Tag: God

THINK ON THESE THINGS

THINK ON THESE THINGS
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Let’s not forget Dr. Schuller’s words when he was asked why so many of our people were killed in the terrorists’ attack on New York and in Washington. He said, “Take an O out of good and we have God; put a D before evil and we have devil.”

Can it be any plainer? We are told that we are not dealing with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers in evil places. Our spirits are whispering, “In all these things I am more than a conqueror.” This is not just a wish but a truth.

At one time it was “cool” to say we did not believe in spiritual help, but now it is cool to know we are of ourselves no strength, but with help we are overcomers, conquerors in the truest sense.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – October 5

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – October 5

“The dances are prayers.”

–Pop Chalee, TAOS PUEBLO

When we dance to the drum we pray to the Creator and attract the heartbeat of the earth. We never dance without reason; every dance has a purpose. We dance for rain; we dance for healing; we dance for seasons; we dance for joy; we dance for our children; we dance for the people; we dance for courage. The drum plays to the beat of the heart, to the beat of the Earth. The drum connects us to the Earth while we dance our prayers.

Oh, Great One, let my dance and prayer be heard by You.

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Put The Book Down!

Put The Book Down!

Author: Siantia

I quarrel about the meaning of the term ‘Wicca’ or ‘Pagan’. I argue over the rules and structures of the various ‘Wiccan paths’. I label myself with the correct label for my position in the craft and demand others do the same. I adhere to set structures and rituals and judge those that do not. I look to occult figures to gather my instructions on how to worship my Goddess and God. I rely on another human being to give me permission to have a spiritual identity. Does this sound like you? If you have ticked any of the ‘boxes’ above then I urge you to read this article. But I’m warning you – there are no labels here for you. No man/woman to tell you the rules of your religion and no words given to you to describe what you are.

How many books on Wicca/Witchcraft/Paganism and any others of a similar nature do you own?

How many of these books have rituals for you to follow, incantations for you to recite and sabbats for you to adhere to?

How many people do you know that say you MUST be in a coven, or you MUST do that or you HAVE TO think this way?

How often, when engaging in a Wiccan/Magickal discussion or argument have you opened your most prestigious Wiccan book to read the answer and then quoted it and sat back happily knowing you must have won the argument because you used the words of an occult icon?

Quarrels about rules and words feature so strongly in Wicca/Witchcraft, everyone has their own opinion and everyone seems to have their biography of Gerald Gardner or Alex Sanders at the ready to use if the argument gets tough. But I ask you – where is your Goddess and God when you are debating this and arguing about that and proclaiming you know more than this person about that subject?

How many times do you put your book down, step away from the laws of your coven, stop listening to the ‘more experienced’ Witch and look inside your heart to talk to your Mother and Father? What do you think they would tell you about all these rules, paths and words?

“Quarrelling about words only serves to ruin those who listen to them” is one of my favorite quotes, and one I read often when I find myself almost getting involved in an argument. There is no piece of information so grand that you need to quarrel and argue over it. There is no right so right that has not come directly from The Goddess and God. I urge people to put their books down and to talk to the source that can give them all the knowledge they’re looking for. It starts by looking inside yourself and not at your favorite author; once you have looked inside yourself you find the Goddess and the God were there all along.

When you next meet someone that refers to him/herself using certain labels, or when you next are involved in a conversation about the rules of a Wiccan ritual ask the goddess and the god to show you the truth of these man-made creations. Listen and feel what you receive. What do you think your Goddess and God would say to the people arguing over the exact meaning of the term Wiccan? What do you think they would say to the couple trying to win the argument about the importance of initiation? Do you think our loving Mother and Father would see the relevance or importance of any of this?

When you feel afraid that something you are doing is not correct, who are you afraid of? The person who wrote the book you are following? The high priestess of the coven you have just joined? Or the judgmental ‘experienced’ witches you socialize with? Out of all the people you are afraid will judge you if you are not adhering to the label you have been given (or have given yourself) do you think any of them have the authority or power to say anything? Do you believe a man or a woman has more knowledge about The Goddess and The God than the Goddess and The God themselves? And do you believe that anyone but yourself can find the right answer to your problems?

Put the book down, and while you’re at it socialize with less rigid people. We are our own masters, because all of us are children of our Mother and Father. No matter what words you read in books, no matter what ‘high’ priest/ess tells you – no being knows more than The Goddess and God. It is to them you should talk, not to ‘man’.

Religion can be a beautiful life choice that makes your incarnation more colorful and interesting; a way of life that inspires you and makes you feel fulfilled as a human experiencing the Earth, knowing deep inside that it is a creation of man and that simple love of your creators will always triumph. Is this you? Or have you become so consumed with your chosen label, so consumed with the words and their meanings that you have forgotten the simplicity of the universe? What is it they say we have here? Ah yes – free will.

