Blessings Darlings!
In a Facebook group the other day (yes, one of the vile swamp of dysfunctional ones - those are where I get inspiration for many of my rants) someone was going on about doing a prosperity spell, but to be careful to 'not let the greedy' find out about the spell.
Someone with a home, not living on the street or in a shelter.
Someone with central heat and air conditioning
Someone with food security.
Someone with a phone or computer than had constant internet access.
Someone with electricity.
Someone with at LEAST a refrigerator/freezer.
Someone not living in Detroit or on Native American land, so had clean water and plenty of it.
Someone with a working water heater.
Someone with a working stove.
Someone with enough education to read and write.
And she was addressing others like herself.
People in the upper 15% of income worldwide.
Which is almost everyone in the US - my pitiful $5000 for 2016 put me in the top 25% of world-wide earners.
With my ACA benefits added, I was up to the upper 15% of income world wide.
I was a bit gobsmacked. And I made a mistake. I tried to point out to here that even the folks she would consider 'greedy' are the heros of their own story. They pretty much uniformly feel that all they do is Right and Just and Proper (okay, a few see themselves as the antihero of their own story, but by that they only mean that they are not a CONVENTIONAL hero - but they are a hero nevertheless.)
Back to my mistake - I forgot that in her story she was the hero. Pointing out that compared to the rest of the world, she's and probably everyone else in the group are exactly the greedy folks that she felt shouldn't use prosperity spells was, to say the least, at odds with her hero story. Because there will always be people making more than she makes ... and never mind that the same thought is in the mind of those 'real' greedy folks she was condemning.
Sometimes I'm an idiot. Most of those times it's when I expect average white pagan folks to not see themselves as being the most economically and socially and religiously oppressed folks on the planet.
Sigh.
Frondly, Fern
Monday, February 19, 2018
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Most FB Support Pagan/Witch Groups Are Vile Swamps of Dysfunction
Blessings Darlings!
I enjoy discussing religion, politics, magic, gardening, prepping, cooking, food, science, and a whole lot of other stuff. And if there is a topic, there are probably hundreds of Facebook groups for that. Some of those groups are good, and promote great discussions, and everyone learns new things and grows. But those groups are really bloody rare.
They seem especially rare for Pagan and Witch topics. Discussion and citing sources and backing up claims of history and, OMGs, asking for success stats with a magical technique! are almost universally frowned upon. Instead of having groups aiding in folks maturing,David Wolfe getting a real education (David Wolf and Natural News, etc, being considered really fucking BAD sources of info), aiding folks in setting goals and holding them accountable for taking (or not taking) actions towards those goals, the bulk of the groups are termed 'support groups'.
In these groups, every claim, every fleeting thought ever random dream or day dream, is unquestioning accepted as capital T Truth. David Wolfe and his ilk are believed. Alistair Crowley's spirit IS living tn the tree in front of your house. Disagreeng or challenging things that are not factual (like, history or chemistry) is called 'being negative' or 'being argumentative' or 'attacking'.
And both plagiarism and down right piracy of the work of others Pagans and witches is allowed, hell, in some it's even encouraged. Certainly those who speak against the practice (yup, like Yours Truly) get booted from the group by folks who misquote the laws about those topics to cover their pasty white plagiarizing asses.
Instead of promoting growth and maturing of the people in those groups, they are enabling disconnect from the world that they need to be living and doing magic in. Dismissing science, the herbal concoctions some folks prescribe are risks to life and health. By pretending to be sharing information but hiding the source of it, the leaders of those groups are controlling the people in the group and hoarding information, so that the members can't vet the sources and read more by those that are generally considered to be actually good.
Such groups are made by admins who pretend that their members will gain strength by being kept in a play pen and spoon fed their entire lives. Now, as above so below, right? If you take a 30 year old adult, limit them to a 'safe' playpen, spoon feed them random pureed and always pre-cooked food ... what efect is that going to have on the human body? Confine it, deny it raw food, exercise, the cleansing effect of sunlight (hush, Amorella, we know YOU don't need sunlight, but you work nights), and fresh air,
The result isn't going to be pretty. And certainly not strong and healthy.
Are there good FB pagan and/or witch groups? Yes. They are rare. The Morrigan's Cave group is very different than the Answering Her Call....the lore of the Morrigan group. You will have to join many and dump virtually all of them, to find great groups.
It's worth the effort to be an actualized adult rather than a controlled child.
Frondly, Fern
I enjoy discussing religion, politics, magic, gardening, prepping, cooking, food, science, and a whole lot of other stuff. And if there is a topic, there are probably hundreds of Facebook groups for that. Some of those groups are good, and promote great discussions, and everyone learns new things and grows. But those groups are really bloody rare.
