Your Rune For Today
Uruz
Uruz is the Rune of harmony, order and inner strength. Often it marks endings and beginnings of periods in our lives. Uruz also symbolizes your ability to tackle new challenges by confronting them with the powers that lie within you. Opportunities probably abound for you right now.
Pamela Coleman-Smith’s artful rendition of an “innocent Fool” archetype (Rider-Waite deck) is often used to represent Tarot in general. Early classical versions of the Fool card, however, portray quite a different character — a person driven by base needs and urges, who has fallen into a state of poverty and deprivation.
In some instances, he is made out to be a carnival entertainer or a huckster. In others, he is portrayed as decrepit and vulnerable — as the cumulative result of his delusions and failures. Not until the 20th century do you see the popular Rider-Waite image of the Fool arise — that of an innocent Soul before its Fall into Matter, as yet untainted by contact with society and all its ills.
Modern decks usually borrow from the Rider-Waite imagery. Most Fool cards copy the bucolic mountainside scene, the butterfly, the potential misplaced step that will send the Fool tumbling into the unknown. Don’t forget, however, that the earlier versions of this card represented already-fallen humanity, over-identified with the material plane of existence, and beginning a pilgrimage towards self-knowledge, and eventually, wisdom. The Fool reminds us to recognize the path of personal development within ourselves — and the stage upon that path where we find ourselves — in order to energize our movement toward deeper self-realization.
Beautiful inside and out, Libra is the sign of partnership, ruled by the love planet Venus and symbolized by the Scales. Ever gracious, fair and balanced, Libra is an Air sign and among the most social and popular of the zodiac.
Libra’s popularity comes from their firm stance in the middle of the road, their ability to put people at ease, and a gift for sensing what others need before they even ask for it. In fact, Libra often sacrifices his or her own needs to please others.
Intellectual and diplomatic, Libra is a seeker of knowledge and an easygoing friend to all.
Libra is charming, graceful and fair, and their strong sense of right and wrong makes them popular with almost everyone.
Because Libra sees both sides of every situation, they have trouble making up their minds and can waffle when it comes to decision making.
We know how much you love to please others, but don’t forget to fulfill your own needs once in a while, too!
Balanced and breezy Libra is most compatible with equally independent and intellectual Air signs, including Gemini, Aquarius and fellow Libras.
Loving Libra seeks balance and harmony, which makes them least compatible with aggressive Aries, rigid Capricorn and moody Cancer.
Element: Air
Glyph: ♎
Quality: Cardinal
Colors: Pastel blues, lavender and pink
Ruling Planet: Venus
Ruling House: 7th House of Relationships
Tarot Card: Justice
Fresh waves of inspiration wash away old fears today as the Moon shifts into optimistic Sagittarius at 8:21 am EDT. We may not know why we’re feeling so good now, but it doesn’t really matter. However, we’re hesitant to kick back and enjoy ourselves because logical Mercury forms an anxious aspect with erratic Uranus. Our cavalier approach gradually turns more serious throughout the day as mental Mercury joins somber Saturn this afternoon.
Just when everything seems to be going your way, another obstacle might stop you in your tracks. Perhaps you underestimated the amount of work on your plate, or maybe you missed an important piece of information. Either way, it makes no sense to complain. You could have seen trouble coming if you were paying closer attention. Instead of wasting energy talking about your predicament, take care of what you need to do as quickly as possible. A positive attitude helps more than you might think.
You don’t want anyone to assume you’re being frivolous; you may even choose to hide your actions today rather than be misjudged. You might even feel as if you don’t have anything left to say, but chances are you just need a bit of time to decide how to express yourself clearly. Don’t worry so much about what others think. Simply tell the truth exactly as you see it and you won’t be faulted for speaking from your heart.
You can’t avoid your own serious attitude as work issues sneak back into your awareness to haunt you today. You may experience a weird combination of excitement and concern as past memories are stimulated by someone in the present. Attempts to evade a meaningful discussion won’t be all that successful now. Proactively engage in a discussion about what’s important instead of spending your time trying to sidestep the truth. Someone has to take the first step and it might as well be you.
People close to you may think you’re acting too negatively today, yet you might not see yourself in this light. Your harsh perspective stems from the fact a weak link in someone’s story is all too apparent, and you’re simply not willing to support sloppy logic. Don’t try to deny your feelings; instead, just change the tone of your words. It’s okay to be honest as long as you don’t blame anyone else in the process. Honoring your integrity is all that truly matters.
