X,Y.Z...And The End

I began this post for the pagan Blog Project 2012 in the early weeks of December, before the Solstice. Whether we want to admit it or not, our breathing was just a bit ragged as we waited for whatever the end of the Mayan Calendar brought out way, even though no one believed it would really be the end of the world. This is as far as I got, and after re-reading it, I realize it is enough to end the year...

There are only three weeks remaining until the end of the year...Maybe one more week if you believe the hype about the Mayan calendar. What if it really were the end of all time? Would it really matter? What would you do differently? I'll tell you what I'd do...I'd keep on living my life just as I am to the final day. Life starts as a spark that breaks out into a flame and is supposed to burn bright and evenly until there is no more...and then that's all. It simply extinguishes. There is no big bang, just a  sputter or two and then...it's dark and we're gone into nothingness.We are gone. I don't know where we go, but I rather like the Cosmic Cake Mix theory, where all we've ever been goes back into the Universe to be recycled and parts reused to begin something new. Participating in the PBP2012 has been a little like that: what was birthed and took shape and had form has now wound down to it's natural end.

The Pagan Blog Project 2013 kicks in in a couple of days from now, and I'm already working on new posts that I hope you'll find interesting. I'm participating on my own terms, however: only one post per letter of the alphabet, which will allow time for me to continue with regular posts from AmethJera's Broom With A  View as I feel appropriate.

Looking forward to a new beginning in 2013...

W is for...Wassailing

"We are not daily beggars that beg from door to door,
but we are friendly neighbors whom you have seen before"

This line from the traditional English carol Here We Come A Wassailing makes the distinction that those who come to the homeowner's door are not random visitors, such as in the fashion of those who went from house to house seeking "treats or tricks" at Samhain. This was the ancient precursor to singing Christmas carols made famous in Victorian times. The reason for this visit was meant as a blessing for abundance for the household, or the farm. Wassailers came to the threshold to 'drink a health' and the ritual was exchanged between friends and neighbors. No one attempted to hide their identity as one did when guising, masks and costumes were seldom worn. This was not the outrageous visit of the celebration of Misrule, but an act of congeniality.

God bless the master of this house, likewise the mistress, too; And all the little children that round the table go.

Read more: TRADITIONAL - HERE WE COME A-WASSAILING LYRICS

" God bless the master of this house and bless the Mistress,too,
And all the little children that 'round the table go"

God bless the master of this house, likewise the mistress, too; And all the little children that round the table go.

Read more: TRADITIONAL - HERE WE COME A-WASSAILING LYRICS

The singers honored the homeowner with a sung prayer or carol, then joined the benevolent host in drinking a toast to everyone's welfare in the coming year. The carols were often songs citing not only the blessing of abundant crops, but the multiplicity of the animals-and humans-in the home. In this day and age it's difficult to understand that a farmer would want a huge family, as there would be that many more mouths to feed...but many children also meant many hands to labor in the fields.

Sometimes the wassailing took place in an orchard among the fruit trees, or where the livestock were kept. The drink of choice was hot spiced ale or cider, meant to warm the bones and the soul; often it lead to an impromptu bonfire or feast, where many 'healths' were drunk. Alcoholic and heavily spiced beverages were believed to help in keeping away the myriad diseases of men (and animals, as sometimes the beverage was mixed with the feed, or the mash from distilling was fed to the animals.) Afterward, the group moved on to another house to repeat the ritual; one can imagine the revelry and drunkenness that resulted from making several of these visits in a single evening.

A version of wassailing/blessing took place in Scotland, where the spirit of the sea was similarly honored by a hearty soul wading out into the cold water to pour a frothing mug of hot ale or cider into the waves in the hope that it would result in a plentiful supply of fish and shellfish for those who made their living on and by the water.* [*Cassell's Dictionary of Superstitions, by David Pickering]

Tree Lore

Buddha beneath the Bodhi Tree

" Tis wise to listen to the voices of trees, for they tell  us much that we might otherwise forget.", wrote the second century philosopher Tacitus. The ever expanding rings of trees tick off the years, decades, generations, centuries. They have long bee viewed as the keepers of memories and the gateways to the Otherworld in folklore. The Saxon word for tree-treow- means truth or trust. The tree, the oldest of living things in many cultures, held the ancient wisdom and knowledge. The Oak in particular, is a tree of mystery and magick,sacred to the mighty Greek god Zeus and the Nordic god Thor.The Oak and it's evergreen parasite, mistletoe, are both revered for their magickal properties by the Druids.

Trees play a part in many diverse religious traditions. Those in the Buddhist heaven known as Khunlun eat fruit from a divine peach tree, as do souls in the Empire of Jade in the Taoist faith. It is said  the fruit allows those who partake of it's sweetness to remain vibrant and young in order to enjoy the splendor of the afterlife. In the Islamic legend of the El-Mounteha, a magickal tree grows in the garden of Djanna which has branches of gold and emeralds, each leaf bearing the name of a living person. During the month of Ramadan the leaves with the names of those who will die during the year fall to the ground at this time. As this happens, new leaves with the names of those who are to be born emerge during the year. A similar tale exists in Africa.

The Norse god Odin hung on Yggdrasil, the "World Tree" for nine long days as an act of sacrifice, and while doing so took up the Runes. The Norns (whose Greek counterparts are the Fates) watered the Yggdrasil with water from a scared well  and coated it with clay so it's branches would not rot, ensuring the immortality of the tree. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Judeo-Christian myth of Adam and Eve is well known.

Tree worship cuts across cultures throughout the world, as evidenced in the custom of suspending or tying items such as ribbons, strings or strips of torn cloth to enlist the favor of local deities. A notable example is the Irish "clootie tree", usually found in close proximity to a sacred well. The items are affixed to the branches of the tree as a tangible reminder of a prayer to the god/ess of the area for a special favor, such as a healing or for a good harvest. The Glastonbury Thorn, a small Hawthorn, is said to have sprouted from he staff of Joseph of Arimathea. The Buddha is said to have gained his enlightenment while lying beneath a Bodhi Tree (believed to be a fig tree).

