Tag: Christ

The Legend of John Barleycorn

The Legend of John Barleycorn

By Patti Wigington

John Barleycorn is a character who symbolizes not only the harvest, but the products made from it as well.

In English folklore, John Barleycorn is a character who represents the crop of barley harvested each autumn. Equally as important, he symbolizes the wonderful drinks which can be made from barley — beer and whiskey — and their effects. In the traditional folksong, John Barleycorn, the character of John Barleycorn endures all kinds of indignities, most of which correspond to the cyclic nature of planting, growing, harvesting, and then death.

Although written versions of the song date back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, there is evidence that it was sung for years before that. There are a number of different versions, but the most well-known one is the Robert Burns version, in which John Barleycorn is portrayed as an almost Christ-like figure, suffering greatly before finally dying so that others may live.

In The Golden Bough, Sir James Frazer cites John Barleycorn as proof that there was once a Pagan cult in England that worshipped a god of vegetation, who was sacrificed in order to bring fertility to the fields. This ties into the related story of the Wicker Man, who is burned in effigy. Ultimately, the character of John Barleycorn is a metaphor for the spirit of grain, grown healthy and hale during the summer, chopped down and slaughtered in his prime, and then processed into beer and whiskey so he can live once more.

The lyrics to the Robert Burns version of the song are as follows:

There was three kings into the east,
three kings both great and high,
and they hae sworn a solemn oath
John Barleycorn must die.

They took a plough and plough’d him down,
put clods upon his head,
and they hae sworn a solemn oath
John Barleycorn was dead.

But the cheerful Spring came kindly on’
and show’rs began to fall.
John Barleycorn got up again,
and sore surprised them all.

The sultry suns of Summer came,
and he grew thick and strong;
his head well arm’d wi’ pointed spears,
that no one should him wrong.

The sober Autumn enter’d mild,
when he grew wan and pale;
his bendin’ joints and drooping head
show’d he began to fail.

His colour sicken’d more and more,
and he faded into age;
and then his enemies began
to show their deadly rage.

They took a weapon, long and sharp,
and cut him by the knee;
they ty’d him fast upon a cart,
like a rogue for forgerie.

They laid him down upon his back,
and cudgell’d him full sore.
they hung him up before the storm,
and turn’d him o’er and o’er.

They filled up a darksome pit
with water to the brim,
they heav’d in John Barleycorn.
There, let him sink or swim!

They laid him upon the floor,
to work him farther woe;
and still, as signs of life appear’d,
they toss’d him to and fro.

They wasted o’er a scorching flame
the marrow of his bones;
but a miller us’d him worst of all,
for he crush’d him between two stones.

And they hae taen his very hero blood
and drank it round and round;
and still the more and more they drank,
their joy did more abound.

John Barleycorn was a hero bold,
of noble enterprise;
for if you do but taste his blood,
’twill make your courage rise.

‘Twill make a man forget his woe;
’twill heighten all his joy;
’twill make the widow’s heart to sing,
tho the tear were in her eye.

Then let us toast John Barleycorn,
each man a glass in hand;
and may his great posterity
ne’er fail in old Scotland!

Cloud Scrying

Cloud Scrying

Most of us watch clouds form images at one time or another. It is as if we are guided to look up and watch the patterns unfold at a given time. Fluffy cumulous clouds bring messages, which sometimes seem to tell an unfolding story. While flying on an airplane, it is fun to watch the clouds from above as if celestial art. You may receive telepathic messages while watching cloud images, coming from a spirit guide.

Throughout history symbols of political or religious importance have been seen in the clouds. In A.D. 312 when Emperor Constantine was marching against the army of Maxentius at Rome, both he and his entire army saw a shining cross of light amid the clouds. It was said the cross contained the Greek words “By This Conquer”. Later that night Christ appeared to Constantine in his dreams bearing a cross in his hand ordering Constantine to have a military standard made in the same image. Under this standard his outnumbered army was victorious. Down through history entire military battles have been witnessed in the clouds.

Calendar of the Sun for June 20

Carista – Day of Peace in the Family

Color: Lavender
Element: Water
Altar: Upon a lavender cloth set a tray of cakes shaped like clasping hands, and many cups full of hot tea.
Offerings: Promise to attempt to be more considerate of those you live with.
Daily Meal: Any food, but it must be served from one great plate for every table, and it should not be in separate portions.

Carista Invocation

May there be Peace in this house.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Peace can be a hard mistress.
The daily round of the ordinary,
The simple turn of day and night and day
The presence of the same souls
Can come to be like a shadow on the sun,
And yet Peace still demands
That we find a way to move past
That ordinariness
And all the thousand thorns and briars
And bring Peace into the house.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Take the hand of your sister, your brother,
The one who shares your roof, your table,
The ground you walk on,
Whose feet know the boards as well as your own,
And swear to find a way
To bring peace into the space between you.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)

Chant:
My brother, my heart, my sister, my soul;
My family, my life, come in from the cold;
My sister, my heart, my brother, my soul;
My family, my life, that makes this life whole.

