Blessings Darlings!
This is a continuation of last Wednesday's blog "Consider the Source!"
There are some Pagans/Witches/Magic Users who violate my "Sources Matter" rede all the fucking time. They see something that tickles their Elmo in some way, and NEVER checking to see what the source is or even checking to see if it's total nonsense. They just add it to their Pinterest/Tumblr/spam it in FB groups immediately. They don't care if it's true or false, or if it's plagiarized, or if actually followed it can be dangerous. The best that I can say is that they have their feelz going, but not their brains (or ethics in the case of plagiarism.)
I'm calling them Pinterest Pagans because I really like alliteration. In my never humble opinion, they are the Becky and Chads of the Pagan/etc community.
I've posted before about folks who try to 'buy' paganism/witchcraft by buying craploads of tools and oils and other 'stuff'. This is another form of that - collecting random stuff from the Internet most of which they don't use. Judging from what I've seen - 90% of the witch/pagan stuff they share is shit. Just ... shit. Shit with no sources cited. Because apparently they think that everything on the Internet is true.
If they share spells and are asked details about them, it's usually clear that they never did the spell. They can't tell you what exactly occurred when they did it. They can't give you success/failure rates, they can't tell you why any specific item is called for. They can't discuss the magical theory behind the spell. They can't tell you a specific statement of intent that they used.
IMO, Pinterest Pagan are, for the most part, uneducated and not willing to do REAL work to educate themselves. Not willing to even investigate what they read for veracity or intelligence or reality. They clearly don't believe that the sources matter. To quote Isaac Asimov, they believe that "[their] ignorance is just as good as your knowledge," or equal to the knowledge of folks who have made deep study for years into what they are posting memes about. I'm not saying that *I* am an expert that they shouldn't be comparing themselves to - I'm saying that the sources I quote are the experts, in case anyone was wondering about that.
I weep for the human race.
Frothing Fern
Showing posts with label pagan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pagan. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Thursday, August 30, 2018
You and Me, Baby, Ain't Nothing But Mammals
Blessings Darlings!
In a conversation with the Chubby Hubby, I was again decrying folks looking to 'consume' spirituality - buying lots of items, saving lots of shared 'information' on someone's ideas of what each days correspondences are, short meanings of symbols, short info on herbs, memes, etc. The CH, being wonderful and brilliant (why else would I marry and have children with him?) pointed out that 'consumption' is a very basic animal survival skill. He pointed to the cattle in the fields around the house - and that they spend darn near the entire day eating/chewing their cuds. They, literally consume ALL DAY LONG. He's certainly right about that!
OTOH - they eat grass. Grass is very low in nutritional value. They have to consume all day to get what they need, BECAUSE WHAT THEY EAT IS OF LOW VALUE.
We're mammals, yes - but we aren't cattle or sheep, right?
We humans are omnivores. Our systems are able to handle food with higher nutritional (and caloric) density. Eating a pound of meat will give us way more calories (the macroelement that powers our larger brains!) and still leave us more leisure time to focus on other things than eating enough raw spinach to provide us with the same amount of calories. Even cooking the spinach - putting some effort in early on - provides us with the vitamins and minerals that are more abundant in spinach, and makes it faster to eat it.
Now, apply that knowledge to our minds. You can try to fill up your mind using ... generic stuff shared on Facebook, from unknown and unvetted sources (even if you know the person sharing the printable cliff notes on herbs or crystals or whatever). Feeding your mind well on that stuff is going to take ingesting that all day every day. And not leave you time to do other things, whether than be your family, your job, cleaning house, overthrowing patriarchy - whatever.
Now, apply that knowledge to our spirits. Action (like at least cooking the spinach) helps you feed yourself better. There is a difference in the 'nutritional density' between active an passive spirituality. Passive spirituality would be things like consuming a public ritual done by others, where you are rather like an audience member at a performance, passively letting the actors move you 'between the worlds' and them doing all the work vs you being there and actively sending energy to everything from the casting of sacred space to the magical working (you've now cooked the spinach!) and doing ritual/magic yourself. There is a difference between lying out in the grass 'open for the Divine to fill you' vs making offerings to a specific God or Goddess, or writing poetry for/about that Divinity. There is a difference between gathering what you find from whatever unvetted source online and saving it on your hard drive vs getting stuff from vetted sources online vs taking classes from vetted sources vs putting what you learn into action.
You might just want to actively think about this.
Frondly, Fern
In a conversation with the Chubby Hubby, I was again decrying folks looking to 'consume' spirituality - buying lots of items, saving lots of shared 'information' on someone's ideas of what each days correspondences are, short meanings of symbols, short info on herbs, memes, etc. The CH, being wonderful and brilliant (why else would I marry and have children with him?) pointed out that 'consumption' is a very basic animal survival skill. He pointed to the cattle in the fields around the house - and that they spend darn near the entire day eating/chewing their cuds. They, literally consume ALL DAY LONG. He's certainly right about that!
OTOH - they eat grass. Grass is very low in nutritional value. They have to consume all day to get what they need, BECAUSE WHAT THEY EAT IS OF LOW VALUE.
We're mammals, yes - but we aren't cattle or sheep, right?
We humans are omnivores. Our systems are able to handle food with higher nutritional (and caloric) density. Eating a pound of meat will give us way more calories (the macroelement that powers our larger brains!) and still leave us more leisure time to focus on other things than eating enough raw spinach to provide us with the same amount of calories. Even cooking the spinach - putting some effort in early on - provides us with the vitamins and minerals that are more abundant in spinach, and makes it faster to eat it.
Now, apply that knowledge to our minds. You can try to fill up your mind using ... generic stuff shared on Facebook, from unknown and unvetted sources (even if you know the person sharing the printable cliff notes on herbs or crystals or whatever). Feeding your mind well on that stuff is going to take ingesting that all day every day. And not leave you time to do other things, whether than be your family, your job, cleaning house, overthrowing patriarchy - whatever.
Now, apply that knowledge to our spirits. Action (like at least cooking the spinach) helps you feed yourself better. There is a difference in the 'nutritional density' between active an passive spirituality. Passive spirituality would be things like consuming a public ritual done by others, where you are rather like an audience member at a performance, passively letting the actors move you 'between the worlds' and them doing all the work vs you being there and actively sending energy to everything from the casting of sacred space to the magical working (you've now cooked the spinach!) and doing ritual/magic yourself. There is a difference between lying out in the grass 'open for the Divine to fill you' vs making offerings to a specific God or Goddess, or writing poetry for/about that Divinity. There is a difference between gathering what you find from whatever unvetted source online and saving it on your hard drive vs getting stuff from vetted sources online vs taking classes from vetted sources vs putting what you learn into action.
You might just want to actively think about this.
Frondly, Fern
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
That OTHER "10 daily things witches do list"
Blessings Darlings!
It occurred to me that I should really do a blog on what was in that OTHER 'what witches do' list. The items and my brilliant (why doesn't this have comic sans as a font option) commentary.
Here goes - starting with the original post:
"10 Daily Witchy Things
1 - Cleanse your bed in the morning when you make it - to remove the stress and negativity of the previous night and have a peaceful sleep the next night.
2 - Make a cup of tea and charge it with positive energy to get you through the day.
3 - Clean your desk/workspace/wherever you do creative things and draw productivity sigils on it in cleaner or keep a clear quartz nearby to focus energy.
4 - Bless your car keys before you get in your car for protection on the road
5 - Use a special scrub or face ask in the shower for a glamour spell.
