Attending the Doors to Perception Conference on Sunday one of the speakers explained how those who were following a spiritual discovery path were known as ‘the few’ and were able to be initiated in to the mysteries such as in ancient Egypt and Hawaii. The popular film The Secret tells us the same – our innate wisdom was kept to the initiated few, an exclusive sect who not only benefitted personally from this knowledge but could wield it for bigger and wider purposes.

This magic, this extra sensory ability, this recognition we are far more than we think we are is discredited as idle fancy, imagination and just plain wishful thinking particularly by those who feel threatened by any inner power we, as individuals, may have. Would it upset the governmental, establishment and corporational applecart, if we as a race discovered we have a sleeping giant of a power at our fingertips? How would the very ‘bodies’ which profit from our sense of victimhood, our belief we are at the mercy of our environment, survive if we all realized we could live the life we’d truly love?

I have been in search of the magic I read about in C.S.Lewis’ Narnia books most of my life and after close to twenty five years of searching, finding but not mastering, had all but given up thinking I may find a way to use what I believe is a natural energy available to all. Do you remember that part in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe where Aslan surrenders to the Witch? His mane, his emblem of regal power, is cut off, he’s bound and tied to a great flat rock and killed by the Witch herself. This surrender is in exchange for the life of another and yet that exchange doesn’t feel fair. How can the saved one possibly replace the great Aslan? And yet as we mourn his passing the stone rock cracks, Aslans body disappears. A far deeper magic takes place and Aslan resurrects!

It appears that service and love help access this deeper magic, this transformational energy which transcends even death. Can it be that this is real or is it truly only available in the realms of the imagination? And what is the role of imagination? Lets get real… everything which is man made was first born in the imagination.

So how do we find out whether natural magic and deep magic exist?

The personal and spiritual growth sector has grown massively over the last generation with words and disciplines such as Reiki and NLP becoming almost commonplace. However I’ve noticed there is still a sense of ‘secrecy’ around many of these, with promises required to keep the ‘techniques’ private, or simply by being initiated with words and symbols only awarded to ‘masters’. I understand this may be to keep the integrity of the process however it still keeps a level of ‘them and us’.

I believe in deep magic. I believe we access it through our imagination and our intuition. I believe it should be readily available for all who feel a quickening of their pulse at the thought we are so much more than we appear to be. I also love the thought it can be learned without having to go through periods of fasting, achieving peak states, taking plant teacher drugs or chanting incantations (not that I’m averse to any of those). I particularly appreciate it being taught effortlessly, openly and in very practical ways.

Esoteric – restricted to or intended for an enlightened or initiated minority
Exoteric – intelligible to or intended for more than a select or initiated minority
(Collins English Dictionary)

Reading the above definitions I realize I no longer want to be explore those teachings which are esoteric. As I think the only way we can achieve the transformation we need for humanity to thrive let alone survive, the path needs to be exoteric.

What do you think?

To find out more about exoteric workshops visit www.darreneden.com