” Living a life is not for just self-actualization but how many other lives can benefit from your life.”
Author Unknown — Submitted by Benjamin Emmans — Nigeria

How I Wear the Pentacle (or Not)

Author: Dessie Silverglass

If I had to guess I would say that most of the people who identify themselves as Pagan are familiar with this symbol: the pentacle. The pentacle is perhaps one of the most widely recognized Pagan symbols. It is seen in books, on Pagan websites, on television, and on Pagans and Wiccans themselves.

Whether you wear one yourself or you know someone who does, chances are you know that jewelry featuring pentacles is very popular with some Pagans. I myself have a pentacle necklace that I love to wear whenever I can. I’ve had some interesting experiences when wearing it or seeing someone else wearing one.

Probably nine times out of ten, if I’m wearing my pentacle necklace, it’s hidden under my shirt. This is just easier for me. This helps me avoid any unwanted conflict. But this also brings up questions from friends who know I’m Pagan and can’t seem to understand why I’d hide it. I’ve been asked way too many times, “Are you ashamed to let people know you’re Pagan? Why are you so embarrassed, girl?”

Very rarely do I wear my necklace where others can see it. If I’m at home, I don’t really care if it’s hidden. My family is aware of my Pagan beliefs and has come to accept them (at least a little bit) over the last several years (It’s been a long process) .

Sometimes, if I’m going somewhere alone or with Pagan friends, I’ll wear my necklace so it can be seen… really, just to see what it’s like and what might happen (a social experiment, if you will) . Thing is, this social experiment usually has negative results: everything from the nasty glares in the frozen foods section of Wal-Mart to the outright laughter and nasty comments at the movies with friends. But truly, I think that those people are a minority; most people don’t notice at all.

If I’m on campus (I’m a college student) and I’m wearing my pentacle necklace, it’s always hidden. The university I go to has a fairly strong Christian presence, and though I don’t think anyone would be truly nasty, I’ve never felt quite comfortable with the idea of being openly Pagan there.

If asked, for most of these last few years, I’ve always identified as a solitary Pagan. I’ve made Pagan friends in my own town, from my old high school, and online. I’ve even been in this situation in high school: I’d heard a rumor that a girl in one my classes was a Wiccan, so I pretty much just asked her at lunch, and we’re still good friends.

The first time I heard of Wicca or Paganism, I was more than halfway through my freshman year of high school. It was awesome at first. I met a group of friends (There were like six of them, not including me) who said they were Wiccan and started hanging with them. I borrowed books from them; we had conversations at lunch about witchcraft and the Goddess. We thought we were it. We were just totally awesome. Then I told my mom about my new interest and she freaked out. My parents convinced themselves I was worshipping Satan, but it was also just a phase that would pass. (Soon I’d decide I’d done bad and become a good Christian girl.)

Then the other students noticed. That’s when things started getting really bad. Some of my classmates cornered me after my last class (gym) one day and held a mock exorcism with someone’s cross necklace and “holy water” from the water fountain. A teacher who witnessed this did nothing to stop it. I also had a pentacle necklace I wore back then. I took it off one day because a bunch of students were laughing at me. It disappeared from my bag sometime between the end of lunch and the end of the school day. Summer was a welcome break that year. My parents thought I was over the whole “Wicca thing.”

Summer break was over too soon.

My sophomore year was miserable. Apparently, the rumor mill had a longer memory than I’d thought it would. I was picked on constantly from the first day back because of the group of friends I hung out with. I was lectured for reading articles on this website using the library computers during lunch. My teachers found out and started giving me these “that’s so sad” looks. How could such an intelligent honors student get caught up in something so bad?

It was a shock to have people react that way. I pretty much jumped head first into the “broom closet” (and I hadn’t even heard that term at the time) .

I reconnected with some (and made new) non-Wiccan friends (while ignoring the Wiccan ones at school) . I showed up at Christian events like “See you at the pole” before class and helped out when a local church held a food drive. I fought to make even better grades, to impress teachers and my parents. I felt like a poseur, a fake, and a liar. While junior year wasn’t exactly awesome, it wasn’t as bad as the first two years.

My senior year was awesome, and by far the best year of my high school education. That year made up for most of the horrible crap that went on during the first three years. By then the rumor mill had pretty much stopped buzzing, there were far more important things going on: college applications, class cookouts, and all around celebration. We were seniors! I was the “good girl” again by graduation day.

