Tag: God

Saint of the Day for June 10th is Blessed Joachima

Saint of the Day

 

Blessed Joachima
(1783-1854)

Born into an aristocratic family in Barcelona, Spain, Joachima was 12 when she expressed a desire to become a Carmelite nun. But her life took an altogether different turn at 16 with her marriage to a young lawyer, Theodore de Mas. Both deeply devout, they became secular Franciscans. During their 17 years of married life they raised eight children.

The normalcy of their family life was interrupted when Napoleon invaded Spain. Joachima had to flee with the children; Theodore, remaining behind, died. Though Joachima reexperienced a desire to enter a religious community, she attended to her duties as a mother. At the same time, the young widow led a life of austerity and chose to wear the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis as her ordinary dress. She spent much time in prayer and visiting the sick.

Four years later, with some of her children now married and younger ones under their care, Joachima confessed her desire to a priest to join a religious order. With his encouragement she established the Carmelite Sisters of Charity. In the midst of the fratricidal wars occurring at the time, Joachima was briefly imprisoned and, later, exiled to France for several years.

Sickness ultimately compelled her to resign as superior of her order. Over the next four years she slowly succumbed to paralysis, which caused her to die by inches. At her death in 1854 at the age of 71, Joachima was known and admired for her high degree of prayer, deep trust in God and selfless charity.

Comment:

Joachima understands loss. She lost the home where her children grew up, her husband and, finally, her health. As the power to move and care for her own needs slowly ebbed away, this woman who had all her life cared for others became wholly dependent; she required help with life’s simplest tasks. When our own lives go spinning out of control, when illness and bereavement and financial hardship strike, all we can do is cling to the belief that sustained Joachima: God watches over us always.

Deity of the Day for June 10th is XI-HE

Deity of the Day

XI-HE

Also known as HSI-HE, HSI-HO
 

Goddess of Light and Mother of the Ten Suns.

During the old Chinese ten-day week, one Sun would appear each day, until at the end of the week they all gathered together at the Valley of Light in the east.

Being a doting mother, XI-HE would wash them, brush their teeth with Sunny Smiles Toothpaste and put them to bed in the branches of a giant Mulberry Tree.

After a while the Ten Suns became bored with this routine and ran off together, causing a terrible heatwave. Her husband DI-JUN was ordered by the Emperor to keep the naughty Suns under control, with disastrous consequences for them, but not for us.

Saint of the Day for June 9th is St. Ephraem

On the day of 9 June

Saint  Ephraem

Of Saint Ephraem, deacon and doctor of the Church, who first exercised the office of preaching and of handing on sacred doctrine in Nisisbis, his own country. Then, when the Persians invaded Nisibis, he fled with disciples to Edessa in Osrhoene where he laid the foundations for a theological school, fulfilling his office through discourses and writings and in austerity of life, and so singular was he in doctrine that the exquisite hymns he composed merited for him the title �harp of the Holy Spirit.�

Deity of the Day for June 9th is THOTH

Deity of the Day

THOTH

Also known as TAHUTI, TEHUTI, THOT
 

Well-known God with the head of an Ibis. He’s a good all-rounder for Arts, Science, Music, Astronomy, Speech and Letters. A good egg. Thoroughly recommended.

If ever a God was greater than great it was THOTH. In one translation his name is prefixed with the word ‘great’ no less than eight times. Thith may have helped to reduce the embarrathment cauthed by having a name that lookth like a lithp.

His resume seems too impressive to be true — but most of the facts speak for themselves. He is the master of time, mathematics, astronomy, readin’, writin’, ‘rithmatic — and almost anything else you can point a pair of dividers at.

365 days in a year? Thank THOTH (see AAH for the full story). 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night? Thank THOTH. Circles having 360 degrees? Thank THOTH.

His bestselling BOOK-OF-THE-DEAD is still in print and you will never be able to hitch-hike to Heaven on the Nile without it.

He does have his eccentricities — he sometimes likes to revert back to the good old OGDOAD days and appear as a baboon. Not just any old baboon, but one that could have written the complete works of Shakespeare before Shakespeare existed. (Now there’s an idea — it’s always been known that Shakespeare could hardly write his own name let alone spell it, so who really wrote all those plays that bearded scene-shifter claimed as his own?) In the custom of the times he chose the head of an Ibis with a fancy wig for those high-flying occasions.

Encouraging RA to call himself Top God left THOTH free to run just about everything without any fuss or hassle. Pocket calculators? THOTH used the whole firmament, available to all on a grand scale. Think Sky.

To make it easier, all the stars and planets required for calculation are associated with favorite Gods. Need to work something out via Sirius? Log in and have HATHOR guide you. Need the moon for phases, time or tides? Go to THOTH; he chose to be Top Moon God alongside his best buddy KHONSU.

Cool, modest, unflappable, and a brilliant arbitrator, THOTH has stood the test of time, time and time again. Full ticks and tocks to this tip-top God.

He was also known to Greek God geeks as Hermes Trismegistus, possibly to avoid talking with a lisp.

Getting My Husband to Accept My Religion

Author: Scáithshúilóir

I have believed in the Wiccan Way since I was perhaps seven or ten years old. It wasn’t until I was thirteen that I began to more wholeheartedly follow the Old Way. I hadn’t done much research, regrettably, and yet looking back on old writings of rituals and dances, songs, poems, that had, at the time, seemed to have nothing to do with the Craft, really did. It was as though the Goddess and the God had been in my blood from day one (for Christianity had always felt “icky” to me, as though I were living a horrid lie that simply wouldn’t go away no matter how much I told the truth) .

I knew what I was, who I was, and what I wanted to do to show the world my beliefs.

However, in my eighth grade year, I was pulled into a weird cult group at my school and while the path we followed as akin to Wicca it was not all the same time. The gods and goddesses we followed were more or less made up, and when I met my current husband at the end of ninth grade after Hurricane Katrina and his friend whom wanted to practice Wicca and turned to me for information, I gave my husband’s friend the information of my cult from middle school versus the true information of the Craft.

My husband went online to verify the information and when it didn’t match up, he went rather nuts. So to this day, I’m still living up to that “lie.” I’m tainted and as are my beliefs.

Now, though he lets me keep my altar up (rather ignorant I’m guessing of what it stands for) and lets me wear my Goddess pendant and pentacle medallion, I know he fights me on practicing my beliefs openly. He seems unable to understand that when one says Wiccans believe in magick, it isn’t necessarily that we believe we can make the wind blow, or flowers grow, or move things with our minds, but rather that we take negative energy morph it into positive energy and through Circles and rituals and spells and the like we channel that positive energy to influence our world and through our positive thoughts and the like change how we do things and how our world is around us.

Yet… I don’t know. It’s hard because every time I bring up Wicca, he tells me “you’re not Wiccan” but I think it’s more because he’s in denial. Like, I saved something from a website that had a good Mabon ritual that I wanted to use come next month and he said, “So you’re looking up Wiccan things to buy online.”

I said, “No, I saved the site because it had a good ritual.”

He didn’t seem mad and didn’t argue with me. So, I guess it’s more of a gradual transition. My friend from years ago, Cael, did a tarot reading for me and said that there are two paths before me and only one reaches home. I’m torn between which path is the right one to take but I’m too stubborn to give up the fight.

I’m not sure exactly what to do.

