The Second Sight

We all have felt those intuitive ebbs and flows that push and pull us in certain directions. Some call it a gut feeling--others, fate. But what if, as the stories say, the Sight was the guiding hand? What if we all have the Second Sight--and how might we use it today?

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Weekly Book: The White Mare and The Little Country
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More info: https://www.kierandanaan.com/beyond-the-seas

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Sources
-Campbell, John Gregorson. Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland. Robert Macelhose and Co., 1092.
-Johnson, Ben. “The Brahan Seer—The Scottish Nostradamus.” Historic UK, www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/The-Brahan-Seer-the-Scottish-Nostradamus.
-Kirk, Rev. Robert. The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies. Aberfoyle, 1691.
-Masson, Sophie. “Captive in Fairyland: The Strange Case of Robert Kirk of Aberfoyle.” Feathers of the Firebird, March 2001. firebirdfeathers.com/2019/09/23/captive-in-fairyland-the-strange-case-of-robert-kirk-of-aberfoyle.

Music
"First and Last" by Josh Leake
"Intimacy" by Ben Winwood
"You" by IAmDaylight
"Sunday Afternoon" by IAmDaylight
"Irish Mountains" by Ben Winwood

Cheers,
Kieran

Transcript

Upon the windy, grass-grown cliff top, we silently sit—watching the waves. 

Hearing their crash roar and shake far beneath us. 

The soft, milling—moaning—of the wind gently stirs our long auburn hair. 

Our silence wraps around our shawl-covered frames. 

Then, we hear the voice of the Seer from far away,

The Sight nudging in the backs of our minds. 

The air of prophecy swirling around. 

“Dance there upon the shore;

What need have you to care

For wind or water's roar?

And tumble out your hair

That the salt drops have wet;

Being young you have not known

The fool's triumph, nor yet

Love lost as soon as won,

Nor the best labourer dead

And all the sheaves to bind.

What need have you to dread

The monstrous crying of wind!”

And so, with vision in hand, the future stretching before us,

We take one final glance around our world,

As we enjoin our hands, 

And leap over the edge. 

The moment of stillness as we begin to fall, 

Plummeting towards the waves. 

Yet, miraculously, at moment’s end, 

We…fly. 

For our spirits lead us off into the unknown,

As our journeys have only just begun.

(transition music)

         Grand tidings and welcome to you on this, the twenty-fourth episode, of Beyond the Seas. My name is Kieran and here we are again, back at it for another week. Happy, happy April to all of you! Though, honestly, I cannot believe it’s already April…this year is flying by. Probably because I cannot wait for November, when Wicked comes out in movie theaters—and you better bet that’s how I’m spending my Thanksgiving. Anyhoo, that was Yeats’ “To A Child Dancing in the Wind” you heard in the story, a poem that inspired the setting of that short tale. And just a reminder at top of show: it is our goal to reach 250 followers over on Insta, so if you have not yet like the show’s page, go ahead and give it a follow @beyondtheseaspodcast—and do the same for Claudia’s, @thefeatherwitchnyc, to watch her weekly Tarot collaboration reels. And again, if you want me to discuss a specific topic or send some hi’s and hello’s, feel free to reach out to me via email: beyondtheseaspodcast@gmail.com. Either way, I am so, so happy that we are all here together today. 

         And now, OBOD and literary updates! Remember when I said I was doing the Bardic training through the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids? Oh yeah, it’s still happening and it’s so, so grounding. I love how it is easily incorporated into daily practice—and the commonalities it has to the Craft. It has helped me grow in focus, awareness, vision, and potential. Highly recommend. And I have another book to review this week! I finished it a few nights ago, speed reading my way through the ending so I could have it ready for a review. The White Mare, by Jules Watson, is the first novel in The Dalraida Trilogy, which focuses on Rhiann—a priestess of the Goddess—and Eremon—an exiled prince from Ireland. Together, they are enjoined in a political marriage—one that grows over the course of the novel. They lead the other characters in Scotland, preparing for the coming invasion of the conquering Romans from the southern lands of Britain. I loved the sense of mystery and Other-ness in this piece: there are several moments throughout that highlight the rituals and ceremonies conducted around the Wheel of the Year, and the veneration of the Goddess and other Gods in Scotland. The Sacred Isle lies not too far off the western coast of Scotland, known as Alba in the novel, and it is there that the characters eventually find themselves. Battling inner demons and turmoils, Rhiann and Eremon grow and mature to a couple that is powerful and wise. I so, so enjoyed this novel and still crave that Sacred Isle culture from it. Ergo, go to your local library, and request a copy—and let me know what you think when you finish it. 