Today could be a turning point as you obsess about your shortcomings, especially if you have been facing issues about your self-esteem. Everyone has regrets; there are always things you could have done better or, perhaps, shouldn’t have done at all. However, instead of aspiring toward perfection now, it might be smarter to accept your limitations, along with the obvious fact that you are human. Shift your thinking by making a list of what you do well. The power of positive thinking will tip the scales in your favor.
Your analytical skills are even more finely tuned now that an exacting Mercury-Saturn conjunction focuses your mind like a laser beam. Nevertheless, it’s counterproductive to undermine others with your criticism; there’s nothing to be gained now by nitpicking their work. Providing constructive feedback enables you to explain what improvements could be made without resorting to negativity. Use your powers wisely to bring out the best in everyone.
You may feel as if you are stuck in a rut in spite of your current desire for excitement. You might even feel rather disillusioned today about your future prospects. Although a recent disappointment might add to your malaise, don’t make despondency a habit because crucial aspects of your life are about to change for the better. Instead of being sad about an event in the past, switch your focus now and imagine the best possible scenario that could be waiting just around the next corner.
Understanding where your life is leading these days is a real challenge, but you believe that you would be happier if you knew for sure. Your somber attitude weighs heavily on you and you feel burdened by responsibilities that may not even be your own. Unfortunately, you might not be able to imagine an easy remedy to cure your current blues. Thankfully, accepting the truth could be enough to transform your moodiness into hope. Have faith; the sun will come out tomorrow.
Your friends and associates may tell you exactly what’s wrong with your new plan today, even if you’re not seeking any feedback. Unfortunately, others aren’t necessarily tactful in their criticism of your ideas. Compounding matters, you could be overly sensitive now and might not take their comments well. But don’t dwell on the negative; you have a lot to do and there’s no time to entertain unproductive thoughts. Things will start to improve once you swing into action and are more open to the constructive input you receive.
It’s tempting to put extra time and effort into your job today or, perhaps, become more involved in a community project. Either way, your optimism might be flagging now, leaving you with sense of uncertainty about your future. Although you may wonder if your work will actually pay off, it’s not wise to retreat. Don’t abandon your plans; instead, just be more realistic about your expectations so you can actually reach your goals on schedule.
It’s nearly impossible to think about having fun when things at work are so serious these days. You may even walk away from previous plans for an upcoming vacation or a weekend getaway because you simply don’t have time. It’s smarter to focus your energy now on something more practical that contributes to your stability, rather than escaping on a getaway. Sticking close to home makes sense; don’t push out beyond safe limits until you feel as if you’re back on more stable ground. Taking care of unfinished business is your first step to regaining more control of your life.
Someone may deliver a harsh message to you today, but you really don’t have to blindly accept anyone else’s interpretation of reality. Nevertheless, you’re likely to be vulnerable to what you hear if you trust the source. Listen carefully to what others say now, but don’t take anything too personally. You can put what you learn into motion to improve your game if you assimilate the facts without an emotional charge. Remember that those close to you might truly have your best interests at heart.
As mentioned in yesterday’s calendar entry, it is wise to curtail decision-making in the early going today as a lingering void lunar cycle in Scorpio (until 5:23AM) combines with a potentially surprising-shocking 150-degree tie between Mercury and Uranus (12:12AM). It is better to rest, sleep or take a time-out than to pursue objectives without considering the consequences. In general, when a void lunar uncertainty zone occurs with one or more highly-charged and difficult celestial alignments, it is wise to refrain from taking forceful actions that are more likely to fail than succeed. The good news this morning starts arriving once the Moon enters ebullient, fiery Sagittarius (5:23AM) and then unites with Venus (6:57AM). Utilize this lunar rapport with Venus to spring forward with artistic and social ventures. Erotic, romantic vibrations are also on the upswing. However, 5+ hours after the Moon-Venus rendezvous in the heavens, a very different alignment takes center stage when Mercury unites with Saturn in Scorpio (12:40PM). There is always a serious component to any Mercury-Saturn merger and this conjunction will repeat on October 29 and November 25 due to the upcoming Mercury retrograde cycle occurring from October 21 to November 10. Mercury with Saturn — while sometimes veering toward pessimism and worry — can provide genius on the professional front and especially regarding understanding mathematics and physics. [Albert Einstein was born with an exact Mercury-Saturn union in pioneering Aries.] Look for breakthroughs in higher consciousness and the arrival of intuitive flashes of insight as the Moon trines Uranus (10:56PM). [Note to readers: All times are calculated for Pacific Daylight Time. Be sure to adjust all times according to your own local time so the alignments noted above will be exact for your location.]