(Instead of a ritual, this period of time should be used to mediate and address problems between members of the community, with emphasis on peacemaking and compromise and useful solutions. At the end of the meeting, all share cakes and tea.)

 

[Pagan Book of Hours]

June 12 – Daily Feast

There is an undercurrent that feeds us false impressions like a gentle trap that tells us we are doing right – because it feels right. Feelings are so easily manipulated they can’t be trusted as a measure in anything. We stay with bad habits because it feels right. The habit comforts our feelings and the familiar touch makes us believe we can’t give it up. But it is the path that winds back through the same experiences – almost like being lost in a jungle. We think we are on the right road out, until we find our own footprints going around and around. Whether it is a habit or a person, or a situation we are trying to escape, we have to know our feelings are not to be trusted. They keep us knocking on a door that seems like home but is simply the same stopping-off, na hna I, familiar place. Beware of feelings that deceive.

It has been said that there is no deceit in touching the pen to sign a treaty, but I have always found it full of deceit. ~

STANDING ELK

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Calendar of the Sun for May 23rd

Carista – Day of Peace in the Family

Color: Lavender
Element: Water
Altar: Upon a lavender cloth set a tray of cakes shaped like clasping hands, and many cups full of hot tea.
Offerings: Promise to attempt to be more considerate of those you live with.
Daily Meal: Any food, but it must be served from one great plate for every table, and it should not be in separate portions.

Carista Invocation

May there be Peace in this house.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Peace can be a hard mistress.
The daily round of the ordinary,
The simple turn of day and night and day
The presence of the same souls
Can come to be like a shadow on the sun,
And yet Peace still demands
That we find a way to move past
That ordinariness
And all the thousand thorns and briars
And bring Peace into the house.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Take the hand of your sister, your brother,
The one who shares your roof, your table,
The ground you walk on,
Whose feet know the boards as well as your own,
And swear to find a way
To bring peace into the space between you.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)

Chant:
My brother, my heart, my sister, my soul;
My family, my life, come in from the cold;
My sister, my heart, my brother, my soul;
My family, my life, that makes this life whole.

(Instead of a ritual, this period of time should be used to mediate and address problems between members of the community, with emphasis on peacemaking and compromise and useful solutions. At the end of the meeting, all share cakes and tea.)

[Pagan Book of Hours]

Daily OM for May 10 – Finding Peace Within

Finding Peace Within
A Full Embrace Excluding Nothing

by Madisyn Taylor

 

If we are to have true peace in the world, we must first find it within ourselves.

Most people agree that a more peaceful world would be an ideal situation for all living creatures. However, we often seem stumped as to how to bring this ideal situation into being. If we are to have true peace in this world, each one of us must find it in ourselves first. If we don’t like ourselves, for example, we probably won’t like those around us. If we are in a constant state of inner conflict, then we will probably manifest conflict in the world. If we have fighting within our families, there can be no peace in the world. We must shine the light of inquiry on our internal struggles, because this is the only place we can really create change.

When we initiate the process of looking inside ourselves for the meaning of peace, we will begin to understand why it has always been so difficult to come by. This in itself will enable us to be compassionate toward the many people in the world who find themselves caught up in conflicts both personal and universal. We may have an experience of peace that we can call up in ourselves to remind us of what we want to create, but if we are human we will also feel the pull in the opposite direction—the desire to defend ourselves, to keep what we feel belongs to us, to protect our loved ones and our cherished ideals, and the anger we feel when threatened. This awareness is important because we cannot truly know peace until we understand the many tendencies and passions that threaten our ability to find it. Peace necessarily includes, even as it transcends, all of our primal energy, much of which has been expressed in ways that contradict peace.

Being at peace with ourselves is not about denying or rejecting any part of ourselves. On the contrary, in order to be at peace we must be willing and able to hold ourselves, in all our complexity, in a full embrace that excludes nothing. This is perhaps the most difficult part for many of us, because we want so much to disown the negative aspects of our humanity. Ironically, though, true peace begins with a willingness to take responsibility for our humanity so that we might ultimately transform it in the light of our love.

Christian Witchcraft: What it means to me.

Christian Witchcraft: What it means to me.

Author: Pall Tryggr Ageirr

Keep in mind that I am still a seeker, but I believe that I have found a path that speaks to me. Combining my belief in Jesus Christ, and the comforting Holy Spirit (though I see the Holy Spirit in a feminine aspect and as such refer to her as the Mother Holy Spirit, or lady Holy Spirit) , With Pagan ideologies and practices. More specifically I am interested in general Paganism, The Greek Pantheon, The Nordic and Celtic traditions, Wiccan theology, beliefs, and practices, Native American Spirituality/Shamanism, and the art and practice of magick. I am also interested in the Jewish Qabbala and Gnosticism (an unorthodox sect of Christianity that was systematically stamped out by early fundamentalist.)

