Tag: New Age

Lighten Up – The Speshul World of Wytches and Majyc

The Speshul World of Wytches and Majyc

by Marilyn (ABSENTMINDED)

Hello everyone. I used to be a Christian/Jew/Muslim but realized six months ago how terribly wrong it all was and decided to come home to Paganism because I am a natural witch and have decided to admit it now in spite of the terrible persecutions I know I will face.

In the last six months I have read everything on the top shelf of the New Age and Pagan section of my high school library, even though I really didn’t have to because just realizing what I am has given me total enlightenment and all the knowledge I will ever need to have a perfect life and get everything I want and punish anybody who isn’t as enlightened as me and tries to persecute me with logic and facts and thinking they are better than me.

In order to help the less enlightened, and to show how ooky-spooky I have become, I will now post the most important things you need to know to become as kewl as I am. You can thank me later.

  1. Todays witches are so much smarter than the ones who perished in the terrible Burning Times because they would simply cast a glamour that would send the evil soldiers to arrest the Christians next door instead of them. If they got arrested anyway they would just cast spells of confusion on the judges and walk away unburnt.
  2. If you are confused by all the different names you hear on the pagan scene, you should know that some Wiccans just prefer to call themselves Recons or Asatruar or Neo-pagan or whatever because Wiccans can do anything they want as long as they Harm None, and using different names helps keep their identities secret from the evil Christians who will persecute them if they get the chance. We are so rare and speshul and secret that using lots of different names makes us seem like too many to chase down and burn.
  3. We don’t have to be afraid of Satan and Hell because they are concepts that just plain don’t apply to us. If people or parents get on your case about this remind them they are giving you negative energy, which is Harming you and they shouldn’t do that or the Three-fold Law will get them, whether they believe in it or not. It’s, like, karma or something, and they can’t get away from it.
  4. You don’t need to have a magical name, but it is a good idea to get yourself one for protection. That way nobody will know who you really are to persecute you unless you have to tell them to prove you really are powerful and dangerous. You should have more than one in case somebody curses you to make you look like a fool online you can just switch and come in on your own side and show you have powerful friends. Any really good website will have a program to help you choose the names you use for magic.
  5. If anybody does make you feel bad by acting like they know more than you and proving it, there are all kinds of curses you can use to punish them. It’s okay to do this, cause if they hurt your feelings they have Harmed you, which I already told you isn’t allowed, and you can do what you want to to get back at them.

 

These are just a few of the things I know. I don’t have time to write the rest out because my parents are persecuting me to do my homework. Just remember – as soon as you wake-up to being a pagan, everything you need to know will already be inside you and inside a few good books with ‘teen’ on the cover!

MM and MP and MM again. (I’m not quite sure what that means, but it’s something witches say and I know the meaning will appear to me magically when I’m ready.)

Your friend (if you know what’s good for you),

High Lady Platinum Eagle Smilodon

Today’s Affirmation, Thought & Meditation for Aug. 6

Today’s Affirmation for August 6

  “I live in the spirit, at ease with body and mind, with nature in its infinite richness, with others in spiritual kinship.”

Today’s Thought for August 6

  “Unity in variety is the plan of the universe.”Vivekananda(1863 – 1902)

Today’s Meditation for August 6

The Five-Pointed Star

The pentacle is a symbol of cosmic union, composed of two interlocking triangles. The narrow triangle pointing upward indicates the masculine heaven principle; the wider, central triangle pointing downward, the feminine earth principle. Meditating on the pentacle aligns you with the cosmos., harmonizing the complementary energies of masculine and feminine within your nature.


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Elder’s Meditation of the Day August 2

Elder’s Meditation of the Day August 2

“When you get older and you are ready, your ancestors will show up to guide you.”

–Joe Coyhis, STOCKBRIDGE-MUNSEE

Many of us, when we are young, spend a portion of our lives in learning. Unfortunately, some of us spend this time learning the hard way. When we are young we sometimes think we know everything. Sometimes we do foolish things. As we get a little older, we realize we don’t know anything. This is when we become teachable. There is a saying that goes, when the student is ready, the teacher appears. We usually aren’t teachable unless we are ready. The ancestors are waiting and willing to help. When we are ready, many beautiful teachers start to come into our lives. Then we really start to grow and mature. We are ready for the spiritual lesson.

Creator, help me to become ready and teachable.

Animals Talk, We Should Listen

Animals Talk, We Should Listen

by Napecincala (Little Paws)

The early autumn air lay cold and damp around me as I tried to find a comfortable spot in my blanket. I had been in this pit for two days with no food and no water, but no vision came despite hours of singing and praying. I leand up against the wall and rested my back. I was tired and hungry and very thirsty, but I remained standing and stared at one of the fruit wood poles that my prayer ties were hung on. A little black spider started to spin a web between the pole and the string of my ties. It worked very quickly. I watched the operation, entranced by the beauty of the design and the opalescent colors that danced off the thread in the early morning light. It was beautiful when it was done. Then she crawled up the web and waited at the place where it was attached to the pole.

I stared up at the sky, and as the morning progressed the air warmed the dirt around me. The pit transformed from a cool retreat to an earthen oven. I pulled my star blanket over my head to keep off the biting deer flies. Only my blanket-clad head could be seen above ground by the helpers who periodically came to check on me. They did not speak to me, and I supposed they just came up to make sure I was still breathing.

Every once in a while I would look down at the web, but the spider had not caught any breakfast that I could see. A rabbit, unaware of my presence within a circle of prayer ties, hopped out from behind a rock and started to nibble on the fruit I left for the spirits. Crows called to each other, and butterflies, attracted by the bright colors of the prayer ties, would light on the string, searching futilely for the way in to the nectar of this strange, red cloth flower.

