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
Showing posts with label wicca. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wicca. Show all posts
Thursday, August 30, 2018
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
Thursday, July 12, 2018
10 Daily Things Witches Might Just Consider Doing.
Blessings Darlings!
I just read a really masturbatory and inefficient list of 'What Witches Do'. It was immediately obvious to me that I had to create my own list! Really, almost all of them come down to either "Work to bring down the Patriarchy" or "Do your craft more efficiently"
1 - Read the local paper, so they are informed local citizens.
2 - Read a good 'National/world' paper, so they are an informed world citizens (New York Times, Washington Post, London Times, whatever). Witches should never be ignorant twats.
3 - Ground and center where you are. No need to go somewhere else to do it. And "Long Walks in Nature" may not be available in your area nor safe to do.
4 - Charge all the food you buy with 'health and power' as you bring it into the house after shopping.
Sure, you can charge individual foods when you cook or eat them for specific purposes too. But this way EVERYTHING has at least some charge. And if you're bringing in some food that you know is going to NOT work for 'health and power' ... you need to face that.
5 - Charge your vacuum cleaner (or broom, or carpet sweeper, or whatever) to deal with 'negative energy' as well as dirt/dust/etc. And did you notice the word 'Daily' in the title of this post? Use it/them!
6 - Charge all your cleaning products for the same purposes as in #5. Again, note the 'daily use' clause.
BECAUSE CLEANING DAILY WILL SOLVE A WHOLE LOT OF WITCHY PROBLEMS. DUST BUNNIES AND PILED UP DISHES ARE EVIDENCE OF 'NEGATIVE ENERGY' THAT ***YOU*** ARE ENCOURAGING.
7 - Charge your bath soap for some purpose. No need for a different product than what you're going to use daily.
8. Fight for justice.
9. Support your communities.
10 - Do what self-care you can. Eat as well as your finances allow, and learn what your body works well with. I can do neither Keto nor heavily starch/grain/bean based eating, and we are poor (I work two jobs. And I'm in my 60's). Turnips are cheap. Cabbage is cheap. Eggs are cheap. Well, they are cheap if they agree with your body. Otherwise they are expensive. Try to get enough sleep. Have that bed time routine that eases you into the arms of Morpheus. If your body allows it, get some daily exercise. Clean your body daily - even if it's a sponge bath - you'll feel better.
Frondly, Fern
I just read a really masturbatory and inefficient list of 'What Witches Do'. It was immediately obvious to me that I had to create my own list! Really, almost all of them come down to either "Work to bring down the Patriarchy" or "Do your craft more efficiently"
1 - Read the local paper, so they are informed local citizens.
2 - Read a good 'National/world' paper, so they are an informed world citizens (New York Times, Washington Post, London Times, whatever). Witches should never be ignorant twats.
3 - Ground and center where you are. No need to go somewhere else to do it. And "Long Walks in Nature" may not be available in your area nor safe to do.
4 - Charge all the food you buy with 'health and power' as you bring it into the house after shopping.
Sure, you can charge individual foods when you cook or eat them for specific purposes too. But this way EVERYTHING has at least some charge. And if you're bringing in some food that you know is going to NOT work for 'health and power' ... you need to face that.
5 - Charge your vacuum cleaner (or broom, or carpet sweeper, or whatever) to deal with 'negative energy' as well as dirt/dust/etc. And did you notice the word 'Daily' in the title of this post? Use it/them!
6 - Charge all your cleaning products for the same purposes as in #5. Again, note the 'daily use' clause.
BECAUSE CLEANING DAILY WILL SOLVE A WHOLE LOT OF WITCHY PROBLEMS. DUST BUNNIES AND PILED UP DISHES ARE EVIDENCE OF 'NEGATIVE ENERGY' THAT ***YOU*** ARE ENCOURAGING.
7 - Charge your bath soap for some purpose. No need for a different product than what you're going to use daily.
