So Mote It Be
Stop worrying so much about what you’re trying to say, and listen for a while. Though it may seem strange, one very effective way to express yourself is by listening.
Listen, carefully, lovingly and attentively to the world around you. Listen to others and listen to life.
Let go of your assumptions about what you expect to hear. Listen not only with your ears, but also with your heart and spirit.
Pay attention to what life has to say to you. There is no end to the valuable lessons you can learn.
When you think you know it all, you deny yourself the opportunity to learn new things. When you interact with others only to impress them with how much you know, they’ll soon understand that you know very little.
The more you listen, observe and learn, the more powerfully you’ll be able to express yourself. Take heed of what life has to say, and what you learn will carry you far.
— Ralph Marston
The birthstone of November is the mystical, magical topaz. The ancient Greeks believed that this gemstone had the power to give strength, improve eyesight and make its wearer invisible in times of emergency. Ages-old traditions also say that topaz is a symbol of friendship, love, fidelity and purity. I suppose that getting all of those gifts from this one stone would make anyone celebrating one have a very happy birthday this month!
By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com
Seek inner wisdom as giant Jupiter spins back
Tarotcom Staff on the topics of retrograde planets, Jupiter, cancer, astrology
Enthusiastic Jupiter, the happy-go-lucky planet of expansion and growth, slows down and turns backward in the sign of Cancer just after midnight on Nov. 7, 2013, lasting until March 6, 2014.
During this time, we may not feel as optimistic about things, and our plans to tackle big new ideas or endeavors will slow and perhaps stall. But Jupiter is a philosophical planet, so we can still use this time to contemplate our beliefs and expectations, and re-examine where we’re headed.
We all have inner wisdom if we take the time to listen to it, and Jupiter Retrograde encourages just that: Take a time out, slow down and listen to your inner voice. What is it telling you to do? It should be easier to hear now.
Do you like your job? Are you happy in your relationship? Have you been fooling yourself about something? Jupiter Retrograde asks those kinds of questions, and gives you more than three months to think about the answers before going direct.
Even while retrograde, bountiful Jupiter wants to help you figure out how to grow and change and become the best version of yourself. Use this time wisely — it’s a gift!
The Lady and Her Three Aspects
Maiden: She is an innocent girl. Everything is new to her.
Mother: She had matured she is all loving, nurturing and protective.
Crone: She is now the old woman and holds all our life’s knowledge. She can be stern, but she is a good teacher. In death she takes us back into herself.
The enchantress is part of the Goddess and of all women. She is the sexy, playful spirit. She is both maiden and mother. In such a way she relates to the moon as it goes from new to full.
The Lord and His Three Aspects
Prince: Full of youthful awe and wonder.
King: As a man he is in his noble and protective state.
Elder: He is an old man, wise, weathered and strong.
As there is a Charge of the Goddess, so one exists for the God.
Hildegard is jumping for joy because it’s…..
Archangel: Raphael
Candle colour: Yellow
Incenses: Lavender or fennel
Crystals: Citrine or yellow calcite
Use Wednesdays for spells for money-making ventures, learning new things, passing examinations and tests, house moves and travels, overcoming debt and repelling envy, malice and deceit.
Where possible, work in a windy place or when the clouds are moving fast across the sky.
It has been one of those mornings. I have been trying to get some business done and looked at the clock and freaked. We will be here in just a moment. What I have been aiming to do and while I am think about it, I might as well ask. Do you have a website that is posted on our Links/Awards Page? If so, I want to know if any of you listed there have a banner. Why? Because I want to start a scrolling banner marquee. It will feature everyone’s banner scrolling happily along on the front page. I am sure you have seen them and know what I am talking about. But I would like to give it a try, plus it is free advertisement for your site.
I figure by doing this I am helping out the Pagan community. We are a large and fast growing Pagan site. But one site can’t get out our message the way it should be. I want more bigger and prosperous sites. I want our community to become big and strong like it once was. Giving me your banner to put on the front page of this site, I guarantee you will get visitors. The more members or followers that each of our sites attract, the stronger we grow.
