by 'Thenie
One of the recurring tensions in magical traditions is the relationship between psychic sensitivity and mental illness. Those drawn most powerfully to non-ordinary experience are sometimes the least equipped to navigate it safely. This essay by 'Thenie — a Wiccan teacher of ten years' experience who identifies herself as having her own challenges with this boundary — takes the question seriously and practically.
Her argument turns on grounding: the Pentagram, she notes, is also the symbol of Earth, of physical manifestation, of boundaries and structure — and its presence at the heart of Wiccan symbolism is a hint about what the practice requires. Magic attracts those who want consequence-free power; responsible practice requires the opposite disposition. The essay draws on Jewish concepts of "fences around fences," on the psychology of John Nash, and on her own experience teaching beginners, to sketch what careful practice looks like for those whose grip on ordinary reality is uncertain.
'Thenie was one of the most substantive and serious regular contributors to alt.religion.wicca.moderated, writing at a level that distinguished her from the majority of participants. This essay from December 2006 is a characteristic example of her work.
There's an interesting paradox in magickal philosophy, that magick works mostly predicated upon belief, and that belief is most easiest available in those with the least grounding and sanity. What should a person do if one knows s/he has a shaky hand on reality? What is one's responsibility in such a situation, of being drawn to non-physical action and non-physical worlds, yet knowing one has a tougher time keeping hold of a reference point?
I once read a book about out of body experiences (OBE) that mentioned how, post-death, we enter our own personal heavens or hells based on the continuing constructs and expectations we have built or sustained in life. In the book, the blessing of physical existence is pointed out in how the hard facts of physical existence challenges our constructs and helps us to evolve far faster than when we are in pure spirit form. This concept I've also found in other books and other philosophies.
I recall reading about Mary Todd Lincoln, and how she was described as mentally ill, but also how there was some evidence that she had psychic tendencies as well. It is a common theory that some mental illness may actually be an unsupported and undeveloped talent for ESP and/or mediumship. What do you do when you have talent in that area but also issues sorting fantasy from reality?
What does one do?
I think it comes down, to use this word again, to boundaries. Boundaries and grounding.
The Pentagram as Anchor
The most well-known and well-accepted symbol of magick is the Pentagram. It is also the symbol of Earth, of physical manifestation and mundane reality. It is the symbol of education, of structure, of boundaries, of wisdom gained over time, and of hard facts. It is the symbol of the universe we humans live in, have manifested in. I think it is also a hint of what is necessary to work in the non-physical forms: grounding.
Magick is very attractive to young folks; they think magick can be mastered quickly and that one can have everything one wants "by magic". The term "like magic" denotes a consequence-free and reality-transcendent power, but nothing happens in existence without repercussions. Any string plucked on the Web of Life resonates, moves and changes everything on that Web; nothing happens in isolation.
Should a person with a shaky or inconsistent grasp on reality work magick? Should such a person be a Wiccan?
There are reports of Wiccans that do not do spellcraft, that do not interact with non-corporeals, that worship Goddess and hold to the Rede. These "religious Wiccans" are practicing a religion that reinforces balance in their lives, grounding in their existences. They follow the Wheel of the Year, celebrating the seasons of earthly life. They worship at lunar phases, narrowing their interaction with numinous Beings to carefully-choreographed ritual, preferably with others they trust and love. They ground, a lot, and consider things from an independent will interlaced into Nature. They are practical.
But should someone with a shaky grasp on reality worship alone, be a solitary? Should such a person proceed with opportunities to explore new realms (astral projection, OBE, psychic abilities, divination), or should one set firm boundaries around those areas that logic argues is too challenging for one's abilities?
Fences Around Fences
I recall from a comparative religion class the Jewish concept of fences around fences. Rabbinical law considered the Ten Commandments so fundamental that a set of rules and laws were set around them which, even though technically not breaking the Commandments, kept one from even getting close. Then rules and laws were set around those, and so on. By living what developed into an integrated system, one was guaranteed not to break any Commandments. A nice system.