6 - Spend time outside or keep your blinds open to allow sunlight in.
7 - Take a walk outside, if you can and ground yourself with each step.
8 - Use wax melters, incense or other scented items to fill your space with an intended scent.
9 - Clense your phone/other electronic devices - clean out the old apps and photos, clean out the negative people from your contact list, and reset your ringtone and wallpaper to increase positive energy.
10 - Before you go to bed, take 10 minutes and thank your deities (if you have any) and reflect on your day. Before you fall asleep, think of one thing that was good about the day, no matter how small, and be grateful."
Item #1 - If you're having stress and negativity in your bed at night ... what the hell have you invited into your bed each night? Look at THAT, not 'cleansing the bed'. The BED isn't the problem!
Item #2 - Obviously I find 'positive energy' too vague, and would be far more specific. The last clause is a bit worrisome, tho'. I'm not sure if the writer meant "To last the full day" which is a useful affirmation, or if the "Get you through the day" is a sign that the writer feels that her days suck and she needs to be dragged thru' them almost against her will.
Item #3 - Of course a clean desk is nice, and some of my creative time is spent at a desk. What bothers me is reliance on external things like a sigil or crystal. Reliance on those things (as well as working at your desk) doesn't prepare you to work elsewhere. I can be creative in the library, at a coffee shop, etc, in part because I don't rely on things like that. Learn to focus your energy without props.
Item #4 - At the very least - let's make that more general. Not everyone drives, not everyone has a car, etc. You CAN enchant your house keys for protection when you leave your house. That would cover it all. Or you can ... wait for it ... wait for it ... have personal shields like I keep harping about.
Item #5 - No special products needed. Charge your soap. Yes, I can see doing a glamour daily for a while. such as when starting a new job. "Image" of competence until you actually have competence at the job.
Item #6 - Just a quibble. It's summer and I'm NOT letting sunlight in that will heat the house.
Item #7 - Taking a walk is a nice idea. Being able to ground anywhere is also a good idea. Don't get tied to only one way to ground.
Item #8 - Just not my style. Just like I don't have music/tv on in the background all the time. For me - I often get 'messages' thru' scents that pop up out of nowhere. AND many scents bother my son's asthma.
Item #9 - I guess I just don't have problems from 'negative people'. OTOH, I'm the type who - while I don't worry about 'Mercury Retrograde' use all the posts about upcoming ones as a cue to back up my devices. Backing up my devices is more important to me than 'clearing' them. Devices can crash and 'clear' themselves just bloody fine, damn it!
Item #10 - Not a bad suggestion - but also make your 'to do' list for the next day, so you can put that list aside and out of your mind. That might even help the issue cited in Item #1!
Work smarter, not harder, Darlings.
Frondly, Fern
It occurred to me that I should really do a blog on what was in that OTHER 'what witches do' list. The items and my brilliant (why doesn't this have comic sans as a font option) commentary.
Here goes - starting with the original post:
"10 Daily Witchy Things
1 - Cleanse your bed in the morning when you make it - to remove the stress and negativity of the previous night and have a peaceful sleep the next night.
2 - Make a cup of tea and charge it with positive energy to get you through the day.
3 - Clean your desk/workspace/wherever you do creative things and draw productivity sigils on it in cleaner or keep a clear quartz nearby to focus energy.
4 - Bless your car keys before you get in your car for protection on the road
5 - Use a special scrub or face ask in the shower for a glamour spell.
6 - Spend time outside or keep your blinds open to allow sunlight in.
7 - Take a walk outside, if you can and ground yourself with each step.
8 - Use wax melters, incense or other scented items to fill your space with an intended scent.
9 - Clense your phone/other electronic devices - clean out the old apps and photos, clean out the negative people from your contact list, and reset your ringtone and wallpaper to increase positive energy.
10 - Before you go to bed, take 10 minutes and thank your deities (if you have any) and reflect on your day. Before you fall asleep, think of one thing that was good about the day, no matter how small, and be grateful."
Item #1 - If you're having stress and negativity in your bed at night ... what the hell have you invited into your bed each night? Look at THAT, not 'cleansing the bed'. The BED isn't the problem!
Item #2 - Obviously I find 'positive energy' too vague, and would be far more specific. The last clause is a bit worrisome, tho'. I'm not sure if the writer meant "To last the full day" which is a useful affirmation, or if the "Get you through the day" is a sign that the writer feels that her days suck and she needs to be dragged thru' them almost against her will.
Item #3 - Of course a clean desk is nice, and some of my creative time is spent at a desk. What bothers me is reliance on external things like a sigil or crystal. Reliance on those things (as well as working at your desk) doesn't prepare you to work elsewhere. I can be creative in the library, at a coffee shop, etc, in part because I don't rely on things like that. Learn to focus your energy without props.
Item #4 - At the very least - let's make that more general. Not everyone drives, not everyone has a car, etc. You CAN enchant your house keys for protection when you leave your house. That would cover it all. Or you can ... wait for it ... wait for it ... have personal shields like I keep harping about.
Item #5 - No special products needed. Charge your soap. Yes, I can see doing a glamour daily for a while. such as when starting a new job. "Image" of competence until you actually have competence at the job.
Item #6 - Just a quibble. It's summer and I'm NOT letting sunlight in that will heat the house.
Item #7 - Taking a walk is a nice idea. Being able to ground anywhere is also a good idea. Don't get tied to only one way to ground.
Item #8 - Just not my style. Just like I don't have music/tv on in the background all the time. For me - I often get 'messages' thru' scents that pop up out of nowhere. AND many scents bother my son's asthma.
Item #9 - I guess I just don't have problems from 'negative people'. OTOH, I'm the type who - while I don't worry about 'Mercury Retrograde' use all the posts about upcoming ones as a cue to back up my devices. Backing up my devices is more important to me than 'clearing' them. Devices can crash and 'clear' themselves just bloody fine, damn it!
Item #10 - Not a bad suggestion - but also make your 'to do' list for the next day, so you can put that list aside and out of your mind. That might even help the issue cited in Item #1!
Work smarter, not harder, Darlings.
Frondly, Fern
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Are we all pagan/witch brothers and sisters?
Blessings, Darlings!
You're probably a nice enough person, but you are not my brother or sister. My pagan/witch siblings are folks that I have built emotional bonds with over time. I haven't done that with most of the folks who read this blog. I CERTAINLY haven't done that with random folks in chat rooms, or folks I've just met at a Pagan festival.
Becoming family takes time. And effort. And shared crises. It does not come automatically because we both say that we're pagan, or we both say that we practice witchcraft, or whatever. It is NEVER automatic. To pretend that it's automatic cheapens the shit out of it, it makes the term meaningless.
Every time you meet a new person - online or 'in real life' - you are starting off in Malkuth. You need to practice Discernment to see if they are actually friend material. You need to leave Greed behind - that is, you don't collect 'friends' for the sake of collecting friends. Forced intimacy, pretending that they are your buddy immediately, sharing TMI immediately, etc - are warning signs, not invitations, about future intimacy and their respect of boundaries.
And not only are you starting off in Malkuth - but you've got a whole bunch of Spheres to get to before you get to Da'ath. It takes time.
You're going to find that there are a lot of assholes out there, claiming to be your siblings. To quote the Eurythmics, "Some of them want to use you. Some of them want to get used by you. Some of them want to abuse you. Some of them want to be abused." Discernment, baby, discernment.