8 Gort/Puanepsion
Theseia
Colors: Red
Element: Fire
Altar: Upon cloth of red place crossed swords and spears, two torches, and a labyrinth.
Offerings: Give up something you love for the sake of duty. Gymnastika should, on this day, have competitive games and running.
Daily Meal: Meat and bread and wheat/milk porridge, the food that was given to the departing children by their parents.
Theseia Invocation
Long ago, when the world was younger,
Great Athens gave forth tribute to Crete,
Under Minos, father of the Bull.
The tax was their finest children, to be given
As bull-dancers to the Minotaur,
And Theseus, son of King Aigeus,
Son also of great Poseidon Earth-Shaker,
Traveled there in the tribute-band. He slew
The Minotaur in the center of his labyrinth,
Rescued his companions, and set the city afire
Before Poseidon shattered it with an earthquake.
He took with him also Ariadne, she of the Labyrinth,
Without whom he would not have succeeded,
With whom he planned to be husband and wife.
Yet she was claimed by Dionysos, and he
Was seized by Athena, patroness of heroes,
Patroness of his city, and weeping he forsook
His Cretan love, and weeping fled to Athens.
In his sorrow he did not change the sails
From black to white, as was the code agreed-upon,
And his father, seeing the black sails, killed himself.
So bereft of love and parent, he assumed the throne.
Theseus says to us: There will be times when Duty
Must come before any kind of love, and the Gods know this,
And will guide you away, even if in tears.
Do not be so ashamed to weep, O hero,
Even if no mourning stays your hand.
(All walk the labyrinth in the garden – every House should have one – chanting “Eleleu! Iou! Iou!” the cry of the sacrificing parents.)
Aequinoctium Autumnale
Colors: Brown and Orange
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon cloth of brown and orange, patterned with autumn leaves, place a basket of fallen leaves, barrels of straw, shovels, spades, a bowl of rainwater, and seeds for cover crops.
Offerings: Turn under and mulch the used land.
Daily Meal: Vegetarian.
Aequinoctium Autumnale Invocation
Earth, we have eaten of your bounty!
You have fed us, and we are content.
We have worked you hard, and you have responded
With generosity and fruitfulness.
Now, as the year draws on, and the Sun
Shortens its days and counts the moons
Until its chilly death and incandescent rebirth,
We gift you as you have gifted us,
We care for you as you have cared for us,
We give back that we may continue to take,
Year after year, cycle after cycle.
Do not think, O Mother, that we are merely selfish,
And would only rape you of your bounty.
Our hands shall toil that you may have,
If only in this one small place,
Richness to take back for yourself.
For we know the hard secrets of the cycle,
And we will someday give ourselves
Back to your quiet embrace.
Chant:
Leaves falling
To our hands
Autumn calling
Cover all the land
(All take up the buckets of leaves and straw, and the spades, and go out to the garden. Some will turn over the soil, and others shall follow with cover crop seeds and rainwater, or with mulch to cover the ground. This shall be done throughout the Aequinoctium Autumnale days until all the ground from this year’s crops are covered.)
During this Moon phase, there is a slight slowing down of enthusiasm due to an emerging desire to produce tangible results from the energy being expended. The issue of values enters into the equation and an urge to tie together the data available so that you can utilize current opportunities. There is still plenty of forward motion, and this is a great time to continue initiating and progressing forward. This Moon phase favors gaining more information and the input of others to further your plans.
To increase power and use it wisely
Optional extras:
Orange candle
High John the Conqueror oil
Notes: The best time to do this spell is at midnight on a full moon, but if you don’t want to stay up that late, you can work it at any point on the full moon night or on a Sabbat.
Since you are asking to draw in power, be sure you are firmly grounded and centered before casting this spell and that the space you are working in is protected. Unlike some of the spells in this book where it makes little difference whether or not you start by casting a formal circle, in this case I would recommend you do so. This is not a spell to be cast lightly.
Cast your circle, ask for help from the four quarters, invoke the triple goddess of your choice (I like either Hecate or Brigid, but any triple goddess [maiden/mother/ crone] will work), then anoint the candle if using the High John oil. Be sure you are centered before reciting the spell.
As my craft I work to hone At this deep and sacred hour I call on Maiden, Mother, Crone To send me wisdom, strength and power Lend me power for my spells Power for work and power for play Send wisdom so I’ll use it well Growing in power every day.