         And now, the Card of the Week! I resonate with this week’s pull so, so, so strongly. Claudia pulled The Page of Swords Reversed. And in her reel, she describes the return to the loves we had in our childhood. What was your favorite toy? Game to play? Person to hug? We all were so completely uninhibited in our youth—why cannot we be that way again? The Page of Swords Reversed is here this week as a reminder, especially as we travel through the portal this coming Monday underneath the Eclipse—to return to and feed the child within by recovering those lost pieces of ourselves that we once cherished. I think we all have a feeling and notion as to what we put to the wayside as we grew up. And me oh my, does that relate so strongly to our topic this week. 

         And now, the Wine of the Week! So this bottle was a gift from my dear friend, Amanda, as I spent some time with her down in Brooklyn this past weekend—and she had a treasure trove of wine cases everywhere, after having helped another of her friends take the burden off her shoulders, hahaha. The one she gifted me is an orange wine—and ORANGGEEEE wine—which I was so excited about. It is Magic Potion, a 2019 Vinyes Tottuga wine from the Catalunya region in Spain. It is an organic wine and it is bright, airy, and tangy. I love orange wines, they are simply divine—it’s like the moody older brother of the rosé. It has strong notes of cinnamon, heat, allspice, mango, and tropical weather stroms. It pairs best with light, olive-oil based pasta dishes, dark breads, butter, merlot cheeses, sweet cream-based desserts, and amazing catch-ups with a dear friend.

         And, finally, this week’s topic. I was reading The White Mare last week and really enjoyed experiencing the talk of the priestess training on the Sacred Isle in the novel. Several of the priestesses discuss their gifts of the Sight and the visions they encounter throughout the story. Which, ultimately, is what inspired me to research the inherent psychic gift that is within us all. The Second Sight is our birthright as spiritual beings and it connects us not only to each other, but also to the Source. Ergo, what is the Second Sight? What legends, myths, and stories surround its illustrious nature? What visions does it bring—and communication with spirits and otherworldly beings? And how might we cultivate it today?

         For now, grab your favorite bottle of red, find a comfy chair, and close your eyes as I tell you the tale of The Second Sight—and take you…

         Beyond the Seas. 

         (transition music)

         As far back as I can remember, I have had dreams. Dreams of the past, dreams of the present, but also—most importantly—dreams of the future. There are distinct moments throughout my life when I was walking along, or completing an activity, or spending time with another—and knew exactly what was about to happen. Because I had already seen it. Whether it was in the dream of the previous night, or in the dreams of a night many months ago, I had seen it. And uncannily, standing there, I stopped and felt a chill cross over me. A tingling. A knowing. A seeing. 

         These dreams have been with me for as long as I can remember, and will continue to be a part of me for as long as my days remain. We all have the gift of Sight within us. Of course, in the five senses we have physically, sight is how we see the world and its colors. How we distinguish shapes and patterns. Sense emotions on the faces of others—and feel how we are attracted to certain things over others. 

         But there also exists the Second Sight, the inner vision that portends the future, or reveals the past. For some, it displays the hidden emotions of others—or events that are simultaneously occurring, far way. For others, even more rarely, it offers the means of hidden communication—without ever speaking or signing. And even more rarely, it offers the gift of movement and travel. Suffice it to say, though, that we today will explore what it means for the Second Sight to offer glimpses and visions into the ethereal realms, as fueled by the currents of the Source. 