Now, some folks are going to say that we're all trying to head in the same direction. Uh - nope. We're not. We are all on paths, but some paths are climbing one mountain, one a different mountain, one's heading for the sea, one to the plains, and they are on different continents. Someone collared by the Morrigan is not heading the same place as someone called by Quan Yin ... or by Loki. Don't paper over the real and profound differences between us - because THAT is part of what prevents actual intimacy.
If I don't know your phone number, so I can't text you for bail - you're not my brother or sister.
If you'd ask what I did to NEED bail money before saying you'd help raise it - you're not my brother or sister.
If you don't know if I prefer coffee or tea, you're not my brother or sister. (funny how I have this listed AFTER bail money ...)
If you don't know what my preferred pig farms are, you're not my brother or sister.
Just because a person is a pagan or a witch or whatever doesn't automatically make them ... friend worthy. Let me repeat that the the folks in back: Just because a person is a pagan or a witch or whatever doesn't automatically make them ... friend worthy. And not all the friend worthy ones are going to become 'family'. You're just not going to develop emotional intimacy with that many folks. You certainly don't have it with strangers in chat rooms.
Frondly, Fern
Subtitle: The distribution of assholes is pretty much uniform thru'out the world and amongst all groups.
Yes, welcome to another installment of "oft bandied phrases" in the neopagan/witch world. Today is "we are all brothers and sisters."You're probably a nice enough person, but you are not my brother or sister. My pagan/witch siblings are folks that I have built emotional bonds with over time. I haven't done that with most of the folks who read this blog. I CERTAINLY haven't done that with random folks in chat rooms, or folks I've just met at a Pagan festival.
Becoming family takes time. And effort. And shared crises. It does not come automatically because we both say that we're pagan, or we both say that we practice witchcraft, or whatever. It is NEVER automatic. To pretend that it's automatic cheapens the shit out of it, it makes the term meaningless.
Every time you meet a new person - online or 'in real life' - you are starting off in Malkuth. You need to practice Discernment to see if they are actually friend material. You need to leave Greed behind - that is, you don't collect 'friends' for the sake of collecting friends. Forced intimacy, pretending that they are your buddy immediately, sharing TMI immediately, etc - are warning signs, not invitations, about future intimacy and their respect of boundaries.
And not only are you starting off in Malkuth - but you've got a whole bunch of Spheres to get to before you get to Da'ath. It takes time.
You're going to find that there are a lot of assholes out there, claiming to be your siblings. To quote the Eurythmics, "Some of them want to use you. Some of them want to get used by you. Some of them want to abuse you. Some of them want to be abused." Discernment, baby, discernment.
Now, some folks are going to say that we're all trying to head in the same direction. Uh - nope. We're not. We are all on paths, but some paths are climbing one mountain, one a different mountain, one's heading for the sea, one to the plains, and they are on different continents. Someone collared by the Morrigan is not heading the same place as someone called by Quan Yin ... or by Loki. Don't paper over the real and profound differences between us - because THAT is part of what prevents actual intimacy.
If I don't know your phone number, so I can't text you for bail - you're not my brother or sister.
If you'd ask what I did to NEED bail money before saying you'd help raise it - you're not my brother or sister.
If you don't know if I prefer coffee or tea, you're not my brother or sister. (funny how I have this listed AFTER bail money ...)
If you don't know what my preferred pig farms are, you're not my brother or sister.
Just because a person is a pagan or a witch or whatever doesn't automatically make them ... friend worthy. Let me repeat that the the folks in back: Just because a person is a pagan or a witch or whatever doesn't automatically make them ... friend worthy. And not all the friend worthy ones are going to become 'family'. You're just not going to develop emotional intimacy with that many folks. You certainly don't have it with strangers in chat rooms.
Frondly, Fern
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Personal Responsibility
Blessings Darlings!
Today's installment in my series on 'oft bandied about Wiccan/Neopagan sayings' is "Wicca/witchcraft/paganism is a path of personal responsibility." Oh, you'll find that all sorts of folks mention that it's part of the path, investing one line or two - maybe even one paragraph! - to the concept, but then you look at what happens in almost every online esoteric group ... and you see them violate it. And calling them out on it can easily make you a pariah in online groups and gets you booted and banned. I touched on this a LITTLE in an earlier post about how most online Pagan groups are dysfunctional.
Short definition of personal responsibility is that you are responsible for your actions and inactions. That you do the best you can with what you have to grow and mature. That when you fuck up (and you will) you admit you did and try to remedy the situation. Most folks try to do that ... to some extent. But we all have serious blind spots here (and in most areas of our lives. And, yes, I do too.)
The biggest blind spot about personal responsibility that I see in others (because seeing things in others is WAY easier than seeing them in myself, sort of by definition) is that people take a lot of actions to DISable other folks' personal responsibility.
When a person asks a question in a group instead of taking the responsibility of Googling it - you do them no favor by NOT pointing that out. By not pointing that out, you are enabling their lack of responsibility and initiative. To put it Kabalistically - you are pushing them into the Vice of Malkuth. Telling them to Google and read, and then when they see that sources disagree on something to come back and ask about the disagreement ... that is promoting responsibility.
When a person in a group complains about a situation (assuming it's a support group and that them posting that is appropriate there), you validate their experience and then help them go on to find solutions THEY can do. And hold them responsible for taking those actions. BY THE WAY - I've run real support groups. The point of the groups is support in changing their situation, not in keeping them in that situation but letting them vent about it.
Yeah. Me. I ran support groups. Stop giggling.
Ain't nobody out there has infinite time to do anything, and most of us don't have unlimited money to buy supplies/get medical care/afford the best foods/whatever. This is the reason that you should ask that folks stop saying that 'all books have at least one thing that is useful in them'. Respect yourself enough to insist that folks respect your time/money/etc, by allowing folks to challenge the books/authors they recommend. Because that info help you have responsibility for your choices.
And respect yourself enough to present yourself as ... a functional adult. I don't mean LIE about your life. I mean, be a functional adult. You want to know about, say, 'how to cast a circle'? GOOGLE IT BEFORE ASKING IN A GROUP. Google it, read about it, think about it, TRY one of the ways - and then ask fucking INFORMED questions in a group. We all feel isolated/alone at times. We all ask for attention at time. Try to not ask for attention by presenting yourself as someone too lazy to do any work on your own. The only supportive attention that you will get from such an approach is by folks who will enable your laziness. Is that what you want? (BTW, if that's what you want, then why haven't you figured out that this blog is NOT a good place for that?)
You're not going to get replies to PMs or tagging most Pagan authors on Facebook ... because they take personal responsibility for their use of their time. If they are participating in an online group on a topic, and your question is on that topic, they are likely to chime in ... because they have chosen to participate AND because it reaches more than one person. Respect that in yourself as well. Set clear and enforced boundaries.
You're going to find some group leaders want to hoard information, only giving out what they agree with. They are trying to keep you a spiritual/magical child. They are taking away discussion of their recommendations and limit your access to discussion of other sources.
There are lots of folks out there trying to limit your control and responsibility for your life and choices. Be aware. Be very aware.
Frondly, Fern
Today's installment in my series on 'oft bandied about Wiccan/Neopagan sayings' is "Wicca/witchcraft/paganism is a path of personal responsibility." Oh, you'll find that all sorts of folks mention that it's part of the path, investing one line or two - maybe even one paragraph! - to the concept, but then you look at what happens in almost every online esoteric group ... and you see them violate it. And calling them out on it can easily make you a pariah in online groups and gets you booted and banned. I touched on this a LITTLE in an earlier post about how most online Pagan groups are dysfunctional.