I have asked several individuals ask me how to make “Holy Water.” I hope this answers your questions and you find it useful.
Holy Water is not a new tool to Witchcraft or Paganism, and has proven so useful in the past, that the Roman Catholic Church adapted the practice from its Pagan conquests during the early formation of Christianity. The uses for Holy water are many, and it remains to this day a valuable tool in almost every religion. Wiccans may call it Blessed Water, and Voudons may refer to it as “Devil Water”, and Catholics may purchase it as “Florida Water”, or “Blessed Mother Mary Water” it is one in the same, ultimately, being water which has been blessed by a higher power to aid in one’s religious workings.
Although the concept behind Holy Water is the same, it’s varied uses are many. It remains to be used in modern religions to protect, banish, heal, curse, enlighten, cleanse, purify, and the list goes on. One may be inclined to think that such a powerful potion would be hard to come by; however, it is a most simple concoction involving only a little bit of water and a lot of spiritualism.
Producing Holy Water is an act needed to be done when your spiritual attunement, and/ or awareness is high, and you are comfortable and confident about performing magic. As a Pagan, I prefer performing this act within my circle. When setting up your tools for this act, your necessary components will be natural flowing fresh or salt water, either from a creek, river, lake, sea, ocean, or collected rain water (tap water is not recommended). If sea or ocean water is unavailable, you will want to add 1 teaspoon of salt to every 8 oz. of fresh water you will be blessing. Once you have the salt water ready, place it in front of you. Incense is actually optional in this case, but I would strongly encourage anyone to try and burn Frankincense during the blessing, if at all possible.
Frankincense has been used since the times when the God Set ruled the underworld of Ancient Egypt, and remains to be used today in many various religions, and continues to be a potent ingredient in all forms Magic. Candles are also optional in the case of Blessing water, but do help set a spiritual mood for any blessing, ceremony, spell, or incantation. If you are pagan, you will want to lay four white candles around the circle, signifying the cardinal points of direction, and place two white candle upon your altar.
Kneel or sit in front of the bowl of salt water, and close your eyes. Concentrate on connecting with the God and Goddess. Ask silently or aloud, for Their assistance in producing this potion of great power. Explain for what it will be served for, and how you will use its power. Proclaim your need for assistance in creating the essence of Their power to serve your religious acts.
Hold your hands over the bowl, and look above, toward the sky, and accept the power of the God & Goddess, and move it through your body, and into the bowl of water. Continue with this procedure for a few minutes or until you feel the act has been completed, and the God & Goddess have assisted you in your workings.
Once you have completed the above, you may exit your area of worship, or casting, and prepare the water to be used in your various magical workings. The water should be stored in an airtight container if possible, but can be stored in any bottle for short periods of time. You will not want to keep the water for more than two weeks at a time due to bacteria. My personal favorite storage container for my Blessed Water is a spray bottle, originally purchased for plant misting. Spray bottles are perfect when you are performing acts which require you to expose a large area to Holy Water. They come in most handy for spirit banishing, house purifications & spiritual cleansings of large areas.
Chung Yeung Day, the Festival of High Places is China’s annual good luck festival commemorating the ancient Chinese scholar, Haun Ching. Legend has it that on the advice of a fortune-teller, Haun fled with his family and friends to the high hills, thus avoiding the plague of death that killed everyone in the village below. During this mid-Autumn celebration, the people take to the hills and fly special kites that are considered to be good omens that drive the evil spirits away.
Magickal Intentions: Courage, Physical Strength, Revenge, Military Honors, Surgery and the Breaking of Negative Spells, Matrimony, War, Enemies, Prison, Vitality and Assertiveness
Incense: Dragon’s Blood, Patchouli
Planet: Mars
Sign: Aries and Scorpio
Angel: Samuel
Colors: Red and Orange
Herbs/Plants: Red Rose, Cock’s Comb, Pine, Daisy, Thyme and Pepper
Stones: Carnelian, Bloodstone, Ruby, Garnet and Pink Tourmaline
Oil: (Mars) Basil, Coriander, Ginger
Mars rules Tuesday. The energies of this day best harmonize with efforts of masculine vibration, such as conflict, physical endurance and strength, lust, hunting, sports, and all types of competition. Use them, too, for rituals involving surgical procedures or political ventures
Tuesday (Mars): Passion, sex, courage, aggression and protection.
Waxing Moon
The Waxing Moon is the ideal time for magick to draw things toward you.
Moon Sign: First Quarter
Moon Sign: Scorpio
Scorpio: Increases awareness of psychic power. Precipitates psychic crises and ends connections thoroughly. People tend to brood and become secretive.
