Pretty much anyone who has studied magick or witchcraft has come across the saying “As Above; So Below. As Within, So Without”- This is a powerful spiritual statement, when it is said you can feel it ressonate deep witihin your soul. But, what exacltly is it talking about? This is an explanation of the relationship betwen the microcosm (your self, in this example) and the macrocosm (the whole of the Iniverse outside of your self).
I have a good friend that relates Tarot and many other things as mirrors and this is the best way to think about this. The macrocosm mirrors the microcosm and, vice versa. “That’s a great theory” you may say “but what does it mean for me?”
First off. it is a way to undersrtand the world from a magical point of view, which can have an amazingly powerful effect on our view of self, if we seriously contemplate this as we go about our days. When you go outside and wonder at the trees and the clouds and all the beauty that nature provides use this “As Within; So Without” as a reminder to take a moment to ask yourself what in you mirros this external world? What inside yourself causes wonder? What about you is growing and blooming like the trees and flowers around you? What about you is strong and awe inspiring like the mountains; where are you steadfast? On a quiet snowy night, looking out a window watching the puffy white flakes drift slowly to the ground, ask yourself: What within me is still and gentle?
By doing this you begin to appreciate all of your parts and you begin to understand your connection to the world around you. This line of thought and self examination can help you to see that you, all of you is complex and beautiful, just as worthy of praise and a witness to wonder at the awesomeness that exists as any color infused landscape that you look at.
The second thing that “As Above, So Below. As Within, so Without” can do for us is existing as a framework, a map if you will, to help us with creating magick. Once we understand that a microcosm mirrors a macrocosm, we begin to understand how magick and ritual work as well. (this is where the geomancy of an altar or Tarot reading come into play, but that is a whole different topic and one I will explore later) Our eyes are open to different methods of working magick. One of my famorite alternative methods to working magick is one that may make other people internally groan. CLEANING.
Yes, you read that correctly, I did say CLEANING was a form of magick. I use cleaning as a form of sympathetic magick. I turn to cleaning when my thoughts are disorganized and unclear. Using the idea of “As Witihin; So Without” and paying attention to our surroundings, we may well see a correlation between our thoughts and our emotions and our enviroment. Our houses are a sanctuary for us and our family members, because of this many times our house is a mirror of what is going on inside of us. In fact, there is a whole tradition of witchcraft based on this idea, and again this is a topic for another time, which I will address. I am trying to stay on topic here.
When my thoughts are not clear, when I feel unfocused I begin cleaning. I light a candle and say a prayer to Frigga (my patron Goddess and incidentally, one of her realms of influence is household management), then I get to work. I sweep, I mop, I dust. I go through my house and remove clutter, things I have tucked in corners and avoided dealing with, I finally deal with it. As I do this I find all the extraneous things that hover over me daily, begin to fade away. By saying the prayer first I have focused my attention; through this, through this act of cleaning, I learn how to focus and be in the moment, this aids me in clearing my thoughts. Furthermore, I get to enjoy a space that is free of clutter, and the satisfaction of a job started and completed.
Sometimes, magick is not the act itself, or what the result is, it is the process, what leassons you learn in the doing of it. That is one of the ways sympathetic magick works. The clearing of my thoughts as I clean my house is the perfect example of the microcosm mirroring the macrocosm. As the space within my personal residence becomes clear, so does my inner world. As my inner world becomes clear I am more energized and able to continue clearing my personal space. This making of clear space allows new things and energy to flow into our lives. This small mundane act, done with intention and focus will ripple outwards, in some cases in ways we never imagined.
Dear readers, please ask yourself: Where in your world have you seen ” As Aboce; So Below. As Within: So Without” in action? What places in your life could you put this axiom into play? Contemplate this and please share with us what it means to you, what you feel you can do with it, and how you see it in your life.
The Frith Wytch 