Month: August 2013

The Witches Almanac for Tuesday, August 6th

Gothic Comments

The Witches Almanac for Tuesday, August 6th

Tuesday (Mars): Passion, sex, courage, aggression and protection.

Hiroshima Peace Ceremony

Waning Moon

The Waning Moon is a time for study, meditation, and little magickal work (except magick designed to banish harmful energies).

Moon Phase: New Moon 5:51 pm

Moon Sign: Leo

Leo: Draws emphasis to the self, central ideas or institutions, away from connections with others and other emotional needs. People tend to be melodramatic.

Incense: Cedar

Color: Red

5 Superstitions and Why They Exist

5 Superstitions and Why They Exist

By Allison Ford, DivineCaroline

I was at work a few years ago when a coworker walking by my desk let out a  terrified squeal. “Your purse is on the floor! Don’t you know that’s bad luck?”  Apparently, she was referring to a superstition which holds that to place your  purse or wallet on the floor is to invite money troubles. I had never heard of  this old wives’ tale and didn’t lend it much credibility, but on my way home, I  did notice my lifelong habit of avoiding sidewalk cracks, surely a leftover from  a youthful urge to protect my mother’s spinal health.

Superstitions ascribe supernatural origins to things that  humans don’t understand, and they occur across the world. Early humans had a lot  that they didn’t understand, but modern people are much more enlightened.  Superstitions about bad luck feel like the kind of things we tell gullible  children, so why do I still see people knocking on wood, throwing salt over  their shoulders, and refusing to walk under ladders? Exactly where do these  strange superstitions come from, and do any have even the tiniest basis in  reality?

Don’t Spill the Salt! Salt is one of our most ancient and versatile foodstuffs,  used for preserving food as well as flavoring it. For most of history, it was  incredibly valuable, too, sometimes even used as currency. Spilling such a  precious commodity was akin to dumping the thirty-year-old Scotch down the  drain. For anyone who was careless enough to waste salt, throwing a pinch over  the left shoulder was said to keep the devil away, since he was sure to be  following you after such a grievous offense.

Walking Under Ladders Brings Bad  Luck This superstition has its roots in religion. Some Christians  believe that any object with three points—like a ladder leaning against a  house—represents the Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Early  Christians believed that to destroy or subvert a three-pointed object (like by  walking through it) one was expressing disbelief in the Trinity, and would  therefore probably go to Hell. As religious conviction softened, the promise of  eternal damnation was relaxed to merely the threat of bad luck. I admit to  following the rule against walking under ladders, but for a more practical  purpose—I don’t care for things dropping on my head, as is wont to happen when  people are working above.

Un-Lucky Number Thirteen Plenty of otherwise rational  people are loath to schedule important events on the thirteenth of the month,  and many buildings and towns don’t even include a thirteenth floor or thirteenth  street, because so many people believe the number to be cursed. The origins of  this superstition are factually tenuous, and there are many theories about how  it came about. Christian theology teaches that Judas was the thirteenth guest at  the Last Supper, making him unlucky. Norse mythology states that the god Loki,  who was the thirteenth guest at a banquet, killed the hero, Balder. Not to  mention the fact that several serial killers have thirteen letters in their  name, like Charles Manson or Jeffrey Dahmer. Fear of the number thirteen even  has its own name, triskaidekaphobia, and many sufferers refuse to be the  thirteenth guest at a party, or to sit in row thirteen on an airplane for fear  that some terrible fate will befall them. In reality, there’s no credible  evidence to suggest anything sinister about any particular number, and in some  cultures, the number thirteen is actually considered quite lucky.

Shakespeare’s “Scottish Play” Many  actors refuse to say the name Macbeth, especially when they’re inside a theater.  The play is said to be cursed, and is usually referred to as simply, “The  Scottish Play.” Some accounts say that productions of Macbeth have been plagued  by an unusually high number of accidents, injuries, and deaths on- and offstage,  perhaps because the play itself is unusually ripe with fights, weapons, battles,  and opportunities for things to go wrong. Since the play features three witches,  some origin stories for the superstition say that the lines uttered by the  witches are real curses, that real witches were offended by the play and cursed  it, or that Shakespeare’s original prop master stole items from a real witches’  coven. The most likely explanation is that Macbeth, being one of the English  language’s most enduring pieces of drama, is often put on by theaters trying to  stave off bankruptcy, and the play eventually got a reputation as foreshadowing  a theater’s demise.

Sacred Sneezes
All cultures offer some sort of blessing  after a person sneezes. While the origins of the benedictions are muddled,  it seems certain that primitive people thought that a person’s soul could leave  the body through the nose, and asking for God’s protection was a way to prevent  its escape. Romans, however, believed that sneezing expelled demons, and  witnesses to a sneeze offered congratulations and support. During the sixth  century, there was a plague raging, and the populace thought that sneezing was a  symptom of impending death. Pope Gregory pronounced that the official response  to a sneeze would be “God bless you,” which was thought to invoke divine  protection for both the sneezer and the sneezed-upon.

Do Dogs See The Supernatural?

Do Dogs See The Supernatural?

Whether folklore or fact, many of us would like to believe that our dogs can  detect unexplained or invisible presences, guided by a canine sixth sense. It’s  exciting, and comforting, to think a favorite dog is sensitive to a departed  relative or friend.

But hard evidence of dogs’ extrasensory perception is elusive and anecdotal.  The 2009 book “Tails of the Afterlife,” by Peggy Schmidt, chronicles multiple  instances of unexplainable actions by dogs who apparently interact with  something, or someone, unseen. For instance, she writes about a woman named Del  Johnsen who left seven dogs and six cats when she passed away. Numerous  witnesses believe she still visits her pets daily, and report seeing the animals  suddenly gather in one spot, cats arching their backs and purring, dogs flopping  over for a belly rub, wriggling in enjoyment, all of them sitting at attention  and staring into the air before resuming their own activities. And Schmidt says  her own Jack Russell terrier Pixie has repeatedly reacted to ghosts present in  local buildings rumored to be haunted.

But your pet’s so-called sixth sense may simply be the result of his keen  hearing, exceptional nose, and a dog’s eye view on the world that allows him to  sense small movements that escape our attention. A dog’s senses are keener, and  different, than ours: His eyes detect more delicate movements; his sense of  smell is 1,000 to 10,000 times more sensitive than a human’s. He can hear much  higher frequencies, and at four times the distance of a human with normal  hearing.

