Well had you thought we had run off and left the country? No, you ain’t that lucky, lol! It has been a wild couple of days, I can say that. There were suppose to be posted on here daily so you would know the site was still alive but…..oh, well, here I go back to the old saying, “when the cat’s away, the mice will play.” Since I saw there hadn’t been any posts on the site in the last few days, I decided to take a break from building our new store and come and aggravate y’all for a bit, lucky, lucky, lucky! Your luck has never been so good has it.

As I stated the last few days have been rather wild and that is putting it mildly. I am sure I have mentioned it before but for those of you who are new here, I will mention it again. The WOTC is not only active on-line it is active off-line as well. We help out local food banks, help the Elderly with some of their expenses throughout the money(since they are on limited incomes) and we still take in a stray or wild animals on occasions. I am an animal lover, can’t help myself when we get one of those calls. A call that an animal is in distress or going to be shot if something isn’t don’t with it, I am Johnny-on-the-spot. But that is just a few of the things we do off-line.

I have my reasons for bringing up some of the things we do off-line because of a phone call I received Thursday. It was a phone call from two local elderly sisters who are witches themselves. We have helped them out off and on when they needed it. They called Friday because they needed our help. Even though our funds are gone and I mean, gone, gone. I couldn’t refuse them and I told them I would see what I could do for them. Neither one of the sisters have ever married, they only have each other, no family left. They feel like I am their family because when my mother was alive I remember us stopping by to visit them on our way to town. They were quite a bit younger than my mother but they were witches so she made a point of visiting them when she could. The live on the other side of county from where we are now. I can still remember going to their house. On both sides of the gravel road leading to their house was nothing put trees. Thick trees, in fact, it looked like a forest with a path cut through it. Then the house was a house built out of wood. Honestly it looked like the house from Hansel and Gretel, seriously. The only difference the house from the fairy tale was in much better shape. I took them some groceries recently and it still looks the same except it had a few boards that had come loose. I had Lord M with me and he fixed the boards for the sisters. You get the idea, these sisters do not have much money coming in at all and are basically just surviving day to day,

Now back to the phone call, one of the sister (Mildred) called and asked if we could talk for a minute. I told her sure anytime, she knew that. She was upset and I could tell that. I was afraid something had happened to her sister but thankfully that wasn’t the case. She was upset because she had received a $538.00 electricity bill, I told her I didn’t doubt it because our bill had been outrageous this month. She told me that they didn’t have the money to pay it. I asked her if she had talked to the light company and she said no. I told her to give me a minute and I would call them and see what I could do. I called the electric company, which by the way is a Co-Op. A Co-Op is suppose to be owned by its members and the members are suppose to have some rights and say so in how it is run. I talked to one of the ladies there and she was just down right rude. She told me that the sisters would have to pay the full amount of the bill or have their power cut off. It is in the low 20’s and they are going to cut off two elderly ladies’ power. Really? I asked to talk to a supervisor. The supervisor was a little nicer. She asked me how much could they pay that day and then call back and make payment arrangements before the next disconnect notice came due. Well I told her I could pay $50.00 on it. That was all I had and I gladly did it. The supervisor made a note on their account that payment arrangements would follow. I called the sisters back and told them what I had done. They were delighted. I told them to be sure to call back before the disconnect notice was due to make payment arrangements or else they would be out to cut them off. Well they called back to make the arrangements and I got another phone call. Mildred was upset to no end. She told me the lady told her that she had to pay $180.00 that day and then the remaining balance would be stretched out to the 28th of this month. Of course, the poor sisters did not have the money nor did I.

After I talked to Mildred, I called the power company. By this time, I was mad as an old wet hen. I had already pulled up the law in regards to utilities company disconnecting people in the Winter months. The law states that no one can be disconnected between the Winter months of November through February of each year. It also went on to state that if a person in the household was disabled, elderly or needed the electricity for live saving equipment then the power could not be cut off either. I informed the supervisor of this and she said since they were a Co-Op they could do as they pleased. The law didn’t apply to them. Which, of course, we had a hardy disagreement over that. I asked them when the next Co-Op meeting was and I would be there with bells on. I also wrote the County representative over this matter but I have not heard back from him yet. It didn’t matter what I had to say to this woman, she told me they either pay the bill or else they would be disconnected.

