Katie Rempe: Welcome to this week's episode where the topic is the magic of black.
For a long time listeners. You may remember Jim and I did an episode on malevolent and benevolent magic all the way back in episode 46.
And if you haven't seen it yet, don't worry. I'll make sure to link it in the notes.
So this time we wanted to offer something a little bit different, which is why Jim is going to be leading us in a very special meditation around the color black.
I hope you enjoy this episode and be sure to stick around to the end, to learn how you can download the audio file of this meditation to listen to anytime. Enjoy.
Light From Lantern presents: Knit A Spell.
I'm magical maker: Katie Rempe.
And I'm the maker of magic: James Divine.
Join us as we stitch together the symbiotic relationship between crafting and 'The Craft'.
James Divine: Let's talk about the color black. As you know, black is the absence of color because it's the absence of light. Without light, our eyes perceive no color. Of course, with pigment, it is the presence of all the colors absorbing all the light and reflecting nothing. Black is associated with the infinite, with the darkness, with this idea of being buried in the earth or being out in space, connected in some way.
I sometimes think of it as being in the non visible part of the universe. of the spectrum, like behind the curtain or backstage . We sometimes associate black with shielding or grounding or deep connection or shadow work, because of the word shadow, the things that are unseen, the occult.
We see priests wear black, we see black with people who are associated with the spiritual because of that connection with the hidden or this transformational idea of spirituality.
Meditations
---
James Divine: So for black, I've chosen to deviate away from a story and instead offer you a meditation using the idea of this color.
And I'm going to meditate on the idea of black in two different ways. A blackness that goes down into our depths. And up into our greatness.
This is something that We use a lot with our magical tradition. We call it anchoring, and you can use it anytime that you're feeling out of sorts or you need a centering, grounding, or anchoring type of experience.
So before I begin, I want to describe the human experience in the metaphor of the magician card, and from the magical and scientific idea of as above so below. Or, and, As the ancient Orphic hymns said on the gold leafs that were discovered and their mysterious declaration, I am a child of earth and starry heaven.
So this idea that we humans are made of earth and that we are children of earth and that we are also children of the starry heavens. That as above, so below. These are themes that we have heard for millennia, even before history, we believe. And it is an amazing spiritual idea, metaphysical idea that we contain within us the image of the divine or the divine spirit or the material of the gods from above.
And that we are also made of dirt. We're made of the dust and we're made of the clay of the earth or the rocks.
And we see that in lots of origin stories where even in Hesiod from the Greeks, we see this combining of material from the gods and material from the earth that come together and create humans.
We see that in the Bible that the breath of life was provided by Yahweh, but the form is provided by the earth.
And in science, we see that our bodies are made of stuff from the earth, the physical material, the molecules, the atoms, they all come from the material here on earth, the carbon, all the water, all the material of inner bones.
It all comes from what was originally in the earth. And what is the earth made of? The earth is made of star stuff. It was exploding stars that are all burning hydrogen at the beginning and then they burn helium and then eventually they explode, in supernova and cast off heavier elements like carbon and others.
And it's in these exploding stars or at the big bang that the heavier elements circled around and coalesce together and create a planet.
So really, if we think about that, our mother is the Earth, but our grandmother is the stars.
And so when we hear the ancient Orphic, statement, I am a child of earth and starry heaven.
This is scientifically true we really are.
So with this idea,
Meditation
---
James Divine: Follow along with this meditation. And I hope that it's, a wonderful experience of the infinite the dark and the relaxing and the centering for you.
Start by taking a deep breath. Notice the center of your body.
Imagine a seed in that center. At your center of gravity. Just below and behind your navel. And imagine that seed illuminating with life force. And feel that seed growing roots effortlessly down, down through your belly, down through your hips and your sit bones, down your legs, your thighs, your knees, your calves, your feet, effortlessly down into the earth.
Feel the force of gravity pulling at your body gently. This is the earth welcoming you back to her. This is your mother pulling you close with love. Allow that feeling to pull your roots down, like an anchor being dropped effortlessly down through the layers of the earth, into the dark blackness of the soil.
Deep down past the caverns, and the deposits, and the layers. Past the gemstones, past the water table, even past the crust of the earth. Into the churning magma below, deep into the earth, past the oceans and the layers, the oceans of magma and the layers deep into the earth, to the heart of the mother.