Wild and domestic animals, including dogs, seemed to sense the impending  Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, displaying their distress with behavior changes  and vocal warnings, and either ran for cover or refused to go outside. Some  experts believe they could sense vibrational changes on land from impending the  earthquakes before humans could.

Dogs’ heightened sense of smell is credited with their ability to detect some  cancers in humans. Service dogs who aid seizure-prone people are alert to subtle shifts in body smells and dilated pupils, signs that enable the dogs  to warn their owners of a looming attack.

As for a sixth sense connecting to the supernatural or  paranormal, pet psychologist Marti Miller believes that both dogs and their  owners possess one. “But humans judge or deny what they are feeling,” says  Miller, who is based in Austin, Texas. “Dogs don’t judge what is going on in the  environment. While our own minds start to analyze what is happening, dogs don’t  do that. They feel the barometric pressure change, and may react by shaking,  panting, salivating and feeling anxious, or they may not react at all.”

Miller says dogs’ varying reactions to a shift in the atmosphere or  unrecognized sound or movement can stem from early traumas, such as being caught  in a rainstorm, hurricane or tornado, or from “a cellular memory that they have  brought with them to this lifetime.” For dogs, “sensing the supernatural is  natural because they don’t judge it. People could see auras or spirits, but they  either don’t believe they exist, or think that if they do exist, we could not  see them.” Animal Planet’s own series “The Haunted” includes episodes with  instances of family dogs reacting to the apparent presence of spirits, reactions  that have no easy explanation for the out-of-the-ordinary behavior.

Scientific studies on dogs’ senses offer debatable evidence of dogs’ psychic  and sensory perceptions. In his 1999 book, “Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are  Coming Home and Other Unexplained Powers of Animals: An Investigation,”  biologist and author Rupert Sheldrake presents a five-year exploration into  canine behaviors. His work is based on the experiences of thousands of dogs and  owners whose arrival home at unexpected times did not surprise their pets, who  reacted with anticipation. Sheldrake concludes that “there is a strong  connection between humans and animals that lies beyond present-day scientific  understanding.”

When watching your own dog during activities in your household, or when you  take him visiting, you may see him fasten his attention on something you can’t  see or hear. You may shrug it off as anxiety or reaction to an unfamiliar smell.  Or just maybe, you suspect your own pooch is communing with the unseen.

Because dogs can’t talk to offer their own explanations, there’s no way to  know what exactly is going on. “The simple answer is, we don’t know that dogs  see ghosts or spirits,” Miller said. But she adds, “If you observe a dog  standing in the corner, barking at nothing visible, then there’s a pretty good  chance that he’s barking at an entity, spirit, or energy that doesn’t belong  there.”

A distant noise, an unseen spirit or fresh cut of meat? You decide.

 

 

Daily Feng Shui News for Aug. 6 – 'National Fresh Breath Day'

If you’re certain that your occasional bad breath is not caused by digestive difficulties, gum disease or any other chronic conditions, then take advantage of today’s ‘National Fresh Breath Day’ tips from the world of all-natural medicine. Immerse two sprigs of fresh parsley in white vinegar and chew it in order to sweeten what comes out of your mouth. Or you can mix two drops of peppermint essential oil in a glass of warm water and swish, but never swallow. After you spit out the first mouthful take another one and gargle and then spit it out too. Do this until the glass is empty. With all this beautiful breath going on you might now look at life as half-full — like a glass, that is!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

Your Animal Spirit for August 6 is the Polar Bear

Your Animal Spirit for Today
August 6, 2013


Polar Bear

Has Polar Bear lumbered into your reading? If so, he’s reminding you of the value of being flexible. Polar Bear instinctively knows how to conserve his energy and will observe a situation before he takes action. Once he decide it’s the appropriate time to move forward, however, he has the strength, energy, and fortitude to face whatever dangers lie ahead. Having problems making a change? Polar Bear is here to help, and his message to you is:  Take heart, have courage, build your strength, then MOVE!

Your Rune For Tuesday, August 6 is Elhaz

bw-elhaz

bw-elhazYour Rune For Today  

Elhaz       

Elhaz represents your power to protect yourself and those around you. It also connotes the thrill and joy of a successful hunt. You are in a very enviable position right now, because you are able to maintain what you have built and reach your current goals. Enjoy.

Today's Tarot Card for Tuesday, Aug. 6 is The Moon

The Moon

Tuesday, Aug 6th, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What has traditionally been known as the Moon card refers to a deep state of sensitivity and imaginative impressionability, developed within a womb of deep relaxation. Here we dream and go into trance, have visions and receive insights, wash in and out with the psychic tides, and experience deep mystical and/or terrifying realities beyond our ordinary senses. The full moon and/or eclipse cycle charted by the Magi (as in some of the earliest Moon card images) exemplify this as a mechanism that Nature uses to expand consciousness.

The variants of the courtly lovers (representing skillful use of the sex force) or the man sleeping it off under the tree (use of drugs to alter consciousness) are also traditional avenues for tapping this primal force. Human interest in higher states propels us to the frontiers of consciousness, where we cannot always control what happens. The Moon card represents the ultimate test of a soul’s integrity, where the membrane between self and the Unknown is removed, and the drop of individuality reenters the Ocean of Being. What transpires next is between a soul and its Maker.

Your Daily Horoscopes for Tuesday, August 6

Creativity is on the rise today as the dramatic Leo New Moon at 5:50 pm EDT marks a clear departure from our past. We want to break free from emotional attachments to start a new cycle that emphasizes the expression of love since this lunation trines radical Uranus. However, we need to watch our step or our roaring bravado can overstate our case. Leo radiates energy from the heart, so feelings are easily revealed but are difficult to take back.

Aries Horoscope

(Mar 21 – Apr 19)

Your spontaneity is on the loose and your love life may be on the upswing with today’s affectionate Leo New Moon falling in your 5th House of Romance. Things are cooking and all you have to do is stir the stew. But beware, for there are fears brewing in your own subconscious that can prevent you from enjoying the goodies that seem so close. Focus on the positive while rationally considering the alternatives.

