“Golden bright mystic light piercing the bowl of night
Draw down the Light
Draw down the Star of Opening
Welcome you, limitless
Light in Extension”
These lyrics from Song of Tiphareth pretty much sum up what I experienced this weekend at T. Thorn Coyle’s Self Possession workshop. The weekend began with a night of drumming, journeying and community. We moved through a powerful weekend and reached into the depths of our being. So, before I get into the details of what I learned, let’s take a trip backwards in time.
At the beginning of this year like many others I faced a lot of upheaval. I felt like the I was a bad puppy and my universe was just slapping me around with the Sunday edition of the Washington Post. At times I felt like I was doing nothing more than spinning my wheels. At worst, I felt like moving to some mountain and just retreating away from the world. This can be especially tough for those of us that are not only spiritual, but we “do spirituality” for a living. I love my work and the connections that I have with those around me, but even that was feeling draining. Now, I’m no stranger to Thorn’s work. My partner David talks about her constantly, and has been to several of her workshops. I’ve had a copy of Kissing the Limitless lying around for about a year. I’d open it on occasion and flip through, connected with some of it here and there, but never really took on the work it was asking of me. In DC we have been fortunate enough to finally have a Pagan community Center come into full manifestation. David thought it would be great to have Thorn come in for a workshop. I tossed out there, that if she did the Self Possession workshop that I would think about going. So, time passed and the schedule was set. More upheaval set in, and David offered to help cover the cost of the class if I would go. So, it seemed the universe was doing everything but driving me to the front door and I took this as a sign to go.
So, why all the back story? It is when we are at a moment of defeat, when we finally surrender that we can enter into a state of grace. When we have no other choice but to let go, that the universe aligns every thing for us to come out of that dark night of the soul. I am fortunate that I have wonderful people in my life.
The first thing you notice about Thorn is her presence. Her energy is intense, as it has to be for the work that she does. When opening and aligning the souls of others you become a torch that ignites those around you through just your 
very being. They are the teachers that have actually done the work, they wear their humble nature like a cloak and through them we see that the journey is possible. I also noticed her tattoos, and honestly it was nice to not be the only mega tattooed person in the room.
The process of soul possession is about coming into alignment with those sometimes fragmented pieces of ourselves. To love our life not only for the joys, but for the struggles. That we can connect to our innate divine nature through unbinding the energetic anchors we hold onto. Thorn leads the class in a very intuitive fashion. You can see and feel her listening to the soul of the class and this allows her to give our group exactly what we need to facilitate growth. We created Soul Timelines, danced, drummed, chanted, and found little pieces of ourselves that we have forgotten to hug. I am not going to go into every detail from the weekend, as I am still processing much of what I learned. I can honestly say that this weekend changed my life. I am more awake and away that I have been in a long time. My first awakening came from learning the PAT (Perceptive Awareness Technique) from my Spiritual Mom Susan Zummo. I am going to write a blog about that experience soon. The other part that I loved about this weekend was the community that formed through the experience. You do not often see people taking on deeper soul level work. Working through the soul’s energy tends to take us into the deeper, sometimes tougher lessons. Our group was made up of community leaders, practitioners, healers, and seekers. I felt sad when the weekend was over, but know that as we all go out into our respective communities that we take something new back to facilitate an igniting of that soul energy. We are now the torches for our communities and it is time to do this great work.
The teacher is that person just a few more steps down the road than we are, showing us that it is possible as long as we keep moving, breathing, and connecting. I offer thanks and appreciation to all of my teachers, those that are known and unknown, the ones that are of this energetic realm and beyond.
The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called “truth.” ~Dan Rather
For more information on T. Thorn Coyle and her upcoming events, please visit her website at:
www.thorncoyle.com
You can also sign up for online video classes and discussion at:
www.thorncole.com/fiat-lvx
Also consider supporting her Solar Cross Temple. They do a lot of great work in the Pagan Community: Pagan elder care, prison ministry, environmental work, work with the poor and the homeless. Consider making a donation to help keep this important work moving forward.
www.thorncoyle.com/solar-cross
Michael A. Brazell CFT CSN MAT PAT
www.michaelbrazell.com
michael@michaelbrazell.com
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ritual you have never tried? Having something to drive towards is our first step in moving towards growth, the next step is growing into new roles within your practice, community, or connection. Students eventually become teachers, teachers become mentors, and we move into greater states of connection and learning. As our practice evolves, it is up to us to also evolve and to grow. We have to reach our arms up towards divinity and let the light move us forward into greater states of movement. When we grow, we make space for those coming down the road behind us to step into new position.
Movement + Ritual + Grief Care 