a fun, easy ritual to get back on track after you slack off on Alchemical Journaling or anything else :)
Why, I wondered for a long time, why is it not possible for me to reach all my aims in life while remaining entirely horizontal on a curvy velvet couch, being fanned with giant ostrich feathers by well-oiled Roman soldiers?
Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra - my on-going lifestyle inspiration
I greatly resented that so many things in magic and personal growth seemed to demand daily effort.
The very notion that I needed to apply discipline and ongoing practices in order to have a worthwhile life felt.... so mean and drab and insulting to my fine, feminine, poetical nature. LMAO ;)
Mostly, I resented the "daily effort and practice" thing because I'd start a practice, I'd go strong with it for awhile, then forget or just not feel like doing it...
... and then I'd spiral down into an abyss of "it's all pointless, it's impossible to keep up with, also, the world sucks and I suck and this is TOO HARD."
This went on for years.
Gradually, though, an idea struck into my head: what if, instead of ritually berating myself and giving up when I forget or just slack off on an important new habit or daily practice...
... what if I just did a simple renewal ritual instead, and then pick up where I left off?
And thus, I created the Renewal of My Word Ritual.
The Renewal of My Word Ritual is one of our Three Foundational Practices in WEALTH: the community where leaders come into their full power via the Hermetic arts.
We use it to keep strong in our practices, with zero need for self-flagellation (unless you're really into that sort of thing).
The Renewal of My Word Ritual works like this:
1) I commit my Word to something by saying out loud that I'll do it: "I commit to a daily Alchemical Journaling practice, morning and evening."
2) To the best of my ability, I do the practice that I've committed my Word to.
3) When I realize that I've forgotten to do the practice or when my inner slacker has just gotten the better of me... I do the Renewal of My Word Ritual.
4) To do the ritual, I simply go to the nearest crossroads (there's one a block away from my house - any intersection works!) with 3 coins in my right hand as an offering for Hermes Trismegistus (the androgynous deity of Consciousness, Meaning, Magic, and Money in the Western esoteric tradition).
I feel it's fully legitimate to picture Hermes as Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie. Just so you get the idea of the sort of being you're communicating with.
Saint David Bowie will help you renew your Word. You can feel the magic power just by looking at him, can't you?
5) I drop the 3 coins on the ground and say:
Hermes Trismegistus, hear my hail and help me to heal the whole.
Please accept this offering and help me to work my will.
6) Then I turn around and walk away from the crossroads without looking back behind me. Don't worry, nothing terrible happens if you accidentally look back, but by not looking back, I'm symbolically affirming that now I'm moving forward again with my commitment and my practice.
7) I continue doing my practice and I continue experiencing the benefits of it.
Cleopatra has the kind of mega-boss eyeshadow authority that comes with Hermetic ritual and serpent handling.
Kind of crazy, huh? Just one little simple renewal ritual makes it possible for me to maintain momentum with my Alchemical Journal, my writing, my meditation, etc....
... because whenever I slip up I know that I can get right back in the saddle -- I don't have to feel bad, I don't have to quit -- I can just Renew my Word, and keep going.
This has opened the doorway to so so so much joy and money and connection that simply wouldn't have come into my life if I had never embraced the Renewal of My Word Ritual and just stayed horizontal instead. ;)
So I hope you decide to make the Renewal of My Word Ritual part of your Alchemical Journal practice (or part of keeping commitment to something else you're doing).
best,
Carolyn Elliott
author of Existential Kink: unmask your shadow and embrace your power
P.S. If you'd like to be part of a tight-knit community of leaders that focuses on keeping their Word in this way while cultivating tons of financial and spiritual expansion via the Hermetic arts...
.... you'd really love WEALTH.
WEALTH is an immersive long-term community designed to form the strong foundation of a New Aeon of magic on Earth.
WEALTH features:
- Three simple Foundational Practices (including the Alchemical Journal) that bind the community together on a forward-moving path
- a supervised initiatory Degree System based on the Tarot so members can receive public recognition for their confirmed advancement in the Hermetic arts
- a lively MightyNetworks private forum where coaches answer questions every weekday
- close to 100 facilitated virtual social events (of the hilarious, sexy and community-bonding sort) a month
-- access to my most popular, life-changing courses (including LOVE and MONEY - more about these later)
.... plus invitations to mind-blowing live virtual workshops and practice sessions with me, my husband Taia, trained Existential Kink coaches, and fascinating guest teachers.
WEALTH will re-open for application in September 2020.
The membership entails an initial 12-month commitment, with an investment of $99 a month -- less than the cost of a nice take-out dinner for 4.
... Programs with comparable levels of support and facilitation go for about $400 - $1000 a month... but I wanted WEALTH priced very accessibly and scaled for many, many members...
... because I have vows to reach as many people as possible in order to initiate a world-wide shift in culture away from dogmatic materialism and towards magic and alchemy.
In recognition of the hardship many people are experiencing now, we also have a gifting program for WEALTH, so if you buy a membership for yourself, you can nominate a friend to receive a free membership (contingent on them passing through our application process).