Taurus Horoscope

(Apr 20 – May 20)

It may be time to plan a party at home or head out on the town with close friends or family. Today’s Leo New Moon lands in your 4th House of Domestic Conditions, but it isn’t all about taking care of chores or responsibilities. This lunation is simply about experiencing pleasure with those you love the most. Although the fun and games don’t have to happen today, at least start planning now so you can fully enjoy yourself during the days ahead.

Gemini Horoscope

(May 21 – Jun 20)

It’s a magical day when you believe that you can talk anyone into seeing things your way now that the demonstrative Leo New Moon activates your 3rd House of Communication. You’re quite optimistic that you can get your message across, but your interactions may be clouded with confusion anyway. Don’t be overly concerned with other people’s reactions to your point of view. Decide what’s most important for you, but there’s no need to push too hard to bring an idea to fruition today. Go with the flow and trust the process.

Cancer Horoscope

(Jun 21 – Jul 22)

Sometimes your peers don’t appreciate your competence because you’re so adept at supporting others. Thankfully, you can proudly strut your stuff without being too dramatic today. It feels natural to be in the spotlight now while the Leo New Moon resides in your 2nd House of Self-Worth. Don’t shy away from the recognition you deserve when others appreciate the special magic you bring to the party.

Leo Horoscope

(Jul 23 – Aug 22)

Although you may be starting a new and exciting project now, building momentum still could take some time. This New Moon in your expressive sign inspires you to share your plans, which is the first step on your new journey. But don’t pretend to have all the angles covered; there are still plenty of details to be ironed out. Maintaining your enthusiasm is the key to your success, so explore ways to sustain your energy without cooling down the heat of your passion.

Virgo Horoscope

(Aug 23 – Sep 22)

Although many people take a break for the summer, this may be a very busy time of year for you. Today’s Leo New Moon in your 12th House of Privacy suggests there’s lots happening that’s invisible to others — so much that it makes you a bit anxious now. Avoid getting into conflicts with anyone for petty reasons. You can’t afford to waste energy if you want to finish everything you start. Choose your battles carefully; save your fire for the things that really matter.

Libra Horoscope

(Sep 23 – Oct 22)

Your social calendar seems to be more important than anything else now that the outgoing Leo New Moon highlights your 11th House of Friends and Wishes, but your signals might be getting crossed. It’s challenging to tell if your desires are grounded in reality or if they are just a product of your own fantasies. Nevertheless, it’s not a good idea to isolate yourself. Even if you are unsure of your motives, let loose and have an enjoyable time.

Scorpio Horoscope

(Oct 23 – Nov 21)

You are receiving an energetic boost to your career today from the lively Leo New Moon in your 10th House of Public Life. Nevertheless, your job — what you do to put bread on your table — may remain unaltered. This New Moon impacts your place in the outer world. Although you might wish that you had more privacy, your responsibilities draw the spotlight toward you now. However, there’s no need to make any immediate changes as long as you spend some time reassessing your long-term goals.

Sagittarius Horoscope

(Nov 22 – Dec 21)

You are suddenly riding wild waves of optimism now as you look to your future. But even as you’re feeling your Sagittarian oats with today’s Leo New Moon in your 9th House of Big Ideas, you may also be hiding something that you don’t want others to know. A seed of self-doubt could sour your plans, especially if others catch wind of it. Be discreet; keep your concerns to yourself for a while longer. Stay cool; it might take a couple of weeks to see how your ideas actually develop in the real world.

Capricorn Horoscope

(Dec 22 – Jan 19)

You like being in complete control of your life and the director of your destiny, but there are people who may hold some of the keys to your success. The Leo New Moon points to your 8th House of Shared Resources, indicating that you’re better off working with someone else now. What makes the current situation tricky is that others might needlessly flaunt their power. Don’t waste any energy fighting a display of insecurity. Instead, spend your time negotiating solid agreements to ensure success down the road.

Aquarius Horoscope

(Jan 20 – Feb 18)

The Leo New Moon in your 7th House of Companions suggests you might be feeling pressure to perform in a certain way today. A lover, spouse or partner is acting exceptionally nice, but you are certain that there is more going on than meets your eye. However, it’s unlikely that anyone is scheming against you. It’s just that you may be afraid to fully trust the good feelings that are floating around. There’s no rush; respond only when your heart is ready.

Pisces Horoscope

(Feb 19 – Mar 20)

You could feel like you’re talking to the wall today when others don’t seem interested in what you are doing. However, the Leo New Moon occupies your 6th House of Details, making it difficult for you to see the whole picture. Unconsciously blasting ahead with your grandiose plans can raise the ire of your coworkers. Taking smaller steps now allows you to make steady progress out of the spotlight. Ultimately, narrowing your vision and concentrating on one thing at a time is the simplest strategy to reach your goals.

Daily Cosmic Calendar for August 6

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

[All times are calculated for the Pacific Daylight Zone. If you are living in a different time zone, add or subtract the necessary hours so that any timed alignment will be exact where you live.]  Strange forces are on the prowl. This is always the case when the dark-of-the-moon monthly cycle arrives with severity and finishing old business is definitely warranted. However, making ends meet — as the old saying goes — is not so simple right now because Pallas makes a rare opposition to Pluto (1:11PM) — following last night’s buoyant and joyful Pallas conjunction with Jupiter.  Pallas under the influence of underworld-ruling Pluto can interfere or block any gains that were made on the problem-solving, strategic-thinking fronts on Monday evening. Help is on the way in the form of the monthly lunar union with Vesta (2:06PM) followed by the New Moon (activating 15 degrees of Leo at 2:52PM).  At first mention, this sounds ideal as Leo is strong-willed, loving and creative, and Vesta connects with sisterhoods, safety and security matters, insurances rates and coverage, and investments. Thus, you should be able to generate a lot of forward momentum for the next four weeks — since every New Moon is a catalyst toward successful achievements for the near future.  However, the exact time of this New Moon begins a void lunar twilight zone that lasts until 8:58PM tomorrow night. Adding a little more confusion to the mix is a frictional, 135-degree between Mercury and Chiron (7:27PM). A time-out for reflection or meditation may bring you revelations.