In essence I am an eclectic since I combine belief systems. I prefer the to label myself as a seeking eclectic Christian Witch, since we as humans have this condition to want to label everything. I grew up in a heavily Christian background, but I questioned a lot of it, and I always felt like other religions and spiritualities have certain truths to them. I am a subscriber to the tree theory which is as follows: The roots of the tree is the unknowable divine energy you cannot see it but you know that it is there. Then there is the tree trunk which manifests to some people as a God or a Goddess or sometimes both…it manifests to me in the form of a God and Goddess. They are two separate entities but they come from the same source – some people will tend to stop there. But if you go on up the tree to the branches that is each individual pantheon (Greek, Roman, Nordic, Celtic, Egyptian, ect.) * I believe other religions can fit on there as well – examples: Christianity, the Jewish faith, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, ect.* and then if you go even farther to each little twig that is each individual god (s) and goddess (s) . They are all separate yet they flow into the one divine energy.

I whole heartedly believe that mainstream Christianity today is not was Jesus Christ envisioned 2,000 + years ago. I do try to read the Bible as often as possible, and I do believe that it contains good examples to try to live by, but I also believe that it has been “translated” way too many times to suit man’s political agendas of the times. I believe the early Christians after Christ died on the cross, became corrupt and tried to pervert teachings to suit their needs.

Thoughout the gospels Jesus teaches about friendship, tolerance, love and kindness. Things that I rarely see exhibited by Mainstream Christians today.

I do believe Jesus Christ was a profound teacher and a messiah, but I am also a Goddess worshipper. I worship the Mother right along with the Father. I believe in Magick, and I believe it is another valid way to attune with and interact with the divine. As well Magick is another valid form to help affect changes in my life for the better, I believe it is a gift from the divine and as such it should be utilized. I am also a nature worshipper, because divinity created nature and us, therefore nature as well as us humans contain little sparks of divinity. I am mystical, and my spiritual cup runneth over, in ways it never did wheh I was a practing Baptist Christian. I believe that if Jesus Christ was alive today then he would be the witchiest Christian Witch of them all.

When I started this path I thought Christian Witchcraft was in the minority, but as I continue with my studies and down my spiritual path of choice I find more like minded people like me everyday.

We may never be totally accepted in Pagan circles, because Pagans have been persecuted thoughout the centuries by the right-wing Fundamentalist Christians, so the mere mention of Christian influenced spirituality may send some people the wrong message. And on the reverse side, to the right-wing fundamentalist Christians we are seen as heretics, who are misusing the gospels, and who are perverted and in league with the devil because of our magickal and mystical sides. But we are here, and we follow what our hearts, minds, and spirits tell us to do, we do not care about religious dogma, instead we do what we feel is right in our hearts, we worship the God and Goddess and all of their creations and try to use all the things they have given to us. We also rely on the comforting Mother Holy Spirit in times of great sadness, and we try to strive to live by the teachings of our Savior Jesus Christ, and show everyone, Pagan or Christian, or agnostic, or atheist, or Islamic, or Buddhist – just how Christ like we are.

We are loving, and kind, and gracious, and forgiving, atleast we try to be, we are still human we are still flawed we make mistakes, but We listen to our hearts and try to do what we believe is morally right – and we never tell anyone that they are wrong for any spiritual or religious belief they may have, instead we celebrate the diversity.

This is what being a Christian Witch means to me, and I love every second of being one, I honestly have never felt more spiritually fulfilled.

I am still a seeker, yes. But arn’t we all? we should never stop learning.Each day I find something new about myself, my spirituality, and my craft.

Alot of people may not agree with what I have to say, or may not agree with my chosen blend of paths and spiritualities – but this is the blended path that has called to me and I feel this is where I am supposed to be. I do not care about religious dogma, instead I follow my heart and let my spirit and the divine energy ( the Lord and Lady, each individual God and Goddess, Jesus Christ, and the Mother Holy Spirit) Guide me to where they want me to be.

A COUNTER-CURSE REVENGE SPELL AGINST A ROOT-WORKER

A COUNTER-CURSE REVENGE SPELL AGINST A ROOT-WORKER

If someone has put roots on you, make a Counter-Curse. It
will do two things: First, remove thier curse by killing
them or stopping them from harming you. Second, the person
who rooted on you will decide their own fate; no other fates
will be affected unless you desire it through guilt or doubt
— and then the spell may fizzle.

Get a paper, a dagger, a white candle, and a black candle
(white on your right, black on your left.) Draw a human
figure on the paper to represent the person who put roots on
you.

Invoke Satan in your own way. Invoke the elements.

