Tigers Eye
Thur, 15 May 2003
When the question ‘how to find out the truth’ was first posed to one of my mailing lists, I tried to formulate a cogent response and the only thing I could think to say was Tigers Eye. Feeling that this wasn’t exactly the best of answers I tried to find a book in my collection that could help. I was surprised to find that many of the “classic” texts for Wicca/Paganism did not include any spell workings for Truth. Most did not talk about it and references to herbs, minerals, deities etc… were scarce. I continued to think about the question and could only come up with more questions:
1. Are you looking for self-truth?
2. Are you looking for truth in your dreams?
3. Are you trying to get other people to tell you the truth?
4. Are you hoping to be able to tell when people are lying?
5. Are you trying to discern truth in the stuff that you read?
6. Are you trying to find truth in your craft?
I have continued to wrestle with the question of truth and have finally found some answers for myself. First, though I thought I should define truth.
A Definition of Truth according to Dictionary.com:
truth (tr th)
n. pl. truths (tr thz, tr ths)
Conformity to fact or actuality.
A statement proven to be or accepted as true.
Sincerity; integrity.
Fidelity to an original or standard.
Reality; actuality.
often Truth That which is considered to be the supreme reality and to have the ultimate meaning and value of existence.”
Therefore, our search for truth encompasses not just honesty, but sincerity, timeless qualities, reality, actuality, and fact. This definition of Truth opens up a lot of different options for spell workings.
Relating to Truth
I relate to the world in many ways. Each of these ways intersects with Truth.
Physical Truth
Are my physical senses giving me authentic or real information about myself and the world around me or have I been conditioned to ignore what it is saying? The body knows truth that our conscious self does not. If we do not listen to that truth the problems get worse. For instance, headaches are usually a symptom of something else wrong with the body. I have been having frequent stress related headaches. If I treat the symptoms with various analgesics the pain will go away temporarily. Continued stress could lead to other difficulties like ulcers, illness etc… In fact, I was out with a serious flu bug for a week recently. It was then that I realized that I had not been listening to my body and de-stressing. Listening to what your body says is a way to learn truth about yourself.
Are the objects (house, furniture, clothes, stuff) in my life true to what I need/want/accept about myself? Are objects manifestations of self? Is our society so geared to having objects that we do not see their transitory nature? I have no words of wisdom here, only questions. I feel that our physical environments are important. I feel that mine should be clean and peaceful. It doesn’t have to be fancy or “done” it just has to be mine.
Is my job supporting my efforts to live in a truthful manner? Am I comfortable with what I’m selling/doing? In my job, am I, as Leroy Eldridge Cleaver said “Part of the solution or part of the problem”?
Am I doing right by the environment? If I am in an area of the country where recycling is an option am I doing it? Am I reducing the amount of water I use? Composting? What are the truths of living in the physical world that I do not own up to? And conversely, what am I doing well. If the reality of our environment is that of finite resources, what am I doing with that truth?
Turquoise
Social Truth
Am I honest and truthful in my interactions with others? Do I have a series of masks that I use to keep others from seeing the truth? I know we all have masks, but how closely do our masks represent ourselves? I definitely have a “work mask” that I use, a professionalism that keeps people at a narrow distance. I’d like to believe that the mask is an honest one; it displays certain facets of my personality to their best advantage and to my fiscal advantage. The use of masks is more benign than outright lies or falsehoods that we might use in our lives. How much time do we spend telling tales?
Are others truthful and honest with me? Am I gullible or culpable in believing what others say? Isn’t it okay to maintain a degree of gullibility in order to retain innocence? Is cynicism the goal? Do I associate with or befriend those types of people who would harm me on a regular basis? These are questions that must be answered individually. If you see a pattern, go get help! Everyone will run into chronic liars or tale-tellers. Some are more genial and harmless than others.
Emotional Truth
Emotional honesty is a difficult question to wrestle with. When are we authentically experiencing an emotion and when aren’t we and how can we tell the difference. An inauthentic moment would be when we are watching a sad show and get sad. The movie is playing to our emotions and we are sad about what we are watching, but the emotion is generated by something (frequently fictional and contrived) outside of ourselves. Some could argue that we are experiencing an authentic emotion from an outside stimulus.