Calendar of the Moon for August 6

Calendar of the Moon

6 Coll

Ganesha’s Day

Color: Yellow and green
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon cloth of yellow and green place a figure of Ganesh, Indian incense, two yellow candles, and a small stuffed rat. Around the altar have many drums.
Offerings: Saffron rice.
Daily Meal: Indian food, including saffron rice.

Invocation to Ganesha

Call: Hail Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles!
Response: Shree Ganeshaaya Namaha!
Call: Hail Ganesha, writer of the Upanishads!
Response: Shree Ganeshaaya Namaha!
Call: Hail Ganesha, abundant one who sees that bellies are well-fed!
Response: Shree Ganeshaaya Namaha!
Call: Hail Ganesha, protector of your mother!
Response: Shree Ganeshaaya Namaha!
Call: Hail Ganesha, beheaded by a lost father!
Response: Shree Ganeshaaya Namaha!
Call: Hail Ganesha, lesson of the proud Shiva!
Response: Shree Ganeshaaya Namaha!
Call: Hail Ganesha, bringing Shiva to his knees in remorse!
Response: Shree Ganeshaaya Namaha!
Call: Hail Ganesha, you of the elephant head!
Response: Shree Ganeshaaya Namaha!
Call: Hail Ganesha, you who teach us to look beyond appearances!
Response: Shree Ganeshaaya Namaha!
Call: Hail Ganesha, rider of the rat!
Response: Shree Ganeshaaya Namaha!
Call: Hail Ganesha, winner of the race by common sense!
Response: Shree Ganeshaaya Namaha!
Call: Hail Ganesha, you who teach us to do no more than is necessary!
Response: Shree Ganeshaaya Namaha!
Call: Hail Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles;
May you clear our many paths for us!
Response: Shree Ganeshaaya Namaha!

(This ritual should end in a drum circle that lasts until Akte.)

 

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Calendar of the Sun for August 6

Calendar of the Sun

6 Weodmonath

Wheat Day

Color: Golden
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a golden cloth place a sheaf of wheat, a sickle, a clay jug of wheat beer, and a loaf of fresh-baked whole wheat bread.
Offering: Give food to the poor.
Daily Meal: Wheat bread, pasta, or pastry.

Wheat Invocation

Today, sweet golden king,
My hand belongs to Her
As does your body.
I thank you for your gift of life
And I promise you rebirth next year
With this my very same hand.
And in your turn
Since someday my body will be Hers as well
Promise me
The same hope;
Rebirth me in joy everlasting.

(The sickle is swung in a circle, then the wheat beer is passed around, and the remainder poured out as a libation.)

I sing the praises of Wheat,
First grain of the wagon people of Europe,
You who make the bread rise high,
You who make the soft white dough,
You who are sweet
And can last a thousand years
And still blossom forth in the Earth.
I sing the praises of Wheat.

(The bread is passed around, and the remainder scattered in the garden.)

Song: Corn Rigs

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Current Moon Phase for August 6 – New Moon

New Moon

(waxing/0% illumination)

The New Moon is a time best suited for new beginnings! For the first 48 hours following the exact time of the New Moon each month, a window of opportunity opens for making wishes that, if noted, come true in the days and months ahead. There is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm in the atmosphere, making it a great time to go forward and begin projects that you feel instinctively attracted to initiating. Follow your impulses and let yourself make new starts in areas that are important to you.

TUESDAY, The Day of Mars,
 The Day of Honour

TUESDAY

The Day of Mars
 The Day of Honour

tiwesdaeg (Anglo-Saxon)
dienstag (Germanic)
dies martis (Latin)
mangal-var (Hindu)
mungul (Islamic)
mardi (French)
ka youbi (Japanese)

Traditionally seen as the third day of the week. ‘Tiu’, also ‘Tiw’, was associated with Mars who was the Roman god of War. Tiu was the younger brother of Thor and son of Odin. The French later closely translated this name to ‘Mardi’ or ‘Mar’s Day’. Mars has also been associated with Zeus or ‘Zeus’s Day’ later being developed by the Anglo-Saxons. It was thought that to meet a left-handed person in the early morning on a Tuesday would bring misfortune for the rest of the day according to a traditional Scandinavian belief. It has been suggested that this may because of the fact that the day related to the God of War. According to the English historian Richard Grafton certain dates of the month were unlucky as published in the ‘Manual’ in 1565. Days throughout the year were identified and of course could have related to any day of the week. The date was the most important point to consider. The work was reputed to have some credence with support given by astronomers of the day.

 

Merry Meet & A Very Blessed Tuesday To You & Yours!

Earth Mother

Giver of life

Strengthen me during my life-long strife.

Teach me your ways of perfect love,

peace, and wisdom true.

Spawn from my purest heart

These words to you

May this prayer help me to better

myself in word and deed,

To a higher plane I shall succeed.

Beautiful light of goodness fair

Lore of old we both do share

A Witch’s brew, I drink to you

My love for you, by day, by night

In thought and in sight

Will my soul learn the meaning of this life

again.

—–　

Bright Blessings

by Gina T. Ranney

The Need for Masculinity: The Equal Importance of Men

The Need for Masculinity: The Equal Importance of Men
image
Author: Vetch Hoshizora

As observed by a recent essay by another Druid, Draoi, there are a lot fewer men following Pagan religions than women, who compose an overwhelming majority. Some traditions are more male-oriented than others-for example, my path of Druidry. Everyone in society sees Druids as being male, and while it’s true that women also could be Druids, women were an actual minority.

Likewise Asatru, based on Norse traditional beliefs, and which probably attracts more men than women. Wicca, however, is very female-dominated. Feminism is a strong force in Paganism at the moment, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But has anyone noticed there isn’t a word with the same “standing up for rights” connotations when it comes to the defense of men?

It also seems that men are viewed as having less power than women and that a High Priestess has more authority than a High Priest. I don’t understand this view, personally. We have a male and female pairing in leadership of Wiccan covens to reflect the fact that Wiccans believe in a God and a Goddess. I can see that this idea of putting the woman first is an attempt to right the wrongs of patriarchy, which oppressed women for around 2, 000 years or so. But I don’t see why the Goddess cannot be equal to the God; why has she got to be more powerful than He?