Over those years, my beliefs didn’t fade away, they grew stronger. My parents noticed this and I think that my being the “good girl” has made it easier for them to believe that I’m not worshipping Satan every night after they go to sleep. I read more and more. I tried to reconnect with those Wiccan friends (only to find that all but a few of them were “over it”) . For them, it had only been a fad, a passing phase to get attention from classmates. Others were angry that I’d pretty much abandoned them (and they had every right to be) .

At some point I can’t remember, I stopped calling myself “Wiccan” (with lots of exclamation points and smiley faces) and just became “Pagan.” I’ve had people tell me that I started out as a “fluffy bunny” and finally grew up and became a “serious Pagan.”

So, I’ve been asked many times: “Why don’t you wear your pentacle so people can see it? Are you ashamed to be Pagan? Why are you so embarrassed?”

The answer is no, I’m not ashamed. I’m not embarrassed and I don’t want to be. I’ve just learned that there is a time and a place for everything, including displaying religious symbols and beliefs. I’ve learned that this world isn’t the all-accepting place I’d thought it would be. Even though the First Amendment guarantees “freedom of religion, ” that doesn’t mean that others will accept or understand my beliefs. It doesn’t mean that they have to know about them either. I learned all of this the hard way.

I’ve worked so hard to make it to college, you don’t even know. I’m lucky that I made it at all; it’s not an easy thing to do. It’s expensive, the coursework is difficult, and if I can walk away better educated and with a degree in four years, then I’ll be better off for it.

Yes, overall college is a more accepting place with better people than I grew up with. I won’t trust it that much though. My early high school years were horrible. I don’t want my college years to be the same. I won’t risk it, and if you think I’m less for that…well fine, that’s your prerogative and your way, not mine.

If I’m wearing my pentacle necklace, chances are you won’t see it. It might be a long time before I change my religion on Facebook to “Pagan” (if I ever do; right now I’m thinking that won’t happen) . I don’t tell everyone I meet while walking down the street that I’m Pagan. My beliefs and my spirituality are my business and mine alone if I don’t want anyone else to know. That doesn’t mean I’m less proud of my beliefs than you are.

This Is The Folk Magic

Author: Greenhammer
We are at a crossroads here in the 21st century with magic, environmentalism and the future of pagan religions. The pagan-curious are looking into polytheism and many of them are active in environmental stewardship and land preservation. As nature lovers, greens and environmental activists investigate what paganism might be, their first impression is generally that of the Wicca religion. Pagan Traditionalists seem to prefer initiated membership where people need to be trained.

“Can I call myself a witch since I live so close to nature in my work and home life?” No I was told; I have to be initiated to call myself a witch. I need to listen to someone else’s ideas if I want to become a Witch or Druid. Truthfully, I don’t want anyone to interfere with the path I take, a path that lays somewhere between the Green man and Greenpeace. A path I refer to as, Progressive Eclecticism.

I totally believe in the big tent concept for Pagans and the freewheeling eclecticism I enjoy. We need teachers and clergy and experienced pagans to provide guidance of course, but it can‘t be like the Church with its cowering masses and kowtowing hierarchy kissing each other’s rings. It should be more like the Unitarian Universalists and their reality based morality.

Remember the 6th principle of witchcraft and that’s, “We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, and those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have given of themselves in leadership.” Unity without hierarchy.

The pagan-curious would like to consider becoming pagan but are a little put off with costumes they see at gatherings or in the books. Pagan books seem to be all about spells and ceremony and newbies end up trying to figure out the right candle color to use in ‘witch’ situation. A green living person will wonder why there is not a big emphasis on ecosystem stewardship in Paganism. Some greens have been living as pagans all along and not realizing they are. They appreciate the living relationship between the earth and sun and they see that Mother Nature could be perceived as Gaia, a goddess.

The green pagan-curious are not spiritual or religious necessarily, but they do feel something and they are curious about it. The Mother, the earth spirit, lies somewhere between perception and reality and many people are looking for some sort of link between spirituality and stewardship of the Earth.

I’m happy to walk outside to look at the full moon or praise the north wind or pray to the corn mother for a successful crop and feel no need to be initiated into any specific path. I made up my own religion as a prototype of how easy it is to be comfortable with the path you are creating for yourself. There are many solitaries like me who aren’t worried about any pagan or Wiccan absolutes.