You know what the WOTC’s mission is: To bring our Religion back to the mainstream. Please give me your banner or point me in the direction of it. If an individual doesn’t find what he likes on this site, he has other options. Right now, it looks like we are it. I know that is not true. There are gorgeous Pagan blogs and Facebook pages that just haven’t been found yet. This is the perfect way for our community to come together and grow and become strong. With the Goddess behind us, we will be unstoppable.
If you would like to become a part of this, please drop me a link or your site addy in the comment section. Or you can email me at thewotcstrustfund@yahoo.com.
Thank so much for your help.
*A Quick Revision* You site doesn’t have to be on the Links Page to have your banner posted in the marquee. So we are looking for all Pagan sites right now!
“Our Mother, whose body is the Earth,
Sacred is thy being.
Thy garden grow.
Thy will be done in our cities, as it is in nature.
So be it,
Blessed be.”
1989 by Henry Horton
Making Your Life Magical 
Author: WitchGeek
Most Wiccans and witches – and many other pagans – practice some form of “magic” (often spelled “magick” to distinguish it from stage illusions) . Magick is a topic at which most modern westerners would likely scoff, and doubtless this attitude throws into question the credibility of those who claim to practice it.
We do not believe in the “supernatural”. All that exists that is part of this universe, is part of nature itself and is therefore “natural”. If intrusions from other universes or realities happen in this one, then that too is part of its natural processes. In other words, everything – everything – can be rationally and scientifically explained; we just don’t know all of those explanations yet.
We accept that there are many things about this universe that we not only cannot explain in concrete terms, but things of which we’re not even aware. Bear in mind that there was a time that germs, bacteria, and viruses were all completely unknown to humanity; a microscopic world of living creatures has surrounded us for as long as we’ve been on this planet and we only recently learned of it.
Scientists have never actually seen an atom, and many modern physicists feel confident that evidence indicates such incredible things as multiple universes. We’ve learned so much, but that which we still do not know boggles the mind while thrilling the imagination.
As I have said many times, being a witch or a pagan is more about what we do than what we believe. Whether it’s a magickal activity or a religious ritual, we engage in time-honored rites that – for whatever reason – just seem to work for us. It’s a bit like exercise; one need not understand advanced kinetics and physiology in order to benefit from a brisk, daily walk. Nor does one need to understand ritual and magick in order to reap its benefits; those who do it regularly will experience mental and spiritual gains.
But this post isn’t about magick; it’s about life.
I have an Egyptian-themed altar/shrine at home, and among the items on it is a statue of Thoth. In Egyptian mythology, Thoth was – among other things – a god of writing, magick, and science. I’m not sure what initially drew me to him, but my attachment is long-standing and strong enough that I made an altar for him and the goddess Bast.
By day, I’m a computer programmer. I write, using computer languages, things like this:
begin select responder, recipient_role into v_emp_user_name, v_recipient_role from temp_notifications where message_type = itemtype and user_key = v_requisition_no and notification_id = history_record.notification_id; exception when no_data_found then v_emp_user_name := null; v_recipient_role := null; result := ‘COMPLETE:N’; end;
…and when these words are “executed”, they result in the taking place of literal, real-world actions.
Remember Arthur C. Clarke’s famous statement, “any sufficiently-advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”? It is easy to see the parallels between what I do by day and the concepts of magick. I use special languages full of words that have power, and yet I must order these words properly for them to have the desired effect. Sometimes they definitely backfire! But most of the time, I get the desired results.
Over time, I began to think of Thoth as having a modern role in addition to those normally attributed to him: the “patron saint” of computer programmers! But then, more recently, I made another connection. If what we pagans call “magick” isn’t supernatural, and if what computer programmers do is so similar to the methods of magickal practices… what, then, separates the two? Is it merely the fact that we humans have a scientific understanding of computer processing?