Now, I know what you’re thinking: the Goddess gives birth to the God; therefore, she’s better. But without the God, she would never have become pregnant in the first place. The entire cycle of the year, in which the God dies and is reborn from the Goddess to marry her again in the summer, depends on their becoming lovers and the God impregnating her with new life to be born again. A woman may carry a child, but it takes a man to create one. His role is just as important as hers. They are both the creators of life, not just the single Goddess.

And this is true of the ancient pantheons on which Wiccans base their practice. Look at the Greek Gods: admittedly, Zeus was in charge and he did a lot of womanizing, but his wife, Hera, was an incredibly powerful figure. She got her own way and punished him for all of his infidelities. She was Queen of the Gods, not just “Zeus’s wife.” Look at all the priestesses of the past, from the Oracle of Delphi to the seers and Druidesses in Celtic mythology. Look at Cuhulain’s wife, angry at his adultery but strong enough to do something about iit-so much of an equal that he would do anything to please her.

Now, I’ve always had feminist leanings. I’ve never accepted the bullying of boys in my class because I knew they were wrong for not valuing what I could do. I have always thought that women’s rights are not yet completely won (equal pay, for a start) and there is a lot of time to go before things are satisfactory between the sexes. But what we are doing now, my sisters, is destroying ourselves before we start.

I don’t advocate a return to the days of the meek housewife polishing her husband’s shoes. But I do think that the feminism that has led to today’s female binge-drinking culture has a lot to answer for. In the street, it is possible to see two generations of women: the wise, older ones, dressed sensibly and leading a sticky curly-mop toddler by the hand, and the teenage mothers with bare midriff, cigarette hanging from their lips, and brown hair with bleached stripes through it. They drink more in pubs than the men and put off having babies until it is far too late. We don’t have the time men do to have the next generation.

It may be a dim view, but before long we’ll be a society of idiots because the teenage mothers with no idea how to use contraception and get stoned every weekend will have produced the entire generation, while the intelligent career women, in the name of feminism, reject what their bodies are for and forget children.

As much as rabid feminists would like to forget it, whether you believe in the Christian God or not, women are the ones who have children, and men are the ones who give them to us. We’re not seahorses-you can’t really reverse the role. Having a child requires a lot of sacrifice on a woman’s part. But if we are to survive, as Pagans and as intelligent people, we have to procreate. We can’t claim the tolerance other faiths lack if we oppress our own men and turn them away.

I foresee a situation in which women have defected to Paganism and men have defected to monotheism purely because both paths value more their different genders; if it gets to this, of course, how will there be any more Pagans? We’ll have destroyed ourselves with our silliness.

There is the sacred feminine. There is also the divine masculine, and we need to recognize the important, eternity-long role men play in the cycle of life. As Pagans, worshipping the Earth and as part of an ancient fertility religion, we need to see that the corn didn’t grow and the livestock didn’t breed for meat and milk and wool long ago without fertilization.

Men are as important as women. The God-or the Gods-are just as important as the Goddess and the Goddesses because life would not exist without the Gods. The roles of men should not be spat bitterly out of Pagan life. They were the hunters, the farmers, the warriors, the priests, and they were Fathers. What can a daughter do without a father to be a rock to lean back on? Who teaches a girl to stand on her own two feet and gain financial independence? Who offers a daughter lessons that her mother cannot teach her purely because she is a woman?

The only substitute for a father figure is close male friends. Either way, you learn to understand the male sex from your Dad or boy mates; a boyfriend, unless he becomes a husband, is not going to tell you why he thinks the way he does.

People spend so much time ranting about the fact that we say “God and Goddess” instead of Goddess and God and “husband and wife” not “wife and husband.” But why should we change our language to reflect an equally bigoted climate of feminism? Why should we discriminate against men by making them the second-class citizens we used to be? It makes no sense to oppress a man just because his forefathers were slightly dim in their views of women’s rights.

I want a career. I want the freedom, as a Pagan woman, to worship how I will without bending to any authority but the Gods and my teachers. But I am happy to accept a man’s authority in a grove or a woman’s, just as my patron God is male, and though I’m looking at an ambitious career choice, if I met a man who I fell in love with, giving up that job to have a family would be an easy choice to make. I don’t intend to squander my chance to create a legacy for the world of children with brains and Pagan leanings. After all, what else is a woman’s womb for but to fill with the baby of a man she loves?

Author’s Note: I realize many women may not agree with me, but the fact is that feminism discriminates as much as misogyny and that is all that can be said.

Alayne Grey, Druid

The Magic of the Dragon and the Phoenix

The Magic of the Dragon and the Phoenix
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 Author: Wolf

The sacred symbols of our various traditions act as touchstones or magical shorthand to remind us of the power that we as Witches can wield to shape our reality. Last year at SpiralHeart WitchCamp, I had the opportunity to explore what these two ancient symbols mean to me in a magical context. That these two symbols had been chosen at all was the result of a community shared trance. None of us had more than an educated person’s acquaintance with either, but they were clearly linked in that trance. From that work, the Dragon and the Phoenix came to inform and shape my magical understanding and practice.

What has come to me is that Dragon magic is practical, tactile, rooted in the physical, and flows from the earth through our bodies, energizing and inspiring us. Phoenix magic is illusive, requiring imaginary constructs and imagined outcomes and derives its power through our trust in our abilities and the Mystery. Phoenix magic demands a leap of faith that shatters the apparently real barriers that keep us from our goals.

I had the intuition that these symbols of power were linked, that their magic was complimentary, and that their power balanced and combined in a way that augmented each other. The Mystery provided the answer one day while my wife and I were fabric shopping at a local store. We had picked out a gorgeous scarlet fabric embroidered with gold dragons, and we were waited on by a Chinese woman. When my wife mentioned that she had been born in the year of the dragon, the woman replied that in China, girls born in the year of the dragon were referred to as a phoenix.

Fascinated, I began to explore the relationship between these magical creatures in Chinese culture. What I found was astounding.

In Chinese mythology, dual images of the Phoenix and the Dragon date back more than seven thousand years and are linked in a cosmic dance of peace and disharmony, creation and destruction, rest and action. They represent the fluid balance required for governance – governance of a state, a marriage or an individual. The mythological Phoenix and Dragon are elemental beings, literally composed of, and guardians over, the elements. Their bodies comprise all of creation.