Perhaps you feel your religion and structure, fine details and correct interpretation of words are still important to you? Perhaps you feel that the Goddess and God are with you on that, and they wouldn’t like you to throw away labels and boxes? Then, debate away. Open your forum and join with everyone else that wants words to be important. Words have power after all!

I will go and sit beside the Goddess and The God and we shall watch you in your hall of right and wrong. When you are ready…put the book down, and see what the Goddess and God has to discuss with you.

Merry Meet to all the masters of themselves.

 

Footnotes:
*This article is intended for thought provoking and not direct insult. The opinions expressed are my own and so of course are not being imposed or ordered onto anyone else. Live and let live after all.

Deity of the Day for October 4th is THOTH

THOTH

“Thrice Greatest.”

 God of wisdom, music, magic, medicine, astronomy, geometry, surveying, art and and writing. Historian, scribe and judge. Thoth’s priests claimed Thoth was the Demi-Urge who created everything from sound. It was said that Thoth wrote books in which he set forth a fabulous knowldege of magic and incantation, and then concealed them in a crypt.

Encounter with an Ancient God

Encounter with an Ancient God

 

by Janice Van Cleve

As Samhain night approaches, our Women of the Goddess circle quickens into high gear. We collect old mattresses, blankets and cushions. We buy cases of garbage bags and rolls of duct tape. Don’t forget the red candles! We haul, we clean, we make architectural decisions on the fly. For this is the time of the year when we transform a simple basement into the Underworld.

We are so excited! On Samhain night we gather in silence, black-robed and -caped, in the living room. No lights shine nor music plays. No conversation passes between us. One candle only illuminates the room as we wait in nervous anticipation. At the stroke of the hour, the hostess rises to lock the door. Then she bids us line up at the head of the stairs and descend, one by one, as we are called.

Save for flickering votives in colored glass strategically placed here or there, the narrow passages of the Underworld are pitch black. Garbage bags by day become unearthly living walls at night. As we carefully feel our way through the maze, we encounter the Dark Goddess in several of her forms. She may appear to us as Hecate, Kali, Baba Yaga or Erishkigal. She may appear as the Fates, the Norns or as sorceresses and witches. Each challenges us before she admits us past her portal. At last, we all arrive in the Underworld chamber and conduct our rites, thankful for the cushions and other items that give us some comfort from the cold stone floor.

I am as excited as the rest, but my appreciation of the Samhain rites this year will be undeniably affected by an encounter I had in another underworld last month in faraway Peru. I was in Peru for an archeological expedition to various Inca and pre-Inca sites. One of many we visited was Chavin de Huantar, a mysterious temple complex hidden in a steep valley on the Amazon side of the Andes. The Chavin culture exerted enormous influence throughout the region of Peru about 400 BCE, around the time that Rome was just beginning. In the Americas, the Chavin invented the weaving of cotton and wool, engineering with stone and massive architecture. The complex itself is a combination of huge three-story block buildings and large sunken courtyards. The exterior of the buildings was originally decorated with carved heads and painted red. However, it was the interiors that I found most fascinating.

Inside the solid mass of stone were corridors, passageways and rooms in a series of underworld labyrinths. They were ingeniously constructed so that water was drained out and fresh air circulated in through small vents that tunneled through the rock to the outside wall. Linking the rooms were galleries with modern fanciful names such as Gallery of the Captives, Gallery of the Bats and Gallery of the Madman. Just enough electric lighting is installed to present the outlines of the chambers without taking away from their shadowy quality. It was in one of these underworld corridors that I encountered The Lanzon.

The Lanzon is an imposing idol of carved stone some 15 feet tall. It stands in a narrow chamber barely large enough to hold it. Passages less high extend in all four directions from the midpoint of this chamber so the viewer can see only the head and midsection of the idol. A gate prevents visitors from approaching too close. Light filters in from cleverly contrived roof openings above the statue, bathing it in a surreal glow.

The idol itself is a curiously rendered icon, etched into a smooth, wedge-shaped granite prism whose angle faces the viewer. The figure is of an anthropoid being with snakes for hair and fat smiling lips that display a proud set of finely spaced teeth and two fanged incisors. Long sharp fingernails grace its hands; the left one hanging at its side and the right raised as if in greeting. On its head is a tall crown of feline heads, and from its ears hang huge round pendants. Set edge-on to the visitor, the whole work cannot be appreciated at once, but only the portion in view from the corridor. From that position, one or other of the idol’s baleful eyes looks directly at you.

“It’s just an old stone,” I said to myself. But it wasn’t. It was a real idol. To it had been sacrificed human lives, their blood splattered all over the corridor where I stood. Into it had been fused human energy and power, and these I could still feel from it even after all the intervening centuries. It was strange and eerie to be aware of this undead presence, to acknowledge it and yet not be part of it. The Lanzon was the god of a people long past, not my god, yet worthy and real for the human potency with which they imbued it. It disquieted me, yet I felt a respect for it that was different from my own traditions, but for all that no less valid.

