The fourth period begins with the sixteenth century when scholars in Europe investigated ancient literature and began to question the motives of the church. The church had taught that the Druids were savages until the arrival of Christianity , but the intellectuals and philosophers of this time began to discover that they were far from it and started the Druid Revival.
The founding father of the science of archeology, William Stukeley formed a Druid society in London and referred to the Princess of Wales as his Patroness. It helped to know people in high places in those days. Cultural festivals, incorporating Druid ceremonies and celebrating Celtic languages grew up in Wales, Cornwell and Brittany. And this revival is still going. It has developed into a Renaissance, as more and more people find with Druidry and other forms of Witchcraft have become a living spirituality that holds all of nature sacred and that offers a path of creativity .
Today, there are two branches of Mysticism; one is Yoga and the other is Magic. Both these art forms aim to achieve the same thing, union with the Divine. Yoga techniques involve disciplines to empty the mind completely, to undermine the foundation or structure of consciousness with many scientific steps and techniques.
Magic, on the other hand endeavors to rise above the mundane realm of thought by exalting the mind to its highest level through exercising the imagination and will of the practitioner. Both aim to consciously hand the bodies activities over to the Higher-Self. Perhaps the ideal means of identifying ones consciousness with the Universal Essence is a combination of both Yoga and Magic.
People tend to demonize that which they don't understand. Even today as the Illuminati strive towards achieving their goal of a One World Order most people pooh-hoo any kind of conspiracy theory even though it is unfolding before our very eyes!
If there is a danger in Magic it arises when the practitioner sets out to achieve results without the precise knowledge of what it is that s/he is doing, and/or for the purpose of appeasing the ego. Some may be tempted to manipulate their personal circumstances without considering the repercussions of their actions, dabbling in areas about which they have little understanding and without formal training.
Magic goes against the grain of mundane life. It tends towards the path of least resistance. Its aim is to effect change in both inner and outer reality through the awareness and manipulation of unseen, therefore occult but powerful forces. Magic demands focus, discipline, tenacity and courage.
These things were once taught as a part of every day living and were deeply integrated within the culture, but have now sadly been suppressed for reasons we may never know. When you take away the will, you take away their power. The Magi is the master of healing energy. We create for it suitable instruments of expression, and we call it forth with the magic wand of our will.
The aim of the Magi is to reform and regenerate our disposition, our character, and our temperament. We overcome those bad habits and relationships, negative attitudes and false beliefs, which draw useless energy to us and cultivate behavior that serves us, and therefore others. We respect that all life is part of us. That everything has its function in the large scheme of things. We aim to purify our being. A concept which is basically very simple in theory but not always so easy in practice.
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