There is a surreal connection between humans and trees;  try meditating under the vast canopy of a tree, with your back against the trunk sometime. The result is a melding oneness as you seem to be absorbed into the heartwood. This is a particularly good opportunity to try a pathworking or trance journey if you have never experience this before. Simply ask for the tree's help in taking you deep into the place of Indwelling. You will never feel more grounded, more rooted to earth than when sitting beneath a tree.
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Jewels...

Oberon and Morning Glory in jewels

...As in Witch Jewels. Not familiar with the term? Some of you who have been initiated in degree traditions might be.  For those of you who aren't, they were once the  the badge of office of a High Priestess. Now, because there are so many solitaries, they are the providence of any priestess or priest to wear.

I think it's quaintly anachronistic and ever so slightly delicious in an "every woman's a goddess" kind of way. Because, as the song goes, I enjoy being a girl. There is an old world charm when anyone puts forth the effort to dress the part.


I was not given these particular 'jewels' by a king; in fact, I gave them to myself...because I'm worth it Especially when I am channeling my inner Goddess during a ritual, and even if it's an occasion where I am celebrating solitary...both She Of Many Names and I deserve to feel like a queen...because in that moment, that's what we are. There are no diamonds shining among my jewels:they are mostly semiprecious stones set in silver, but each piece adds layers of meaning. If I, in fact, become the Goddess during ritual, have I not earned the right to adornment?

There are those in the pagan community who scoff at the idea of Witch Jewels. Jewels do not make the Witch,they say... and I agree. What wearing these particular pieces of jewelry does, however, is make me feel special...and magickal.

My elemental cross circlet is set with malachite, yellow quartz,carnelian, turquoise and amethyst. I love the buzzy vibration I get from the combined energy of those particular stones, especially when they're amplified by the clear quartz point earrings I usually wear with it. I feel I am a higher version of my feminine self at that vibration, and I am more womanly. The lovely Maiden shines, the Mother becomes Queen, and the Crone becomes Queen Mother. It is for love of them-and not for the adoration of me-they are worn.

"Q" With A View

"Q"

If you're a Star Trek fan ( and I'll admit that I am only at best marginal ) you've probably seen at least one episode of the many spin-off TV series with the bombastic character "Q" played by actor John de Lancie. He is a synergistic character, an individual member of a race of omnipotent beings which together form the "Q Continuum". They live in a dimension all their own and seemingly exist to meddle in the affairs of humans or whom ever else might be inhabiting the Universe. They expect humans to know they posses superior intelligence and paranormal powers, and if de Lancie's Q  character is any indication of the attitude of the rest of them, they hold us mere mortals in contempt for our lack of  recognition and validating their greatness.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_Continuum]

In other words, they sound like typical Deity to me.  Ho-hum, Humans, we are bored.

I find the character of  Q particularly interesting from a theological angle. If Q represents our concept of a god-like being, then how, exactly are we humans viewed by the gods? Are we viewed as a sort of  blight on Planet Earth by a species far advanced beyond our wildest dreams? Are we merely tolerated?  Do the gods just allow us to exist for entertainment? Is our evolution an experiment in growth potential? Are we valued as an emergent creation to be nurtured during our time of discovering our potential. Are we merely mortal-or fully equal?

It's not much of a theological jump from the Q to the gods of, say, Olympus. Each god and goddess had assigned duties or "aspects".[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympian_gods] Individual deity were prayed to or worshiped depending on what the devotee desired. A relationship or patron-ship developed between human and god, and the human depended on the superior knowledge of the god to help them through their lives. Many of these groups of Deity exist, depending on location and pantheon, but all have similar duties or favors. We know from our experience what these patrons mean to us, but still, there is the question of what Mankind-the Human Species, et al- mean to the gods? A quick Internet search will usually yield nothing other than the Judeo-Christian definition of Mankind being made in G-d's image from the book of Genesis, followed by the story of the Fall from Grace. That leaves us yet to wonder...What is our relationship with the gods of antiquity?

The word deity derives from the Latin deus (male) and dea ( female); the related words divine and divinity (divum), roughly translates to "open sky" or "heaven". The Sanskrit word deva also reflects this definition " shining ones". Dictionary.com also cites the words "heavenly" and "celestial" included in its definition of divine. The gods are believe by humans to be supernatural beings of superior intelligence and power to our own. Some believe humans were created by the gods, some hold to the belief that humans and gods are co-creators in earthy matters, and others define them as archetypes (C.G.Jung). The worship of deity is largely a religious and spiritual matter: the belief in one singular omnipresent god (monotheism), many gods (polytheism) or the divine in all things (animism) are all valid forms of belief. Many earth-centered religions take an animistic view ( as do many Native Americans) of the spirit alive and living in everything that exists, not just humans and animals. In addition, demigods, the combination of gods and humans, are also recognized through many religious traditions, and some houses of royalty claim their rulers to be such.  However, the majority of religions believe their gods and goddesses to be sovereign and dwell in places inaccessible to humans, such as other worlds, celestial, subterranean and supernatural. Most are thought to be invisible forces which interact with humans through rituals. Others are manifest in the physical forms of men ( such as the Dali Lama) or animals.

Basic monotheistic Christianity believes that G-d is a single personification with Trinitarian  aspects of the Holy Spirit and the Son. Various Christian sects ( Christian Scientists and Gnostic Christians, for example) deviate from that by believing that G-d is both male and female ( Father/Mother God). Others believe that the three members of the Trinity to be equal in standing; of these groups, a small amount name the Holy Spirit as a 'female' aspect along with the two males who hold slightly higher power. Polytheistic religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and neo-Paganism believe in many concepts of the Divine, in forms not only limited to gods, but as spirits and Elementals.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elemental].The most popular belief among religious traditions is anthropomorphism, that the gods are personified with human traits. In religion and mythology, it  refers to the perception of a divine being  in human form, or the human qualities in the gods.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythology]

The closest I can come to answering the question posed regarding our relationship to the gods is this: we exist to give life to each other. Humans need the personification of a higher power on which to project their fears and adoration. The gods need humans to provide veneration to justify their existence. Again, we dance on the edge of the sword.