So as I approach this Samhain and prepare to enter the Underworld we will create, I am a bit more aware that there are deities and beings in the darkness beyond my ken. They are different. I don’t understand them. I don’t even know them. Yet they do exist, and as the veil between the worlds draws thin this night, I realize my view must be broader and open to the unexpected. No matter how many times I celebrate these rituals and how many roles I take, they still present a mystery. And now, because of my encounter with The Lanzon in its own underworld, I can appreciate the mystery of my own that much more.

Thought of the Day for October 4th – 25 Truths of Life

25 Truths of Life

1. If you’re too open-minded, your brains will fall out.
2. Don’t worry about what people think, they don’t do it very often.
3. Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
4. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
5. If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you’ve never tried before.
6. My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
7. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
8. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
9. For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.
10. If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
11. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
12. A conscience is what hurts when all of your other parts feel so good.
13. Eat well, stay fit, die anyway.
14. Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it!
15. No man has ever been shot while doing the dishes.
16. A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
17. Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.
18. Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
19. Junk is something you’ve kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.
20. There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.
21. Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
22. By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
23. Thou shall not weigh more than thy refrigerator.
24. Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the real world.
25. It ain’t the jeans that make your butt look fat.

 

      N. Lellande

OH MY AGING FUNNY BONE…

Happy Tuesday, dear friends!

Days Of The Week Comments

Hee, hee, hee, that pic will either wake you up or scare that crap out of ya’! I am feeling a little devilish this morning. Our heater is not working and the house is on the cool side (I think it is comfortable). The cats are running like wild animals. Of course, at one time they were, lol! The smallest one can jump the love seat and not even touch the back of it. She is six months old and she stands as tall as my older cat. Her paws are bigger than his and her tail is twice the length. I think I adopted a cougar. I just hope I don’t never run out of food or else I will have to run like hell. When the older cat gets fed up with the baby, he runs and hops in my lap. I have him hopping off and on and the baby tapping me on the back. She does that when she wants to be held. During the day when she is ready to take her catnap, she comes over and hops in my arms and wants to be held like a baby. She stretches out, with her feet dangling, and I scratch her belly. Most of the time, this is during my daily postings when this happens. She hates the computer because I am suppose to only pay attention to her. She is a brat out of this world. Poor Kiki just stands on the bed and watches the free for alls. I love them all to pieces and I must say they are definitely entertainment. If you are bored, get you a pet. I can guarantee you, you will never have a dull moment again.

Depression Banishing Ritual

Depression Banishing Ritual
You will need:
3 Goddess candle: White, one at center of the altar, or two at the back.
1 Banishing Candle: Black, placed at the left front of the altar.
1 Invoking Candle: Pink or red, placed at the right of the altar.
Incense: Sage, cedar, rosemary or pine at the beginning of the ritual, changed later to rose or amber.
Oils: Use Goddess or Altar oil on the Goddess candle, sage, pine or other banishing oil on the banishing candle and rose oil on the invoking candle and for self-blessing.
Ritual Outline
Light candles: “Dress” the candles with the oils, working base to tip, (away from you) for the banishing candle and tip to base (towards you) for the invoking candle and the Goddess candles. Visualize the intent, banishing depression when handling the banishing candle, and invoking joy and self-love while “dressing” the Goddess and invoking candles. Light only the Goddess candles at this time.

Purify: Start the charcoal block or stick incense. If using a charcoal block, give it time to heat up. Sprinkle loose herbs of sage, cedar, rosemary or pine on the hot coal and use the smoke to purify. Visualize the intent of the ritual. At this point visualize banishing depression and emotional pain, while smudging with the smoke. Then light the black candle from the Goddess candle.

Cast a circle/invoke a Crone Goddess or Goddesses to help in banishing, and a Goddess of gentleness and peace for the invoking part of the ritual. Try Kali the Destroyer or Hecate for banishing, and Kwan Yin for gentleness and invoking. Use Goddesses for the five elements or these two aspects only, or whatever feels right. Perform a full casting and invoking to make
the circle, or as informal invitation to the aspects and elements.

Invocation: Dear mothers of wisdom and grace, I invite you here to ask your help. I refuse my depression and choose to banish it, and ask instead for joy and peace of mind. Help me in my work tonight, Kali and Kwan Yin.

Body of ritual: Focus on the flame of the black candle, thinking of all the things that need changing. Remember fully all the reasons for depression and pain, acknowledge all your anger, all your rage, and all your fear. Dwell on every source of pain, emotional injury and negative though that mires you down. When you have focused them all onto the candle, shout “NO!” and blow the candle out in a decisive, quick motion. Watch the smoke rise from the extinguished candle, and feel all the negativity dissolving in the rising air. Breathe the banishing incense for a while.