Moon enters Sagittarius 8:21 am
Sagittarius: Encourages flights of imagination and confidence. This is an adventurous, philosophical, and athletic Moon sign. Favors expansion and growth.
Incense: Geranium
Color: Red
Great Goddess, Great God
I greet you at the start of a new day
And thank you for the potential that this day holds
Please send me the best day possible
Help me to feel my best
So I might do my best for myself and for others
Smile upon me as I walk my Path
And guide me so I might walk with wisdom and grace
And shine your light upon the world
As the Sun rises
Fill me with energy and joy
Bless me with Your Presence
And watch ove me and those that I love
So Mote It Be
‘THINK on THESE THINGS’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler
At these times when we have planned for something and have our hearts set on our affairs going in a certain direction but they fail to materialize, we are disappointed. If we have any faith at all, we must remember that one door never closes but another opens. That which once seemed the right thing to plan for may not hold all the things that would be for our good in the long run. It may have been right in the beginning, but as times passes and other events come into being, a change may be necessary for the benefit of the over-all picture.
Sometimes we affix our attention so rigidly on one thing, one part of life, one person, that a change throws us into a state of extreme disappointment. But disappointment, like all of the emotions, can serve to strengthen rather than take away. The attitude with which we face life can determine its outcome.
We can look with woeful eyes on the negative mental attitude and wallow in self-pity, or we can flip the mind to the upper side and let the positive mental attitude bring to us the strength and peace we need.
Disappointment is something no one has escaped. The many plans we make sometimes fade like mist in the sunlight. A cherished dream may take another shape and to lose that vision can throw a dim view on all of life. Because one tiny part could not be fulfilled, we are so tempted to let all of the rest go with it.
But if only we could wait a bit. So often we then come to realize the reason for our change in plans.
Sometimes disappointment is the very thing that keeps us mounting the steps upward, keeps us stretching our minds to understand. And it may test our spirits. For if disappointment can make a spirit better, the joy of accomplishment would have soon soured.
There is no joy in disappointment, but it may be the thing to save us from a life of mediocrity.
English novelist Edward George Bulwer-Lytton wrote, “Man must be disappointed with the lesser things in life before he can comprehend the full value of the greater.”
Elder’s Meditation of the Day – October 7
“We have a biological father and mother, but our real Father is Tunkashila [Creator] and our real Mother is the Earth.”
–Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA
Who really gives us our life? Who really gives us our food and nurturing? Who really allows us to be born? We are born through our parents who act as the vehicle of life for the Creator and Mother Earth. Our parents take care of us for a little while and when we are ready we must leave them and be faithful to our true Father, the Creator, and our true Mother, the Earth. Then we need to be of service to the Creator and be respectful to Mother Earth.
Great Spirit, thank you for being my Father. Teach me to honor the Earth.
October 7 – Daily Feast
We get to know ourselves when we are alone. What may have brought us to this place may not be as important as what to do now that we are here. When we are with other people we listen to them, but in solitude we follow our own way. Great strength comes from the quiet and it prepares us for times when the sands run very fast. Solitude is never withdrawal but being with ourselves, learning what affects us, and what of it can be given to others. We learn how to be a good friend when our attention is not divided – a good friend to ourselves and a good friend to another who needs it.
~ It is hard to fight people that live like groundhogs. ~
TECUMSEH – SHAWNEE
‘A Cherokee Feast of Days, Volume II’ by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*<<<=-=>>>*
Love this day and it will be good to you. Treasure this opportunity to experience life, and the experience will be beautiful.
The progress you seek does not always come in the ways you thought it would. Yet when you seek, and persist, and expect it, that progress does always come.
Don’t let yourself become too troubled by the troubles. Remind yourself to take it all in stride, and you will find great value and richness along the way.
Go forward with clear and positive intentions, seeking to make a beneficial difference for all. In whatever may happen, you will discover new ways to further your authentic purpose.
In its every aspect, life is predominately the way you consider it to be. Consider it to be unique, precious, miraculous, filled with opportunity and abundance, and give each moment of your reality a positive flavor.
Make the decision to love this day, this place, this moment, this special experience of life with the people around you. And there will be so very much to love.
— Ralph Marston
Nine Ways to Help Others Awaken to Consciousness
1. Living by your values allows you to become a positive source of inspiration for others. Don’t hide – express yourself and embrace life without reservation. By simply being yourself, you can help the people in your life see how one person can make a difference by being a living example of consciousness.
