Posts Tagged With: Baptist

All Right You’ve Made Your War Water, What To Do With It?

Posted on March 17, 2013 by ladyoftheabyss

Using War Water

There are a number of ways that you can use iron water. It is generally used for protection, and you can take a bath to protect yourself, or you can use it in your home to protect yourself against specific spells. This water is especially beneficial when you want to protect yourself against acts of violence of any sort.

Protection Bath: Take two ounces of War Water and add it to a tub of water. Chant while in the tub for general protection in life, as well as for protection against the specific influence you wish to have removed from your life. You could also ask the Goddess (or your deity) for general protection, but this should be done only rarely. Once a year is sufficient for a general protection bath, and it should be taken after you have protected your home with the war water as given below. Soak in the tub for at least eight minutes, immersing yourself completely at least four times. You should air dry after this bath to maintain the protection around you. It is best if you avoid taking any other bath, even for cleansing, for twenty-four hours.

This bath should not be taken more often than once a week. Usually, taken twice a year, this bath will protect you from the effects of any magician of better than average ability.

Protection Against Specific Spells: To protect your home or apartment against the type of spell that is cast by placing something in the doorway or on the steps of a house, add two ounces of War Water to a mop bucket of water. Chant over the water to remove all negative influences from your doorway, your steps, and whatever else you intend to mop. Then mop the surfaces, wringing out the mop into another bucket. When you have finished, pour the mop water and the wringing’s into a street or a roadway.

If you are going to declare psychic war on someone you should mop your stairs, porch, doorway, and any outside surfaces of your home on which anything can be cast or thrown before you begin the war. This ensures that you will be protected when the other person’s inevitable counterattack comes. In most cases War Water will cause any spell which is placed on your doorstep to rebound instantly to the sender.

Protection of a Home: This spell is especially suited to protecting a home from acts of violence, whether the violence is psychic or physical. This spell may be done annually if desired. The best day to do this in a non-Pagan home is on the feast day of St. John the Baptist, on June 24th. In a pagan or nonreligious home, the best day is the day of the summer solstice, about the 21st of June.

Add two ounces of War Water to a mop bucket of water. Say your chant over the water for the protection you want. If you are a Christian, you should pray in the name of St. John the Baptist. Lightly mop the house out, from top to bottom, front to back. Wring your mop into another bucket. Throw out the water and the wringing’s from the back door of the house if you have a back door. Rinse out the bucket and mop and pour the rinse water down the toilet. If you don’t have a back door, flush the water down the toilet and rinse out the bucket and mop and flush that water, too.

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Categories: Articles, Cleansers/Floor Washes, Daily Posts | Tags: Baptist, Bucket, Environment, John the Baptist, United States, War Water, water, Water Resources | Leave a comment

Sunday Morning all ready! Weekends Need to Last Longer, Yes?

Posted on December 9, 2012 by countesskathleenmarkievicz

Celtic & British Isles Graphics I have to admit I was a bit nervous yesterday. Lady A assured me I did fine. I didn’t blow up the building or anything, lol! She did stop by this morning to see if I needed anything. While she was here she made some coffee and turned on the TV. Television is one thing I hardly ever watch. The TV automatically came on to one of the local stations. On that station was a Baptist preacher and he was preaching the end of the world, hell fire and damnation. We flipped to the next channel and I be damned if there wasn’t another preacher preaching the same thing. On the majority of the channels were preachers all hyping up this crap about the end of the world. Their members were probably afraid to go out the door, afraid the sky would fall on them. I never hear such shit in my life. These so called preachers were pouring it on about the end of the world. It was coming soon. One had the gall to mention December 21st.

I don’t know what these so called preachers are thinking. Now I am quoting this from Lady A (she had a minor in college in religious studies & history, don’t you dare tell her I told), she said if they would read their own doctrine they would know that no man nor woman would know the time or day of the end of the world<unquote>.” But still these men are hyping it up. It’s not only the preachers it is also the media and the commercials. No one with any sense believes that December 21 is going to be the end of the world. What about the nuts out there? That is what we were taking about. The TV and newspapers make such a big deal out of this day, what if a nut decide they are going to do something that day. I am talking about a terrorist getting a bomb and blowing up something because it is suppose to be the end of the world. Why not do something so it appears that the end is here. That is what is bothering us. The world is in such bad shape right now. Someone mad at the government could do something, someone just out of their mind could do something. It doesn’t take a reason anymore for someone to blow up something or kill a person.

