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Caleb Strange Special user Manchester UK 676 Posts |
Despite coming from a notoriously damp city, I love the idea of performing outside. Why spend money on your set and props, when mother nature can do it far more authentically for you? Here are two of my favourite routines that I performed impromptu on a beach.
I was on a yoga weekend, which included a little walking and talking too. Kind of a mini retreat. Anyway, on the Saturday evening, we found a quiet spot on the beach, lit a fire, and watched the stars. Lying back on warm sand, with the long sea ever murmuring close by, with bodies still loose from the yoga, I would have been remiss not to take advantage. So... I explained that in folk magic, if you cast a dream, a hope, a wish, on the waves, the sea will carry it to exactly where it needs to go. I then drew two large, slightly overlapping circles on the sand (like George Anderson's ct thing) and explained that these represented the range of two engergy fields. I would stand in one, and I invited someone to stand in the other. And by combining our energies so, the wish would be doubled. A woman stood up and joined me, and she wrote down her wish (using Anderson's smaller diagram), and I threw the pieces in the sea, and we watched them float away. But, ah, wait a minute, SHE should have done that, so we repeated the process, and, kissing the paper, she threw the pieces into the water. I encouraged everybody to send their love and best wishes with her pieces so that this wish might come true, and we all stood there sighing, with the water lapping at our feet. Then I reminded her that we stood in two circles that represented our energy fields. I pointed out there was a common area, where the circles overlapped. I invited her to stand in this area with me, and we touched heads, and I put my hands on her shoulders. I'm not normally so forward, but it was consistent with the mood of the whole weekend, and it made for an engaging spectacle. We then whirled around slowly by the sea, almost dancing, kind of like Bono and a fan(!) Then we stopped, and, brushing back her hair, I whispered her wish, which was private, into her ear. She nodded and smiled. No applause, but a great effect. Now the other people there expressed a desire to have their wishes float to the soft bosom of the sea, so not wishing to do ct all evening, I rooted round for a bottle. And then, by the light of the fire, we each wrote a wish, and dropped it into the bottle. And with some gentle words, I hurled it out into the sea. And we watched after it, till it grew dark and cold. Absolutely no method, but it's one of the most magical things I've done. And it was all due to the circumstances, and the location. Any other experiences ideas on the subject of outdoor magic? I'd love to hear them. Regards, Caleb Strange.
-- QCiC --
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Peter Marucci Inner circle 5389 Posts |
Now THAT is getting pretty close to real magic!
Once again, wonderful thinking from Caleb. |
Caleb Strange Special user Manchester UK 676 Posts |
These are all beach to dos, rather than dones, but how about..?
You find a nice rock pool full of water but empty of life, drop some sand into it, and pull out the sand dry. It cascades out of your fist golden as stars, and you say: 'To see a World in a grain of sand, And a Heaven in a wild flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, And Eternity in an hour' William Blake On second thoughts, talk about how we are all star dust, standing on this world for a too brief time like dunes, to be stirred back again into the desert by the great and tender wind. Pick up some sand and let it fall from your hand as you say this, 'Every grain forged in a star furnace, every grain a jewel'. Encourage the others to do this, and get them thoughtful. THEN you drop the sand into the pool and remove it dry, repeating the Blake. By the way, if anybody can think of something truly wonderful to do with this poem, please put me out of my misery and let me know! It cries out magic, and I've never been able to do it justice. It's haunted me for years. There's always the old carney trick of getting a bottle, sunk in sand, to twist eerily round. Present this late in the evening, after a few beers, with the bottle glinting in firelight, and it could play powerfully as PK. Maybe talk about tides, moon gravity, and hidden forces. Finally, in the 'Inner thoughts' forum, brainman had a great new method (well it was new to me) I'll refer to as SR. I posted a routine in the thread that is based on this method, about a crystal affecting your aura. On the beach, you could have people search for a particular stone, a large crystal. Sure enough someone finds one. You draw a large circle in the sand, and you explain that this will be the extent of your aura, when you occupy the middle. Encourage people to come to this line and feel where the energy starts. Pendulums will twirl and so on. Then you get someone to stand behind you, with the crystal. They're outside the circle, but reach in, and 'touch' near your body on specific places. Your left hip, your right shoulder, the top of your head etc. And although they never actually touch your body, you can feel where they touched your aura. Then you do PK touches. Then you aura read. Then you let everybody find a special stone, upon which you draw a personal magical symbol, based on their reading, with that gold relief paint used for glass painting. You could even put your contact details on the other side, but that might pop the mood! Regards, Caleb Strange. I've remembered this beautiful happening, described in Michael Bentine's autobiography. Bentine, the forgotten Goon, was fascinated by Spiritualism all his life. In one chapter, he described a very gifted local healer, a fish and chip shop owner in 'real' life, who treated people on his evenings off, for small favours, and nominal fees. The teenage Bentine and his father would often help at this healer's clinic, brewing tea and shepherding the crowds. For a long time, Michael had bothered the man with questions about how his healing worked. But the man never explained. Then, one night, when the last visitor had gone, the healer said something like, 'Look, I can't tell you, but I can show you'. And so the three of them left the shop, and drove in the quiet moonlight, through the alabaster countryside. They parked by a wood, and the healer led them through the dark trees, in absolute silence. Creation itself seemed to be holding her breath that magical night, and none of them dared speak. Eventually, they walked out of the darkness into a glade. It dazzled blue as snow, and overhead the stars were tossed out like quicksilver. The healer walked slowly into the centre of the glade, looked back once at Bentine and his father, then he lifted his arms. Almost as a kind of greeting. And suddenly, in startling response, every bird and beast in the wood, silent though they'd been, now opened their little throats and bellowed lustily to this gentle magical man. Do this well, and we too would scatter wonder into weary, stilted hearts. Regards, Caleb Strange.
