© 2002, Frances Billinghurst (Published in "Insight" magazine, August 2002)

At this time of the year, as the cold throes of Winter are being experienced, most of us feel reluctant to venture out of doors and face the elements. But no matter how cold it may be, there is a glimmer of hope that Spring is on its way. The shortest day of the year, Mid Winter solstice, (or Yule as many Pagans prefer to call it) has passed, and the next festival on the Pagan calendar is Imbolg, which marks the beginning of Spring. In the Southern Hemisphere, this festival is usually celebrated around 31 July.

The darker months of the year, however, hold relevance within occult thought. While we may enter into our own form of self-hibernation, we can use this time to focus inwardly on ourselves and our own chosen spiritual path. Such a journey is similar to the descent of the ancient Sumerian Goddess Inanna who journeys into the Underworld to meet her twin sister, or darker self, Ereshkigal. In Greek myths, this descent is reflected in the story of Kore, who is abducted by the king of the Underworld, Hades, and becomes Persephone, its Queen. The Underworld, in this context, should not be assimilated to the Christian "hell". Instead, it is the place where the deeper spiritual teachings are offered to those who are willing to undertake the journey, and it is through such teachings that we discover more about our true nature - that side of us which we may do not acknowledge out of fear of it not being "socially acceptable".

When we walk any spiritual path, one of the first challenges which often presents itself to us are things of our past. In undertaking an underworld journey, we gain better knowledge as to why such actions or thoughts are important in our learning. I personally perceive that all experiences in life, the good and the bad, have lessons for me - and it is up to me to understand why such instances happened, and what I can learn from them. Sometimes things happen without any direct implication on our part. Such instances can be viewed as "Divine intervention", or even spiritual "wake up calls". Such calls are usually not pleasant, but they force us to stop and take stock of what we are doing and whether we are heading in the direction our soul, or inner being, is trying to guide us.

As the natural energies wind down during Winter, we are given the opportunity to do this stock take naturally. Today we are surrounded by a number of differing ways we can use to understand the essence of our soul - meditation, divination, or even journal writing are just a few of these techniques. In doing so, it is not uncommon to experience significant changes which, like the bulbs of Spring flowers, we can plant and leave dormant until we feel more clear about the actions or directions we desire to take.

Life is about recognising the opportunities when they present themselves to us. Sometimes we need to look beyond the comfortable niche we have carved out for ourselves, and picture ourselves in the future - where do we see ourselves, and is this exactly where we wish to be? If we do this honestly, we can come to the realisation that what we may have been comfortable with, is not the direction we truly desire to be heading. In making drastic changes in life, we can find ourselves going against the "social norms". But what we should always keep in mind is that our lives are exactly that - the lives which we set to live ourselves.

Underworld Journey

I would now like to share with you a short pathworking, or guided meditation, that may help you enter your own Underworld to discover what is waiting there for you. As with all such workings, it is important that you choose a time and place when you will not be disturbed for about 30 minutes.

Begin by sitting in a comfortable position and relax yourself. I find that taking a number of slow, deep breaths helps relax both the body and mind. When you are ready, visualise yourself standing before a cave entrance. It is night time and the sky is filled with stars. Around you are the outlines of trees and rocks, however you are unable to see anything clearly in the darkness. Take a few minutes to absorb your surroundings before entering the cave.

Inside the cave, it is pitch black, however, the sides and floor are smooth. As your eyes accustom to the darkness, you are able to make you way quite easily by touching the walls on either side of you. Despite the darkness, you have a sense of security. As you make your way through the gradual twists and turns of the cave, you are conscious that you are gradually descending deep within the earth. Notice the sensations that come to you.

Gradually you notice it is getting lighter as you are able to make out the contours of the walls. It is as if the walls themselves are lighting your way, guiding you onwards. Take time to absorb all that you can see of your surroundings before moving slowly downwards into the heart of the Earth.

Ahead of you there is a distinct bend in the cave, and around the corner, you see a wondrous light issuing forth, exposing a grotto of exquisite beauty. Observe what you see and what or who is waiting there for you. You may discover an ancient book which may reveal an answer to a problem you have been seeking. There may be an animal or person waiting to aid you in your own spiritual quest. Spend time reading the book, or communicating with the animal or person, remembering that not all messages will be conveyed in spoken form. Take special note of any symbols or objects that may present themselves to you.

When you are ready, give thanks for what has been shown to you, even if you may not understand it at this very moment - over time, its message or significance will become clear. Make your way back to the entrance of the cave, and back into normal consciousness.

In esoteric teachings it is often said that the road of the soul is a bumpy road. It can also be isolated and lonely at times while we came to terms of the essence of what we are meant to be doing. We are all spiritual beings, but not all of us are aware of this fact, nor do we all fully understand what this means. Working in the esoteric or magickal realms, at whatever level, calls for a lot of self-analysis as we strive to understand our true self, the soul. But there are always rewards to be gained for such work, even if they are not recognisable at the time, but only when we look back over the journey each of us has made.

As the days progress, we will notice that Sun's power getting gradually stronger as it wakes us that little bit earlier in the morning, and dusk does not come as quickly. Tender shoots start to appear from the hard, cold ground, and we find our spirits lifting as we know that Spring is on its way.