Pigs in Pagan Myth

Pigs are cute. Their cuteness rivals that of kittens and puppies, and they're smart. They provide humans with spare body parts because the truth is we are more biologically similar than most of us would like to admit. They taste really, really good,too, especially when made into sausage or bacon and served along side a couple of over easy eggs. There's an old farmer's joke about how chickens only make a contribution to breakfast, but pigs make a commitment ...Okay, sometimes they smell a little funky, but hey...don't we all? That whole 'unclean' thing is a bad rap, because a pig will only lay in the muck to cool off or get away from insects. They're actually pretty clean as  livestock goes. Ancient tribes weren't too fond of keeping them because they require a lot of water and shade: instead, they  preferred cows, goats and sheep because they would eat anything when the folks were on the move. You can turn a ruminant animal loose in  sparse countryside, and they'll find something to munch.  Pigs, on the other hand, like to eat what humans eat, so they were expensive to feed and will squeal like your Uncle Louie when there's nothing for them to nosh...and they are known to eat meat when given the opportunity; and they are not only carnivores, but cannibals.Sows will eat their young. The mythologies of indigenous people are full of stories where someone disappeared in the night  and it was suspected they were eaten by wild boars. My cousin Chuck used to raise adorable pot bellied pigs. They were tiny, cuddly and I couldn't resist picking up the babies. They would  root and nibble at my fingers while  making sweet little grunts... in hindsight, I was probably just being tasted  to see if I would be a suitable future meal.

Pigs are largely native to much of the world, so there are many myths which include them. The Norse   god Frey has a huge golden pig companion named Gullenborsti; his sister Freya sometimes eschews the chariot pulled by cats she's usually seen with to ride a wild pig or boar. Pigs were once sacred animals in much the same manner as the cat.  Feral pigs are included in the animals seen among those of the  phantasmal Wild Hunt.

Pigs were often associated with the underworld: it is believed that swineherds can cross the veil unimpeded. Because of this they were associated with demons and spirits. In the Biblical story where Jesus casts the demons into a herd of swine, the modern understand in of the symbolism is that he did  so because the swine were considered unclean and according to the story were at once driven mad and hurled themselves off a cliff. [Mark 5:12, Revised Standard Version] The writers of the Old Testament were scholars of antiquity and as such often wove obscure occult facts into Biblical  text: pigs, as sacred animals of the underworld, would have been able to have been possessed by the demons and carry them off without being harmed. This is why the demons made such an odd request of Jesus, and he complied. The additional caveat of them hurling themselves off a cliff  echoed the reoccurring theme of the triumph of Good over Evil, when God throws Satan into the abyss, and was a later addition to the original story.

Pigs have figured nearly as frequently as horses in Pagan mythology. They are close to the Earth- they roll around in soil and root for their food in it. They were often set loose into newly planted fields to tamp down the soil. Because of their prominence in agriculture, they were often included in the symbolism of  many deities associated with vegetation, fertility, and harvests. According to the Welsh Mabinogian, pigs were  introduced to Britain as a result of trickery against King Pwyll, a Lord of the Underworld.  Cerridwen is often portrayed as Henwen, the white sow, who  swam across the sea from Corwall to Wales, where she gave birth to a litter that blessed the people of Wales and allowed these regions to prosper. The ferocious Cailleach is sometimes portrayed with the tusks and snout of a  boar. Pork was not only a particularly favorite meat of the Celts, but a preferred sacrificial offering. This is borne out by a quote by anthropologist and Iron Age expert Jean Louis Brunaux in The Celtic Gauls: Gods, Rites and Sanctuaries  “In antiquity, cooking was not differentiated from sacrifice; meat could not be eaten except by means of a ritual that could be directly related to that sacrifice. The hearth was therefore symbolically arranged to this effect.”( This book is excellent, but out of print.)
Pigs are also notorious protectors and sometimes associated with warfare: the Hindu god Vishnu assumes the form of Varahi when he saves the world from the floods.

Attis,Tammuz and  Adonis were all killed by pigs ( a pig, in fact, ripped open a tree so Adonis could be born). Pigs were sacrificed by the ancient Egyptians once a year during the full moon to honor Osiris. The sky goddess Nuit is portrayed as a sow whose many piglets are the stars.  In the Eleusinian Mysteries offerings of pigs are made to Demeter in return for a good harvest.( Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, John and Caitlin Matthews). Ceres,too, is associated with pigs because of her motherly nature. Adherents to Aphrodite and Ishtar make porcine offerings to these goddesses because of the highly regarded and sacred stature of the pig.

In places where it was not restricted by dietary laws, smoked, dried or salted pork was a staple of  the ancient diet. The preserved meat kept well throughout the long winter when people depended on food stored from the harvest. Lard provided flavor and fat needed in cooking, and the meat was a necessary form of protein. Sometimes the presence of pork was the difference between life and death in surviving the sparse cold months.

Necronomicon

In 1924, H.P.Lovecraft's short story,"The Hound" was included in the February edition of Weird Tales, a popular pulp magazine in the occult/horror/mystery genre. It was a story typical for it's time, written in a  style hauntingly reminiscent of  one of Lovecraft's forerunners, Edgar Allen Poe. It was not a tale that stood out among the many Gothic horror stories of the time period. What makes The Hound noteworthy is not the story, but an item mentioned in it: a grimorie of extraordinary evil known as The Necronomicon, a book of totally fictional origin written by  the 'Mad Arab' Abdul Alhazred, a character in another Lovecraft creation.( Much later, Dean Koontz would use the same strategy by using 'quotes' from the fictitious Book of Counted Sorrows his works; in 2003, Koontz did finally publish a limited edition volume of poetry using that very title. For him, as for Lovecraft, I believe the model is a minor bit of marketing genius.)

The Necronomicon is the stuff of literary legend: a moldy, hidden manuscript of ancient origin written by a partly insane devotee of  Cthulhu. Although it's contents and origin are spotty, it is hinted that it contains the secrets of the dead, was used as a reference in ceremonial magic for centuries, passed down from the Sumerians to many other civilizations, translated into Greek and then Latin (when it was banned by a Pope Gregory IX) by way of Spain, Italy and other parts of Europe and later into English through the Elizabethan magician John Dee-who never published his translation in it's entirety. It's mysterious content existed only in fragments throughout it's long life, adding to it's appeal among many occultists who insisted upon it's actual existence.