A large vulture soared on the warm updrafts above until it spotted a potential meal and disappeared over my diminished horizon. An hour or so later he was circling above me again. I kept thinking he was just waiting for me to die so I could be the next blue plate special. I held my pipe in my hands and sang prayer songs one after another in a high keening voice, begging for a vision.

As evening approached, bats performed amazing acrobatics above my head, hunting the wretched mosquitoes that had plagued me for nearly four days. I welcomed them and watched them dance in the gloaming. Even with all the mosquitoes in the air, the little spider still waited at the end of its web for a meal.

Stars lit up the prairie sky one at a time as darkness descended. I heard the scuffle of some ground animal behind me, though I never saw the passing porcupine. Only her tracks in the dust attested to the visit.

I woke that morning to a vision of diamonds suspended from the spider’s web. Morning dew and gray light formed a beautiful sculpture. Still the spider waited, and nothing disturbed the perfect form of the web. When the helpers came to take me out of the pit, I was weak with hunger and angry. In four days I had not been granted a vision. During the sweat lodge afterward the medicine person asked me what I had seen.

“Nothing,” I replied.

I could hear the smile in his voice as he asked, “So you were sleeping with your eyes open?”

“No, grandfather, what I meant to say was that I didn’t have a vision.”

“Oh,” he said across the darkness, “So you did see something while you were up there.”

Then I talked about the spider and the crows, the rabbit and the porcupine, the butterflies on the line. I described in detail how I felt and what I was thinking about, but I am sure he could hear the bitterness and disappointment in my voice. I had prayed and fasted for four days for a vision and spirit helpers, and it felt like it was all for nothing.

“Did the spider ever catch anything?” he asked.

“No.” I replied. It was the only part of my time “On the hill” that he asked about.

When we were all done and I was readying to leave, a woman helper came up and said that it takes a long time for most human beings to understand why things happen the way they do.

“We don’t really live in a fast food world, you know.”

Months later I began to understand that my time on the hill had given me everything I asked for.

*************

The above story is a parable, pure fantasy, a modern re-telling of an old Lakota story designed to teach something about the error of expectation and the need for patience when seekers are trying to learn from the natural world.

The reason I chose to write this parable in this way is because most white people walking the red road (learning about Native American spiritual beliefs) have a similar experience when they start out. I certainly did. More importantly, speaking in detail about personal visions and spirit helpers is a little like talking in detail about your sex life. It is usually more information than anyone has the right to know about you, or wants to know.

Like most people raised in a Christian culture, I came to the ceremony of “hanblecia,” crying for a vision, with all kinds of preconceived notions about what a vision was and how it would come to me. My pagan ideas also came into play, as I imagined animal spirit helpers as more like familiars that I could command than teachers I could learn from. Perhaps the most limiting expectation that I had was that I would be given an “important” animal spirit, like an eagle or a wolf or a bear. So, when my spirit helpers showed themselves to me, I didn’t see them, because I was not looking for them in the context in which they appeared.

My day-to-day world is bound by “clock time,” which is faster than Nature’s time, and “computer time,” which is so fast that I can’t even perceive it. As I contemplated my own hanblecia I began to see that time is a key to being able to listen to the animals. Lots of questions came to mind in the weeks following. Does a stone live on the same time as a hummingbird? Do daytime animals perceive time in the same way that nocturnal animals, like bats and porcupine, do? Why is it that most vision seeking ceremonies impose such difficult physical demands? What the Elder lady was trying to say, at the end of my story, was that Unci Maka (Grandmother Earth) has no respect for human concepts of time. We do not really live in a fast food world, and a real connection to Nature’s spirits requires that the human being accommodate them, by slowing down and focusing.

As in the Christian tradition, Lakota stories say than humans were the last thing to be created. But rather than being superior to everything, man was decidedly inferior. All the animals stood around First Man and First Woman and laughed and cried at how pitiful these naked things were. They had no fur to keep them warm, no teeth and no claws to feed themselves and they had nothing to offer the other animals in return for knowledge. Coyote laughed so hard at the sight of them that he died of it. Almost by accident, First Woman stepped over his prostrate body and brought him back to life. In his gratitude, Coyote begged the Great Mystery to do something to help these pitiful creatures. He thought that if they just died it would be better than the miserable short existence that they were in for.

Wakantanka had another idea. He created a plant, tobacco, and gave it exclusively to human beings. He also made the every spirit in nature long for the taste and smell of it, but the only way they could get it was if human beings offered it to them. So it was that human beings learned from animal spirits and other spirits in the world how to live.

I love this story because it clearly says that we needed the spirits in order to live. They did not need us. It is only with offerings of tobacco and a certain amount of humility that they are willing to reveal themselves to us. This was the purpose of the hundreds of red prayer ties I made in preparation for my ceremony.

In my fable, though, I did not have a vision in the way I expected. Rather the actual animals appeared in my world and demonstrated through their actions what I needed in order to live. The spider demonstrated careful construction and patience. The rabbit showed a certain amount of courage to come out into the open when it knew predators were still around, that there is a certain risk involved in really living. The porcupine taught me that I could figure out what was going on around me by simply opening my eyes and seeing the evidence. The vulture spoke to me of the opportunities to grow and change that death sometimes represents. The crows talked to each other and helped each other by sharing information. The butterfly reminded me that there is beauty in persistence. Even when it won’t get you what you want, it makes you stronger. The bats taught me flexibility and the immense power of listening carefully.

None of this interpretation came out of a book and the holy person who was assisting me did not even attempt to interpret what happened to me on the hill. He did stress, by his silences and later his questions, that while I could not control the things that happened, I certainly did control what they meant. It was my responsibility to find the meaning in the ceremony, not his. On reflection, I could tease out the lessons that all these helpers had given me. None of them were glamorous or particularly powerful medicine, but each brought me a lesson I needed at that time.