However, the Phoenix and the Dragon are more than just symbols. They are metaphorical entities, willful illusions manifested to help us understand and shape the world. Stories are told and retold of these creatures that teach and influence and inspire. Such stories can have real world consequences. For example, it is said that the Phoenix will only nest in a country that has a fair and just government. The mundane mind might see this as wishful thinking, but the magical mind knows the power of repeated affirmation. So, the wise ruler will wish to hear reports of sightings of the Phoenix nesting in her country during her reign.

The more stories that I read, the more it seemed that the Phoenix and the Dragon being wedded symbols is contradictory. They are both depicted as guardians (of the south and east) , but said to be enemies. They can represent the male (Dragon) and female (Phoenix) in a happy marriage, but the Phoenix (fire) is often at odds with Dragon’s element (water) . Both are strongly identified with yang (male) energy, but they are considered mates. That the Phoenix and the Dragon should be so linked and so imagined is a paradox.

To the mundane mind, paradox is merely an idle curiosity, not to be taken too seriously.
To the magical mind, there is wisdom in paradox. A paradox is a challenge to look closer, to examine more thoroughly – to work harder. It is a call, not to see differently, but to accept the possibility that there is a different way to see.

I meditated on what I had learned for months until, in an email, a friend mistakenly described her style of magic as “illusive” (meaning illusory) when she meant “elusive” (hard to pin down) . I was struck by this error, for it seemed to me that my friend’s magic was indeed illusive and that it seemed akin to that of the Phoenix.

What came to me was a metaphorical extension of the Dragon and Phoenix mythos. It was to me a new way of understanding and using these sacred symbols. In a trance, I wrote my own versions of stories of the ancient and mythical creatures. From this exploration, my current understanding flowed.

The Phoenix and the Dragon balance two apparently opposite ways of being in the world. The Phoenix is so sure that what she imagines is real, so positive that she will be reborn, that she will fearlessly burn herself away to ash. Her imagining is what inspires her. Her power flows from the divine source of creation. She conjures up the illusion, a creative imagining, of what will be. She acts decisively and then trusts in the outcome.

The Dragon luxuriates in the physicality of incarnation and renews himself by shedding his old, worn out skin. He scrapes up against the granite and swims through the oceans of the world to gain his wisdom. His power flows from the living earth.

Her magic might be said to be illusory, while his is practical.

Her magic is illusory in the sense that the Phoenix must convince herself by repeated affirmation that she will be reborn, that the world of her imagining can be made manifest in spite of evidence to the contrary. The Dragon does not bother himself with notions of other worlds. He accepts what is and revels in the contact with stony ground to generate the delicious friction that will release his new self. Both beings are reborn, but in dramatically different ways.

As Witches, we use magic to create the world we want – a world of beauty, balance and delight. Or do we? Those of us who would be like the Phoenix create realms of imagination and through repeated affirmation, live into them, willing the “real” world to fade. The energy required to do this can be like a self immolation. The Dragons among us insist that we be practical, and that our magic is in our cooking, in our sensuality, in our songs, in our dances, in our art, in our activism and in the million ways that we kneel and kiss the ground.

The paradox of the Phoenix and the Dragon in dynamic, vibrant balance, teaches us that the world we want lies between our imagination and our senses. The Dragon is the ground of our being. The Phoenix is the fire of our imagination. The Dragon makes it possible for us to leap into the fire. The Phoenix holds the vision of the reward for our courage in leaping.

Between the illusive and the practical is a magic that will manifest our desires.

Spirituality and Magic – Don't Sell Yourself Short

Spirituality and Magic – Don’t Sell Yourself Short

 Author: Friendly Spirit
I’ve read some informative and highly interesting articles on Witchvox recently and wanted to share a perspective that perhaps may help some in their dealings with their own spirituality. This includes rituals where many find sources of enlightenment but also includes just about anything else, eclectic or traditional, in the general areas of spirituality, magic, ethics, etc. My comments do not center on promoting my own beliefs. Rather I’d like to comment on keeping a bigger picture in mind no matter which path or paths you choose.
The bigger picture is, what are you really and how does what you are relate to which practices you use or follow in seeking spiritual enlightenment? I’d also like to suggest a few simple things to keep in mind when choosing a path or religion.
Which Path/Religion to Choose?
I don’t think that anyone but you can say which exact path or religion is right for you. And I’m not sure most can tell if they don’t try things. I guess the “right” one is the one that works for you. Try things and see what helps you improve your spiritual life. Does it help you to be a happier person or live a better life or feel more spiritual or does it not?
It’s a simple question really but then things should be simple.
But how do you know what to try in order to see what works best for you? Well, I guess many will try different paths before they find out but I can offer here some very simple guidelines in helping eliminate any while conducting your search. These guidelines work very well for me but, if they are something that does not work for you, then don’t use them:

  1. Does the path/religion preach that you are small or insignificant and it offers you a way to improve? I say reject that  path/religion because it is based on a lie. The lie being that you are small and insignificant. You are not. You are an immortal, spiritual  being.
  2. Does the path/religion depend substantially on faith, fear of gods or such things as damnation, etc? I say reject that  path/religion as it is based on a lie. Your goal in spiritual enlightenment should not be based on fear, mysteries that you cannot comprehend,  etc.
  3. Does the path/religion suggest not harming yourself and others and does it have at least some system of ethics against  doing the above? I say look into it. Ethics are logic, really. They are things that just make sense if you truly want to expand spiritually or in any other  way. It makes sense because you the immortal being are good and you will hinder your own growth when doing harm.
  4. Does the path/religion hold firm beliefs that are contrary to your own, even though your own harms no one including  yourself? I don’t suggest getting into it unless you yourself are trying to change your own beliefs, as you feel they are incomplete or somehow  wrong.
  5. Does the path/religion involve the use of drugs, hypnotic suggestions, invalidation or evaluation of you by others? I say  reject it, as real spiritual enlightenment depends on you either regaining or otherwise obtaining a personal spiritual improvement which, in the end, depends  on you and not the invalidation and/or evaluation of others.
  6. Does the path/religion promote kindness and things loving? If so, this is a good point as such things as kindness and love  are completely natural to a spiritual being. Those times you could not be more mean or tough in a situation were not really signs of weakness. But the times  you could not be more kind were signs of weakness as, again, kindness and love are natural in a spiritual being who, when itself, is truly good.

