Tarot Alkhemy

Did I strike a nerve? Good. Because we need to have this conversation.

Being qualified and/or called are terms that are not mutually exclusive. Spirit brought this (once again) to my attention after a dream I had a few days ago. I know at the beginning of my Spiritual journey, I always equated title and qualifications to mean that person MUST be called for the position they occupy. 

Now, there are layers to this. Let me cook.

You can be qualified, and not called.

You can go through every ritual. All the schooling. Obtain every title and certification. Go out in the woods and bury yourself or however you lay it down. If Spirit isn’t in the midst, you’re not called. You’re performing.

And, any works done without Spirit won’t hold the same Asé as someone Spirit has called. 

You can be called, and not qualified.

Spirit has a clever way of showing that anybody at any moment can be used. You may not have the background. The support. The community. At the end of the day, all it takes is a willing vessel to see it through. I find this to be the ultimate display of Spirit showing the least of us that Spirit will move the way Spirit sees fit. 

You remember from back in the day when the elders would cook and the food would be so good, but all they had was salt and pepper? Maybe some garlic or onion. The food didn’t need fifty-leven different seasonings. The food was made with time, care, intention and love, that’s why it was so damn good. 

But, this isn’t where it ends…

You can be called and misuse the gift.

Now THIS is where things get sticky. This isn’t some lesson on ‘good vs. evil’. It’s so much deeper than seemingly arbitrary moral compasses. I have come across a few people who have ‘it’, but have allowed ego to take center stage instead of Spirit. These are the people who have undeniable gifts, but how it’s used is not in alignment with what the seeker may desire. There’s layers to this, for sure.

Now, as a Hoodoo, you know I have to make it plain. 1 John 4:1 (KJV) states:

4 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

The elders used to say, “try the Spirit, by the Spirit.” So, how do you ‘try’ the Spirit? Who do you go to, what set of standards are the metric used to determine if the qualified or called person is led by Spirit?

It starts with you.

I am someone who believes a majority of our experiences are a reflection of what’s going on internally. If I am Spirit living in this human experience, and I am the center of my own reality, then what I experience must be mostly due to how I view myself. I recognize it’s not always this simple; however, it is a significant starting point.

When you are living authentically, it is easy to see the authenticity in others. Authenticity is one of the highest vibrations, over love and joy. When you are authentic, you are automatically aligned with who you truly are, and the universe responds accordingly. Real recognizes real. 

So, when you are ‘trying’ the Spirit, you are essentially going within yourself to see if what you are being presented with aligns with you being your most authentic self. You’re not looking to others for validation. You don’t need to perform. You see everything for exactly what it is, and you move accordingly.

If Spirit calls you, the path awaits you. You may walk with the qualified on a predetermined path to lead you where Spirit needs you. You may also carry a machete and carve it on your own. 

This is where your mindfulness and awareness practices within whatever religion or spiritual path take center stage. Are you embodied enough to go within for the answers you seek? Or to determine what’s truly aligned with you and where you’re elevating to? When does that internal confirmation start becoming your primary voice of reason over the opinions of those outside of you? 

These are the questions we ask to determine if we are called, or if we’re performing.