The following excerpt is taken verbatim from an article entitled Has God Gone Green? Found in the Issachar Report section of Volume 19, No. 11 (November, 2009) issue of the Personal Update, which is the news journal of Koinonia House.  The entire article is found on pages 11-15.  It was written by Leisa Garcia, Folio Specialist.  Get this newsletter for free for one year by clicking here:  Personal Update.

I have struggled with how to explain the mistaken concept of God being immanent that many false religions hold to be true.  I have never found a better explanation than this article puts forth, and so I included it in my blog for all to read.

Please understand that being “green” is not a negative thing in theory…saving energy, recycling, avoiding the use of toxic chemicals, replanting trees…just being a good steward of the earth and our health overall is God’s command to us.  However, many have taken it to extremes and are turning God’s command to be good stewards into an extremist agenda, and in some instances, a religion unto itself.  It is not the “green” part I am focusing on here.  For the moment, I am just focusing on the religions that use the concept of God being immanent as support for their “green” agenda.

I am thankful to God for the wisdom and insight he gave Leisa Garcia to write this fantastic article, and I strongly suggest that you read the entire piece,  if you get a chance!

Blessings,

Carl

“…immanent - emanating or issuing from, or as if from a source.  Not to be confused with the similar words “eminent” (high station, rank or repute) and “imminent” (likely to occur at any moment; impending).

One Scripture commonly used to try and prove their assertion that God is immanent (in everyone and everything) is Ephesians 4:6:  ‘One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.’

God truly is transcendent-above and separate from His creation, but God does NOT emanate from from any part of creation.  According to Thayer’s Lexicon the word ‘through’ in this passage means ‘diffusing his saving influence through all.’

It is critical to understand that Paul is writing to ‘the Saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.’ God does not dwell in everyone.  He dwells only in those who have been born again by the Holy Spirit, who are direct creations of God.  He does not dwell in unbelievers.

God indwells us.  However, He does not become us and we do not become God.  As God’s Shekinah glory dwelt in the Holy of Holies  in the Tabernacle  and Solomon’s Temple, God dwells in us.  God did not become part of the Tabernacle or the Temple.  He simply dwelled there. [emphasis mine]

In a vain attempt to provide scientific proof for their beliefs, the ’spiritual greens’ espouse that God is in every cell and every atom at a quantum level.  Therefore, everything from the universe to the elements that make up creation are one with divinity, or one with God.

Interestingly, this belief that ‘all is one’ has been confirmed by the powerful sensation experienced by those who practice Eastern Meditation, Yoga and Contemplative Prayer in which they feel ‘at one with the universe.’  In fact, this may simply be a physical phenomenon caused by restricting the flow of information to the parietal lobe of the brain which causes you to lose your sense of boundaries…”

I hated parties, but this one was for a producer friend of mine and one of the guys at the paper had cajoled me into showing up.

“Come on, baby,” he said in his really sweet, seductive way that made me want to crawl into his arms, “There’s going to be a Stones cover band and everything.”

After making an ass of myself, dancing to “Sympathy for the Devil” with my sloshed buddy, Roppo, I made a b-line for the bar.

“Let me buy you a drink, Norah,” my city editor, Brian, said.

“Oh. Okay.  Can you get me a Diet Coke with lemon?”

“You on the wagon?”

“Yeah.” It was too much to explain I get high off of water.

My phone started to vibrate. “Gotta take this, Bri.”

“Sure.”

“Sean?” I went outside to the sidewalk so I could hear. “Where are you?”

“Well, I just finished visiting her brother and sister.” He sounded a little nervous.

“How was it?”

“God, Norah, difficult.  They hated Meehan from the start.  She wouldn’t listen. I think her brother feels guilty for not protecting her after he knew the guy was violent. It’s just hard. He gave me a great interview – talked about how as a kid, she got a job at a local restaurant.  She was 14 or something and she just walked into the kitchen and asked if they needed someone to bust some suds.”

I laughed. “Shut the fuck up.  Now that’s funny.”

“Yeh, some of it was fun. Listen, Norah, I’m supposed to jailhouse him in the morning.  Are you near a computer? Can you tell me what the hours are or if it’s like Manhattan Correctional where you go by first initial of last name?”

“I’m at a birthday party for Chuck Vincent at Bar 9.  Can I call you when I get home?”

“Yeah, sure, sure. I’m sorry to interrupt, hun.”

“No prob. I needed an excuse to duck out of there before they start asking me to sing my favorite Stones song with Roppo.”

“Alright,” Sean laughed. “I don’t feel so bad then.”

“Trust me. You are doing me a favor.”

“Norah? Do you think they’ll let me talk to this guy?”

“Elegua.”

“What?”

“Elegua, Santerian god who unlocks all doors, clears a pathway.  Or, if you feel more comfortable with Saint Anthony, he also removes obstacles. Then there’s always Ganesha.”

“Okay, okay,” he teased. “Enough already. How about you pray for me, babe?”

“Your choice, hun.”

***

It was a little dicey when I worked days. People were starting to notice my disappearances, but I felt compelled.

My phone was vibrating. “Can I call you back, sweetie?” I was now officially calling Sean sweetie more than Tom. Goddess help me.

“Yeah, Norah, but quickly.”

“Okay, give me a few minutes.”

I walked by the photo desk. “Coffee run. Tony? Aaron?” No takers. How much coffee could I buy, before the guys got fed up with this routine?  They probably thought I was having relationship problems.

I waited until I was otuside the building this time.  I felt like I was cheating on my job.  The sneak was kind of fun, but stressful.

“Hey, Sean, what’s up?”

“It didn’t work.” He sounded defeated.

“I’m sorry. The spell?”

“Yeh, I was kind of hoping.”

“Hey, no one’s perfect. Wrong day?”

“Nah, just that they aren’t letting press in,” he said.

“Okay, so no biggie. Neeexxxt.”

He laughed. “I’m gonna visit her dad today, Norah. I’m really not looknig forward.”

“Okay. It’s cold out here. I can”t get in touch with her when I’m freezing my ass off. Let me get into the hallway upstairs.”

“Would you? Thanks, sweetie. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll think of a way,” I teased.

The longest hallway outside the city room was where we put photo editors and archivists - all in private suites.  It was the best place to be if you didn’t want to disturb people. I went to the tall, narrow window at the end of the hall. It was a bright kind of cloudy outside.

“Okay, Sean. I need you to stay open and to relax. What’s the dad’s name?”

“John.”

I took a deep breath.  “So I’m seeing him at a drafting table. Does he paint or draw?”

“He’s a photographer, Norah. Not a painter as far as I know.”

“Well, I’m seeing him looking at a big drawing of some kind – or maybe a painting he’s working on – a night sky above an ocean. I feel he’s going to show you this and, if not, ask.”

“Okay.”

“Laila wants her dad to know she loves him so much and she is with him, especially when he paints. I see her standing behind him in this sparse, well lit studio. There are photographs all around and his drafting table is to the left when you face the windows.  Quite a nice space.”

“Norah, you are the best. Did I ever tell you, you are my favorite channeler? “

“Sean, just get over there. I gotta get back to work.”

“Talk to you later. I’m coming back to the city tonight.”

A late blog I know, as it is nearly a month since Samhain – but sometimes life is just so rich and full, that there is no time to report on it!

This year we decided we would rid ourselves of our regrets and any negativity we have taken on, as well as honouring our loved ones who are in Spirit (of course!!). It is always a very cathartic experience, letting go of the feelings and energies that are holding us back, and this eve of the new year is such a perfect time to start afresh.

As expected most of the rite is given over to the Goddess in Her Crone face. We always find Her presence powerful, so much knowledge and wisdom from one so old. It is a good reminder for us all that the elders among us have lived through times and gained experiences that we can’t yet (and in some cases hopefully never) imagine.

This year the Crone led us with a guided meditation so we could all commune with the Crone in our own personal ways. I think we all get so much from such exercises – I always find I get the journey I need, not always the one I particularly expected. I got to meet an old friend who had crossed over twenty years ago, and although in life he never seemed so wise, he certainly is now! I found the discussion we had really helpful and comforting.