Think of all the problems you have been having, project it
into the paper form, feel the anger fully (this is very
important), stomp, humiliate, beat, torture, and vent your
anger on it, hate it with a whole heart, hate who put the
roots on you, next stab the genitalia and direct this
torture to the tormenter, formed or formless, that they are
destroyed in the name of your body’s power and the dark will
of the Satan within you, that they will die, they will feel
pain, they will suffer, their body will betray them, and
their sex will rot off, and they will be plunged into the
void to be driven insane.

Offer this “sorceress/sorcerer” to Satan as a “sacrifice” as
you invoke hate into the form. Draw a reverse pentagram in
the air over the paper form. Label this person a sacrifice
“through justice and vengance and dominion over the spells
and roots that tormented me that I do not desire.”

Burn the figure still impaled in the WHITE candle. This
DISSAPATES him, and makes his energy and power fly away at
the speed of light.This counter curse works well.

April 6 – Daily Feast

April 6 – Daily Feast

These are times when it pays to take a second look – to really pay attention to those things that cross our paths. We may have already missed a wonderful experience by hasty judgment. When quick judgments are made from a limited point of view, the good qualities of anything are hidden. It is essential to look beyond first impressions if we are ever to find a rare jewel. Even Galun lati is helpless to send us blessing if we are dull of spirit and incapacitated by our own smart minds. In our “expert” attitudes, we sometimes allow the very things that would make us peaceful and happy pass by without lifting a hand. Wisdom is being able to see quality in the rough – and then being gentle and patient enough to shape it to perfection.

~ How can we trust you? When Jesus Christ came on earth, you killed him and nailed him to a cross. ~

TECUMSEH 1810

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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A Witch’s Calling

A Witch’s Calling

Author: Moon magik

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – March 8

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – March 8

“Balance is implicit in the Red Road. When you’re on the Red Road, you are in the center. Yet, you do not go to either extreme, and you allow both sides to exist. This is accomplished by continually postponing surrendering to temptation, whatever it may be. It is saying `later’ instead of `no.'”

–Dr. A.C. Ross (Ehanamani), LAKOTA

The Sacred Path of life has a middle, a left side, and a right side. As human beings, we are designed to walk this middle path as much as we can. As we walk, we will stray to the left and to the right and come back to the middle. Straying to the left or right side is as sacred as being in the middle. Sometimes we call this straying our mistakes. We are designed by the Creator to walk to Sacred Path of life, and realize that our mistakes are the source of lessons. These lessons give us our wisdom. It is not wrong that we are tempted. What matters is what we do with the temptation.

Great Spirit, today, let me enjoy the Sacred Path of Life.

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March 4 – Daily Feast

March 4 – Daily Feast

Few things that count in life are taken by great strides. Little by little, step by step, we inch forward. Great progress in a short time is so often short-lived and gives us the wrong idea of how things work. We build a consciousness, use good judgment, di gu go at nv in Cherokee, to move slowly and with awareness. But as we build, it is important to override the negatives that try to lodge in what we are doing. Our thinking is like a garden that needs to be cultivated. And our talking is even more important. The two go I tsu la, hand in hand, and what happens is a direct result of what we have dwelled on for many seasons. But it is in our power to make corrections and edge out trouble – little by little, but very surely.

~ Certain small ways and observances sometimes have connection with large and more profound ideas. ~

STANDING BEAR

‘A Cherokee Feast of Days’, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

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Daily OM for March 3rd – Our Earthly Origins

Our Earthly Origins
Reclaiming Our Roots

 

 

As we begin to see more clearly the people we come from, we can begin to alter our perception of who we are now. 

 

Some cultures are more rooted to the earth and connected to their inherent spirituality. But every one of us, even those of us who have been disconnected from our roots for hundreds of years, comes from a place that was once inhabited by people who worshipped and honored the earth on which they lived. In other words, we can all claim this wisdom as an essential part of who we are.

One way we can begin to rediscover our roots is to explore the early earth-based religions practiced in the parts of the world that birthed our ancestors. If we explore the ancient spiritual practices of our ancestors, we will find that their practices and beliefs share many elements with Native American, African, and aboriginal religious traditions. People who are connected to the earth and honor her share a fundamental philosophy that we can claim as our own because we too are of the earth. Many of us have become so disconnected from the earth that it feels foreign and awkward to imagine communing with her or performing a ritual for her. If we are honest, though, we will find within ourselves a yearning to feel more connected, more grounded, and more at home in this world. This yearning can lead us back to our disowned roots, which, of course, leads us right into the heart of the earth.

As we begin to see more clearly the people we come from, we can begin to alter our perception of who we are now, laying claim to our inherent relatedness to the earth. We might celebrate this by observing the ancient calendar of solstices and equinoxes, celebrating and honoring the cycle of the seasons as our ancestors did, or we might explore any one of the many earth-based practices through reading or participating in ritual. When we do these things, we tap back into our roots, finding nourishment at the wellspring of our earthly origins, the source we share with all of humanity.

 

Washed in the Water

Washed in the Water

by Prudence Priest

 

Prudence Priest leads Freya’s Folk, a coven with a Norse focus that has been together for more than 20 years.