They seem especially rare for Pagan and Witch topics. Discussion and citing sources and backing up claims of history and, OMGs, asking for success stats with a magical technique! are almost universally frowned upon. Instead of having groups aiding in folks maturing,David Wolfe getting a real education (David Wolf and Natural News, etc, being considered really fucking BAD sources of info), aiding folks in setting goals and holding them accountable for taking (or not taking) actions towards those goals, the bulk of the groups are termed 'support groups'.
In these groups, every claim, every fleeting thought ever random dream or day dream, is unquestioning accepted as capital T Truth. David Wolfe and his ilk are believed. Alistair Crowley's spirit IS living tn the tree in front of your house. Disagreeng or challenging things that are not factual (like, history or chemistry) is called 'being negative' or 'being argumentative' or 'attacking'.
And both plagiarism and down right piracy of the work of others Pagans and witches is allowed, hell, in some it's even encouraged. Certainly those who speak against the practice (yup, like Yours Truly) get booted from the group by folks who misquote the laws about those topics to cover their pasty white plagiarizing asses.
Instead of promoting growth and maturing of the people in those groups, they are enabling disconnect from the world that they need to be living and doing magic in. Dismissing science, the herbal concoctions some folks prescribe are risks to life and health. By pretending to be sharing information but hiding the source of it, the leaders of those groups are controlling the people in the group and hoarding information, so that the members can't vet the sources and read more by those that are generally considered to be actually good.
Such groups are made by admins who pretend that their members will gain strength by being kept in a play pen and spoon fed their entire lives. Now, as above so below, right? If you take a 30 year old adult, limit them to a 'safe' playpen, spoon feed them random pureed and always pre-cooked food ... what efect is that going to have on the human body? Confine it, deny it raw food, exercise, the cleansing effect of sunlight (hush, Amorella, we know YOU don't need sunlight, but you work nights), and fresh air,
The result isn't going to be pretty. And certainly not strong and healthy.
Are there good FB pagan and/or witch groups? Yes. They are rare. The Morrigan's Cave group is very different than the Answering Her Call....the lore of the Morrigan group. You will have to join many and dump virtually all of them, to find great groups.
It's worth the effort to be an actualized adult rather than a controlled child.
Frondly, Fern
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Altar Placement
Blessings Darlings!
So, we moved again - now close to the house we first lived in in this area, only right on the cattle farm instead of it being 'across the street, and behind the house on the other side of the street' from us. Moving is always hard when you're old and have 'stuff', but most of that is sorted and put away now.
But putting up new outdoor altars in the new location always takes extra time. The indoor altars are mostly easy - healing and ancestor altars in the family room, household spirits in the kitchen and/or by the fireplace. But where to put those outdoor altars?
This time I was lucky, and there is a boulder in the back yard that is perfect for the Gods' altar - which mirrors the huge flat slab of rock that was at the nearby house. Bride, should I work with her, has the well in the back yard, and that will also be for the Sea of that triad. But the Good Folk, where to put Their altar? Spirit of Land ... okay, that's going to be by one of the Groundhog's dens, since they go into the Land. Probably the den where the cow mangled the fence trying to jump over it, rather than the one (unoccupied) under the front door area.
Decisions, decisions ...
Frondly, Fern
So, we moved again - now close to the house we first lived in in this area, only right on the cattle farm instead of it being 'across the street, and behind the house on the other side of the street' from us. Moving is always hard when you're old and have 'stuff', but most of that is sorted and put away now.
But putting up new outdoor altars in the new location always takes extra time. The indoor altars are mostly easy - healing and ancestor altars in the family room, household spirits in the kitchen and/or by the fireplace. But where to put those outdoor altars?
This time I was lucky, and there is a boulder in the back yard that is perfect for the Gods' altar - which mirrors the huge flat slab of rock that was at the nearby house. Bride, should I work with her, has the well in the back yard, and that will also be for the Sea of that triad. But the Good Folk, where to put Their altar? Spirit of Land ... okay, that's going to be by one of the Groundhog's dens, since they go into the Land. Probably the den where the cow mangled the fence trying to jump over it, rather than the one (unoccupied) under the front door area.
Decisions, decisions ...
Frondly, Fern
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
The Gods are not your bitches.
Blessings Darlings!
Would you walk up to a random stranger on the street and ask them to give you stuff? Like, "Hey - you don't know me at all, and I don't know you. But my cat is sick, and I think you should take her to the vet, get her looked at, and get whatever the vet thinks she needs. And I also think you should give her the drugs/whatever for how ever long it's needed"
Or "I need a job. You should make sure I get one"
No? That's rude?