We all seem to get so much from this evening, but soon it will be Yule – a time of celebration of different energies and viewpoints.

Wolfshadow and I have recently returned from an amazing holiday in Spain – more tourist than Pagan! Our arrival at a Yurt Hotel in the mountains of Spain coincided with the Full Moon, not sure if it was the clear, mountain air but the moon was so big and clear. You almost felt like you could reach up and touch Her.

After dinner we decided to take advantage of our surroundings, as we had a private open space outside our yurt where we could perform a drawing down the moon ritual. We had no paraphernalia with us, just our good selves, which is obviously all that is needed. It felt so powerful and healing we both felt so privileged!

I took a photo of the moon over the mountains, that unfortunately doesn’t do Her justice, but hopefully shows off her beauty anyway…

I have seen a number of discussions on Pagan Internet forums about whether the Gods can travel. Suggesting that the old British Pagan Gods are tribal and therefore linked solely to a particular piece of land. The most obvious being Herne with Windsor forest and Ceridwen with Lake Bala in Wales.

Since I’ve been here in Australia I’ve been open to this idea. As we’ve travelled the land I’ve been receptive to the spiritual energy of this Singing Land, asking it to share itself with me, to tell me it’s stories. The voices I’ve heard have been beautiful, awesome, but also familiar.

When we stood in the Bush surrounded by huge gum trees I heard the voices of the land and

the Woodland Spirit. When I stood with my feet in the warm ocean the Ancestral Spirit of the Sea sung me its song. It has been an honour to hear them, and the thing that struck me is that, even so far from home, the Spirits of Woodland and Ocean had the same voices as Herne and Manawydan.

It’s obvious really. There is no seperation between the water I paddled in here in Australia and the English Channel other than the human construct of name – it is the same water. The land I walk upon is the same Earth merely

separated by that water mass. Of course the Woodland Spirit of Australia would feel like the Woodland Spirit of Britain.

As I spoke to the Bush and the Sea I heard familiar voices reply

to me. The same voices I speak to in the UK, just with different names. Our Pagan Gods don’t operate by our imposed regulations. They don’t need to make a 22 hour journey to Australia. All we need to do is be open and listen to the Land. So for me the discussion of whether the Gods travel is answered with a quite obvious ‘they dont need to, they live here already!’.

I felt after reading this that it was a wonderful piece that covered not only my earth based sentiments about the season but convayed acceptance of all tranditions of the season. It is something that I’ve added to my personal Parenting Book of Shadows to illustrate and share with my daughter as she grows older.

Our Winter Queen

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=1438410735

About a year ago I was contacted by an Australian Pagan folk band called Spiral Dance who wanted to cover my song Spirit of Albion. I was very touched that they’d even asked and of course said yes and asked if they’d send me a copy if they ever recorded it. A year later I’m near Adelaide in Mclaren Vale at a venue called the Singing Gallery, a converted church, playing at a concert organised by the band.

We arrived at 5pm ready for a soundcheck and the band were there setting up. I love playing in churches – the acoustics are always amazing. The owners had done a really great job converting it into a music venue. The place was set out with reserved tables where people were going to bring along their picnics and bottles of wine (the venue charged a ‘corkage fee’ but you could bring all your own booze and food).

Spiral Dance are a great band. They remind me of early Steeleye Span. During the

soundcheck they played some of their version of Spirit of Albion so I could hear it. The idea was that I join them onstage during their set when they played it.

People started to arrive around 7.30 and the place was packed and buzzing by 8 when I was due to take the stage. I’ve noticed at each of the gigs I’ve played here that, before anything else happens, there is an aknowledgement that this concert is taking place on the land of the original tribal peoples of Australia – a small but heartfelt ancestral honouring. Adrienne then took the stage to introduce me. I was a little bit nervous to be honest, but I needn’t have been. We were all together from the opening chord of Song of Awen. The band’s sound engineer was great and there was a fabulous sound front stage. I noticed a few people videoing the gig so I hope they’ll end up on

YouTube sometime (there are a few there already!). The balance of the sound on stage was perfect and I could also hear the audience singing along over the sound of my guitar and voice. I played for an hour, mostly songs from my first four albums (it’s getting harder and harder to play for an hour and still fit in all of the songs I want to play!) but ended the set with Wild Mountain Thyme from Tales from the Crow Man which even here everyone seemed to know. The standing ovation at the end of the concert was wonderful – another wonderful evening with lovely people!

After a short break Spiral Dance took the stage. They are a great live band with a lot of energy – they are like an Aussie The Dolmen but more folky. They did a great version of Span’s classic Bedlam Boys and two of the

band even burst through the doors backstage and did some Morris Dancing! Great stuff. Adrienne then told the story of how she’d first heard Spirit of Albion whilst at a Pagan festival in the USA. She asked the people who had been playing it who wrote the song and then found me through the Internet, posting me that first email. It was amazing to join them on stage to play the song (this is one of the vids on YouTube). They have added a very different rhythm to it and then have a ‘diddly’ folk burst halfway through. I loved singing with them.

At the end of their set I was invited up onstage again to singing The Burning Times with them. It’s not a song I usually like but they’d done some very spiritual work on the arrangement and the audience did a spiral dance and ended in a beautiful oval of people. Man it’s so good to be a part if this global Pagan community!

After Spiral Dance’s set I was invited to play a few more tunes. So as they’d already been dancing I thought I’d keep that vibe going with Lughnasadh, Lughnasadh Dance and Hal an Tow. Much hugging and chat followed until gradually people began to wend their way back home. Me? Well, I was buzzing and to be honest everytime I think of that concert I still am!

Dear Witchful Thinking,

I practice solo, what are the advantages of joining a coven, do you know how to get in touch with other locals?

Thanks!

I. Seeker

Dear Seeker,

Ah, the coven! A place where Pagans can get together, learn, worship, and practice magic.

There are many advantages to joining a coven:

• Fellowship of like-minded people.
• A single path to focus your energy on.
• A place to hone your skills and get personal teaching.
• Incredible love and family energy.
• Something social to do.
• Work towards larger projects and goals.
• Teach and train others.
• Gain credibility and status.

On the other hand, there could be some downsides:

• Politics, gossiping and favoritism.
• Hierarchy and structure.
• Crappy teachers.
• Poorly-thought-through magic and ritual.
• Hazing, harassment, hexing.
• Sexual tension.
• No formed group mind.
• Lousy leadership.

Of course, not all covens have these kinds of problems. Any time you get any group of people together for any purpose, these kinds of things might happen. Perhaps it sticks out more so in the Pagan community because we are so vulnerable: we want to be open to new experiences, but sometimes forget to take our brains with us. Most likely, a real coven will have a mix of these good things and bad things.

Some advice about choosing a coven:

• Take your time: You are picking family and a religion at the same time. Many covens have a “year and a day” course or public rituals they do to evaluate potential new members. It’s worth it to try each other out and to be honest if you don’t think it will meet your needs.
• Identify what your needs are: For me, the Celtic Gods don’t respond, so I’m not likely to do well in a coven that focuses on the Gods of Britian and Wales! Do you need a family-friendly group? How available are you to meet regularly? Do you need formal training or do you have skills you can offer?
• All covens are unique and different from each other because they are made up of people. Ask yourself what makes you a good coven member. Why would the coven want you?
• Some groups practice “alternative” lifestyles such as polyamory, BDSM or require certain rituals such as tattooing. If you don’t wholeheartedly agree with what the coven is doing, you need to re-evaluate your membership.
• Most covens don’t advertise. Likely it is word of mouth. You may receive an invitation to join a group, or might have a friend who is involved. It’s often just like a family: you don’t just join, you are married or born in.
• If you can’t find a coven you like, start your own. Ask some friends to join you, and be ready to be committed! Start with what you know and work with your initial covenmates to create rituals and tradition. It’s just as legitimate as any other coven. You can learn as you go and there are some excellent resources out there to help you. (We can talk about this more in another post!)

