the careful, subtle balance and beauty of this place.  Do you see how dependent each species is on the others?  Do you identify with a particular animal or plant?  Do you see yourself reflected int his environment?  Watch as the day changes to night.  Do you see a new world here?  Enjoy the exploration of this desert.  It's secrets and lessons are many, and it will take time to learn them.  You may also find traces of other travelers, of peoples who have lived there.  They may be hidden or careful preserved.  Take your time, embrace your bravery and explore.

The Village

There is a village near the sea that is an interesting place to visit.  It is busy and filled with people, animals and activity.  Of all the places I have led you so far, this place is the most densely populated.  You will not be able to walk around withour brushing shoulders with the inhabitants.

Look around and notice the sheer number of people, animals and buildings surrounding you.  Everywhere, people are attending to their business. Items and services are being bartered; children play among the adults, and animals add their sounds to the noisy atmosphere.  people will bump into you here, often.  Strangely, no one will acknowledge your presence.  They are too wrapped up in their own affairs to care about who you are and why you are here.

What pieces of your life are here in this village?  Do you recognize people or situations?  Is there a message for you here?  This is the Village of the Invisible.  Each person is invisible to most of the others.  They stick to their own cliques and circles, never venturing out.  They are trapped by their refusal to see others.  Their lives never change because they see no other way of being.  Among the lessons to be learned here are those pertaining to our individual blind spots.  Do you see yourself in this village?  Do you recognize when and where you refuse to see possibilities?

Explore this village carefully.  Lessons and discoveries are everywhere, should you choose to see them.  When you have had your fill of this place, feel free to take your leave; do not linger here to long, so that you do not become lost.   

A lesson for those who would journey- my experience with the dancing crone

Pissed off and discouraged, I came home from running errands yesterday with one furious spouse and two whining , crying children.  The boys were sent to their room for a nap; my husband settled down with the computer to update my phone and I put my earbuds in and listened to some shamanic drumming.

At some point, I took a journey into the Otherworld.  This isn't an unfamiliar sensation, but the expereince I was met with yesterday was extremely interesting. I found my self climbing a steep moutainside, that was riddled with narrow, yonic caves.  At one, I was compelled to enter.  I met my inner crone.  Dancing nude with clawed hands and wild, grey hair. Her eyes, though faded, were distinctly mine- blue with a green patch. She was as comical as she was frightening.  Being in a bit of a mood myself, I rather defiantly  leaned against the wall, arms crossed and sullen as the bratty teenager I once was, I watched.  Sagging breasts and thighs bounced to the sound of drums.  Claws and teeth scratched and rattled in counterpoint.  She noticed that i was not properly respectful, or horrified. 

She got my attention by scartching her long claws down my face.  From forehead to jawline, she left deep, bleeding furrows.  It hurt, through my stinging, damaged eyes, I saw the cauldron over the fire. A moment later, I was inside it, as she stirred the glowing liquid and me.  She was cooking me, but it was not out of malice or a desire to cause me pain.  Since I refused to learn the lessons she would impart in a grown up and respecful fashion, she delivered them in a fashion I could understand.

The cauldron was an agent of change.  She was merely coaxing me along on my journey.  In her eyes, I could see sorrow at the pain she had caused, pride that I finally figured out what was happening and joy that I was finally emabracing change.  The anger and frustration I had enetered with washed away.  Smiling at her, I sank into the waters of change and found myself travelling through the stars.  

In each of us, all of womankind is whole.  As we live out our lives, so similar and so different from each other and from our fore mothers, we are carrying on traditional and blazing trails.  We are not he end or the beginning.  We are, and that matters.  Embracing the changes of life is liberating and creative.  Fighting to hold onto the past negates the joys of the future; it stops the natural flow of time, creating stagnant pools, rather than cauldrons and crucibles of change.  When faced with your inner crone, learn form my lesson: respect her, listen and allow her to impart or her wisdom, or she'll find another way to be heard.

The Orbs and other beings you may encounter

Before you return to land, there are a few other experiences that may come to you.  There are many more islands than I have written about.  You are free to explore these, or you can enjoy the open waters.  There are beings that we sometimes come in contact with who are not bound to land or island.

The mermaids are one group of these.  It has been a very long time since I encountered them, and I have never had occasion to speak to them, but I have seen them and heard their music as I sail.  I don't know where to direct you if you are interested in meeting them, but I imagine they will turn up if they have a message or lesson for you.

Another group of beings that I have not had personal contact with are the sea serpents.  Other a glimpse or two, they have not factored into my journeys thus far.  Like many beings of the Otherworlds, they have their own business to attend to.  

The orbs are among my favorite beings in the Otherworld.  These sentient balls of light dance and play, often in groups, over the waters and in the forests and meadows.  They are joyful and peaceful. They communicate in their own fashion, and if you are lucky enough to encounter them , savor the experience.