Although baptism is most often considered a Christian custom, the use of water as a purification is much more ancient. The Greeks, Romans, Aryans, Ugro-Finnics and the Teutons associated it with some form of initiation as well.

Ceremonial use of water can be both simple and complex. Children are born of the water of the mother; a parallel of washing away the old and beginning fresh becomes evident. Why do people wash their hands? This simple ritual cleans them from contact with dirt, and by extension, disease, death, even guilt. And as this process of purification is built on, the simple act of cleansing assumes ever more complex symbolism and meaning, and even becomes associated with the giving of a name as civilization becomes more sophisticated.

The four elements of classical times, among those who believe they have a life of their own or who are animistic, have often been venerated in their own right. Sacred wells or springs and lakes with reputed healing powers have outlasted all attempts to Christianize them if not to co-opt them.

Superstitious Romans believed that water could purge them of all sins. Many Indians today believe that immersion in the Ganges will wash away all the past sins of a lifetime. If water can wash away dirt and contamination on a physical level, then it follows that it is possible that water can purify one on an emotional, spiritual, moral and even psychic level as well. Such was the current of thought of the ancients. It is still prevalent among some pagan peoples today.

Teutonic peoples had a custom of baptism observed by Roman writers as early as 200 B(efore) the C(onfusion). Among the Scandinavians, it was called an “ausa vatni” (water sprinkling), and signified acceptance into the family. Until the ausa vatni had been performed, a child had no legal rights or standing within the community and was not even considered a human being. Even in Christian times, the wergeld for killing an unbaptized child was half that paid for the death of a baptized one.

On the ninth day after birth, the baby was brought to the father (or closest male relative) for the public performance of the ausa vatni, and at that time was also given a name. The Norwegians, Lapps and Finns performed the ceremony on a Thorsday. It was often accompanied with a feast given by all the blood relatives. The name chosen was usually that of a parent or an ancestor, usually a deceased grandparent on the mother’s side, conferred so that the qualities of that person could live again in the child. Giving the parent’s name granted one immortality in one’s own lifetime.

When a child was born, it was first laid upon the ground to reverence the earth as the source of all life. The Scandinavian term for midwife, “jordemoder,” means earth mother. The midwife then lifted the child up and presented it to the father, who had the power of life or death over it. This power was nullified, however, if the child had partaken of milk or honey, or if it had been washed. If any of these had happened, a child was considered to have rights equal to those of any member of its family. If the father were unavailable, the mother had the right to acknowledge or expose the infant. Another important custom was the planting of a tree on the day of birth. This tree became the child’s tree of life, and they mirrored each other’s growth. This custom has a lot more going for it than passing out cigars.

As water is elemental in nature, an ausa vatni is a Vanic rite (that is, a rite having to do with the Vanir). The new member of the community was thrice sprinkled with water by the father: once in the name of Thor, again in the name of Freyr and lastly in the name of Njord. By sprinkling the babe with water, it was believed, the beneficial forces of water could be brought to bear in their various powers for good and healing for the newborn. This attunement of the child with the element of water was also thought to protect it from the harmful effects of water.

Among the Finns and Lapps, baptismal names were bestowed by the “wash mother” (laugo-edme). Then, according to E.J. Jessen in Afhandling om de norske Finners og Lappers Hedenske Religion, the following ceremony was performed: “Warm water was poured into a trough, and two birch twigs one in its natural condition, the other bent into a ring were laid in it. At the same time, the child was thus addressed: ‘Thou shalt be as fertile, sound and strong as the birch from which this twig was taken.’ Then a copper (or silver) talisman was cast into the water, with the words: ‘I cast the namba-skiello (talisman) into the water, to wash thee; be as melodious and fair as this brass (or silver).’ Then came the formula: ‘I baptize thee with a new name, N.N. Thou shalt thrive better from this water, of which we make thee a partaker, than from the water wherewith the priest baptized thee. I call thee up by baptism, deceased N.N. Thou shalt now rise again to life and health and receive new limbs. Thou, child, shalt have the same happiness and joy which the deceased enjoyed in this world.’ As she uttered these words, the baptizer poured water three times on the head of the child, and then washed its whole body. Finally she said: ‘Now art thou baptized adde-namba (underworld name), with the name of the deceased, and I will see that with this name thou wilt enjoy good health.'”

Specific legal rights were conferred at an ausa vatni as well. Both the Eddas and Heimskringla have reference to the custom. In the Havamal (Dasent’s translation), the master magician states: “This I can make sure when I suffuse a man-child with water he shall not fall when he fights in the host; no sword shall bring him low.” In the Heimskringla, we are told that at the birth of Harald Gráfeld, “Eirikr and Gunnhild had a son whom Haraldr Haarfager suffused with water, and to whom he gave the name, ordaining that he should be king after his father Eirik.”