I’ve prayed consistently to the Goddess and the God to guide me, to allow my husband, whom I would give my life for, who I believe the Goddess and the God gave to me personally, to accept my beliefs. I don’t want him to practice with me. I understand and accept fully that he doesn’t believe what I do, yet… I wish he’d extend the same kindness to me.

I guess I’d be more truthful if I said that there are some aspects of Wicca that I follow. I believe that faeries are lesser, almost demi-gods that are more or less spirits of the Earth manifested in plants, flowers, etc. I’ve already stated my thoughts/beliefs on magick.

I’m an eclectic Witch, but more or less I guess I’d be traditional in the sense that I worship the Goddess and the God, I only call upon Them in my rituals. Though I acknowledge all the other gods and goddesses of the various pantheons, I feel as though it more respectful to speak directly to the “head honchos” of the Way. That may just be me. I don’t believe in love potions, healing spells on myself, or things like that.

I think it is horribly against the Rede to do anything that might be considered “personal gain.” I believe in working for the things in my life, not use the magick given to me in ways to make it a faster process, just to give me a hop in my step.

I’m beautiful the way I am, the Goddess wouldn’t have made me such if I wasn’t truly beautiful. I love women and men equally; I don’t think one sex is better than the other. The Goddess and the God manifest in each of us, so no one is more perfect than the other.

I accept others beliefs, for the Rede bids us “Abide the Wiccan Law ye must/ in perfect love and perfect trust.” I follow the Rede as best I can, but like all humans I mess up.

But I’ve digressed from my general point. I only want to be accepted. I wish I could reach a mutual understanding with my husband. I love my faith and I love the Goddess and the God, and to not worship them every night by opening a circle and simply meditating with Their presence beside me, it’s almost painful.

Goddess and God willing my husband will accept my religion as I have undoubtedly accepted his. But as I’ve mentioned before in above paragraphs, it’s still a debated issue. I hope the gradual transition works out in the end. And I hope it comes to a close soon. I can’t take much more of this. It’s killing me.

Flying On A Broom

Author: Beweaver
Now mind you, I’ve been asked to do magic for folks over the years. But none have ever followed through. They think it sounds good but for one reason or the other they bail. Don’t know if it’s because they become afraid or can’t get their act together enough or what. So it’s never happened. I’ve always been nervous at the thought. Those days are gone. And it came to me as naturally as snapping my fingers.

Some of you might remember the difficult wounding of a tender, fairly new friendship back in December. It kind of blew up and kind of healed. But we have not met outside of a meeting nor talked on the phone nor walked around the lake since that day. I have missed her terribly. Missed her and her daughter. But I did make a pact with myself, because of all the challenges I was having regarding all friendships, that I would seek out those who seek me. That it was time I stopped pursuing people who, when left to their own devices, did not pursue me.

I wanted her to have the time she needed, I didn’t want to push myself on her. I had told her I loved her and that I wanted her in my life. I hoped that something might happen, not holding my breath, detachment has been mine, and last week it happened.

She contacted me to ask if paying her psychic $500 to cleanse her house was a reasonable thing given what I know about magic. That the psychic said someone was trying to take her house away, that they were watching her house. Now I don’t know if this was truth or if the person was trying to scare her into spending a bundle on “magical” remedies. I told her my truth. That no witch I know would charge anyone $500 for any magic of any kind. That I would be very happy to come and do some work on her house for her but I would prefer it if she helped. For no charge, that witches in my tradition don’t charge for their services although they were allowed to accept gifts of thanks.

I suggested that her 13-year-old daughter would be very welcome but only if my friend, as her mother, approved. I felt that she needed this cleansing as much as her mother did. And to spend $500 on a new front door if she felt she needed to spend it. Tongue in cheek of course.

She said, oh yes please. I wrote up a ritual, sent her a shopping list, worked out the best day, and called my High Priestess for direction. Like my friend my high priestess is Jewish. She suggested that instead of pentagrams we use the Mogen David. The Shield of David. Yes, that six-pointed star, like our pentagram, is a shield. A shield used by God to protect his people. Perfect. I am not a squeamish witch; I embrace all the good, spiritual tools available to me. To be able to help them with symbols and a language that spoke to them was such an honor.

My friend said that she barely got it all out when her daughter excitedly said, “YES! I want to do this with you.” Awesome.

I actually got a little lost on my way there. When I got my new phone and they transferred the sim card info, I lost all addresses but hadn’t realized until I got lost that I needed theirs. When I finally found it I realized that I had driven right past it twice. I didn’t recognize the place. My friend had already begun to renew her home and her life. The lights from the windows, the colors of the walls radiating out, was so welcoming, quite beautiful. The inside had changed even more. She was half way there instinctively, intuitively. Moving furniture out, moving it about, changing the flow of energy, those are powerful tools. New locks on doors and windows.

So three women and a dog talked about what we would be doing, toured the house, and explained grounding and some of the tools we would be using. I gently suggested that she remove her ex-husband’s things from the house as soon as she could. That is was time. He is still around but he is severely disabled due to an allergic reaction to a medication and has no interest or use for what is left. That she buys herself and her daughter new sheets and physically cleanses their rooms to remove the sadness and depression that they had experienced in their beds for the past 3 years. That the house had always felt sad to me and that it wasn’t just their sadness, that it felt older to me. She said the neighbors had told her that a woman like Throw Mama From A Train had lived there with her children. Neglect, pain, sadness. I was so glad she was doing this.

I explained grounding and we began. We tried to start from a standing position, forming a triangle with our bodies to represent the female half of the Mogen David but the dog thought we wanted to dance and kept jumping up and licking faces. We had to sit. I walked them through a guided meditation for grounding and I felt them both ground. When the daughter opened her eyes we could both tell that something had really happened for her. She is thirteen but her ability to articulate what that felt like and what she experienced was truly beautiful. I wish we could all keep a part of that wise girl who’s just become a woman, who’s still experiencing the world and it’s wonders with a state of grace, inside us.

She was so excited to do this. Her energy was so bouncy, so pure, so joyful. Her bat mitzvah was only a few weeks ago and she was so excited to learn about the Kabbalistic Cross and to seal her doors and windows with something magical that was from her own faith.

We swept that house; we asperged that house; we cleansed that house. We sealed the doors and windows with Mogen David’s; we chanted the heck out of that house and sent the negative energy and spirits packing. We charged some stones to ward the perimeter of the property and necklaces for them to wear. We laughed, we hugged, we marveled, we sighed. It was so good, so wonderful.

She and her daughter honored and blessed me with their need and their request. And their gratitude. While I was packing up to leave they went down to the basement to turn off lights and lock up. What they came back with was something that I had seen in the basement. A black leather motorcycle jacket with studs on the collar, belt, and shoulders. It had belonged to her ex-husband, the father of her daughter.

I had said that if she was selling it in the yard sale they were planning that I would definitely be interested. She told me that this coat had seen the punk music scene in New York. That it knew Lou Reed, The Ramones, poets, playwrights, was even in a photo shoot for a Japanese magazine. That it had a real history, the man who wore it had lived the life with those I had admired back in the day. I was in awe of that jacket. And they gave it to me in gratitude for coming over to bless their house.

We laughed and talked and hugged some more. I drove home high as a kite, floating on air. It was hours before I was able to fall asleep. I had hung the coat up but kept it out of my closet. While that coat, one just like it, has been on my wish list for my entire adult life, I’ve never wanted to spend the money or didn’t find one I liked or that fit, I felt uneasy. I had planted my wish in her mind and I felt that in a way I had asked for payment. I wasn’t sure what to do.

