Anwyn Pendrake

Being plural, at least in the way that we are, is interesting. It kind of necessitates having an internal, imaginary world that you can explore. The term used in plural circles is “headspace.” Ours is a bit odd. We first thought it was an apartment. But what I've discovered about it has kind of shifted our perception of it, and indeed our perception of reality as a whole. Before I get into that, though, I have to explain a bit about the occult practice known as pathworking.

A Brief Introduction to Pathworking

Pathworking is a meditative practice wherein the magician journeys to other places using their mind. Think of it as like a guided meditation, only you let your imagination do the guiding and are receptive to whatever it may show you. Pathworking is actually what Xander did when they did the ritual to summon Celdwyn. In that case, they drew a card from a dragon themed tarot deck and meditated on it. Since then, Xander has journeyed several times to a grove in a forest, and met with spirits.

When I first began taking up occult practice myself, I drew from Xander's experience with pathworking to try and get a better idea of our headspace, which at the time was an apartment. I attempted a pathworking to see what lied outside of the apartment and discovered, much to my surprise, that we actually inhabited a cabin in the woods that Xander was exploring. I've done some exploring of this area myself, and I've come up with a hypothesis.

The Cosmopsyche

There is a branch of metaphysics known as panpsychism that holds that everything in the universe is conscious to some degree. A sub-branch of this philosophy known as cosmopsychism purports that the entire universe as a whole is to some degree conscious. If that were true, and given the existence of plural headspaces, it would suggest the existence of a larger metaphysical universe beyond the physical one we can perceive with out senses. Essentially, the universe has its own headspace. I call this the cosmopsyche. It is my belief hat this is where Xander and I have gone on our pathworkings.

I am just beginning to explore the cosmopsyche, but already I have talked with otherworldly entities and spirits. It stands to reason that everything humankind has ever imagined has a presence in the cosmopsyche. Furthermore, although I can't really prove this as of yet, it seems to me that the cosmopsyche presents itself according to the perceptions of the visiting magician in the much the same way a plural system's headspace does.

I am only just beginning my investigation of this phenomenon, but one thing is certain to me: there is more to the universe than just the physical world.