Personal Power
A twelve month course, taken week by week, in personal and spiritual development
WEEK 1
TAKING CONTROL
Then said a teacher Speak to us of teaching. And he said: No man can reveal to you ought but that which already lies half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge.’
Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
PERSONAL POWER
What is Personal Power? Perhaps it is easier to say what happens when you have lost your Personal Power. You feel as though control of your life lies in other hands- the authorities, doctors, your parents, your spouse, your friends, your enemies, fate. You feel weak and unable to control what happens to you. You might feel worn out, tired and ill. In shamanic societies it is said that when this happens it is because a person has lost their soul, their totem, life force or their Personal Power. Personal Power is cohesion of mind, body and spirit, whole and centred, balanced and harmonious. Once it is attained you feel in control, whole and centred.
Personal Power is something that needs constant maintenance. It is easy to give away, to lose. We often give away our Personal Power when we judge ourselves by other people’s standards, only see ourselves as reflected in other people’s eyes, allow others to dictate what we should think, wear, do. You give away your Personal Power when you see yourself as a failure because you haven’t achieved what someone else thinks you should have achieved not what you yourself want to achieve. When you think that your health is not your responsibility but a doctor’s, a therapist’s. When you blame other people for the deficiencies in your life and never yourself. This is to give away your power, to place it in the hands of other people.
You can take back the power. You can make your Personal Power whole and strong. You can regain control of your life.
You have bought this book because you want to gain control of your life, you want to find your Personal Power. Perhaps you are dissatisfied with your life as it is and think you need to make a few changes. Perhaps you want to be more than you are, to find and exploit your full potential.
This power lies within you, and no one else can do it for you.
Just reading this book won’t do it, but if you follow the exercises, week by week, they are designed to help put you in touch with your Personal Power, working on both a conscious and subconscious level, expanding that knowledge week by week. It is important to work through the whole course, systematically, not just the bits that interest you. Try to resist the temptation to skip and read forward. We have developed this course in the Hearth over the past twelve years and it has helped many.
Over the years, many people have come to the development courses at the Hearth of Arianrhod. Everyone who comes is searching for something: some are ill and looking for healing; some want to discover their personal spiritual path; some are wounded by life and want to find their strength and Personal Power; some just like a convivial evening discussing interesting topics with like minded people. A small few use the course as a foundation for their later Craft studies. I don’t give people answers to their questions, I can only show them where to look - within themselves. As candidates approached initiation into the ancient Eleusinian mysteries they would see, carved above the door of the chamber, the words ‘Know Thyself’. It is the root of all Personal Power and happiness. It’s only when we fail to be in touch with ourselves that we lose our paths in life, together with our happiness with a resulting ill effect on the health. This course is designed to enable people to claim their own Personal Power without reliance on anyone else, least of all me- I’m no guru. I’ve used the enclosed programme for several years now to enable people to regain contact with their own being.
The course is divided into weekly sections, and takes the form of a short, written lecture, practical exercises to be undertaken during the week and a pathworking which should be performed once at some point during the week.
By the way, if you bought this book because you thought ‘Personal Power’ meant occult power over other people, you have just wasted your money. And if you don’t grow up, you will waste your life. Any bully can have power over other people, but to have power over yourself is to open the gateway to knowledge.
PRACTICAL EXERCISES:
One day this week, go out and buy yourself a nice big exercise book. You are going to begin what is called in occult circles ‘A Magical Diary’ that will record your thoughts, exercises and progress throughout this year. Keep this record in as much detail as you can. When you look back on it in future months you may find that something you experienced and which seemed insignificant at the time reveals its importance with hindsight. Pathworkings in particular can reveal a great deal about your state of mind, your emotions and your progress, but unless especially vivid, the memory of them can fade like a dream. All entries should be dated.
Make a resolution to reserve some time each week to work on this course. This should be a regular time or you will forget to do it, put if off and fall behind. There is nothing to stop you sharing this course with a friend or group of friends, and this may help you make a regular commitment to it. The course and all the exercises can be used by individuals or adapted for group use.
Begin your magical diary by making a resolution that you will commit yourself to personal development. Write down what you think Personal Power is and what it means to you. Think about this very carefully and be honest. What is it that you hope to gain from this course? What changes do you want to make in your life? What is the knowledge that you seek?
RELAXATION EXERCISE:
This exercise will help you learn to relax, get rid of stress and put you in touch with your body and your mind. From next week it will act as a prelude to pathworking and meditation. If you like you can record the exercise on tape, but remember to speak very slowly and leave plenty of pauses between each sentence.
Find a comfortable, warm space where you can be undisturbed. Take the phone off the hook. You might like to lie down on the floor with a cushion under your head, you may like to lie on your bed, or sit upright on a comfortable chair
Lie or sit comfortably, arms and legs uncrossed, and allow all your muscles to relax.
Concentrate on your breathing; with each breath you become more and more relaxed. With each outward breath you let go of tensions, you let go of the events of the day, you let go of problems.
Centre your attention on your toes, be fully aware of them, and let them relax.
Move your attention to the soles of your feet, be fully aware of them, and let them relax, feel the tension drain away.
Move in the same way through the tops of your feet, your ankles, your shins and calves, your knees, your thighs, your bottom, your stomach, your spine [feel each vertebrae separate and relax], your chest [be aware that your breathing has become slow and rhythmical], your shoulders, your arms and elbows, your hands and fingers, your neck, your scalp, your face, feel the muscles of your forehead relax, the muscles around your eyes, your nose, mouth, cheeks, jaw.
Concentrate again on your breathing, with each breath you become more and more relaxed. With each breath you go deeper and deeper into a warm, pleasant state of relaxation.
Enjoy this state for as long as you like. When you want to bring yourself out of this deep state of relaxation mentally count from one to five, with each number becoming more and more awake, until at five you stretch and open your eyes.
In your magical diary, record your experience of the above exercise. Did you find it easy to relax or not? Were you able to complete each stage in turn without your mind wandering and forgetting what you were doing?
Try doing this exercise every night this week in bed, before you go to sleep. It will help you relax, and it doesn’t matter at this stage if you fall asleep before you have finished.