I believe that earth lovers looking into paganism are put off with the ceremonial excess they see and often times turn away. The gardener, earth activist or the tree planting green would be considered, “just a tree hugger, you’re not a ‘real’ pagan.” Says you; Pagan is as pagan does, earth lovers are real pagans, not neo-pagans. So here I am, Martin Luther, creating a schism with pagans, but I’ll say it again–more trees and less candles, more organic vegetables and less skulls and demons. The near future will be less about ceremony and more about attaining full civil rights for Druids and Witches who cannot openly practice or talk about their religion in this sweet land of liberty.

Reality based morality will be about restoring ecosystems worldwide after 150 years of profit taking by industrial capitalism. The future will be less about candle color and more about creating new forms of governance and an economic model of sustainable capitalism to get us to the end of this century. Pagans will be there to replace war, violence and greed with passion and compassion but there are bridges and rough terrain to cross and it won’t be as easy as using your broomstick to get to the Emerald City. “Did you bring your broomstick?” Most people worship the golden calf, and walk that yellow brick road of greed behind the façade of the flag and the cross.

The Wiccans have a strong form of rituality and it works just right for them. I have found that witches, as a sociological group, have a good focus on right living, and are the best contributors to forums and websites all across the internet, and exhibit the passion and compassion to move us forward, but I do feel that it is not for everybody. To be a pagan means you can do what you want, don’t let any book tell you there are absolutes. Pagans may tend to be naughty and impulsive but are not evil.

There is the classic pagan ceremony where a knife represents the male and a goblet of wine symbolizes the woman, and everyone takes it so seriously and here is where I part company with today’s pagans. Why do I need to do that? It’s just not right for me. It’s like kneeling and standing in church when I was a child; it seems kind of silly and uncomfortable. I kneel for no deity.

I’m a gardener and I have a few knives around, like 15, and they have many uses. Cut open our modern impenetrable packaging, slice fruit, cut string and tape, tighten glasses, open up bags of mulch, carve pinewood derby cars and on and on. Do I really need an athame, a double-sided knife, one sharp and the other dull? I do have a favorite knife that has a compass in the handle which is nice for outdoor ceremonies and orienting to the 4 directions, but my favorite use for it is to cut seed potatoes which I do every fall.

I have hope that potatoes can be my sustainable crop and I call the knife my potato knife. Books and practitioners say a pagan without an athame is like a mechanic without a wrench, a dentist without a drill: you absolutely must have an athame. My favorite potato knife is going to be my athame if I really need one, so does anyone have a real problem with that? Let’s loosen up a bit here and start setting up posts to make the tent bigger.

It’s time to discuss what aspects of magic are needed for the future. Why is it that New Agers are so into rocks, huh? Oh, stones; they’re not rocks, I’m told. I call them rocks so bear with me. Rock magic seems interesting and I do have a stone shrine indoors with some small but very interesting unpolished rocks…I mean stones.

A few years ago I found this shrine fit on my dashboard and startling things, mostly good and some bad, happened for three weeks straight when I placed it there till I brought it back in the house. Stone Magic happens more readily than you might think.

This is why I indulge in what I call Oxoheartsvoken, the as yet discovered folk religion of the Reindeer People, the cave painters. The magic of the people, for the people and by the people and in synch with the presence of the planet Venus, that planet we call the morning and evening star. Venus is visible far more often than the moon and helped early navigators such as the Polynesians and the Phoenicians and by now many know about the mysterious pentacle shape that Venus traces across our night sky every eight years.

Today, pagans think they are Druids, Priests or Priestesses and my point is that in every culture there was the shaman or priestly class and the rest of us who would prefer less ceremony. As you begin a journey into ritual and magic, you first have to question the books that explain about magic and its practitioners. Are they capturing what 90% of us did: the folk magic? Not everyone can be a Priest, Druid or pagan clergy.

Experienced pagans might rail against someone like me who has unconventional ideas and refuses to wear the fairy king costumes. As I like to say, ‘Halloween is my new year, not what I do all year.’ Costumes don’t seem natural and I know there are many people that agree with me on that one, maybe we really don’t need to wear robes. No offense of course.

Pagan Traditionalists have created too big of a wall that conservationists and environmentalists try to look over but only end up shrugging their shoulders and walking away because all they see is ceremony that is about connecting with the divine. Getting your hands dirty as a gardener or speaking at a town meeting in support of habitat restoration isn’t even on the radar of all those city slicker pagans.

