Eight shadows in the looking glass,
Lie beyond the twilight time;
Let the unsaid terrors pass,
And hear my shadows rhyme.

The child of the shadow’s soul,
He tells a painful tale;

I am the Explorer. I come from the east. Behind me rises the sun of a new dawn that illuminates the day before us. Our journey awaits.

But first, look back. Look back into this morning, just before the dawn. Do you see when I was with you? When you first began to explore this new life? Your first steps; your first crawl…The spirit of the explorer was within in you. Before this, the moment of your birth. The first moment you began to explore this new life with your new senses. I was with you. And I will always be with you.

A young man was born into a tribe of warriors, though he, himself, was not one. This caused him much trouble, for the other youths in the tribe mocked and taunted him. Sometimes, they even beat him. Yet there was one among his peers who treated him well. The two became close friends, and developed a deep affection and love for each other. But this lover feared for himself, and denied their relationship when amongst the other youths. Try as he might, the young man did not have the skills to become a great warrior. He began to fear that the tribe would force him out as useless.

I am the Healer.

I bring rejuvenation to the wounded,
Relief to the sick, and transition to the immobile.
But I did not always have this power.
I was once mortal…

It started when my heart was broken.

Night is upon me. The spirits of death have gathered around. Soon, the wheel of life will turn and I will pass through the veil and become one of the Ancient ones.

I don’t fear this. Transition! I embrace it!

“All these receive their birth from other things, But from himself alone, the Phoenix springs”
— Ovid, Metamorphosis, First Century C.E.

There is a place where the Phoenix dwells. For seven thousand years, the devout of China have made offerings to this, one of the four celestial animals-spirits at the core of creation. He is said to reign over the South and his element is fire. He is the distillation of perfect light, Heaven’s grace, virtue, luck and happiness.

I am the bringer of Gnosis,
Parting the veils between the worlds.
Returning with the wisdom of the kindred.
I awaken you in initiation and teach you of the realms beyond,
Instructing in technology of spirit and mind.

See before you a large seven-circuit labyrinth, the type which is associated with the Greek Island of Crete and King Minos. Before walking a labyrinth it helps to be aware of five things: First, you will never get lost in a labyrinth for it is not a maze, there are no false turns or dead ends. Second, you must focus your attention, honor yourself and your fellow Brothers by choosing to be fully present on your journey. Third, know your intention for walking this labyrinth. What is it that you seek from this journey? Fourth, shed expectations of what you think should happen. Be open to the possibilities that are present in the moment. Last take stock of how you are feeling, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

I am strength, and I am wrath.
I am the passion of love on the battlefield and
The Face of Death to our enemies.
And though that face is of rage and fury,
You never need fear me, for I act solely out of love.

Ancient and Wise, Lord of the Tribe,
Slain by the scythe of Death.
Entombed eternal, not yet be.
The seed richly planted.

For from your loin, a beauty to behold
The Youth of Divinity springs forth.

I am Wonder
and I am eternal

For I am the Divine Youth
The Young Sun God coming forth in preparation for Spring
Within me lives the sight of a child
Through me beats the hearts of all men

For I am Ganymede

I am the embodiment of the Explorer.

I am a close friend of the Wonder around me, and I work within it, question it, and seek to make it manifest within my own destiny. I challenge the world around me as I learn from it, and it learns of me. I accept the responsibilities of adulthood – yet do not do so blindly. While taking risks and exploring my world, I accept no boundaries and dig to discover the infinite potential amongst all things.

I. The Divine Youth

At Yule the Elder welcomes death and the promise it brings of reunification with the universe. However, our god does not abandon us with a veiled promise of return some far off day.