The best way to find a coven is to go where there are lots of Pagans, like a festival, or a showcase event like Concentric Circles run by OLOTEAS. Witchvox has excellent group pages, although many groups go dead before they can really get going. Find a group with an open circle. Your local Pagan and Occult supply shop often becomes the meeting place for groups and open rituals, so check them out.

After you start going to the local festivals, you’ll start making friends. Ask around the community. Network. If you read a book by an author you like who lives near you, consider writing them and asking for more info about their coven. Many authors like Silver Ravenwolf, Laurie Cabot and Starhawk head covens in their local areas.

Can’t find a real life group? Consider online training. At least you’ll meet and work with people virtually. Consider Amber K’s school. Or the ATC’s theological seminary. Or Cherry Hill’s distance learning masters programs. Or Oberon Zell’s Grey School of Wizardry, if that is your flavor.

And remember: take your time. Find the right one. This decision is too important. Give it your real thought and attention.

Some helpful books:

Celebrating Times of Change: A Wiccan Book of Shadows for Family and Coven Growth by Stanley J. A. Modrzyk

L.A. Witch: Fiona Horne’s Guide to Coven Magick by Fiona Horne

Spellworking for Covens: Magick for Two or More by Edain McCoy

Coven Craft: Witchcraft for Three or More by Amber K

Summary:
Just because Sookie has broken up with Bill doesn’t mean her relationship with the supernatural world is over–especially when she finds Eric naked and suffering from amnesia on the side of the road.  When she discovers from Pam that a league of evil witches have their sights set on ruling Shreveport, she agrees to hide Eric while the vampires, werewolves, and Wiccans attempt to fend off the witches.  To top it off, Sookie’s brother has gone missing, which may or may not be related to the near-war going on.

Review:
While the books in the series so far have been improving, Dead to the World is definitely a step back.

The individual plot lines aren’t so bad, but Harris doesn’t do a good job of keeping them integrated and flowing.  The book reads as if it has too many sticks in the fire.  Just too much happens in such a short book.  The reader is left feeling a bit of whiplash from the rapidly changing storylines and situations.

I knew Sookie would have a rebound after Bill, but I’d hoped Harris would be more creative than having that rebound be Eric.  Don’t get me wrong.  I like Eric better than Bill, but I also enjoyed the tension between him and Sookie.  I wish that had lasted longer.  Similarly, I don’t think giving Eric amnesia was a wise character development choice.  I’m pretty sure anyone with amnesia plopped into the supernatural world would be a cowering mess.  That doesn’t tell us anything about who Eric is underneath his persona.  Sookie’s interactions with him therefore felt so fake that I not only couldn’t take real interest in them, I was also a bit grossed out by the falseness of them.  I didn’t expect Sookie’s rebound to be emotional, but I did expect it to be more real.

On the other hand, Sookie’s character development takes a nice turn.  Without Bill in the picture, she may have expected the supernatural world to pretty much leave her alone.  Instead she finds out they still depend on her.  Through the various situations, she starts to become a more empowered version of herself, and I enjoyed seeing that.

The best part of the book by far is Jason’s plot-line.  I can’t say much more or I’ll give away the secret, but suffice to say that I hope True Blood gets to this part of the story sooner rather than later.

While I’m irritated by some of the character development choices Harris has made, I am still enjoying the world she has created.  I am hoping though that the series returns to the tight, witty writing found in Club Dead.

3 out of 5 stars

Source: Bought on Amazon

Previous Books in Series:
Dead Until Dark, review
Living Dead in Dallas, review
Club Dead, review

Aphrodite, please

uncross my sacred heart

in the shadows of my altar,

bless me, soothe me,

find me, take me, show me,

send me my sweet hot,

my Ares incarnate,

Adonis on earth.

i believe, i receive

your will be done

in perfect love

and perfect trust

Aphrodite knows

i conjure, my Pan,

my Ra, my sun,

my breath,

my father, Zeus.

no one can love you

like a witch so deep,

cracked open,

light shining, sex oozing,

priestess of love.

so mote it be.

Dear Witchful Thinking,

Their seems to be a lot of debate about what is Pagan and what is Wiccan, is their a difference, is it a big one?

From,

Kami J.

Dear Kami,

That is a loaded question that everyone seems to have an opinion on. Nobody likes to be told that the definition of the word they chose to call their spirituality is wrong. So much depends on who you ask, and in what context. Sometimes the words are interchangeable…and sometimes they’re not! So let’s get clear on some definitions.

How are your SAT analogies?:

Paganism: Wicca:: Christianity: Lutheran

Paganism is an umbrella term. If you are a Christian, than Pagan means “anyone who is not Christian”. This would include Muslims, Hindu, indigenous religions and atheists. However, in the Pagan community, the word has a more specific meaning. At minimum, Paganism is a earth-centered spirituality–that is, Pagans believe the earth is a sacred place. How that manifests is where the diversity comes in. Some believe the sacredness is in the form of Gods and Goddessess (polytheism), others in a belief that the whole earth is alive (pantheism) with spirits (animism). Still others believe that it all comes from a sort of sacred One which may be masculine, feminine, or gender neutral (monotheism).

Most authorities do not consider other polytheistic world religions to be Pagan. Paganism is characterized by its lack of central organization, which would disclude Shinto, Chinese folk-religion, Hindu and Santaria, for example. Because of the confusion, most ethnologists do not use the term, or may differentiate using “Neopaganism” to describe our religious movement. So when I say “paganism”, I really am shortening “neopaganism”.

To borrow the terminology, Wicca is a denomination of Paganism. It is a dualistic religion which believes that all Gods are one God, and all Goddesses are one Goddess. This does not prohibit someone from being polytheistic, and does not limit them to a pantheon. It honors the earth with seasonal festivals on the Wheel of the Year. Another typifying aspect of Wicca is the use of casting a circle to create sacred space, and inviting the elements or quarters in to the circle. The most common rituals are lunar rituals called Esbats, in which the Priestess Draws Down the Moon. It is most commonly a coven-oriented initiation mystery religion, but many Wiccans are now solitary practitioners. All Wiccans follow The Wiccan Rede.

I am a traditionalist and believe that if you do not practice all of the above mentioned things, then you are not Wiccan. You are probably Pagan. Many Pagans cast a circle to create sacred space, even inviting in the elements. And many Pagans worship the Goddess and exclude the God. And many Pagans do Esbats and Sabbats. But Wicca is a specific body of ritual and liturgy with its own system of symbolism and ethics. Pagans, on the other hand, are free to define their ethics in other ways.

The media has utilized the word “Wicca” when a character makes any use of witchcraft. Take the movie “The Craft”: the girls utilize many actual Wiccan liturgy, but have no system of ethics–therefore not true Wicca. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the character Willow becomes one of “the Wicca”, though she doesn’t do a single Esbat or Sabbat, nor follow any ethical code.

From the Buffy Episode "Storyteller"

Most likely, the Wiccan practices are used by other Pagans as a base for beginning. But Pagans use a variety of other methods. Wicca does not use ecstatic drumming in its liturgy, for example, but that is a feature of shamanism. Additionally, Wicca tends to focuses its pantheons in European mythological traditions like the Celtic, Greek and Norse. I have heard tell of Wiccans using Hindu, indigenous and Voudoun deities in their work, but I consider this to be cultural appropriation (unless you have genuine ties to those religions) since those Gods are still working and living in their own religious communities.