8. Fight for justice.
9. Support your communities.
10 - Do what self-care you can. Eat as well as your finances allow, and learn what your body works well with. I can do neither Keto nor heavily starch/grain/bean based eating, and we are poor (I work two jobs. And I'm in my 60's). Turnips are cheap. Cabbage is cheap. Eggs are cheap. Well, they are cheap if they agree with your body. Otherwise they are expensive. Try to get enough sleep. Have that bed time routine that eases you into the arms of Morpheus. If your body allows it, get some daily exercise. Clean your body daily - even if it's a sponge bath - you'll feel better.
Frondly, Fern
Thursday, June 14, 2018
The Wiccan Rede
Blessings Darlings!
It's time. I can't put off looking at "An it harm none, do as ye will".
Let's start with this: it's 8 words. EIGHT E*I*G*H*T . Shortening it IN ANY WAY changes it completely. It's meaning is not 'harm none' any more than it is 'Harm' or 'an it harm, do as ye will". It has to be taken as a whole, or at the VERY least leave the clauses intact and see how the clauses interact. You know that - you're a magic user, right? You know that the number of the words matters. 8 is the number of magic. And eight is the goal of the initiate, having gone through the seven stages. Numbers matter as much as words do.
Let's move on to - it's Wiccan. It's not 'universal' in any way.
Let's move on to - its "Rede". Rede does not mean "law". It means advice.
Now then, let's get to the meat of the matter, and look at the first part of the saying, "An it harm none". First, and most important, is that it only addresses acts that harm no one. It doesn't say anything about acts that DO do any harm. Just like when we discussed that 'my worship is in the heart that rejoices' is just addressing ONE thing, ONE place that Her worship is but does not rule out other place - "An it harm none" is only addressing ONE category of results. It's not pretending to talk about acts with other results. And, clearly, the second part of the phrase is permissive "do as ye will". So in the case of acts that don't harm folks - if you wanna, then it's ADVICE is that you can go right ahead if you choose to. It is permissive.
But what about acts that DO cause harm? Again - THE WICCAN REDE DOES NOT ADDRESS THEM AT ALL. It has no 'blanket advice' for you about acts that harm. You are going to have to look at the individual situation and decide what you are going to do/not do. And you're going to have to take responsibility for the action/inaction. You're not going to be able to blame/credit your choice to advice coming from outside of yourself.
I supposed that I should say a few words on 'harm'. Okay. "While actual harm is not limited to the physical, being fucking butthurt is not harm."
Let me assure you that I did want to write a whole lot more about that. But ain't no one wants to hear me whine about other people being butthurt. Let's just pass them the lube and tell them to ... well, maybe SIT DOWN and shut up might be rude ...
Frondly, Fern
It's time. I can't put off looking at "An it harm none, do as ye will".
Let's start with this: it's 8 words. EIGHT E*I*G*H*T . Shortening it IN ANY WAY changes it completely. It's meaning is not 'harm none' any more than it is 'Harm' or 'an it harm, do as ye will". It has to be taken as a whole, or at the VERY least leave the clauses intact and see how the clauses interact. You know that - you're a magic user, right? You know that the number of the words matters. 8 is the number of magic. And eight is the goal of the initiate, having gone through the seven stages. Numbers matter as much as words do.
Let's move on to - it's Wiccan. It's not 'universal' in any way.
Let's move on to - its "Rede". Rede does not mean "law". It means advice.
Now then, let's get to the meat of the matter, and look at the first part of the saying, "An it harm none". First, and most important, is that it only addresses acts that harm no one. It doesn't say anything about acts that DO do any harm. Just like when we discussed that 'my worship is in the heart that rejoices' is just addressing ONE thing, ONE place that Her worship is but does not rule out other place - "An it harm none" is only addressing ONE category of results. It's not pretending to talk about acts with other results. And, clearly, the second part of the phrase is permissive "do as ye will". So in the case of acts that don't harm folks - if you wanna, then it's ADVICE is that you can go right ahead if you choose to. It is permissive.
But what about acts that DO cause harm? Again - THE WICCAN REDE DOES NOT ADDRESS THEM AT ALL. It has no 'blanket advice' for you about acts that harm. You are going to have to look at the individual situation and decide what you are going to do/not do. And you're going to have to take responsibility for the action/inaction. You're not going to be able to blame/credit your choice to advice coming from outside of yourself.