         Let us first turn our attention to the Highlands, in Scotland. There, several legends arise that help delineate the Second Sight in its folklore. In Scottish, An Dà Shealladh (ahn dah ch-YAOW-whag) is the name given to the those gifted with the Sight. Its direct translation is “two sights,” which gives rise to the implication of one gifted with two senses of sight: physical and etheric. According to Rev. John Gregorson Campbell, from his Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland, “freed from a good deal of mystery in which an imperfect understanding of its character has involved it, the gift of second sight may be briefly explained to be the same as being ‘spectre-haunted,’ or liable to ‘spectre illusions,’ when that condition occurs, as it often does, in persons of sound mind…The shepherds of the Hebrid Isles” are usually credited with the largest possession of the gift, but the doctrine was well known over the whole Highlands, and as firmly believed in Ross-shire and the highlands of Perthshire as in the remotest Hebrides…It is a Celtic belief, and the suggestion that it is the remains of the magic of the Druids is not unreasonable. In every age there are individuals who are spectre-haunted, and it is probable enough that the sage Celtic priests, assuming the spectres to be external, reduced the gift of seeing them to a system, a belief in which formed part of their teaching. This accounts for the circumstance that the second sight has flourished more among the Celts than any other race.

         “The Gaelic name da-shealladh does not literally mean ‘the second sight,’ but ‘the two sights.’ The vision of the world of sense is one sight, ordinarily possessed by all, but the world of spirits is visible only to certain persons, and the possession of this additional vision gives them “the two sights,” or what comes to the same thing, ‘a second sight.’ Through this faculty they see the ghosts of the dead revisiting the earth, and the fetches, doubles, or apparitions of the living.

         Here is something incredibly interesting to note. “The gift of second sight was not in any case looked upon as enviable or desirable. Seers frequently expressed a wish that they had no such gift. In some instances it ran in the family; in others, but rarer cases, the seer was the only one of his kindred who ‘saw sights’ (chì sealladh). Some had it early in life, upon others it did not come till they were advanced in life. These characteristics alone show it to be in its origin the same as spectral illusions. It arose from hereditary disease, malformation, or weakness of the visual organs, and derangements of mind or bodily health. It was not voluntary; the visions went and came without the option of the seer, and his being visited by them was deemed by himself and others a misfortune rather than a gift. A difference was also recognised in the kinds of apparitions visible to different individuals.

         “…The visions of the seer did not always relate to melancholy events, impending death, funerals, and misfortunes. At times he had visions of pleasant events, and saw his future wife, before he ever thought of her (at least so he said), sitting by the fireside in the seat she was afterwards to occupy. He could tell whether an absent friend was on his way home, and whether he was to have anything in his hands when coming. He could not tell what the thing was to be, but merely the general appearance of the absent man when returning, and whether he was to come full or empty handed.”

         Though farther on in his work, Campbell explains that “People noted for the second sight have been observed to have a peculiar look about the eyes. One of them, for instance, in Harris was described as “always looking up and never looking you straight in the face.” Those who are of a brooding, melancholy disposition are most liable to spectral illusions, and it is only to be expected that the gloom of their character should appear in their looks, and that many of their visions should relate to deaths and funerals.”

         Here are two short tales from the Highlands that recount deeds and visions of those gifted with Second Sight. “A taïsher in Tiree came upon a dead body washed ashore by the sea. The corpse had nothing on in the way of clothing but a pair of sea-boots. Old people considered it a duty, when they fell in with a drowned body, to turn it over or move it in some way. In this case, the seer was so horrified that, instead of doing this, he ran away. Other people, however, came, and the body was duly buried. Afterwards the dead man haunted the seer, and now and then appeared and terrified him exceedingly. One night on his way home he saw the corpse before him, wherever he turned, and on reaching the house it stood between him and the door. He walked on till close to the house, and then called to his wife to take the broomstick and sprinkle the door-posts with urine. When this was done, he boldly walked forward. The spectre, on his approach, leapt from the ground, and stood above the door with a foot resting on each side on the double walls. The seer entered between its legs, and never saw the horrible apparition again.

         “A woman (the tale, which comes from Perthshire,[141] does not say where), being ill-treated by her husband, wished, too strongly and unduly, her brother, who had some time previously died in Edinburgh, were with her to take her part. Soon after, when she was alone, her brother’s shade appeared, and in a tone of displeasure asked her what was wrong, and what she wanted him for. She told. Her husband was at the time ploughing in a field in front of the house. The woman saw the shade going towards him, and when it reached, her husband fell dead.”