Some other “denominations” of Paganism:

• Reconstruction: Hellenistic (Greek/Roman), Kemetic (Egyptian), Asatru (Norse), Romuva (Baltic polytheism), etc.
• Goddess Worship: such as Dianic and Reclaiming, both out of California. These both use a Wiccan framing for their rituals, but seek to understand the role of the Goddess for personal power and transformation.
• Neo-Druid: Ar nDraiocht Fein, and the British Druid Order are two examples of groups who recognize that what we know about Druid religion is too incomplete for a true reconstruction, so they utilize scholarship and modern philosophy to make this ancient knowledge applicable.
• Witchcraft: All Wiccans are Witches but not all Witches are Wiccans! Witches are folk healers and mediators who practice folk magic. Wicca is sometimes said to be the religion of the witch.
• Shamanism: Usually part of indigenous traditions wherin the Shaman mediates between the world of spirits and our world. They use trance work via drugs, songs, drumming and meditation to achieve their altered consciousness.
• Ceremonial: New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn, Thelema and its offshoots. Many of these have roots in Masonic traditions.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. I’m sure everyone will argue with what I’ve written, but here are some books to orient you some more:

• Which Witch Is Which?: A Concise Guide To Wiccan And Neo-pagan Paths And Traditions by Patricia Telesco
• A Popular Dictionary of Paganism (Popular Dictionaries of Religion) by Joanne Pearson
• What Do Pagans Believe? (What Do We Believe?) by Graham Harvey
• Modern Paganism in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives (Religion in Contemporary Cultures) by Michael Strmiska

Tom was getting used to the middle of the night phone calls and my time spent skrying into my black mirror and trancing out with my tarot cards.  Still, I was grateful to have a night alone.

Some journalists, although they’d never admit it, surround themselves with pictures of crime victims.  A producer I worked with, back in my TV days, once confessed that he asked a homicide victim for direction in solving her murder. “I’d say to her, Jennifer, I  know you’re out there.  I need your help.”

I prefer crystal balls and black mirrors.  I started out with a tarot reading that night.  Sometimes that gives you a lead.  I laid out a Celtic cross.  Queen of cups crossed by the 2 of swords.   Laila had two roads she could have taken. Beneath, her foundation, was was the Empress – a mother figure.  A motherless child perhaps.  Perhaps a foundation of no female role model had left her blind when it came to dangerous situations with men.  Above her was Justice – the law.  It all made sense so far.  Behind her was The Devil – addiction.  Her own?  Jared’s?  Laila was addicted to her work, certainly.  Maybe this whirlwind romance was a part of love addiction.  I sighed.

“Addiction?” I asked. “Or maybe it meant ‘watch your step,’” I smiled weakly.  I could feel her warmth.

Before her was Death.  It was clear she was transforming. How she viewed herself – ace of pentacles, fertile, full of ideas, ready to start a new life, a new home.  Family and friends, the 7 of swords – paranoia, concern.  My heart warmed up.  Their protectiveness touched her deeply. Even now. Hopes and fears – 2 of rods – good news, gifts from out of the blue.  “I hope for the same,” I whispered.  The outcome – The Judgment.  Her family awaited divine judgment.

“Okay, baby,” I said, climbing on my bed with the black mirror.

A black mirror must never be exposed to light. It’s a concave plate made of shiny, black glass and witches use it like a crystal ball.  Some witch upstate made this one.  When you stare into the mirror at just the right angle, you see clouds.  Then the clouds part and right before your very eyes, images as clear as HDTV, and sometimes even clearer, start fading in and out of the dish.

I watched the night clouds part.  A few stars dotted the sky.  And when they cleared, I saw the inside of a bar with mahogany walls and huge, old mirrors behind the bar itself.  Jared was chatting up one of the waitresses.  She seemed to be aurically pushing him away.  If only I could place the bar.  He could have been anywhere.  I tried to zoom in on the couple. They were outside now and she was handing him a ring.

* **

“Sean?”

“Jesus, Norah. It’s 11:00. I get up early to write.”

“I’m sorry. It’s important.”

“Okay, what’s up?”

“Well, I was skrying, like I’ve been.”

“Skrying. Norah, speak English and breathe.”

I laughed and tried to settle down. “It’s a wiccan and occult way of trancing out until you see things – like crystal ball gazing.  I was using a black mirror – I’ll explain it some other time.  It’s a black plate and you see things after staring into it.  Anyhow, I saw Jared in a bar and he was talking to a waitress. It was definitely a girlfriend situation. You need to find her.  Please?”

“I’ve already checked out his watering holes, babe.”

“Well, check again, Sean.  Look for a waitress or a bartender with shoulder length, wavy, dark hair.  She wears it in braids sometimes.  He proposed to her at one point, because I saw her place a ring in his palm and close his fingers around it.  They were standing outside the bar.”

“Street? Avenue? Steps? No steps?”

“I’m not sure.  It looks like maybe that bar with the harp outside on the upper west side.”

“Thanks, kiddo.  Thanks.”

I sighed.  “Better?” Sean asked.

“Much. Thanks for taking my call. Sorry. I wasn’t thinking again. Time for bed, eh?”

“Good night, Norah.”

***

It was the end of a pretty quiet night shift. For some reason, I’m always exhausted when things are slow. It’s an adrenaline thing, I guess – or just boredom.

My cell started playing, “May This Be Love,” a ringtone I’m sure everyone around me had grown sick of. It was Sean.

“Hey, Sean,” I said tiredly.

“Slow night, eh?”

“You guessed it. Whassup?”

“I’m outside that bar you saw – the one on 72nd and Amsterdam.”

“And?”

“And there’s a waitress here who fit that description, so I asked if we could talk after her shift.  You know, told her about the book and stuff. We met outside and – are you there?”

“Yeh, I’m all ears.”

“Okay, so she starts telling me how Jared was kind of a serial proposer.  She wasn’t the only one he proposed to and apparently he used the same ring over and over again,” he chuckled.

“Not one nibble?”

“Doesn’t sound like it.  She knew of one other woman, but she wouldn’t give up her name. Both of them told him he was crazy. She said he popped the question after dating her only a few weeks.”

“Goddess. Same as Laila.”

“Exactly.  I used to think he was doing it because he was in desperate financial straights, Norah, but I’m not sure anymore. He just sounds violent and nuts.”

“That’s my editor on the other line, Sean. Talk tomorrow?”

“Sure, baby.  Talk soon.  Have a good rest of the night.”

Ever have a martyr insistently try to be a martyr for you even though you insist that they not be? You repeatedly go to do something and find that they did it for you without consulting you and they want praise for it? You keep finding that you are deadended in your goals because they head you off to “make it easier”. After time, however, the martyrs eventually become beligerent because you don’t really understand how much they have done and have been doing for you.

I have been ruminating lately on the subject of martyrs, what it really means in various arenas, including psychology. I have come to the conclusion for myself that these types of martyrs use it for control. The martyr psychology is similar to the victim psychology except that in the martyr psychology, the person’s victim identity is self-imposed and can be used as a tool to control others while being “out of control” of oneself. I wonder if they realize that they are making others their victims by imposing their martyr psychology on those who never asked or wanted it?

At one time or another we have all been on the giving and the receiving end of the martyr psychology. Martyr actually comes from a Greek root word that means “to witness”. In later terms, it became associated with “to suffer for a cause.” So which definition do we choose to have in our lives?

For the first, do we witness and move on? How long do we witness?

If we have chosen the second, then why do we feel the suffering necessary? And the biggest question of all, what is the cause? Is it a firm conviction or a compulsion?

mar•tyr (märtr)

NOUN:

1. One who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles.
2. One who makes great sacrifices or suffers much in order to further a belief, cause, or principle.
3. One who endures great suffering: a martyr to arthritis.
4. One who makes a great show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy.

——————————————————————————–
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin, from Late Greek martur, from Greek martus, martur-, witness
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/martyr

In its original meaning, the word martyr, meaning witness, was used in the secular sphere as well as in both the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Bible.[1] The process of bearing witness was not intended to lead to the death of the witness, although it is known from ancient writers (e.g. Josephus) that witnesses, especially of the lower classes, were tortured routinely before being interrogated as a means of forcing them to disclose the truth.

During the early Christian centuries, the term acquired the extended meaning of a believer who is called to witness for their religious belief, and on account of this witness, endures suffering and/or death. The term, in this later sense, entered the English language as a loanword. The death of a martyr or the value attributed to it is called martyrdom.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyr

In psychology, a person who has a martyr complex, sometimes associated with the term victim complex, desires the feeling of being a martyr for his/her own sake, seeking out suffering or persecution because it feeds a psychological need.

… The Witch of the Forest Grove called 101 Syndrome. Please read her entry first before carrying on here so what I will write makes sense to you.