I supposed that I should say a few words on 'harm'. Okay. "While actual harm is not limited to the physical, being fucking butthurt is not harm."
Let me assure you that I did want to write a whole lot more about that. But ain't no one wants to hear me whine about other people being butthurt. Let's just pass them the lube and tell them to ... well, maybe SIT DOWN and shut up might be rude ...
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, June 7, 2018
Perfect Love and Perfect Trust.
Blessings Darlings!
The oft-bandied about Wiccan phrase we're looking at today is "Perfect Love and Perfect Trust".
Can imperfect people do anything perfectly? And ... love and trust in who or what?
Let's start with an easier part of this. WHERE and WHEN do you need to have perfect love and perfect trust? Well, the only time that the phrase is used (and I'm talking about in the 'general Pagan community - I'm not talking about what is oathbound and/or in hand-copied lineaged BOS's) is when entering a circle. Even then the only time I've seen that challenge given (that I recall) is to an initiate/member when they are undergoing initiation/membership ritual. Again - that is MY experience. Other than at that time, I've not seen a knife at anyone's chest. Your mileage may vary.
I've certainly not seen it at open rituals anywhere. Have you? The logistics of challenging everyone in at ritual with 150 people boggles the mind. [Okay, I just ended up distracted by figuring out the logistics. Many folks handling the challenge, but you'd still need either a HUGE opening in a pre-cast circle (making the work of the folks casting and holding the circle in place EXTREMELY difficult if not impossible, or you'd cast the circle after folks entered, making the challenge not actually about entering the circle making it just odd. But I digress.]
That said, in any group work, you need some serious trust. First, do you trust the work about to be done? Is it in line with your view of what should be done? Is it being done in a way that does not clash badly with your approach? If it's not well aligned with your approach, can you suspend your approach for the time? Do you trust the people who have organized the working, so you can work with their system when it is different than yours? If it's large public ritual - do you feel that they can control the energy of 150+ sources and knit it into a coherent whole? Heck, with 150 + people, what are you going to do about your personal shields? Not all those folks in an open ritual are going to have focused energy. Some of them might be energetic predators. Again - what's your real trust level of the folks running the show?
Next let's look at perfect love and perfect trust in terms of a coven or other small working group of magic users. Say from 3 up to 25 people that you know well. Because for ME perfect love and perfect trust has to be based on actually knowing the people involved, or at least knowing the people who vouch for anyone you don't know.
I'm going to digress here a bit. Loving humanity in general is easy. Loving individuals is more problematic. If you know folks well, you're going to know their weaknesses. Their faults. Their capacity to focus. Their capacity to do magic. Some of these things are going to matter when in a circle. Some of these things won't matter in a circle.
Most of all - you should be aware of your own weaknesses, faults, capacity to focus, capacity to do magic, etc. Can you put aside your self-doubt in any areas during your pre-ritual purification to do the work ahead? If you do your preps, and still find yourself too whatever to do the work - can you trust yourself to keep yourself out of the ritual? I've been at rituals where folks have done that. They stayed outside the circle because they could still be supportive even if they felt they couldn't actively contribute to the working. Sometimes they could go so far as to help with drumming from outside the circle. But they understood that their energy would not mesh with the purpose so stayed out of the circle themselves.
Do you trust and love the purpose of the ritual? Can you at least put aside your doubts about it working for the time of the ritual? I've been involved in World Peace rituals that I felt were considerably too ambitious, but I did a fine job of putting that aside and giving it my all.
Do you trust the Gods involved, or whatever Spirits you might be working with? In some rituals coughGoetiacough you might not trust the spirits, but you could have full trust in the system that allows you to work with them safely.
And now, finally - do you love and trust the members of the group? Love them as they are. Trust that they will be who and what they are. And can you handle that? At the very least, you have to trust and love them to do the work you are entering. You might now trust them enough to do a business deal with them out in the mundane world. What matters here is that you trust that they will be in the right mindset and put their energy to the working you're going to do. Are they taking the drugs they should be - I'm almost certainly addicted to the SSRI I take, and it would be totally reasonable for any magical group I'm in to make continued taking it a condition of my working with them. Are they not taking 'inappropriate' drugs prior to the working? Or will they show up stoned or high? If they are - what does your perfect love and perfect trust ask you to do about that? If one of the members has 'trouble handing energy' and falls out during EVERY SINGLE INTENSE WORKING - do you stop having them at such workings? You trust them to be themselves, and you love them. What's the intersection of things like not handling energy or addiction or whatever and perfect love and perfect trust when what you trust is that they will break down at a crucial point of ritual?