There in the center of the earth, there is no light, but there is a vibration, a heartbeat. Feel the embrace, your roots connect with the heart of the mother in that deep dark place, you can feel the heartbeat. And it is in harmony with your own heart and you can feel the earth energy come up through your roots.
She sends you what you need and you can take a breath up through your feet and your legs. Up through your belly and your whole body, filling yourself with Earth energy. Stabilizing, aligning, putting at ease anything that is diseased. Making whole whatever is broken. Healing whatever needs healed.
Stabilizing whatever is unstable. The Mother Earth brings you that energy. And as you breathe, gently and easily, you can send that energy to any part of your body, your mind, your emotions, or your spirit that requires that energy now.
And breathe into that. And you can release anything that is unneeded down to the earth. This does not harm the earth, this is just energy, and it's simply recycled. She welcomes that. You are adored and loved by the earth. And you can say... I am a child of earth.
I am a child of the earth welcomes you her child with so much love.
And you can bask in that support. Feel what you're standing or sitting or laying on as the bosom of the earth. She holds you she cradles you she loves you because you're a child of earth.
And now you can allow your your attention and your thoughts to focus upwards. We've always yearned for the sky, fascinated by the sky.
Feel that seed in your center wanting to grow upwards, up through your belly and your chest, up through your shoulders sending shoots down your arms, but continuing up the back of your neck and through your head and up out the top of your head and up into the sky, through the air and the clouds and up into the reaches.
Past the atmosphere and up into space. You can feel yourself becoming a tree, if you wish. But your branches grow even higher, and there's a couple of branches that just shoot far into space, to the center of the universe. There's a star there that was born the day you were born. It has your name. It is yet undiscovered.
That star welcomes you and welcomes your connection. And it anchors you and you can feel yourself anchored in the center of the earth, the heart of the mother, and in the center of the universe, the heart of the grandmother. And the Grandmother Sky welcomes you. She embraces you all around you as the air of the universe.
You breathe cosmic dust every day. And from this sky connection, from the connection to the universe, you can feel that energy come down, down from your head. Into your body, through your shoulders and your arms, down into your torso, down through your hips and your legs and into your feet. It might feel like glitter, excitement.
This makes what is unable, able. This loosens and frees what is stuck. This makes the impossible, possible. This moves what is frozen. The energy of the universe is infinite. The wisdom of the universe is unlimited.
Breathe into that. How exciting. Anything is possible. Unlimited possibilities exist in the universe.
And actual reality is available from the earth. Anything that you want to create, you can. Because you're a child of earth and starry heaven. You can say that to yourself. I'm a child of earth. And starry heaven.
And starry heaven.
Feel yourself embraced by both Mother Earth and Grandmother Sky. And feel yourself anchored deeply in the warm black of the Earth. And in the cool black of the universe. Perfectly anchored and centered. Embraced. Loved unconditionally. Loved desperately. You are needed here. You are welcomed here. You are necessary.
Everything about you is perfect.
Breathe into that truth because you're a child of starry heaven. You're a child of earth. I am a child of earth and starry heaven.
I hope this was a wonderful meditation for you. It was marvelous to lead you through it. The beauty of black, the infinence of black, the depth of black. We anchor ourselves in that place.
Katie Rempe: Thanks so much for tuning in.
If you're a member of the Knit A Spell Patreon, this episode's meditation is now available as an audio download.
Not a member. Sign up at Patreon.com/KnitASpell.
You'll unlock this and all of our current posts to enjoy right away.
And as always, if you'd like to sign up for a palmistry reading or a tarot reading from our maker of magic, go ahead and visit him at TheDivineHand.com.
And if you'd like to learn more about my new knitting community or my knitting patterns, go ahead and visit light from lantern.com.
Thanks again for tuning in and I'll see you next week when we talk all about the magic of the color white.
Outtro 2022: Thanks for listening. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a friend, leaving a review on iTunes and Spotify or following Knit A Spell on Instagram.
You can also subscribe to the Light From Lantern YouTube channel to enjoy full episodes of Knit A Sepll and see our happy faces.
You can also learn more about readings, classes, and events going on with your favorite Maker of Magic James Divine by visiting thedivinehand.com and subscribing to his newsletter. Then follow Jim's fun and interactive Instagram account @DivineHandJim.
Keep up with Katie the Magical Maker by subscribing to her newsletter at lightfromlantern.com.
You'll receive a free knitting pattern as a thank you gift, then follow Katie on Instagram @LightFromLantern for even more magical making tips.
See you next week. Next week.
