Spiritual Alchemy: Scrying, Spirit Communication, and Alchemical Wisdom - Jenny Tyson 2016
Understanding Shadows
Practical Applications
I would like to share a few more thoughts on shadows, also called thought forms. A shadow is a spirit or a fragment of a spirit that takes on a kind of autonomous life. It is created by human thought, belief, and emotion. When created by a group of people, such a thought-form is called an egregore.
A NOTE FROM DONALD
One of Jenny’s greatest personal revelations during her ritual ordeal was an understanding that negative or malicious spirits have no actual existence but are merely shadows or thought forms created unconsciously by the thoughts and emotions of human beings. Being shadows without reality or substance, they are not, in themselves, of any importance. They cannot directly hurt living human beings. Shadows can only cause harm to those who think they are real and who act on the thought forms’ sly and hateful words or who become frightened by their monstrous forms and grotesque faces.
This understanding, once it is grasped with a totality of one’s being, renders all demons and evil spirits completely powerless. It is the summit of realization of such transformative ordeals as the alchemical ritual Jenny went through, the Tibetan cutting-off ritual I described earlier, and even of the lengthy ritual process described in the grimoire known as The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, which is for attaining personal communication with one’s holy guardian angel. It is at the apex of all such ritual rites of passage that have their origins in the initiatory ordeal of the shaman.
A true understanding that the shadows plaguing us all are unreal can only be grasped in its totality by successfully completing an initiatory ordeal like the one Jenny endured, but it is possible for those of us who have not passed through such a rite to understand this truth in a more superficial and intellectual manner.
The source of creation is light. All reality is of this source and is light. All else is darkness and unreal, no matter how tangible or material it may appear to our senses. The human senses can easily be deceived by spirits. We sometimes feel their touch, even though they have no bodies with which to touch us. We hear their voices speaking, in spite of their lack of vocal organs. We see them, but they are without substance and could not possibly reflect light into our eyes.
This ability to deceive our senses is responsible for all the confusion about whether spirits and spiritual creatures are physical or non-physical. In ancient times it was the natural assumption that the senses did not lie and that if a spirit could touch us, it must be physically present in some way. This is why the Egyptians thought their ghosts were the actual corpses of the dead risen from their graves. We see the same fallacy in the old belief that vampires and werewolves have physical bodies. On the contrary, they are purely spiritual creatures, but they have the ability to make themselves appear physical to our senses.
So it is with demons. They can project themselves into our awareness with such force that they seem completely physical, yet they are spiritual only, and more than this, they are shadows that have no reality, since they lack the light of the supreme creative source Jenny chooses to call the Cosmic Father in this book. A shadow is an outline formed where light is obstructed. It is the light defining the shadow that has reality. The shadow appears to be something but is nothing.
—Donald Tyson
HOW SHADOWS ARE GENERATED
There is no way to avoid the phenomenon of shadows and thought forms. I don’t think that eliminating them is possible. Although the intrusion of the shadows diminishes after initiation, hard work is still required to control their development. They are a fact of life for a medium or psychic, and steps to cope with their development have to be taken.
Shadows will be heard over the spirit box and while scrying; it’s important that you keep this in mind. The truth conveyed by the spirits is often mixed with the fantasy and imagination of the operator. Understanding this in the beginning can save you quite a bit of grief and upset.
If you look at videos of ghost hunters on the Internet, you will find quite a few clips of threatening entities projecting through the radios or spirit communication boards. Watch the operators, and you will notice that when they are afraid of what they will encounter, their fear will reinforce the hostility of the entities. The vast majority of the malevolent entities out there are, in fact, generated by the people who are acting as mediums without knowing it. A haunting is caused from an expectation that develops that there will be a malevolent presence in a particular place. It becomes a vicious cycle that worsens when the fear of one person reinforces the fear of another.
PERCEIVING THE PRESENCE
OF A SHADOW
In any kind of spirit work, understanding the nature of the spirit you are interacting with is one of the keys to perceptive discernment. Observe how the spirit in question relates to you. Shadows are focused on the medium who generates them. This means that whatever the shadow says to you will be reflected in your conscious and subconscious mind. Spirits outside your sphere may also reflect your beliefs, but some of the content will not.