If modern magickal workings were to be defined scientifically tomorrow, would we put a new name on those activities and cease to call them “magick”?
I’m fond of blurring lines. A line that we’re forced to cross is no different from a line that holds us back; true freedom happens when there are no lines. And true magick happens all around us, every day.
Aleister Crowley defined magick as “the art and science of causing change in conformity with will”. We all do this, every day. For instance, when I sat down to write this post, it was something that I chose – to share my thoughts – and because my will to do this was strong enough, I made the time and put forth the effort. It is art (writing) and science (grammar, spelling, word processors and the Internet) , it is change (because this document didn’t exist before I wrote it) and it was my will.
Am I trying to diminish the practice of magick? Of course not. Instead, I am suggesting that we bring magick into our everyday lives… where it belongs. Learning to see the “magick” in the things that we choose to do means seeing those things in a whole new light… because when we realize that those elements that make up an act of magick exist in so many of our daily actions, we begin to see ways that even the mundane can be made special.
In many eastern philosophies, adherents are taught the value of living in each and every moment:
“As you practice Zen in your life, you will see that living in the present moment is like living heaven on earth. Even though we can all deal with this one moment right in front of us, we rarely live in this one moment right in front of us. We don’t know how. We have been conditioned since our early childhoods to live in the future or the past.” -Everything.com, Zen: Living in the Moment
Seeing ordinary actions as magickal is one way of helping us to live more consciously and building in us the habit of “living in the moment”. Yet it works in the other direction, as well… for as people who have studied the ways of “magick”, we are already trained in the skills necessary to embrace a magickal life.
This is convergence; when the ordinary and the magical become one in a person’s life, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The ordinary takes on new vibrancy, and those energies, which are normally reserved for our rituals suddenly, work their way into our everyday lives.
Footnotes: http://www.everything.com/zen-philosophy-living-in-moment/
The Magus
The Magus is the physical embodiment of decisive action based upon knowledge and aimed squarely at specific goals. Thoroughly Yang by nature and firmly set in the material world, he none-the-less has a powerful spiritual connection as well. His knowledge, wisdom and skill are all encompassing. He is complete. His power as a creator is unmatched on our earthly plane. He is self-aware and unafraid to act. His enormous strength gives him the freedom to act as he chooses. However, responsibility comes with that freedom. Because he is not bound to the restraints of others he must choose how to act. The question that always lies before him is should he act morally, or forsake ethics for personal gain.
As a daily card, The Magus suggest you currently possess a tremendous power and freedom to move your life in any direction you choose. In short, you can make things happen. Your true challenge at the moment is to move forward without trampling the dreams of others. Fortunately your moral fiber is strong as well, and will guide you down the right path.
Although it has taken on a strictly romantic revision of meaning in some modern decks, traditionally the Lovers card of Tarot reflected the challenges of choosing a partner. At a crossroads, one cannot take both paths. The images on this card in different decks have varied more than most, because we have had so many ways of looking at sex and relationships across cultures and centuries.
Classically, the energy of this card reminded us of the real challenges posed by romantic relationships, with the protagonist often shown in the act of making an either-or choice. To partake of a higher ideal often requires sacrificing the lesser option. The path of pleasure eventually leads to distraction from spiritual growth. The gratification of the personality eventually gives way to a call from spirit as the soul matures.
Modern decks tend to portray the feeling of romantic love with this card, showing Adam and Eve at the gates of Eden when everything was still perfect. This interpretation portrays humanity before the Fall, and can be thought to imply a different sort of choice — the choice of evolution over perfection, or the choice of personal growth through relationship — instead of a fantasy where everything falls into place perfectly and is taken care of without effort
Pagan Religious Communities in your Area: Connecting With and Creating Them
Author: Treasach
My continuing series on pagan abbeys has been well received and I have had many inquires about pagan communities in North America, lay and cloistered. For those of you as hungry to be a part of such a dedicated group as I am, but have not yet found the right one, here are a few ways you might be able to connect with something suitable. If there are no structures in place in your area that fit your criteria, and you have the inspiration to create one, I have included some suggestions for that as well.