         Now, before the break, I want to discuss a powerful Seer that I came across during my research. I had no idea this guy existed and I was really jazzed to read up on his history, story, and prophecies. Let me introduce you all to The Brahan Seer…if you do not yet already know him. From the Historic UK History and Accommodation Guide Website, “The Brahan Seer, or Coinneach Odhar, was gifted with “the sight” – an ability to see visions that came unbidden day or night. His prophecies were so impressive that they are still quoted to this day… According to folklore, The Brahan Seer, Kenneth the Sallow (Coinneach Odhar) was born Kenneth Mackenzie, at Baile-na-Cille, in the Parish of Uig and Island of Lewis, about the beginning of the 17th century. He lived at Loch Ussie near to Dingwall in Ross-shire and worked as a labourer on the Brahan estate, seat of the Seaforth chieftains, from somewhere around 1675.

         “According to legend, it was through his mother that Kenneth the Sallow was given the sight. At a graveyard one night when ghosts were known to roam the earth, his mother encountered the ghost of a Danish princess on her way back to her grave. In order to allow her to pass back into the grave, Kenneth’s mother demanded that the princess should pay a tribute, and asked that her son should be given the second sight. The legend goes that later that day, Kenneth found a small stone with a hole in the middle, through which he would look and see visions.

         “Some of his prophetic visions that came true in the years following his death include:

         “The Battle of Culloden (1745), which he uttered at the site, and his words were recorded. ‘Oh! Drumossie, thy bleak moor shall, ere many generations have passed away, be stained with the best blood of the Highlands. Glad am I that I will not see the day, for it will be a fearful period; heads will be lopped off by the score, and no mercy shall be shown or quarter given on either side.’

         “He talked of great black, bridleless horses, belching fire and steam, drawing lines of carriages through the glens. More than 200 years later, railways were built through the Highlands.

         “Coinneach Odhar spoke of the day when Scotland would once again have its own Parliament. This would only come, he said, when men could walk dry shod from England to France. The opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1994 was followed a few years later by the opening of the first Scottish Parliament since 1707.

         “Streams of fire and water, he said, would run beneath the streets of Inverness and into every house. Gas and water pipes were laid down in the 19th century.

         “Pointing to a field far from seashore, loch or river, he said that a ship would anchor there one day. “A village with four churches will get another spire,” said Coinneach, “and a ship will come from the sky and moor at it.” This happened in 1932 when an airship made an emergency landing and was tied up to the spire of the new church.

         “At the height of his fame and powers, Odhar made his most notorious prediction which would ultimately cost him his life. Isabella, wife of the Earl of Seaforth and said to be one of the ugliest women in Scotland, asked for his advice. She wanted news of her husband who was on a visit to Paris. Odhar reassured her that the Earl was in good health but refused to elaborate further.

         “This enraged Isabella, who demanded that he tell her everything or she would have him killed. Coinneach told her that her husband was with another woman, fairer than herself, and he foretold the end of the Seaforth line, with the last heir being deaf and dumb. (Francis Humberston Mackenzie, deaf and dumb from scarlet fever as a child, inherited the title in 1783. He had four children who died prematurely and the line came to an end.) Isabella was so incensed by this that she had Coinneach seized and thrown head-first into a barrel of boiling tar.”

         Refill your drinking horns, your goblets, your chalices, for the second half of The Second Sight, after this brief break. 

         (transition music)

         I remember visiting one of my all-time favorite witchcraft shops, located in Northern Indiana. It is called Catalpa Tree Shops and it truly is one of the most powerful, liminal spaces I have ever experienced. When you walk in through the back door, you are immediately standing in its book area—and it is chock full of delicious reads. One such little tome I happened to find there one day was none other than Robert Kirk’s The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies. Originally published in 1691, then again in 1815, it stands as a remarkable account of faery tradition, belief, and lore. It also includes mentions of The Second Sight—and thus to it, and Robert Kirk himself, do we now turn our attention. 

