In the field of magick, we have a plethora of practices and systems to approach. Sometimes you’re brought into a system or school by people in your life. Sometimes something just calls to you or falls in your lap. We hear about walking the path, but people can get lost just trying to find the right path for them. They come across new ponds to put their toes in, but it doesn’t feel like it quite clicks. They try and give up, looking at the vast land before them, not knowing where to go. They’re looking for their true north and often are throwing themselves at a wall, bloodying their face.

True north equates to the North Star. It is your guiding light to take you home. Your true north is uniquely tailored just for you, something deeply inherent and the very fabric of your real essence. It is one thing to look for it and finally lock eyes with it beyond the clouds. It’s an entirely different thing to travel there. This star is in the heavens and your feet are on the ground. So what do you do? You have to walk the labyrinth.

The labyrinth is the spiral that takes you from where you currently are to the core and heart of your true north. It is the journey home, and a journey indeed it is. While there may be meditations and practices where you can arrive there in the blink of an eye, provided you are in the right state in any given moment, for most of us it is a long, arduous journey. Even after monks reach enlightenment, they still chop wood and carry water. Even after we find our supreme treasure, we still abide in the flesh and must navigate existence in the material plane. We are on the path to find it and bring it into our lives.

To approach the inner labyrinth, finding the right framework to begin with will grant you endurance, perspective and a spring in your step.

First, understand that walking the path to your true north includes twists and turns. When you go around that bend, you might not know what’s around the corner. It could be someone giving you flowers or challenging you to a duel. Be prepared for and anticipate the unexpected, ready to receive and engage with whatever presents itself. Just as labyrinths have dead ends, you might have to turn around at some point and try another direction. It’s just part of the journey.

Second, understand that the labyrinth is a transformation chamber. You’ll be changed. You’ll have to discern. You’ll go through trials and tribulations to gain experience and insight. You’ll also have delightful discoveries! It is by this you load your magickal tool kit. This is valuable. These tools gained will continue to serve your navigation, embodiment and growth. Appreciate and cultivate them.

Third, and where many people fall off, is you need to remain committed to the destination. Whatever your true north looks like to you, there’s bound to be goblins and ghosts along the way. It’s just part of the Hero’s Journey. Upon first encounter, that’s when some people scream and run out of the labyrinth. Just because the first bend upon entry has a troll with a battle axe waiting for you doesn’t mean that’s all you’ll ever encounter. There could be a genii at the next bend. Your labryinth may have extended smooth sailing. Your labryinth may break you and bring you to your knees. This isn’t to say that one should throw themselves into danger or not look after their wellbeing. Be prudent, but just as in normal life we may find ourselves in unavoidable difficulties, it may be the same for your inner journey. If you are ever fixed on your true north, do not let hinderances discourage you. Where there’s a will there’s a way, and one saying I like is, “God doesn’t give you anything you can’t handle.” Even if you don’t think you can handle it at the time, by endurance and resilience you shall. Adapt and recalibrate as needed, and carry on.

Lastly, remember to be present and find the joy in it all. Life is temporary. Your journey is temporary, even it seems or has been many lifetimes over. Moments will come where you look back and you see the immense value in all you’ve experienced. You’ll note how they shaped you and led you to who you are and where you need to be. That your journey is perfectly tailored for you, meeting you where you are in each step, even if it doesn’t seem like it for long periods of time. It may take a while to cultivate that realization, but it’s there. When you integrate this last step, you’ll find your true north is already and always has been with you.

I have already arrived for I never departed.

-Note to self, July 2020.