By naming and claiming a child as his own, according to the Teutonic peoples, a father granted the child protection, provision and the right of inheritance and succession to his estate. An ausa vatni is an important rite of passage in Asatru. As many people have never had one, it is a custom in Freya’s Folk when a new member joins and takes a new name. Why not try the cleansing, healing and purging power of water for yourself?

May the gods direct you to the best.

How to Decorate & Meditate on the Winter Solstice

Winter Comments & Graphics

How to Decorate & Meditate on the Winter Solstice

by Donna Oxley

On December 21st we will again be celebrating the Winter Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere.

This is a magical time of the year and throughout the ages of mankind religions have gravitated toward this date to hold major ceremonies, celebrations and sacred observations.

Our modern age strangely sees us returning to the age-old customs of noting and paying respect to the sacred cycles of nature and the part we play in it, for we are intrinsically tied to these cycles of nature whether we like to admit it or not, influenced by the stages of the moon with its ebb and flow of energy. The sun ‘ the life giver ‘ marks the days of death and decay back into regeneration and growth. None of us that live on this planet can escape Mother Nature, the Goddess and her womb, or Father Time, the God and his creation of all life from the elements. Light and dark, all is one, all religion, all life blessed be!

RETURN OF THE SUN/SON!

Winter Solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. It marks the gradual return of the sun and signifies birth when new seeds of life will spring forth. Similarly, Christianity uses this time of year to mark the birth of the son, signifying life eternal for all who partake of the light and become the body of Christ.

A good way to remember this special Solstice is, as the hours of daylight grow, so too, we can let our inner light of understanding, love and intuitions grow. Allowing both the dark and the light to resonate within us, for it is part of us and we can practice new beginnings of unity, compassion, empathy and global love.

PREPARE FOR THE WINTER SOLSTICE

Spend the Solstice in candlelight, meditation, reflection and look forward to new dawn. Enjoy the magical night of dreams by preparing incense and a deep meditation. Decorate your home with the colors of winter; white to represent the winter snow, dark green winter foliage, red winter berries and fruits, gold to represent the returning energy of the sun and silver for the delicate frost that settles all around at this cold time of year. A Winter Solstice incense blend:

Fill A heatproof bowl with about an inch of sand or salt. Metals, stone & ceramics are ideal that have feet to hold them safely above a surface, or you can buy purpose made incense burners. Incense will burn hot and produce an ash that may fall off when burning so it’s essential you do use a container on a surface that is fireproof. Prepare by crushing the ingredients together.

CITRUS SOLSTICE

1 tbsp dried Orange Peel, 1 tbsp dried Grapefruit Peel, 1 tbsp dried Lemon Peel, 1 tbsp dried Tangerine Peel, 1 tsp Orange extract, 1 tsp Lemon extract.

WINTER SOLSTICE

One part Pine Needles, One part Cinnamon, One part Apple Rind, One part Myrrh, One part Frankincense

Experiment and find a blend you like!

SEVEN REFLECTIONS WINTER SOLSTICE MEDITATION;

There is an Old Russian divination that took place on the evening of Winter Solstice where – usually a young lady – would set up two mirrors and two candles into a position that they would reflect each other. One should then peer into one of the mirrors and seek the seventh reflection, where she would catch a glimpse of her future or her one true love!

Find a comfortable place where you are least likely to be disturbed. Get your mirrors and candles ready, be sure to position them facing each other with the candles reflecting in each – use a stable, fireproof surface. Please take care that you cannot fall into the mirrors or candles as meditation can have a very hypnotic effect! Position them safely & far enough away.

You should sit facing the mirrors so that you can see into either mirror with the reflection of the other, if in a chair sit with your feet flat on the floor or sit in your usual meditation position. Sit upright but comfortable. Try not to hunch as this is not a relaxing position. Rest your hands lightly on your lap. Start the sound session.

First, concentrate yourself fully on the following breathing technique (do this about five – ten times, you don’t have to count ‘ do what feels right);

Breathe in deeply, expanding your abdomen to fill your lungs. Hold then very slowly let the breath out all the way until your lungs are empty.

Now begin to look into one of the mirrors, whichever one is up to you, search for the seventh reflection. After a while the image may change in the mirror, other faces may be seen or other images. Allow your mind to go along with the experience and always write the details in a diary immediately afterwards – this is for later reflection and things may make sense later that were not obvious at the time.

THE LAWS OF ATTRACTION MEDITATION

Before beginning the meditation, read the following reading I personally got during meditation regarding ‘THE LAWS OF ATTRACTION’ and try to understand the message contained within.

“Every negative word, deed, glance, thought, and action will come back to you. It is the indisputable law, the law of attraction. If you play with it, study this in earnest, you will find it, without doubt, to be true.