I hold my hand up high and admit that I am one of those people trapped or surrounded by 101 books knowing fully well that they don’t get me were I want to go. Did you read the part where I said: were I want to go???? I don’t see a problem with 101 books if that is what fulfills your spiritual path and need. End off! For me, I have been running in circles for quite some time, but still carry on buying 101 books hoping for the next step on my path which never comes. Somehow staying in my comfort zone instead of broadening my horizon by venturing into the deep.    

The funny thing is that I have got two of the books mentioned on Sarah’s list for quite sometime, but I am honest to say that I have not read them yet. The Golden Bough fell into my hand a couple of months ago when I went to our local library. I am waiting for the White Goddess to be returned, but so far no luck. When looking around I found the Golden Bough in th same area, grabbed it and what do you know, it is a withdrawal that I can keep. Woo Hoo! Since then it is standing on my shelf gathering dust. Well, like so many others, but their time will come.

I I awoke in the middle of the night to the sounds of a violent gale and torrential rain. I was drawn out of sleep just at the moment when the strength of the wind and the heaviness of the rain intensified alarmingly. The house rattled and as the noise built I realised that I was holding my breath, waiting for the gust to peak and die back. It didn’t, it just kept on building in strength and ferocity. For one moment, in that disorientating suspension between sleep and wakefulness – the darkness and the cacophony the only reality I was fully aware of – I felt afraid.  

As Pagans, we honour nature in all its forms; the beauty and the terror all have their place and deeper meaning and function, some of which might be at odds with our own sense of safety and happiness or comfort. There is nothing quite like an encounter with nature at it most powerfully raw to connect us to our vulnerability and frailness as humans. It can be an uncomfortable feeling because we might want to embrace the Divine as a loving and benevolent force and such violent upheaval might contradict our notions of such. For me, it all depends on your definition of love and benevolence. I always feel quite comforted that what might appear to human beings as destruction, earth quakes for instance, on a wider scale can be seen as merely the earth stretching and moving like me on my yoga mat, trying to keep the whole flowing and functioning in the most balanced way possible! Sometimes it can bring us up short to realise we are not at the centre of things.

The most intimate and scariest moment that I have experienced with wild weather was a close encounter with lightning in Cornwall. I have always loved thunder storms. A favourite thing as a child was to be wrapped up cosy and safe in bed while the sky roared and brightened. I was actually born during a thunder storm (which might explain a lot!), coming in with a flash and a bang (hope to go out that way too!). I have many great thunder and lightning memories but none as dramatic as my Cornwall happening.

Laurie and I were visiting Duloe which is home to the smallest stone circle in Cornwall. The sky was already starting to look angry and there were rumbles of thunder coming from over Bodmin Moor. The cloud formations were incredibly striking; strata of varying shades of grey, from pale to dark, the patterning giving the sky a hyper-real edge. The air felt ominously still.

Laurie very sensibly decided to return to the car, leaving me alone in the stones. I was very happy, singing to the stones and some rather puzzled looking sheep – there is something quite moving about singing in stone circles! As I sang I became aware that the storm was moving in across the village. The rain had started to gently fall and I became mesmerised by lightning coming to ground, moving across the fields towards me. At that moment, it was possible to perceive the storm as a living presence. As the rain got heavier, I said my farewell to the stones and the sheep and made my way back across the field to the little tree-lined track that would take me to the road. By the time I reached there, the rain was very heavy and so I stood beneath a maple by the field gate. It leaves became burdened by the weight of the rain and it began to drip over me. I moved a few feet down beneath a hawthorn whose smaller leaves seem to create a better shelter from the wet. I didn’t even think for one moment that traditionally the hawthorn is meant to protect against lightning strike!

The rain was by now monsoon-like and I could smell a strange and powerful odour. I had no idea that this was ozone, that the earth was sending up a path for the lightning to travel down to her – a sort of love call; a call to union from the earth mother to the sky father – and I was stood right next to the intended contact point!

The lightning strike and the thunder clap happened at exactly the same time. I have never heard such deafeningly loud thunder – before or since – it was right above me, all around me, felt in every fibre of my body. The lightning hit what I thought to be the maple I had just been standing beneath (but was in fact, on later inspection, the telegraph pole next to it), no more than ten feet away from me. It hit with an equally deafening snapping, cracking sound. My body took over and I ran. It has to be said I am a crap runner but that day I was positively gazelle-like! Running felt like no effort whatsoever. My senses were sharp, acutely aware of the flood of water rushing down the road, the beat of my own heart and the alarms in the church hall, triggered into action by the enormous clap of thunder. My adrenalin was up for hours – poor Laurie had to put up with me rambling incoherently all the way to Falmouth!

It was an awe-inspiring experience, frightening yet incredible. It had a profound effect upon me to have been so intimate with such a vast elemental power of nature, and me, so small and vulnerable in its presence. I clearly felt the thunder and lightning as a vast being that day, an irrepressible energy that I was extremely privileged to have witnessed at close hand without harm to myself; a strange but wonderful gift.

Two gods of thunder whom I feel affection for are the Celtic Taranis and the Norse Thor, both being linked to the fertility of the earth and abundance. It feels very magical to me that lightning actually fertilising the ground that it touches, clearing and freshening the air. Despite the danger inherent in the power of the thunder deities, when we open to their spiritual potential, we can find that their thunder resounds in our hearts as strength; their lightning illuminates our minds with inspiration and their fruitful rain brings spiritual growth and a rich and abundant life – all worth the bit of knee trembling and heart racing that their presence might stir in us.

There is a wonderful poem by Wilfred Owen called ‘Storm’. It is actually about the taboo of a man’s love for another man but I have often thought that it reminds me of my own love of deity and the facing of my own fears with regard to that relationship. The thunder gods can change us in quite sudden and violent ways; they can fry our circuits but they can enrich us, illumine us, fertilise our spirits if we respect their awesome energy and face our fears honestly. If we can be a little like the earth and send up a path for the thunder god’s inspiration to travel down, the land of our being will find itself richer for the blessing..

Storm 

His face was charged with beauty as a cloud

With glimmering lightning. When it shadowed me

I shook, and was uneasy as a tree

That draws the brilliant danger, tremulous, bowed.

So must I tempt that face to loose it lightning.

Great gods, whose beauty is death, will laugh above,

Who made his beauty lovelier than love.

I shall be bright with their unearthly brightening.

And happier were it if my sap consume;

Glorious will shine the opening of my heart;

The land shall freshen that was under gloom;

What matter if all men cry aloud and start,

And women hide bleak faces in their shawl,

At those hilarious thunders of my fall?

                                     Wilfred Owen.

You will need:

• Green paper/card
• Googlie eyes
• White and Pink paper/card
• Pipe Cleaners
• Stickers, glitter
• PVA glue and sticky tape

You can either scale down the template from the following link   http://www.hostessblog.com/wp-content/uploads/uploaded_images/paper_cone_template.pdf  or you can use a compass to draw a circle 8cm in diameter and then a protractor to mark off 210 degrees on your circle. Either way you want to do this on green card.

Cut out the circle, then the two portions and retain your waste. This forms the body and you can decorate it in any way you like.

Put to one side and take the waste and cut out two boot shapes. Bend the pipe cleaner in half and stick the two boots on the ends. Take the body and roll into a cone with the pipe cleaner sticking no more than 1cm above the edge (you want to be able to see the boots below the cone)

Now take the green, pink and white paper/card and cut an oval of pink, a beard shape of white and a hat of green. Stick together to make Father Christmas’ face and add the googly eyes in place.

Tie a peice of sting to the pipe cleaner to create a hanging loop and then secure Father Cristmas’ face to the pipe cleaner.

Now he’s ready to hang on you tree or about your house.

A nice variation of this would be a green man and earth/moon goddess as altar decorations. The Greenman would need to be all in green whilst the Earth goddess could also be in greens and browns, just use wool for hair. The moon goddess would look lovely in black/deep blue and white.

I keep banging on about the fact that you don’t need to buy any tools to walk the path, but then again, these are not tools but little treats. As you might have guessed, this is more work of the talented Carolina Gonzalez.