So What is The Bigger Picture to Keep In Mind in Any Path or Practice?
Keep in mind what you yourself really are verses what is being dealt with in your practice. I feel this is most important in order to obtain the maximum benefit of any path towards spiritual enlightenment.
What you are is very different than what you are being. For example, in this life you may have a female body, be a mother, a wife, an office worker and a Witch. Those are all identities you have assumed as you progressed in life while your body developed from the stage of its birth to where it is now.
Can a good spiritual path help you to be a better mother, Witch, neighbor, wife, etc? Sure it can. It can assist you in being anything you want. But, here again we are addressing what you are being in this lifetime, not what you are.
So, you’re not that body you have, right? I mean, for example, if you lost one of your hands in a car accident does that change that loving thing that is “you?” That thing that loves your children, arts or music? Is your body that thing that soars to wonderful music or what you consider beautiful in nature or otherwise? No, it is not.
I was in a Pagan chat room recently and in it this wonderful lady talked about children and other things, which was a great chat. She was obviously a kind and caring person but she stated that we all love our children because of a genetic imprint that makes us feel nurturing, defending, and so on. I loved her but I wanted to scream out, “YOU ARE MUCH MORE THAN THAT!” Yes, human bodies and animal bodies do have a “life force” and a genetic line that does provide for caring, nurturing, etc. (or else there would be no real continuation of a species), and when you take on a body you tend to be affected by it and the genetic line BUT you are so much more than that.
It was not appropriate to argue in that room nor did I feel a need to argue, but I really wanted her to realize she was SO much more than some sort of “genetic imprint” connected with a body…
Yet science often stops at just that point in trying to measure what you are. The physical universe can make a great “playground” in which to play and bodies can be a “calling card” spiritual beings use to identify and play with each other.
So if you are not your body, are you your mind? Again, you are selling yourself short if you agree that you are your mind. Here is a simple exercise you can do as you read this right now that might help you conclude you are not your mind:
Read these next two paragraphs and then close your eyes and think about it
Pick a pet or other animal you have with you or had with you once. Was it in your house? What color was it? Size? How did it look? When you think of a time with it, do you see it in your living room, outdoors or what? What was it doing then?
You can do this exercise with a child, a friend, whatever. Close you eyes now and do it and, when you are done, open your eyes and continue reading this.
Okay, so I am going to assume you just did the exercise. Who was looking at the picture(s) of that pet, animal, child, friend or whatever after you closed your eyes? It was not your body as your eyes were closed. Was it your mind “looking” at that? No, in fact it was YOU looking at it. And what you were looking at was a part of your mind (the pictures and things you saw).
My point is, you are not your mind. You are an immortal spirit that currently has a mind and a body.
Your body is located in time and in space (for example, here on Earth) and the pictures that make up your mind are locatable as well. But you yourself are not so located except by your own considerations and your agreement with the considerations of others.
While this is a subject that would take up a great deal more writing space than is available here, my whole point is if you want to get maximum spiritual enlightenment from any path you choose, please keep in mind what YOU are and never get confused with what you are not (a body, mind, tools of magic, etc.).
For example, the idea of using crystals, stones and other physical things to produce energy or other effects could really work but not for the reason many think. Matter (physical things) are just solidified energy and if someone figured out (by accident or otherwise) how to “tap it, ” lots could be produced. Some physical things like crystals perhaps store more energy than physical things like granite. I believe that different paths and people of older traditions have discovered a lot of that.
But what’s most important is that it’s NOT something bigger than you (the spirit). You’re tapping into something that can be amazing in terms of what is generally agreed to be possible BUT it is comparatively nothing to what YOU (the spirit) could produce. If it helps you to tap the energy and magic that is “sleeping” inside of you then by all means do it.
If people could practice such things with the bigger picture of what they really are in mind, to the point where they at least don’t worship such things as the tools of magic, then it could really be something special.
Just because we spiritual beings may use bodies and other physical things in order to communicate with each other, does not mean that we must be limited to that or to what is commonly agreed to be the limitations of bodies in order to perceive or communicate.
You know, you have many agreements in place automatically all the time with regard to your body and mind. Such agreements as human eyes see only certain hues, human ears hear only certain sounds, words are important to communication, you must breath air, and so on. If a spiritual being had the body of a cat for a lifetime, it likely would go into agreement with what a cat sees, hears, senses and the like. Same with any other body type. But they are only considerations you have agreed with and you yourself as a spiritual being are not restricted to such limits. If actions taken in rituals or otherwise in different paths help you to simply “disagree” on all those limits to perception, then they are probably good actions if they lead to your own spiritual enlightenment. And they are probably good things to do until some day you will be able to bring all the magic and abilities out of yourself without need of any tools.
Spiritual enlightenment is a matter of rehabilitating the spirit’s (your) abilities so that YOU may make a better life for yourself and others. Don’t be impatient and expect yourself to go from where you are to perfection overnight. If in any way you find yourself improving any aspects of your life (you feel better, you’re no longer depressed, some things come easier now, you feel more love for others, etc.) then by all means be happy as your effort on your path is working. Keep it up. It gets better and better as you grow spiritually and realize more of your own potential.
Just keep in mind that it is you the spiritual being that is awakening and that all the magic there is, is in you now. And if some path helps you find it within yourself for the improvement of you and others then it is a wonderful thing indeed.
You don’t HAVE a spirit. You ARE the spirit. Remember that and I believe you will get much more out of your practice.
Final Comment:
I have made no attempt here to comment on a god or goddess or anything else besides you. I believe that subject is very highly personal and that the more you expand spiritually, the more you understand such things. I only want to point out that you are something very, very special and much more than most people or even many religions let you believe.
Personally I have a very deep affinity for the Goddess. Every time I even reflect on that subject I feel wonderful. I do not categorize her in ways that many others have done. I personally don’t feel her under the many names people have given her in the past. Nor in temples dedicated to her in the various forms that might have been real to people at the time they gave her a name or a temple. Rather, personal to me, I see her everywhere, especially at times where I feel more enlightened. I reflect on her every time I see the love of a mother for her child, when I see anything nurturing, when I so much as see a spore fly in the wind and settle on the ground, knowing some day it may grow to be a plant.
I feel all that at times when I see kindness, love, the good in others. I see her when I see what in many lifetimes I’ve perceived as spirituality, courage, caring, wisdom, magic, strength and all things good. I think of all these things when I think of true “femininity.”
I don’t believe you have to roam anywhere to see her and the best evidence of her is within you now.