Imaging you are communicating with the physical world via a mirror. The person who stares back at you is the equivalent of every other person in the world. Frown at the person in the mirror, the person frowns back at you. Become angry at the person, see what comes back to you, look at the anger on that face and look into the eyes. How does that make you feel ‘ good? Bad? Imagine a child being confronted with that face, those eyes, that anger. Imagine if that small child was you!

Smile and you receive the same, laugh and the image laughs with you. This is how we create our world, by reflection. This is a warning so don’t discard it. Keep it with you and discover it!

But what if you are a child? You didn’t yet throw anything into the water to cause a ripple. You were born in innocence! No! You chose to be a victim for a short time. You agreed in your ancient wisdom to become the effect of a cause and those who peer into the mirror will see you. Your reflection will call to action better judgment, better discernment and a better future for all.”

NOW, get your mirror ready and find a comfortable place where you are least likely to be disturbed. You should sit in a chair facing the mirror with your feet flat on the floor. Sit upright but comfortable. Try not to hunch as this is not a relaxing position. Rest your hands lightly on your lap. Start the sound session.

First, concentrate yourself fully on the following breathing technique (do this about five – ten times, you don’t have to count ‘ do what feels right);

Breathe in deeply, expanding your abdomen to fill your lungs. Hold then very slowly let the breath out all the way until your lungs are empty. Keep your breathing deep and regular and begin to stare at your reflection in the mirror, focusing on your eyes. Imagine that every other person in the world reflects the image that stares back at you.

Notice the expression, smiles, frowns, anger, study what comes back at you through the mirror.

Now allow yourself to absorb the powerful sounds and simply stare at the mirror. After a while the image may change, other faces may be seen or other images. Allow your mind to go along with the experience and write the details in a diary immediately afterwards Allow yourself to adjust when your meditation finishes and drink a fresh glass of water.

About the author: The author Donna Oxley strives to provide relevant information & insight into the many liberating benefits of meditation & self improvement. Also her website at http://www.relaxmp3.co.uk provides inexpensive Mp3 sessions relating to meditation by sound – including hypnotic binaural beats, brainwave entrainment, simple nature sounds.

 
~Magickal Graphics~

The Pagan Roots Of Christmas

The Pagan Roots Of Christmas

The early Christians quite consciously chose the pagan sun holiday for the celebration of their Son-god’s birth.
Christmas falls during the Roman Saturnalia and at the birth of the Mithraic sun god. According to
“A Witches Bible Compleat”, by Janet and Stewart Farrar, the Archbishop of Constantinople wrote that
church fathers fixed the Nativity during the pagan holidays because “while the heathen were busied with
their profane rites, the Christian might perform their holy ones without disturbance.”
Other Christians accused those who kept Christmas at the solstice of performing sun worship. Armenians,
who celebrate Christmas on January 6, elsewhere Epiphany, called Roman Christians idolaters, according to Funk
and Wagnall’s Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend. Similarly, under the Puritans in 1644,
the English Parliament expressly forbade observing Christmas. Augustine admitted that putting Christmas at
the winter solstice was a conscious identification of the Son with the sun but defended the symbolism.

The Christmas most Americans know as children mixes a celebration of the birth of Christ with traditions

from the Roman Saturnalia, the Northern European Yule, and the Celtic Solstice.
 
GrannyMoon’s Morning Feast

Your Daily Feng Shui Tip for December 12th

Every year on ‘Poinsettia Day’ I like to recall the mystical legend surrounding this magical plant. Native to Mexico, the story is told of Maria and Pablo, two poor children who lived in a tiny Mexican village. They could not afford Christmas gifts but they loved to attend the holiday festivities at their local church. To honor the birth of Christ the church would display a beautiful manger that drew crowds of admirers from villages all around. Maria and Pablo bemoaned the fact that they could not bring a gift to manger until one day when they were walking to the church and a bright light shone above them. An angel told them to pick some of the green weeds growing by the side of the road and to place them near the manger as their gift to the Baby Jesus. The angel was gone as quickly as it appeared, leaving the children confused but also filling their arms with bunches of the wild weeds. When they arrived at the manger the other villagers laughed at them for bringing such a worthless gift. But the two stood bravely by, placing the plants on the soft hay surrounding the manger. Suddenly the green leaves began to turn a lovely shade of red, surrounding the baby with beautiful blooms that then transformed into the lovely star shaped crimson flowers that we now call poinsettias. Perhaps during this season of light you would like to make some angelic magic of your own? According to other ancient legends you can do just that by invoking the intercession of Angel Eliel, an invisible presence that promises to bring the magic to your wishes. Call his name three times and ask that he grant your wish. Amazing grace will bloom and grow indeed!

By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com

Saints of the Day for Sept. 16th – Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian

Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian

Cornelius (d. 253). There was no pope for 14 months after the martyrdom of St. Fabian (January 20) because of the intensity of the persecution of the Church. During the interval, the Church was governed by a college of priests. St. Cyprian, a friend of Cornelius, writes that Cornelius was elected pope “by the judgment of God and of Christ, by the testimony of most of the clergy, by the vote of the people, with the consent of aged priests and of good men.”

