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TWPT:
Hello Thorn and welcome to TWPT's book spotlight. We are going
to be talking to you about your new book Evolutionary Witchcraft which
was released last week but could you give our readers a little history
of your journey along the Witchcraft path and what initially attracted you
to it.
T.
Coyle: Hello. I first
discovered Witchcraft when I was 13. Some friends had a kooky book, but we
couldn’t figure out how to find a temple who’s floor we could whitewash before
painting a nine foot pentagram on it! Then I got scared off for a few years,
finally starting to study at age 16. Like most Pagans, it felt like “coming
home.” The idea of animism and immanent deity was what I found most attractive.
Goddess In All Things made more sense to me than God Out There. Plus, a religion
that honored the body, sexuality and multiplicity was very appealing. I quickly
discovered ways into my own strength, which I needed badly.
TWPT:
What was it that inspired you to begin work on the project that
became your latest book Evolutionary Witchcraft?
T. Coyle: First of all, the work in the Anderson Feri Tradition has
been of such help to me, personally, that I wanted to pass it along. So I teach
a great deal, traveling throughout the country with occasional forays
abroad. I saw the effect this work had
on my students and I started getting more and more letters from people seeking
the same. I’ve always been a writer, and it made sense to address this hunger
by writing some of what I teach down in one place. Hence the book.
TWPT:
You mentioned early on in chapter 1 that you sought Cora
Anderson's blessing on the book, was she pleased with what you were proposing
to do with Evolutionary Witchcraft and did she have any input as to ways
the material might be presented?
T. Coyle: She has blessed both my teaching and the book, which means
a lot to me. But other than my inclusion of some of the teachings I’ve received
from she and Victor over time, she didn’t have any input in the book. Her
spirit is there, though.
TWPT:
In a high level view of Evolutionary Witchcraft could you tell
us what it is that you are attempting to cover in the material that you
present to the reader and how that material is broken down?
T. Coyle: In my teaching and writing, I take some of the tools and concepts
of Feri and applied them to the theory that we use only a fraction of our
capacity as humans. The tools I work with – the Iron and Pearl Pentacles, the
Black Heart of Innocence and the Triple Soul – all enable us to stretch
ourselves, to grow larger, stronger and more compassionate. They also enable us
to step more fully into our own Godhood. To me, this is both revolutionary and
evolutionary.
The book is set
up to follow the casting of the great sphere – my tradition works with above,
below and center along with the four cardinal directions. The work has some
entry points for beginners, but I really designed it for people who’ve been
working for some time and want to strengthen their foundation and grow from
there, learning new techniques, tools and concepts as well as re-committing to
their Craft. We start with invoking God Herself- the Star Goddess, move to
working with the blue Feri fire and then learn the important work of aligning
our souls and engaging in self-observation. From that point on, we visit the
various tools mentioned above, and tenets of the Feri tradition, such as not
coddling weakness, not submitting our life force and firmly recognizing that
“God is self, and self is God and God is a person like myself.” We plumb the
dark spaces below and traverse the astral planes above, then return to center,
to our connection to sex, love and life force, where all things begin and end.
TWPT:
Is it required for someone to have a deep understanding of the
Feri tradition to be able to make use of Evolutionary Witchcraft along
their own path even if that path is not a Feri one?
T.
Coyle: One of the reasons I felt free to write this book is that
many of the tools can be of help to anyone. I wish that everyone in the world,
regardless of belief system, would align their Triple Soul every day. We’d all
be much better off! One does not need to commit to Feri Tradition to use the
techniques in this book. My hope is that Witches, Pagans and Magicians will all
find some things they can incorporate into their current practices.
TWPT:
How difficult of a task is it for some to live in the here and
now of their spirituality and not in some distant place where a wished
for perfection lies? Does your book speak to the immanent nature of
Witchcraft in a 21st century world?
T.
Coyle: That is an excellent question. One reason that Witchcraft
is so powerful is that it is an embodied religion. We are seeking to become
more divine as humans, rather than transcend the human realm for the divine. We
can have it all, right now, if only we look for it. What is required of us is
attention, practice and open awareness. Witchcraft provides a way for us to
look at ourselves in light and darkness, or as a prayer from Feri Tradition
says to “know myself in all my parts.”