He also brought the spider back into my awareness with his question. “Did the spider ever catch anything?” When I thought about it later, I came to understand that just because I had done all the ceremony in the right way, at the right time and with the right materials, it did not guarantee that I would “catch” anything. And in another way, my answer had been wrong. The spider did catch something. It caught my attention. In those few minutes that it was spinning its trap, I was transported. I felt no hunger and no thirst. Time stopped as I gazed in awe at the beauty of the thing. I was listening and they were speaking in the language of symbols. Those moments, when time was suspended — that was my vision.

Today’s I Ching Hexagram for August 1 is 41: Decrease

41: Decrease

Hexagram 41

General Meaning: Increase and decrease are part of the natural cycle of life. As spiritual author long ago put it, ‘To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.’ Like a reservoir that is being used to irrigate the fields, learning to accept a decrease in position or material possessions is part of preparing for increase in the future.

We may live in materialistic times, but there is no disgrace in material decrease, particularly if it represents an investment in future gain — even if that gain be in the form of one’s education or the development of personal character. Likewise, the inner strength that comes from bearing loss can be balanced by a corresponding increase in inner strength and insight — as in the expression ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ When letting go of attachment and personal demands leads to a greater simplicity in daily life, good fortune often comes calling.

In nature, the lake evaporates to form the clouds that drop the rain that nurtures the surrounding forest. As the forest grows thick, more rain is captured for the lake. Similarly, an ‘evaporation’ or decrease in one area of your life, may give rise to an eventual increase in another. A loss of responsibility at work can mean more free time; more free time may generate more career options. A period of decrease is not necessarily a bad thing; in fact, it can free the spirit and fill the soul.

Be mindful of the lesson of young lovers: even with a minimum of possessions, feelings of the heart can bring an unsurpassed richness to life. The smallest of actions, if sincere, have value. So remain confident, for a time of decrease may actually bode good fortune, especially if you remain open to that possibility.

Let go of frustration, resistance and regret over whatever may be going down at this time. Accept the cycle, and remember what goes down must come up.

Lighten Up – Be An Expert On The New Age in Five Minutes

Be An Expert On The New Age in Five Minutes

Your new girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife has just invited you to the spiritual development group  that she attends every week. You agree, but you feel a growing sense of panic  when you realise that you are totally ignorant of spiritual concepts. What  will these people be like? How will you keep up your SNAG act in front of  real Sensitive New Age Guys?

Fear not! All you need to know about the New Age is in the following  paragraphs. By remembering a few key phrases, you will be accepted into any  spiritual group as a fellow traveler along Truth’s highway.

Rule number one for the novice New Ager is to make sure that a crystal of  some sort is visible on you at all times. You will notice that all of the  women will be wearing a necklace of either amethyst or rose quartz, but for a  man, a large chunk of natural, clear quartz that is strapped to a cord around  your neck is far more suitable. If you feel uncomfortable wearing your crystal  in this way, then carrying it in your hand is also quite acceptable, as long  as you remember to look at it appreciatively every now and then, making sure  that others see it too of course.

When people notice your crystal they will invariably ask, “What is your  crystal programmed for?” In reply, avoid any macho response that suggests  that you are using it to attract more sex, money, or power, as this will blow  your cover immediately, instead, use the vague, but common phrase, “I have  programmed it to help me to enhance my spiritual growth.” This reply will  satisfy the enquirer without encouraging questions of a more specific nature.

To acquire a new name that reflects your spiritual goals is also quite common  among New Agers, therefore don’t be surprised if you are introduced to people  with strange names such as Shekinah, Silver Wolf, or Starlight. To find your  own spiritual name, you can use either of two methods. You could choose a  word at random from any New Age magazine, or you could ask your spirit guide  for a suggestion.

To have a spirit guide is as necessary for the New Ager as having a permanent  smile on your face. If you are asked who your spirit guide is, then it is  safest to opt for a Red Indian guide – everyone else does! Make sure that you  give your spirit guide an impressive name though. You won’t gain much respect  from your peers within the spiritual development circles if your guide  is called Joe, so give him a name such as Snow Buffalo, Tall Eagle, or  Smiling Rainbow Hearted Mountain Bear.

If you want to be a bit different, or if someone else has already chosen the  name that you made up for your guide, then go a step further and say that  instead of a spirit guide you have a guardian angel. For extra points, use  the name of one of the Archangels and the eyes of the people in the group  will light up with awe and admiration. Don’t go too far though, as an inferred  conversation with God or the late J.C. will mean that you will soon find  yourself standing alone, looking with feigned interest at the dozen or so  statues of unicorns and Red Indians that the host has proudly displayed on  the mantelpiece.

As you settle in for the evening’s lesson and psychic exercises (aerobics for  the soul), you will invariably be asked to participate in an experiment on  past life recall. Here is another ideal opportunity to impress your  girlfriend and the rest of the group. Once again though, use moderation in  your claims and don’t invent details of a life as Tutankhamen or Henry the  Eighth, as the group leader has probably already claimed both of these. And  if he hasn’t, then he’ll probably be upset that he has forgotten to include  them in his lineage of previous incarnations. It is much safer to opt for  “memories” of an existence as an advisor, astrologer, or valet to a monarch  or famous person, as historical records will not necessarily disprove the names  and events of this lifetime that you suddenly recall.

If you have survived the evening so far, your last test will be the supper.  Under no circumstances should you eat anything other than vegetarian food  (i.e. fruits, nuts, vegetables, or any cooked combination of these that  invariably tastes like warm, wet cardboard), or your plans for acceptance  will be sunk quicker than Atlantis was.

As you depart, make sure that you hug everyone at least once, and be sure to  offer deep and meaningful words of inspiration – such as “keep smiling” – to  every person at least twice. If you have come up with the right sort of  platitudes for everyone and if everything else has gone well, you will  probably hear your girlfriend telling her friends that you are indeed her  soulmate, and you will already be looking forward to the next gathering of  these salubrious spirituality seekers.