The shadows also will tend to follow and reinforce the mood you are in that day. If you are worried about something, the shadow will try to reinforce your concern about that situation. A spirit who is benevolent will always try to point you toward divine love and peace. They will always try to heal negative emotions. Shadows may attempt to heal, but when they touch you, nothing happens or there is a mild physical sensation that does nothing to help you or reveal the source of your negative emotions.
Practically speaking, when doing spirit communication sessions, understand that the character of the heavenly parents is benevolent. Anything outside that character you happen to contact is your own shadow. If you receive malicious communications through the spirit box, communication board, or through clairaudience, stop the communication and pray. Read or listen to something uplifting and positive before you resume the work. If you need to leave off for a few hours and return, that is fine, but learn to overcome this problem as early in the process as you can.
COPING WITH FEARS
In the kind of scrying and communication work described in this book, fears need to be faced and overcome. If the operator interrupts regular practice because of a fearful experience, it is possible to be haunted by that shadow even after the work is discontinued. You cannot bury your fears in this kind of work. They will come out and be a troublesome presence if they are not dealt with by opening the heart and breaking their illusory hold on you. If this is not done during your lifetime, it will have to be dealt with in the afterlife. It is much easier to learn about what fear is and how it affects the experience of spiritual interaction while still inhabiting a body that somewhat shelters you from the shadows your fear will generate. Your body is not designed to perceive the world of the spirit as its primary focus. It is attuned to the physical plane, and because of that, your perception of the nonphysical is limited and requires shifting your attention to perceive.
Everyone I have ever met who does this kind of activity has had a scary experience. The saying about “if you fall off the horse, get back in the saddle” holds true, I believe, for these experiences. If I had given in to my own fears during the first few weeks of working with Edward or during the initiation, I would have missed some really wonderful things. Fears are a part of human nature, and overcoming them is one of the challenges we all face.
Learning to focus and control thought patterns and face personal fears are important parts of the preparation. Understand that when you face these difficulties, you will be supported and helped at all times by divine spirits. All you have to do is ask for help. Help will always be there. Your focus should be on the Divine. This focus will help direct you in such a way that the cause of the fears that are manifesting will be revealed and the emotions underlying them will be healed. Any time fearful shadows appear, there is a need for healing.
Negative entities, regardless of origin, feed on attention, fears, and upsetting emotions. If these are not present, the entity has nothing to hold on to and will go elsewhere or, in the case of a self-generated shadow, perish. Practically speaking, even if there were a negative entity, the cure for this trouble is identical to handling a shadow. It is no different, nor is it more difficult. Even if you cannot shake off the belief in negative entities, coping will be the same and it is just as effective. I do not believe that self-sustaining negative entities exist; I am, however, sympathetic to those caught in that belief trap. I was once caught in that trap and had to find my way out.
PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONS
Physical manifestations are possible with any kind of spiritual activity. You must, as a spirit communicator, understand that any manifestations are a result of your mediumistic channeling. Everyone has these channels, and everyone has the potential to produce these physical manifestations. You have the power to shut down that channel if you feel uncomfortable with the manifestations that are occurring.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help from Cosmic Father or Universe if you need it. Physical manifestation can create a vicious circle of increasing fear and multiplying phenomena. The fear must be eliminated to break this cycle. By understanding what shadows are and recognizing your power over them, you can control these physical manifestations.
Edward: This commentary is on shadows, or thought forms, which Jenny encountered frequently and struggled with a great deal during her journey to initiation and afterwards. This is the most difficult obstacle to overcome in esoteric and spiritual work during a person’s lifetime, as well as after the person crosses back over to the land of the spirit. I feel that this subject is very important to cover in this book as it affects every one of us. It also influenced my work with Dr. Dee. Everything covered in the Enochian diaries was affected by these self-generated shadows. I regret much of what happened during that lifetime with him. But subsequently, I have learned a great deal about this thanks to a caring friend and others whom you do not know, who have enlightened me as to the nature of these appearances and voices that I saw as a medium through my lifetime.
