Urban Shamanism- Underworld Energies
In Shamanism many worlds inter-penetrate and connect with the physical one that most people inhabit, and Urban Shamanism is no different. Different energies flow underground, and from above, although it’s more about the quality of the energy rather than the actual direction from which it comes. Some energies are useful, and others can be unhelpful or downright negative. The most pernicious energy in the city is electricity, and the magnetic fields associated with it, can interfere with magickal practices and rituals- especially if you are unaware of their presence.
Most people today are aware of the alleged negative effects of high voltage lines strung from pylon to pylon. Any plants or area of greenery can look particularly lush around or under the pylons or lines, but should not be used in potions, unguents, or spellwork because their energies can be “scrambled” and this will affect the outcomes for which they are used. Some anecdotal and empirical evidence suggest that even living near them can have a strong negative effect on people’s health. Less well known is that they can affect Ley Lines in the area which can influence the local sacred sites- even those set up by Pagan practitioners working as Solitaries or a group.
This is why doing your research on the area you live and venerate the Deities and Universe in is so important. Even apparently ‘wild’ areas in a city or garden may have power lines or an IT conduit buried underneath them. As evidenced by people cutting through them with spectacular results whether by accident or to steal the wiring. When out walking or driving in the city where I live I can see signs of possible underground electrical cabling in the form of long depressions in the ground leading across areas and through woody copses that would otherwise be ideal for a ritual or coven gathering. Checking these on topographical maps - and some city plans - can tell you if these are old stream beds or drains but sometimes you have to dowse or use similar energy skills to ascertain what’s actually there.
Electricity and electrical devices are also a minor problem if working indoors. A common issue for Pagans who owned personal computers right from the early days up to the present, is the damage that can inadvertently occur when you unthinkingly cast a circle, the edge of which passes through one. This used to happen a lot when I was helping out at a local Pagan shop, especially when the new term started at the local University. New students - both Solitaries and members of the University’s Pagan association - would arrive in the shop, see the computer used for casting horoscopes, and ask how we stopped it going wrong. The standard answer was “Any circles cast in here stay well clear of the computer. They play havoc with the transistors which run on quantum mechanics, a key area where magick and current technology overlap”. Many of the questioners would have heard of the connection between quantum physics and magick, but didn’t realise that their computer actually ran on the former. Which was why the energy making up the circle they had cast had so damaged their machine.
Surprisingly the electrical grid encompassing most rooms in a modern Western home seems to have little effect on circle casting or spellwork, although I have heard anecdotal stories of energies raised indoors for magick or ritual causing power cuts. These were said to range in size from the room where the energy was evoked, to entire city blocks! So far nothing like that has happened at any rituals I have attended or performed. However, while we are on the subject of electrical currents I have met individuals who are particularly susceptible to electromagnetic energies to the extent that they might be termed ‘allergic’ to them. Whether this is due to an intrinsic sensitivity of their nervous system or the effect certain electrical fields have on the one surrounding their body is still under debate and research.
Some Urban Shamans use plants and crystals to reduce the effects of electromagnetic fields on sensitive people. Spider plants, cacti, and crystals such as rose quartz and amethyst also seem to work well in reducing or eliminating the fields that can affect people. However, you have to be careful and do your research when applying these remedies because of unintended side effects. A prime example of this is Lilly poisoning in cats and dogs by people who have heard about their effectiveness against magnetic fields, but do not check how dangerous they are to animals. Most members of the Lilly family are toxic to dogs and cats including the Peace Lilly, Easter Lilly, Tiger Lilly, and the Asiatic Lilly. So it’s best to avoid using these plants for protection from electromagnetic fields in any household that has these animals.
Some Urban Shamans have harnessed electricity for magick and ritual, particularly in Germany where many Mages include the discoveries of the psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich in their practices. To do this they work in a relatively enclosed environment and enhance their natural bioelectrical energy with Tesla coils and Van de Graaff generators. The ionisation of the air caused by these machines also helps energise practitioner’s mind and body to increase the power of the rite. Electric strobe lights and synthesizers are also used to mould mood and focus power and intent at key points in the proceedings. It’s a very urban form of magick because of its use of space and electrical gadgets.
A less well-known electrical spellcrafting device is called a teleflasher. I first came across it in Mexico in a book called “The Handbook of Psi Discoveries” by Sheila Ostrander and Lynn Schroeder in 1977. The low-tech version is just a cardboard shoebox with a 25 W light bulb connected to a “Blinker (electrical) Plug” which was used for Christmas tree lights make them blink on and off before more effective modern systems came into being. The bulb was mounted inside the box and a picture or item belonging to the person or place being enchanted or contacted was placed at one end and the lid was cut in half and one piece placed on top to block sight of the bulb so that the focus was purely on the subject. Then you attuned yourself to the goal using dowsing methods and concentrated on the item or picture and projected your desired outcome. Despite its minimalism the device was extremely effective in helping to bring about the desired result, and particularly effective in influencing people’s dreams.