Good luck – or as the New Agers say – May the Great Spirit be with you!

Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 24

Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 24

“Life is like a path…and we all have to walk the path… As we walk…we’ll find experiences like little scraps of paper in front of us along the way. We must pick up those pieces of scrap paper and put them in our pocket… Then, one day, we will have enough scraps of papers to put together and see what they say… Read the information and take it to heart.”

–Uncle Frank Davis (quoting his mother), PAWNEE

The Creator designed us to learn by trial and error. The path of life we walk is very wide. Everything on the path is sacred – what we do right is sacred – but our mistakes are also sacred. This is the Creator’s way of teaching spiritual people. To criticize ourselves when we make mistakes is not part of the spiritual path. To criticize mistakes is not the Indian way. To learn from our mistakes is the Indian way. The definition of a spiritual person is someone who makes 30-50 mistakes each day and talks to the Creator after each one to see what to do next time. This is the way of the Warrior.

Today let me see my mistakes as a positive process. Let me learn the aha’s of life… Awaken my awareness so I can see the great learning that You, my Creator, have designed for my life.

Daily OM for July 20 – Changing Roles

Changing Roles

As We Ebb and Flow through Life

by Madisyn Taylor

We all change throughout life trying new and different things, but the core of who we really are remains the same.

As we bob and weave with the ebb and flow of life our roles change, but our true self remains constant. As spiritual beings having a human experience, we go through many aspects of humanity in one lifetime. Living in the material world of opposites, labels, and classifications, we often identify ourselves by the roles we play, forgetting that these aspects shift and change throughout our lives. But when we anchor ourselves in the truth of our being, that core of spirit within us, we can choose to embrace the new roles as they come, knowing that they give us fresh perspective on life and a greater understanding of the lives of others.

As children, we anticipated role changes eagerly in our rush to grow up. Though fairy tales led us to believe that “happily ever after” was a final destination, the truth is that life is a series of destinations, mere stops on a long journey filled with differing terrain. We may need to move through a feeling of resistance as we shift from spouse to parent, leader to subordinate, caregiver to receiver, or even local to newcomer. It can be helpful to bid a fond farewell to the role that we are leaving before we welcome the new. This is the purpose of ceremonies in cultures throughout the world and across time. We can choose from any in existence or create our own to help us celebrate our life shifts and embrace our new adventures.

Like actors on the stage of the world, our different roles are just costumes that we inhabit and then shed. Each role we play gives us another perspective through which to understand ourselves and the nature of the universe. When we take a moment to see that each change can be an adventure, a celebration, and a chance to play a new part, we may even be able to recapture the joyful anticipation of our youth as we transition from one role to the next.

Lighten Up – Modern New Age Affirmations

Modern New Age Affirmations

As I let go of my feelings of guilt, I am in touch with my inner sociopath.

I have the power to channel my imagination into ever-soaring levels of suspicion and paranoia.

I assume full responsibility for my actions, except the ones that are someone else’s fault.

I no longer need to punish, deceive, or compromise myself, unless I want to stay employed.

In some cultures what I do would be considered normal.

Having control over myself is almost as good as having control over others.

My intuition nearly makes up for my lack of self-judgment.

I honor my personality flaws for without them I would have no personality at all.

Joan of Arc heard voices, too.

I am grateful that I am not as judgmental as all those censorious, self-righteous people around me.

I need not suffer in silence while I can still moan, whimper, whine (got any cheese?) and complain.

As I learn the innermost secrets of people around me, they reward me in many ways to keep me quiet.

When someone hurts me, I know that forgiveness is cheaper than a lawsuit, but not nearly as gratifying.

The first step is to say nice things about myself.
The second, to do nice things for myself. The third, to find someone to buy me nice things.

As I learn to trust the universe, I no longer need to carry a gun.

All of me is beautiful, even the ugly, stupid and, disgusting parts.

I am at one with my duality. I let it fight with my multiple selves.

Blessed are the flexible, for they can tie themselves into knots.

Only a lack of imagination saves me from immobilizing myself with imaginary fears.

I will strive to live each day as if it were my 50th birthday.

I honor and express all facets of my being, regardless of state and local laws.

Today I will gladly share my experience and advice, for there are no sweeter words than “I told you so!”

False hope is better than no hope at all.

A good scapegoat is almost as good as a solution.

Just for today, I will not sit in my living room all day in my underwear in the Hollywood Cafe. Instead, I will move my computer into the bedroom.

Who can I blame for my problems? Just give me a minute. . . . I’ll find someone.

Why should I waste my time reliving the past when I can spend it worrying about the future?

The complete lack of evidence is the surest sign that the conspiracy is working.

I am learning that criticism is not nearly as effective as sabotage.

Becoming aware of my character defects leads me naturally to the next step of blaming my parents.

To have a successful relationship I must learn to make it look like I’m giving as much as I’m getting.

I am willing to make the mistakes if someone else is willing to learn from them.

Before I criticize a man, I walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he’s a mile away and barefoot.

Daily OM for July 18 – Rippling and Tipping

Rippling and Tipping

Universal Awakening

by

by Madisyn Taylor

Like the ripple on a lake spreading out, humanity is awakening at an ever increasing speed.

A snowball at the top of a mountain has the potential to become huge, just by rolling down the mountain and gathering more snow. In a short time, this tiny snowball can become a force to be reckoned with. We humans are like this when it comes to exchanging energy and vision, and no matter how few people are involved at the beginning, there is the potential for massive change. As consciousness seekers, we are in the midst of this process, and it is amazing to see people we thought might never come around, waking up to their truth. Each time we see this, we can count ourselves blessed to be living at a time when the awareness of humanity seems to be at a tipping point, as more and more individuals open their minds and change their ways.