Light the invoking candle. Do it from the Goddess candle, and sprinkle rose incense on the charcoal block or light a stick of rose incense. Let the light of the pink candle and the fragrance of the rose incense fill you as you watch and breathe them. Breathe the energies in deeply, remembering the qualities of Kwan Yin, or other Goddesses of mercy invoked in the ritual. Ask Kwan Yin for her presence and help. Focus on the candle flame and think of all the good things in your life. Refill each banished item and negativity with some positive attribute; where there was pain before, replace it with love. For every wrong remember something to give thanks for; for every pain remember something joyful. Remember your accomplishments in life, what a genuinely good person you are or individual self attributes that you feel make you a wonderful person. Do a series of affirmations, “I am” or “I have”, to list your good qualities and the qualities you choose to become or gain. Continue stating the positives and affirmations until you feel filled with pink light and the scent of roses.

Self-blessing: If you feel inclined, insert a self-blessing into the ritual at this point. This portion is optional

Thank Kwan Yin for your joy and Kali for her energy of change.

Open circle/ground.

Allow the pink candle to burn out itself, or extinguish and relight it nightly until at least the next Full Moon. Do affirmations nightly with the flame. Continue burning pink candles for as long as needed to remind you of new joy and positive energy. Repeat the ritual on the next waning moon if needed; it
will be needed less each time you do it. Each time, bury the remains of the black candle in the earth, along with the ashes from the incense; visualize your pain being buried with them. Repeat the self-blessing at any time, and do it often, at least every New and Full Moon.

Dragons In Alchemy

Dragons In Alchemy

 

In alchemy, the dragon was considered to be matter, metal and the physical body. Often mentioned in conjunction with the dragon was the dragon’s sister: spirit, metallic mercury, and the soul. Ancient alchemy used the picture of a dragon or winged serpent as one of its many secret symbols. A common symbol of spiritual alchemical work was the dragon or serpent holding its tail in its mouth, an unending circle of eternity. Near this circled dragon was written the Greek motto “en to pan,” or “all is one.” The fabled Philosopher’s Stone of alchemy was also considered the One Which Is All. This Stone was closely connected in ancient writings with the Great Work of alchemy; the Great work simply means humankind becoming God, or merging with the Supreme Creative Forces within, thus completing the cycle of human growth by returning to the Source.

Jung wrote that the alchemists considered the winged dragon as female, the wingless dragons as male. Jung also considered water in dreams and analysis as unconscious spirit or the water dragon of Tao. This water dragon of Tao symbolized the yang embraced in the yin, or balanced growth in spirit. In Chinese Taoist symbolism, the dragon was seen as ‘the Way,” the bringer of eternal changes. Often in was depicted as guardian of the Flaming Pearl, or spiritual perfection. Joseph Campbell also speaks of the winged dragon or serpent as being the balance between Earth and Spirit. To the Chinese, the dragon was a potent symbol of luck and power. Silver dragon amulets were worn to help gain these qualities.

“Dancing with Dragons”

D. J. Conway

Living a Magickal Life

I ran across the following article several days ago. I have been aiming to share it with you but got busy updating the blog. The article first caught my eye, which is unusual because I seldom read short ones. Then I got to reading it, the article really touched my heart and soul as Samhain approaches. I hope you enjoy it……..

Living a Magickal Life
By Lotus Moonwise

It might seem strange to tell a story about Beltane in an issue about Samhain, but the two go hand in hand. Beltane is about manifesting the Goddess externally, through union with others and the World around us. Samhain is about manifesting Her internally, by going within, connecting with the deepest parts of yourself, and allowing Her messages to come to you
from across the thin veil.

Last Beltane, I was just coming down from an intense “expansion” phase, working hard, making major changes in my life and was feeling uncentered, caught up in a frantic, unnatural pace. I felt like I was going around and around in circles in my mind, feeling so overwhelmed with all I had to get done that I couldn’t get anything done and was beginning to feel more and
more paralyzed and disconnected from my Spirit. I wondered how I was going to find the energy to organize a big Beltane celebration, like I do every year. The more I thought about it, the more I felt sure, I just didn’t have it in me this year. So I threw my hands up in surrender and made the decision to “skip” the Sabbat.

On the Thursday afternoon before the weekend of Beltane, my husband came home and told me he’d gotten a surprise bonus at work. That same day, my friend called and said she was in a jam and needed some money and offered to watch my three kids for the weekend in exchange for the cash she needed. Everything was suddenly in place for a quiet weekend away.

I wanted something in the mountains, near a river. I found this place that looked perfect and I called up the reservation company. It was booked, but they had just had someone call earlier that day to cancel, so had an opening for another house. It was in the mountains, down a dead end dirt road, at the point where two rivers meet. They call it Two Rivers Cottage. We booked it on the spot. What followed was two days and nights of intense, deep quiet, cradled by the one I love with the forest surrounding us like a blanket. We made love by the huge stone hearth, cooked a feast for two, and enjoyed the fullness of silence, together.