When I woke the next morning I thought I should call her, see how she’s doing. “No, she’s out buying new sheets, ” sounded in my head. I set about cleaning my own room. 90% of what I brought with me to my parents house is in one room with me. 11 x 11. I’m certain I’m being generous to the size. Clutter builds up very quickly. I’ve got The Razor’s Edge on the laptop playing and I’m clearing and sorting out my underwear drawer (I believe MOST of magic is about making mundane acts magical) when the phone rang.

It was my friend. She was so excited, words bubbling out of her so fast, she’s so emotionally charged. She starts telling me that knowing that I have that coat has done so much good. That the man who was her daughter’s father was a man she had loved, who had been a very good man, that she had really loved him and knowing that the coat went to someone who really wanted it and who knew him and her and their story, someone who would honor it and give it a new loving life made her heart overflow.

Tears? Falling like a fountain, we’re both just sobbing. She tells me she’s been crying all morning but it’s been bittersweet, a cleansing. And she was putting the new purple sheets on her daughter’s bed as we talked. And that after I left, her daughter, with eyes as big as saucers, said, “She’s the real thing Mom. She’s a REAL witch.” Now that is a compliment indeed and I’m humbled and all kinds of grateful.

So much healing was done Saturday night. The night of Saturn, waning moon in Sagittarius. A banishing protective night. But this is the best part of magic. Things happen that you don’t expect and hardly dare to hope. Things happen that are counter intuitive. Good things, things like healings and blessings and love happen when it isn’t a full moon. New things begin; joy is embraced. All in black our bond was cast. The three of us, three women. And a dog. Three women who will always have Saturday, February 6th, in their hearts for the rest of their lives and beyond. Wealth beyond compare.

Be careful what you witch for. You just might get it. *wink*

A Spell to Help You Keep A Positive Attitude In Illness and Thereby Encourage Healing

A daily spell can help you to focus your own self-healing powers and will act as a reminder that you are still yourself and not the illness.

You will need:

Sheets of white paper; a selection of crayons in rainbow colours; a black pencil.

Timing:

Every day of the illness, when you get up.

The spell:

  • On day one, draw an outline of a figure and cover it with black dots.

  • Crayola over the dots with different colours. When you have finished, say six times: Today I will feel better, and tomorrow I will recover even more

  • Throw away the paper.

  • Each day, draw fewer and fainter black dots and make the colours brighter and more intense. Repeat the chant six times and throw away the paper

  • When after a number of days you have no more dots to draw, just colour the figure and repeat the words six times. The spell is done.

Spirit Summoning Spells

Summoning a person is usually straight-forward. Call them on the telephone, drop them a note. Faxes and e-mails are instantaneous. If you’re patient, you could show up on their doorstep and await their inevitable arrival home. But how do you summon a spirit?

Straightforward methods exist as well as more complex ones. There are a lot of ways. Ancient theurgists used to call spirits with spinning tops. Some spirits respond if their name is called while others only respond to elaborate spells and rituals. It’s possible to summon generic “benevolent” spirits or summon a specific one by name. It is usually wisest to know exactly whom you’re summoning.

Some traditions consider that it’s safest or necessary to contact a gatekeeper spirit who will then summon the actual spirit for you. Essentially you are summoning a spirit to summon spirits for you. Although whether you choose to do this depends largely upon the tradition you follow, it is a wise practice if you are in the habit of summoning “generic” spirits. Summoning spirits without being very familiar with their identity and personality is a little like living in a very busy metropolis, throwing your front door open and inviting just anyone to enter. Always remember that, as with any guest, it’s easier to invite them in than to ask them to leave.

Gate guardian spirits may be petitioned to only permit benevolent or kind spirits through and bar the gate to malicious spirits. These gate guardians include:

  • Elegba

  • Exu

  • Hecate

  • Hermes

  • Maria Padilha Pomga Gira

These spirits guard the crossroads, permitting and denying access as they deem fit.

Spirits are summoned via:

*Fragrance: In ancient Egypt, it was believed that every spirit possessed it own characteristic scent, sort of like the ghost in the move “The Uninvited.” The sudden appearance of the fragrance signaled the spirit’s presence. This fragrance becomes a summoning device: when you introduce the fragrance to atmosphere, you’re effectively extending an invitation. General magickal wisdom suggests that beautiful, aromatic fragrance (gardenia, frankincense, sandalwood) summon beautiful, powerful, benevolent spirits. Likewise offensive, foul, malodorous fragrances summon malicious, mean-spirited, malignant, destructive spirit forces.

*Altars on which they recognize themselves: Every spirit has one or more attribute: objects, emblems, birds, animal, minerals or things that represent their power or whose essence they share manipulating these objects like a tableau extends visual invitations. Hence a glass of spring water and a dish of honey beckons Oshun; she is sweet water and honey, each shares the same essence.

*Offerings: In general, spirits are not above bribery but rather consider it their due. Attract their attention and lure them to your side by offering whatever they love, whatever most attracts them and invigorates them.

Element Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells
by Judika Illes

When Your Pet is More Than A Pet – Familiars and Avatars

Author: Bronwen Forbes

As a prologue to this, you need to know that Herne has been my patron God since I was nine years old. You don’t need to know, but you’ll probably figure out by reading this (if you haven’t already) that sometimes I’m a little slow to notice the obvious.

A few months after adopting my red and white beagle mix Herman, I was trying to sleep in one Saturday morning when I began to idly wonder, “There are so many Goddesses with dogs as part of their symbolism. I wonder what Gods are associated with dogs, too?” And then it hit me like a two-by-four to the forehead. Herne, Lord of the Wild Hunt, is very much associated with dogs, especially red and white hunting dogs, than you very much. (I warned you I’m a little slow sometimes) .

Needless to say, sleep was no longer an option. I sat up and looked at Herman (who had spent the night, as he usually did, asnooze at my side) who was already staring at me with a definite, “took you long enough to figure it out” expression.

And just like that, I not only had a familiar, I had an avatar.

I’m defining “avatar” here not as a recent hit movie or a small picture that represents you on various blogs or discussion boards, but as the earthly representative of a deity. And for the love of me, I hadn’t a clue what to do with mine.

Four months later, we adopted a German Shepherd mix named Katie – and lo and behold, she was also what my husband likes to call a “God-touched” dog. But unlike Herman who was also my familiar (notice the past tense; I still miss him) , Katie let us know pretty quickly that she had no interest whatsoever in being my husband’s familiar, but would happily attend her Goddess Nehelennia’s tasks of safe travel, healing and commerce. Period.

Since acquiring Herman and Katie in 2001, I’ve alao gotten the clue what to do, not just for my special dogs, but for anyone else who may wake up one morning and see deity shining through the eyes of their pet.

First and foremost, and I know this sounds obvious, you have to keep treating your pet like a, well, pet. Your animal companion is your spiritual and or magickal support (familiar) or a little bit of deity (avatar) but he still needs proper food and water, adequate shelter, regular veterinary checkups, exercise, training, vaccinations, etc. After all, it’s not like the Gods can or will take care of your pet for you.

But once the regular, responsible pet ownership duties are taken care of with your familiar or avatar, there are still some things you need to think about to keep your relationship with your animal companion – and your deity – as smooth and fulfilling as possible.