For some people, this revolves around an awareness of the environment, for others it is a spiritual awakening, and for many it is both. A great change in consciousness is sweeping through us all, as we recognize that things are not what they have seemed to be, that there is more to our lives than meets the eye. Many of us have the awareness and the energy at this time to break through old, outmoded ways of seeing things and to move into a new way of being in the world, and it is essential that we do so. The beauty of living at this time is that even small actions have a powerful ripple effect, and the reverberations of what we do have the power to reach and open many minds.

It is as if a scale is about to tip in favor of higher consciousness, and each one of us has the power to bring humanity closer to that point with the smallest of actions. Each time we move in the direction of our dreams and visions, we can visualize another small pebble dropping into the pond, or another gold weight on the scale, rippling and tipping our way to universal awakening.

Today’s Quiz – Who Is Your Guide?

Who Is Your Guide?

by Cait Johnson

 

Each one of us has powerful inner guides to help us find our way along the  path of our life-journey. These guides bring gifts for us and offer very  specific help. When we connect with the guide we need in the moment, our journey  becomes smoother, we feel supported, and we can make swift soul-progress.

Is your present guide a powerful Shaman King, spirit-centered Priestess  Queen, questing Knight, or youthful Child? Find out with this quiz:

Make note of the numbers of the following statements that are TRUE for  you.

1. I need to make wise plans for my future and set better boundaries and  limits.

2. I would like to feel more safe and secure.

3. I feel out of connection and as if I’m living superficially–but I know  there’s more to my life than this.

4. I am hungry for nurturing, passion, deep feeling, and/or inspiration.

5. I feel as if I have lost something important that would improve the  quality of my life.

6. I need to feel more galvanized to go after what I need.

7. I need more playtime in my life: everything feels like a chore.

8. Old, painful memories and feelings have started to surface in my life and  I am sick of repeating my old patterns.

9. I feel completely unsure of where I am at the moment, sort of lost in the  fog–as if I know nothing at all.

If you answered TRUE to 1 or 2, the Shaman King is the guide who will help  you now. Look to this grounded, wise, powerful part of your Self to help you  feel stable, safe, and able to plan and protect yourself. Collect images of  mature and stable power to keep with you. Give your Shaman King a name. Imagine  being filled with his strength and certainty.

If you answered TRUE to 3 or 4, the Priestess Queen is your guide. This part  of you can help you to feel more deeply connected to All That Is, deeply  nourished and alive to the wonder of living. Find pictures of this archetypal  helper to keep where you will see them and feel supported. Give your Priestess  Queen a name. Visualize her walking beside you, sharing her qualities of  spirit-filled grace and dignity with you.

If you answered TRUE to 5 or 6, the Knight can help you to find what you  seek. This questing part of the Self is a great helper when you know there’s  something you need. Visualize a bold companion who knows every step of the  journey that leads to what you most deeply desire. Give this companion a name.  Imagine him or her beside you as you venture into unfamiliar territory.

If you answered TRUE to 7 or 8, the Child will help you to reconnect with  your playful inner child-self, who knew exactly what she loved to do. She can  show you what you need to do in order to heal from old wounding and create  healthier new patterns for yourself. Collect old photos of yourself and imagine  asking that child-self for her input.

If you answered TRUE to 9, your guide is the Mystery. Difficult though it may  be, you need to trust that you are not meant to know–AND that it is alright not  to know right now. Eventually, things will become clearer. Right now, see if you  can enjoy being in the place of not-knowing.

 

Elder’s Meditation of the Day July 12

“Each man is good in the sight of the Great Spirit.”

–Sitting Bull, TETON SIOUX

Our bodies are both physical and spiritual. At our very center we are spiritual. Our bodies are built around the spiritual. The center is the unseen world. Therefore, we cannot see it with our eyes and we tend to judge the body because we can see it. The body is not who we are. We can see the spiritual if we are spiritual ourselves. We won’t see this always with our physical eyes. Usually we will see it with our spiritual eye. We will hear ourselves say “I know this to be true.”

At the center of all human beings is the place of good. That includes myself. At my very core is good. I can find this place by staying free of resentments, fear, dishonesty and self-seeking motives. My Creator, keep me free this day of resentment, selfishness, dishonesty and fear.

Allowing Our Light to Shine

Removing Obstructions

by Madisyn Taylor

When we remove obstructions in our path our light can more easily come forth.

 

There are times when we may not feel at our best and brightest. At those times we can take a look at what we might do to let our inner light shine to the fullest. Because we are physical, mental and spiritual beings, we need to determine where our spiritual light is being filtered or blocked. We can work from the outside inward, knowing that we are the only ones with the power to dim our lights, and as we clear away the layers we can get out of our own way to feel the warmth of our own light shining again.

As vehicles for our mind and spirit, our bodies require proper maintenance. Caring for ourselves is like polishing–helping to clear away the accumulation of physical debris that keeps us from operating at our fullest capacity. A simple shift in our thoughts can positively affect our mental state, moving from complaints to gratitude and applying the powerful light of love to any shadowy thoughts. A change of scenery can allow us to see the world in new ways too.

Once we are free of our restrictions, we can become still and connect to the power at the center of our being. It is always there for us, but when we forget to connect, or siphon our power in too many directions, we cannot make the most of our energy. Starting from the inside out may direct us to take the right steps for our journeys back to the light, but sometimes it can be difficult to find the stillness if our bodies and minds are in the way. As we practice steps to keep our energy flowing freely and without obstruction, we shine our light brightly, illuminating our own paths and making the world around us glow as well.

 

Daily OM 

The Wicca Book Of Days for June 14 – Days of Dagaz

The Wicca Book of Days for June 14

Days of Dagaz

 

June 14 initiates the runic half-month of Dagaz (or Daeg), whose last day will fall on June 28. This rune signifies day, or daylight, and thus represents the good things that are symbolically associated with light, such as spiritual illumination, moral goodness, and the banishment of the evil forces of darkness. Dagaz also denotes joy in life, in that it conveys a sense of light-heartedness and sunny well-being, the satisfying productivity of a day’s work, and the sense of security that comes from being able to see everything around you, especially your enemies!