Oddly enough, lots and lots and LOTS of folks treat the God/dess/es like this.
Their pet is sick - they call on Bast to heal the dog. Never mind that they have NEVER interacted with Bast before. They know so little about Bast that they think that She is "protector of all animals'. And that Her name is Bast ...
Look, there's nothing wrong with prayers to your Gods. But for 'your Gods' to be YOUR Gods, you need to build a relationship with them. Not just expect them to come thru' when you need something.
And we've ALL had those type of folks in our lives, who only come around when they need something from us. After a while, we realize that they folks are using us. We are their bitches.
The Gods don't play that at all.
At the very least, if you need to make an, ahem, Hail Mary pass to some God or other Being for a favor, and you don't have some relationship with that being - make some damn offerings. And promise some future offerings. Specify the future offerings that you are willing to give. Because the stories of Beings who ask for one or more of your children, etc, ain't just stories. People didn't pull those stories out of their asses.
And make those future offerings that you promised. Surely you already knew that, but ... I feel prompted to repeat that.
Frondly, Fern
Would you walk up to a random stranger on the street and ask them to give you stuff? Like, "Hey - you don't know me at all, and I don't know you. But my cat is sick, and I think you should take her to the vet, get her looked at, and get whatever the vet thinks she needs. And I also think you should give her the drugs/whatever for how ever long it's needed"
Or "I need a job. You should make sure I get one"
No? That's rude?
Oddly enough, lots and lots and LOTS of folks treat the God/dess/es like this.
Their pet is sick - they call on Bast to heal the dog. Never mind that they have NEVER interacted with Bast before. They know so little about Bast that they think that She is "protector of all animals'. And that Her name is Bast ...
Look, there's nothing wrong with prayers to your Gods. But for 'your Gods' to be YOUR Gods, you need to build a relationship with them. Not just expect them to come thru' when you need something.
And we've ALL had those type of folks in our lives, who only come around when they need something from us. After a while, we realize that they folks are using us. We are their bitches.
The Gods don't play that at all.
At the very least, if you need to make an, ahem, Hail Mary pass to some God or other Being for a favor, and you don't have some relationship with that being - make some damn offerings. And promise some future offerings. Specify the future offerings that you are willing to give. Because the stories of Beings who ask for one or more of your children, etc, ain't just stories. People didn't pull those stories out of their asses.
And make those future offerings that you promised. Surely you already knew that, but ... I feel prompted to repeat that.
Frondly, Fern
Saturday, January 6, 2018
Pearls before ... y'all.
Blessings Darlings!
I believe that I'm going to start blogging again. The blogs will probably be mostly reactive, spurred by irritants I run into. But dealing with irritants is how pearls are made, right?
Frondly, Fern
I believe that I'm going to start blogging again. The blogs will probably be mostly reactive, spurred by irritants I run into. But dealing with irritants is how pearls are made, right?
Frondly, Fern
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Sensing Energy 101
Blessings, Darlings!
Mostly - sensing energy just takes practice. But setting up an A/B test (or A/B/C test, in this case) helps by setting up a setting where you have clearly different energies.
I'm going to assume that you have a kitchen floor that is not carpeted. If it is - I'll have ideas for you to use to modify this after the main article.*
Sweep your entire floor. Wash half of it in your usual way, with whatever products you usually use. Let it dry (wipe it dry if you're in a hurry!) Compare what you feel, standing on the washed vs unwashed parts. Use all your senses - you might be best as visual energetic cues, audible ones, scents, etc. Touch might work, but might not be the best sense for this, because clean surely feels different that a floor that might be sticky! Still, holding your hand just over each side might have you feel different things on each side - different temperature/pressure/other sensations (this is why a dry floor is best for this, being wet alone would give some false positives) And while you might sense a different taste on both sides, obviously don't go licking the floor.
Feel a difference? Wonderful! THAT is just from a basic cleaning.
Now, wash the rest of the floor, just like before.
That done? Great! Now charge some spiritual/magical cleanser, and add it to a new batch of wash water, along with your usual cleaning products. Salt, hoodoo floor washes, Florida water, a little lemon extract/oil/juice, all are good for this. To charge whatever you're using, put it in a small bowl, hold it in both hands, announce to it what you're charging it for (all these things can be used in several different ways, after all). Then - I'm really being basic here for charging, since I've not covered that in this series yet - do what you can to 'push' that flavor of energy into it. All of the products I named (save for the floor washes, which vary by purpose) easily pick up 'spiritual cleansing' vibes.
Now wash half of your floor with THAT mix, and dry the floor.