         Within, Rev. Robert Kirk of Aberfoyle describes the peoples of Fayerie, or the Subterranean Inhabitants, that only those with the Second Sight may glimpse. He continuously expounds that those with two sights are rather more cursed than blessed, for the images and beings they glimpse are more negative than positive. However, in his treatise, he describes the beauty and wonder of the Aerial Spirits and the peoples who live beneath the hollow hills—all through the descriptions of those with The Second Sight. I find the following fascinating, for it is a method from Kirk that describes how one may interact with a Seer, as a means of gaining temporary visions with his Second Sight. 

         “The Psychical Society may find out, experimentally, whether second sight can be acquired in the manner described by Mr. Kirk--whether by the hair tether, or by merely putting the foot under that of a seer. Thus contact is used in thought reading, as, in second sight, the seer by contact communicates his hallucination.” Furthermore, “There are peculiar solemnities in investing a man with the privileges of the whole mystery of this second sight. He must run a tether of hair (which bound a corpse to the bier) in a helix around his middle, from end to end; then bow his head downwards, as Elijah did in 1 Kings 18:42, and look back through his legs until he sees a funeral procession advance till the people cross two marches; or look thus back through a hole where there was a knot of fir. But if the wind changes points while the hair tether is tied about him, he is in peril of his life.

         “The usual method for a curious person to get a transient sight of this otherwise invisible crew of subterraneans (if impotently and over rashly sought) is to put his left foot under the wizard's right foot, and the seer's hand is put on the inquirer's head, who is to look over the wizard's right shoulder (which has an ill appearance, as if by this ceremony an implicit surrender were made of all between the wizard's foot and his hand, ere the person can be admitted a privado to the art). Then he will see a multitude of wights, like furious hardy men, flocking to him hastily from all quarters, as thick as atoms in the air; which are no nonentities or phantasms, creatures proceeding from an affrighted apprehension, confused or crazed sense, but realities, appearing to a stable man in his waking sense, and enduring a rational trial of their being.

         “…And again, that men of the second sight (being designed to give warnings against secret engines) surpass the ordinary vision of other men, which is a native habit in some, descended from their ancestors, and acquired as an artificial improvement of their natural sight in others; resembling in their own kind the usual artificial helps of optic glasses (as prospectives, telescopes, and microscopes), without which artificial aids those men here treated of do perceive things that, for their smallness, or subtlety, and secrecy, are invisible to others, though daily conversant with them; they having such a beam continually about them as that of the sun, which when it shines clear only, lets common eyes see the atoms in the air, that without those rays they could not discern; for some have this second sight transmitted from father to son through the whole family, without their own consent or others' teaching, proceeding only from a bounty of providence it seems, or by compact, or by a complexional quality of the first acquirer.

         “…The Irish stroker, seventh sons, and others who cure scrofula and alleviate diseases and pains, merely by stroking the affected part, derive their healing ability from their robust constitutions. This phenomenon, unless it is remnants of miraculous operations or some hidden virtue passed down through generations, likely originates from the healthful essence of their bodies. Their healing power emanates from them as spiritual energies to the patient, with their strong, healthy spirits positively affecting the sick, similar to how the unhealthy vapors of the sick can influence the healthy."

         Now, Kirk’s insight into how the Second Sight is obtained is rather convoluted and Middle English-y. Suffice it to say, there are ways to obtain the Sight if one is not born with the ability. To tie the hair around the middle of yourself and look down through your legs, or place your foot under a Seer’s foot and hold on and stand up, sit down, fight, fight, fight, or whate’er, is yet another option! Haha. But what I find intriguing is his mentioning of the ability as a hereditary commonality. For Robert Kirk himself was the seventh son of a seventh son. Heretofore, let us take a quick look at his life as a reported mystic and Seer. The following information comes from Sophie Masson’s article “Captive in Fairyland–the Strange Case of Robert Kirk of Aberfoyle” on the Feathers of the Firebird website.