2. When you communicate your views, do so casually and in a nondogmatic manner. Allow the people you speak with to ask questions. Offer only as much information as they are ready to hear.
3. Igniting the spark of consciousness can be as easy as giving someone a gift. A favorite book, a medicine bag, or a beautiful gemstone can pique your loved ones’ curiosity and prompt them to begin an exploration of the soul.
4. Teaching a friend, relative, or colleague to meditate or chant can put them on the path to consciousness while simultaneously reducing their stress levels.
5. Others may want to know more about living consciously but are unsure of how to begin. Starting a discussion group – even a virtual one – can help you reach out to individuals that are eager to learn.
6. By recognizing and acknowledging the inherent value in everyone you encounter, you can teach them how to value others. Sometimes, the easiest way to encourage people – even challenging ones – to respect others is to respect them first.
7. Invite people from your personal and professional lives to join you in attending a ceremony or ritual. The experience may touch them in a profound way or introduce them to a new spiritual path.
8. Casually point out the interconnectedness of all living beings using concrete, everyday examples. Many people are unaware of how their actions affect the world and are intrigued when they learn of the power they hold.
9. Introduce your loved ones to conscious living in a lighthearted and enjoyable way. Serve delicious organic recipes at gatherings, volunteer as a group, and show them how wonderful it can feel to be truly aware and connected to the universe.
Walking The Path As A Public Witch
Author: Medea
I am a ‘public Witch’. The phrase means different things to different people but generally it means I am one who has come ‘out of the broom closet’. That has come to mean different things to me as the years have gone by.
I never was really in the ‘broom closet’. From the time I was introduced to The Craft by way of The Tarot at age eighteen, I was very open about it. Sometimes the openness was just for ‘shock value’. Sometimes it was just to be ‘different’. More often than not my openness was just a part of my personality. Like a puppy, I gleefully and playfully was just ‘me’ all over the place.
Now, at the age of forty-seven (can I really be that old?) and High Priestess in my tradition, I am still open about it, yet in very different ways. I rarely go for ‘shock value’ anymore (there are, however, those occasions when I cannot seem to help myself) . I have been a professional Nurse for twenty plus years and have learned in some instances the less said, the better. This learned, of course, the hard way. In many, many areas of my life I am much more tolerant and not so quick to take offense. I cannot attribute this to age or wisdom, as in many ways I am very immature and like it that way. It is a by-product of the path in which I have chosen to walk. One of the many, many gifts I receive.
I no longer feel the need to flash a Pentacle ring or necklace every chance I get. Most jewelry associated with the Craft and my religion are worn in private or under my clothes, close to my heart, as they should be. Yet, if I choose to wear such things in public (or forget to take them off) I make no effort to hide them, give no explanations, and make no apologies. My car is no longer adorned with bumper stickers proclaiming me ‘Witch’ or ‘Happy Heathen’. I didn’t take them off, but simply quit feeling the need to replace them each time I had to replace a vehicle. Yet I would not refrain from putting one on my bumper if it caught my fancy.
These days when I find it necessary or appropriate to speak of the Divine in general company I am as apt to say ‘God’ as ‘Goddess’ or ‘The Gods’. I have seen that getting caught up in nomenclature or schematics lessons somehow the sacredness of what one speaks of. If I am asked what Church I go to (a common question here in the South) I tell them. I don’t use flowery or holier- than -thou phrases such as ‘Nature is my Church’.
I say I am Pagan, if need be I say I am ‘Witch’, but more than that, I say I am a person of faith. And in some eyes I see the flash of recognition and in others I see distrust and incomprehension. These things no longer bother me. I am not meant to crusade. Neither am I, or my life, meant to be perfect. I can lapse in my old ways from time to time without being ‘lost’. I can make mistakes.
These days my Pentacle hangs on the lamppost in my yard. It hangs there for protection of my home and property as well as a nod to The Craft. It matters not who sees it and who does not. My home is Pagan and I call it a Temple House. It is where our rituals are mostly held. Where our classes are held. Where I sit and work on my computer on things that are important to the Temple. It is filled with altars which range from very simple to elaborate. Like all things, they change as they should, and I understand one does not need the trappings of religion to walk one’s faith. The house is lived in. It is welcoming to The Gods and Spirits I call, to my blood family and my Temple family and to visitors who come and go. It is meant to be welcoming to visitors of all faith and I believe for the most part it is. It is a work in progress, like the Temple itself. Like all things which grow and change. Like me.