Neophytes to pagan initiation may hear, “Your athame has to be blah blah blah” or some version of, “you’re just starting, you don’t know anything, ” which is highly insulting. In my opinion, Paganism needs to be more about planting trees and less about spells and candles and I think there are many people who would agree, and many of us have a lot to bring to the table and this is why I’m promoting the big tent concept of progressive eclecticism.

There are those that say you have to be on one specific path or another and you’re not a real pagan if you mix and match your deities from different pagan religions. I’m a real pagan in my view, although serious pagans would disagree with my notion of Progressive Eclectics and my iconoclastic pantheon of 9 goddesses and 23 gods.

Wicca may be the face of paganism with its Lord and Lady Ceremony, but in time there will be ten times as many progressive eclectics as there are initiated wiccans, so the sooner you open that barn door and let us all in, the better.

I’m trying to catch people before they abandon paganism and I want them to realize they can make it their own. It seems that if you have a simpler earth loving set of beliefs this is somehow seen as less than pagan in many circles. I’m telling you greenies, don’t kowtow to traditional, because we are creating tradition now and are rediscovering some of the ancient rituals intuitively which may very well outlast traditional which is, after all, little more than 60 years old since Gardner’s book purportedly revived witchcraft from the misty past.

Don’t get me wrong about magic because I do believe there is magic and the more in tune with it I get, the more readily it happens. But my approach is that you shouldn’t summon or call upon magic any time you want. To all psychics, sensitives, empaths and others: some of us don’t have these superpowers and the phrase “getting in the zone” is the sometimes the best us ordinary folk can manage.

I would next like to quote Scott Cunningham from ‘Earth Power’ as he explains his view of magic. “Magic was the first religion and that if you lovingly utilize the forces of nature to cause beneficial change, you can also become one with them. It is these powers that are personified as gods and goddesses.”

My vision is that we all find our own way as Pagans and a so-called “newbie” has life experiences to draw on for their pagan expression. In my religion there are no newbies. A newbie could have superlative insights when a traditionalist may have lost their focus, spending an entire weekend “driving 300 miles in the Lincoln Escalade looking for coltsfoot root.” I would much rather take a walk around the ’hood and imagine the tree roots and shrub and flower roots all touching and entwining themselves for hundreds of miles as I take a walk, and not be a slave to spells, ritual and ceremony. You love nature, then call yourself a pagan if you like. Let those Reconstructionists call themselves neo-pagans if they want. Don’t quote me, but I think it was the Celtic tradition many hundreds of years ago that used severed heads to ‘see’ the future. If Celt Reconstructionists can pick and choose what practices to take into their spiritual future, then why can’t I? No offense of course.

Native Americans didn’t realize that the basis for the faith-based genocide by Europeans was because they were viewed as pagans, pure and simple; and yet today they don’t call themselves pagan to honor their part in the history of pagan civil rights. The Great Spirit of the Indigenous People kept this hemisphere in balance, and they have respected the Mother for thousands of years here in the U.S.A. The Vikings created settlements on the mainland peacefully, but Christopher Columbus thought the Caribbean islands they landed on was the Garden Of Eden and it was his job to drive out the ‘savages’, or at least enslave them and take their gold.

Is there an ancient mother and are there goddesses? What have the Goddesses been telling us: we must encode liberty, embed equality, ostracize criminality and vanquish cruelty? Maybe Hecate wants you to plant willow trees instead of invoking her to help with your love life. Maybe Cerridwen would rather have you using your creative will to help craft a cap and trade program that makes sense in this polluted world. Sedena of the Inuit doesn’t need prayers so much as She needs a solution to the invasion of her cold northern arctic by Bernie Madoffs with drilling equipment. Maybe Yemaya wants you to indulge your carnal side a little less and take care of your little creations better.

Jurate wants you to be aware that humans have killed and fished with a profit seeking rapaciousness that will leave future generations scratching their heads at the depletion of fishing stocks and the lack of earth stewardship, and the illusion of prosperity created by predatory capitalism. Maybe Freya is unimpressed with your double axe zipper pulls and wants you to raise your level of awareness about eroding topsoil and to learn how to certify organic growing conditions to keep up with the demand for clean food. The dragon tailed goddess Nu-Kua appreciates that you are beginning to understand about feng shui and Dharma, but would be happier if you understood more about the ecological devastation of war and the emotional toll on civilian populations.

If you talk about earth stewardship there is a big yawn on pagan forums, but talk about dragons and the fingers hit the keyboard. On the other hand, did you feel the dragons this spring, a slightly different feeling in the air, and the new surging currents? Maybe Dexsiua and her dragons want us to plant trees and bushes to enhance the local ecosystems.

