Order of Paladins Lesson : 14 The Shield and Stone copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Warrior’s Admonition Your body is your temple: Care for it! Do not engage in useless activity. Listen to the Goddess. Help thyself. You create your own reality. The Warrior’s path is creativity. A serene path to enlightenment. Know thyself. Master thyself. Create your own reality. Nurture the ability to perceive the truth in all matters. Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye. Learn from your mistakes. Teach thyself. Create your own reality. Do not be negligent, even in trifling matters Grace and guilt do not exist: Strive for responsibility. Honor thyself. Create your own reality. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

13 Precepts: 1.Know thyself. 2.Nurture the ability to perceive the truth in all matters. 3.You create your own reality. 4.Develop a sense of Right Action. 5.Do not be negligent, even in trifling matters. 6.Your body is your temple: Care for it! 7.Minimal appearance, maximum content. 8.Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye. 9.Power with. 10. Who dares wins. 11.The Gods cannot help those who will not help themselves. 12. Be creative! 13. Do not engage in useless activity. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Code of Chivalry:  All members of the Order of Paladins must live according to the principles of chivalry, which include:  Sincerity.  Courtesy.  Compassion.  Perseverance.  Industriousness.  Justice.  Loyalty.  Courage.  Self-Discipline.  Humility.  Largesse.  Truth.  Honor copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Hint:  Refer to the notes pages in this Power Point presentation for more in-depth information on the subject of each slide. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

The Shield and Stone Spirit borrows from matter the perceptions on which it feeds and restores them to matter in the form of movements which it has stamped with its own freedom. Henri Bergson, “Matter and Memory.” copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

The Stone and shield KKKKnights who devote themselves to the shield and stone become masters of warding and magickal defense copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Awareness:  Knights dedicated to stone and shield strive to become masters of perception:  Sensing the vibrations of the earth and the stone which is its bones  Sensing all life around them  Sensing the currents and flow of energy surrounding them copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Directing Energy  Developing these sensitivities permit the Knight of stone and shield to:  Divert energy flows  “Swim” through unwanted energy copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Becoming “Slippery”  A Knight of stone and shield often doesn’t require wards, as their ability to avoid unwanted energy renders them “slippery”. The unwanted energy can’t touch them. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

The Stone and shield AAAAs these magickal weapons are related to the element of earth, Knights on this path are also masters of crafts involving materials that come from the earth copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Blacksmiths TTTThat is why the Magickal Weapons of Earth are associated with the art of blacksmiths TTTThere is a Yakut proverb: The blacksmith and the shaman are from the same nest. BBBBlacksmiths practice a form of alchemy: They are all about transformation

The Anvil ““““Lay me on an anvil, Ye Gods. Beat me into a crowbar, Let me pry loose old walls. Let me lift and loosen old foundations.” TTTThis reminds us that there are times when we need to stand fast and let things that come at us break upon our wards and shatter. There are other times when we need to hammer down the walls and break down barriers. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Smith Gods MMMMythology is full of blacksmith Gods, including Wayland (Old English) or Völundr (Old Norse), Goibhniu and Credne (Celtic), Hephaestus (Greek), Vulcan (Roman), and Oggun (Yoruban). copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Goibhniu IIIIrish God of smithcraft, artistry and handicrafts. Cognate with the Welsh God Gofannon. He had two brothers, Cian and Samhan (Samhain).

Völundr VVVVölundr, known in the British Isles as Wayland, is a blacksmith God in the poem Völundarkviða from the Poetic Edda and in the Þiðrekssaga. He appears in the epic tales Deor, Waldere and Beowulf.

Brighid BBBBrighid is the Celtic Goddess of healing, blacksmiths, fertility and poetry, daughter of the Dagda. Her festival is Imbolc. St Brigid ( CE) later took on most of Brighid’s traditions within the Christian church.

Brighid IIIIt is Brighid that we honor in our Imbolc Sabbat ritual

Blacksmiths BBBBlacksmiths are considered to be magicians in many cultures since they take raw materials and forge them into useful and decorative things. BBBBlacksmiths are connected to the chthonic realms from which the ore is taken to make metal

Anvil magick IIIIn our Imbolc ritual we engage in anvil magick PPPParticipants are invited to come forward and strike the anvil to invoke good fortune for a new project or to make a dream manifest.

Shields and Armor OOOOver the centuries, people have relied on armor to protect themselves. Personal body armor has developed over the centuries from the simple shield and helmet of ancient Warriors to chain mail to elaborate suits of plate armor worn by Medieval men at arms to flexible armor vests worn by modern police officers and soldiers.

Armor AAAAll armor offers the wearer a certain level of protection. Yet for every type of armor, there is some form of weapon designed to pierce it. Battlements can be breached, defenses infiltrated.

Shielding WWWWe taught you about shielding when you were a Novice in the first training cycle. Those devoted to the shield and stone have dedicated themselves to mastering shields, wards and Circle casting and defensive magick.

Pentacle TTTThe most common Wiccan symbol for earth is the Pentacle. The Pentacle is a symbol of both the earth and of the Wiccan’s understanding of the universe.