Now can you imagine that? Two elderly sisters, one 82 and the 84, fragile and thin, living in a 100 year old house(which has cracks everywhere you look) getting their power shut off? I could not believe the cruelty or inhumane treatment coming from this supervisor or the electric company. What it all boils down too, is that if these ladies do not come up with the money to pay their power bill, they will be disconnected probably either Monday or Tuesday. We are flat broke or else I wouldn’t have been beating my brains out trying to rebuild the store. I need your help, these sisters need your help. It would absolutely kill me to think that they got their power cut off. They wouldn’t leave their home to save them. They would stay there and try to survive. Survive they wouldn’t, they would freeze to death. I can’t let that happen. I am asking that you help me by assisting them in trying to pay their power bill, Later on, when we get back on our feet, we plan on insulating the house for them but right now we have to worry about the power being cut off. I am not asking for myself but I am asking for these dear, sweet old ladies. If you could meet them you would fall in love with them. Just listening to their stories, then learning witchcraft from them and just basically stories about the old days. They are wonderful, beautiful human beings and for the power company to do this is just wrong. I plan on going to the Co-Op meeting and I also plan on pursuing this at every level of government in this town. This treatment of the elderly is oh, so wrong and I plan on making a huge stink about it. But right now, we have no choice but to try to pay the bill.

I said I would never beg you for money. I am not begging for myself, I am begging for these two wonderful ladies. Will you please help me raise the money to keep their power from being shut-off. It is the middle of Winter, they need their heat to survive. They still have many years ahead of them and to think of them freezing to death is killing me. I am asking for your help in assisting them to keep their power on. I know it is a hard time for everyone but we can’t let our Elderly be treated like this. Hell, they will take a dog in off the streets but they won’t keep our elderly warm by just leaving their heat on. It is pathetic. These sisters desperately need your help. If they knew I was telling their story, they would be mad as heck at me. They are proud women and they don’t like asking for a hand out. I told them it wouldn’t be a hand out but a hand up. They had did so much for the Pagan community around here, I feel that it is only right that we try to help them. No matter what you can give, it all adds up and hopefully we will be able to keep their power on during these cold days ahead.

Thank you so very much,

Lady of the Abyss

I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.

During the day while we are working, we like to keep the television on and listen to the News. You know just in case there is any breaking News, so we can keep those of you at work who might not know about it informed. Well, someone forgot to change the channel this morning. Since it is Sunday, I would imagine y’all get the same kind of shows we do on Sunday mornings, a lot of mainstream religion shows. I am very religion tolerate except when it comes to someone trying to push their religion down my throat. That is what I think they are trying to do on Sunday mornings, just my opinion now and you know what they are worth. The first song that came blasting through the television was “Amazing Grace.” My clue right there, someone forgot to change the channel. Then I decided, well if they stole it from us, why not steal it back today. So I give you the Pagan version of “Amazing Grace.” Enjoy!

Amazing Grace

Amazing grace, how sweet the Earth
that bore a witch like me!
I once was burned, now I survive,
was hung and now I sing.

T’was grace that drew down the moon
and grace that raised the seas.
The magic in the people’s will
will set our Mother free.

We face the East and breathe the winds
that move across this earth.
From gentle breeze to hurricane
our breath will bring forth the change.

Turn towards the South and feel the fire
that burns in you and me.
The spirit’s flame will rise again
and burn eternally.

We greet the West, our souls awash
in tides of primal birth.
Our tears and blood, our pain and love
will cleanse and heal the earth.

Reach into the North and know your roots
down deep ancestral caves.
We find the wisdom of the Crone,
Of circles we are made.

Amazing earth, enduring life,
from death into rebirth.
T’is earth I am and earth I love
and earth I’ll always be.

Amazing grace, how sweet the Earth
that bore witches like we.
We once were burned, now we survive,
were hung and now we sing.

Goddess bless, so mote it be,
Our magic spirals on.
Merry meet and merry part
and merry meet again.

 

Verna Knapp, Author

Originally Published on Pagan Library

Well had you thought we had run off and left the country? No, you ain’t that lucky, lol! It has been a wild couple of days, I can say that. There were suppose to be posted on here daily so you would know the site was still alive but…..oh, well, here I go back to the old saying, “when the cat’s away, the mice will play.” Since I saw there hadn’t been any posts on the site in the last few days, I decided to take a break from building our new store and come and aggravate y’all for a bit, lucky, lucky, lucky! Your luck has never been so good has it.

As I stated the last few days have been rather wild and that is putting it mildly. I am sure I have mentioned it before but for those of you who are new here, I will mention it again. The WOTC is not only active on-line it is active off-line as well. We help out local food banks, help the Elderly with some of their expenses throughout the money(since they are on limited incomes) and we still take in a stray or wild animals on occasions. I am an animal lover, can’t help myself when we get one of those calls. A call that an animal is in distress or going to be shot if something isn’t don’t with it, I am Johnny-on-the-spot. But that is just a few of the things we do off-line.