1. Remember that, despite her spiritual role in your life, your pet is still going to act like an animal. Herman used to drive me crazy with this. He was a daily reminder of my relationship with my patron deity, helped me work through some serious ritual issues, was a whiz at helping new students ground and center simply by sitting in their laps during ritual – and he was also a master escape artist. He could climb or dig under any chain link fence, and did so on a pretty regular basis.

Katie, a born healer, is also a big dog and an unrepentant counter-surfer. I can’t begin to count how many times I packed my lunch, left the kitchen to get dressed for work, and came back to find my lunch bag and food containers in Katie’s crate and my ex-lunch in her stomach. She may be God-touched, but she’s still a dog!

2. Give your familiar and/or avatar full autonomy regarding ritual attendance. This includes personal workings, small group rituals, festivals, and rites of passage. Shortly after my Saturday morning revelation about Herman, my husband and I took him with us to visit my parents for the weekend. While we were there, I helped my parents bury the ashes of our old family cat in the side yard garden – an understandably emotional activity. Herman was in the back yard, separated from me by a picket fence. He could see me through the fence, but couldn’t get to me. As my father dug a hole for the ashes, Herman went nuts, for want of a better word. Instead of pursuing squirrels (his usual pastime in my parents’ backyard) , he was throwing himself against the fence and barking frantically, trying to get to me. I should have stepped over the fence, opened the gate, and allowed Herman to join the small ritual. After all, he only wanted to do his job.

There have also been instance and rituals where Herman or Katie did *not* want to attend a particular ritual, and we quickly learned to “listen” to their opinions – rather like knowing that it doesn’t feel right to take a certain tarot deck with you when you go do readings at a community event. We learned this lesson the hard way when we took Katie to a ritual she clearly didn’t want to go to and she had a seizure.

3. Give your pet enough down time. Just as you can’t be in ritual 24/7, it’s unrealistic to expect your pet to be “on, ” i.e. actively acting as a divine representative or helping you with your spiritual work all the time. Don’t bug him to help you if he clearly doesn’t feel like it – the fact that he’s asleep or ignoring you are clear signs that he “doesn’t feel like it.”

If you find yourself needing extra protein, water or sleep after a working or ritual, offer some to your familiar or avatar as well.

If you have a pet that also enhances your spiritual practice or connection with your deity, you have been given a gift beyond price. Very few animals, at least in my experience, can do this, and if you get one or even two in a lifetime, you have truly been blessed. It’s also not something you can actively look for; it’s like love (actually it *is* love) – the more you try to find that special animal, the less likely you are to succeed.

Be patient. If and when you’re ready, the right animal will come.

Responsible Witch


Author: Donna Caldwell aka Scarlette Winter Rose

What is a witch? Is it, as by common definition, a sorceress, a person bent on evil doings, who casts spells and worships the devil? Is it someone to fear and therefore ostracize, imprison and execute? My answer to these questions is both yes, and no.

Why am I qualified to answer these questions? Because I am a witch, and have been all of my life.

So let’s get those questions answered.

First, a witch is many things. She, or he, as men are witches too, may or may not be a sorceress. Some witches practice no spell craft, but choose only to focus on the worship of nature, and the Goddess and God, providers of all that we are blessed with on this earth.

There are those like myself, who practice sorcery, or magick. And you will find that among witches, those terms, along with numerous others, intertwine for many, while some insist that the term sorcery only applies to black magic. I do not agree, because to me there is no “black” or “white” magick. There is only magick, and it is the intent of the practitioner that determines the direction of the energy used.

When one decides to follow the path of the witch, they are making a commitment that holds many responsibilities, and will find that there is much to learn before any actual casting of spells should be approached.

To quote High Priestess Ly de Angeles, from her book “Witchcraft Theory and Practice”, “Once initiation has occurred, there is no turning back…you will quest all of your life; it is not a thing to do thoughtlessly.”

This is, in part, because our spiritual path, unlike others, states that we are immediately responsible for all of our actions and the results that follow. We cannot lay blame elsewhere for our harmful deeds, whether toward ourselves or to others.

Witches do not believe in the devil, so the idea of our worshipping one is meaningless. If we have acted in a baneful manner, we will not be judged after our body dies, before a single god, but will reap the sowing of our intent while in the present life, and sometimes beyond it, in accordance to the laws of the universe.

This is known among witches as the Threefold Law. It states that any one baneful act by a witch shall be returned upon them three times.

Some, myself included, do not hold strictly to the Threefold Law, but believe that negative use of witchcraft returns upon those liable however many times the universe deems necessary, in order to teach that which must be taught to the practitioner. Think of the old saying “What goes around comes around.”

So witches do have rules? Hell yes!

We abide by that which is known as the Wiccan Rede, a hefty list of guidelines. The most basic and important of these is “And it harm none, do what thou wilt.” Now, just what does that mean?

It means a lot.

We must take care with everything and everyone on this earth, be it the people, the animals, nature, and the planet itself. All is a gift from the Goddess. We must not lie, steal, cheat, or raise war, either with nations, or other people who would condemn us for our beliefs because they differ from their own.

We must work magick responsibly. This means we must prepare for ritual with great thought and patience, being precise, and making sure our efforts do not impose upon another’s will, as that would be baneful.

We must not use mind-altering drugs of any kind before or during ritual. To do so would be against the Rede, as we could bring harm to others and ourselves due to our lack of clear focus.

There are strict rules for summoning energies or “watchtowers”, as we in the Craft refer to them. They are called upon to join and assist in ritual, and must be dismissed at the ritual’s end, in a certain way. Failing to do this can, and most often does, result in negative occurrences long after the ritual is over and those in the circle have gone merrily on their way.

Being in a drugged state would leave those practicing within the ritual circle completely vulnerable to the energies and spirits that have been summoned. To perform spell work correctly, successfully and safely, one must have complete control over their faculties.

Now, how about our reputation?

It has taken hundreds of years for witches to partially recover from the labels placed upon us, and whether we like it or not, our chosen path is one which is looked at by others who still hold to the opinion that we are not following a true spiritual path, but one of pure evil. We must show them differently.

We must act responsibly, respectfully, and never fall into the trap of believing that we are “right” and others “wrong” in their differing beliefs.

We must not boast of powers, or play upon another’s fear of us, thus falling prey to the ego and thereby promoting our own demise, either through personal fault, or by those who would seek to destroy us.

As for that last question, I think I’ll let you, the reader, decide. You have heard from me, a practicing witch, concerning some or our basic beliefs and ways in which we live our lives.

So, what do you think? Should I be feared? Ostracized and imprisoned? Executed?

Some would still answer, “Yes.” My neighbor is one. She has stated on more than one occasion that anyone who practices witchcraft, or her idea of witchcraft, should, in fact, be burned at the stake, twenty – first century or not. With the giant wooden cross she has erected in her front yard, I guess she is preparing for her own ritual….

There will probably always be those who will hate us, out of ignorance and fear. Or perhaps just because we have the courage some of them lack, to follow our own path rather than go along with what is most acceptable in society for the sake of fitting in.

As for myself, I shall continue on the journey my Goddess has provided me, and I shall remain a responsible witch.

Shielding Method 1: Pagan Grid of Protection

Author: Nita

I want to share a protection method for those who practice a religion that is not oriented towards angels. I hope this will be a big help for people who are learning how to shield themselves from harmful energies and vibrations.