As I sat near the hearth, with my tarot cards laid out, Hecate kept coming up – showing me the crossroads. And it hit me when I looked at the image. The two roads… the two rivers….they were just outside my door. I put on my coat and walked outside. I stood at the point where the two rivers converge into one, and heard the message She whispered in my ear : it doesn’t matter which path you choose, it’s all leading you home. I heard the words of a song flow through my heart…”there’s no need for turning back, for all roads lead to where we stand, and I believe we walk them all, no matter what we may have planned.” I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I could relax. I didn’t have to figure everything out right now. It was enough to just be here, in this space with Her, loving myself and loving the moment.

The weekend was magickal. And even though I hadn’t planned anything for this holy day –the Goddess had planned something for me. A weekend of pure, loving union between the God and Goddess, embodied within us and expressed through us in the most natural and effortless way possible.

As Samhain approaches, I reflect on the magick in my life, the gifts from the Goddess, and the sense of trust and allowing that has become the cornerstone of my faith. This time of year, especially, I am reminded how to live a magickal life, day in and day out. Living a magickal life is about allowing the Universe to express itself through you. As you pay attention to the subtle clues She leaves along the way, a path of possibilities is paved. Every question is answered before it’s asked. In the moment of need, all things are already there, in your life, placed there by your Goddess self before you even knew you needed them.

Blessed Samhain to all…….

(Song lyrics by Don McLean)

About The Author: Lotus Moonwise is a High Priestess and leader of a small family circle. She walks a wise woman path, recognizing the union of the spiritual world with the physical. She considers herself an eclectic hearth witch, honoring her home, family and circle of community as the central focus of her service to the Goddess. She is a massage therapist, Reiki
master, writer, and artist and lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, three children and three cats.

“THINK on THESE THINGS”

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Do you want to know the truth about worry? It hits everyone. It is not an ailment just for weaklings or cowards. Worry is the cat you throw out only to have it back in before you can close the door.

Worry has another side. It proves we care very much, and that we appreciate our God-given gifts and loved ones. In a way, it is a sign of strength, for if we can turn it to faith, then faith can be just as strong. And to overcome worry, or to at least control it, there must be faith.

Faith, and the knowledge that if you could be in all the places, watching closely all the things about which you are concerned, you couldn’t do a tenth as much good as one simple prayer.

We are taught, “Be not anxious,” “Fear not,” and “Be not afraid,” and too quickly we become anxious, fearful, and very frightened. But even then, we have only to put worry to flight by remembering those quieting words that are so absolutely true, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Recently we had a summer storm. It was rumbling and heavy with darkness. The lightning flashed across the sky and currents. When the first huge drops of rain spattered across the walks and lawns, our thoughts turned to the safety of anyone or anything that might be caught out in the wind and rain.

We’ve been through many summer storms. Some of them left permanent marks upon our memories. The threatening, the darkness, the pressure of the atmosphere are not so different from the emotional storms of the human life. We see lives under pressure bend to and fro in the uncertainty of life. We know concern for the safety of those who experience emotional storms. Then we know the only answer is in God’s hands. There is no other way.

The good earth rights itself quickly after a storm. Nature comes forth more richly for having gone through the storm, and the scars are lost in new growth. And blessed are we when we lift ourselves up to a new, deeper radiance and peace.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – September 29

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – September 29

“Love is something that you can leave behind you when you die. It’s that powerful.”

–John (Fire) Lame Deer, ROSEBUD LAKOTA

The Old Ones say, love is all anyone needs. Love doesn’t go away nor can love be divided. Once you commit an act of love, you’ll find it continues. Love is like setting up dominos one behind the other. Once you hit the first domino, it will touch the second one which will touch the third one and so on. Every love act or love thought has an affect on each person as well as touching the whole world. If you live a life filled with love, the results will affect your friends, relatives and other people, even after you go to the other side. So… Love.

My Creator, let me love. Let me put into action the love dominos.

A Witch Brewing among Catholics

A Witch Brewing among Catholics

Author: Magaly Guerrero

How often do you think about the day you discovered Paganism? Not when you found it, at least not in my case—I have always been a Witch; I just didn’t call it that until I was teenager. Ironically, I saw my witchy light in a church…

The church looked amazing. The altar was adorned with huge candelabras, white roses and tulips, and there were chains of white daisies draping from the back of every pew. My catechism instructor had told the class that Father Elias was going to marry a couple after he was done with our confessions. I was a little confused because it was Wednesday, and I thought people only got married during Sunday mass.

I looked at my watch. I had been sitting on a wooden pew for over an hour; my butt was numb.

“You’re next.” Manuel Tapia’s voice made me jump. He was the oldest boy in my catechism group, and I had a crush on him. I confessed it to God as soon as I realized I liked him. I wasn’t sure if liking Manuel was a sin, but I told God anyway—you can never be too safe in the ever-watchful eyes of God.

I walked to the confession booth rubbing my behind. Please God, let the seat have some padding, I prayed in silence. My poor butt couldn’t take any more pew torture.

I got to the booth, climbed three steps, and took a look. Crap, another wooden pew. I stood very still waiting for my punishment, and then I guessed that saying or thinking the word ‘crap’ wasn’t a sin because God didn’t strike me on the spot. I sat on the bench.