I have my reasons for bringing up some of the things we do off-line because of a phone call I received Thursday. It was a phone call from two local elderly sisters who are witches themselves. We have helped them out off and on when they needed it. They called Friday because they needed our help. Even though our funds are gone and I mean, gone, gone. I couldn’t refuse them and I told them I would see what I could do for them. Neither one of the sisters have ever married, they only have each other, no family left. They feel like I am their family because when my mother was alive I remember us stopping by to visit them on our way to town. They were quite a bit younger than my mother but they were witches so she made a point of visiting them when she could. The live on the other side of county from where we are now. I can still remember going to their house. On both sides of the gravel road leading to their house was nothing put trees. Thick trees, in fact, it looked like a forest with a path cut through it. Then the house was a house built out of wood. Honestly it looked like the house from Hansel and Gretel, seriously. The only difference the house from the fairy tale was in much better shape. I took them some groceries recently and it still looks the same except it had a few boards that had come loose. I had Lord M with me and he fixed the boards for the sisters. You get the idea, these sisters do not have much money coming in at all and are basically just surviving day to day,

Now back to the phone call, one of the sister (Mildred) called and asked if we could talk for a minute. I told her sure anytime, she knew that. She was upset and I could tell that. I was afraid something had happened to her sister but thankfully that wasn’t the case. She was upset because she had received a $538.00 electricity bill, I told her I didn’t doubt it because our bill had been outrageous this month. She told me that they didn’t have the money to pay it. I asked her if she had talked to the light company and she said no. I told her to give me a minute and I would call them and see what I could do. I called the electric company, which by the way is a Co-Op. A Co-Op is suppose to be owned by its members and the members are suppose to have some rights and say so in how it is run. I talked to one of the ladies there and she was just down right rude. She told me that the sisters would have to pay the full amount of the bill or have their power cut off. It is in the low 20’s and they are going to cut off two elderly ladies’ power. Really? I asked to talk to a supervisor. The supervisor was a little nicer. She asked me how much could they pay that day and then call back and make payment arrangements before the next disconnect notice came due. Well I told her I could pay $50.00 on it. That was all I had and I gladly did it. The supervisor made a note on their account that payment arrangements would follow. I called the sisters back and told them what I had done. They were delighted. I told them to be sure to call back before the disconnect notice was due to make payment arrangements or else they would be out to cut them off. Well they called back to make the arrangements and I got another phone call. Mildred was upset to no end. She told me the lady told her that she had to pay $180.00 that day and then the remaining balance would be stretched out to the 28th of this month. Of course, the poor sisters did not have the money nor did I.

After I talked to Mildred, I called the power company. By this time, I was mad as an old wet hen. I had already pulled up the law in regards to utilities company disconnecting people in the Winter months. The law states that no one can be disconnected between the Winter months of November through February of each year. It also went on to state that if a person in the household was disabled, elderly or needed the electricity for live saving equipment then the power could not be cut off either. I informed the supervisor of this and she said since they were a Co-Op they could do as they pleased. The law didn’t apply to them. Which, of course, we had a hardy disagreement over that. I asked them when the next Co-Op meeting was and I would be there with bells on. I also wrote the County representative over this matter but I have not heard back from him yet. It didn’t matter what I had to say to this woman, she told me they either pay the bill or else they would be disconnected.

Now can you imagine that? Two elderly sisters, one 82 and the 84, fragile and thin, living in a 100 year old house(which has cracks everywhere you look) getting their power shut off? I could not believe the cruelty or inhumane treatment coming from this supervisor or the electric company. What it all boils down too, is that if these ladies do not come up with the money to pay their power bill, they will be disconnected probably either Monday or Tuesday. We are flat broke or else I wouldn’t have been beating my brains out trying to rebuild the store. I need your help, these sisters need your help. It would absolutely kill me to think that they got their power cut off. They wouldn’t leave their home to save them. They would stay there and try to survive. Survive they wouldn’t, they would freeze to death. I can’t let that happen. I am asking that you help me by assisting them in trying to pay their power bill, Later on, when we get back on our feet, we plan on insulating the house for them but right now we have to worry about the power being cut off. I am not asking for myself but I am asking for these dear, sweet old ladies. If you could meet them you would fall in love with them. Just listening to their stories, then learning witchcraft from them and just basically stories about the old days. They are wonderful, beautiful human beings and for the power company to do this is just wrong. I plan on going to the Co-Op meeting and I also plan on pursuing this at every level of government in this town. This treatment of the elderly is oh, so wrong and I plan on making a huge stink about it. But right now, we have no choice but to try to pay the bill.

I said I would never beg you for money. I am not begging for myself, I am begging for these two wonderful ladies. Will you please help me raise the money to keep their power from being shut-off. It is the middle of Winter, they need their heat to survive. They still have many years ahead of them and to think of them freezing to death is killing me. I am asking for your help in assisting them to keep their power on. I know it is a hard time for everyone but we can’t let our Elderly be treated like this. Hell, they will take a dog in off the streets but they won’t keep our elderly warm by just leaving their heat on. It is pathetic. These sisters desperately need your help. If they knew I was telling their story, they would be mad as heck at me. They are proud women and they don’t like asking for a hand out. I told them it wouldn’t be a hand out but a hand up. They had did so much for the Pagan community around here, I feel that it is only right that we try to help them. No matter what you can give, it all adds up and hopefully we will be able to keep their power on during these cold days ahead.

Thank you so very much,

Lady of the Abyss