I have felt that many people who begin in magic pick up what others think, and do not understand their abilities and talents. The most difficult talent is being an empath where others feelings are sent to you. Many people have problems because they do not know the difference between their emotions and others.

I hope this shielding method helps everyone to keep balanced, centered and grounded. Blessed Be.

Arianhod, Goddess of Heaven, I ask that you send a grid of energy that nothing harmful may pass. May I be defended from the East, in the realm of air by your beauty and might. May this day go well with no slander, communication problems, misunderstandings, quarrels or arguments. May your mighty shield deflect all energies of air meant to harm me or cause discord and may I be sealed and contained from all harm through the element of air. Let me be protected in my body, mind, and soul. May all the positive spirits, Gods, Goddesses of air and the east bring the positive effects of wisdom, thought, and communications to be glorified this day in service to the light and goodness of life.

Lugh, God of the light, may your innovations, defense, and fiery nature defend me from all harm through the element of fire and the direction of the South. I ask that a grid of energy be sent to me so I will be protected from all accidents, war, terrorism, acts of violence or cruelty, May all energies of fire meant to harm me or cause discord, hatred and jealousy be deflected by your mighty shield of energy and may you add this grid around the grid of air so I may be protected from all combinations of fire, and air this day. May I also be protected from all harm through the direction of east and south or any combination of those directions and elements. Let me be protected in my body, mind and higher self. May all the positive spirits, Gods, and Goddesses of the south and east bring the positive effects of fire and air to be glorified this day in service to the light and goodness of life.

Morrigan, Lady of the Lake, may you send an invincible grid of the element of water to surround the elemental shields and grids of air and earth. May nothing use the emotions, thoughts, fears, and upset that can be sent through the element of water and west against me. May no combinations of air, fire, and water harm me or influence me negatively in any way.

May no harm come through the directions of East, South, and West or any combinations of these directions and elements. May I be protected in my body, mind and soul. May all of the positive sprits, Gods, Goddesses of Air, fire and water bring the positive effects of these elements to be glorified this day in service to the light and goodness of life.

Danu, Mother Goddess of all, may I be shielded from all harm from the North and through the element of earth by your might and loving protection being sent to me in an invincible grid of protection that goes around the grids of air, fire and water. May it protect me from all harm through the elements of air, fire, water and earth. May no single element or combination of elements be able to harm me in any fashion.

May I be freed of poverty, problems through metal and wood, inertia, and any other harm that links to the negative powers of the earth and the north. May all of the positive spirits, Gods, Goddesses, bring the positive effects of the elements of air, fire, water, and earth to be glorified this day in service to the light and Goodness of Life.

I ask that this grid be sealed by all the Gods and Goddess with an impenetrable energy shield so that no harm may come to me in any way. Be it simple energies of life or others emotions, harmful magic, or evil spirits, ghosts, hexes, curses or harm. Nothing shall past these shields. Nothing may use the energies of spirit, life, or elements against me. The Gods and Goddesses protect me and keep me safe this day and every day.

Face each direction and say:

Arianhod seal the grids completely from the East and the element of Air.
Lugh seal the grids completely from the direction of South and the element of fire.
Morrigan seal the grids completely from the direction of West and the element of water.
Danu seal the grids completely from the direction of North and the element of Earth.

Say this shielding spell every day. It will keep you safe and help you to build your energies and have a permanently strong shield of safety and protection.

You may substitute any Gods or Goddesses from any practice with these Gods and Goddesses. This method will seal the elements and directions that should keep you safe and well.

I know the basics for any grid of protection using the elements and the directions is to pick God’s and Goddesses that correspond to those directions and abilities. Ones of Earth for earth, water for water, air for air, and fire for fire. You then can assign them to the directions or find if they are present or known to defend a certain element or direction.

It means that any pantheon of Gods or Goddesses can be used for these methods. The sealing of the directions and elements is useful in most forms of magic. It will contain and seal off the direction the person who is sending the negative magic is living in or doing their magic in a certain area.

The elements are important because all of them cover every method that can be used to harm others. Earth is the elements of spell casting equipment. Air is the element of the spoken word and spirit connections. Fire is the light of the fire or candle. Water is any liquids or oils. So all of the elements combined to seal the person and protect them are very powerful. It can also be used on vehicles, houses, and places of business to protect everything that needs to be protected from harm.

I always encourage people to improvise and add in sentences or variations that fit their needs. Inspiration is important but always write down what you said and what you do. It is the only way to be sure that your method worked and to verify the results.

Get Back Up

All of us have had traumas in our life. Granted, some seem much bigger than others and we can all sing the “Somebody Did Me Wrong” song.

I believe these challenges are sent so we can learn how to get back up. They are to show us how much courage we do already have within us.

Some people have huge stumbling blocks or traumas at a young age, some in later years. If you look back in your life and see darkness, I implore you to look more closely.

You are able to look back – aren’t you?
You are still here,
living, breathing PROOF that you were ABLE to Get Back Up.

Bless the dark areas and thank them for the strength that you now have within you to face the next one. Without darkness we cannot recognize the light. Walk in the light and bless the darkness. This way the new light will touch everything past and everything yet to come…

Burdens can weigh you down if you let them engulf you – so don’t.

Always remember you Are Still Here so
YOU
Are Able to Get Back Up.

— Copyright © 2006 Vicki Muller

Your Charm for May 15 is Egyptian Gnostic Talismans

Your Charm for Today
 
 

The Gnostic Talisman
 
Today’s Meaning:
This aspect will be tested morally. This test is may be well hidden and the solution a mystery to you. You will have to make your way through it blindly. Have faith in yourslef and you will do fine.General Description:
The Egyptian Gnostic talisman is engraved with their hawk-headed and frog-headed deities, the winged uraeus, and the ankh, the symbol of life. The inscription is a supplication to Bait, Hathor, Akori, and ends with Hail, Father of the World! Hail, God in Three Forms! This amulet was worn as a protection against both physical and moral evil. The religion of the Gnostics was a strange intermingling of pagan and Christian ideas. It was a system of complicated symolism made purposely obscure and mysterious.

Wishing You A Very Blessed & Happy Saturday!

Good Afternoon my dearies! I know it is late in the afternoon but I am going to do things a little different today. I am going to just put on the horoscopes, tarot, I Ching and Runes. Then after that I am actually going to put on some interesting and useful info. That’ll be a first, lol! If you can’t poke fun at yourself, then no one can.

Hadn’t talked to everyone in a while, so I thought I would give you all a quick up-date. You know when I asked for your prayers for my son, his family and everyone else suffering from the flooding??? The water stopped 2 foot from getting into his house. I don’t want to toot your horn to soon because we had rain yesterday and it is also raining now. But I do have faith in you that as long as you continue to pray for him and everyone else, we will make it. May I ask you one more thing, there is a little boy who is in one of our hospitals about to die. The reason, his mother let him play in this nasty water, while she cleaned up some. I wish I knew the child’s name but I am not even suppose to know about this. So please pray for him and also pray for these parents around here that they exercise good judgement. The CDC came through here and tested the toxic levels in this nasty stuff. All the levels were off the chart. I believe if I had a kid right now about 5 or 6 and I had cleaning to do, I would nail him to the wall  by his drawers.