The Singing Trees

A final island, before I return you to the shore.  This is the island of the singing trees.  It is a high island, ringed with rock cliffs, but the interior is a lush grove of tall trees.  Climb the cliffs to enter this grove.

The trees here sing the songs of the past.  They do not produce words, but the music coming from them and the wind tells the stories of many other travelers who have journeyed in the the Otherworlds.  If you try, you may hear familiar tales of voyages.  Listen to these songs, do you learn anything?  Are you included in this music?  Travel through the trees, learning about the different sounds and melodies each individual tree adds to the music. Each voice is unique, but together, they form a whole that would be incomplete without each individual's contribution.

When you have absorbed as much of the song as you can or wish to, return to your boat and sail towards the shore you departed from.  New lessons on land await you, but you are welcome to visit the islands (and there are many we have not explored together that you can experience) anytime you wish.

The Island of Birds

I laid down next to my son for a nap Sunday afternoon.  Wrapped up with him and holding his hand, I drifted off.  The birds, a place I visited quite a long while ago, invited me back to share their island with you.  This post is a combination of my experiences on the island and of the message they shared.


The sun has burned off the curtain wall of fog for the moment and the sky and sea are crisp, blue and sparkling.  Ahead of you, on the horizon, is a lush green island with a strong line of sandy beach separating the land the water.  Birds are silhouetted against the sky as they fly.  This is the Island of Birds.

As your craft settles on the soft, warm sand, you become aware of birdsong surrounding you. Many types of birds are singing and calling and the sound is both strong and melodious.  Look around at the many birds.  Some are combing the beach for stranded sea life.  Others are foraging through the brush and grasses eating seeds and insects.  Large colorful birds nest in trees alongside more mundane looking birds.  Some are scavengers, removing flesh from the dead.  Others are delicately extracting insect invaders from trees.  Birds of prey and harmless plant eating birds coexist on this island.

Notice that each type of bird has it's own way of living and subsisting.  It's niche is easily defined and equally important to the health of this island.  Each individual fits into the ecosystem and the cycles of life.  Important lessons abound on this island; diversity and cooperation are obvious, but more importantly, these birds on this beautiful, green island have mastered the arts of balance and adaptation.  Each species exists, secure in the knowledge of its neccesity.  All creatures on this island understand and respect the importance of giving and taking- both are required, but never too much or too little.  They understand their own interconnections and to each member of their species, to the island community and to the Earth.

What is your niche in life? You have a purpose, have you found it?  Do you understand it and can you be satisfied with that knowledge?  Don't worry if the answer is "no", but try to appreciate that you are part of something greater than yourself.  Another set of questions to ponder- do you give and take from life in equal measure?  Can you learn to be better balanced?  Have you learned to adapt?  Balance and adaptation are important to creating happiness in your life.  They allow you to grow, to change and to really live.  They are important tools against disappointment, fear, anger and apathy; in times of disaster, they can lend comfort and strength.  In times of happiness, they are mere trophies.

Explore this island and watch with curiosity, like a naturalist studying a new environment.  Learn about the balance of nature and of specializations.  Take notice of the many ways in which this island illustrates balance and diversity.  Once you fell you have begun to understand, return to your ship and continue with your journey.

The Wise One

The Wise Elder can help you solve problems in your life.  This being, who often appears as old man or woman dressed in a hooded cloak, can be found in a cave.  He or she will listen to your problems and ask you questions but will not "fix" things for you.  Patience, kindness and a wealth of experience make this guide a powerful ally in the journey of self discovery.

Start out from your home and look towards the mountains.  Where a stream and the trees meet, you will find an opening in a rock face, camouflaged by vines.  This is the doorway to the Wise Elder's home.  Sweet, welcoming smoke drifts softly out to you, beckoning you to enter. Announce yourself and enter.

Inside, the walls are covered in paintings of animals and people or seasons and celestial events.  Bottles and jars full of unknown substances sit quietly on shelves and tables.  Fire light dances and warms the space.  On the far side of the fire sits the Elder.  A hood shadows this being's face and gnarled hands hold a staff.  The Elder points to a seat near the fire, positioned to encourage conversation.  Sit here and be welcome. Explain why you are here and ask for advice.

The Wise Elder make answer directly or may tell you a story.  Listen carefully to the words you here; you can choose to ignore the advice you are given, but think carefully before you do.  The Wise Elder gives no easy answers.  Work is always required, but the advice is coming from a being who has done and seen a great deal.  If you don't understand what you've been told, ask for clarification.  Willful ignorance is of no use to anyone, especially in the Otherworld.