Maybe the goddesses are trying to tell us to wake up before growing populations and shrinking resources reach a point of perpetual crisis. For now it may be more important to halt the degradation of our planet and I like to say 100 hands clasped in prayer cannot plant a tree. I wonder… is there a bridge that can be built between pagans and greens? Who can tell, because now all I see is a total disconnect.

In conclusion, I feel the less you use magic, the better it works. During a pagan pilgrimage to Salem I went jogging and walking to sightsee that way. I was up and down the multitude of brick sidewalks and roads because I got the notion that maybe I could capture a bit of the magic of this place in a broken piece of brick road. For 25 minutes I searched and found nothing. Jogging here, walking there and finding nothing I could use, but then something came over me. I did a secret ceremony to the universe and I heard, ’go here and turn there’ and sure enough 45 seconds later I found the perfect piece. I mean really, how does this happen?

Very simply, this is the folk magic.

Footnotes:
Scott Cunningham “Earth Power”

Who Am I? Just Setting the Record Straight!

Author: Keyokwee

Just the other day I had a reality check delivered to me, served up on a platter. My oldest Son lives in the area and he has had a couple of girlfriends and also he has numerous friends. So when I go to town to shop I can rest assured that I would recognize at least one or two of them. Since they were always at work, I never paid any attention to the fact that they mostly smiled a hurried Hi and hustled off to resume their jobs…with the exception of one of his ex-girlfriends who acts as though I were going to kick her butt and actually scurries away every time she sees me. It truly would be a miraculous feat because of my arthritis if I had the ability to do this-but I can’t.

So a couple of days ago, we had the pleasure of having my Son and his Significant Other and my Grandson as guests for several days. When we all went into town for shopping and to show off the baby, I noticed that I received the same reaction from his friends even when they were off duty (and we saw quite a few) . Hmmm… I smell a frog in the pond!

I didn’t say anything until we were in the truck going home and then casually commented that the townsfolk seemed awfully disturbed by my presence with the three of them. And that they were also especially startled to see me carrying and kissing my Grandchild! The resulting slight swerve of the truck and the ensuing throat-clearing and nervous giggles with the furtive glances cast quickly to each other confirmed my suspicion: my son has a BIG Froggy mouth! One with opinions that lean towards the uber-conservative right where truth gets trampled in hysteria! Worse yet, his Significant Other bought into it and was just as nervous as the population of our small town about being around me. And why you ask? Because he told them.

Oh Gosh! Dare I say it? — major crescendo and drum roll please — I’m a Witch! (Resulting Gasps, Screams and Startled looks!)

PULLEASE!!!! Get a life! So for the purpose of setting some mis-conceptions right here goes……….

AAAAAHHHHH!!!! Scream and Hide the young-uns! Yup, that’s right, folks! I’m THE Original devil worshipping, 666 branded, spell casting, frog-turning, cackling, evilest woman, of the “West’s Wand and Broom Society” in the flesh! Cover your crotches and cross your eyes! (Your words and ideas not mine!)

All 191lbs of big, beautiful, me! And yes I even have both the broom and wand to prove it Thank-you very much! But let us set some facts straight here! I am truly flattered by all the faith that you have in my terrible powers…but common sense is lacking in some areas.

Devil worshipping? Nope! I don’t even believe in your devils or your Gods…just Mother Earth and Goddess and God. No Satan or devils here; last time I saw them…they were in your books, I believe. You guys seem all too ready to point fingers and talk about them all the time. EEESSHH!! Oh and by the way…that one God of yours named Satan…He’s all your idea and one of your Gods-not mine… so please keep him over there! Don’t go creating something bad and then try blaming me for it Worse yet you keep trying try to toss him over the wall that you built for purity at me…strange things you guys think up when you are in the mood to accuse other’s of your sick ideas! BRRR! Go Figure!

I believe in the sanctity of life…all life great and small. I believe you are only as evil as you want to be and you have the free-will choice to be what you want. But then you are also responsible for those choices, too -good or bad – and the messes you create. I believe that the energy that I expend in life, whether it be for good or bad, will come back to me threefold. Just like the ripples in the water. I believe in living in the natural cycles of the year, living by the moon and seasons; growing crops, harvesting and storing them and planning for the next years…don’t you also? If you are farmers and ranchers you do!