Repeat the 'sensing' part. Notice what you feel, in all your senses.
Write all results down in your lab notebook/journal/whatever.
* Carpet modification. Use Vacuum/don't vacuum and spread charged salt on half of it for 15 minutes before vacuuming all of it.
Frondly, Fern
Mostly - sensing energy just takes practice. But setting up an A/B test (or A/B/C test, in this case) helps by setting up a setting where you have clearly different energies.
I'm going to assume that you have a kitchen floor that is not carpeted. If it is - I'll have ideas for you to use to modify this after the main article.*
Sweep your entire floor. Wash half of it in your usual way, with whatever products you usually use. Let it dry (wipe it dry if you're in a hurry!) Compare what you feel, standing on the washed vs unwashed parts. Use all your senses - you might be best as visual energetic cues, audible ones, scents, etc. Touch might work, but might not be the best sense for this, because clean surely feels different that a floor that might be sticky! Still, holding your hand just over each side might have you feel different things on each side - different temperature/pressure/other sensations (this is why a dry floor is best for this, being wet alone would give some false positives) And while you might sense a different taste on both sides, obviously don't go licking the floor.
Feel a difference? Wonderful! THAT is just from a basic cleaning.
Now, wash the rest of the floor, just like before.
That done? Great! Now charge some spiritual/magical cleanser, and add it to a new batch of wash water, along with your usual cleaning products. Salt, hoodoo floor washes, Florida water, a little lemon extract/oil/juice, all are good for this. To charge whatever you're using, put it in a small bowl, hold it in both hands, announce to it what you're charging it for (all these things can be used in several different ways, after all). Then - I'm really being basic here for charging, since I've not covered that in this series yet - do what you can to 'push' that flavor of energy into it. All of the products I named (save for the floor washes, which vary by purpose) easily pick up 'spiritual cleansing' vibes.
Now wash half of your floor with THAT mix, and dry the floor.
Repeat the 'sensing' part. Notice what you feel, in all your senses.
Write all results down in your lab notebook/journal/whatever.
* Carpet modification. Use Vacuum/don't vacuum and spread charged salt on half of it for 15 minutes before vacuuming all of it.
Frondly, Fern
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Basic grounding and centering.
Blessings Darlings!
I don't seem to have posted on grounding and centering - and since I just did it in a group on FB, I'm going to share that post here. Enjoy!
I don't seem to have posted on grounding and centering - and since I just did it in a group on FB, I'm going to share that post here. Enjoy!
Grounding and centering is some of the most basic energy work you can do. The surprise is that so few folks seem to consider these things to be energy work!
Grounding is just keeping a clear and active energetic connection with the Earth/Malkuth/the material world - this is the energy of manifestation. There will be plenty of times that you will want to connect with other sources of energy for specific purposes, but for day-to-day magic, this is what you will need - magic to make changes in your life and the lives of those around you.
Much of what I suggested in my post in The Start Menu was aimed at clearing away barriers to being grounded, clearing away things that keep you from having a clear and active connection to Earth Energy. As you can tell from that post - I see most of those barriers as being self-inflicted.
What I do now for grounding is just turn my attention to the always existing connection between me and the earth, or make myself a cup of coffee or tea, invoke Earth with the cup (earth invoking pentagram: top middle of pent to lower left/lower left to upper right/upper right to upper left/upper left to lower right/lower right to top middle/top middle to lower left) and drink it mindfully. But for beginners, taking the time to learn it thru' a guided meditation is a good idea. There are many such guided meds out there - here's a link to one of Patti Wigington's: http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/dreamsandmeditation/ht/EarthMeditation.htm
Now - centering.
For me, centering is being clear on where you end and the rest of the energetic world(s) begin. Making sure that you have barriers keeps you from being blown about by random strands of energy that are in play in every day life. It gets even more important when you're out and about playing in the Other Worlds, too.
I LOVE the Emerald Heart meditation for this, published by Ivo Dominguez, Jr. in his book "Spirit Speaks" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EHE4K0/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 I'm a fan of the entire book, for that matter. But that's not for every day work! For everyday work, I like to just move my awareness to what some call the 'transpersonal chakra' above my head, notice it bringing energy to my auras, and focus on having it pump out a silver sparkle colored (to me, at any rate!) energy to cleanse my auras/chakras/etc of uninvited attachments and strengthen my auras in general. I've also had great results on centering from doing what's like 'chakra tuning' work, just focusing on each chakra in turn, from sacral on up, spinning in it's appropriate color. Again, there are tons of other exercises out there aimed at helping you center, just like there are plenty of them to help you ground.
So - ground. Center. Be wonderful.
Frondly, Fern
Frondly, Fern
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