What has happened to the respect for human life? Truly, what has happened to it? Mothers killing their own children, husband shooting their entire families and so much more violence. To a normal mind, we can’t begin to fathom why these unspeakable acts occur. It sickens me. If I had only one prayer to pray, it would be that the Goddess get a tight grip on these people. Some them their horrible acts. Shake them till they saw the error in their ways. Then show them the purest form of Love mankind has ever been privileged to know.

Magickal Graphics

Categories: Daily Posts | Tags: Baptist, Christianity, Duluth Minnesota, Free speech zone, God, Preacher, Religion and Spirituality, Television | 1 Comment

Baptist leader: Decision not to wed black couple must be a learning experience

Posted on July 31, 2012 by ladyoftheabyss

Baptist leader: Decision not to wed black couple must be a learning experience

By Louis Casiano, NBC News

The leader and first African-American president of the Southern Baptist Convention said Monday that a Mississippi church’s decision to not marry a black couple “is unfortunate” and “an isolated incident from which pastors can learn.”

The Rev. Fred Luter told the Baptist Press, the official newspaper of the SBC, the church’s decision should be not be seen as representing the church’s position.

“It’s unfortunate that it happened, but we’ve got to learn from it, and be able to go on and do what God has called us to do,” Luter told the BP.

The First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs, Miss., made headlines last week when its pastor, Stan Weatherford, told Charles and Te’Andrea Wilson one day prior to their wedding that he could not perform the ceremony at the church.

Weatherford said a small minority of the congregation had spoken out against the marriage being performed at the church because it involved black people. He married the couple at a nearby church instead.

“The church congregation had decided no black could be married at that church, and that if he went on to marry her, then they would vote him out the church,” Charles Wilson told a local news station.

The Wilsons attended the church regularly but were not members.

“What we can learn from it is that we need to talk to our membership about issues,” Luter said in the interview published Monday. “I think if the pastor would have talked to more members about this … when this situation occurred … it probably would not have happened the way it happened.”

The paper reported most of the church members did not share the sentiments of the few who objected to the Wilsons’ nuptials.

The SBC has come out against the church’s decision and affirmed that racism is against God’s will, according to the Baptist faith.

“The convention’s position on race relations is clear: ‘In the Spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism,’” Roger S. Oldham, a church spokesman, told the Press.

Luter, a pastor himself, said he felt sympathy for Weatherford.

“I felt for the pastor because being a pastor myself, I know how awkward situations like that can be, whereby you have a handful of folks who have influence and will cause issues that the other folks are not aware of.”

Categories: Articles | Tags: Baptist, Christian, God, Mississippi, NBC News, Pastor, Southern Baptist Convention, The Reverend | Leave a comment

A Witch’s Calling

Posted on June 4, 2012 by ladyoftheabyss

Author: Moon magik

From the moment we are born into this learning experience called life, most of us have our spiritual paths chosen for us. If your parents are Catholic, you’re going to be Catholic. If your parents are Baptist, you’re definitely going to be Baptist. Children have no choice to their own beliefs, because their parents require them to follow family tradition. We then grow up doing the same thing to our own children. There are very few people that grow up and just decide after 20 or 30 years that they do not believe what they were raised to believe. There are also some that grow up with absolutely no spirituality in their lives at all.

My mother and father were divorced just 8 months after I was born. My father raised me, because my mother was young and irresponsible and he wanted me to grow up in a good environment. During the first seven years of my life, we lived with my grandparents. My grandparents were Lutheran, so naturally my father was Lutheran as well. There was a Lutheran church conveniently located just a few houses down from our home.

I knew from a very young age that I did not belong in a Lutheran Church. Most Witches’ have a calling to the old ways and earth traditions at some point in their lives. I hated bible study and had no interest in learning about Christ. I didn’t know anything about Witchcraft, or have a clue that I would one day find myself casting spells in a circle on my bedroom floor. I just simply didn’t care for church. It wasn’t until I was about 11 years old when I started having dreams that I was magical.