The Shield and Pentacle  A Pentacle is a pentagram engraved within a round disk of wood, metal, ceramic or glass. One of the earliest magickal uses of the various forms of the Pentacle has always been as a form of protection. Thus the Pentacle represents the Warrior’s Shield. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

The Stone TTTThe stone is probably the oldest weapon known to man. It is also a building material that can be used to create fortifications to shield defenders. Earthworks were an early form of fortification against attack. It is from ore pulled from the earth that we get the metal to make weapons and armor. Thus, it is the element of earth that teaches us the ways of shielding and protection. The Weapons of Earth are used to protect us.

Advanced Warding  In lesson 4 we showed you basic warding and Circle casting techniques.  These techniques involved the use of hand gestures to help direct the energy  Now that you’re more experienced in the use of energy for warding, visualization, and focussing will, let’s simplify the process… copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

“Energy Bags”  This technique involves a visualization centered on your Dantian.  In lesson 1 I showed you how you could re-absorb energy that you’d manipulated by sending it back into your Dantian copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Dantian Review:  In Asian medicine and martial arts, an area just behind and about 3 inches below the navel is an energy storage area known as the Dantian. There are four energy fields in the body in Chinese Chi Kung: Yuanguan, Dantian, Niyuan and Zhongyuan. To the martial artist and the magician, the Dantian is the most important. This energy storage area is the foundation of Tai Chi and Chi Kung practice copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Priming the Energy Bag  This time we’re going to expand energy out of your Dantian  Start in Entering Tranquility Posture (which we taught you in lesson 1)  Focus your intention on your Dantian. Fill it up with energy, “pressurizing” it… copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Deploying the Energy Bag  You all know how air bags in an automobile work? They burst open with a rapid charge of pressurized air.  In this case your going to imagine that energy in your Dantian exploding outwards from your center to instantly form a ward around you copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Use of the Energy Bag  Once you get used to doing this, you can do this very rapidly, responding to a threat in an instant.  Once the need for the ward is over, all you need to do to put it away is imagine it shrinking back into your Dantian. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Grounding KKKKnights who have chosen these Magickal Weapons also become experts in grounding. Grounding has several applications in Wiccan practice, one of them being protection.

Grounding Another use for grounding in Wicca is to enhance well being. After you have been doing energetic work or magick, it is possible to build up surplus energy in yourself. Some of the chakras can become blocked. Symptoms of this include:  Restlessness or agitation: People with such built up energy can present as rather manic.  Confusion or distraction: You may find it hard to concentrate or process thoughts.  Dizziness or light-headedness. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Grounding OOOOne way to ground is to place your hands on the ground or imagine that you are putting down roots. Imagine the surplus energy returning to the earth from which it came through these imaginary roots. One of my favorite grounding techniques is going out and working in the garden. I find that touching the soil naturally "grounds out" my surplus energy and restores my balance.

“Washing the Bones”  This is a technique from Chinese martial arts and Chi Kong.  Start in Entering Tranquility Posture (which you learned in lesson 1)  Inhale, bring your arms up to shoulder level, hands with fingers pointing inwards, palms down, imagine a ball of energy forming beneath your palms copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Washing the Bones II  “Press” the energy ball downwards, feeling the energy wash through your lower body, pushing out anything negative  Lean forward and push the energy all the way down to your feet, waving your hands slightly as if washing the energy back and forth over your bones… copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Washing the Bones III  Once you’ve got down to your feet, cup your hands inwards and imagine yourself scooping up a ball of white energy  Lift this ball of energy up to shoulder lever and press it upwards, pushing anything negative our of your upper body, waving your hands slightly as you did in the first part  Return to Entering Tranquility copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Anger AAAAnother use for grounding is to handle overwhelming emotions like excessive anger. Anger is a natural emotion. There is nothing wrong with anger unless you let it get control of you.

The Zendo, Stabla and Scathach temple  In the north of Caer Paladin there are some smaller structures copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Scáthach Temple copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Scáthach Temple TTTThis is a place to go if you want to connect specifically with the Goddess Scáthach, a Celtic Goddess who teaches warriors SSSShe can be elusive, but the best way to have her appear is to persist. If you get knocked down, get up and stand your ground. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

The Zendo  A Zendo is a Japanese meditation hall copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

The Zendo copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

The Zendo TTTThe Zendo is a place where the earth and air energies merge, creating a suitable place to do meditation to focus will. TTTThe Zendo is a good place to seek inspiration for the Battle of Proof that you will need for your Mastering Ritual (Lesson 17).

Stábla

Stábla GGGGaelic for “stables” AAAA place to discover your totem animals

Totem Animals  You’ll recall that in the myth of Cúchulainn, he made his way safely through the Perilous Glen by charming a lion and riding the lion through the glen. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Totem Animals  Many of you had such totems when you first came to our Order. Others encountered them at the Caer when you arrived. If you haven’t already found yourself such a totem, the Stabla is a good place to go looking. copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Lesson 14 Assignment:  Practice grounding and warding  Find a person or place that needs grounding or warding and come up with defenses to protect this person or place  Go to the Zendo in Caer Paladin and meditate  Find your totem animal in the Stábla  Come up with a craft project related to these lessons that you can make with your own hands.  Report your results to us copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain

Order of Paladins Be Glorious! copyright 2013 Kerr Cuhulain