What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
“Know thyself” is probably the best piece of advice that any human can receive. This piece of guidance falls under the cornerstone of “To Know.” I’m not saying this is any more important than the other three cornerstones, but it is usually first in the list: “To Know, To Dare, To Will, and To Keep Silent.” Knowing seems like a logical place to start, but If you need a refresher on these ideas, you can read this article on the witch’s pyramid I wrote a whole back.
It’s easy to see how “knowing” applies to the other three cornerstones. For instance, you must know when to dare. You must know how to will. And you must also know why to keep silent.
As a witch we learn lots of things. But perhaps most tantamount is learning how to know ourselves.
Remember this line from the Charge of the Goddess? It’s probably my favorite part.
“And thou who thinkest to seek for me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail thee not, unless thou know this mystery: that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, thou wilt never find it without thee.”
Removing all the fancy talk, it basically says you need to find what you’re looking for inside of yourself. If you keep looking outside of yourself for things, you’ll never find them!
Well that certainly sounds like “knowing thyself” to me! This is something Selene and I try to stress with our newer students. The real magick is always within you. It’s not in a spell that someone wrote. It’s not in a medieval grimoire. It’s not even in your tools or your altar! You have the power and nobody can take that away. Once you truly know that… doors start to open.
Good morning and happy Monday, friends!
Since this is the second time I’m making a weekly update post, I’ll say it’s less “experimental.” Perhaps by the third week, we can even call it a habit!
As per usual, it was a fairly busy week this past week. Selene and I spent the weekend on a little family vacation. Make no mistake though… this was very much a “do things” vacation and not a “relax” vacation. My legs are tired!
Our coven celebrated Autumn Equinox this past week. The ritual was lead by one of our coveners. It was his first time running circle and we were very proud!
I also finished my Autumn Equinox article! As a followup to writing, I’ve been asking people about their favorite equinox songs. I have gotten such interesting answers — everything from Vivaldi to Led Zeppelin! I was considering putting everything in a spotify playlist along with some of my personal picks, but I’m not sure how all of those songs would flow together to create a pleasant listening experience.
The interview with Jason Mankey is live on YouTube as Episode 3 of Music, Myth, and Magick. You can also stream it on your favorite podcasting platform… assuming your favorite platform is Spotify, Amazon, or Apple. Maybe one day I’ll invest in an RSS feed, but that day is not today. If you prefer short videos, I created one highlight clip from the episode and I plan to upload two more later this week.
Oh, and as a personal accomplishment, I hit 50 subscribers on YouTube at some point over the weekend. That may not sound like a lot, and realistically it isn’t, but it’s definitely a milestone for me!
That’s all for today, folks! More is coming soon!
Aerik Arkadian 
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