A shadow form is thought which has taken on a life of its own. Its purpose is to enforce the beliefs and the thoughts of the person who is generating it. It serves no purpose other than that. However, such forms can be harnessed and used for the purposes of the person who is generating them. Such is the homunculus—it is a form which has been given structure and purpose.
Every thought form can be created or destroyed only by the person who is generating it to begin with. It is of that person and part of them as much as an arm or a leg is a part of a person’s physical body. The thought form which has been created can be eliminated from within. It feeds on the energy of the emotion that created it. If the emotion is taken away from it, it will die of starvation. The energy returns to the person who generated it to begin with.
This is a natural process that happens to everyone on a daily basis. If there are fears either in the conscious mind or the subconscious mind, they will generate scary thought forms. If there is love and joy in the mind or the subconscious mind of the person, the thought form will be one which reflects these emotions. Likewise, if the person is lustful, the thought form will be sexual in nature. It is human nature to create all kinds of different thought forms, and these are what surround you at all times like a cloud.
I think the only remedy is derived from the Father, creator of all, who himself is truth and banishes anything that is deceitful. He is perfect in his remedy. In unity with him we have our only chance of freedom from such invasion.
I believe there is no trouble under heaven which is more challenging than these shadows. They are a mental measure of the content of the person’s mind and spirit. When you encounter them you may not know what they are. There are several ways I can recommend as a medium to discern their presence. First, they resemble the inward content of the medium. Second, they are out of perfect harmony with the nature of the Father. Third, the content of their message is not accurate. Finally, they are focused on the medium instead of the Father. That is the best information I can give you as a professional medium.
BREAK AND RESUME METHOD
OF SHADOW DISSIPATION
Taking a break when a session is going in the wrong direction is an essential part of learning to interact with spirits. The length of the break may vary according to need. I would advise you to try short breaks of an hour or so, and if that does not clear up the problem, then take a longer break. Meditation and self-examination should be done during the break, as well as refocusing the mind.
The following are examples of when to take a break during a spirit communication session. The technique of “break and resume” applies both to the spirit communication board method as well as electronic spirit communication. Removing your focus from the session will starve the shadow of energy. It is important to completely redirect your focus away from the communication, the spirit, and the session. In the beginning Edward would have me break for days at a time to maintain control of the sessions. It was, for me, a tedious process. I did not want to take breaks in the beginning, yet without them I would have heard all kinds of shadow messages and probably had an experience unpleasant enough to destroy my ability to have sessions.
1: Malicious Messages
Messages that are threatening or accusing in nature are the result of shadow generation. Benevolent spirits never do this. They are careful and gentle in their responses. Even if a correction has to be made, it is done with great care and concern for your well-being. Anytime you receive threatening or accusing messages, the cycle needs to be broken. This will help you train your focus.
2: Confusion
If you feel confused or unsure of what the message is, taking a break will usually help things to be more clear when you return.
3. Fatigue
It’s best to stop a session before you become too fatigued. A tired mind tends to get off-track and may lead to an unpleasant experience.
4. Fear
If you become anxious, then take a break until you can resolve the anxiety. Fear generates shadows and makes it difficult for a benevolent spirit to communicate with you. Shadow generation can happen in the space of time needed to form a complete sentence. If you do not break when you become anxious, you are opening yourself up to an unpleasant experience.
5. Instruction from the Spirit
Divine spirits can easily see when things are starting to go in an undesirable direction. Edward would cut off the session before I was aware that there was an issue with shadows developing. This can be a little frustrating at times. Having trust in the spirit you are working with is very important.
Banishing
If you are dealing with a shadow, regardless of the communication method you are using, banishing is not recommended. You cannot banish yourself. Banishing has the effect of making the shadow hostile and more powerful. This is because the shadow feeds off the attention given to it. When you banish, you are giving attention to the shadow.
This is what happened when I tried to invoke Michael during the year of training. My invocation to the angel reinforced the shadow and made the overall problem worse.
Universe is always present when you make the attempt to communicate. The only obstacles to that communication are your beliefs and your mental and emotional state. If you realize that you are communicating with a shadow, put the board and other equipment away without comment or thought, and try later.