This lady is Called Santisima Muerte and is a Holy Death Altar Doll. For more information on this lovely lady please refer to Carolina’s site here

And to round it off I also bought a print of one of her original drawings called The Horned Goddess. More of her work can be found at The Hoodoo Shop

For now this is my little set-up in the bedroom away from prying eyes. It is not set in stone but always changing depending on what I find. This can be bought, made or found in nature like all the stones that you can see on the bottom shelf. Although, if I carry on like this it will end up as Carolina Gonzales shrine to her work before you get the wrong idea .     

Dear Witchful Thinking,

I was at a Pagan festival last spring and met a lot of people. Both men and women told me I was very pretty and asked if I would like to come to their tent. While everyone was very friendly, some were more persistent than others in getting to know me–even after I told them I had a boyfriend. That usually shuts people up, but why didn’t they leave me alone after I told them about my relationship?

Sincerely,

Hotly Pursued

Dear Hotly,

Let’s talk about Pagan sexuality. I’ll give you a broad background of knowledge that I think will explain the answer to your question. First of all, Paganism and Wicca are fertility religions and have an avowed interest in nature, which is not known for being modest. With fertility comes a high acceptance of sexuality and sensuality (because you can’t have babies without sex…unless it’s parthenogenesis). We see it in our Gods too. I mean, come on, the guys got horns! Have you ever seen a stag during rutting season? Talk about horney! And how many liaisons and  kids did Zeus have?

Pagans accept their natural processes, from menstruation to morning wood. Our essence and life depends on the fecundity of the Earth. Lucky for us, we don’t have original sin, so we can enjoy the gifts of sexuality that the Gods gave us without feeling guilty. But our culture is saturated with that guilt (really, Americans are quite puritanical that way), so many Pagans come into the community feeling released for the first time from the guilt and shame about their bodies and how they enjoy them. Sometimes that liberation is expressed a little too enthusiastically, and otherwise normal people over do it a little–so perhaps your persistent admirers fall in that category. If they have a good community, they can quickly settle within the acceptable norms of the new community. But folks who only see other Pagans occasionally take a bit longer to get the message about the appropriateness of their behavior. And if the community is not very mature as a group, unacceptable behavior may go on longer than is desired and lead to conflict.

There tend to be more Pagan women in the communities then active men. Which makes every man seem like a prize. Generally, folks have discovered that same-religion relationships work out better in the long run than multi-faith households, although no religion seems immune to the high divorce rates (almost 70% of marriages end in divorce now). So folks of any sexual preference are keen to choose a mate from the community. Of course, the excitement of sexual attraction is usually where the search begins.

With a sex-positive atmosphere, and the lack of original sin, the openness brings in people that are

"As the athame is to the male, and the cup is to the female, conjoined they bring blessedness!"

already on the fringe of mainstream society. The Pagan community has become a haven for gay, lesbian, bi, transgendered, queer…everyone is welcome here–and rightly so! In particular, The Feri Tradition seems to offer a home for everybody. In Wicca, the Lord and Lady generally engage in heterosexual behavior, but there are many examples of sexual variety in mythology. Many ritualists celebrate the union of the Gods with the Great Rite (and the great rite too), and I have been beautifully moved by the variations of, say, the cup uniting with the cup to create overflowing abundance, or two athames touching tenderly.

With this openness comes a willingness to try alternative relationship styles. In particular, some people engage in Polyamory, where erotic love is shared

This could get complicated...

between many adult partners. Consequently, being married or in a relationship doesn’t mean that you are not available! It is not an invitation to an orgy, but rather an openness to go where love will take you, to desire your lover to be happy–even if that means being with another person. It is agreed upon by all partners, and relationships can get quite complex (we call it a poly-cule [like molecule, get it?]) It requires constant work through ideas of jealously and possession, which means looking inward and releasing old hurts. There are some excellent books on the subject if you want to know more. Other people in the community may engage in Slave/Master type BDSM relationships (or variants thereof. You can ask questions here).

Here is the basic rule of Pagan sexuality: nothing is assumed. You can be yourself (perhaps for the first time) as who you really are, as long as you treat all people with respect.

A few more guidlines:

• Local and Federal Laws still apply! Do not approach teens under the age of consent. Consult your state’s statutory rape laws. In Washington the age of consent is 16, but that doesn’t mean they want to have sex with a 30 year old.
• No means no, no matter what age you are, your sexual orientation or relationship status. Just because someone is poly doesn’t mean they will have sex with you.
• Use protection. Yes, we are a fertility religion, but that doesn’t mean every woman is ready to have babies. It is essential to discuss this before engaging in sexual activity.
• Get tested. Are you clean? Really clean? People with certain STD’s are legally obligated to tell their partner before engaging in ANY sexual activity. This varies by state, so know your status and then ask your doctor what the rules are.
• Sex should not be a requirement to advance in the community. However, there are covens and groups who engage in sex practices as part of their worship. If you are not comfortable with this, find another coven. There are other places to get training, and you shouldn’t have to have sex with someone to get it.
• Set your own limits beforehand. If you already know what your boundaries are, it will be easier not to cross them. If you are in a relationship, talk with your partner about what is acceptable to you. Some couples have a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy about festivals, while others are totally open. Still most prefer to keep their monogamous status, and that’s ok too. As long as everybody agrees, there hopefully won’t be a problem.
• Don’t be a bastard. Please don’t talk about your sexual conquests to your buddies after the festival is over. I’ve had wonderful experiences and new relationships ruined because of bragging to friends. It belittles the experience and trivializes the energies it generated–not to mention makes it a lot less likely to happen again.
• Nudity does not mean sex. Some communities are clothing-optional, but that is not an invitation to sex. Calm down. Appreciation is ok, but lewd comments won’t get you invited back.
• Word travels fast. Someone who persistently violates the social mores can be red flagged as dangerous or unwanted, they may even be asked to leave. The safety of the community is paramount.
• The festival is for spiritual change, not your sexual pleasure. Remember why you are at the festival. Even if it is just to meet people and make connections, some people come there for different reasons which do not include having sex with everyone. Respect that.
• Follow the festival rules about sex. Some festivals have places set aside for just such an activity, especially if there is group living arrangements. The ones I go to have Aphrodite shrines and Pan shrines for just such worship. It’s easy to avoid if you aren’t interested in that kind of activity. Sometimes it is hard to find a secluded area, but do try: after all, it is still not ok to have sex in front of children.
• Every community is different. Each festival is different. Go with what is appropriate (and within your boundaries) in the community. If it is not to your taste, find or start, a different community. I guarantee there are like minded people out there somewhere whose tastes run along yours.

In closing, it must be said that no matter what the cultural norms are, you always have a right to your body and what you do with it. No one has the right to make you do something you don’t want to do. You can say no at any time, so make your boundaries clear. If you have been raped, call the police or a rape crisis line (800-656-4673). Pagan sexuality is a glorious variety of openness and opportunity if you choose to engage yourself there. Sexuality is beautiful when given and shared by people, and we are lucky that our communities allow that kind of expression. But the potential for abuse is there, and regular rules of etiquette still apply.

Enjoy!

_________________

Some good books:

“Pagan Polyamory: Becoming a Tribe of Hearts” by Raven Kaldera

Rites of Pleasure: Sexuality in Wicca and Neo-Paganism by Jennifer Hunter

Living With Honour: A Pagan Ethics by Emma Restall Orr

Dark Moon Rising: Pagan BDSM and the Ordeal Path by Raven Kaldera and Bridgett Harrington

The Practical Pagan: Commonsense Guidelines for Modern Practitioners by Dana Eilers

Pagan Protocol by L.S. Alabaster

I am watching my family from the balcony while they are flying a kite. They take their turn to play with it before it hits the ground (mainly for my daughter).

The weather this week has been an extreme up and down from days like spring to stormy days for kites. Now heavy rain is hammering against the house leaving behind a rice field in the garden.

I survived yesterdays party and tried to make an effort to at least sit with some of the others. Luckily the music and kids were to loud so I just read one of the magazines lying around. I am sure the next party will follow soon .

Otherwise not much has been happening. Santisima Muerte moved in this week , but more about that for a later entry. Also for a later entry, I would like to start a category called ~ Back to Basics ~ and who knows, maybe some of the blog readers will participate.  