I also believe in giving back to my Mother Earth by cleansing, healing and restoring balance to our land…which we all are starting to do. You can’t raise very good crops on polluted land with polluted water and expect to remain healthy. I don’t believe in the raping and plundering of our Mother Earth’s resources. For is it not She is who feeds us, clothes us, and provides everything that is necessary for our lives? Why would I endanger myself, my family, all species or Mother Earth just for some stupid coins of metal or pieces of paper with printed numbers on it? Where is the return on that? What is it that you promote if the things you desire are lifeless?

I believe in helping all my fellow mankind and creatures great and small, in nurturing and healing them if I can. If I have food, I’ll share, – clothes, I’ll share, – shelter, I’ll share. Wouldn’t you? I’m even willing to help teach you how to do it too. And I won’t preach at you. That is unless you want me too. -Seriously.

Power of frog turning? Let me ask you a common sense question. Now if I had the power to turn someone into a frog, don’t you think that there would be at least 2 ex-husbands and several hundred thousand more people that would now be croaking in my personal Pond Of Life? Damn! I must have missed that lesson in my spellbook! Shuckers! And if truth be told…what do I have against the frogs? But yet again, why would I condemn myself to three lifetimes as a frog for each of the people that crossed my path? Because what I send out comes back threefold. That would mean an eternity of frogdom for me…Nah! Better to just learn how to take responsibility for my temper, seek a common ground of compromise and understanding and to wish them all well. UHMM!! But thanks for the belief that you profess to have in my powers…if only I had them and it were true…I think! PSST! Don’t be so quick to bestow power on others. You set yourself up for big disappointments in life! Really messes up the other persons’ lives too.

Do I do sacrifices? Umm… nope. Unless you count the times I sacrificed for my kids when I was raising them. We do raise meat birds that are organic and butcher them humanely, just like all the other farmers around here that do the same. I just wanted to ensure that we are responsible for our own healthy food and that we do our part to ensure our chickens and turkeys are humanely treated and fed natural food, not meat by-products and antibiotics. We allow them to free-range and feed them goodies such as bread and veggie scraps besides their feed. They are also butchered as humanely as possible… nope not sacrificed to your God Satan…

We respect the lives of our birds and the gifts that they give to us in the food they provide; your Satan doesn’t. Plus we compost everything we can and do our best to recycle. Nope no human or animal sacrifices-sorry and all of our manure goes to the compost pile to be used to fertilize the soil and heal Mother Earth– it’s not flung at those who do not agree with us. But I do recall that in your books and stories, you boast of them in your past practices of worship…you once sacrificed animals and almost one human. Abraham’s son is one that comes to mind. And also the one you proclaim as one of your Gods. But too, I am not including the millions that are slaughtered in your Gods’ names either. And all because of not thinking or believing or worshipping as you do.

As for my belief in Goddess and God. I honest and truly believe that you can’t have one without the other. How would you know about light, if there were not the presence of dark? Air without the absence of air? One could not exist without the other. Same as creation….Goddess carries forth and births life, but it takes Goddess and God to create life. There is always balance. When the balance is tipped, as it has been the last 6000 years or so; then injustices are perpetuated against all of creation. And when one is elevated and the other subjugated, the imbalance creates the ugly sides of society such as we are seeing today and it is complete with the total dis-respect and pollution of Mother Earth and all living things. By our own hands. And no amount of self-righteousness will ever excuse the crimes that we have been inflicting upon each other or our Mother Earth. I don’t care what you believe in!

How about dancing naked outside… Cackling…Yup I do that when I laugh! Guilty as charged.

Tattoo of 666? Nope! And I even checked in places that have not seen sunlight in ages! Shudder! EEWW! Warning: don’t do this unless you’re ready for a real harsh reality check! Scariest thing I have ever done! Couldn’t even find a dingleberry and I was looking too!

Different holidays? Yes, but then we do have some that are on the same days too. (Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Valentines Day to name a few.)

Broom riding… ARE YOU SERIOUS? I have yet to get my 191lb butt to defy gravity contained in a pair of blue jeans and my breasts in a miracle bra, let alone to be able to fly on a Broom! And let me tell you; if I could have…don’t you think someone would have shot my sorry butt down in blue flames by now? And I guarantee that EVERYONE would have heard about it by now if that would have happened- don’t ya think? Post 9/11 and all? Hell why stop there? Don’t you think the governments would have found a way to pervert or tax it? And that includes the visions of levitation and spinning my head 360 degrees!