The Day’s Eye

Welcome the half-month of Dagaz by picking daisies, which you could make into a daisy chain, or simply arrange in a small vase to admire. The daisy’s name is derived from the Old English daegesege, or “day’s eye,” because the flower’s petals open in response to daylight and close in twilight.

Knowing Right and Wrong

 

Author: Stewart Bitkoff

On one level people want simple answers and to be told what to do. On another they want freedom to choose and make their own decisions. People are multi-level and have the capacity to make their own choices as well as accept direction from others. Discordance sets in when the guidance from others or authority does not fit what the individual wants or feels is right for them. In this case, the individual is in conflict and looks for something else.

Most people are taught a philosophy of ‘right and wrong.’ At an early age aspects of this protective mechanism are projected into daily life and are part of social and religious training. For example, if you do not get-up on time and arrive timely at school this is bad. As an adult, being late will eventually result in loss of job. Or as a youth, if you take street drugs, this will lead to personal problems and addiction.

It is difficult to disagree with these two maxims about daily life. Get places on time and do not take potentially damaging street drugs. However, to complicate matters other factors may be at play. Perhaps the individual is getting to work late because of an inner, hidden unease with this type of work. In time, after warnings by the supervisor, the worker realizes this and moves on. Or the youth experimenting with recreational drugs uses this learning in a future career in brain chemistry. Or in a more damaging scenario, after years of addiction the person sobers up and becomes a drug counselor who, because of personal experience, helps dozens of others.

From a higher perspective, looking at events: travelers are taught to take a more longitudinal and holistic view of the effect of specific actions. In real life, often it is not a simple matter of an action being ‘right or wrong.’ Actions are complex and involve others, having both a collective and individual effect. Before making many decisions it is wise to consider their long term and multi-level effect.

As an example, how about the common situation where your beloved asks- do you think I have put on a few pounds? Does this dress/suit make me look heavy? Sometimes telling the truth can be unnecessarily hurtful, particularly if the individual has been struggling with their weight. In this situation, I’ll leave it to you to figure out what is right or wrong; in most things, we are free to pick and choose.

Further when viewing the effect of personal action, it is impossible to know all the variables involved; particularly over a long period of time and actions that affect countless others. However, for the spiritual traveler, it is possible to know some of this and begins by asking the question: will this action bring me closer or distance me from my higher destiny?

The answer to this question may be thought out as well as perceived. First, we rationally consider and list the effects using what we term our common sense. Next, we use our intuition, requesting if the action will bring us closer or distance us from our higher self. Perception is intuitive knowledge that emerges from our collective consciousness. By turning inward, the traveler unlocks this holistic awareness and uses this answer along with their rational thought to arrive at an action.

At an early age, it is important to learn about the difference between right and wrong. It is important to learn some things are good for us and some things are not. Yet, spiritual teaching must go deeper, illustrating and considering the aspect of longitudinal effect and destiny. While one piece of chocolate may be tasty and even nutritious, twenty is not, particularly, if we are diabetic or prone to dental problems.

Most spiritual training programs teach the traveler to pray, or turn inward in some fashion or another before taking an important action. Within each person, there is an inner voice or capacity to know if an action will bring us closer to our own higher self and the higher destiny of the universe. Most people have forgotten to develop and listen to their own inner voice and have relied upon others to teach them about right and wrong.

This original social, moral and religious teaching, about what is useful in life, was intended as a beginning; and the traveler, as they matured was to be instructed on how to make their own more complex, intuitive decisions. For many, this has been omitted from their training and they continue to rely upon limited and simplistic learning constructs.

Many of which have been tied to a hidden and sometimes not so hidden ‘fear and reward’ system. In a sense, for these travelers, their thoughts on certain subjects have become fixed, often engineered by others.

*
Humanity is conscious energy
Burning like sunlight.
By reflecting the Light into this world
Humanity neutralizes personal spiritual darkness.

Embrace your own inner beliefs
And then travel beyond them.
Embrace higher knowledge
And as the Source Wills
You will become a sun unto yourself:
Knowing right from wrong,
Dissipating your own lower needs and desires.

*
What some call religious training and tradition:
Often is based upon historical and no longer accurate,
Incomplete information; also, in some presentations
There is tendency to misapply traditional exercises to this culture.
Further, many sacred books include
Selective reportage by believers and historians;
With altered teachings to control desired behaviors
Which were insisted upon by the ruling entity or clergy.

Remember many cherished religious traditions and behaviors no longer serve any real or spiritual function. However, they do increase people’s feelings of comfort/tradition and need to be viewed within their emotional framework.
*

The Law

Traveler: Holy One, tell me of the Law

Master: The Law is Inscribed on the heart of each person. Beneath the layers of dust- from selfish living- that surround each heart, is the Golden Rule. The Law is also Written in the Books and is known to all. It is written: That which brings you closer to your higher self and the Beloved is the Measure.

Travelers know what is right; yet, allow themselves to be deceived by their desires. If a traveler would ask their Higher Self or The Light to help make their decision- each would correctly and reach higher.

If you will pray, the Light will cleanse your heart and The Law will be inscribed upon it- Lighting the Darkness. SB

Good Friday Morning/Afternoon to all my terrific friends!

Fantasy Images, Quotes, Comments, Graphics

The Earth is Gaia

The Earth is Gaia

Living, breathing, growing

Sentient, conscious, spiritual

In pain

Gaia is my Goddess, my Mother

The soil beneath my feet

The waters that flow and are still

The wind in the trees

The myriads beings that share my home

I am Gaia too

A sentient, spiritual agent in “Gaia-unfolding”

I am here to love, to nurture,

To feel person- and planet-pain, and to heal.

