Talking to the Spirits: Personal Gnosis in Pagan Religion

Description

For our ancestors the whole world was alive with spirits. The Gods bubbled forth from rivers and springs and whispered in the breezes that rustled through cities and farms. The ground underfoot, the stones, the fire that cooked the food and drove off the darkness, these all had spirits - not just spirits in some other dimension, but spirits in them who could be spoken to and allied with. In today's world we are led to believe that the spirits long ago went silent and that spiritual wisdom can only be gained through established religious doctrine. Providing a guide for opening two-way conversation with the spirits of daily life as well as direct communication with the gods, Kenaz Filan and Raven Kaldera explore how to enrich your spiritual path with personal gnosis-asking your guides for assistance or teachings and receiving a response. They explain how to develop your sensitivity to the voices of the Divine, discern genuine spiritual messages from the projection of internal psychodrama and what to do (and not do) with the messages you receive. Offering practices and principles for seekers and groups, they reveal that the spirits never went silent, we simply forgot how to hear them. Confirming their own personal gnosis with Northern Tradition Pagan beliefs and Greco-Roman, Celtic, Egyptian and indigenous hunter-gatherer lore, the authors discuss how to avoid theological conflicts when someone's personal gnosis differs from that of their Pagan group as well as how to authenticate messages with individual and group divination. * Offers practices for seekers and groups to learn to hear and respond to the spirits and the gods as well as what to do (and not do) if you receive a message * Explains how to authenticate spiritual messages with divination * Discusses how to avoid theological conflicts when someone's personal gnosis differs from that of their Pagan group

Kenaz Filan (Houngan Coquille du Mer) was initiated in Societe la Belle Venus in March 2003 after 10 years of solitary service to the lwa. Raven Kaldera is a Northern Tradition Pagan shaman who has been a practising astrologer since 1984 and a Pagan since 1986.

"Filan and Kaldera have once again created an impressive and necessary work for the flourishing spirit-working Pagan community. In these pages you will find an immediate, earthy, social, and accessible way to approach this dangerous and risky alliance with the Spirits. This book touches on personal gnosis, historical gnosis, Neo-Pagan perspectives and sociologies, and discernment of messages in alluringly deepening ways. It also shares responsible and proactive ways of working with gnosis and revelation in groups and community to achieve whole and integrated spirituality with an ear to the ever interesting, ever bizarre Otherworld peopled with Endless Spirits. As a spirit-worker, I personally attest that this book is a must read!" Gede Parma, Witchcraft priest and teacher and author of Ecstatic Witchcraft and Spirited "In recent years there has been a greater desire for deeper connection with the Gods within a polytheistic pagan framework. Talking to the Spirits is a practical manual for such work, particularly for those relying on their own impressions--personal gnosis--to fill in the gaps left by mythology, history, and established religions. In the same way, this book fills a gaping niche in the practitioner's shelf. It is clear the authors have dealt with a variety of challenges in deeper spirit work as well as found suitable solutions, and the subject matter is covered in an impressively thorough manner." Lupa, author of New Paths to Animal Totems and editor of TheGreenWolf.com "Providing a guide for opening two-way conversation with the spirits of daily life as well as direct communication with the Gods, Kenaz Filan and Raven Kaldera explore how to enrich your spiritual path with personal gnosis-asking your Guides for assistance or teachings and receiving a response...Offering practices and principles for seekers and groups, they reveal that the spirits never went silent, we simply forgot how to hear them. Personal gnosis lives in a fun, shifting balance/dance with tradition and structure." Branches of Light, June 2013 "Talking to the Spirits is a significant book. As the world changes the modern way of living fails more and more people, many are drawn to the old ways. This entails a new way of looking at the world and coming to an understanding of the Gods, how they communicate with us and how we can communicate with them." Robert Black, New Dawn, July 2013 "Talking to the Spirits: Personal Gnosis in Pagan Religion provides a fine survey of pagan spirituality and considers daily life, direct communication with the Gods, and how to ask Guides for assistance or teachings. From developing sensitivity to voices of the Divine to soliciting and understanding spiritual messages and understanding personal gnosis, this is a powerful survey on avoiding theological conflicts between Pagan groups and personal gnosis, and provides principles for seekers and groups alike. A 'must' for any new age spirituality holding!" Midwest Book Review, November 2013 "I would recommend this book to anyone interested in including more active spirit-work into their personal practice, or even to someone curious about how that might look. I don't think it can be a stand alone one-stop-shop for all things related to spirit contact, but combined with Diane Paxon's Trance-Portation2 or even some of Kaldera's earlier books, it a good foundation for not only working with the spirits, but working with what the spirits give you out in the world." Brian Walsh, Spiral Nature, November 2013