Rituals have been a part of the world as long as humanity has existed.  From the annual celebration of our birth, to our daily behavioral patterns, we have all incorporated basic ritualistic activities in our lives.  Every culture on earth has certain customs they follow for births, weddings, religious rites, and funerals.  These actions, whether they are performed as festivities, for comfort, or out of habit, all have an underlying power that feeds our growth and wisdom.

In a spiritual sense, rituals are one of the most effective and reliable ways for people to honor and commune with the Divine. The act of ceremony not only gives a comfortable structure, but also allows us the time and focus to interact with Spirit and the divinity within ourselves.  Many practicing pagans and witches seem to fall out of ritual observance the longer we spend in the Craft. We begin to shortcut our practice, no longer taking the time and preparation needed to truly give honor to our spiritual path. By taking the quick and easy route, we are cheating ourselves out of the opportunity for great change.

Starhawk, one of the most prolific Goddess authors of our time says, “Any ritual is a chance for transformation.” Whether we are performing ritual to heal ourselves or in tribute, we are creating sacred space in order to change the energy that surrounds us. Each ring of a bell, each sage leaf burned, every prayer spoken, transmutes and re-develops our energy into a higher vibration.  The positive energy we create not only affects our lives, but creates a chain reaction of love and Divine connection which spreads throughout those we know and continues to vibrate throughout the world.

With the traditions in Goddess spirituality there are countless ways to effectively perform ceremony, whether you are working in a group setting or in solitude.  Generally speaking, the most powerful rituals you can perform are those created by your own hand; designed to suit your specific needs, desires, and the level of your spiritual connection.  Each practitioner follows their intuition to a certain degree, as the layout of the ritual is not as important as the faith and love that drive it. However, it is advisable to have a basic structure to follow within all your rites, regardless of purpose.

One of the best basic outlines for rituals, whether for solitary or coven use, is an excerpt from the book “To Ride a Silver Broomstick” by Silver Ravenwolf. It’s simple and to the point, works for personal or Sabbat/Esbat rituals, and is included below:

A.  Ritual Preparation

1.  Define purpose
2.  Write ritual
3.  Gather necessary tools
4.  Prepare area – (cleaning, sage, etc)
5.  Prepare body – (purification bath, donning special clothing/jewelry)

B.  Open Circle

1.  Find true North
2.  Set up Magickal ‘doorway’ / Cast Circle
3.  Call the Watchtowers / Elemental Quarters (East/ Air, South/Fire, West/Water, Earth/North)

C.  Invocation to the deities

1.  Align self with deity (evoke)
2.  Invoke deities

D.  Statement of Purpose

E.  Actual Rite

1.  Working
a.  Complete preliminary manual or visual task
b.  Raise power / energy
c.  Focus power / energy
d.  Ground power / energy

2.  Honoring
a.  Complete preliminary manual or visual task
b.  Dedicate cakes and wine
c.  Partake in cakes and wine

F.  Meditation

G.  Thanking the deities

H.  Closing the Circle

1.  Mentally and verbally dismiss the Quarters/ Close the circle
2.  Physically close the circle
3.  Clean up
a.  Disposal
b.  Washing of plates and glasses
c.  Putting away tools and other implements

There are many reference books you can use to help plan your rituals. Here are a few recommend titles, which are all available for purchase here:

• The Goddess Guide by Brandi Auset
• Women’s Rites, Women’s Mysteries by Ruth Barrett
• Living Wicca by Scott Cunningham
• The Outer Temple of Witchcraft by Christopher Penczak
• The Wiccan Book of Ceremonies and Rituals by Patricia Telesco
• Creating Circles & Ceremonies: Rituals for All Seasons And Reasons by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart and Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart
• Neopagan Rites: A Guide to Creating Public Rituals that Work by Isaac Bonewits

And there are endless online resources available. Try a Google search – not only will you find information for planning your own rituals, but you may find public pagan celebrations in your area.

Blessed Be!

I sometimes watch Wife Swap on ABC, because my Seminary teacher, Bella, was on the TV show. Lucky for you, I have it posted to YouTube . When I posted the show to YouTube for Bella to have easier access to it, I was surprised at the kind of comments I got from it. And I STILL get comments on it! When it first came out, Bella posted this explanation to the group list, and I reposted it to my personal blog. Mind you, Bella is a Wiccan High Priestess, whose home is, literally, a church. She lives her religion every day in service to others. She thought the show would be a wonderful way to let people see what Wicca was about. Unfortunately, she didn’t have much say over the final product. The producers sensationalized a lot of things, but at least in this episode no one really ended up the bad guy. But, having insider information, you WOULD NOT BELIEVE just how much was edited, twisted and just plain faked. Here’s what Bella sent out back in March of 2006:

::snip::
_____________

So now that you’ve seen it, know that I watched the show with my mom, dad, kids and the coven. Kenny didn’t want to take off work to watch it.

Belladonna Levoux

The plate that was broken was Kenny’s personal plate, our coven plate is green with a pentagram in the middle. He was pissed off from some conversations that he had had with a couple of coven members, who weren’t respecting our space. He was also under a LOT of stress. Him and Alison
didn’t get along at all, and he actually cried the entire night after the table meeting.

Alison said something about the fairies being made up to occupy the kids because the parents are never around. Kenny does work all the time, but I am here with my kids everyday all day long.

The coven hasn’t been banned from the home, nor did they break the rules. The coven left Tuesday and never came back during the rest of the shoot. And we wouldn’t let them film the coven during the update, because we felt that they kept trying to sensationalize our religion, and make fun of it.

The footage shown of Daniel and Dusty breaking the rules was taken from Tuesday morning. The reason they were here was because the production company called them every morning demanding they show up. The conversation they were having didn’t even correspond. It sounds as though they were calling someone named Gardner a Warlock. That was taken out of context, and edited to try to explain why Kenny went crazy and broke the plate.

The flying broom that they made such a big deal of, rarely leaves the wall, where it’s hanging. And the downstairs “Bella Land” was completely contructed by the production crew. I had no intention of making such a place in the home. They surprised me with it right before rule change.

I clean my own house everyday, Kenny doesn’t ever do ‘chores’. But, he will help out on occasion. The coven ‘helps’ around the house when there is something special happening, but not as an everyday occurance. The production company asked them to cook the meal that you saw as a going away dinner for me, which they didn’t film.

Kenny is invited to eat dinner with the family every Sunday, sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn’t. But, me and my children eat dinner together at least 4 times a week. The other times they want to eat in front of the TV, it’s a privilege and I let them because it’s fun for them.

Luaxanna’s “wiccan schooling” involves a 6 hour day of Math, Chemistry (which sometimes involves brewing potions), Mythology, English, Literature, Spelling, Home Ec, PE, and Arts & Crafts. Nowhere on the list of school work that she was assigned for the week did it have her making a wand. Luaxanna would like for me to sit there and do her work with her all day, but that is why she’s being home schooled. She has to learn to be self-directed, instead of letting everything distract her, and needing constant supervision. But, I am right there to answer any questions or
offer any help that she needs, all day long.

As for the roaches, it was one of coldest weeks we had in Georgia that week, and the house didn’t get sprayed that month, because of all the chaos with the filming.

We cleaned the house for 2 straight weeks, I personally scrubbed the floors, and it was spotless when I left here.

The truth is: I AM spending more time with my children, and all of us gained a new appreciation for what we have as a family. The show did bring us closer together. The girls are continuing cheerleading practice, and enjoying it. Kenny still works 12 hour days, 6 days a week. But, we’re trying to make it to where he spends more time with the kids. No, we aren’t back together. [edt. I believe they are divorced.]

There may be more, but that’s all I can think of at the moment.

______________________

Jamie here. So what do you guys think when you see Pagans depicted this way? Does Bella look like a Priestess of the Goddess representing Wicca? Or does she look like a self-promoting oddball?

Bella told me that every time she was crying on the show, it was in reaction to something the production crew did. She also says she still keeps in contact with the Askam family, and that she’s learned a lot from the experience. What being close to her experience has taught me is that you can’t believe everything you see on TV.