Lovecraft himself insisted that the Necronomicron was his own invention and never existed in reality."...As for seriously-written books on dark, occult,and supernatural themes- it all truth they don't amount to much. That's why it's more fun to invent mythical works like the Necronomicon..." Lovecraft wrote to Willis Conover, a broadcaster on the popular Voice of America Radio Show, and who published a sci-fi fanzine, Science Fantasy Correspondent in the 1930's.

Although Lovecraft always claimed the book was non-existent and nothing more than a figment of his imagination,the ensuing years brought forth an overabundance of individuals claiming to own authentic copies of the fabled text, from various sources. Library card catalogs listed the book with the notation, " Reference only. Inquire at desk", which was, I believe, more of a device to keep copies written by others with the same title from being stolen rather than limiting public access to it's supposed dark, dangerous contents.

While there are no legitimate copies if the Necronomicon, a number of books using the same name but written by other authors have surfaced, most notoriously, the version in the late 1970's by a self- proclaimed East Orthodox Christian priest using the alias of 'Simon'.  The "Simon Necronomicon"(as it is popularly known) contains an 80 page introduction by the author  and leans heavily on the theory of ancient middle eastern origin for the grimorie that contains mainly conjurations, incantations, demonic and angelic seals and rituals of ceremonial magic. A later book by Simon, Dead Names: The Dark History of the Necronomicon[http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Names-Dark-History-Necronomicon/dp/006078704X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344014386&sr=1-1&keywords=Dead+Names], uses a confusing and convoluted timeline in a conspiracy theory format that attempts to ferret out the 'true' history of a Greek version of the ancient text by the author. It has long been suspected that 'Simon'is the nom de plume of Peter Levenda(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Levenda), an occult writer who specializes in political conspiracies and who just happens to be one of the characters frequenting the book. His identity is thinly veiled in this occult cat and mouse game of  occult political intrigue that comes off sounding a bit like a psychedelic version of Raiders of the Lost Ark to me. I am especially suspicious of Levenda's credibility when he claims that as a twenty-something he and a colleague crashed Robert Kennedy's funeral mass dressed as two Eastern Orthodox Bishops (Dead Names,pg 60). The account of this adventurous lark in Dead Names is very detailed and specific; the problem I have is that I have viewed the event in question captured in video-taped news footage on Youtube numerous times and have never seen clergy of that denomination sitting in the place of honor described by Simon, nor any ministers fitting his description of their age and vestiture...and as someone who holds a degree in Comparative Religion and is an ordained minister, I would recognize them instantly. It is just one of the details Simon takes liberties with in writing this book. On a positive note, the book is interesting and entertaining in a taboo kind of way-as long as the reader doesn't take his words has truth, because I suspect the account is a fictional as Simon's name.  I did rather enjoy thumbing through the pages featuring a rag-tag troupe of occult notables,near notables and out right odd-balls, most notably his recollection of the flamboyant and toady Herman Slater [http://www.controverscial.com/Herman%20Slater.htm], owner of the infamous Magickal Childe bookstore.  I met Slater (unbeknown to me around the time all of this nefarious intrigue surrounding the Necronomicon was taking place) when I was a student at NYU and stopped in Magickal Childe on impulse. He was quite simply a character.

Back to Lovecraft's original statement that the Necronomicron does not exist as invented by him; later pretenders to the literary throne don't count as far as I'm concerned. Writing a grimorie and simply calling it Necronomicon doesn't make it the Necronomicon, it just makes for poor imitation intended to dupe the public...which, in my opinion, places the action in the same class as those who claim degrees of adept  in esoteric orders of dubious existence.

Pagan Blog Project 2012: Magickal Self-help

Marion Weinstein is one of my heroes. Her 1978 book Positive Magic is a building block in the foundation of my spiritual formation as a Pagan., and I still recommend it to today. I believe it's simply one of those 'must have' books in everyone's occult library.[http://www.amazon.com/Positive-Magic-Self-Help-Marion-Weinstein/dp/0960412875]

Positive Magic is another of those witchcraft related books that 'found' me. I never intentionally went out looking for anything in particular in mind, and I always came home with a gem or two, Interestingly enough, I found this book in the self-help section of a used bookstore in NYC when I was doing my undergrad studies and I needed something to cite for an abnormal psych class. Any book with reviews and recommendations by Margot Adler, Merlin Stone and Elizabeth Pepper automatically get my  vote! And although it is going on nearly 40 years after it's publication, there is very little I have found to  anachronistic between the covers, although the edition I own is very clearly a product of it's decade.

That's a sure sign of usefulness and power...and this book is exactly about that-power...personal power that anyone can achieve and master by putting the elbow grease required behind it. Very much a 'do-it-yourself' project, the sage advise in this book blends common sense with the occult mysteries. It contains one of the best definitions of magick (The 'k' is my one concession to Crowley's excess, because for me, it does separate the Universal Power of Nature from the kind of slight-of-hand used for entertainment purposes.) Like all books, the author has her own take on things, and you nor I have to take everything she says as gospel. Positive Magic is written on a very intimate, personal level, which I appreciate. Marion Weinstein wrote from her background as a Dianic Witch, and her knowledge at the time was up-to-date as possible nearly 4 decades ago.

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Magick is experiential. It's transformational. Both those statements make it difficult to define because magick is different for everyone. My personal definition is that the individual's will works in concert with the Power of the Universe and Nature, which puts me back to Scott Cunningham's theory that because nothing exists outside the realm of Nature, which is the normal state of being, nothing is supernatural or paranormal. To believe this is to know there is an explanation  for everything in the Universe: we just don't have all the answers. Magick allows the individual to seek those answers...and a lot of those answers will enrich who you are and assist you in achieving the type of spiritual integration most often explored by another of my personal heroes, Carl Gustav Jung.  Magick is basically what it is miraculous within your own framework...Personally, I think flipping a switch in the wall and having the combination of subatomic particles and magnetic field turn into electricity that turns on a lamp is pretty freakin' magickal. A little over a century ago, the simplicity of turning on a lamp would have been labeled as a form of sorcery ( and probably black magic, at that!) Because we know the cause and effect of the act of turning on a lamp in a scientific manner, that knowledge is no longer occult, but an accepted part of a normal life everywhere except in certain isolated third world countries. However, just because we know, that doesn't mean the magick has gone out of it; all that's changed is the way we view the action.

