DP#5 Two Powers Attunement
Written the first week of June 2004, this is a short essay on a specific form of ADF meditation. There's more in my Meditation Journal essay (DP#6).
Two Powers Attunement
Meditation has always been the main draw for me into the realm of Paganism. My first experience was a Wiccan ritual in a hotel room. The athame and other ritual tools seemed a bit silly to my mundane eyes, but I was glad I was relaxed enough to go along with it for curiosity’s sake. The meditation was the only part of the rite that had particular meaning (other than the appeal to natural processes, as I am environmentally oriented). The meditation was a journey to that place in childhood where one most feels safe, secure and peaceful. I had a bit of trouble with the group meditation because the leader kept talking about walking to it, whereas my secure place was floating in the Pacific off Southern California...
That being said, I find the most usefulness in ADF ritual is the Two Powers Attunement and the magical workings based on the attunement coupled with chanting or singing. Perhaps it is my musical background, and those few experiences where I have been lucky enough to fall into a heightened trance that allows me to become one with the music I’m playing. I don’t know. It’s just my intuition that draws me to it. I feel most at peace and empowered during and after meditative works.
I know this is supposed to be about two powers, but I feel there is a subtle third power. The first two are obvious in the attunement ritual: Water from the dark, deep coolness underground drawn up through roots one sends down to collect it and Light from “that one star that shines for [me] alone”-yet there is the World Tree that one is becoming through attunement to the powers above and below.
I feel that the Tree represents oneself melding the source powers of chaos (water) with the ordering powers of discernment (light) to form a creative tool. The Tree represents a groundedness, rooted solidly in the chaos of inspiration, rather than becoming flotsam at the mercy of the current, and growing into more solidity through interaction with the light of perception and mental acuity. I feel most like a “Druid” when becoming one with the essence of Treeness. I am the Oak. I am the Holly. I am the Hazel. I am the Willow. I am the Ash. I am the Yew. I understand Celtic poetry that places the author at one with the subject.
As I start my personal meditative journal, I think I will further concentrate on my becoming one with nature spirits, starting with the trees with my attunement. Then I think I will move on to becoming one with other nature spirits.
11/9/05: This past May I heard about an argument against calling the Two Powers "Tree Meditation." I never noticed when Ian Corrigan stopped using the tree metaphor in ritual, because the cool dark waters and bright star light are associated with the tree in my mind. Apparently some folks had a hard time with the solidity of tree roots juxtaposed with processing into ritual (like my own processing disconnect with floating in the Pacific and then walking somewhere...). Perhaps Tolkien's Ents kept that from being a problem for me -- a Christlike meditator might have no problem walking on water.
Two Powers Attunement
Meditation has always been the main draw for me into the realm of Paganism. My first experience was a Wiccan ritual in a hotel room. The athame and other ritual tools seemed a bit silly to my mundane eyes, but I was glad I was relaxed enough to go along with it for curiosity’s sake. The meditation was the only part of the rite that had particular meaning (other than the appeal to natural processes, as I am environmentally oriented). The meditation was a journey to that place in childhood where one most feels safe, secure and peaceful. I had a bit of trouble with the group meditation because the leader kept talking about walking to it, whereas my secure place was floating in the Pacific off Southern California...
That being said, I find the most usefulness in ADF ritual is the Two Powers Attunement and the magical workings based on the attunement coupled with chanting or singing. Perhaps it is my musical background, and those few experiences where I have been lucky enough to fall into a heightened trance that allows me to become one with the music I’m playing. I don’t know. It’s just my intuition that draws me to it. I feel most at peace and empowered during and after meditative works.
I know this is supposed to be about two powers, but I feel there is a subtle third power. The first two are obvious in the attunement ritual: Water from the dark, deep coolness underground drawn up through roots one sends down to collect it and Light from “that one star that shines for [me] alone”-yet there is the World Tree that one is becoming through attunement to the powers above and below.
I feel that the Tree represents oneself melding the source powers of chaos (water) with the ordering powers of discernment (light) to form a creative tool. The Tree represents a groundedness, rooted solidly in the chaos of inspiration, rather than becoming flotsam at the mercy of the current, and growing into more solidity through interaction with the light of perception and mental acuity. I feel most like a “Druid” when becoming one with the essence of Treeness. I am the Oak. I am the Holly. I am the Hazel. I am the Willow. I am the Ash. I am the Yew. I understand Celtic poetry that places the author at one with the subject.
As I start my personal meditative journal, I think I will further concentrate on my becoming one with nature spirits, starting with the trees with my attunement. Then I think I will move on to becoming one with other nature spirits.
11/9/05: This past May I heard about an argument against calling the Two Powers "Tree Meditation." I never noticed when Ian Corrigan stopped using the tree metaphor in ritual, because the cool dark waters and bright star light are associated with the tree in my mind. Apparently some folks had a hard time with the solidity of tree roots juxtaposed with processing into ritual (like my own processing disconnect with floating in the Pacific and then walking somewhere...). Perhaps Tolkien's Ents kept that from being a problem for me -- a Christlike meditator might have no problem walking on water.