After you have spent the time you need with the Wise Elder, thank them for their help.  Offer them yours.  Once the transaction is complete, talk your leave and return to your spiritual home to begin thinking about and/or implementing the advice you received.

The God in the Grove

The god in the grove can take any form, man or beast or tree.  He may appear young or old, stern or jovial.  He is strong and wise and knowledgeable.  He is the balance to the Divine Feminine. Balance is in his nature.  Visiting him is another step along my spirit journey.  I recommend that you visit him at least once, the difficulty of this journey is very much worth the effort. His realm is not as easily marked as other places we have visited.  He requires that you work to come to him.

It is time to step off of the path and blaze a trail of your own through the trees and undergrowth. To meet the God in the Grove, you must brave a little wildness. Pick your way carefully, through the undergrowth.  Trees filter the light into rays.  The ferns and bushes reach out to you.  The animals watch you silently, waiting to find out why you are here.  Follow your instincts, they will lead you to where you need to go. Do not worry if you seem to be walking in circles. It is not that you are unwelcome here, it simply that you must work a bit to get there.  His domain is the forest and its inhabitants.  He is a careful and strong protector, if you mean harm to any of those creatures he protects, he will thwart you..

Allow your instincts to guide you to his home, a small, secluded clearing within an ancient and dense forest.  You are safe here.  He welcomes you with a smile and invites you to rest awhile. Drink and feast and dance with him. Let him teach you about the interconnection between all life forms.  Ask him for advise and assistance if you need it.

Looking into the cauldron

A huge triple footed cauldron stands over the dying embers of fire.  It is silhouetted against the night sky.  Strangely, it is alone, as though the owner will return momentarily.  From it steam rises gently and the scent beckons you to come to it.  There is no danger here, so, go ahead and approach the cauldron.

This cauldron is large enough that you could sit inside it, up to the tops of your shoulders.  Today, you will not climb inside.  Today, you are merely looking into it. It is full of shining dark liquid, and it reflects the stars above you.  This cauldron appears to be full of stars.  The scent wafting from this liquid is soft, pleasant and warm.  It welcomes you.

Look into the cauldron.  Take deep breath of that lovely scent. Feel the gentle warmth surround you. Focus your eyes on the slight movement you see, on the darkness between the stars.  Let it dominate your vision and show you what it wants you to see. The images that come to you may be individual, or they may play as a complete vision.

After a time, the images will stop coming and you will see only the night sky reflected.  This is your signal that it is time to move on.  Spend some time thinking about what you were shown.  Are theses symbols or memories.  What do they mean to you?  Do they remind you of a story you once heard or make you feel drawn to something?  If you don't have answers for these questions right now, don't fear, their meaning will become apparent at another time.

The Island of Apples

One of my first journeys was sailing to the Island of Apples.  Here I met one of the most mysterious and interesting teachers I have met so far.  The experience, even years later, remains fresh in my mind.  It was beautiful and symbolic and uplifting.  This is one of the journeys that I am most keen to share, but it is also one that has been difficult to write about (it has literally taken months to complete this post). How do I put into word the beauty and power of this journey?

Sailing through the fog, a dark shape begins to take form.  As you draw closer, a steep island rises from the see. It is covered with trees and a steep winding pathway of stairs leads from a small dock to a temple on the summit.  As your boat lands, a figure in a bright red cloak steps forward.

This guide, the woman in red, is tall, slim and brilliant.  Her red hair and red cloak swirl around her.  Her skin glows with a subtle shifting light, making it difficult to see her properly.  She looks young and feel old at the same time.  She is a powerful being who has been part of this island for millenia.  She welcomes you and guides you up those, steep stair cut into the very rock of this island.  She may or may not have a message for you.  Respectfully ask your questions about his place, but do not be surprised if all she does is smile at them.

The apple trees on either side of this path are unlike any you have known.  They are bare, in bloom and bearing fruit all at once.  Some of the apples are the colors you are familiar with, red, greens, sot yellows, but other apples are crystalline or metallic.  It is a bizarre sight because it is not natural to us.  Time is not the same here.  That is likely the only answer you will have about why this island is able to show all of the stages of an apple tree's life at once.  Among the trees, women of all ages are tending them.  Old women bent over baskets are sorting apples.  Young girls on ladders are harvesting.  Mothers and daughters are all working here, together.  They complement and support each other.  The atmosphere is busy and joyous.  Their voices fill the air with laughter and song.

Who do you see here?  What are they doing?  Is their a task that draws your attention more than others?  Do any of these women speak to you or smile at you?  What type of apples draw you? If you'd like, you may ask your guide for an apple to take with you.