But the water is starting to receded slowly but surely and I am sure life will return to normal. Now for my fun around here and oh, brother, has it been fun! NOT!  Should I start with the idiot that is killing cats or the other idiots shooting coyote? Hmmmm……whatever is a Lady to do??? Let’s start with the cats. I had two cats that I was obviously crazy about. Either one of them were afraid of humans and now I wish they were and had never met me. I feel responsible because they lost their fear of humans. If they had just been kept wild then no one could have ever hurt them. The one that was pregnant was found dead in the field this morning. She had given birth to the kits several weeks ago and I was scared to death they would harm the momma cat. Sure enough, when they didn’t need her anymore they killed her. The big one that I wanted to keep so bad he was found dead in the field also, shot. I know who is doing it. I heard them talking one night while I was outside brushing KiKi. But hubby says without proof we can’t do anything. I don’t know what kind of proof I need? Get my camera and follow them out into the field. Then ask them to smile for the camera? That wouldn’t work at all. I would want to beat the hell out of them, then they would call the Law. But having dumped so many animals, I am sure they wouldn’t call the Law at all. I might end up like one of those animals out in the field.  Now on to the people shooting coyotes. They move a trailer way out in the middle of the field. Right in the middle of every animals’ path you can imagine. Well I have been going out in the afternoon and looking at the coyotes with my field binoculars. (Yes, I hunt.) On the horizon, I saw pups a playing. It was hard to tell if they were coyote or wolf. Momma Whatever would never come up to see her babies play and check on them. But she wasn’t too far away, they all took off in a hurry. I asked the man who was doing the coyote hunting if he ran across a den of young coyotes/wolves, to let me know. I also asked him not to shoot all of them please. If it wasn’t too much trouble for him to bring me one. He did one better and made my day. He told me if they ran across a den he would send his boy over to get me and I could go with them to the den. I asked if I could take all of the pups with me. He looked at me like, “Why?” I told him I knew of enough Rescues that would take the other. There was no need to kill them all. He agreed with me. He even asked me if I wanted to go out in the future and collect the pups (if any) and turn them over to a rescue. I love animals, so what could I say, lol! But that did make my day. The man doing the coyote hunts use to come over while Mocha was alive. She was more Wolf than dog and she was a beautiful animal. But she was very protective of me and when the man came over, he always wanted to pet Mocha. I would tell her it was ok and she would let him pet her. So he knows I miss her and why I would want a coyote or wolf pup. Kiki would have to get use to it.  Especially her not ruling the roost anymore, lol!

Have a great Saturday,

Lady A

I Was Never Promised


I Was Never Promised

I know as I sit here, I was never promised an easy life.

I was never promised happiness or comfortability.

I was never promised a roof over my head or food to eat on a daily basis.

I was never promised that my family or I would be healthy and I was never promised that I would develop friendships that I hold dearly.

I was never promised that today would be free and that I would have to exchange a day of my life for it.

I was never promised that I will make a better tomorrow and with the utmost humility, make a difference in many people’s lives.

I was never promised clothing to wear on a daily basis and a washing machine and dryer to clean and dry them.

I was never promised a direction in life and I certainly was not afforded a road map to get to where I belong.

I was never promised the luxury of an automobile or the money to put gas in it.

I was never promised that I would live in a modest home and fill it with the essentials to make a house, a home.

I was never promised, but I do promise, to never take for granted the things that have been so graciously given to me in my life…

I will give thanks on a daily basis for everything and everyone I touch and that touches me.

I, as I sit here writing this to you, I know in a blink of an eye, that all of these things that I have can be gone.

Gratitude, Gratitude, Gratitude…

— Copyright© 2010 Rich Barnes

Tuesday’s Prayer – Prayer for Pagan Children

Prayer for Pagan Children

O God, O Goddess, you have created all

people, all races, all traditions, and all

faiths. You have taught us to worship you

each in our own way. This can be very

confusing at times, and to a small child,

often traumatic.

Mankind has created much discontent,

and prejudice is everywhere.

My prayer is for all children, but espe-

cially the Pagan children. Give them and

their families the strength and endurance

needed to survive these times. help them

to grow and understand that ignorance

and greed is the cause of all suffering, so

that one day we can be united as one

 family again.

So Mote It Be.

Cleansing Your Candles

Cleansing Your Candles

This is a very important step and should not be omitted. Cleansing removes all the negative energies that the candle has picked up along the way. As with all supplies you want your candles to to be as free of psychic debris as possible. Submerge the candle in sea salt and the ask The Lord and lady to bless it. I could give you the phrasing but I think it is better when it comes from your own heart.

History of Witchcraft (part 4)

History of Witchcraft (part 4)

As  Christianity  became  a part of this nation,  there  is  much

evidence to show where the Christians of the time, and the pagans

lived peacefully together.

In  theology, the differences between early Christians,  Gnostics

(members  –  often  Christian – of dualistic  sects  of  the  2nd

century  a.d.), and pagan Hermetists were slight.  In  the  large

Gnostic  library  discovered at Naj’Hammadi, in upper  Egypt,  in

1945,  Hermetic writings were found side by side  with  Christian

Gnostic  texts.   The  doctrine of the  soul  taught  in  Gnostic

communities was almost identical to that taught in the mysteries:

the soul emanated from the Father, fell into the body, and had to

return to its former home.  

It was not until later in Rome that things took a change for  the

worse.  Which moves us on to Greece.

The doctrinal similarity is exemplified in the case of the  pagan

writer  and  philosopher  Synesius.  When the  people  of  Cyrene

wanted  the  most able man of the city to be their  bishop,  they

chose  Synesius,  a  pagan. He was able to  accept  the  election

without  sacrificing  his  intellectual honesty.   In  his  pagan

period,  he  wrote  hymns that follow the fire  theology  of  the

Chaldean Oracles.  Later he wrote hymns to Christ.  The  doctrine

is almost identical.

To  attempt to demonstrate this…let’s go to some  BASIC  tenets

and beliefs of the two religions:

                        Christian Beliefs

The 10 Commandments

1.) You shall have no other gods before me.

To the Christian, this means there will be no other God.  Yet, in

the bible, the phrase is plural.  I does not state that you  will

not  have another god, it says that you will have no  other  gods

before the Christian God.

In  the case of the later, it could be interpreted to  mean  that

whereas other gods can be recognised, as a Christian, this person

should  place YHVH ahead of all gods recognising him/her  as  the

supreme being of all.

2.) You shall not worship idols

Actually,  what it says in the New International Version is  “You

shall  not make for yourself an idol in the form af  anything  in

heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  You

shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord  your

God, am a jealour God, punishing the children for the sin of  the

fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate  me,

but   showing  love  to  thousands  who  love  me  and  keep   my

commandments.

3.) You shall not take the name of the lord in vain.

This one is pretty self explanitory.  When a person is calling on

the lord he/she is asking the lord for guidance or action.  Thus,

the phrase “God damn it!” can be translated into a person  asking

the  lord  to comdemn whatever “it” is to hell.  The  phrase  “To

damn”  means  to  condem to hell.   In  modern  society,  several

phrases such as the following are common usage:

     “Oh God!”, “God forbid!”, “God damn it!”, “God have mercy!”

Each  of these is asking God to perform some act upon or for  the

speaker with the exception of “Oh God!” which is asking for  Gods

attention.

