Monday Meditation: Defining Personal Power

It's important for people to define what they mean by different terms. One person may not define things in the same way as another. For instance, when using the word "professionalism" in the business world, that could mean very different things to different people. By the same token, the term "Witch" may have a variety of meanings, depending on the individual. It helps to put context around what is meant in order to come to an understanding. Today's meditation will seek to define the term, "personal power" in order to address what it means to the individual.

There are several different definitions personal power available through a simple internet search. For example, The Business Dictionary defines it as: "Influence over others, the source of which resides in the person instead of being vested by the position he or she holds."

Here are a few others: 

Web Definitions:

"Power is a measure of an entity's ability to control the environment around itself, including the behavior of other entities. The term authority is often used for power, perceived as legitimate by the social structure."en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_power

"Personal Power is based on individual characteristics that are acquired with varying degrees of difficulty and at different rates of development. Many performance skills are easily taught and can be rapidly acquired. Personality traits, on the other hand, take time to develop and can be difficult to modify." www.cda-acd.forces.gc.ca/cfli-ilfc/LeadershipConcepts-eng.asp

"Control over the environment used solely as a means of producing personal security. Destructive control over other persons." www.see.org/garcia/ethgl.htm

"is your power to control you and the environment around you. Most people realize that they are the only ones in control of themselves. While they may let others control them or persuade them to do things from time to time, each of us has control of our person." growandimprove.com/glossary/

My favorite definition of personal power comes from the book, "Witchcraft: Theory and Practice," by Ly De Angeles: 

"Personal power is a natural growth process that develops as a result of the life you live in the way of the witch. Others will notice you even when you do not desire to be noticed; therefore, personal power is the ability to disappear when you want to and appear when you want to. It is not an egoistical phenomenon! It is an energy (akin to magnetism){16}, a presence about oneself that will require a firm rein for the first few years. It will emanate from your physical body like a field phenomenon. This field is neither a conscious, nor consciously acquired, function, and you are to know and understand this.

Posturing and arrogance are its illusory counterparts. Personal power should not be treated as such (that will be the ego seeking to manipulate a natural force and that is both ugly and offensive). 

Personal power is a direct result of accessing the lifescape of magic and of living within its field. If you allow yourself to become glamoured{17} by it, in either yourself or anyone else, you disrupt the web of the worlds and the places of power will withdraw, oh, even just a little, from the access of those who seek to live within their wonder.
Personal power is an accumulation of awareness, preparation, intent, and your ability to focus, all through the vessel of the self."

That may seem too detailed a definition of personal power. However, it leaves no room for doubt as to what the author intends when she uses that phrase.  When defining a personal code of honor, or exploring what power means to an individual, or for those who have experienced the phenomenon of being noticed when all he/she wanted was to be a wallflower,  or those of us for whom watches don't work, street lights go out, this can provide at least a skeleton from which to build upon. 

It also  assists one in seeing his/her unique yet entangled connection to other living things, and the responsibility each person has to be full of care with it.

Your Turn!

What is your definition of personal power? How does this help you in your daily life, both magically and in the mundane? Post in comments or hit me up on Facebook!

Sláinte!

16: See the Art of Invisibility, Part Three

17: See Glamouring, Part Three