Wish-fulfillment is a sort of magick. I'm not talking about the fantasy type of daydreams that are manufactured by our mind as a sort of mini-vacation, but about the desire that can be fulfilled by the mastery of the will. Occultists are not an insular group who is privy to magickal secrets. We are a group of individuals who have learned to effectively use the natural power within each of us to focus our will into manifestation...and the truly wise among us know this also requires working in both the realm of Mystery and the Realm of Reality. It's my experience that you simply cannot wish something into being. While it's true you can set the achievement of form into motion through magickal workings, you also have to put out the effort to getting what you want...or the former is nothing more than wishful thinking.

So, how can magick fall into the category of self-help?  Marion Weinstein points out that,"All occult work is the very essence of creativity; occult work is the deepest expression of the self." [Practical Magic, pg. 7] Creativity originates in the right hemisphere of the brain. Despite popular belief, it is far more difficult to label properties as simply 'right brain or 'left brain', because actions are compartmentalized within areas of the brain and incorporated with other functions. For the right brain, processing is nonlinear and non-sequential, intuitive, thoughtful and subjective. My personal thought on this goes one step further: the logic and organization of the left brain is also necessary to make magick into something truly workable. While the inspiration for ritual comes from the right brain, surely the necessity to put spirituality into a context and form comes from the left, rational brain.

Further reading on this subject:
http://www.newliving.com/issues/july_2003/articles/magic_persnl.html

A Flash of Myth: Lightning

 Copyright Sam Javanrouh,2009

My grandparents used to tell a story about how Mom's mother Florence was literally scared to death by a bolt of lightning hitting a nearby tree. Allegedly the explosion either knocked her out of the rocking chair on the front porch of their clapboard farmhouse on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, or she was in such shock that she fell out of the chair on her own. At any rate, she took to her bed and died the next day.  I suspect there was more to the story than that, but like all snatches of eavesdropped family history, the story was colorful and short. Just like the fabled lightning bolt it charged the moment and was gone in a flash. Forever after that day the distant rumble of thunder was the signal to my grandmother that she should stop whatever she was doing wherever she was doing it and go to bed, where she would cover her head with the linens and wait out the storm. I rode out a lot of thunderstorms by myself during my childhood.

The other side of the thunderstorm anxiety coin in my house was my grandfather, who was the local fire chief. Being fire chief imbued Pop with a lot of Ripley's Believe-It-or Not kind of  knowledge about things other people didn't know. Things like: If you dunked a cat in ice water all it's fur would fall out. I never asked for the empirical proof of how he came by this tidbit, but I think it was the white fire chief's helmet that graced him with this plethora of wisdom. The guys at the fire house seemed to  think he was some sort of genius  because they would look up at him in awe...or maybe it was disbelief... I never could tell.  While the first rumble of distant thunder signaled Mom to go into hiding, Pop would run around the house and unplug every appliance with a cord on it from the wall sockets...except the lamps. Why the lamps were exempt from the rule is still a mystery, but since there weren't any circuit breakers other than the ones that were part of the ancient fuse boxes in our house, this might have not been a bad idea. Perhaps his subconscious fear of lightening originated from a particularly nasty aircraft crash that occurred during a vicious storm near our home-in the middle photo in the following link, Pop is the fire chief at the far left of the recovery crew. (http://www3.gendisasters.com/maryland/3859/elkton,-md-lightning-explodes-air-liner,-dec-1963)

And then, there was the Ball Lightning Incident, which was the antithesis of proof of Pop's vast knowledge of thunderstorms. It happened during a whopper of a storm that came up the Delaware River when I was about ten years old: a ball of bright blue fire shot through the screen door at the front of the house, traveled the entire with of the building, and exited through the open bathroom window, trailing a tail of  white smoke behind it. It was accompanied by a loud sonic report and the aftershock of fracturing glass and took only seconds. My grandmother was snuggled down beneath the bedclothes in a Valium-induced haze and slept undisturbed through the whole thing. Thereafter the front door and  windows remained firmly closed during any threatening weather, no matter how hot it got in the house upon orders of the local fire chief.

How I was never traumatized by my grandparents real or imagined fear of lightning I will never know. The simple fact is that I love the energy and power of thunderheads, I will run out into the downpour like a mad woman to embrace the wind driven rain. Maybe it's because I'm a Pisces, or maybe it's because I was raised not far from a river whose tides frequently pulled the storms in and out. I can smell the rain in the heavy atmosphere as the barometric pressure falls, and the hair will stand up on my arms in response to the gathering electricity of a thunderstorm.

Myth about the fear of thunder and lightning was once credited to the anger of the gods. In fact, one of the identifying attributes of Thor is the lightning bolt.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor) The lightning of Thor is often represented by the swastika, which is also a symbol of power in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain religions. Native Americans recognize it as one of many representations of the Sun Wheel. Thunderbirds-a stylized form of the eagle- are thought to carry lightning bolts in their talons.The right facing swastika was adopted as the symbol of the Nazi Party during the 1920s as an amulet of power. It is said that the mighty Roman god Jove kept eagles to hurl thunderbolts as punishment for men. 

Folk magick abounds with  lightning lore: wood taken from a tree struck by lightning should never be used in a fireplace lest it attract lightning to the house. Mirrors are covered so as not to absorb or attract it in some places, while in others mirrors are set out to taken in the energy. Planting holly around the foundation of a home is said to deflect lightning, as well as elder, hazel or acorns kept in the dwelling. ( Cassell's Dictionary of Superstitions, pg. 157) A fire started by a lightning strike should be allowed to burn out on its own, and the charred wood gathered to be used in magick. A particular prized find were Devil's pebbles, beads of melted glass caused by lightning striking sand.

The Navajo have many taboos concerning lightning; items such as wood or stones should only be handled by a shaman because they have sacred significance. ( http://navajocentral.org/navajotaboos/taboos_nature.html ) Some Navajo blankets have patterns inspired by lightning in them.