4.) Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

Depending on which religion you are looking at (i.e. Jewish, from

which  the 10 commandments come; or Christianity,  which  adapted

them  for their use as well.) the Sabbath is either  Saturday  or

Sunday.   You  may also take a look at the  various  mythological

pantheons  to  corelate which is the first and last days  of  the

week…(i.e. Sun – Sunday.. Genesis 1:3 “And God said, “Let there

be  light,’  and there was light., Moon – Monday..  Genesis  1:14

“And  God said,”Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky  to

separate  the day from the night, and let them serve as signs  to

mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the

expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16

God  made two great lights – the greater light to govern the  day

and  the  lesser  light to govern the night.  He  also  made  the

stars.”  Thus the Sun was created first.  With the day of the Sun

being  the first in the week, then Saturday would be the  7th  or

Sabbath.

5.) Honor thy mother and thy father.

This  is  another that is fairly self explainitory.   It  is  any

parent’s  right  after spending the time to raise you  to  expect

that you respect them. 

6.) You shall not murder.

This does not say “You shall not murder…except in my name.”  It

says YOU SHALL NOT MURDER. PERIOD. Out of the 10 commandments,  I

have found that over the course of history, this one has been the

most  ignored.   As we look as the spread  of  Christianity  from

around 300 A.D. forward, we find that as politics moved into  the

church  and  those  in charge of man’s “souls”  were  given  more

control that this one commandment sort of went out the window.

We  see  such things as the Crusades, the  inquisition,  and  the

dominating fear that was placed into the Christian “psyche”  that

one should destroy that which is not like you.

Even  though  we here stories about the “witch trials”,  and  the

“witch  burnings” etc….There were actually very  few  “Witches”

tried  or  burned.   Most  of  these  poor  souls  were  that  of

Protestant  beliefs  (Against  the  Catholic  Church)  yet  still

maintained that they were Christians. But…more on this later.

7.) You shall not commit adultery.

You  can  look  up the meaning in the dictionary,  and  this  one

becomes  pretty self-evident.  What it comes down to is  that  no

person who has ever been divorced can marry again, and you  don’t

have sex with someone that you are not married to.

8.) You shall not steal.

Again, enough said. However…don’t go looking at Constantine  to

be  obeying this one!  The Pagan temples were looted to make  his

coinage.

9.) You shall not give false witness against thy neighbor

Again,  during the times of the inquisition, this also  went  out

the window.  Such tools as torture were used to pull  confessions

from  these  poor  people who then  signed  statements  that  the

inquisitors  had written up saying that they freely  signed  this

document.   Of course…the inquisitors stated that  this  person

was  not tortured, but it was his clever wit that  had  extracted

this confession. 

It  was  also  during this time that persons,  refusing  to  take

responsibility  for their own actions or accept that nature  does

in  fact  create strange  circumstances…(i.e.  drought,  flood,

etc.)  and  the resulting illness and  bug  infrestations.   Very

often,  as the Witch-craze developed stronger, the  one  neighbor

would  accuse another of Witchcraft and destroying the fields  or

making their child sick, or whatever.

10.)You shall not covet your neighbor.

On  the  surface, this one is pretty  self  explainitory.   Don’t

crave your neighbor’s possessions.  Yes…I can relate this  back

to  the inquisitional times as well since most of  the  accused’s

property   reverted   back  to  the  Catholic  church   at   this

time…there  were  several accused and convicted  of  Witchcraft

simply because they would not sell their property to the  church.

However…How  does  this effect persons today?  How  far  do  we

carry the “Thou shalt not covet…”?  This can be even so much as

a want, however is it a sin to want a toy like your neighbor has? 

If so…we’re all in trouble.  How many of us “want” that Porsche

that  we see driving down the road?  Or how about that  beautiful

house  that we just drove past?  Do we carry this commandment  to

this extreme?  If so…I pity the person that can live by it  for

what that would say is “Thou shalt not DREAM.”

                         Wiccan Beliefs

Since the religion of Wicca (or Witchcraft) is so diverse in it’s

beliefs,  I have included several documents here  that  encompass

the majority of the traditions involved.  Again, this is simply a

basis…NOT the be all and end all.

                           Wiccan Rede

                  Bide ye wiccan laws you must,

                in perfect love and perfect trust

                  Live ye must and let to live,

                   fairly take and fairly give

                   For the circle thrice about

                  to keep unwelcome spirits out

                To bind ye spell wll every time,

                 let the spell be spake in rhyme

                 Soft of eye and light of touch,

                  speak ye little, listen much

                  Deosil go by the waxing moon,

                  chanting out ye baleful tune

                   When ye Lady’s moon is new,

                  kiss ye hand to her times two

                 When ye moon rides at her peak,

                   then ye heart’s desire seek

                Heed the north winds mighty gale,

                 lock the door and trim the sail

               When the wind comes from the south,

                love will kiss thee on the mouth

               When the wind blows from the east,

                expect the new and set the feast.

                 Nine woods in the cauldron go,

                burn them fast and burn them slow

                    Elder be ye Lady’s tree,

                 burn it not or cursed ye’ll be

                 WHen the wheel begins to turn,

                 soon ye Beltane fires will burn

                When the wheel hath turned a Yule

               light the log the Horned One rules

                 Heed ye flower, bush and tree,

                     by the Lady blessed be

                  Where the rippling waters go,

               cast a stone, the truth ye’ll know

                  When ye have and hold a need,

                   harken not to others greed

                  With a fool no season spend,

                   or be counted as his friend

                   Merry meet and merry part,

              bright the cheeks and warm the heart.

                 Mind ye threefold law ye should

              three times bad and three times good

                    When misfortune is enow,

                   wear the star upon thy brow

                   True in love my ye ever be,

                 lest thy love be false to thee

           These eight words the wiccan rede fulfill;

                An harm ye none, do what ye will.

  One of the Pagan Oaths recognised nationally here in the U.S.

                 A Pledge to Pagan Spirituality

I  am  a Pagan and I dedicate Myself to channeling the  Spiritual

Energy of my Inner Self to help and to heal myself and others.

 

*   I know  that I  am a  part of  the Whole  of Nature.   May  I 

grow   in  understanding of  the Unity  of all  Nature.   May   I 

always  walk  in Balance.

 

*   May  I  always be  mindful of  the diversity  of   Nature  as

well as its Unity and  may I  always be  tolerant of those  whose

race, appearance, sex, sexual preference, culture, and other ways

differ from my own.

 

*  May I  use the  Force (psychic  power) wisely  and  never  use

it   for aggression nor  for malevolent  purposes. May   I  never 

direct  it  to curtail the free will of another.

 

*  May I  always be mindful that I create my own reality and that

I have the power within me to create positivity in my life.

 

*   May  I  always act  in  honorable  ways: being   honest  with 

myself and others, keeping  my word  whenever I  have given   it, 

fulfilling   all responsibilities and  commitments I  have  taken 

on to  the best of my ability.

 

*  May I  always  remember  that whatever  is  sent  out   always 

returns magnified to  the sender.  May the  Forces of  Karma move 

swiftly   to  remind me  of these  spiritual commitments  when  I

have  begin  to  falter from them,  and may  I  use  this  Karmic

feedback  to  help myself grow and be more attuned  to  my  Inner

Pagan Spirit.