My book definitely addresses this question by showing how we can become
more fully aware of all our parts and step more firmly into our divinity. I
also try to address another important 21st century tenet – that of skepticism.
We can have experiences and base belief from those, but it is also important
for us to retain a questioning attitude. That keeps our practice and religion
fresh and evolving and keeps us from dropping bombs on people or flying
airplanes into buildings! This is not the path of the “true believer” but
rather, an experiential path of constant presence to the world and our place in
it. I think that is a healthy way to live.
TWPT:
How much of an influence were all of your spiritual journeys
into a variety of faiths on the writing of Evolutionary Witchcraft?
T.
Coyle: I drew upon some of my studies in Sufism and have been
particularly influenced by the work of mystic philosopher G. I. Gurdjieff. The
Sufi concept of “the drop that became the sea” was a helpful way for me to
engage the Pagan concept of “Thou Art Goddess” or the Feri tenet “God is self
and self is God and God is a person like myself.” And the Gurdjieff work was an important study
in the ways in which humans live as automatons, reactive and habitual. From
this, I re-visited the Feri tools and saw that they hold keys to our awareness,
and the possibility of our expansion as human beings. We can call back life
force, live vital, powerful lives and work in concert with our developed will.
TWPT:
Why is it, do you think, that Witchcraft is such a fast growing
religion and what is it about the other spiritual paths that folks are
leaving behind in search of something else?
T:
Coyle: Witches are not waiting for “someday” nor are we aspiring
to transcend our bodies and this earth. Witchcraft offers us connection, right
here and right now. The knowledge that our bodies are sacred, sex is holy and
the earth is alive are very appealing to people who may feel divorced from
their bodies or emotions and want to reconnect. Also, in these times of human
caused environmental devastation, people are waking up to the fact that
treating the earth as sacred is a better idea than treating it as a machine
devoid of life.
TWPT:
Your book appears to be aimed at the more mature practitioner
on the Craft path, for a reader who has this serious mindset and
approaches the book with a goal of drawing the wisdom from your words, what could
that person hope to achieve by reading and practicing the exercises
found in your book?
T.
Coyle: First of all,
there are tools in the book that are unique, such as the Rite of Unbinding life
force and the practices of Triple Soul alignment that are some of my core
practices. I think that the advanced
practitioner will find that her own work is helped immensely by these. There
are also in depth explorations of the Iron Pentacle which call back the
energies of Sex, Pride, Self, Power and Passion that, once activated, vibrate
up into the Pearl Pentacle points of Love, Law, Knowledge, Liberty and Wisdom.
Working with these pentacles is revolutionary.
The work also
focuses on building a consistent practical foundation for the exercise of our
Craft, which believe it or not, many in the community are missing. So they have
these intense spiritual experiences that just get eaten by their lives, because
there is no foundation to build anything upon.
TWPT:
There is one comment in your publicity material that caught my
attention. It says "The work is dangerous , for it transforms us. But if one
is willing to work diligently, there is no need to turn
away." What was it that you were trying to convey with that thought?
T. Coyle: My teacher, Victor Anderson, always said, “Anything
worthwhile is dangerous.” I have over time added the caveat “But not everything
dangerous is worthwhile!” But I truly believe that if my spiritual practice is
not dangerous to those parts of me that wish to remain small, trapped in habit
and fear, then it is not worth anything at all.
We must face the fear, embrace the danger, and walk toward change. This
is our only chance at evolution rather than devolution. Doing this work then
makes us dangerous to the status quo; it can upset relationships that are based
on lies or addiction, and it cuts through all the insecurity driven marketing
that controls so much of our dominant culture.
TWPT:
Evolutionary Witchcraft has not been out all that long but
have you had any feedback from your readers on the material at this point?
T. Coyle: The response has been gratifying. I’ve heard good reports
from people in my travels, and have received many emails from people all over
the country, as well as inquiries from places as diverse as Israel, Brazil
and New Zealand.
Some of the posts just say “thank you,” which is very nice.
TWPT:
As an author and teacher what would you want to see
accomplished in your reader's lives as a result of them having read your new book?
T.
Coyle: I would love
for people to expand more fully into their lives, to step into their power and
grace and to open up to their own divine natures.
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