Short definition of personal responsibility is that you are responsible for your actions and inactions. That you do the best you can with what you have to grow and mature. That when you fuck up (and you will) you admit you did and try to remedy the situation. Most folks try to do that ... to some extent. But we all have serious blind spots here (and in most areas of our lives. And, yes, I do too.)
The biggest blind spot about personal responsibility that I see in others (because seeing things in others is WAY easier than seeing them in myself, sort of by definition) is that people take a lot of actions to DISable other folks' personal responsibility.
When a person asks a question in a group instead of taking the responsibility of Googling it - you do them no favor by NOT pointing that out. By not pointing that out, you are enabling their lack of responsibility and initiative. To put it Kabalistically - you are pushing them into the Vice of Malkuth. Telling them to Google and read, and then when they see that sources disagree on something to come back and ask about the disagreement ... that is promoting responsibility.
When a person in a group complains about a situation (assuming it's a support group and that them posting that is appropriate there), you validate their experience and then help them go on to find solutions THEY can do. And hold them responsible for taking those actions. BY THE WAY - I've run real support groups. The point of the groups is support in changing their situation, not in keeping them in that situation but letting them vent about it.
Yeah. Me. I ran support groups. Stop giggling.
Ain't nobody out there has infinite time to do anything, and most of us don't have unlimited money to buy supplies/get medical care/afford the best foods/whatever. This is the reason that you should ask that folks stop saying that 'all books have at least one thing that is useful in them'. Respect yourself enough to insist that folks respect your time/money/etc, by allowing folks to challenge the books/authors they recommend. Because that info help you have responsibility for your choices.
And respect yourself enough to present yourself as ... a functional adult. I don't mean LIE about your life. I mean, be a functional adult. You want to know about, say, 'how to cast a circle'? GOOGLE IT BEFORE ASKING IN A GROUP. Google it, read about it, think about it, TRY one of the ways - and then ask fucking INFORMED questions in a group. We all feel isolated/alone at times. We all ask for attention at time. Try to not ask for attention by presenting yourself as someone too lazy to do any work on your own. The only supportive attention that you will get from such an approach is by folks who will enable your laziness. Is that what you want? (BTW, if that's what you want, then why haven't you figured out that this blog is NOT a good place for that?)
You're not going to get replies to PMs or tagging most Pagan authors on Facebook ... because they take personal responsibility for their use of their time. If they are participating in an online group on a topic, and your question is on that topic, they are likely to chime in ... because they have chosen to participate AND because it reaches more than one person. Respect that in yourself as well. Set clear and enforced boundaries.
You're going to find some group leaders want to hoard information, only giving out what they agree with. They are trying to keep you a spiritual/magical child. They are taking away discussion of their recommendations and limit your access to discussion of other sources.
There are lots of folks out there trying to limit your control and responsibility for your life and choices. Be aware. Be very aware.
Frondly, Fern
Saturday, June 9, 2018
This 'n' that.
Blessings Darlings!
Maybe I should blog on some of these, maybe not. So I'm just giving short work on these topics right now:
1 - I hate pretty much all Pagan/witch memes/pics with 'what witches are/what pagans are not/etc'. They are either too simplistic to be true, or they don't actually apply to all of every group. In other words - they are stupid. And when shared in pagan groups, if you try to discuss them and your issues with them, you - okay *I* - get called 'negative' and that I should leave. If I don't leave I get booted.
2 - or they will tell you to lighten up, they are just jokes/funny/inspiring. You just fucking 'othered' me, but I should lighten up? Your meme left no room for me as a witch/pagan/whatever. Maybe it's you that needs to be more inclusive and less insulting.
3 - What started this was that damn meme "We don't kneel before our Gods ....". There have ABSOLUTELY been times I've become too weak at the knees to stand before some Gods/Goddesses. Therer have been times when I feel lucky I've not shat my pants. Maybe everyone else is meeting Quan Yin ... but I'm sure not.
4 - I wish someone would do a study on those who see the Morrigan as "The Phantom Queen pushing us to be her bitchslapping hands on Earth" vs "Sweet Mother Morrigan". I really would. Someone needs to do their PhD thesis on this.
5 - Having a flashlight as part of my EDC (every day carry) is only useful if the batteries don't die at a critical moment. Luckily I was able to get more at a convenience store minutes before the store closed. Lesson: add spare batteries to EDC.
6 - during the episode where we needed the flashlight, I made my son do the lecture on why he needs to get some stuff together so HE has an EDC supply. Because that's how I roll ... I don't lecture a lot, so he doesn't tune me out.
Well, that's enough randomness for now. Next scheduled blog post - in the 'oft bandied phrases' series, is scheduled for Tuesday. Carry on!
Frondly, Fern
Maybe I should blog on some of these, maybe not. So I'm just giving short work on these topics right now:
1 - I hate pretty much all Pagan/witch memes/pics with 'what witches are/what pagans are not/etc'. They are either too simplistic to be true, or they don't actually apply to all of every group. In other words - they are stupid. And when shared in pagan groups, if you try to discuss them and your issues with them, you - okay *I* - get called 'negative' and that I should leave. If I don't leave I get booted.
2 - or they will tell you to lighten up, they are just jokes/funny/inspiring. You just fucking 'othered' me, but I should lighten up? Your meme left no room for me as a witch/pagan/whatever. Maybe it's you that needs to be more inclusive and less insulting.
3 - What started this was that damn meme "We don't kneel before our Gods ....". There have ABSOLUTELY been times I've become too weak at the knees to stand before some Gods/Goddesses. Therer have been times when I feel lucky I've not shat my pants. Maybe everyone else is meeting Quan Yin ... but I'm sure not.
4 - I wish someone would do a study on those who see the Morrigan as "The Phantom Queen pushing us to be her bitchslapping hands on Earth" vs "Sweet Mother Morrigan". I really would. Someone needs to do their PhD thesis on this.
5 - Having a flashlight as part of my EDC (every day carry) is only useful if the batteries don't die at a critical moment. Luckily I was able to get more at a convenience store minutes before the store closed. Lesson: add spare batteries to EDC.
6 - during the episode where we needed the flashlight, I made my son do the lecture on why he needs to get some stuff together so HE has an EDC supply. Because that's how I roll ... I don't lecture a lot, so he doesn't tune me out.
Well, that's enough randomness for now. Next scheduled blog post - in the 'oft bandied phrases' series, is scheduled for Tuesday. Carry on!
Frondly, Fern
Thursday, May 31, 2018
My Worship Is In The Heart That Rejoices.
Blessings Darlings!
This is the first in what will be (I hope) a multi-post series on phrases from Wicca bandied about in the neopagan community.
While Wicca is primarily an orthopraxic mystery religion, it has a few phrases that are quoted y some as orthodoxy. One of them all y'all have almost certainly heard/read the phrase: "My Worship is in the heart which rejoices. For behold - all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals." It's towards the end of Doreen Valiente's "Charge of the Goddess".
Unlike some other sound bites often quoted most folks agree that this is not the whole of the story. The heart that rejoices is not the ONLY place that the Goddess' worship exists, right? Folks accept that Her worship is often in the heart that aches or despairs.
