The Magic of Middle-earth: Estel.*

                                   Image by Dave Spellman.

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." [1]

Magic and mythology evolve according to the conditions, and it is the foundational assumption of the C.C.A. that Tolkien’s stories underpin the still-to-be-completed quest for our times. We live in a pivotal period of enormous potential and great challenge. The Age of Aquarius is dawning. Humanity looks to navigate the nadir- the far polar point from source- so that we might return. The need is to regain a clear view, suited to the current conditions. The laws of the cosmos – its warp- are eternal, but the weft- the threads of meaning and expression, the application of the principle to the conditions- is undergoing renewal. This is the intersection at which we stand.

Dion Fortune described the human soul as a lagoon of consciousness, connected to the cosmic seas. However, this is a feature of the times- it wasn’t always this way. Our ancestors were immersed directly in those seas, gradually individuating over the course of evolution. In the words of the novelist Ursula le Guin:

"We have inhabited both the actual and the imaginary realms for a long time. But we don’t live in either place the way our parents or ancestors did.  Enchantment alters… with the age." [2] 

If stories remain static, we labour uphill, or, to quote Ursula le Guin again, “Archetypes turn into millstones.”

There are many reasons why magical work known as the redemption of the archetypes remains vital, as does magical work realising the foundational lessons of the past, as well as that dedicated to the evolving nature of our familiar divine and inner plane beings. All these have their rightful place. But we are now at a point whereby new ways can open- and this is one of them. 

The content of  Tolkien's tales reflects and offers solutions to the challenges of our times, notably: our relationship with creation, with each other, with inner plane beings and faery, with truth, technology, with materialism, ego, hope, power, death, and with individual and collective freedom and responsibility.  But their significance goes far beyond their content.  Our current moment in evolution has several characteristics, which Tolkien’s myth can help us navigate with a fair wind:

​

1. At the far polar point from Source, we experience a sense of separation from it. This is deeply problematic in some respects, but is a necessary stage in our development of autonomy, and responsibility- in growing up- for with freedom, comes great responsibility. Myth now must support these. Gareth Knight says:

​

"In a sense the idealizations of Arthurian legend are like the dreams of adolescence, the earlier material like the fantasies of childhood- more vivid and more threatening and more immediate. We seek to explore the power behind these images of racial childhood and adolescence to find our way in the modern world, where we teeter uncertainly toward the handling of the responsibilities of cosmic adulthood…"[3] 

Speaking in Gareth Knight & Rebecca Wilby's 'Abbey Papers,' the Chancellor, an Inner Plane Adept, advises us as follows: “We must reach into and contact the inner worlds and develop our own stories.” This doesn't mean just any invented story, but true, subcreated stories. These tales were written by an individual who did just that, and, to grow towards cosmic adulthood we must now find our own way into Luthany, undertake the quest, and complete the work by means of our understanding, and transformation. This is the art of subcreation, of mythopoesis, which has been made possible by the gift of the Imperishable Flame, given to each one of us. 

​

2. An emphasis on reason. The Enlightenment marked a turning point for our awareness and way of being in the world and must be considered and embraced. This myth has been written with great attention to reason. Furthermore, it is the first post-enlightenment myth to capture the imagination of so many. We must, now, turn to the inner worlds as cosmic adults, knowing who we are, embracing reason- not that of the reductionist mind- but that of the nous- the intelligence of the soul, which does not destroy mystery. When we contemplate creation, we bring a second illumination to it, returning the fruits of our experience to the originating spiritual principle. In this, we take our part in the Second Song, when the errors of the past will be rectified, as a result of harmony, understanding, and love- with great intelligence.

It is a curious thing, a sign of our times, that we love new things, but may mistrust a new myth. This perhaps reflects our doubts about our own mythopoeic capacity. We are painfully aware of our struggle with commodified, life-limiting, dystopian, or conspiracy stories – Ring-like myths- that turn us into wraiths. We sometimes doubt our own capacity to distinguish light from dark, or our ability to rise beyond cynicism, and despair. This myth renews meaning, inspires hope, and kindles the Flame within, by which we can light up the world. 