There have been times when my purifications leave me able to focus on the ritual and do my part fully, but the best I can do on 'perfect love and perfect trust' is suspension of non-love. Since I trust folks to be themselves, and 'themselves' are no more perfect than I am, perfecting that type of trust is something I can do pretty easily. Love may not be harder to feel - but figuring out the proper loving action sometimes is a challenge.
Even more of a challenge than a knife at my chest.
Frondly, Fern
The oft-bandied about Wiccan phrase we're looking at today is "Perfect Love and Perfect Trust".
Can imperfect people do anything perfectly? And ... love and trust in who or what?
Let's start with an easier part of this. WHERE and WHEN do you need to have perfect love and perfect trust? Well, the only time that the phrase is used (and I'm talking about in the 'general Pagan community - I'm not talking about what is oathbound and/or in hand-copied lineaged BOS's) is when entering a circle. Even then the only time I've seen that challenge given (that I recall) is to an initiate/member when they are undergoing initiation/membership ritual. Again - that is MY experience. Other than at that time, I've not seen a knife at anyone's chest. Your mileage may vary.
I've certainly not seen it at open rituals anywhere. Have you? The logistics of challenging everyone in at ritual with 150 people boggles the mind. [Okay, I just ended up distracted by figuring out the logistics. Many folks handling the challenge, but you'd still need either a HUGE opening in a pre-cast circle (making the work of the folks casting and holding the circle in place EXTREMELY difficult if not impossible, or you'd cast the circle after folks entered, making the challenge not actually about entering the circle making it just odd. But I digress.]
That said, in any group work, you need some serious trust. First, do you trust the work about to be done? Is it in line with your view of what should be done? Is it being done in a way that does not clash badly with your approach? If it's not well aligned with your approach, can you suspend your approach for the time? Do you trust the people who have organized the working, so you can work with their system when it is different than yours? If it's large public ritual - do you feel that they can control the energy of 150+ sources and knit it into a coherent whole? Heck, with 150 + people, what are you going to do about your personal shields? Not all those folks in an open ritual are going to have focused energy. Some of them might be energetic predators. Again - what's your real trust level of the folks running the show?
Next let's look at perfect love and perfect trust in terms of a coven or other small working group of magic users. Say from 3 up to 25 people that you know well. Because for ME perfect love and perfect trust has to be based on actually knowing the people involved, or at least knowing the people who vouch for anyone you don't know.
I'm going to digress here a bit. Loving humanity in general is easy. Loving individuals is more problematic. If you know folks well, you're going to know their weaknesses. Their faults. Their capacity to focus. Their capacity to do magic. Some of these things are going to matter when in a circle. Some of these things won't matter in a circle.
Most of all - you should be aware of your own weaknesses, faults, capacity to focus, capacity to do magic, etc. Can you put aside your self-doubt in any areas during your pre-ritual purification to do the work ahead? If you do your preps, and still find yourself too whatever to do the work - can you trust yourself to keep yourself out of the ritual? I've been at rituals where folks have done that. They stayed outside the circle because they could still be supportive even if they felt they couldn't actively contribute to the working. Sometimes they could go so far as to help with drumming from outside the circle. But they understood that their energy would not mesh with the purpose so stayed out of the circle themselves.
Do you trust and love the purpose of the ritual? Can you at least put aside your doubts about it working for the time of the ritual? I've been involved in World Peace rituals that I felt were considerably too ambitious, but I did a fine job of putting that aside and giving it my all.
Do you trust the Gods involved, or whatever Spirits you might be working with? In some rituals coughGoetiacough you might not trust the spirits, but you could have full trust in the system that allows you to work with them safely.