Identifying
One of the main reasons for dissatisfaction in a group is that most aspirants don’t start by identifying their needs correctly. In Western paganism, and especially in North America, there are often so few dedicated pagan groups that one must join whatever is available regardless of any misgivings or wrong fits, simply to partake of a community setting. This is a pity, as it often does not satisfy either the seeker or the other participants. They, or others, soon leave, or there is a long drawn out period where everyone becomes unhappy. Since there are so few options, and as the community is often so close knit, that a withdrawal or rejection from one group often leaves the seeker with even fewer choices for the future.
We can achieve the honing of our expectations without burning our local bridges by clearly identifying what is most important to us before we even attend our first meeting. Most reps aren’t willing to answer a long form questionnaire for the pleasure of your presence, of course, but most are agreeable to addressing your most important concerns. As it is quite an effort for most smaller groups to include new members, knowing what you need ahead of time can save everyone, including you, a lot of grief. What exactly does a group require for you to be happy in it? What can you live with, and what is a deal breaker?
* Dedicated to your deity, sect, or practice? Atheist? Non-denominational
* Supportive or focused on other communities as well – Gender or sex based, LBGT friendly, actively and pro anti-racial, anti-ablist, anti-agist?
* Level of commitment – Full time, ritual only, class based, coven like? Working in the world or simple meet-ups?
* Level of spirituality – Full time, full ritual, same tradition, like minded or causal?
* Travel – how far are you willing to go? To move, commute, or pop by?
Be honest with yourself. Your needs are your own and no one can criticize you for your choices. Don’t expect others to change their group for you, since they probably won’t, but your self-knowledge will make the task of narrowing your selections much simpler.
Locating
Now that you have broken down into a list of what you actually require, locating a group becomes much easier.
An additional avenue to consider is the practice of your spirituality along with your sacred calling, tasks, or interests. Many pagans find inspiration and sacredness in history, traditional skills, crafts, role-play, sexuality, activism, and other practices. There are many other individuals that also share those interests, and those kinds of groups don’t need to be sacred for you to feel as though you are fulfilling your spiritual needs. They are often easier to find and connect with, and you will learn from them how to better serve your deity (if you have one) and spirit, by honing and practising the skills that you associate most with the sacred.
Another bonus of connecting with any of these communities, religious or secular, is that you should be able to network with others that share your interests, and have an even better chance of finding a less well known but perfect group for your needs. If you find something sacred, so do others!
I’m going to make the leap here that you already know how to search for a pagan group in your area using Google and other on-line means. Witchvox of course lists many local pagan groups. If you still can’t see any that fit the needs you’ve defined, do not despair! There are a lot of avenues that many people miss when they are searching. Here are some suggestions of where to start looking for a group that meets your requirements that may not have an online presence or local listing. Feel free to suggest more.
A word about Message boards: Even though scouring Craigslist, Kijiji and social networking are the first places to start, many communities don’t have the work hours to keep posting on too many sites. Going down to a physical location, like an occult or new age bookstore, whole foods store or community centre and checking or posting on their notice boards is an increasingly disused option, but one worthy of pursuit. For many groups, it’s so much easier to leave up a poster and wait for inquiries than maintain a FB feed. You will always find at least one event or group that you never would have found any other way.