“You have to kneel.”

“Crap.” Father Elias scared the living Jesus out of me. For a moment, I believed God had decided that saying ‘crap’ in his house was a sin after all, and I was about to get it. But it wasn’t God. The horrible breath sipping through the tiny-screened window belonged to a familiar mortal.

“I won’t tolerate that kind of language in the house of God.” Father Elias moved so closed to the window that I could clearly see his angry little eyes. I wanted to protest and tell him that God hadn’t said anything when I said crap, and it was his house. But Father Elias’s putrid breath made me dizzy. I just nodded.

“Well?” asked Father Elias impatiently. “Didn’t you learn how to confess? You need to kneel.”

“But I don’t have anything to confess. I ask God for forgiveness as soon as I make a mistake.”

“Insolent girl, you can’t confess without a priest.”

I stared at the livid man thanking God for the screened window. Father Elias would have probably spat all over my face if it weren’t for it. He continued ranting and I continued to stare without listening. My mind’s voice was screaming at me. Why do I need a priest to confess my sins? Why am I here? Why would I share anything with this lunatic? Will my mom be mad if I leave?

One question actually crossed my lips: “Why can’t I talk to my God on my own?”

Father Elias was in my face a couple of seconds later. “Get out! Go talk to your teacher and tell her you are not ready. I will speak to her later. Send in whoever is next.”

I walked out of the booth and looked at my best friend, Dahlia, who had been seating behind me, waiting for her turn. I froze. What kind of friend would I be, if I let her face the crazy man without warning? Help me God!

“Well?” Father Elias spat into my thoughts.

I looked at the condemning fire in his eyes, and I knew that I had to do something, and I had to do it fast. I took off running. I ran until my 11-year-old lungs ordered me to stop. I found an old oak tree to lean on, and waited for my breath to catch up.

“Maggy, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

It was Ms. Toledo, the town librarian. She was always nice to me. I touched my face and realized she was right. I was crying. I told her everything as we walked to the library. When we got there, Ms. Toledo offered me a chair, but I declined.

She let out a long sigh. “Oh, don’t worry too much. It’s not the end of the world.”

I knew she was trying to help, but she hadn’t seen Father Elias’s face. She wasn’t there when he told me that I wasn’t ready. Ready for what anyway? And why didn’t he answer my question?

Ms. Toledo must have read my mind because she said, “I’ll have a word with Father Elias.”

I gave her a pained look and said, “Thanks.” I just wasn’t sure talking to the priest was the best idea.

Ms. Toledo walked away and I thought about stopping her. She should know that Father Elias wouldn’t listen. I gathered some courage and was ready to go find her, but she came back before I had a chance to move.

“Here, ” she whispered. “Take it home. Come back next week and tell me what you think.”

The excitement of taking a book home made me forget all about Father Elias, sins, and confessions. You see, the library in my town was so small that it couldn’t allow people to check out books. So taking the book with me was an adventure, especially because I didn’t own any books. My family was very poor, so we couldn’t afford them. That was the reason why I was such a good friend with Ms. Toledo. I used to spend as much time in the library as I was allowed, in order to finish a book.

I thanked Ms. Toledo and left with a smile on my face. I walked the three miles from the library to my house, taking glances at the book every now and then, but not daring to open it. What if I dropped it and ruined it?

I got home, climbed my favorite mango tree, and opened my borrowed treasure. I read about ancient gods—males and females—who interacted with their people. I learned about olden times when humanity lived in harmony with the earth, when people honored the moon and the sun and these Old Powers listened; times when folks believe in the power of their own energy.

I enjoyed the book so much that I was really sad when Monday came and I had to return it. But my gloom didn’t last long. Ms. Toledo replaced the book. The new volume was filled with gods from all over the world. Some of the gods were terrible and scary, but I loved learning about each and every one of them. Their eclectic nature, the spontaneity of their ways, their darkness and light, reminded me of me.

The Responsibility of the Witch in the Modern World

The Responsibility of the Witch in the Modern World

Author: wolf witch

In ancient times, the person most gifted in reading nature’s sign and in maintaining the health and well-being of the tribe became, essentially, the wise one or witch of that tribe. Through the periodic exchange of information with others of such kind and the constant study of herbs, natural phenomena, and basic human nature, such individuals gained an encyclopedic knowledge that vastly raised the survivability of the tribe existing in a harsh environment, providing an important barrier against human extinction.

Witches took responsibility for healing the sick, predicting the weather, determining the best times for planting and harvest, animal husbandry, finding the best places to live, and generally developing the circumstances under which a community could flourish. Lately, tremendous academic effort goes into delineating shamanism from witchcraft, and those individuals intent on proper nomenclature deny one in favor of another, but reality removes any doubt that function within a society belies any title. That the individual with a demonstrated talent for providing the tribe with information and service outside the practical efforts of hunting and gathering had significant value deserving of some distinction from the average person is all that mattered.