​

3. An emphasis on materialism, and the corresponding exploitation of the natural world. This is inextricably linked to the need for the restoration of the feminine principle.  At the beginning of the quest to destroy the Ring the feminine is largely disempowered, or absent. But not only does the feminine play a key role in the initiation and fulfilment of the quest, by the end the feminine is restored. And it is the Queen and Priestess Arwen Evenstar, who indicates the way forward for humanity.  Aquarius is the age of feminine gnosis. It is the age where the starry wisdom- the patterns strewn in the sky by Varda when she came from the deep- are brought to earth- by us. This requires us to grow into a mature participatory relationship with the inner worlds, and, most vitally, with the elven priesthood with whom we work.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

                          Art by Stuart Gilbert.

​

​

4. The internalisation of the cosmic forces within the individual psyche. This creates both great potential, and enormous inner strain, which can be eased and channelled by this myth due to the manner of its focus on the individual heart and psyche. The old heroes of myth do not serve us well here because, unlike the hobbits, they are larger than life, or at any rate, very different to us. We cannot live up to them. Then we may sink under the enormity of the task and the weight of the cosmos. In a related manner, the Valar, at the  beginning of the tales, are like the old gods- creating and overseeing the land and its creatures. But latterly they relate to creation as angelic beings, and, rather than directly intervening in it, they shift their focus to helping humanity to become all that we can be. Thus they assist us towards cosmic adulthood, whilst not overwhelming the modern psyche.

If ‘The Silmarillion’ and related works form the mythological seas and cosmic truths of Middle-earth, then the material in ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ and ‘The Hobbit’ is the clear connecting channel to the individual lagoon. The quest can only ever challenge and test us to our limits- but this one is within our measure, and suited to our current expression, and is a means not only to overcome shadow, but to discover the beauty and potential of humanity. In this Age, small hands do the work, because they must.

​

5. The full weight of the past-personal, collective, ancestral, and karmic, now rests upon us. This is not to be jettisoned, but resolved, as Aragorn transmutes the shortcomings of Númenór. At the same time as we carry this weight of the past, there is a tension in the collective soul between those who are variously contemplating, resisting, or embracing the new impulse. These tensions are at a peak, as reflected in the tension between the 'respectable' Baggins and the 'adventurous' Tooks. Now late in the Age of the Dominion of Man, the tide turns. We look far ahead, to the relighting of the Two Trees, by the joint efforts of elves and humanity, and the redemption of the Silmarils, which must take place both within us, and between us.

6. Aquarius is concerned with truth, idealism, individuality, and vision, with optimism, morale, and hope. It acts for the collective, but does so in its own, individual way. Opposition to it takes place in these spheres. The remedy advised by Dion Fortune in her war letters was to reactivate the Arthurian legends, which stimulate and strengthen the national mind because they are in accord with its deeper spiritual ideals. Tolkien’s work, published after her death, anticipating the challenges that would arise following the war, gathers up all threads of the web of wyrd in the west, renews the Arthurian legends, addresses their failures, and offers creative and compelling solutions to the current challenges, in a manner accessible to the contemporary individual.

This is a story of time travel, or it may be more accurate to say, it is both of a time, and beyond time. It is a new story, which, at a critical moment of intersection, gathers together and revitalises the gleaming threads of the past, weaving them together with all the understanding of the bright flame of the future. Set in the ancient past, it makes possible the realisation of our finest future potential in all the ages of the world.

The world is not finished, and we are not yet all that we can be. Hope lies in the very newness of this myth.

​

* Hope.

[1] J.R.R. Tolkien, 'The Lord of the Rings.'

[2] Ursula le Guin (2002) Tales from Earthsea. Note- these are the worlds perceived by means of the imagination.

[3] The Secret tradition in Arthurian Legend.

​