For the Urban Shaman underworld energies are to be understood, managed, and worked with. They can be extremely powerful and exert unseen influences both for and against the magickal worker. They are to some extent balanced by the celestial energies from the upper reaches of the urban environment which we will be looking at next time. Until then you can practice becoming aware of the hidden underworld influences in your home and work environment so that you can either protect yourself against them, or work with them.
Most people today are aware of the alleged negative effects of high voltage lines strung from pylon to pylon. Any plants or area of greenery can look particularly lush around or under the pylons or lines, but should not be used in potions, unguents, or spellwork because their energies can be “scrambled” and this will affect the outcomes for which they are used. Some anecdotal and empirical evidence suggest that even living near them can have a strong negative effect on people’s health. Less well known is that they can affect Ley Lines in the area which can influence the local sacred sites- even those set up by Pagan practitioners working as Solitaries or a group.
This is why doing your research on the area you live and venerate the Deities and Universe in is so important. Even apparently ‘wild’ areas in a city or garden may have power lines or an IT conduit buried underneath them. As evidenced by people cutting through them with spectacular results whether by accident or to steal the wiring. When out walking or driving in the city where I live I can see signs of possible underground electrical cabling in the form of long depressions in the ground leading across areas and through woody copses that would otherwise be ideal for a ritual or coven gathering. Checking these on topographical maps - and some city plans - can tell you if these are old stream beds or drains but sometimes you have to dowse or use similar energy skills to ascertain what’s actually there.
Electricity and electrical devices are also a minor problem if working indoors. A common issue for Pagans who owned personal computers right from the early days up to the present, is the damage that can inadvertently occur when you unthinkingly cast a circle, the edge of which passes through one. This used to happen a lot when I was helping out at a local Pagan shop, especially when the new term started at the local University. New students - both Solitaries and members of the University’s Pagan association - would arrive in the shop, see the computer used for casting horoscopes, and ask how we stopped it going wrong. The standard answer was “Any circles cast in here stay well clear of the computer. They play havoc with the transistors which run on quantum mechanics, a key area where magick and current technology overlap”. Many of the questioners would have heard of the connection between quantum physics and magick, but didn’t realise that their computer actually ran on the former. Which was why the energy making up the circle they had cast had so damaged their machine.
Surprisingly the electrical grid encompassing most rooms in a modern Western home seems to have little effect on circle casting or spellwork, although I have heard anecdotal stories of energies raised indoors for magick or ritual causing power cuts. These were said to range in size from the room where the energy was evoked, to entire city blocks! So far nothing like that has happened at any rituals I have attended or performed. However, while we are on the subject of electrical currents I have met individuals who are particularly susceptible to electromagnetic energies to the extent that they might be termed ‘allergic’ to them. Whether this is due to an intrinsic sensitivity of their nervous system or the effect certain electrical fields have on the one surrounding their body is still under debate and research.
Some Urban Shamans use plants and crystals to reduce the effects of electromagnetic fields on sensitive people. Spider plants, cacti, and crystals such as rose quartz and amethyst also seem to work well in reducing or eliminating the fields that can affect people. However, you have to be careful and do your research when applying these remedies because of unintended side effects. A prime example of this is Lilly poisoning in cats and dogs by people who have heard about their effectiveness against magnetic fields, but do not check how dangerous they are to animals. Most members of the Lilly family are toxic to dogs and cats including the Peace Lilly, Easter Lilly, Tiger Lilly, and the Asiatic Lilly. So it’s best to avoid using these plants for protection from electromagnetic fields in any household that has these animals.
Some Urban Shamans have harnessed electricity for magick and ritual, particularly in Germany where many Mages include the discoveries of the psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich in their practices. To do this they work in a relatively enclosed environment and enhance their natural bioelectrical energy with Tesla coils and Van de Graaff generators. The ionisation of the air caused by these machines also helps energise practitioner’s mind and body to increase the power of the rite. Electric strobe lights and synthesizers are also used to mould mood and focus power and intent at key points in the proceedings. It’s a very urban form of magick because of its use of space and electrical gadgets.
A less well-known electrical spellcrafting device is called a teleflasher. I first came across it in Mexico in a book called “The Handbook of Psi Discoveries” by Sheila Ostrander and Lynn Schroeder in 1977. The low-tech version is just a cardboard shoebox with a 25 W light bulb connected to a “Blinker (electrical) Plug” which was used for Christmas tree lights make them blink on and off before more effective modern systems came into being. The bulb was mounted inside the box and a picture or item belonging to the person or place being enchanted or contacted was placed at one end and the lid was cut in half and one piece placed on top to block sight of the bulb so that the focus was purely on the subject. Then you attuned yourself to the goal using dowsing methods and concentrated on the item or picture and projected your desired outcome. Despite its minimalism the device was extremely effective in helping to bring about the desired result, and particularly effective in influencing people’s dreams.
For the Urban Shaman underworld energies are to be understood, managed, and worked with. They can be extremely powerful and exert unseen influences both for and against the magickal worker. They are to some extent balanced by the celestial energies from the upper reaches of the urban environment which we will be looking at next time. Until then you can practice becoming aware of the hidden underworld influences in your home and work environment so that you can either protect yourself against them, or work with them.
You Should Also Read:
Computers and cast circles
Magick and electrical fields
Biological energy and remote control
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