The Importance of Being a Wise Woman – a Witch

The Importance of Being a Wise Woman – a Witch
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Author: Briallason

The term “witch” wasn’t given to anyone accused of being such by the person being accused. The term was given by the ruling powers to a certain type of individual that the ruling powers did not understand and of which they were terribly afraid.

What was, or is, this type of individual that has frightened so many governments, religions, and ruling powers for so long?

They are nothing more than males or females who are aware of their position in life in accordance with the mathematics of the universe (universal law).

They are persons who recognize and are willing to accept their right and responsibility to be in charge of their own lives: Responsible for their own actions, their own lives, their fate, their destiny.

They are persons, male or female, who recognize that within them must reside the respect, council and wisdom of the heart of a mother – a wise woman – in order for a balanced society to exist and for life to be able to continue perpetually.

In the beginning of civilization, it was the key to proper balance in every realm. Made up of many, many races and nationalities of peoples, this ingredient and characteristic was found deep within each of them.

What does it mean to be a wise woman or Witch? True Witchcraft can be practiced from one place and one place only – from deep within the heart and innermost being of the individual. And it is nothing more than a certain degree of consciousness within that individual.

How important is the practice of Witchcraft to each person? It is as important as the very elements upon which we call – earth, fire, air and water. They are essential to our existence, for without them we will not survive. Neither do we call upon spirit to cast a circle, for if we indeed call upon the four elements, then spirit is there in the midst; it is us, you and I.

In a time before now all five elements existed in perfect harmony and each existed with harm to none. And in a time soon to be, again it shall be so.

During current history, as balance was overthrown and the earth and mankind were pulled into an extended sleep, things continually worsened, becoming even further out of balance. And the wise woman or Witch in every person became the enemy of imbalance and a threat to greed and self-indulgence, for the wise woman mind will not bend nor stoop to unjust harm or abuse. And she was greatly feared, to be destroyed on sight.

For the wise woman, wisdom was, and held, the key of life. For centuries she was hidden or hard to find; yet she was always sought by those who wished to destroy her. Anyone practicing any of her ways was considered to be an enemy. Many books were burned, all manner of propaganda was instigated against her, and a song was produced to lure the sleeping generations into submission and obedience.

It was a sweet song, near – if not impossible – to keep from singing and following. It was the song of prosperity, of money, of ease, wealth, dominance, of someone else to fight your battles for you, someone else to determine directions you should go, and it sounded so sweet, so right, so true.

And with time, it took root, and grew. Many chose mates to think for them. Others volunteered to be the leaders, many joined together to show the others how to worship, or what to worship. Armies were formed to protect and fight to keep the freedom of others to indulge in their seeking. Governments were borne, then stronger governments, and institutions and corporations. And they hated each other and began to destroy each other and if, per chance, they could not destroy, then they joined each other, becoming larger and larger with less competition.

And all the while, the wise woman, wisdom, hid and was cast away and downtrodden. But where would she dare hide or be hidden?

Only the wisdom of the Mother herself could hide wisdom where it could not be harmed or destroyed. So she hid it deep within the sleeping hearts of her children, in the dry and barren wilderness wasteland, the cave of the heart, where once had flowed the rivers of life, but now, a place where wisdom herself alone could enter.

And in the Spring Season, at the beginning of the New, in the Dawn of New Day, the children slowly began to awaken – awakening first to the realization that although the old song had promised so much that was needed, it had not produced. Life steadily worsened, and though a few maintained quick riches in the short-term, most people labored more and more just to maintain short-term existence. And with that awakening, slowly came the desire and need to change that manner of existence.

But how to change that old order? To join and fight against wrong by taking of arms and actions to destroy those that subscribed to such ways? By might and power and forming more organizations to stamp out injustice? No. It only produced more misery and injustice and harm to innocent people.

But then, in the first faint winds of dawn came a sound – a song – more beautiful than any other ever heard. A song, first hard to distinguish in direction, then more and more, as sleep was wiped away, the realization – the song is coming from within! Within the barren desert, moisture, breeze, heat and substance. The song’s rhythm was felt within the minds and hearts of the children, the steady drumming from Earth Mother herself, and the importance of wisdom began to dawn.

That wisdom shed light on the importance of loving one another and doing no harm, of understanding the responsibility for your life, and yours alone, and accepting the same. It whispered the truth of the necessity of thinking for yourself, and while respecting other’s advice, the deep realization that direction for you belongs only to you, and with it the responsibility is yours, thus no one else is to blame.

And more and more, the song is heard, and old things begin to shake, for injustice does not survive in a world that is awake.

And a desert blooms, and a fragrance fills the air. And we begin the slow, painful, but steady birth into the time after history, you and me, in perfect love and perfect trust, with secret deity hidden within, balancing our own life in the center of the elements, bringing survival and hope to each other. How important is being a wise woman, a Witch?

It is the beginning, and end, and the ever after of survival and existence.

Crone's Corner – APPLE DIVINATION

Crone’s Corner – APPLE  DIVINATION

* If a girls peels an apple in one long piece at midnight on Halloween, and then  tosses the peel over her left shoulder or into a bowl of water, she will be able to read the first initial of her future partner’s name in the shape  assumed by the discarded peel.
* If a girl peels an apple at midnight on Halloween and hangs the peel on a nail by the front door, the  initials of the first man to enter will be the same as those of her unknown lover.
* If a group of unmarried boys and girls each attach an apple to a string and twirl the apple over a fire,  the order in which the apples fall off the string indicates the order in which they will all be married. The owner of the last apple to drop will remain  unmarried.
* In a group of unmarried boys and girls, each person marks an apple and places it in a large bucket of  water, along with unmarked apples. Without using their hands, the teens attempt to take bites out of the apples floating in the water. The teen is fated to  marry the person whose apple they bite. Another variation of this custom consists of hanging the apples from strings tied to a tree.