So may it be

Daily OM for June 6 – Centered and Safe

Keeping Your Energy Strong

by Madisyn Taylor

Keeping our energy strong and pure throughout the day is vital to somebody that is sensitive.

 

Being a sensitive person in this world can sometimes feel very draining due to the fact that we are very receptive to the energy of the people and environment around us. Still, we want to be part of situations that involve small or large groups of people, and we would like to do it without becoming overwhelmed or exhausted. With a few simple strategies we can entertain at home and socialize in the world without running the risk of losing ourselves in someone else’s energy or giving our energy away. All this takes is a little time and practice, and the result—being part of social events without ending up depleted—is well worth the effort.

The whole purpose of this self-care ritual is to help keep yourself strong energetically when you are in a situation that could potentially be draining. For example, if you are having a party, you might take some time to prepare beforehand. Just as you spend time cleaning your home and preparing food, it is essential to prepare your inner home for the event. This can be as simple as taking a mindful walk or a cleansing bath, or engaging in any other activity that gives you energy. You can even just sit alone for a set period of time, tuning in to your energy and connecting to yourself so that you are less easily carried away by the energy outside of yourself. You may employ a mantra such as “I am centered and safe in the home of myself.” You can also charge a crystal or gemstone or any piece of jewelry with protective energy and wear it or carry it with you. This can be helpful during the event when just seeing it or touching it can remind you that you are centered and safe.

Keep in mind that it is always acceptable to excuse yourself for a bathroom break or to step outside for a moment. This can give you the time and space you need to check in with yourself and correct any energetic imbalances you detect. Whether you are at home or out in the world, taking care of yourself in this way enables you to keep your energy strong, even as you open yourself to others.

 

More Ways to Scry

by Miriam Harline

Though most serious scryers prefer to use either a black mirror or crystal ball, there are other tools with which you can try out scrying, if you’re curious.

Scrying tools include bowls of water. You can scry in water in a black-painted bowl; alternatively, you can take a china bowl of any color and hold it above a candle so its inner surface becomes covered with black carbonization, fill the bowl carefully and slowly with water so as not to disturb that carbonization, then scry in the bowl. You also can fill a bowl with ink and scry in that, or you can scry in water floated over ink. You can scry, too, in quartz crystals, the larger and clearer the better.

Basically, the scrying tool is a point of focus. An accomplished scryer can scry in nearly anything, or without a tool at all, using only the mind’s eye.

Whatever tool you use, scrying does not come easily to most people. You will probably need to try several times to see anything at all. When you do see something, do not discount what you get, however fleeting or seemingly nonsensical. You may feel the images you see are in your mind, rather than within or on the scrying tool. That’s fine. The images are what’s important.

Once you have seen an image, you can interpret it either literally or symbolically, as you would a dream. If you get images you can make no sense of, keep trying. As with any magickal technique, scrying becomes easier and clearer with practice.

In The End, We’re All Solitary


Author: Chi

I’m not bashing coven practice here – It’s a wonderful spiritual path and way of learning and it works for lots of people. Those people have my blessings and all my best wishes. There are plenty of teens that someday want to be part of a coven, and there are dozens of adults who warn against teen groups (and even several of articles on Witchvox about it) . But if solitary practice is so wonderful, I have to ask myself why no one advocates it, at least not until asked or provoked. That’s what I will attempt to do, to go over some of the things that solitaries have the opportunity for, and even solitary fundamentals that anyone can use.

After all, you are an individual. In the end, you are solitary. And I don’t mean that in a bad way, I mean it in the most glorious way possible. At the end of the day, the Divinity shines down on YOU and recognizes YOU for what YOU are, and takes you into their arms as their child with your own uniqueness and respects you for every ounce of it.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. There are many people who consider themselves to be solitary Wiccans or solitary Witches. I almost want to say there is a majority – but I don’t have the statistics on hand to back that up, just my observation.

Most practitioners consider it a long-term goal to be able to get into a coven or other pagan group. Even though there are sometimes degree systems in place for covens, being a solitary is usually considered being “at the bottom of the food chain”, so to speak.

Some people are solitary because they choose to be, they know it is the best for their learning and they know it is better to study alone then with people that have the potential to delay your spiritual definition. Others are solitary simply because they have to be, there are no covens around, they are too young to join a ‘real’ coven, they do not have enough experience, or what have you.

I personally am some blend of the two. I began really studying and dedicating myself to “this path” a few years ago. I knew that I needed to study; I believed I had to have every rule memorized if I was ever to reach the glorious rank of a coven member.

However, since that time I have come to realize many things. First, I am not only a Wiccan. I am also Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Shinto, and a multitude of other things…so joining a group of strict Wiccans would probably drive several of us mad!

Second, I know how I learn. That’s not to say I do everything right, but being a solitary has taught me a lot of things about how to self teach, how to remember, and how to adapt that I don’t think I would get if I was being taught by another sole person (or group of teachers) .

Third, I don’t fit into a category that any degree system or standardized test can put me into. I consider myself to be very well-rounded in many types of practice; I meditate at least once a day, I am very accomplished in divination, plus some alternative and spiritual healing…but at the same time, I had forgotten what a “boline” was a few weeks ago and had to Google search it. You might find some of these apply to you and you may find they do not.

My point here is that self-exploration is essential to your learning. I have been self-exploring and self-coaching myself for long enough that I think if I were to join a coven, it would have to be very flexible at the least. And that’s fine with me.

However, most solitaries, including myself…no matter how much we love our individual practice, we want some sort of structure, some group or support system. This is not a bad thing, if anything it shows us that we are realistic. I myself have daydreamed about starting a teen Pagan study group (notice I did not say ‘teen coven’) before…leading group meditations and having workshops to carve our own wands and such…sounds glorious doesn’t it? But I know that in the end that is not what a group is for.