It began sporadically and then eventually became an every night dream. In my dream I was standing in the middle of the woods during the peak of fall season. I was spinning in circles and dancing around trees. Every time I had the dream, I notice I had a wooden stick in my hand. I now realize the wooden stick was my wand. I went to the library one morning to check out a book on Diana Ross, because I had a book report for school due on the following Monday.

When I sat down at the table in the library there was one small paperback book left behind by what I’m assuming was a lazy citizen. The book was about Witchcraft. I was extremely intrigued, so I decided to check it out and bring it home to read.

When my father saw the book, he was very unsure whether he wanted to allow me to read it or not. I used my charm and wit to persuade him, plus he was the biggest push over ever. The strange thing is, my father told me just a few days ago, that a few years before I checked out that book, I was scolded for drawing pentacles on my bedroom door. He said he couldn’t figure out where I got the idea to draw pentacles. He said he would have not been so freaked out by the action if the drawings were only stars without circles around them. He understands a bit more now that I am 27 and he knows about my spiritual practices.

As I grew older my dreams became more vivid and lucid. I started having dreams of things before they would occur. My first prophetic dream was about my mother. In my dream, the doctor called me on the telephone and told me that my mom was going to die, because she had a tumor in her stomach. About two weeks later my mother had to go to the doctors, because her premenstrual cycle would not end. The doctors ran some test and then found that she had a large mass, the size of a baseball growing in her uterus. They advised her that she needed surgery immediately to get the mass out. My mother called me on the telephone afterwards to talk to me. She was astonished how similar my dream was to her situation.

The second dream was even scarier. I was blind. The only thing I could do was listen to the sounds that were around me. I heard screaming and arguing and then a blast of gunshots so close like the gun was going off next to my ear. The next morning I went to work and received a phone call from my mother in the middle of the day, which was very uncommon. When I answered, she was frantically crying. She proceeded to tell me that one of my closest friends was shot in the head in the middle of the night.

She explained to me that he was still alive, but he was in a coma and the doctors said we should come in and say our goodbyes, because they did not expect him to live through the day. We all gathered at the hospital for which turned out to be a week while he struggled to survive on life support. Finally, he woke up from the coma.

He could not speak, because he had a trachea tube in his throat, so none of us knew if he could hear us or not. A bandage covered his eyes, so we did not know if he could see us. The bullet in his head traveled back down the path in which it entered and actually fell out into the bandage that was wrapped around his head. The doctors did not have to perform any surgery because of that. Unfortunately once the bandage was removed we found out that he was blind.

I have accepted the fact that I am not a psychic. I cannot read tarot cards. I cannot read runes or tea leaves or make use of any other divining tool. The only thing that I have is my dreams. Therefore, I call myself a dream witch. I love witchcraft. I love the freedom of being solitary eclectic and choosing beliefs that make me feel comfortable.

I love the art and beauty of casting a circle and uniting myself with the Lord and the Lady to mold the energies of the universe for my intentions. I love herb magick and candle magick. I love every aspect of earth traditions and wish that more people would discover the beauty and mysticism that surrounds it.

I wish more people would give their children the knowledge and independence to explore different beliefs to decide what or whom they want to worship. Children continue to be lead into their predecessor’s political, social and religious views. I am not saying that I want everyone to follow the path of the ancient traditions; I am just concerned with the limited freedom we give in a country founded on freedom.

Categories: Articles | Tags: Baptist, Catholic, Catholic Church, Diana Ross, Lord, Lutheran, Wicca, Witchcraft | Leave a comment

Pagan’s Point of Interest – Pagans and the Pledge of Allegiance

Posted on June 4, 2012 by ladyoftheabyss

Pagans and the Pledge of Allegiance

By Patti Wigington, About.com Guide

Recently, during a conversation about schools and the Pledge of Allegiance, someone casually said to me, “Oh, you don’t say it, though, right? Because you’re not a Christian?” It wasn’t said in a confrontational way at all, but I was kind of surprised by the logic behind the statement. On thinking about it, I suspect it may not be an uncommon attitude among people who don’t know anything about Paganism.