Wiccan Author Scott Cunningham ( 1956-1993), an adept at elemental magick, recommended charging personal healing,protection and power items during thunderstorms by placing them in a secure open spot where the items will be exposed to the rain and reflection of lightning.  Cunningham taught that since lightning storms are periods of intense power, the spells cast during them will be amplified. He advised that protection spells would particularly benefit from this energetic boost.  (Scott Cunningham,Earth, Air, Fire and Water, pg. 189)

Ultimate respect should always be used when employing elemental magic. The forces of Nature are unpredictable, and therefore when practicing in the outdoors-particularly during a thunderstorm- I urge you to use caution and common sense. The feeling of lightning flashing all around you is indeed exhilarating, but standing in a clearing and pointing your wand at the sky during a violent storm with the hope of commanding the elements will make you more of a lightning rod than a magickian. Practice with safety first in mind!

Impermanence

For those of you who don't know, I write another blog, Feast of Days, which is more geared to the interfaith community. Occasionally I cross post between the two...this is one of those times.

http://spiritualbanquet.blogspot.com/2012/05/impermanence.html

Indwelling

Tree Tunnel, Irish Countryside by Pathfinder

There are two stereotypes the Irish are famous for: drinking to excess and internal reflection. Having considered the merits of both, I realize one can be responsible for the other and visa versa. Not quite a teetotaler myself, I wholly reject the first while happily reclaiming the second.

If I had to call my style of reflection anything, I'd say I was a Caitlin Matthews with just a smattering of John O' Donohue kinda gal with just a pinch of Thich Nhat Hanh thrown in for good measure. A little bit Brigit and a little bit Buddha.



From a psychological view I see most 'deep thinkers' as self-absorbed, pretentious narcissists-particularly those in our Pagan community. You've seen the type: the  floor-length robed Dumbledore-wannabe armed with a dusty, arcane volume of some ancient  tome that addresses what is 'pagan proper' in every situation, or the Hot Topic pseudo- Goth just out of their teens who has explored their spirituality for a hot minute though a long-lost, dog-eared copy of The Dungeons and Dragons Users Manual by Pooh. I eschew both like I do a rabid raccoon because the eerie glow emitted from their eyes frightens me.

Thinking deeply, however, is much different, it's the thing you do when you realize there is something more and a better understanding of  things that affect you. I have created a meditative place of trans-personal exploration for myself  which I have named the Place of Deep Indwelling. 
I can best describe it as a portion of  astral space which specifically belongs to the individual seeker who created it. Timeless and limitless, it is sanctuary in which to simply exist. It's the place where my 16-year old self coincides with  my Crone. It holds both my child's wonder and ancestor's wisdom. It's boundary keeps changing. At times I visualize it as time sitting in a rocking chair by the fire in a remote cabin, my personal 'white room', or  a dark underground grotto within my cosmic being. It is where I need to be at the moment when I need to think; it is the place where I truly live.It is a place of my own invention, although I believe we all have it.  I reside there when I want to figure out where I'm going next in my life, where I go to remind myself that I am not my circumstances, where I take my disappointment in others-and often myself-for reconciliation, where bygone days and memory are momentarily the present once more. The Place of Deep Indwelling is my plasma core and spiritual nuclear reactor or  a cool, quiet cave for my spirit.

The Place of Deep Indwelling is where I am most myself without being afraid. It is my ultimate comfort... and sometimes my own personal hell, where I wrestle with demons of my own creation that have followed me there.It is the Place of Presence. It is where I truly am when I am not caught up in the drama of society,  melded into the lives of others, or slaying the dragons of the everyday world. It is my fortress and it is where I shut the door on The World and all that is in it- and breathe a sigh of relief.  It is my Rabbit Hole http://www.whatthebleep.com/rabbithole/.

When I emerge from this place of indwelling, I feel restored and able to once again dive into the stream of life, where I can swim with the other fish of my kind. I am hopefully a little calmer and kinder, but I am always more aware of my surroundings and situations around me. I am more greatly empathic than normal. Perhaps I am more sympathetic as well.

Indwelling, at least for me, is a spiritual practice that grounds and centers me in the real world. I have found that it also enhances my magick. It is where I most identify with my 'paganess', where the wild and uninhibited self is unfettered by societal convention, and it is where I proclaim my Great I Am Who I Am.

Graveyard Dirt-History,Purchase and Uses

It was a dark and stormy night...No, wait...Once inside the graveyard a long shadow fell eerily over the headstone of...Okay, that doesn't sound right either.

Are you ready to approach this subject seriously? Me, too. And while I love a good ghost story, this isn't the time for one. I'm not writing an episode of Ghost Hunters or Walking Dead, so it's best to drop the pretension. This is a factual post about the history, purchase and use of one of the occultist's most mysterious agents-graveyard dirt, an ingredient used frequently in folk magic, but most especially in Hoodoo. To understand the history of graveyard dirt, we first have to understand the context in which it is most famous (or infamous).

Hoodoo is a system of conjure practiced in the Southeastern part of the United States which blends elements of African, Native American and European folk magick.( And yes, the word is magick... with no apologies. I prefer the Crowlean spelling to delineate the religious and ceremonial practice from the form of vaudevillian entertainment). It is often used synonymously with the term root work. Although it may share some of the same characteristics, it is not Haitian Vodou or New Orleans-style Voodoo, it is a separate and legitimate tradition with it's own rich history. It's popularity has grown over the last several decades and now root workers can be found all over the country-although it's heart and soul still lies in the deep South and Gulf states.

Hoodoo is often intermingled with Christianity as a Southern socio-cultural phenomenon; many hoodoo practitioners would be surprised to learn that what they are practicing is anything other than common knowledge or folk medicine within their community. Hoodoo, in it's proper context, is truly the 'power of the people', devoid of any maleficent connotation.

Root workers often learn to use what is available to them in their conjuration; the more cultural and sociological importance, the more powerful the item. Superstition surrounding such items stems from the magickal power and spiritual energy attributed to it. Belief  in the energy of a particular item begets and strengthens it's reputation...and so it is with graveyard dirt.