No one (I hope!) would be crass enough to tell someone in the midst of crippling depression, or hospitalized with some other disease, or with heart-rending bereavement, etc. to rejoice or they are failing to properly worship the Goddess or are otherwise 'not a true Wiccan or Pagan'
So too, while 'all acts of love and pleasure" are Her rituals, Her rituals and worship is not LIMITED to such acts. For example, honoring a loved one's end of life directive - as a friend of mine recent had to do for a loved one - and removing a breathing tube was clearly an act of love but NOT an act of pleasure. And yet it was certainly one of the Goddess' rituals.
Are you with me so far?
Any questions? More parts coming, and I hope I have the energy to write them soon ...
Frondly, Fern.
This is the first in what will be (I hope) a multi-post series on phrases from Wicca bandied about in the neopagan community.
While Wicca is primarily an orthopraxic mystery religion, it has a few phrases that are quoted y some as orthodoxy. One of them all y'all have almost certainly heard/read the phrase: "My Worship is in the heart which rejoices. For behold - all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals." It's towards the end of Doreen Valiente's "Charge of the Goddess".
Unlike some other sound bites often quoted most folks agree that this is not the whole of the story. The heart that rejoices is not the ONLY place that the Goddess' worship exists, right? Folks accept that Her worship is often in the heart that aches or despairs.
No one (I hope!) would be crass enough to tell someone in the midst of crippling depression, or hospitalized with some other disease, or with heart-rending bereavement, etc. to rejoice or they are failing to properly worship the Goddess or are otherwise 'not a true Wiccan or Pagan'
So too, while 'all acts of love and pleasure" are Her rituals, Her rituals and worship is not LIMITED to such acts. For example, honoring a loved one's end of life directive - as a friend of mine recent had to do for a loved one - and removing a breathing tube was clearly an act of love but NOT an act of pleasure. And yet it was certainly one of the Goddess' rituals.
Are you with me so far?
Any questions? More parts coming, and I hope I have the energy to write them soon ...
Frondly, Fern.
Monday, February 19, 2018
Everyone Is the Hero Of Their Own Story
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'.
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
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'.
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
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
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
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
GATES, AND GATE KEEPERS, IN OCCULT STUDIES
Blessings Darlings!
How many of you are familiar with Odysseus' trip to the underworld? It was a necessary stop on his way home (he needed the advice of a shade there). But first he had to be told that he had to, uh, go to Hades. He had to buy a goat, to sacrifice once he got to the part of Hades he was traveling to. He had to drag the dang goat along as he traveled.
Ever smell an adult male goat that you are keeping REALLYCLOSE quarters with?
He had to find the entrance to Hades. He had to take the path downward. He had to cross the river Styx (and pay the gatekeeper there). He had to travel thru' different parts of Hades, to find where the shades he wanted to chat with were. Once there, he had to sacrifice the goat, and only let those shades that he wanted to speak drink the blood.
Then he had to get out ... the same way he came in.
This, my darlings, is a pretty typical entrance to Occult Studies. It is a trip that you need to do work on before you even KNOW that you need to take the trip. Once on the trip, there are gates, and gatekeepers. It is fraught with challenges and dangers.
It . Is . Not . 'Inviting' .
The path exists in equal parts to purify and to screen folks out.
To not let you enter the mysteries unless you are worthy, unless you have already started the Great Work.
Yes, the outer court information and rituals of Wicca are out there and available to all. Those are not the Mysteries.
Yes - no one can 'keep you from the Gods'. But that doesn't mean that a group, and certainly an egregore, is going to accept you if you don't make it thru' the screenings/gates/past the gatekeepers.
Here, this link explains why another religion, Judaism, makes it hard to convert, which rather explains why this protects their egregore:
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/248165/jewish/Why-Do-Rabbis-Discourage-Conversions.htm
Frondly, Fern
How many of you are familiar with Odysseus' trip to the underworld? It was a necessary stop on his way home (he needed the advice of a shade there). But first he had to be told that he had to, uh, go to Hades. He had to buy a goat, to sacrifice once he got to the part of Hades he was traveling to. He had to drag the dang goat along as he traveled.
Ever smell an adult male goat that you are keeping REALLYCLOSE quarters with?
He had to find the entrance to Hades. He had to take the path downward. He had to cross the river Styx (and pay the gatekeeper there). He had to travel thru' different parts of Hades, to find where the shades he wanted to chat with were. Once there, he had to sacrifice the goat, and only let those shades that he wanted to speak drink the blood.
Then he had to get out ... the same way he came in.
This, my darlings, is a pretty typical entrance to Occult Studies. It is a trip that you need to do work on before you even KNOW that you need to take the trip. Once on the trip, there are gates, and gatekeepers. It is fraught with challenges and dangers.
It . Is . Not . 'Inviting' .
The path exists in equal parts to purify and to screen folks out.
To not let you enter the mysteries unless you are worthy, unless you have already started the Great Work.
Yes, the outer court information and rituals of Wicca are out there and available to all. Those are not the Mysteries.
Yes - no one can 'keep you from the Gods'. But that doesn't mean that a group, and certainly an egregore, is going to accept you if you don't make it thru' the screenings/gates/past the gatekeepers.
Here, this link explains why another religion, Judaism, makes it hard to convert, which rather explains why this protects their egregore:
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/248165/jewish/Why-Do-Rabbis-Discourage-Conversions.htm
Frondly, Fern
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Names
Blessings Darlings!
Sometimes the Gods give us names. Sometimes, however, they give us nicknames, based on how we come across to them, and it's not always easy to tell the difference.
So, the Gods say you're "Wolf"? That could just mean that you are not impressive at all - you attack the sick and the weak, rather than speaking truth to POWER. Or that you are a 'Lone Wolf" - so much of a psycho asshole that the pack wants nothing to do with you.
Or - "No, when I said you are Skunk, I did NOT mean that as your 'power animal'. I meant you stink. Take a shower before you come before me! What part of 'ritual cleanliness' did you miss?"
Or - "When I called you Priapsis, I didn't mean you're a stud. I meant you're a dick".
As I said, it's not always easy to tell a 'name from the Gods' from a nickname.
It pays to ask.
Frondly, Fern
Sometimes the Gods give us names. Sometimes, however, they give us nicknames, based on how we come across to them, and it's not always easy to tell the difference.
So, the Gods say you're "Wolf"? That could just mean that you are not impressive at all - you attack the sick and the weak, rather than speaking truth to POWER. Or that you are a 'Lone Wolf" - so much of a psycho asshole that the pack wants nothing to do with you.
Or - "No, when I said you are Skunk, I did NOT mean that as your 'power animal'. I meant you stink. Take a shower before you come before me! What part of 'ritual cleanliness' did you miss?"
Or - "When I called you Priapsis, I didn't mean you're a stud. I meant you're a dick".
As I said, it's not always easy to tell a 'name from the Gods' from a nickname.
It pays to ask.
Frondly, Fern
Sunday, July 26, 2015
You're not REALLY going to eat that.
Blessings Darlings!
Back in May I posted about eating weeds, and how bitter some of them are. And WAY back, when I reviewed the Hunger Games books, I posted about how the author had clearly never eaten the dandelions she had her characters eat and enjoy. And folks in Pagan groups online seem to post ALL THE TIME about edible wild plants - "And the seeds of plantain and etc can be ground into flour and cooked and eaten!"
Well, yeah, they can be. But the odds are you aren't going to enjoy eating them. That we know that they can be eaten is not a celebration of edible weeds so much as a commentary on how desperate folks have been in the past, by folks who are NOT desperate, and have never eaten them, today.
