While living in the Monterey Bay Area just south of San Francisco I heard about T. Thorn Coyle. I didn’t think much of there being yet another magic writer in the community. However, living in what I call Fery Tradition central, I couldn’t escape her name. Comments kept popping up such as “Thorn said this.” or “Thorn will be teaching at such and such place.” I decided I wanted to meet her and see what all of the fuss was about. My path didn’t cross hers for various reasons while living in California.

Just a couple of months ago, I started listening to Thorn’s Elemental Castings podcast. Click here for her website “Know Thyself. I was drawn to the ideas she shared; the concepts she pointed out in a patient and confident voice. She was a panelist at Pantheacon which discussed Pagans and New Media. She and others mentioned how expensive it can be to operate a podcast especially if specialized recording equipment was involved. She stated she may one day have to charge for each download or offer a paid subscription. A member of the audience said he didn’t care how much she or other Pagans charged for their materials. He would always download their work through free torrents. She responded very eloquently. To paraphrase she stated she wasn’t going to try and stop pirates from obtaining her work. Instead, she hoped her offerings were valuable enough that people would pay and she could continue to share with the community. That is when I knew Thorn was a true teacher. She understood the value of energy exchange: to give for what you receive. She also knew how important it was to share what she’d learned.

There are two types of desires that pop up in my mind. Some float around in my thoughts and make me think it would be interesting. Others settle down into my core and become a part of me. Those I rarely ignore and when I do I get placed in their path again. Meeting Thorn settled into my core. Just a couple of days later, Kathy Nance, who also writes on Patheos, sent me a Facebook message inviting me to a workshop with Thorn. I said I would like to attend but was unemployed. Luckily scholarships became available and Kathy said I could stay with her. Click here for some of Kathy’s blog posts.



IMAGE: T. Thorn Coyle’s photo by Paul Nordin from her Facebook profile.

So this weekend I spent two days in St. Lois, Missouri at Thorn’s workshop on strengthening and developing psychic skills. When I agreed to attend the workshop I didn’t fully know what it was going to be about. I just knew I had to go. I had to be there. Over those two days, and they were pretty full days, I was able to learn objectively. I taught people formally and informally for about fourteen years. I burned out. I spent a lot of time in other realms to escape from the pain and trauma I still carried. I stopped caring for myself. I stopped listening to myself and my guides. If I had met Thorn in California, I wouldn’t have been open to what she had to say. And everything she said made what I had learned from listening to my God soul and my guides, both human and spirit, sink in.

I have spent several years resting and learning to listen and care for myself. To find the miraculous in the small things such as how the sunlight plays across the grass. How the wind whistles through my office window as I type. Thorn said to those in attendance, “The more present we are in our lives. The more we are present and connected to the cosmos and the planet.”

For me one of the most important and challenging thing she said was, “No sick mystics.” It is vital that we all make self care part of our daily mystical practice. It is doubly important for those of us who have long term mental or physical health concerns.

Here is some of her advice in summary. To go into detail would take several blog posts which I may explore at a different time. Until then, I encourage you to read a copy of her books Kissing the Limitless and Evolutionary Witchcraft. I skimmed through those books while at Kathy’s house and they are very well written. I will be getting copies for myself. Here are some of my notes from the workshop:

Self care for increasing psychic practice:

drink lots of water

salt replacement especially through natural foods but supplements are good

avoid high amounts of sugar

Energetic care:

physical exercise

cleansing of the energy and auric or shining body

uncording/unbinding from people and situations

Emotional self care:

pay attention to emotional responses and what they are pointing to

Above all else. Listen. Listen to yourself and the world around you.



Steps toward listening:

contemplation

meditation

prayer

practice paying attention to your physical, energy, and spiritual body

Blessings to you on your journey.