         “The exact date of Robert Kirk’s birth is not known–some sources say he was born in 1641, others in 1644. He was a native Gaelic speaker, the seventh son of the Reverend James Kirk, Minister of Aberfoyle. In traditional Highlands belief, being a seventh son confers upon one the power of second sight–perhaps one of the reasons why Robert Kirk chose later to delve into beliefs surrounding second sight and the contact that second-sighters, or seers, have with the fairy world. Aberfoyle, of course, is at what local tourist literature calls ‘the gateway to the Highlands’–it in fact represents the transition point between the Lowlands and Highlands, and shares bits of both cultures.”

         “…In 1685, he was appointed to his birthplace, and his father’s old parish of Aberfoyle, and it is perhaps this return to his origins and his childhood which stimulated him into starting work on his next project, his most famous and infamous book, and the reason for which he has not been forgotten altogether.

         “We do not know exactly when Robert started this book, [but he did mention that] their world was the source of the gift of second sight, and that second-sighters could always see them, whereas ‘normal’ people could not. The second-sighters, he wrote, said that each human being, however, had a fairy double, or co-walker, a ‘doubleman’, and that this doubleman walked with a person all their lives, invisible to everyone except the second-sighters, until their human double, or host, died, when the Doubleman would disappear. If a person’s fairy double was seen separate from his or her human host, when the human was still alive, it meant that person would die very soon. Kirk recounts many cases when this happened.

         “…It is not known what the general reaction to Kirk’s book at the time was, but perhaps he did not have enough time to judge what its reception would be. A year after the book was published, he was dead, at the age of 48. He had gone for his customary early-morning walk on the fairy hill, and when he did not return, was looked for, and found dead on the hill. At once, the story sprang up in the village–and was recorded by his successor in the parish, a Reverend Graham–that he had been punished by the fairies for revealing their secrets. He, a favoured son, a second-sighter, had been a Judas. And fairies hate traitors above all things. The people, said Dr Graham, were convinced that he was not really dead; that a ‘stock’ or facsimile of his body had been left there on the hill, but that Robert Kirk had, body and soul, been imprisoned in the heart of that great old Scots pine on the hill…this version was that a funeral had been held–but that the coffin was filled with stones. All was not lost for Kirk, however, the Reverend Graham went on to say. Margaret Kirk was expecting a child at the time Kirk ‘disappeared’, and the captive himself appeared to one of his relations, begging him to help him escape from fairyland. It could be done in this way: the cousin was to bring a dirk to the christening of the child at the manse, Kirk would appear, and then the cousin must throw the dirk at the vision, pinning it with cold iron–as everyone knew, a bane against fairies–and bringing the lost minister back to the earth, even in death. However, though the cousin dutifully brought along his dirk, when the vision of Kirk appeared, the cousin was so dumbstruck that he could not move–and the opportunity was lost. His family seemed to have resigned themselves to his fate. Colin Kirk, Robert’s oldest son, who became a lawyer in Edinburgh, reportedly said, in a rather chilling bit of fatalism, that ‘Father has gone to his own kind.’ But Kirk himself did not give up. He could be saved, he told people in dreams, if, when a child was christened at the manse, a dirk was stuck into the great chair that had belonged to him and was still held at the manse(at least till 1943).

         “But unfortunately, no child seems to have been christened at the manse since 1692–so Kirk is still trapped in that tree on top of the hill. The gravestone in the churchyard, it is said, is not 17th but 18th century: and there is no body in the grave.”

         Now that THAT’S all done, let us sit for a moment and reflect, yes? Robert Kirk gave so much to the fields of fairy lore and the Second Sight. That the two are inextricably linked is paramount: the Otherworld, fully saturated with its spirits and beings, is the source for this gift. The ability to peer into the beyond, through the veil that is ever so thin, is bestowed upon those with the light of spirit. Or: one may cultivate the ability by seeking relationships with these spirits, or through rituals and works of magick to bring it about. 

         Wherein, I now proffer practical ways to incubate this Second Sight. Now, again, let me reiterate: every human is born with the ability. For most, thanks to good ol’ society, they squander and repress the Sight, thinking it the fancy of childhood and make-believe. For those of us who continue to listen, however, we understand such an internal view to be the required first step in the growth of this ability. To believe in the Unseen is what will make the Second Sight See. 