Continue up the stairway to the peak of the island.  There is a temple here.  You may enter and explore.  Like meeting the Goddess in the garden, you can talk to her here as well.  Or you may simply enjoy the peace of the temple.  Ask for guidance and blessing if you need them.  Leave an offering.  Whatever you feel is perfect.  When you are done here, wander back down the path way to your ship.  The Guide may be there to send you off or she may not be.  Thank the island for it's lessons and be on your way.

The Ruined City

As you wander through the Otherworld, the road takes you far from places you are familiar with.  It passes through forest, dark and wild.  The road here is cracked and weedy.  As you walk, you begin to notice signs of habitation.  Worn, unreadable way markers stand uselessly by the road. Fences, broken and rotting, now hold nothing back.  This is the pathway to the Ruined City.

The Ruined City is one of the infinite possibilities of your journey.  This a place of reflection, where all of the broken, worn out and unnecessary pieces of you come to rest.  Once, this place was bustling with activity, but now it is silent.  nature is taking back the land as the buildings and roads crumble to dust.  Once neat and ordered gardens have overgrown.  Broken crockery and rotting furniture, once useful objects, litter the ground.  No one used this place in a long while.

Walk around this city.  Explore the buildings and take note of what has been left behind.  These are symbols of things you have left behind in your life- old ideas, people, hopes, fears and behaviors.  Nearly everything you find in this place should stay here.  You outgrew these things, or their time has long since passed, but look closely.  Occasionally, a treasured piece of ourself gets left behind in the Ruined City.  Maybe an old idea, one that you had forgotten, has been waiting for your return.  Maybe memories or good feelings are here, yours to dust off and take back with you.

Spend as much time as you need in the Ruined City.  Remembering is a healthy step towards moving forward in life. This place can be visited periodically, as way to gauge how much you have changed.  It can also be a powerful reminder of what you don't need in your life.

Making your Spiritual Home

One of the first steps on a spiritual journey is to create your spiritual home.  You need a safe place within which you can  rest and do your spiritual work.

You will be able to mentally create a home for yourself.  After beginning you relaxation routine, picture the landscape where you want your home to be.  Are you in a forest or a desert?  Will you build near the sea or on a mountain? Whatever you choose, pick someplace that is comfortable, safe and beautiful. Walk around this landscape and notice the scents, textures, plants and animals. Feel the air and hear the wind. This is the place where you will begin.

Building, in the spiritual realms is not difficult. See something, believe it and ask for it to come into being. Add detail, remove anything you don't like. This place is yours. Furnish it with those things you need to be comfortable. Make it reflect you.

Once you have created this place, spend some time exploring and perfecting this place. Get the feel for it. This is a place where you can spent time thinking, practicing the lessons you learn on the journey, and speak with your spirit guides. This place is, and always be yours. Change it as you need. Infuse it with safe, white light, and enjoy!

Welcome!

This is an offshoot of my Cauldron Full of Stars project, but this one is different. This blog is very personal and dear to me. Here, I will share some of my spirit journeys with you and give you guideposts for taking your own voyages/journeys of the spirit.  This is something I feel passionate about, and it has changed my life for the better.

"It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves- in finding themselves."  -Andre Gide

This is an adventure that takes you inside yourself.  Each place visited is a lesson.  Each being met, a teacher.
I have thought out what I want share of this voyage.  Some of the stops that I have made will not be to your liking; we all have different lessons to learn and different psyches.  Some stops come from ancient stories, others from more modern sources, like guided meditations or folklore.  I will cite these, so you can go back and experience them for yourself, if you'd like.  Others are places that I have visited in my journeys. The inner landscape changes frequently.  Some places are mundane, others exotic.  Some places are full of magic that is not bound by the physics of the outer world.  They are still real, just not as tangible.  Feel free to skip around the way posts.  Once you begin to journey, the road will not disappear.  If you need, or want, to retrace your footsteps, you can.  Don't be afraid of breaking new ground.  You are safe here.

Visit the places you are comfortable with, visit places that you create or that you are drawn to.  Your lessons, and your teachers, will be different from mine.  I am merely giving you a copy of my map.  You may explore places that I never dreamed of, and that is wonderful.  Please feel free to share these experiences here.  Ask questions, look for answers, seek help.  This journey is one that takes time and effort.  Some lessons begin painfully, maybe you need to confront your past or current behavior, maybe you need to let go of the things that hold you back in life. Don't let uncomfortable experiences scare you off.  Maybe you need a mirror so that you can see yourself, good and bad.  Whatever your life lesson is, these journeys can help you create the life you want, by helping you to learn yourself.

The posts in this blog will be individual segments of the journey.  I did not experience these all in one go, and I don't expect that you will either.  They have happened over several years, a piece at a time.  If you'd like some background about spiritual journeys or an explanation of my methods for "traveling", please check the stand alone pages on at the top of this blog.

Blessings,

The Cauldron Keeper