Now as for “casting” spells…Yup! I do! I believe in the powers of the universe…especially positive thinking. I believe that if I surround myself with positive things and thoughts and energy, I can become a better person, and help other people and all life. Everything is made up of energy and to achieve balance we must walk in balance in our lives. By “casting” a spell, it is my way of focusing my energy to achieve that purpose-that balance. Positive thought creates positive action simple as that. You guys have several self-help Gurus that tell you the same thing all the time…no diff.

Do I believe in magic and the supernatural? Well let’s ask this question again, a different way. Do you believe in miracles and Angels? I do on both and that includes the miracles and creatures such as you call angels I call them fair ones! But there is nothing super about it…it’s just natural to me, just like breathing. I think you call it faith.

Am I evil? Well, that depends on who you talk to. I try to never hurt anyone or anything. And I try to always help everyone and everything and I do so freely in love and peace. I don’t believe in war, or killing or maiming or torture. I don’t believe in raping or plundering Mother Earth. I respect you and your right to exist and believe in what you want; as long as it does not involve the taking of others lives or their subjugation because of gender or race or religion or sexuality. I accept that we are all wonderfully diverse and unique. I believe our job is to make Mother Earth and all its inhabitants better because we have been here rather than in spite of it…maybe both. I believe in healing the sick, feeding the poor and clothing them, giving them shelter and such-but I have yet to learn to walk on water.

I have good days, bad days, happy days, and sad days. And I get angry and say some pretty dumb things at times. I do colossally stupid things and sometimes manage to make tiny improvements in my life. I love my family just like everyone else, I take pride in their achievements, love to give lots of hugs and kisses and encouragement, and take lots of pictures. And I too take responsibility for my own life and all that I do. I’m learning that I don’t need to worry about revenge because I know eventually Momma Karma will help the offender pick up the tab plus interest. Ask me how I know! So if that is evil…then so be it.

I believe that all of us are born, and live, and die several times over. And that we choose the lives and the lessons we seek to learn. There is no hell other than the ones we create here in our own perverse minds or inflict upon each other. No one is better or worse. Or more entitled or less. And believe it or not-I do believe that we have the ability to create Heaven here on Mother Earth…but it is going to require a lot of work and some serious re-adjustments of our priorities and pride.

I do grieve at the narrow-minded views that I encounter in my private and public dealings. When all types of good -whether it be a person or an act – has to first be stamped and certified by the local religious authorities as pure and righteous, or it is subsequently labeled as evil, then something is definitely wrong. And I, at that point start to question whether the future of our race as human beings and a species is going to continue. Because at what point do we end all the hatred and killing of all things that are different from us just because they are different? Swimming at the shallow end of the gene pool with that mindset is difficult enough without having to deal with those that have a penchant for peeing in the pool on top of it! I do have a hard time trying to understand these viewpoints. I do, I confess that. Especially when the viewpoints are attached to and promoted by some of my own family members.

It does become a real challenge sometimes. But I’m not going to back down on this or give up. Nor change who I am or what I believe in. I am who I am! Just as you are who you are. And there is room enough for all of us! Besides I have faith enough that one day for all of us, we will learn how to get along and actually accept and work with each other-that or we will eventually perish. But absolutely no one on this Earth has the right to say that I cannot live because I do not worship like they do. Never! If you have a question, by all means ask. Don’t just assume. And do us all a favor and use your common sense on some of them. I do not raise the dead except when I’m raising hell with the rest of you when I’ve had too much to drink…by making too much noise! I can’t make anyone do anything against his or her will. Or turn someone into anything else or cast an evil eye on them to bring about harm or death Nor do I cause all bad things to happen on Mother Earth just because I live…Give me a break! You guys have been watching too much Charmed or something and need to start focusing on your own reflection. The splinter and the plank tale…remember? And how about that one about not judging?

So come on out from your closets and stop crossing yourself and covering your crotches and such! Geesh! Now you know why I’m a Solitary! So if you’ll excuse me now I have a Big Mouth Fogy’s lily pad to up-end and give my oldest child a good dunking! Redeep! Redeep! Redeep! Come on in the waters’ fine! 😉

Peace and Blessings everyone!

Stop The Abuse! Spirits Have Feelings.

Author: Zanaffar

The title of the article is pretty strange at first sight, but it will become clear as you advance in the contents. As you already guessed, we will be talking about spirits, entities, and “magical beings”.