I returned to the place I was born and raised after a twenty-year hiatus. It is a rural area in the Wilds of Tennessee, deep in the Bible Belt. It is a wonderful and beautiful place and the people are wonderful and beautiful too. Yet suspicions and prejudices linger along side traditions that smack of the Old Religion. I am known as a Witch and there is no mistake I am ‘the Real Thing’. At first I was humored, seen as a local girl who went ‘Out West’ and got some very strange ideas. There is often surprise when it is learned I was first introduced to the Craft in good ol’ Nashville, Tennessee. But here in the Wilds, Nashville, too, is a long way and there are many strange ideas to be found there. Maybe not as strange as ‘Out West’, but still strange.
When the realization came that this is not a passing fad for me, and that not only did I practice what I believed but ‘preached’ what I practiced the attitudes began to change. Family members and childhood friends, some I loved dearly and had missed for a long time, began to avoid me. Their attempts to ‘save my soul’ fell on deaf ears, and I took offense to being prayed for in Churches that I would ‘find my way and be saved’. They could not convert me, could not understand when I asked ‘saved from what?’ or said ‘I’m already saved’. And so I became a lost cause and to some a threat. There is no brand of persecution as scorching as that of those we know and love. My invitations to my home were unanswered by some. It became clear there were homes in which I was no longer welcome.
The Goddess does not demand sacrifice though at times it may seem so. I eventually came to understand that in order to have the things I found important in my life there were some things that by nature had to go. There is always grief, but as all things it passes and is, if not understood, accepted.
There were those who came and went. And there are those who stayed. Rituals of one became rituals of two and then three and then as many as fifteen at any given time. Others want card readings or advice or a little magick to ‘help out a situation’. Sometimes they are open about it and do not care who knows or what is thought of their association with me. Sometimes they come on the sly. I have learned to recognize those who come for a reason, such as the Goddess may have, and those who want what I can give and firmly believe me to be going to a Christian hell. There are those who do not care what becomes of me, but care about what it is I can do. Sometimes I still grow angry, usually out of hurt from the fall of one who I may have at some point respected. Mostly I do what I feel to be right and it has become very easy.
Inevitably the question will come from somewhere: ‘How did you get into that?’ that, of course, being Paganism or Witchcraft and sometimes thinly veiled ‘in league with The Devil’. I no longer feel the need to explain how Christianity never ‘felt right’ for me, implying of course I was somehow superior to that particular belief. These days I usually shrug and say ‘Like anyone of faith, I was called to it.’ This leaves little to argue about.
In my tradition today we celebrate Lenaia at the time of Imbolc, yet like so many things, the lines are blurred and the messages are the same. This Imbolc season I find myself taking stock and reflecting on many things about my life and the Path I walk. They, this life and this path, have somewhere along the line become one and the same. Perhaps it is the knowledge of having achieved this very thing, without setting out to do so or even hoping that I could, which is causing me to reflect. Perhaps it is my age, and the realization that, though I am not so old, I have most certainly lived longer in this life than I am going to live. It could be the weathering of so many changes over the last several years, some devastating enough to make me question my faith. Having come to terms with myself I have accepted many things I thought I could not. I can do this; accept these things, because at some point I began to trust that my Gods know what they are doing.
In January of 2001, I performed a solitary ritual outside in the yard at the old house my brother and I shared, divorced siblings clinging together in the changes of life. This was many years after I had picked up my first Tarot deck and felt the power of Otherworlds and the promise of mysteries revealed in them. It was cold and the Full Winter Moon rose high in a dark and starless sky. The moon was the color of ecru and its light brightened and dimmed with my incantation and my song. I had felt and witnessed the Power of the presence of the Divine before. I had seen first hand the workings of magick. Yet this was different. It was as if I were tapped on the shoulder. I had the feeling that Someone had finally gotten my attention. She had been waiting patiently for me to notice She wanted my attention. The voice I heard on the Wind, though the night was Windless, was real even though I could not make out the words. It was as if there was one voice, no, a thousand voices, and though the words were unintelligible I knew they said ‘Follow Me’.
I did not call the God and Goddess by name then, a last holdout of my Pentecost upbringing. They were to me The Lord and Lady. Yet I knew there were names, many names, and I would come to know Them. Although I became a Priestess of Hekate, it was Diana, the Huntress Mother, who called to me that night. I now know Her feel and Her smell and I recognize Her voice. When I hear Her name mentioned I see in my mind’s eye the silver disk floating in the Winter Sky. I often thank Her for calling me.