 

*   May  I  always remain strong and committed  to  my  Spiritual

ideals in the face of  adversity and  negativity. May  the  Force 

of my Inner Spirit ground out  all malevolence  directed my   way

and   transform  it  into positivity. May  my Inner  Light  shine 

so   strongly  that  malevolent forces can not even  approach  my

sphere of existence.

 

*   May I  always grow  in Inner  Wisdom & Understanding.  May  I

see  every  problem that  I face  as an opportunity   to  develop

myself spiritually in solving it.

 

*   May  I  always act out of Love to all other  beings  on  this 

Planet — to other humans,  to plants,  to animals,  to minerals,

to elementals, to spirits, and to other entities.

 

*   May  I  always be  mindful that the  Goddess and God  in  all

their  forms  dwell  within   me  and   that  this   divinity  is 

reflected through my own Inner Self, my Pagan Spirit.

.pa 

*  May I  always channel  Love and  Light from  my  being.  May my  Inner

Spirit, rather  than my ego self, guide all my thoughts, feelings, and

actions.

                          SO MOTE IT BE

In  the  Wiccan Rede above, and scattered in the  oath,  we  find

words  such  as Perfect Love and Perfect Trust.  What  are  these

strange words and what do they mean?

Before  one  can analyse the meaning behind the  phrase  “Perfect

Love  and  Perfect Trust”, one must first define the  words.  For

this  purpose, I will use the Webster’s New World  Dictionary  of

the  American  Language  1982 edition. Perfect:  adj.  [L.  per-,

through  + facere, do] 1. complete in all respects;  flawless  2.

excellent,  as  in  skill or quality 3.  completely  accurate  4.

sheer;  utter  [a perfect fool] 5. Gram. expressing  a  state  or

action completed at the time of speaking – vt. 1. to complete  2.

to make perfect or nearly perfect – n. 1. the perfect tense 2.  a

verb form in this tense – perfectly adv – perfectness n.

Love: n. [<OE. lufu]  1. strong affection or liking of someone or

something. 2. a passionate affection for one of the opposite sex.

3. The object of such affection, sweetheart.

Trust:  n.[ON,  traust]  1.  a)  firm  belief  in  the   honesty,

reliability,  etc.  of  another;  faith b)  the  one  trusted  2.

confident  expectation,  hope, etc. 3.  responsibility  resulting

from  confidence  placed in one. 4. Care,  custody  5.  something

entrusted to one….

Using  these  definitions,  we  come  up  with  “Flawless  strong

affection and flawless faith.

Is this possible?  Those that follow the religion of Wicca  often

give  excuses for this just being words.  When this is the  case,

they are not obeying their faith….thus..they are not  following

perfect love and perfect trust.  But to the rest…the answer  is

a  resounding YES.  This does not ask that you “like”  a  person. 

It asks that you see the divine light and love within  individual

whether you like them or not.  Can this be done…YES. As to  the

perfect  trust…we  can always trust a fox to be  a  fox  right.

Therefore,  when we are entering circle, we can  honestly  answer

perfect  trust even if it is on shaky ground.  We may have  faith

that this person will act like any other human.

It  with these beliefs and doctrines that I state that  not  only

was   the  doctrine,  or  teaching  almost  identical,  but   the

vocabulary was extensively the same.

Just a minute of your time, please……

Good Afternoon loyal readers! I hope you are all doing fine. I thought this would be a good time to tell you why I have been so scattered brained recently. I know I get so far in the postings and then quit, I am so, so sorry for this.

I believe the first thing to throw me for a loop was having shingles. Also I believe that was the time we had the tornadoes come through. Well let’s start with the shingles (lovely subject, lol!). The original patch of shingles that I had are cured or at least dominant for the time being. Now for the bad news, I have had a new batch crop up. Now you ought to see the doctors’ scratch their heads on this one. I was laying in the floor one night and got this awful pain in the top of my head. I placed my hand up there and gently rubbed and sure enough it was shingles. So they are watching all this mess on the top of my head. They want to make sure they don’t start pushing in on my brain. If that happens they will have to do something. Also the shingles have messed up one of my kidneys. Now this is according to my doctors. I believe it is dues to the harsh antibiotics they put me on was to blame. Ok, enough about me, you know I am still alive and scratching, lol!

Next up, storm damage……everyone was in the process of getting their lives back to some sort of order, then came the water. I honestly don’t know how many roads are closed out here by me. I was coming back from town yesterday and looked off to my right and you could see the Ohio River coming up through the cornfields.  Everywhere is flooded, they are blowing natural levees in the hope this will relief some of the water pressure. I know you probably heard it on the news but one town in Illinois is covered in water. I believe we live about 75 miles away from them. They reported on the news that they were evacuating people from their homes in Cairo.  You know after so much you wonder is it ever going to end? Where we live, I never dreamed I would look out across the fields and see the river coming up so.  But I have no right to complain, my son emailed me a picture of his home today. There is water all around it. You have to come and go in a canoe. He said they had moved everything out, over the past weekend. He was ready for the river to take his home. He lives in the floor plain. He told me this morning there was no need to get upset because they know this was a possibly when they moved there. To me, my children have no value of money. We have busted our butts to get everything we have. If a flood was to take our home I would be sick. But I guess that is where the old generation gap comes into play, lol

This is my son’s home
He has always laughed because he could walk out his back door and go deer hunting. Now today, he is laughing because he can fish off his front porch. I guess it is good he can keep a sense of humor during all of this. He said he had already packed the wife and kids up and they have left. He is staying there at night. I told him he better watch that or else he would be swimming with the fishes. He is a foreman at one of the boat yards around here and he said he makes sure he get a river report before he leaves work every night.
 
My husband and my daughter are different stories. My daughter, I can’t really say that much because she works at a hospital and everything is supposed to be confidential. But a mess did occur and she put in her two weeks notice. My husband is useless. He sits on the couch with his laptop and keeps saying it is great to be retired. He has screwed up my daily schedules so bad. He will stay up all night and then sleep all day. Well if I have to run the vacuum, I am up a creek. He doesn’t get out of the house for nothing. I am always running here and there. I have about did all the running I am going to do. The next stop will be running to the lawyer’s office to sign the divorce papers.
 
So now you know why my life on the internet has been so screwed up. Truthfully I believe there are times I am about to lose my mind.  If it wasn’t for the Goddess and me continually asking for her help, I would have. Before I go there is one thing I would like to ask you, please continue to pray for my family, especially for my son. Pray that the water doesn’t get up in his home and ruin everything he has. Pray for me, that the Goddess will continue to love me, watch over me and most of all keep me sane. I have seen with my own eyes what this group of people can do when they set their mind to it. Please pray for us, all of us. Not just my family either, everyone that is in this horrible mess right now. Trying to make it from day-to-day, just to get up and see the water has raised another foot inside your house. I honestly don’t know how they do that. To go in a place you have loving, sweet memories of and see all the destruction that has took place, Goddess Bless Them. We all need your prayers. Please I am asking you again, pray for all of us.

Starting the Day Off Right, Wishing You A Very Happy & Blessed Saturday!

The Lady’s Prayer
 
Our Mother who art all things,
Our Lady who art the moon, sun, and heavens,
Hallowed be thy name
By thy sovereignty of the sacred land,
Thy divine will be done
On Earth as it is in all realms
Give us this day our daily bread
Bless and guide us, Great Goddess
And protect us from all harm and evil
For thine is the power, beauty, and love
Forever, and a day. Ayea!