         Begin by sitting in silence with yourself. Close your eyes and breathe deeply, feeling the energy and light that is all of you. And center your focus on that deep part of your spirit that houses the gateway to the Otherworlds: for here, manifested in the center of the forehead, is where your Second Sight lives. Feel the tingle that slowly builds as your concentration increases. Now, you open that inner sight and see into the Beyond. 

         Herbs like mugwort and wormwood will increase your psychic sensitivities, as well as crystals like amethyst, lapis lazuli, shiva lignum, and clear quartz. Hold a stone or two in your hands as you sit in silence with yourself, to fuel the growth and opening of the ways within your spirit. Allow their energies to flow up your arms and into your head, mingling with your combined energies already present in forehead’s center. They, along with the herbs present, will unlock your inner potential for Second Sight. Finally, burn incense to invite in the spirits of the Otherworld: Frankincense and Myrrh, Dragon’s Blood, and flower-filled scents will attract the Fae and Spirits. It will open your sacred space, to invite in the liminal other-ness that is so attractive to Them. 

         And revisiting the Card of the Week: the Page of Wands Reversed suggests to us that, as we return to those innate intuitons long0snce buried as we grew up, from childhood, we unlock once more the vision of the beyond. We are once more able to see the world with two sights, wherein the invisible becomes visible—all by first believing in the possibility of the impossible—which is one of my favorite quotes of all time. And within the Ghosts and Spirits Deck, this card tells of the Acheris, which refers to “hill fairies” in indigenous cultures. Within the Wildwood Tarot, it is the Otter—a mischievous creature that floats from branch to branch, then dive beneath the waters. A creature that is of this world and another—able to see into both, because of its liminal nature. Ergo! Return to your inner child, and seek the fairies of the hills and streams as you, the Otter, dive into your inherent Second Sight. 

         Also, in terms of practicality, psychicism and awareness go hand-in-hand. Cultivate awareness in your daily life by stopping yourself and asking, “what is happening around me?” Actually look and see the colors of your surroundings; the sounds that erupt around you; the feel of the wind on your body; the smell of the landscape, room, or city around you. The energies of the living beings or inanimate objects you encounter. And, most importantly, what you feel physically and emotionally in your body. How do you hold yourself, physically—what is your posture and poise? What feelings do you have in the present moment, without squandering or repressing them? Listen to yourself and your surroundings—and your Second Sight will flourish. 

         Dream incubation and divination thereof is a powerful resource when growing the Sight. Place lavender sachets around your bed and under your pillow to increase the visions within your nightly adventures. Rosemary, Mugwort, and Honeysuckle are sacred to the Fae and will attract them to your spirit-filled dreams each night. The aforementioned crystals will also comingle their energies in this matter and help you dive more deeply into your spirit as your body rests. For in dreams lie the keys that unlock the magick of the Otherworld. 

         And in our dreams, we fly.

         We peer into the gateways to other worlds,

         Ushered in by the denizens and citizens of those magickal lands. 

         And there, when we commune with them in laughter and silence,

         We feel the Second Sight flow into us, 

         So that, when we travel back, and awake once more,

         The world becomes alive.

         And that which was hidden is now revealed.    

         Populated with spirits, beings, energies, and foresight,

         Our lives are enriched and our spirits are satiated.

         Our readings, prophecies, and foretellings arise naturally, 

         And the way into the future is revealed.

         So venture forth into the wild, and sit in silence. 

         Close your eyes and open your inner Sight,

         And peer into the Beyond. 

         Knowing you are joined by Them Who Are Now Seen. 

         And our magick, as a result, will always be stronger…

         Because of it. 

         (transition music)

         The stories, research, and production elements were done and edited, respectively, by me, Kieran, with sources attached in the description. If you want to be a guest on the show, or have a topic you wish me to explore and discuss, send me an email at beyondtheseaspodcast@gmail.com. And be sure to hit the follow button, on whichever platform you enjoy the podcast, and look forward to more content next week. Until then, seek the veil between the worlds, and allow yourself to travel…Beyond the Seas.