Organized:
Religious, National and International:
Unitarian Universalists
The Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids
International Humanists: Canada, US, UK, Spiritual Humanism
Maetrum of Cybele
Abbey of the Green Flame
Copper Horse Abbey
OTO
Student groups at Universities and Colleges
Less organized, organic:
Red Tent Movement
Pan Indian movement and Idle No More
Drum circles
shamantic offerings
bardic circles
healing circles
Iron John retreats and The Good Men Project
Cloistered or Segregated secular communities:
alternative healing retreats
Intentional Communities: ecovillages, cohousing communities, residential land trusts, communes, co-ops, housing cooperatives
Secular Communities of Sacred Interests:
ReCreationist:
Society of Creative Anachronisms and medieval reCreationists
Steampunk
war reenactors
LARPS
Bellydancing and other traditional folk dancing
sacred circle dance
Yoga
martial arts and other moving meditation, archery
Women’s and Men’s Healing
Gender Activism
LBGT groups
poly groups
sexuality groups, like BDSM
eco activism
animal activism
political activism
traditional skills – herbology, fibre arts, cookery, leatherworking, blacksmithing
music – medieval, bardic, folk
If you want to move to the country and dedicate yourself to a full time cloistered community, for example, and you *don’t* want to pretend or convert to Catholicism or Buddhism or Taoism or go Amish, but you don’t mind if everyone else isn’t doing the same prayers whenever you are, then International Communities or the new Ecovillages springing up are an excellent alternative. Most are secular, but not anti-religious, and are supportive of most lifestyles.
It would be fabulous if we had already available spaces for pagans who want to dedicate themselves full time as professional monks, for example, but we don’t. Yet. So for the moment, we must satisfy our spiritual selves as much as possible, before we can make those kinds of dedicated communities a reality.
Creating
Even with honing your sacred skills, you now want to dedicate your life to helping others experience that sacred community space. But there are no groups that fulfil your needs in your area, so you have decided to create one. What to do? Here are some suggestions.
Canadian laws are very different from American and other countries, of course, but there are some guidelines.
First, get your ducks in a row. Research what needs aren’t being satisfied in your area, and how to cover those. Redundancy doesn’t help anyone, and the larger the vacuum you are filling, the greater chance you have of attracting participants. Do you need a weekly group meeting at a brick and mortar temple, or event planning group, or non-denominational cross pagan discussion group?
For those interested in becoming full time dedicants in a cloistered community, there are few other substitutes for pagan abbeys, and those communities will definitely need to be established for us. The complexity of creating one is the apex of organizing skill, as well as our significant validation as a major religion, but it is certainly doable, with drive, vision, and a love of detail. To get some idea of how it’s accomplished, you don’t have to re-invent the wheel. Visit a few real life abbeys, convents or monasteries. (After all, a lot of them are directly derived from pagan abbeys in the first place!) Many have weekend or weeklong visit privileges, or you can just ask to learn from them. There is a Buddhist Abbey in Nova Scotia that I am planning on conferring with or hanging out in. They have been around since the early 1980’s. You should select one that’s a bit older, too, so they can tell you the problems they have encountered. One in your own state would better, since laws vary so much. Amish or other religious communities can help you see how that works in practice, too.
Then, *do your paperwork*. If your group is even at all organized, like renting a space for a temple, your best bet is creating a corporation or organization that can have a board and be accountable for bills and other legalities. That way, no one person is ever on the hook, and no members are so key that it falls apart if they leave. It’s one of the main factors that determine if your group makes it after the Founders all move on. If that is the best choice to get done what you need to do, make sure you have everything you need to establish your not for profit or even for profit corporation. If you want charitable status, it’s even harder, but you’ll figure which one works best for you when you come to it. Get your founders and other personnel lined up.
If you have a regular, physical location that you rent or own, make sure you pick your space with the locals in mind. They are part of your equation, too. If they feel put out or a lack of consultation, they will punish you, and all your people, and all your visitors. You will be interacting with them to get most of your services and equipment, even if it’s just parking space. It’s not good to piss them off. So arrange team games or picnics or Open Houses for example. If they know you, they will be more likely not to bother or fight you. And maybe even defend what you do.
Once you have your structure in place, with the appropriate advice from other professionals on what they have done, and what went wrong, then it’s time to listen to the community you are serving, to discover what they need to satisfy them. Unlike private or even coven worship, a temple, monastic or segregated community is completely reliant on everyone pulling their weight; as in, they WANT to be there. That means, no matter what your vision is, it can’t replace the gestalt that your group will create. It’s your job to get it together, keep the base going, and make adjustments, but they aren’t minions. If you get too controlling, or conversely, not controlling enough and let a few idiots ruin it for everyone, they will all simply leave, and badmouth your operation to boot. So choose carefully to start with. Pick people who share most of what you see, but not exactly, and select the ones you are reasonably sure aren’t going to flake on you. You can’t push people too hard for this, but you do need to help them stay motivated. Take them with you to investigate other institutions. Make sure they have the hunger for it, like you do.