The progression of human development over time reduced the apparent need for these talented people, and the final blow to their overt existence came with the rise of organized religion and its dread of any source of spiritual power other than its own as an influence upon humanity. Culminating in the “burning times”, the position of village wise one was erased throughout most of the civilized world. The very capabilities that gave them note resulted in their demise, and the fact that the deaths of ten ordinary folk for every witch (counting those people accused of heresy and other such nefarious crimes among the ten) mattered little to an organization bent on control of human destiny in the name of its particular god.

One terrible consequence of those persecutions was the abandonment by the truly wise of humanity to its own devices. Spurned and burned, tortured and cursed, those who once directed the fate of entire communities retired almost completely from any participation in society, in part driven away by fear and, once the burning times ended, kept distant by the conviction that Man was no longer in need of their talents.

Currently a new openness and the removal of oppression from significant portions of modern society is allowing paganism to flourish and has removed most of the dangers associated with being publicly acknowledged as being a witch.

Unfortunately, the new witch is more dedicated to personal spiritual development that to helping humanity to survive in these trying times. There can be no faulting found for witches taking this direction. Hundreds of years of repression coupled with the present crop of very vocal fundamentalists determined to link the Craft to whatever devil they happen to fear go a long way toward pushing the average solitary practitioner back into the closet.

Exclusivity has always been a part of the Craft as well, so the IT revolution that has opened communications globally to anyone who can work a keyboard has actually increased the closed tribal nature of people within the Craft birthing a tremendous number of web sites each proclaiming itself and its owners the one true way to achieve whatever spiritual goal one desires. Forums are full of backbiting based on everything from the “true” names of the gods to the simple linguistics of “Wicca” and “witch”.

Considering that we live in a time when the errant acts of man, whether they be the push of a little red button launching a nuclear nightmare or the endless denuding of the planet to strip its resources at the expense of the very environment that sustains human life, witches have far more important matters at hand than debating what name best applies to the craft of the wise.

Not all of us are equipped to dedicate resources to organizations designed to provide help to those who are in need, but each of us can write to those in government responsible for the allocation of such resources. Our most valuable asset has always been our ability to persuade those responsible for some aspect of human existence to follow the wise way as determined by our talents for divination, conversing with the Otherworld, and understanding the special needs of nature as it applies to human existence. We are more than a lobbying group and much more than a political party.

We carry a tradition of aiding in the survival of humanity, and we cannot abandon that responsibility now or ever if we intend to live up to our calling.

Some of us have very little free time, but each of us can buy an extra can of food for the collection bin at the supermarket door.

All of us can ask those who have what others need to donate what may be no longer needed there to someplace where the need is great. One country in Africa has only a single working dialysis machine. A letter to major hospitals and regional dialysis centers asking them to donate replaced machines that still have a working life takes minutes, and email makes the whole process faster, it will cover more ground than any old fashioned conventional mail-out.

Many witches are already involved in charitable programs and deserve the highest accolade for understanding our real, historic place in society, but there are still a great number who are not involved and must become so if humanity is ever to find its true calling as a unified species dedicated to the well-being of each member of the species and the preservation of our greatest treasure, the planet upon which we rely for our survival.

The tribe is no longer a few isolated individuals in a tiny ecosystem. We are globally united, a genuine tribe of Man. The responsibility of the wise one is no longer the survival of a handful but of entirety of humanity.

We, as witches, must accept this responsibility, fir it is the single most essential element to our spiritual development and maturity.

Your Daily Number for September 29: 8

Your personal power is on the rise, and you may find yourself feeling more uninhibited and generous. Today is a day of blessings and rewards; old friends will provide comfort and inspiration.

Fast Facts

About the Number 8

Theme: Power, Responsibility, Good Judgment, Financial Rewards
Astro Association: Leo
Tarot Association: Strength

“THINK on THESE THINGS”

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Do you want to know the truth about worry? It hits everyone. It is not an ailment just for weaklings or cowards. Worry is the cat you throw out only to have it back in before you can close the door.

Worry has another side. It proves we care very much, and that we appreciate our God-given gifts and loved ones. In a way, it is a sign of strength, for if we can turn it to faith, then faith can be just as strong. And to overcome worry, or to at least control it, there must be faith.

Faith, and the knowledge that if you could be in all the places, watching closely all the things about which you are concerned, you couldn’t do a tenth as much good as one simple prayer.

We are taught, “Be not anxious,” “Fear not,” and “Be not afraid,” and too quickly we become anxious, fearful, and very frightened. But even then, we have only to put worry to flight by remembering those quieting words that are so absolutely true, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Recently we had a summer storm. It was rumbling and heavy with darkness. The lightning flashed across the sky and currents. When the first huge drops of rain spattered across the walks and lawns, our thoughts turned to the safety of anyone or anything that might be caught out in the wind and rain.

We’ve been through many summer storms. Some of them left permanent marks upon our memories. The threatening, the darkness, the pressure of the atmosphere are not so different from the emotional storms of the human life. We see lives under pressure bend to and fro in the uncertainty of life. We know concern for the safety of those who experience emotional storms. Then we know the only answer is in God’s hands. There is no other way.