I saw a show a few months ago called The Secret Lives of Women (on WeTV) which talked about women in the occult. They talk to the requisite Satanist, Vampires and Wiccans. And Tyra Banks did an episode of her show with Fiona Horne. For a full recap of these shows and excellent commentary, click here and here. I wonder what these witches set out to do, and how did it all fall out when it was all over?

Following just about every portrayal of Pagans, Wiccans or Witches on TV come the inevitable blogs (I know, I’m now totally one of them) and with them the public bashing. It seems that people in our community who end up on TV also end up having their dirty laundry aired on the internet. I suppose that is fame. In the end, it becomes a place for discontent ex-group members, slighted acquaintances, or even perfect strangers to say whatever negative thing they believe. Folks often decry that the offending person on TV has “ruined the religion for the rest of us” and “doesn’t deserve to represent us”.

So I ask you: who should represent us? Who would you put up on TV and on what show to tell the world about our community and our ways? I bet you no two people could agree on the same person. We live in a community where we don’t recognize our elders, nor do we have a way to verify that people claiming to be Priests or Priestesses have good intentions, educational foundations, leadership skills or counseling skills. Yet when someone tries to organize something like that, such as a seminary, church body, or ordination requirements, lots of folks get their panties in a twist. What is it, exactly, that you want to see on TV? What do you want from your elders? How best to represent ourselves to the mainstream public? Maybe these reality shows help us figure out what we don’t want, but it is our responsibility to turn it around and figure out what we do want.

Personally, I really enjoy seeing people like me on TV, but I always analyze it with the eye of an outsider. I ask myself what my mom would think of my people (for I think us all as being in the same tribe) if she saw this. But my mom likes oddballs, so maybe I need a new barometer. And then I think about all the solitaries out there, who have no community beyond their online connections, and I’m grateful for these people on TV. Maybe they look like fools (or perhaps they are made to look that way), but at least witches are part of the mainstream fabric. They can serve as some kind of rolemodel…even if that model is what not to do.

I continue to enjoy seeing us on TV, but until we get our own channel and shows, I’m afraid we’ll have to do with the ways outside observers portray us. It’s easy to get frustrated and insulated and go back to the times when things were more covert. But I think coming out of the broom closet has been good for us. It’s made us more accountable, given us more clout, and helped bolster tolerance. It’s a slow process, but we’re getting there. The truth is that we are building our collective identity as we go, and creating our own reality. And you can’t fault reality TV for that.

Dear Witchful Thinking,

I keep reading in books and hearing from people that there is some magic that is too dangerous or hazardous to do for the untrained newbie. As long as you are ethical, what is so dangerous about magic?

Sincerely,

Tired of Being Cautious

Dear Tired,

Anytime you work, mess, or play with something powerful, it has the ability to hurt you. Or rather, it has the ability to do things counter to your desires and personal preferences. Fire, for example, is great for heating our homes, but too much of it means the fire department has to run to the rescue! It’s the same with magical energy: it is neutral, but it is what you do with it that has moral weight. To that extent, it is more ethical to have a clue about what you are doing, and how to clean up after yourself if things go wrong.

When you draw a magical circle around you, you are not only creating a sacred place between the worlds, you are also creating a microcosm–a tiny universe. Until you put things in it, or invite beings into it, it is a void. But it is a space in which the universe listens. As above, so below, right? So everything in your sacred microcosm gets amplified. It echoes. Ok, not literally, but energetically it echoes, and when you release the cone of power, or take up your sacred space, that energy goes out into the world, unless you put it back.

Waterhouse "Magic Circle"

An elder in my group once told me that creating sacred space is like extending your own aura to make purposeful space. You are making a home, and inviting others in if you are doing ritual in a group. Imagine what would happen if you didn’t take that down–it would be like leaving a part of yourself somewhere. It would drain your energy. It kinda feels like you haven’t gotten enough sleep.

So the sacred space is made up of you and represents the universe and gets amplified. What happens if you cast a hex? Or fight with a covenmate? Or leave the Elemental of Water hanging around? Or offend the Gods? That energy gets amplified and attached to your aura. Now you attract it! You cast a hex? You get hexes thrown  back at you (or things that seem like hexes–everything looks like a nail when all you have is a hammer). You send out anger, you get anger. You leave Water hanging out, and your basement floods. You offend the Gods too often and they stop listening to you. In circle, you need to be on your best behavior, be clear with your intentions, and be polite.

Now say you are doing a ritual, and you totally mess up the lines and everyone laughs at you. What gets amplified and stuck to you? Laughter, mirth, changing a potentially embarrassing situation into something positive. That’s magic too. The Goddess says in The Charge that mirth and reverence are her rituals. The best ritual I ever went to was a skyclad ritual where the main working was laughing. Instead of feeling horrified at my imperfect naked body, we laughed at ourselves for being ashamed of the bodies that the Gods and our mothers gave us. Very good self-esteem boost, lemme tell ya!

Doreen Valiente

So you don’t have to do word-perfect ritual in order to be safe while practicing magic and ritual. But here are some pointers to keep safe:

• Ground and center. Use a good breathing meditation before you even begin. Cast off the worries and stresses of the day and put your mind in a ritual space. Not only will you remember the ritual better, but you won’t bring your clutter into the sacred space. If you are casting circle, there will be more “you” to work with.
• Shield when you have to. I’ve been in circle with people where there was not perfect love and perfect trust, and these folks brought all kinds of personal crap in with them. It’s one thing to bring it in as an issue you want to deal with, another thing to use sacred space as an opportunity to bring each other down. I didn’t want any part of that, so I had my defenses up: a tiny sacred space around me I call Aura Armor.
• Make your intentions clear. Nature abhors a vacuum. It WILL fill with something, and if you don’t tell it what you want, you might not like what you get. Make sure everyone on circle knows why you are getting together and what the purpose of your energy raising will be.
• Begin at the the End, and End at the Beginning. Finish what you start. If you draw a triple circle of protection, take up a triple circle at the end of the rit. If you invite the Gods in, let them know the rite is over and they are free to leave. If you call all the elements AND the Fey, make sure you invite them to leave too. No one likes that awkward moment when you aren’t sure if you should leave or not.
• Eat something. I recommend these as they feel traditional. Ground out the excess energy you aren’t using. Come back to your body and the real world. Some sensitive people get light-headed, hyper, or confused if they do not ground the ritual energy. This is the most common side-effect of ritual. Some people get kind of high off of the ritual energy, but will feel burned out if they don’t come back down to earth.

Some Real and Serious Dangers

I would be remiss if I did not mention this. Some people can’t handle ritual and energy work, or advanced workings like Drawing Down the Moon, invoking or astral projection. There is a very small percentage of the population who may have a psychotic break from this kind of work. Other religions may call this possession, but it is not a healthy or desired state of mind. Folks who are predisposed or diagnosed with schizophrenia, psychosis, antisocial personality disorder or dissociative identity disorder should not do advanced workings for the sake of their mental health. ONLY A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE POPULATION ARE AT RISK. But these are the people most at risk for advanced magical practice. Ideally it wouldn’t happen to anyone, but pagan counselors do see it from time to time. That’s why the warnings are out there.

No one can guarantee that magic won’t affect you adversely. When you work with power, you deal with the consequences of your actions–whether you like it or not. That is why this path, or any magical path, is not for everyone.

Yet the benefits are amazing. Being a powerful Priest or Priestess or magic worker means having power over the decisions in your life, to live free of fear, to see opportunities, create change and beauty in the world around them. Of course we need people like that. The world could use more empowered people. And if there was no risk, the results wouldn’t be so valuable.

Walk with care!

we did it alone

inside the rain

queen of the may

lord cernunnos

i your morrighan

you my gawain

i ragnell

knew the answer

to your riddle

blood of my blood

fingers touch

ribbons cross

green then red

our promises

a year and a day

the ribbons will stay

on our altar

as the god and goddess

so will we underthesky

bone of my bones

around your chalice

the ribbons there

flesh of my flesh

unless before then

we no longer love

and untie them

our signal

of forever true

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