For a person with a shaky grasp on reality, those kinds of boundaries need to be set up. It's not about the letter of things, but understanding the fundamental forces and meanings underlying them. Anything that enforces and strengthens balance is useful. Anything that cannot be verified by physical evidence or witness should be avoided. And anytime there is doubt, go to at least two experts, preferably experts in divergent approaches.
What Practice Looks Like
Should a person with a shaky grasp on reality work magick?
I have taught Wicca 101 classes for 10 seasonal quarters, not much, but enough. The first and fundamental thing I tried to impart to my students is the necessity of knowing self and especially knowing one's blind areas. To be responsible is to get clear in one's self, to understand and accept the twisted little things we humans will always have inside us, and to understand how these twisted little things affect our magicks (and whether there is too much to trust our use of magick).
The second point I tried to teach my students is to keep ALWAYS a grain of salt about whatever we interpret, whatever we witness, whatever we experience. That includes keeping a grain of salt about one's self and one's true motives and abilities. We must be prepared ALWAYS to learn the harsh lesson about ourselves, and so act in a way that (should such a harsh lesson arise) our magicks will cause the least harm, especially to others. It's not about avoiding embarrassment (we will ALWAYS have ample unavoidable opportunity to embarrass ourselves), but about having the pieces fall and harm the fewest possible. If you are of a "when" mindset instead of an "if" mindset, you may be able to shield others or turn the tide.
Bottom line, though, is the need to recognise one's inabilities. There are places one cannot go, things one must ignore, when working in metaphysics if one has a shaky grasp on reality. It means one needs to weave a lifestyle that keeps verification something one participates in constantly, as part of one's practice. It means avoiding the siren call of non-corporeals. It means recognising that even legitimate psychic experiences must be resisted, must be reported to trusted witnesses, must not be pursued beyond reporting in one's journal or to those that care about us.
Some people wear a pentagram as a reminder of the gateway to the metaphysical, to a realm that offers options that mundane life does not extend; those with a shaky grasp on reality need to tether themselves to verifiable reality, and for them the pentagram should represent the tangible universe that keeps them from floating away, their anchor.
The Nash Model
I have seen those with clarity problems attempt living in a magickal universe, but I have to say that the only ones I have seen prosper in such universes are those with feet firmly grounded in ordinary reality. One needs to be able to discuss what feels real as being something theoretical, as something that is waiting for clear proof or a key piece of evidence.
We are all going through life like it's the first time, with reference points we have to discover or develop as we go; we cannot know anything for absolute certain. I cannot speak for others, but I can say, as a teacher of metaphysics and a seeker myself, grounding is essential and boundaries need to be as tight as the situation and experience requires. My best advice to those with a shaky hand on reality is to proceed cautiously and verify, verify, verify. And anything that goes into the theoretical, the interpretable, the private, the things that turn into he-said/she-said — that's the Red Flag that one is entering dangerous territory.
I recall from the film A Beautiful Mind that Dr Nash came to have to learn to live with, and ignore, the entities that came to him, that walked alongside him. He came to reason that chaos ensued when he included them in his existence and considered them in his actions. They never went away, but they settled down, and he was able to have a life and success.
Reality as Practice
We are all heroes in our own stories, as Joseph Campbell has pointed out. Our separate narratives are based on our own melodramas and challenges. For the vast majority, like in reincarnation, our stories are not played on the world stage, but in humbler situations. And yet the real change in human evolution is that which is private and real and occurs in hidden intimate moments that no one sees. Reality is where we are more than where we want to be, and balance and grounding will take us there.
Colophon
Written by 'Thenie, posted to alt.religion.wicca.moderated on 26 December 2006. Original Message-ID: Xrjkh.5092$dw6.4205@trndny02.
'Thenie was one of the most substantive contributors to alt.religion.wicca.moderated during the 2000s. She taught Wicca 101 for ten seasonal quarters and wrote consistently at a philosophical and practical level that distinguished her from most participants. This essay on grounding, sanity, and responsible magical practice is among her most significant contributions to the archive.
Preserved from the Usenet archive for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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