Once you get it going, you will also have to maintain. This is the biggest mistake most make. Nearly all pagan communities, temples, communes or IC’s end in one generation, because no one builds it to continue. You will, for example, encounter at least one split or takeover attempt in the first 5-10 years, and one every two decades or so after that. Anticipate those, and build your group to withstand it, or it will simply dissolve. If you require a physical location for your work, purchase property if you can, instead of leasing, or in a decade, you’ll have to move, and that can destroy the community entirely. Bring in a wide variety of skill sets, and make sure your people feel nurtured and heard, or they won’t put up with it, and they will think they can do it better, or that another place can do it better. Which is why you may want to include all pagans like we do and not, say, just Wiccans, but that’s your choice. Ego, yours and usurpers, will kill your group gestalt, and then everyone loses. You are the MC, the house manager, and the CEO. But you are not the choir, and without them volunteering their lives, you have no community.
Make no mistake about it: this is a lifelong task. If you do not have these skill sets, then you must either learn them, or join an already existing community and lend your strength to growing that one. It will not happen unless you make it happen, and give it all your personal energy and focus, but without exhausting yourself and leaving you vulnerable and the task unfinished. We are at another time of change, and about to re-build and re-learn what our ancestors had. Some remnants are still here, but most aren’t. Pick where you are best suited to direct your energy, and then do it. For the rest of your life. It still won’t be long enough.
_______________________________
Footnotes:
http://gifts-of-nature.blogspot.ca/2013/07/pagan-abbeys-practical-heritage-for.html
http://www.uua.org/
http://www.druidry.org/
http://iheu.org/
http://humanistcanada.ca/
http://americanhumanist.org/
https://humanism.org.uk/
http://www.spiritualhumanism.org/
http://gallae.com/
http://www.facebook.com/AbbeyoftheGreenFlame
http://www.facebook.com/CopperHorseAbbey
http://oto-usa.org/
http://www.facebook.com/RedTentMovement
http://www.idlenomore.ca/join?splash=1
http://www.ic.org/
http://sca.org/
http://www.gampoabbey.org/
Perceptions of Pagans: What Are People Afraid Of?
Author: Ares Hearthfire
It is amazing to me that 30-plus years after the late Dr. Leo Martello won his right to hold a ritual in Central Park we still have to come back to discussing how we are perceived. The public at large is not afraid of our religion. No, most of them tend to let us be and mind their own business. I say that with certainty since that is human nature. However, there are still those that fear…or do they?
It seems that every few weeks there are more stories mentioning Witches, Wiccans or Pagans in general. While most of the articles are now positive and informative, there are still those that report that so and so of blah blah blah church held a meeting that people are going to the devil. In listening to them talk we find that they really do not fear us. They fear the loss of their own voice.
One reason why many see the Christian extremists in this country demanding that laws be made to support the Judeo-Christian belief system is that they can feel the changes coming. Just like us, they open the same papers and do the same Internet searches and find so many articles and sites discussing Pagans. We are all humans after all; it is not like we have different sources of news and information!
They, like us, can plainly see that there has been a rise in articles and hence, a rise in the amount of Pagans there must be. While many complain that these people see the devil in all things not Christian, I feel that is very much another reason that they perceive us differently. They do not care about reading what Pagans believe. What we believe does not matter. It is not our beliefs that bother these extremists. It is the fact that we exist and breathe. There really is no logic in this.