-- QCiC --
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Scott Xavier Inner circle 3672 Posts |
WOW! NICE!
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Caleb Strange Special user Manchester UK 676 Posts |
In 'The Garden of the Strange', I include several effects that can be performed outside, and a couple which have to be. Among the al fresco variations, there's a beach-based drawing duplication and celestial alternatives to cloud busting.
Any other experiences or references on the subject of outdoor magic? I'd love to hear them. Regards, Caleb Strange.
-- QCiC --
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Jerome Finley V.I.P. SLC 3419 Posts |
Caleb,
I loved the descriptions you posted above. I have worked in depth with a nature based magic. Cloud busting aside, my "Stop and Start" effect involves bending streams of water, or causing streams and rivers to reverse the direction of their flow, slowing down and speeding up, etc. "Moonshine" works with stars, planets and at times, UFO's (this was created for when there were few or even no clouds to work with, as an alternative of sorts). Many things are seen to appear and disappear, moving and dancing in the sky; changing colors and more. I love to give readings with collected materials in nature, sticks, stones, leaves, pinecones, flowers, tree bark - not only does this make for a very relaxed and powerful reading, but I use leaves and such in much the same way as Jermay's "Twisted Palm" reading. Also, pendulum work and devices made from bits of string and sticks or acorns works well for me. Using muscle testing, I'm often led to "power spots" that were selected in nature beforehand by the "witness". These could also be "fairy rings" or to locate hidden objects/power objects, a medicine bag, etc. I developed an aura viewing bit using the concept of open fields, the sky (as a backdrop) and a certain framing technique to produce results. Working with shadows, a few years ago I created my "Crowleyan Shadow Animation". The concepts can be applied to anything with a shadow, tree's, bushes, people, rocks and mountainsides. In Swaziland, Africa, I trained with old Zulu men and showed them my magic . . . torn and restored leaves, cloud busting, transforming stones into beetles and such. I'm working on more, as I have received a lot strength and fulfillment from taking my magic and principles out into nature. I did not know how LIMITED many of the concepts I was working with really were until I applied them in Nature. This is what the first magic's were like, performed outdorrs and utilizing natural objects and the blessed environment itself. As Paolo often tells me, "The answer is always in the environment." I agree, completely. This is close to what I feel is real magic; magickal theatre and sacred deceptions of a shamanic nature. Besides cloud busting, routines like "Ladybug" fit the bill for powerful, magickal and shamanic magic, as does all the wonderful bizarre magick we are gaining access to through works like your own, Gede, Chelman and others. I look forward to reading your new work, Caleb. Kind regards, Jerome Finley.
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Mental_Mike Special user Canada 726 Posts |
I am also waiting for "The Garden Of The Strange". I've read a lot of your ideas on different threads, Caleb and they are really, really good stuff.
And Jerome, I hope you include your "Crowleyan Shadow Animation" In your new book. sounds really great! Mike |
Lord Of The Horses Inner circle 5406 Posts |
If I had not had a preview of some Jerome' stuff... I would be salivating right now just from all his descriptions
He is a great guy and a pleasure to chat with. I'm sure people will be very pleasantly surprised by his contributions to the Sumerian Mosaic book AND to the Cloud Busting book. And - YES - The solution is in the environment!
Then you'll rise right before my eyes, on wings that fill the sky, like a phoenix rising!
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Mental_Mike Special user Canada 726 Posts |
I can't wait for Jerome's stuff!! Everything I heard created by this guy sounds excellent!!
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Caleb Strange Special user Manchester UK 676 Posts |
Jerome, thank you for sharing that thrilling and inspiring post. I share with you the belief that magic grew out of the natural environment, with magicians seeking to interact and harmonise with, understand and, on occasion, exert some control over of the world.
My pet theory on magic's provenance goes something like this: As a species, we lost much but also gained much by eating a certain bitter-sweet fruit thirty odd thousand years ago; not least amongst those gains, our remarkable capacity to dream and, by extension, to plan and implement those dreams. For sure, we were kicked out of a beautiful garden, but we carried with us a set of tools with which we could plant new gardens of our own. One of those gardens was, and is, magic. And those tools are as bright and keen today as they ever were. Regards, Caleb Strange.
-- QCiC --
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Clifford the Red Inner circle LA, California 1941 Posts |
Torture us until your book comes, eh Caleb!
Can't wait, I've always loved your writings.
"The universe is full of magical things, waiting for our wits to grow sharper." Eden Philpotts
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