Let’s face it, the Pledge of Allegiance can be a pretty hot-button issue for some folks. After all, there’s that whole separation of church and state bit, and here we are asking our children to recite an oath to the United State which includes a reference to what is clearly the Christian deity. But — much like other controversial issues in today’s society — there’s no big rulebook that says “Pagans can’t say the Pledge of Allegiance!”

The Pledge of Allegiance is actually based upon a poem written by a Baptist minister in 1892. Originally, it read as follows: I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. That was it. No mention of God, or even the United States itself. The reference to the “flag of the United States of America” was added in the early 1920s. During the Communist uproar of the 1950s, the words “under God” were added by Congress, turning the simple pledge into what some people see as public prayer.

So — do Pagans say the Pledge of Allegiance? I spoke to a few Pagans from around the country to see how they would respond to this issue, and the answers might surprise you.

Morgaine S., a Wiccan from Summerville, South Carolina, said, “I’m a Navy veteran and so is my husband, and I do love my country. I wouldn’t feel right about not saying the Pledge when asked to. I say the Pledge, but when I do I say “under my gods,” rather than the “under God” that everyone else says.”

A ceremonial magician who asked to be identified only as Lucius has just the opposite perspective. He said, “I don’t say the Pledge at all, because if you have to tell someone to pledge their allegiance, it’s meaningless. An oath of allegiance, whether it involves a god or not, should be voluntary and not something I’m compelled to do.”

Finally, Justyn Raine is a Pagan from California who says it doesn’t matter what god is referred to in the Pledge. “I say “under God,” because in my heart I know I’m referring to my god, not someone else’s. If you believe in any god at all, you can say the Pledge of Allegiance as it’s written.”

So, what does this mean to people who are wondering if they should say the Pledge? Political opinions aside, it’s a matter that’s a personal one — if you feel comfortable with saying the Pledge as it is currently written, go ahead. If you’d like to substitute your own deity’s name — or the phrase “under gods” instead — then do so. Likewise, if you don’t believe you should say the Pledge at all — for whatever reason — then don’t do it. The choice is yours — after all, in the United States we have the freedom to speak (or not speak) as our conscience guides us.

Categories: Articles | Tags: Baptist, California, God, Pagan, Paganism, Pledge of Allegiance, United State, United States of America | 4 Comments

Which Witch is Witch?

Posted on April 18, 2012 by ladyoftheabyss

Which Witch is Witch?

Author: Autumn’s Witch

I have been reading a lot lately about what it means to be a Witch. This is a topic very close to home and one that I now feel compelled to comment on.

I grew up on a small farm in rural Tennessee. When I was about seven or eight years old my grandmother explained to me that she was a Witch and by heredity so was I. To me, this didn’t seem like a great revelation but it was confusing because the only real concept I had of what a Witch was, was the either scary hags in fairy tales or the over the top witch called “Witch Hazel” from the Bugs Bunny cartoons. But as time went by, my grandmother tutored me in the ways of The Goddess and pretty soon I had a completely new concept of what being a Witch meant. It was someone who nurtured the earth and worshiped the divinely submerged power in nature and life. It was someone who looked to The Goddess with complete, unquestioning love. It was someone who healed wounds and tended broken hearts. It was someone who helped the needy and stood up to the bullies. It was someone who understood the divine gift of magic. It was someone who was filled with kindness, charity and warmth, even at times when others weren’t. Above all else, it was someone who devoted their lives to being a reflection of the Goddess. Someone who made every second of life sacred.

To this day, I live my life in accordance to the above. I will until the day I die. There is no question of why or how. My life is in devotion to my Goddess and I do it freely with all of my heart and soul. I can’t change who I am any more than a tiger can change its stripes. It defines who I am.

Being a Witch is a lifestyle not only and life choice. There are responsibilities, duties and obligations. It is not a life for everyone nor should it be.