The good earth rights itself quickly after a storm. Nature comes forth more richly for having gone through the storm, and the scars are lost in new growth. And blessed are we when we lift ourselves up to a new, deeper radiance and peace.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – September 28

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – September 28

“Love is something that you can leave behind you when you die. It’s that powerful.”

–John (Fire) Lame Deer, ROSEBUD LAKOTA

The Old Ones say, love is all anyone needs. Love doesn’t go away nor can love be divided. Once you commit an act of love, you’ll find it continues. Love is like setting up dominos one behind the other. Once you hit the first domino, it will touch the second one which will touch the third one and so on. Every love act or love thought has an affect on each person as well as touching the whole world. If you live a life filled with love, the results will affect your friends, relatives and other people, even after you go to the other side. So… Love.

My Creator, let me love. Let me put into action the love dominos.

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Happy Hump Day, dear friends!

I am celebrating myself being back to normal. So I am going to start today with a Re-Affirmation of Oath To Witchcraft.

RE-AFFIRMATION OF OATH TO WITCHCRAFT

Items You Will Need: A pitcher of wine or other (fruity) beverage on the Altar to refill (charge) the cup after the ritual.

1.  Raise open arms:

Lady and Lord, I call out to Thee! I hold Thee in honor and know that I am one with all the things of the Earth and Sky. My kin are the trees and the herbs of the fields; the animals and stones through the seas and the hills. The fresh waters and deserts are built out of Thee, and I am of Thee and Ye are of me.

2.  Lower arms:

I call upon Thee to grant my desire. Let me rejoice in my oneness with all things and let me love the life that emanates from my Lady and my Lord into all things. I know and accept the creed; and understand that if I do not have that spark of love within me, I will never find it outside myself, for Love is the Law and Love is the Bond! And this do I honor when I give honor to the Lady and the Lord.

3.  Kiss open right palm and then hold high:

My Lady and my Lord, know to me as (Names), I stand before Thee Both and initiate myself to Thy honor. I will defend and protect Thy spark within me and see Thy protection and defense of me. Ye are my life and I am of Thee. I accept and will ever abide by my family Rules of Conduct, and by the Witch’s Rede, that an’ it harms none, I may do as I will. So Mote It Be.

4.  Take up the goblet of wine and slowly pour the remainder of wine into the cauldron:

As this wine drains from the cup, so shall the blood drain from my body should I ever turn away from the Lady and the Lord or harm those in kinship with Their love, for to do so would to break trust, to cast aside the love of the Goddess and the God, and to break my own heart. Yet through Their continued love I know They would heal my heart and spirit that I might again journey through the cauldron of rebirth to embrace the love They freely give. So Mote It Be!

5.  Dip forefinger into the anointing oil and draw the sigil of the Solar Cross over the Third Eye, then draw the sigil of the Pentagram over the heart; and then draw the Sacred Triangle representing the Triple aspects of both Deities touching solar plexus (navel), right breast, left breast, navel.

6.  Refill the cup from the pitcher of beverage.

Proceed to Sabbat Conclusion and Cakes & Wine of the Circle Casting

“Grimoire for the Green Witch”
A Complete Book of Shadows
Ann Moura

“THINK on THESE THINGS”

“THINK on THESE THINGS”
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler

So much has been written about happiness – the way to it, the reasons for it, the symbols of it – and still people search for that very special something that will assure happiness forever after. Of all the recipes for lasting happiness, we finally have to mix our own. But the one thing everyone has in common is the need for a little bit more. We have this and this, for which we are very thankful, but always the need is extended to that little bit more.

Happiness is like any other part of our lives, we must use wisdom in seeking it. We too often rush headlong into something that seems to be instant happiness, all the time telling ourselves we can right the wrong at a later time. But happiness doesn’t remain happiness for very long when it has such strings attached.

In order to be rightly happy we concentrate on getting, but it is giving that we find most necessary to mix into every recipe. To some happiness will always be elusive, never quite settling anywhere, never quite revealing itself, for they have yet to learn that happiness has the wings of angels, the breath of God, and the love of man, all hidden within Him.

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Available online! ‘Cherokee Feast of Days’
By Joyce Sequichie Hifler.

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – September 27

Elder’s Meditation of the Day – September 27

“No one likes to be criticized, but criticism can be something like the desert wind that, in whipping the tender stalks, forces them to strike their roots down deeper for security.”

–Polingaysi Qoyawayma, HOPI

You move toward and become that which you think about. Creating a vision is what guides our lives. If we get off track with our vision, then we experience conflict. Conflict is nature’s way of telling us we are not in harmony. Criticism can be a way for one human being to help another. Often our Elders will give us criticism. This feedback is intended to be helpful. Criticism from our Elders helps us grow strong.

Great Spirit, today, if I need it, please provide me positive criticism.

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