The greatest problem of Cornelius’s two-year term as pope had to do with the Sacrament of Penance and centered on the readmission of Christians who had denied their faith during the time of persecution. Two extremes were finally both condemned. Cyprian, primate of Africa, appealed to the pope to confirm his stand that the relapsed could be reconciled only by the decision of the bishop.

In Rome, however, Cornelius met with the opposite view. After his election, a priest named Novatian (one of those who had governed the Church) had himself consecrated a rival bishop of Rome—one of the first antipopes. He denied that the Church had any power to reconcile not only the apostates, but also those guilty of murder, adultery, fornication or second marriage! Cornelius had the support of most of the Church (especially of Cyprian of Africa) in condemning Novatianism, though the sect persisted for several centuries. Cornelius held a synod at Rome in 251 and ordered the “relapsed” to be restored to the Church with the usual “medicines of repentance.”

The friendship of Cornelius and Cyprian was strained for a time when one of Cyprian’s rivals made accusations about him. But the problem was cleared up.

A document from Cornelius shows the extent of organization in the Church of Rome in the mid-third century: 46 priests, seven deacons, seven subdeacons. It is estimated that the number of Christians totaled about 50,000.

Cornelius died as a result of the hardships of his exile in what is now Civitavecchia (near Rome).

Cyprian (d. 258). Cyprian is important in the development of Christian thought and practice in the third century, especially in northern Africa.

Highly educated, a famous orator, he became a Christian as an adult. He distributed his goods to the poor, and amazed his fellow citizens by making a vow of chastity before his baptism. Within two years he had been ordained a priest and was chosen, against his will, as Bishop of Carthage (near modern Tunis).

Cyprian complained that the peace the Church had enjoyed had weakened the spirit of many Christians and had opened the door to converts who did not have the true spirit of faith. When the Decian persecution began, many Christians easily abandoned the Church. It was their reinstatement that caused the great controversies of the third century, and helped the Church progress in its understanding of the Sacrament of Penance.

Novatus, a priest who had opposed Cyprian’s election, set himself up in Cyprian’s absence (he had fled to a hiding place from which to direct the Church—bringing criticism on himself) and received back all apostates without imposing any canonical penance. Ultimately he was condemned. Cyprian held a middle course, holding that those who had actually sacrificed to idols could receive Communion only at death, whereas those who had only bought certificates saying they had sacrificed could be admitted after a more or less lengthy period of penance. Even this was relaxed during a new persecution.

During a plague in Carthage, he urged Christians to help everyone, including their enemies and persecutors.

A friend of Pope Cornelius, Cyprian opposed the following pope, Stephen. He and the other African bishops would not recognize the validity of baptism conferred by heretics and schismatics. This was not the universal view of the Church, but Cyprian was not intimidated even by Stephen’s threat of excommunication.

He was exiled by the emperor and then recalled for trial. He refused to leave the city, insisting that his people should have the witness of his martyrdom.

Cyprian was a mixture of kindness and courage, vigor and steadiness. He was cheerful and serious, so that people did not know whether to love or respect him more. He waxed warm during the baptismal controversy; his feelings must have concerned him, for it was at this time that he wrote his treatise on patience. St. Augustine (August 28) remarks that Cyprian atoned for his anger by his glorious martyrdom.

Comment:

Cornelius: It seems fairly true to say that almost every possible false doctrine has been proposed at some time or other in the history of the Church. The third century saw the resolution of a problem we scarcely consider—the penance to be done before reconciliation with the Church after mortal sin. Men like Cornelius and Cyprian were God’s instruments in helping the Church find a prudent path between extremes of rigorism and laxity. They are part of the Church’s ever-living stream of tradition, ensuring the continuance of what was begun by Christ, and evaluating new experiences through the wisdom and experience of those who have gone before (Roliner).

Cyprian: The controversies about baptism and penance in the third century remind us that the early Church had no ready-made solutions from the Holy Spirit. The leaders and members of the Church of that day had to make the best judgments they could, following the entire teaching of Christ without being diverted by exaggerations to the right or left.

Quote:

Cornelius: “There is one God and one Christ and but one episcopal chair, originally founded on Peter, by the Lord’s authority. There cannot, therefore, be set up another altar or another priesthood. Whatever any man in his rage or rashness shall appoint, in defiance of the divine institution, must be a spurious, profane and sacrilegious ordinance” (St. Cyprian, The Unity of the Catholic Church).

Cyprian: “You cannot have God for your Father if you do not have the Church for your mother…. God is one and Christ is one, and his Church is one; one is the faith, and one is the people cemented together by harmony into the strong unity of a body…. If we are the heirs of Christ, let us abide in the peace of Christ; if we are the sons of God, let us be lovers of peace” (St. Cyprian, The Unity of the Catholic Church).

AmericanCatholic.org