When I first started calling myself a Witch, it was something only done it private. Back in the 1970s rural Tennessee had no tolerance for Witches, especially in Baptist country. I remember feeling so weird at school on holidays. I remember how I had to pretend to be someone I wasn’t. I remember being forced to pray and worship something I did not hold sacred. It was a very scary and frustrating time in my life. But the thing I hated most was when people openly called me a Christian. It was brutal and it made me nauseous. I remember crying on the way home, jealous that I couldn’t be who I wanted to be. I prayed to The Goddess that someday I could be open and free with who and what I was. Little did I know, that day was not too far off.

Flash forward to the 1990′s. I was amazed how the Pagan/Wiccan community sort if just came alive. All of a sudden there were thousands of people calling themselves Witches. There were dozens of books at the bookstores on the topic. It appeared as if there was a rebirth of the old ways. I was a happy as I could be. It was nice to be able to say in public that I was a Witch.

But alas, I found that things were not as they seemed. It became obvious after a few years, that all these people who all of a sudden were calling themselves Witches, were not exactly what I had expected. It was a hard time for me. I wanted to help people understand. But it seemed as if there were dozens of theories on what it meant to be a Witch. There were stringent rules and rituals and processes and so on. This was all very different than what I had been taught. There were times when I wondered to myself, how can we all be Witches? There were groups diametrically opposed to each other. Rules, regulations and red tape seemed to more important than the root passion of our spirituality.

Then people started calling me Wiccan or Wicca. I was stunned. I had never in all my life been called that. So I studied up on this whole Wicca thing. It was in no way a reflection of who I was and how I worshiped. And frankly I didn’t like being associated with it at all. For many years I would glare at anyone calling me Wiccan. As the 90′s ended I became aware of the general debate of Witch versus Wiccan.

Now I am not going to debate the merits or academic ramifications of what the words Wicca or Witch means. I have an extensive scholastic background but I don’t feel this issue is something that should be debated that way. But let me say simply this. I am a Witch. I have been my whole life. That is the only label that I will accept. I have no problems with anyone else calling themselves Wiccans or Witches. But I do take issue when people try to label me something I am not. I respect everyone’s right to call themselves what ever they like. I also respect other’s limits and opinions. At the same times I expect others to respect my limits.

The Wiccan/Pagan community does need unity, but in the rush to create an all inclusive sense of unity, some of us have been trampled below. I love Pagans and Wiccans. They are my brothers and sisters. I support our cause but no matter how it’s all wrapped or presented, I am a Witch, above all else. I do not want to be labeled anything other than what I am. It is an insult to my, my family and everything being a Witch stands for. Please respect our choice to be who we are and who we are not.

Categories: Articles | Tags: Baptist, Bugs Bunny, Goddess, Tennessee, Wicca, wiccan, Witchcraft, Witches | Leave a comment

Herb of the Day for March 29th – St. Johnswort

Posted on March 29, 2012 by ladyoftheabyss

St. Johnswort

Hypericum perforatum
MEDICINAL:St. Johnswort is useful for bronchitis, internal bleeding, healing wounds, and for dirty, septic wounds. It is used to ease depression, headaches, hysteria, neuralgia, shingles, as well as symptoms that occur during menopause. It is useful in swellings, abcesses, and bad insect stings. Studies are showing that it may be effective in combatting AIDS by increasing the immune functions of the body. DO NOT GO INTO THE SUN if using this herb, as it causes blistering sunburns, especially in fair-skinned people.

RELIGIOUS:St. Johnswort is hung around the neck to prevent fevers. Wearing the herb aids you in war and other battles, including those of the will and indecision. Burnt it will banish evil and negativity. Hung in the home or carried, it will prevent spells of others from entering, and it is used in exorcisms. If you pick the plant on the night of St. John and hang it on your bedroom wall, you will dream of your future husband. The red juice of the stems was associated with the blood of John the Baptist, hence the plant’s name.

GROWING: St. Johnswort is a perennial reaching 32 inches tall. It is grown throughout much of North America. It prefers rich to moderately rich soils, and full sun. It is not long-lived, so replant every few years. Harvest the leaves and flower tops as they bloom and store in air-tight containers.

Resource:

THE HERBAL ENCYCLOPEDIA