I have joined many Pagan forums and websites…some of which are like my own online Grimoire. I say almost nothing to members but comb through hundreds of information pages and topics, completely in awe. On others, I have a group of elders or mentors that I ask for help quite often, whether it’s “Can I use this pretty dish my mom gave me instead of a chalice?” or “Who can tell me in detail the exact workings of the lesser banishing ritual of the pentagram?” (And to be fair…some of the websites out there are total B.S.) . Many casual groups have the potential to help you.

This is the first rule of being a solitary. Solitary does not equate to being alone. I like knowing that I can plan my own rituals, or re-schedule a Sabbat, and that I can adapt coven rituals to my practice. But I also know that there are always people I can turn to. I might talk to my non-Wiccan parents about finding spirituality in ‘everyday’, or ‘mundane’ life (as I found out in recent months, my sort-of-ex-hippie Dad and New-Age-Spiritual Mum are great for those kinds of things) . I might go on the Internet if I want to construct my own ritual. I might ask some online Elders for their book recommendations or good websites.

The thing about being a solitary is, instead of having a coven Priest or Priestess as your teacher, the whole world is your teacher. You usually have to ask several people about one question and go through each answer until you can combine the facts you need and get your own. You may find spiritual answers in simple social contacts or in the workings of nature.

Not to say that coven members “miss out” on this, but it is often unrecognized. I suspect that since Covens are a quick resource, that problem solving may not be emphasized as much, especially with limited resources.

One of my mottos that I have come to revisit often is this: everyone has something to teach, everyone has something to learn, and everyone is sacred. So even if you’re in a coven, a solitary might be a good person to ask about making up your own rituals. Maybe that seemingly fluffy teenager over there really does have some good books to lend you. If you have no one teacher, you have to branch out to anyone that has the potential to give you knowledge – that means you have to find that potential in everyone.

There are pros and cons to every kind of practice. If you’re in a coven, you still need to be willing to branch out and seek information from people who don’t have the label of a third degree high priestess. Maybe those with less experience do have things to offer you. If you’re solitary, don’t assume that you’re 100% on your own, there are Pagan festivals and new age shops everywhere that are likely to have people willing to teach you a thing or two, and there are plenty of online communities or websites that list meet ups and moots in your area.

In the end, we all have to do our own self-teaching of a few things. No matter what path we’re on it’s always nice to have some sort of mentor to turn to, but keep in mind in the end it is you who decides what is best for your learning, and you are responsible for comparing and gathering information, and adapting to your learning needs.

A good example is taking a hike in a mountain forest. You can take an experienced Guide, or you can go in with your supplies and a map. If you take a guide, you’ll probably get where you want to be without wasting time, and you’ll learn a lot – maybe you’ll be able to become a guide for someone else someday if it’s really your shtick. However… You might go through the path with your backpack, flashlight, and map. This is riskier, because you have less experience. You have tools at your disposal and you need to know how to use them. You might get turned around. You might take longer than the tour group. But there is a potential for you to learn a lot of things that the tour guide will overlook.

Okay, so you might not get the mountain path right off, and that’s okay. But maybe you can learn a lot more about forests in general. You’ll learn the skills in how to find your way through the thick forests, and you might discover wildlife the guides will walk right past. Maybe you don’t know the mountain path so well, even by the time you’re done with your hike. But, by the end of it, you probably know a lot about finding your way when your lost, telling directions without a compass, using your resources, marking your paths, and you’ll even know your own strengths and weaknesses better.

Not to say that the tour group missed out, I mean hey, they had their fun too, and they get to do all kinds of stuff in groups that you simply don’t have the energy/time/resources for. But ultimately, it depends on what’s best for you.

In keeping with the metaphor, forests can be dangerous. Some more than others. Some places you simply shouldn’t tread without a guide, at least for a while. And never go in alone without supplies in the dark, when no one knows where you are to a place you’ve never been. You can ask a guide every now and then even if you aren’t in a tour group. And there is no reason members of that tour group can’t go on their own hikes.

Back to spiritual paths, that translates to this: go at it alone, if it suits your fancy. You will learn a ton, I guarantee you. You might not learn as much about traditional paths, but you will learn a lot about what your spirituality means. You will have the chance to dissect it, analyze each piece and synthesize it along with the paths of others. But be wary of where you go, and always be safe. You will need to learn to self evaluate, and other life skills.

Coven members may have these skills and they might be better at it than you, but you still have the chance to grow and explore your own self-definition.

I admit whole-heartedly that I have no coven experience to back this up. I have let several coven members read this and give me their thoughts, and I have spoken to many about coven practice. I am not bashing anyone who is in a coven – it is a wonderful way to learn, and I hope to have a similar experience someday. But I feel the need to stress that somewhere along the line we all need to self teach and self-explore. And if you make that self-teaching and solitary practice part of your everyday life, it gives you a lot of potential in the long run. You can learn things in unlikely places, and I think solitaries know that lesson quite well.

Remember:

Everyone has something to learn, everyone has something to teach, and everyone is sacred.

Blessings.

Good Monday Morning To All My Dear & Beloved Friends!

Good Morning Images, Quotes, Comments, Graphics
Good Morning, my dear, dear friends! How are you doing today? I hope your Monday is off to a great start. Mine? Ha, a wild, wild, wild one. But I won’t go into that, it would take a book to tell it all, lol! Instead let’s start the day off with a wonderful affirmation…..

The Witches’ Affirmation

I am a Witch!

I am at One with the Earth, The Universe

and the Divine! 

Let this day be free from Strife and Fear; 

Let only Joy and Love come near; 

With Blessings given and received 

I walk in Peace in Word and Deed.

 

May the Goddess Keep You In Her Love & Grace,

Lady A