Yes, for us preppers and, probably, for us pagans it's important to know options that you have. But that has to be coupled by having actually DONE the things you are telling others can be done. Armchair knowledge without experience is 99% useless.
I LIKE bitter foods, and can't eat most wild greens without 1 - only harvesting the youngest leaves; 2 - soaking them in several changes of CLEAN water before cooking 3 - cooking them; 4 - mixing the with other foods to help hide the bitterness. My husband does NOT like bitter foods - if I was to assume that, in time of Great Need, I could feed him them, and I'd find out right quick that he'd ot be able to choke them down. And a friend HAS gathered and ground seeds from plantain, cooked it, and found it pretty much inedible.
"Intellectually knowing" that something can be done, "Intellectually knowing' how to do something, is not at all the same as having done it. This is both a prepper and an occult fact.
Put down the book. Turn off the internet. Go out there and DO SOMETHING.
Frondly, Fern
Back in May I posted about eating weeds, and how bitter some of them are. And WAY back, when I reviewed the Hunger Games books, I posted about how the author had clearly never eaten the dandelions she had her characters eat and enjoy. And folks in Pagan groups online seem to post ALL THE TIME about edible wild plants - "And the seeds of plantain and etc can be ground into flour and cooked and eaten!"
Well, yeah, they can be. But the odds are you aren't going to enjoy eating them. That we know that they can be eaten is not a celebration of edible weeds so much as a commentary on how desperate folks have been in the past, by folks who are NOT desperate, and have never eaten them, today.
Yes, for us preppers and, probably, for us pagans it's important to know options that you have. But that has to be coupled by having actually DONE the things you are telling others can be done. Armchair knowledge without experience is 99% useless.
I LIKE bitter foods, and can't eat most wild greens without 1 - only harvesting the youngest leaves; 2 - soaking them in several changes of CLEAN water before cooking 3 - cooking them; 4 - mixing the with other foods to help hide the bitterness. My husband does NOT like bitter foods - if I was to assume that, in time of Great Need, I could feed him them, and I'd find out right quick that he'd ot be able to choke them down. And a friend HAS gathered and ground seeds from plantain, cooked it, and found it pretty much inedible.
"Intellectually knowing" that something can be done, "Intellectually knowing' how to do something, is not at all the same as having done it. This is both a prepper and an occult fact.
Put down the book. Turn off the internet. Go out there and DO SOMETHING.
Frondly, Fern
Friday, June 27, 2014
It Happened Again
Blessings Darlings!
As y'all already know, I make a lot of things from scratch, or almost-scratch. Like - my husband LOVES having Kahlua in his coffee in the evening. He does this three or so times a week. Kahlua is a pricy bitch, so I make my own.
And when we moved I lost my usual recipe.
No problem, go online and find another (the original was pulled from being online, because it was shared from a book without the author's permission, and the author or publisher said "Oh, HELL no!")
Since I've made stuff several times, it wasn't hard finding a recipe that I could tell had about the right proportions of coffee to sugar. But in looking over the recipe, I could tell that the person who POSTED it (to Wikihow, which my protection software identified as a 'malicious' site) clearly had never made it.
The first clue was that s/he said it would make about a quart of Kahlua-substitute. Well, yes, the recipe called for 4 cups of liquid. But the 4 1/2 cups of solids added, which dissolved into the liquids, DO TAKE UP SPACE. Not one cup of space per cup of sugar/instant coffee, but enough space that the recipe made 6 cups, not 'about a quart'.
The second clue was that, since the mix was 50% higher in volume that was presented, the proof (alcohol content) of the finished product was going to be WAY too low given the relative volume of alcohol the recipe called form.
To get around these problems, I used nice high-proof Everclear instead of most of the rum that was called for, and used brown sugar instead of white sugar to replace some of the flavor the rum would have brought to the recipe. I could wing it, because I have experience and mad math skillz.
This isn't only a problem in online recipes, BTW.
And, for you Pagans/witches/wiccans out there - it's not only a problem in cooking.
But more on THAT in a future post!
Frondly, Fern
As y'all already know, I make a lot of things from scratch, or almost-scratch. Like - my husband LOVES having Kahlua in his coffee in the evening. He does this three or so times a week. Kahlua is a pricy bitch, so I make my own.
And when we moved I lost my usual recipe.
No problem, go online and find another (the original was pulled from being online, because it was shared from a book without the author's permission, and the author or publisher said "Oh, HELL no!")
Since I've made stuff several times, it wasn't hard finding a recipe that I could tell had about the right proportions of coffee to sugar. But in looking over the recipe, I could tell that the person who POSTED it (to Wikihow, which my protection software identified as a 'malicious' site) clearly had never made it.
The first clue was that s/he said it would make about a quart of Kahlua-substitute. Well, yes, the recipe called for 4 cups of liquid. But the 4 1/2 cups of solids added, which dissolved into the liquids, DO TAKE UP SPACE. Not one cup of space per cup of sugar/instant coffee, but enough space that the recipe made 6 cups, not 'about a quart'.
The second clue was that, since the mix was 50% higher in volume that was presented, the proof (alcohol content) of the finished product was going to be WAY too low given the relative volume of alcohol the recipe called form.
To get around these problems, I used nice high-proof Everclear instead of most of the rum that was called for, and used brown sugar instead of white sugar to replace some of the flavor the rum would have brought to the recipe. I could wing it, because I have experience and mad math skillz.
This isn't only a problem in online recipes, BTW.
And, for you Pagans/witches/wiccans out there - it's not only a problem in cooking.
But more on THAT in a future post!
Frondly, Fern
Monday, April 7, 2014
Prepare Ye The Way of the Lords (and Ladies)
Blessings Darlings!
I'd like to expand on a theme I've touched on before, over in http://fernsfronds.blogspot.com/2009/06/intimacy-with-gods.html .
I'm in a lot of Facebook Pagan groups. It could well be argued that I'm in too many Facebook Pagan groups. At any rate, I see recurring themes in all the groups, one taking place around spell-begging (asking strangers online for spells for X, Y, or Z, or even for ANY spells) the other around 'how do I know what God/dess is my patron?"
The first is, well, spell begging in general. I get that they are beginners (at least usually they admit to being beginners, once you ask them. The others, who have claimed to be experienced in other threads but somehow need help from strangers online now ... ahem.) But, really folks, it's like never having played the piano before, then one day renting piano and walking into a music store saying "I want the sheet music for the best music out there!" You're going to be handed, say, the Rach 3 (Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3) ... and you're going to fail at it. Because you don't have any of the basic skills, from finger work on, needed to play it.
The second issue is, in fact, almost identical. It's a beginner, without much knowledge in ... anything ... who wants to be aligned with any God or Goddess, or thinks that they are being called by some God or Goddess. So they ask strangers online who their Patron is/should be.
I understand the yearning. In both cases. But you gotta do the basic work. You have to learn basic energy work to be able to do spells (in my never humble opinion, and, hey, this is MY blog). You have to work on yourself, to make yourself not just able to HEAR the Gods, but to be worthy of them paying any mind to you.
I'll get into those basics in another post. Probably one for tomorrow. Maybe not - I work tonight, and I may not have time. Damn, I'm such a tease, or at least too damn busy for my own good.
So, a little musical inspiration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuUl522_8jQ
Frondly, Fern
I'd like to expand on a theme I've touched on before, over in http://fernsfronds.blogspot.com/2009/06/intimacy-with-gods.html .