The goal of these groups and people is not to slander our paths. That actually is just a means to an end. They simply want to make sure that people keep following their ideas. They have been brought up in regions where there has been nothing more than pure homogeneity. Almost everyone in their communities was the same in terms of race and religion. In reality, they simply fear change. For some reason they are just resisting the tides of change that are happening in the communities. It is the change that they truly fear, not us.
In general, most people are very accepting of our beliefs. There have been Pagans serving with and even as heads of interfaith organizations for over ten years. The organizations that they have sat with and chaired accepted their membership. From this it can be implied that clergy of many other religions have absolutely no problem with the Pagan path. Indeed, many are intrigued and want to learn more about it themselves. This type of inclusion would have been impossible to dream of several decades ago. This shows a great deal of progress. After all, if you can gain acceptance of some shepherds you also gain the acceptance of their flocks.
During Samhain season, it seems that almost every newspaper in America interviews a Witch. Most of these reports are positive. While some still include words like “warlock” and may describe some practices as “hokey,” we cannot let that blind us as to what is truly being said. Since many of the journalists do not read books on Witches or Wicca they would not know what “warlock” means to us. Since they do not tell us every word they are using, we cannot correct them ahead of time.
Behind the semantics, they still report normal people doing things a little differently. They may seem hokey to those that do not practice our faiths, but they do see that we are not harming anything and have fun doing what we do. That is the point! The general public is not stupid. They do not care what we do, as long as they see we are open to people watching and reporting they will begin to trust us.
In some parts of the country being a Wiccan is not even a big deal. Here in New York the Covenant of the Goddess used to have a local council, however the “Gotham” council was disbanded. Simply put, the community here is accepting of us already so the need is not there. Pagan shops operate without opposition, festivals happen in major parks with no protestors showing up at all. While this may not be the case in some areas, things do take time!
Remember, a long time ago it was the cities that converted to a new faith and the country dwellers were slow to follow. Now times are changing, history is repeating. The cities are becoming more accepting of their Pagan residents and the rural folk are coming around, but slower. We can see plainly through the media and the interviews in these more rural locations that the general consensus is favoring acceptance. The majority will only grow larger over time.
All we need is to do what we are currently doing and a lot more of it. We need to take ourselves seriously. We should indicate our religion when the census is taken. We should take part in political campaigns and send letters to the elected officials. Whenever we see an article that is not positive, we should send letters to the paper…even if it is not a local one! More than everything else we should make Pagan Pride Day every day of the year. Always be proud of who you are as a person and as a Pagan. For every voice that is willing to speak there is always a larger audience of people that are willing to hear.
In conclusion, the people that fear us do not fear us for what we believe or how we practice. This information is readily available to anyone that wants to read it. The general populace is becoming more and more accepting of our beliefs. Interfaith groups are accepting Pagans as members and leaders. We as Pagans always talk about the past; we remember the burning times and the witch-hunts. We should also remember that those in the country come around slower to new ideas, but after a time they will begin to accept them.
It is the time of burning leaves,
The crispness of the air has awakened
Memories both dark and hidden,
Memories of past feasts partaken.
I sit comfortly in this silent room
Computer keyboard beneath my fingers
Yet…my mind is never frozen here
In times past it wants to linger.
I ‘see’ a bonfire raging on a hilltop
With my people all gathered around
Our prayers to the Gods I shout,
Yet, in my dreams I hear not a sound.
The drums beat, the people dance
Wildness fills the autumn night.
The Other Side is so very close–
The Veil just beyond the fire light.
I reach, I feel, I almost touch…
Spirit fingers entwine with mortal
Then dawn’s first light appears
And seals again the fragile portal.
I turn away from the cold ashes
Let the wildness leave my aching soul.
Another year til another Samhain…
On that night again I’ll be whole.
So exactly where should you begin? Do you have to sit in a lotus position, like a human pretzel? Should you press your thumbs and index fingers together and chant OM? Well, first of all, just relax. If you can do that much, you’re well on your way. The following directions offer suggestions and guidelines to help you get the most out of meditation. You don’t have to follow them exactly. Trust your instincts; if something feels awkward, don’t do it. And remember, give yourself a chance–meditation isn’t something you’ll master overnight.