There is a philosophy that anger is a secondary emotion caused by fear or frustration. Are we then authentic when we are angry? This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get angry, but that we should know the root cause. What caused the fear or frustration? Do you believe this? Please remember these are MY thoughts and you do not have to agree.
How do you tell when you’re in love? For me, it is a difficult question that cannot be answered with logic and words. I know when I’m in love because I know.
How do you feel right now?
Intellectual/Mental Truth
How much rationalization/delusion goes into my daily life? This is the big question I ask myself all the time. All the others fall under this umbrella. For if I am deluding or rationalizing about what is true or false then I can ignore the body’s pain, the emotional discomfort and the social niceties. Am I being honest with myself?
Am I using all of my brain? Am I still learning? How much of what I read do I believe? Have I learned the critical thinking skills necessary to effectively work my way through the piles of books I want to read?
Quartz Crystal Cluster
Spiritual/Creative Truth
Am I being honest in my spiritual life? I think we must ask why we have chosen the spiritual path we are on. If there is discomfort, what is causing it? Are we stagnating, learning, growing, working, and/or coasting? Where are we on our spiritual quests?
Have I done the groundwork that will facilitate the acquisition of knowledge via spiritual means?
Am I using my creative gifts in a positive fashion? Do I know what those gifts are? I feel that creativity and spirituality are closely tied to each other and so, have put them together here.
Psychic Truth
Are my dreams telling me things that I do not want to listen to, and therefore ignore? Do I get premonitions, intuitions or other signals that are ignored? Have I learned how to differentiate between a real intuition or premonition and a delusional one?
I feel that psychic, spiritual, emotional and intellectual/mental are all tied up together. Each area can affect the other for good or ill. Careful attention to yourself and what is going on in all of these areas are important.
Remember most of the time the truth is inside of you. You may need to talk to someone, a friend or family member. Sometimes you need to find the inner truth by talking to a counselor or therapist. Prayer and divination can also provide truth. It depends on how complicated the problem is. Be certain to use all avenues of problem solving when pursuing the truth.
Useful Spell Ingredients for Truth
Maat
Stones
- Tiger’s Eye – representing the third eye-clairvoyance
- Turquoise – communication
- Amethyst – clairvoyance
- Clear quartz – (quartz is good for everything, it adds a boost to whatever working you want to do.)
Herbs
- Basil – clairvoyance
- Bay – clairvoyance
- Eyebright – seeking truth, clairvoyance
- Marigold – protection, prophetic dreams, legal matters, psychic powers
- Bluebell – luck, truth, constancy, strength
Oil
- Truth Oil from pagan shop, or oil infused with one of the herbs/flowers listed below
Colors
- Purple – finding hidden knowledge, spiritual power
- White – all purpose, but especially good for purification, protection, and truth
- Blue – truth in communication
Bay Leaf Wreath
Day of the Week
- Sunday, to see things clearly, bring them into the light
Goddesses of Truth
- Celtic – Epona
- Egyptian – Maat
- Greek & Roman – Vesta & Hestia
- Hindu – Lakshmi
- Irish – Morrigan
- Native American – White Buffalo Calf Woman (Lakota)
- Tibetan – rDo-rje-rnal-hbyor-ma, Lady Truth
Gods of Truth
- Egyptian – Thoth
- Egyptain – Anubis
- Greek – Apollo
- Hindu – Ganesha
- Persian – Asha vahishta
- Roman – Jupiter
- Santería – Shangó
What I’ve Done/Used
In general my very first answer is the one I use most frequently—Tiger’s eye. I have a tiger’s eye pendant and I believe it helps me discern the truth when others are talking. A beautifully striated piece of amethyst would probably work just as well. Maybe it works because I’m just more aware of the nuances of what someone is saying. All I know for certain is that it does work for me. I wear it at work a lot, particularly during the time I had a particularly difficult boss. To find the truth in situations or from my inner self, I use the Tarot, pendulum or muscle testing also called Neural Kinesiology/Autonomic Response Testing. Divination methods are limited and they do not give the complete picture of a situation. Use your head. If you think you are living falsely or are being told untruths, then you probably are.
Hugs
Lirala
Lirala's Letters 