I'm in a lot of Facebook Pagan groups. It could well be argued that I'm in too many Facebook Pagan groups. At any rate, I see recurring themes in all the groups, one taking place around spell-begging (asking strangers online for spells for X, Y, or Z, or even for ANY spells) the other around 'how do I know what God/dess is my patron?"
The first is, well, spell begging in general. I get that they are beginners (at least usually they admit to being beginners, once you ask them. The others, who have claimed to be experienced in other threads but somehow need help from strangers online now ... ahem.) But, really folks, it's like never having played the piano before, then one day renting piano and walking into a music store saying "I want the sheet music for the best music out there!" You're going to be handed, say, the Rach 3 (Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3) ... and you're going to fail at it. Because you don't have any of the basic skills, from finger work on, needed to play it.
The second issue is, in fact, almost identical. It's a beginner, without much knowledge in ... anything ... who wants to be aligned with any God or Goddess, or thinks that they are being called by some God or Goddess. So they ask strangers online who their Patron is/should be.
I understand the yearning. In both cases. But you gotta do the basic work. You have to learn basic energy work to be able to do spells (in my never humble opinion, and, hey, this is MY blog). You have to work on yourself, to make yourself not just able to HEAR the Gods, but to be worthy of them paying any mind to you.
I'll get into those basics in another post. Probably one for tomorrow. Maybe not - I work tonight, and I may not have time. Damn, I'm such a tease, or at least too damn busy for my own good.
So, a little musical inspiration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuUl522_8jQ
Frondly, Fern
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Before First Aid
Blessings Darlings!
Today I saw a FaceBook post from a friend. He's teaching first aid, and wanted to know what to teach along with that. This is my reply ....
About a decade ago, my boss collapsed - Atrial Fibrillation. It took 18 minutes for the EMTs to arrive (that's a story for a different time). One of my coworkers was a volunteer firefighter, had spent the past year and a half I'd worked with her claiming how ready she was to deal with anything.
That coworker froze. I, along with a woman from the loan office housed next to ours, did CPR and kept the boss going until the EMTs got there and defib'd her.
Why did the 'trained' person fail, while I could function (even tho' my CPR training had been two decades earlier)? Because in ALL things I didn't procrastinate, instead my habit was to deal with problems as them came up (and try to head them off, of course, but that, too, is a story for a different day. OTOH, my coworker was the youngest child of many, and her siblings would usually step in to 'help' her if she was slow in doing things, or her boyfriend would handle unpleasant things, etc.
Cultivating the habit of handling problems (that you failed to prevent) as they happen, so you don't freeze and act out the habit of putting things off and having others handle them, is to me the most important thing to learn along with the skills involved in first aid.
Frondly, Fern
Today I saw a FaceBook post from a friend. He's teaching first aid, and wanted to know what to teach along with that. This is my reply ....
About a decade ago, my boss collapsed - Atrial Fibrillation. It took 18 minutes for the EMTs to arrive (that's a story for a different time). One of my coworkers was a volunteer firefighter, had spent the past year and a half I'd worked with her claiming how ready she was to deal with anything.
That coworker froze. I, along with a woman from the loan office housed next to ours, did CPR and kept the boss going until the EMTs got there and defib'd her.
Why did the 'trained' person fail, while I could function (even tho' my CPR training had been two decades earlier)? Because in ALL things I didn't procrastinate, instead my habit was to deal with problems as them came up (and try to head them off, of course, but that, too, is a story for a different day. OTOH, my coworker was the youngest child of many, and her siblings would usually step in to 'help' her if she was slow in doing things, or her boyfriend would handle unpleasant things, etc.
Cultivating the habit of handling problems (that you failed to prevent) as they happen, so you don't freeze and act out the habit of putting things off and having others handle them, is to me the most important thing to learn along with the skills involved in first aid.
Frondly, Fern
Friday, August 2, 2013
Pagan Dreaming
Blessings Darlings!
So in my dreams this morning ...
First remembered dream, I was back in grade school. Which was not a fun time. I came out of the restroom into the classroom and could not recall which was my desk. There were no visual signs - no backpacks, no books/pencils on an empty desk, etc. I admitted I couldn't recall, but didn't get any crap.
Then there were fires in the area, along with flooding from thunderstorms in denuded areas. I went to look at the near by river, and saw a bear on fire. I 'willed' it to go into the stiller water to put out the fire. It did, then came over. It was a very small, young bear, and it's coat was very like a sheep's coat. I took it back to the school for the school nurse to help (had to put a collar on it to have it come along!) I was then sent to room D-1 for something.
Later, I was magically avenging something, a death of a relative. Related to going out a hotel window into a fire. This somehow involved dealing with an A/C unit. That was part of a seat in a movie theater. I gathered the materials I needed. Then got together with Kerian Nox (who had her own doom to deal) and Shae McQuoid. And then Pagan Illini somehow joined the dream, meeting in a university owned camping site .... which I was sure was D-1. I turned to lady bugs to spread the word, getting in touch with them using some bushes that I was sure my father had had planted outside the dream-version of the Jewish shul I attended as a child. The Chubby Hubby helped me advertise the ritual I was doing (Keri's was not connected), which was to be Pagan interfaith. Kevin Costner drove by in a pick up truck, and was going to return for the ritual.
So in my dreams this morning ...
First remembered dream, I was back in grade school. Which was not a fun time. I came out of the restroom into the classroom and could not recall which was my desk. There were no visual signs - no backpacks, no books/pencils on an empty desk, etc. I admitted I couldn't recall, but didn't get any crap.
Then there were fires in the area, along with flooding from thunderstorms in denuded areas. I went to look at the near by river, and saw a bear on fire. I 'willed' it to go into the stiller water to put out the fire. It did, then came over. It was a very small, young bear, and it's coat was very like a sheep's coat. I took it back to the school for the school nurse to help (had to put a collar on it to have it come along!) I was then sent to room D-1 for something.
Later, I was magically avenging something, a death of a relative. Related to going out a hotel window into a fire. This somehow involved dealing with an A/C unit. That was part of a seat in a movie theater. I gathered the materials I needed. Then got together with Kerian Nox (who had her own doom to deal) and Shae McQuoid. And then Pagan Illini somehow joined the dream, meeting in a university owned camping site .... which I was sure was D-1. I turned to lady bugs to spread the word, getting in touch with them using some bushes that I was sure my father had had planted outside the dream-version of the Jewish shul I attended as a child. The Chubby Hubby helped me advertise the ritual I was doing (Keri's was not connected), which was to be Pagan interfaith. Kevin Costner drove by in a pick up truck, and was going to return for the ritual.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Hard Won Gifts
Blessings Darlings!
As I noted a few days ago, we have a bit of a heat wave here. Today will be another hot humid day, and we MAY have air pollution warnings - DC has warnings, but I don't know about the Blue Ridge. But I digress ...
As a result of the heat wave, I was out working in the garden very early today, while the temperature was in the lower 70's. Oh my goodness, it was sweet outside then. The birds were chirping, no tractors were running yet (either mowing lawns of my neighbors or cutting hay), the breeze was NOT from the cattle barns, etc.
I, of course, was sweating exactly the way a pig doesn't. This is because to be more intimate with my immediate land base I work my garden by hand. I worked the bean bed again today, with the days work being taking a spade (and not a shovel) and turning what would be topsoil (if I was still in Illinois). Here in my little corner of Appalachia it is NOT topsoil - it is clay. Heavy red clay. I need to do another round with that now broken bed, and work compost into it so it is ready for the seeds.