It wasn’t long after that I held my first private Imbolc ritual, as I have ever since, as I will continue to do. The day was sunny, bright, and cold. The kind of day that often depressed me. With stick incense in hand (patchouli because that is all I had) and the instructions from Scott Cunningham’s ‘Wicca’ in my head I picked my way through the thickets behind our rental house. I found a clearing and sat down, my nose running and the frozen ground pressing against my too thin pants for the weather. I meditated in silence, one thing I was only beginning to get good at. I sat there a long while, sometimes registering the sound of small animals in the thickets. Somehow understanding the sounds of the animals were gifts. I then told the Gods the things I have told them many times since:
I am Your daughter and Your lover. I give myself to You in this life and in any others to come. Set my feet upon the path You wish for me. Teach me the things I need to know. Give me the strength to learn them. I honor You and I love You. So Mote it be.
I meant those words the day I said them. And many times after, even as I wondered how hard this life has to get. I mean them now. The Gods listened and they knew I meant them and they have granted me the very things I asked for.
I love this life. It is at times messy and ugly, often chaotic, and on occasion extremely painful. It is equally interesting, comforting, and fun. And so there is balance. And so I am very, very blessed.
I love being Pagan. It is a wonderful thing to know what one’s path is and to be allowed to walk it. The Buddhist say ‘do the dishes for the sake of doing the dishes’. The clean dishes are only a result of doing the dishes correctly and wholeheartedly. Clean dishes are not the goal, doing the task well is the goal, everything else is, well, gravy. They say the same about the journey we call life. The journey is the point, the destination only the result of taking the journey well and wholeheartedly. Take the journey for the sake of taking the journey, walk the path for the sake of walking the path. Every now and then cast your eyes to the top of the mountain for a moment, but only a moment, focus on your goal, reassess your progress, make the proper adjustments, and get back to the task at hand.
In giving true love for the sake of giving true love, I have been given the truest of love. In giving friendship for the sake of giving friendship, I have received friendship. In being faithful for the sake of being faithful, I am given faithfulness. In giving mercy and kindness and justice for the sake of giving mercy and kindness and justice, I have received mercy and kindness and justice far beyond that I ever expected. In teaching the things I know for the sake of teaching the things I know I have been taught. And such fine teachers I have.
I walk the Pagan Path and the Path of the Priestess (and yes, Witch) for many reasons but mainly because it is my journey, what is put before me to do. It is an awesome task, an honor, and a door to many fleeting moments of happiness, which add up to a joyful life when all is said and done. Sometimes this path of mine is walked on nothing but faith because all else seems to elude me. Yet that which eludes me becomes mine if it is meant to be, and though I question and rail against the way, I am committed.
Along the way I catch the most peaceful sunrises, beautiful sunsets, healing breezes, and mighty storms. I am taught humility; I am reprimanded, led gently back when astray, and kicked hard when I need it. I am loved unconditionally and I know this without a doubt. I neither fear Death nor look for it, waiting for the rewards that I think might be my due. My rewards are many, and they are now. I may at times dread the act of dying and wonder if I will be granted a merciful death or if suffering at the end of this life is part of my lesson and task. Yet I trust that I will have what is needed for me and what is in the end the best. And I will not make that journey alone.
Those who have gone before will welcome me. The Gods will guide me and the Lady Hekate will walk with me as She always has. Cunningham pointed out that there is a difference in believing in something and knowing something. Many of the things I thought I believed I have come to know. To know a thing to be true is to accept it without having to understand it. There are many things I do understand and many things I will someday understand. But knowing, that is something that is not given lightly. It cannot be earned or bought; it can only come from walking the journey and walking it with an open heart and a willing soul.
I am one of many who aid this Phoenix we call Paganism to rise. My voice is among the silent ones who roar their presence into this world in this time. Our books and our Temples were burned and like so many things, though the way could have been easier, it had to be. Our Temples stand in our hearts and in our souls, in our country homes, and our suburban yards, in our small apartments in sprawling cities. This wonderful thing we call the Internet weaves us together across many, many miles. We have new books with words from Powerful hearts. We have remnants from the past which survive and which are important yet unimportant and therefore kept in perspective. We have the new and the old in which to learn and to build from. Balance. As it should be.
I am parched with thirst, and perishing,
But drink of me, the ever-flowing spring on the right (where) there is a fair cypress.
Who are you? Where are you from?
I am a child of Earth and starry Heaven, but my race is of Heaven (alone)
— Orphic Lamella from Thessaly
You must be logged in to post a comment.