Let go of any preconceptions about how fast you should be “getting it,” or what kind of magickal experience might result. If you set a lot of expectations for yourself, you’re likely to be disappointed and make learning more difficult. Meditation isn’t something you strive or push yourself to excel at. You ease into it.
Find a convenient place and a comfortable position that you can sit in for a while. The more comfortable your body is, the easier it becomes for your mind to direct its attention toward the purpose you’ve intended. At first, your mind is going to jump about from thought to thought, like a butterfly flitting from flower to flower. Everything from a little twitch in your leg to a dog barking down the road can potentially break your concentration. That’s why meditation is considered a discipline.
Close your eyes and give yourself permission to put the world around you “on hold” for a bit. Breathe slowly and deeply; pay attention to your breath. If may help to shake out your arms and legs or stretch a bit before you sit down to meditate. Some people like to do some light exercise, such as yoga or walking, to release tension prior to meditation.
Begin by committing yourself to just five minutes of meditation a day, then increase the amount of time over a period of weeks. Just sit quietly, with your eyes closed. At first five minutes may seem like an eternity, but soon you’ll stop glancing at your watch and simply enjoy taking a brief time out to relax.
“All men should strive to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why.”
—Jame Thurber
“Youth had only spring green tones; we others of the more advanced season, have a thousand shades, one more beautiful than the other.”
—Count De Bussy-Rabutin
All Saints’ or All Hallows’ Day, according to Pagan custom, begins as the Sun sets the evening before on Samhain, the Festival of the Dead. It was made into a celebration of all the known saints and martyrs of the Catholic Church in the seventh century. Originally, it was celebrated on May 13, but was shifted to this date in the eighth century to coincide with the Pagan Festival of the Dead. This is a time of intercession for the dead souls that have not yet been purified and ascended to the next plane. Family members and relatives send prayers for their loved ones in the hope of helping them. Mumming, bonfires, the decoration of graves, and fortune-telling games are associated with the celebration.
Elder’s Meditation of the Day – October 31
“One is not born a Tewa but rather one is made a Tewa… Once made, one has to work hard continuously throughout one’s life to remain a Tewa.”
–Alfonso Ortiz, SAN JUAN PUEBLO
Being Indian is being spiritual. It is not the color of our skin. Being Indian is how we think. We need to learn our culture, our language, our dances, our traditions and customs. It is one thing to know these things, but another to live them. We need to spend time with the Elders and get their guidance. We need to go to the mountains, woods and desert to pray. Being spiritual is the way for us to think right. Walking the Red Road and thinking right is the greatest gift we can give to our children.
Grandfather, help me to Walk the Talk.
During the Witches’ New Year, or Samhain, take time to stop and evaluate your faith and beliefs. Make a sacred ritual or retreat out of this evaluation. Light white candles and burn sandalwood, myrrh, or frankincense. Brew a cup of herbal tea. Sit down and ask the God and Goddess to guide you on your path. Write down your beliefs in a journal or your Book of Shadows. Some questions you can meditate on are: What is life? How do I view the universe? Why am I here? What affirms my spirituality and what lessens it? How can I bring spirituality into my everyday life? After writing, you can create a statement of faith based on your answers to the questions. Recite what you write by candlelight for the universe to hear. Rediscover and rededicate yourself to your spirituality.
Today’s Meaning:
Someone who will, or has told a lie about you regarding this aspect will be discovered and the truth will come out. They will suffer for their injustice and you shall prevail.
General Description:
The blood of Isis, the virtue of Isis, the magic power of Isis, the magic power of the Eye, are protecting this the Great one; they prevent any wrong being done to him. Thus reads a portion of the 156th chapter of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, which was engraved, often with other invocations, on the Buckle of Isis amulets. Great faith was placed in the magic power of this buckle, or tie. It was believed that the wearer would be protected and guarded from every kind of evil for ever and ever.
Witches Of The Craft® 
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