Heavy Red Clay. I looked at those first spadefuls, and a soft voice said, "You know those runes you want to make? They can be made of clay." I went back to the garage and got a bucket. And a lid. By the time I had the bed turned I had 4 gallons of great red clay, 13 pieces of quartz .... and a blister.
Because the real gifts of the Gods are their quiet voices. Not in them doing the work for us.
Frondly, Fern
As I noted a few days ago, we have a bit of a heat wave here. Today will be another hot humid day, and we MAY have air pollution warnings - DC has warnings, but I don't know about the Blue Ridge. But I digress ...
As a result of the heat wave, I was out working in the garden very early today, while the temperature was in the lower 70's. Oh my goodness, it was sweet outside then. The birds were chirping, no tractors were running yet (either mowing lawns of my neighbors or cutting hay), the breeze was NOT from the cattle barns, etc.
I, of course, was sweating exactly the way a pig doesn't. This is because to be more intimate with my immediate land base I work my garden by hand. I worked the bean bed again today, with the days work being taking a spade (and not a shovel) and turning what would be topsoil (if I was still in Illinois). Here in my little corner of Appalachia it is NOT topsoil - it is clay. Heavy red clay. I need to do another round with that now broken bed, and work compost into it so it is ready for the seeds.
Heavy Red Clay. I looked at those first spadefuls, and a soft voice said, "You know those runes you want to make? They can be made of clay." I went back to the garage and got a bucket. And a lid. By the time I had the bed turned I had 4 gallons of great red clay, 13 pieces of quartz .... and a blister.
Because the real gifts of the Gods are their quiet voices. Not in them doing the work for us.
Frondly, Fern
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Calling a Spade a Spade.
Blessings Darling!
Let us all say this in unison - Fern is not everyone's cuppa. Did I hear all my Mountain Sisters (and I don't just mean Owl Mt, I mean all the Delicate Flowers of Appalachian Womanhood) snickering?
I am an opinionated, wordy, judgmental, and precise bitch. The same in person as I am online. Did I just hear an "AMEN" and "Preach it, sister" from Asheville?
I'm not the person who uses a lot of exclamation points, even tho' I have strong opinions. Instead, as you may have noticed in the previous two paragraphs, I ask a lot of questions. I am not just interested in your conclusions, the 'what' you do, I am also interested in the 'why you do it part'.
Some people seem to think that the 'why' part is an attack. I find that view odd, to say the least (see, I CAN be diplomatic). I assume that you have good reasons, even if I can't see them, and want to know what they are. Because magical and life-skills THEORY matters and informs what we all do.
Yes, I think that what words you use matter, too. If you make up your own definitions to words rather than using the meanings used in normative English and in the dictionary - then you are NOT actually seeking to communicate but to hide things or sound like you know more than you do.
Did you notice above that I did NOT say that I was "not everyone's cup of tea", even tho' that is a commonly used phrase? I'll tell you why - tea is a precise word, referring to a precise family of shrubs.
I'm not everyone's tisane, either, which is what you get when you made an infusion of other herbs.
So if you are easily offended, this is not the blog you should follow. You probably shouldn't follow me on Twitter, or friend me on Facebook, either.
Because I'm going to continue to call a spade a spade. And not a shovel.
Frondly, Fern
Let us all say this in unison - Fern is not everyone's cuppa. Did I hear all my Mountain Sisters (and I don't just mean Owl Mt, I mean all the Delicate Flowers of Appalachian Womanhood) snickering?
I am an opinionated, wordy, judgmental, and precise bitch. The same in person as I am online. Did I just hear an "AMEN" and "Preach it, sister" from Asheville?
I'm not the person who uses a lot of exclamation points, even tho' I have strong opinions. Instead, as you may have noticed in the previous two paragraphs, I ask a lot of questions. I am not just interested in your conclusions, the 'what' you do, I am also interested in the 'why you do it part'.
Some people seem to think that the 'why' part is an attack. I find that view odd, to say the least (see, I CAN be diplomatic). I assume that you have good reasons, even if I can't see them, and want to know what they are. Because magical and life-skills THEORY matters and informs what we all do.
Yes, I think that what words you use matter, too. If you make up your own definitions to words rather than using the meanings used in normative English and in the dictionary - then you are NOT actually seeking to communicate but to hide things or sound like you know more than you do.
Did you notice above that I did NOT say that I was "not everyone's cup of tea", even tho' that is a commonly used phrase? I'll tell you why - tea is a precise word, referring to a precise family of shrubs.
I'm not everyone's tisane, either, which is what you get when you made an infusion of other herbs.
So if you are easily offended, this is not the blog you should follow. You probably shouldn't follow me on Twitter, or friend me on Facebook, either.
Because I'm going to continue to call a spade a spade. And not a shovel.
Frondly, Fern
Can't Escape Classical Greece
Blessings Darlings!
Today the remarkable Suz and I went to the coffee shop to write. As it happened, we were both writing about Hellenic Paganism. Which isn't TOTALLY unusual for us, her being Hellenic and me being ... all over the board when it comes to blogging.
The coffee shop features art for sale. Some weeks we like the art more than other weeks, of course. This week, the art was okay, nothing we'd buy if we had the money. Until .... after writing a while I got up to stretch and looked at the inexpensive monographs by Susan Carney. Lovely work, in general, and one got us all tingly. We both took pictures of it to show others. A monograph entitled "Minotaur", featuring a woman, and bull, a man ... some amount of overlapping. Figuring out especially when the man and bull began and ended was not clear.
I may come back and buy it, but I'll need a frame for it.
The picture alone got us talking about an aspect of Ariadne we hadn't much considered before - that she is sister to the Minotaur that she helped Theseus kill. In a sense, she helped him kill a part of herself. What part of herself lay dead in the labyrinth when Theseus followed the thread back to her?
Gotta love it when you go out into the world and blog "Hellenic" - you're always going to find references and start you thinking!
Frondly, Fern
Addenum - after I got home the Chubby Hubby and I DID go back and buy the Minotaur monograph. I will need to find a frame for it, of course, but at least we both agreed on a piece of artwork. I want to put it up in the dining room.
Today the remarkable Suz and I went to the coffee shop to write. As it happened, we were both writing about Hellenic Paganism. Which isn't TOTALLY unusual for us, her being Hellenic and me being ... all over the board when it comes to blogging.
The coffee shop features art for sale. Some weeks we like the art more than other weeks, of course. This week, the art was okay, nothing we'd buy if we had the money. Until .... after writing a while I got up to stretch and looked at the inexpensive monographs by Susan Carney. Lovely work, in general, and one got us all tingly. We both took pictures of it to show others. A monograph entitled "Minotaur", featuring a woman, and bull, a man ... some amount of overlapping. Figuring out especially when the man and bull began and ended was not clear.
I may come back and buy it, but I'll need a frame for it.
The picture alone got us talking about an aspect of Ariadne we hadn't much considered before - that she is sister to the Minotaur that she helped Theseus kill. In a sense, she helped him kill a part of herself. What part of herself lay dead in the labyrinth when Theseus followed the thread back to her?
Gotta love it when you go out into the world and blog "Hellenic" - you're always going to find references and start you thinking!
Frondly, Fern
Addenum - after I got home the Chubby Hubby and I DID go back and buy the Minotaur monograph. I will need to find a frame for it, of course, but at least we both agreed on a piece of artwork. I want to put it up in the dining room.
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