Both graveyards and cemeteries are burying grounds for the mortal remains of the deceased. Graveyards are most commonly associated with churches, where as during the 19th century cemeteries - burying grounds not associated with a church- became popular. Cemeteries as memorial parks became fashionable as a place to spend a quiet Sunday afternoon walking or having a family picnic. The fear later associated with cemeteries and graveyards did not exist then as they were seen by many as the  'home' of loved ones who had crossed the Veil. A stroll among the headstones was just talking a walk with Grandpa who was now in spirit, and it was viewed as a quite natural thing. Throughout my childhood my relatives and I frequented the graveyard and shared a fried chicken meal with my great-grandparents, and I was free to roam around and find the most interesting and beautiful graves. It lead to my adult appreciation of funerary art...which is another blog post for later.

Back to graveyard dirt,which is nothing more than dirt from a burying ground. It doesn't matter what the place is called...but how how you acquire the dirt, what you do to get it and the grave you get it from does greatly matter, because it will become the foundation of success or failure in your spell work. Each root worker has his or her own method of collection dependent upon their personal belief, but all of those methods adhere to the same basics.
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/othermagicspells/p/graveyarddirt.htm


My personal methods are simple and vary according to how I'm spiritually led at that moment, but I always take time to formulate my plans before going further-that is I make certain my focus is clear. If I'm doing the working for someone else, then I want to be sure I know exactly what their intention is in regard to the matter at hand and what their expectations are for the results-after all, I am just the vessel...and they may be asking for something I'm not comfortable with doing. I always do a short meditation about the working and then gather my tools, which include nine pennies, a silver coin  (preferably a Mercury dime), some flowers, a small bottle of  holy water or liquor like rum or whiskey ( the size you get on airline flights are perfect!), a sturdy spoon or small garden trough, a zip lock bag with a file card, and a sharpie pen. If you're going at night you will need a flashlight...and you will need permission. It's the right and correct thing to do and keeps you from being mistaken for a vandal by an overly zealous security officer.

The traditional time for collecting graveyard dirt is around midnight.  This is fine if you are visiting a burial ground out in the country where it is a bit secluded and there is easy access. Please be respectful, and try not to look suspicious (Don't laugh, you're out in a church yard at night; the first thought that will come to any one's mind is that you're up to no good!) I would also advise against  going alone simply for safety's sake-taking a trustworthy friend is the smart thing to do if you will be in a secluded area. I also advise against climbing over gates or walls because it is not only dangerous to your personal health (you could fall) but you will be trespassing. If you're out for the thrill, it's better that you stay home until you can participate in the work with the proper frame of mind because this is, after all, essentially a ritual. Personally, I limit my excursions to places I am familiar with and  during the day when I can walk around essentially unnoticed by any maintenance staff. I take a bag lunch so I can spend time finding just the right place. Most large cemeteries have business offices where you can get a map of the grounds, which easily point you to the graves of persons of public interest, and include a list of rules and the hours the facility is open. Smaller graveyards may have a similar pamphlet available from the church office. Since interest in funeral customs and art has sky rocketed in the past few years, no one is going to think twice about you going about your business. It is not unusual to see people leaving small tokens, pebbles or coins on graves these days. Just use common sense and be discreet in your actions and everything will be fine!

Unlike some practitioners, I do not use correspondences when determining where to purchase my graveyard dirt. It is just my way of doing things, and those methods have worked for me. Some traditions assign various times and correspondences according to the type of work you will be doing.(http://www.mojomoon.net/hyatdirt.html)  I meditate and ask those who have crossed the Veil to assist me in finding the proper place. At the gate of the cemetery I leave nine copper pennies as an offering to the Gatekeeper and ask to be lead to a grave of someone with characteristics that relate to the work I'll being using the dirt in.  Usually I'm lead to the grave of someone who has lead a good life and has died heroically and in the line of duty, like a firefighter or police officer, or someone who has been a leader in the community. If  the working is to restore ill health I look for the grave of  a doctor or other health care practitioner with a good reputation, if it is to win a court case, I try to find a judge.  This way I'm assured that the spirit there is a caring, selfless person and is connected in some way to the intention of the spell. The use of graveyard dirt in a spell is employing sympathetic magick, and there are powerful cultural beliefs connected to  the role of the dead in rituals of invocation. I place the flowers as a way of introducing myself and ask the spirit there if they are willing to assist me in the work. If I get a positive response and I feel good about our telepathic conversation, I remove a small square of the sod, take some of the dirt, put it in the bag and make the proper offering and payment with the silver coin and holy water/liquor, then replace the sod. In taking the dirt and making the offering I am, in actuality, purchasing the spirit's services for the work.The spirit has fully agreed to this contract for his or her services and will assist in the working for the required period of time, then it is released and free to return to it's resting place. The spirit is never forced or coerced into doing something to which it does not agree...that would be foolish and dangerous, as the purchase and use of graveyard dirt is an act of necromancy. Once again, it is wise to follow the time honored precedent of  not calling up what you cannot put down. The name of the decedent and information found on the headstone or marker is recorded on the file card and the card dropped into the bag with the dirt. I know that there are many preferences as to which part of the grave to purchase the dirt from, but I believe those are individual preferences as so I take dirt form where it is easiest to remove and replace the sod and soil.

I employ the purchased dirt and the accompanying spirit's services mainly in protection or prosperity spells. Occasionally I mix the dirt with sulfur, red pepper, rue and other ingredients for a binding powder. When I do a love spell for someone, it is usually pertaining to self-love and acceptance, or for the individual to find love. I do not do love spells to bind someone to another unless they are married, and then only under specific circumstances. I respect the free will of others, but the vow made during the marriage ritual is already a binding that I believe my work simply reinforces. I will not do a love spell/binding to keep partners together in an abusive relationship or when there is a legitimate reason for them to part, only if the couple needs a 'little something' to keep them on the right track. Usually I have spoken to both partners and we are all in agreement before any work is done.

I cannot stress enough that you do not simply walk into a graveyard and take dirt from a grave at random. This is not a joke. You don't know who or what you are bringing home with you, and you certainly do not want to employ any individual entity that may turn against you or harm others. Know who is in the grave before you purchase that spirit's services and above all else never simply take the dirt without proper payment-that is stealing. And I know that some practitioners use a commanding tone with the spirit they have employed because the have in fact enslaved it. That's not the way I personally see it. I believe that the spirit in the dirt has agreed to a contracted task which it will honor, and therefore I have no reason to declare dominion over it. We are working together in a business relationship and share the same goal. I found that respect and thanksgiving goes a long way in the success of this relationship.