Many magic users, “spell casters” so to speak, learn or are taught from the beginning how to attract the aid of spirits when they perform a magical working. Asking the spirit world for help is not an unusual thing; even the followers of major religions include angels, saints, etc in their prayers. From the most ancient of times, the rites of great civilizations (Egyptians, Sumerians, Aztec etc.) included some forms of seeking aid from spirits and other worldly beings. So we can clearly see where the practice originates.

Sadly nowadays many people who work with magic, regardless of their spiritual ideologies, use this practice very incorrectly, be they Wiccans, eclectics, ritualistic Magicians, traditional witches, etc. Some of we magic users draw a faulty conclusion, which leads to further misconception, when we interpret different magical texts, grimoires and conclude that spirits often have the role to serve us. So in our rituals we include spirits to go and carry out our will, to do certain “jobs” for us, and/or to bring results to our workings.

Many people don’t really understand what they are truly doing and what they are dealing with.

First of all, we must know that no matter what type of spirit we are working with… that spirit is “alive” (in a philosophical way, of course) ; it is an intelligent entity, which is self-conscious. Even the most primitive, lesser spirits have some form of consciousness, so you are not dealing with a robot that knows only to follow your command. So what does this involve? This involves a measure of respect: as you would respect every living being, so you should respect every ethereal “living” being.

Every spirit has its own purpose and role in the world, and yes, it has its specific job, what it was created for or what it chose to do. So it has much better things to do than to carry out blindly someone’s will. If you ask it for help with kindness and respect, that is a totally different approach. You give it a choice; you appeal to an Universal law of reciprocal help, and in this way the spirit may choose to help you or ignore you. In all cases, simply asking for help is not offensive to anyone.

The problem is that many people don’t like to be ignored, so they force their wills on the spirit by various magical and psychic techniques, which is immoral and totally wrong. How would you feel if another person did that to you? How did the slaves feel in humanity’s troubled history? You wouldn’t even do that to your cat or dog… so why would you treat a spirit differently?

It doesn’t matter if it’s just a simple elemental spirit, or a very advanced entity of some sphere…as long as it is in existence, it’s totally wrong to force it to do something. And yes, just as the title says, some may have feelings similar to ours. You must realize that every self-conscious being in existence has some form, some level of emotion or instinct or feeling.

Sadly in the ranks of magicians there is a certain practice that is very widespread. Some use certain Solomonic evocation techniques to summon spirits (mostly angelic, demonic, planetary, Olympic) and force information or an action out of them. What they do is they appeal to the representation of the source of all powers and by charging themselves with its power, and of course “highlighting” the superiority of their divine essence, they force spirits to obey them. It’s true that in most cases they only force demons or demonic spirits… but in my opinion, their practices demonstrate a very low moral standard. They consider themselves directly connected to the Supreme God, source of all powers and to angels who represent an aspect of this Omnipotent source.

What I don’t understand is how could angelic beings, and the Lord of Mercy agree to this barbaric practice? These magicians don’t consider their actions as an abuse; they think it is perfectly justified and righteous. I see it as ignorance and arrogance.

Anyway, I am not telling you that it is bad to ask spirits for help. I would never do that because they are part of the magical practice itself. Many magic users are constantly taught, inspired and helped by the representative of the spheres close to them (Gods, Goddesses, lords, ladies etc) . But abusing their help, forcing them to do something, is just as bad as slavery in our modern society.

When you work with a spirit, no matter what kind it is, always treat it with respect. As you would with any other intelligent being, never force a spirit or entity to do something. In the worst case, compromise or negotiate. Remember that respect only draws respect and good will, may that be human, or other in nature.

To finish the article, let me tell you a personal experience. Once I was in an urgent need of money… and I mean real urgent. So I thought to myself, let’s use the quickest method to try and help the situation. I looked up a spirit in a grimoire. I kind of annoyed it with the request to help me solve my situation fast; refusal was not an answer I would take. The next day, I got a call from my ex-employer asking me to stop by because they forgot to give me a part of my salary for the last month when I still worked there. I was really happy that the solution came so fast and I rushed there.

I got all the money in change.

So basically I had LOTS of money, a sac of coins, but the real monetary value was actually rather small. I learned a good lesson that day… the spirit played this joke on me and really humiliated me for my thoughtless action… and you know what? I really deserved it.

Feng Shui Tip of the Day

Sunday, April 24, 2011

If you’re having trouble with your studies, check the near left corner of your home for clutter or broken objects.