Pagan Blog Project: An Aging Community

Here's something you probably don't want to hear: our Pagan community is aging. While it is certainly true that Paganism has been expanding at a rapid pace over the last ten years and is particularly appealing to young persons, there is a core segment of the community who came into the picture with the advent of Gardner's public reconstruction around and prior to 1951. What that essentially means is that those who were standing on the threshold of the first generation of modern Wicca,witchcraft and Paganism did so 60 plus years ago. Many of those we view as founders and elders of the Craft are now truly elderly. It doesn't mean that those folks are going to wither into wizened old coots, but let's face it-everyone is not as spry and sprightly as Raymond Buckland in their elderhood. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ageing)

I came into the Craft during the 1970's at the tender age of 17...thirty-nine years ago. Another mid-50ish woman and I are presently planning our Croning Ceremony, which will take place in a couple of months. Being in the Craft 39 years doesn't make me more important or better than anyone else; I'm not an adept at anything as far as I can tell.( And yes, it did freak me out just a little when I did the math that so many years have passed.) What it does mean is that I am a potentially valuable resource in my home group, and perhaps the the community beyond. It means I have more experience simply because of tenure ( not superior to anyone elses, mind you).  It also means that  one day in the not so distant future, I may not be able to fully participate in the activities of my community unless there is careful planning by those mindful of the limitations we all develop as we age. There are things I cannot do even now as well as I used to, but on the other hand, that is off-set by the knowledge and ability I have developed in other areas.

The  aging of our community will require how we look at things when we plan gatherings and events. (Frankly, we should already be doing this with regard to those members who have physical disabilities.) Accessibility may not be an issue where you hold rituals now, but there is a genuine likelihood it can be in the future. No member of the community should be turned away or  left out of an activity because there are barriers to their participation due to age and/ or infirmity. There are certainly many ways to make adaptations during the planning phase of events to be sure the chosen area does not bar anyone from participating. And yes, that may mean at some point that you need to change the meeting place to reasonably accommodate everyone. I assure you that the Divine will appear wherever you hold your event with the proper invitation.

Architectural and physical barriers are not the biggest obstacle. The biggest obstacle is attitude. Policies and practices of the group may inadvertently lead to unintentional discrimination. Discussing the needs of our aging community now will largely by pass any misunderstanding or hurt feelings later. Nobody wants to feel like they no longer have a part because they are 'too old', or that certain activities are only for the younger members of the group...and no one should be allowed to feel that way. Leadership should make clear that every member of the group has their own uniqueness, and what makes the individual valued does not diminish with age.

Make no assumptions about the ability of others. Don't assume that the coven mate with failing vision also has a problem hearing, or Lady Lighthawk will be unable to walk up the hill to where the circle is being held because she does, after all, have a cane. In this instance your adjustment in planning might simply be  using a larger font when printing written parts of the ritual, or working with the individual in question to have the printed part translated to braille ( many individuals with low vision or who are blind have access to a facility which will do this). It doesn't hurt to ask-in fact, it makes the individual feel valued because you are willing to help remove the barrier to their participation. That participant who uses the cane may just have to be given a little more time to make the trek, or have a 'buddy' to help with the rough spots. The same goes for those using wheelchairs and scooters; many of these devices are capable of being used in moderate rough terrain with the assistance of others. Others may have respiratory or cardiac illness; would it be possible to give them a ride to the ritual spot? Again, maybe all they would need to do is to pace themselves and be given additional time to reach the area under the watchful eyes of others making the trip on foot. Designate a member of the group to be the official communicator with a deaf coven mate who uses TTA( phone service for the deaf using telecommunications). Work with the individual toward a solution! They deal with the physical challenge all the time and may have developed some innovative solutions on their own. I cannot stress the value of open communication enough.

I have a personal example of this: just at the time I was about to undergo  my Ordeal Ceremony in the Order of the Arrow (Boy Scouts), my MS kicked in full force. While I could walk and carry a light backpack unassisted, I could not use a sleeping bag on the ground. The leadership wanted to put me in an indoor lodge for the night, to which I objected, because the purpose of the evening was to be in the out of  doors for the evening. The solution we came up with was this: I still went out on the mountain with my group, but my sleeping bag was put on a cot for the night,giving me the proper height from the ground where I had leverage to be independent. It was a simple, dignified solution. The ultimate benefit from this experience was that it became an opportunity for discussion and education for the OA chapter leadership, which resulted in adapting their routine so that other Scouts who were physically and mentally challenged were inducted in our OA Lodge. Now the participation of these individuals is not considered a 'problem' by the more able bodied, and other participants are not only delighted to pitch in where they are needed, but knowing they helped make the experience a reality for another fellow gives them the satisfaction of being truly useful. Perhaps the most important lesson is that they now view ability verses inability through new eyes.

Most of all, allow those who are differently- abled their dignity, particularly those who are experiencing problems connected with the natural aging all of us will experience. None of us would intentionally be mean-spirited...but you would be surprised by your own reactions...I was, and I am a trained paramedic. Curb your impatience if it's taking a little bit longer for that older member to "get it". On the other hand, don't treat the elderly as you would a child. Take into consideration that "things don't work like they used to". Speak a little more clearly, adjust your tone of voice if you realize the other person isn't quite comprehending what you're saying. Offer to enlarge printed materials, or to read to them if the person seems to be having a problem. There is no harm in gently saying," Can I help you with that?" The offer is more often than not appreciated because the individual doesn't want to appear useless or a burden. We all have our pride....and occasionally we all need the help of another.

I feel that within our community there is a vague sense of  disconnect in genuinely equating our aging membership with the worship of the  Maiden, Mother and Crone ( and their male counterparts). This is curious to me and  I cannot put my finger on it other than to say it is a normal development phase of the young. It is a boon and not a burden to have older members among us. Not everyone will be the endearing image of the coven grandma or grandfather, but even those who are disagreeable and set in their ways have something to teach us. The experience of long life only comes from those who have lived it. Please remember that those aged members of our community will all too soon become the ancestors from whom we seek help from across the Veil.

(The CDC has an excellent informational source on aging on their website, including a course which offers CEUs for some individuals: http://www.cdc.gov/aging/aginginfo/index.htm)