And now, finally - do you love and trust the members of the group? Love them as they are. Trust that they will be who and what they are. And can you handle that? At the very least, you have to trust and love them to do the work you are entering. You might now trust them enough to do a business deal with them out in the mundane world. What matters here is that you trust that they will be in the right mindset and put their energy to the working you're going to do. Are they taking the drugs they should be - I'm almost certainly addicted to the SSRI I take, and it would be totally reasonable for any magical group I'm in to make continued taking it a condition of my working with them. Are they not taking 'inappropriate' drugs prior to the working? Or will they show up stoned or high? If they are - what does your perfect love and perfect trust ask you to do about that? If one of the members has 'trouble handing energy' and falls out during EVERY SINGLE INTENSE WORKING - do you stop having them at such workings? You trust them to be themselves, and you love them. What's the intersection of things like not handling energy or addiction or whatever and perfect love and perfect trust when what you trust is that they will break down at a crucial point of ritual?
There have been times when my purifications leave me able to focus on the ritual and do my part fully, but the best I can do on 'perfect love and perfect trust' is suspension of non-love. Since I trust folks to be themselves, and 'themselves' are no more perfect than I am, perfecting that type of trust is something I can do pretty easily. Love may not be harder to feel - but figuring out the proper loving action sometimes is a challenge.
Even more of a challenge than a knife at my chest.
Frondly, Fern
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Mind The Three Fold Laws Ye Should.
Blessings Darlings!
Alternative title: Have you paid your debts?
Today I'm looking at another phrase commonly quoted at folks in the NeoPagan community. "The Three Fold Law." Which folks tend to think of as a bean counter computer in the sky that automatically returns to you what you send back, three times over. In fact, tho', that's NOT what the 'three fold law' is in Wicca. And, yes, as always, by 'Wicca' I mean lineaged Wicca with all the bells and whistles and oral teachings and initiation and the original Egregore.
"Mind the Three-fold Laws ye should three times bad and three times good." I copied that from http://rialian.com/wiccrede.htm and it was written by Lady Gwen Thompson. As you can see, in Lady Gwynne's poem it doesn't get into what the law is - it's just a reference to something outside of her poem. So ... what is the three fold law in Wicca?
Some say that it has to do with the scourging that is done during one level of Wiccan initiation. That the scourged initiatee gets to scourge the initiator three times as much/hard as the initiatee was scourged. And that may or may not be true (I'm not going to confirm or deny that, it's not my place to do so.)
Whether it occurs in that setting or not - it would be a reflection of the larger application of the concept of three fold return. Which is that it's something that the individual Wiccan is supposed to ACTIVELY do, not wait for the westernized Kalifornia Karma (props to Catherine for the term) or to some bean counter in the sky to do for them.
It . Is . Not . A . Passive . Thing.
If you are being affected by someone else's spell - a spell for good or not for good (and let's not get into how spells someone thinks are for you own good can really be controlling and/or not in fact for your good) - YOU are to take action and return magical working on them three times over. "Good" spells done for you create a debt for you to pay. SO DO 'BAD' SPELLS. A debt - for YOU to actively pay back. As always in magic - ain't no one going to do your work for you.
Yes, I blogged a bit about this before, over at http://fernsfronds.blogspot.com/2012/03/threefold-bitchslap.html.
What do you think about THEM apples?
Frondly, Fern
Alternative title: Have you paid your debts?
Today I'm looking at another phrase commonly quoted at folks in the NeoPagan community. "The Three Fold Law." Which folks tend to think of as a bean counter computer in the sky that automatically returns to you what you send back, three times over. In fact, tho', that's NOT what the 'three fold law' is in Wicca. And, yes, as always, by 'Wicca' I mean lineaged Wicca with all the bells and whistles and oral teachings and initiation and the original Egregore.
"Mind the Three-fold Laws ye should three times bad and three times good." I copied that from http://rialian.com/wiccrede.htm and it was written by Lady Gwen Thompson. As you can see, in Lady Gwynne's poem it doesn't get into what the law is - it's just a reference to something outside of her poem. So ... what is the three fold law in Wicca?
Some say that it has to do with the scourging that is done during one level of Wiccan initiation. That the scourged initiatee gets to scourge the initiator three times as much/hard as the initiatee was scourged. And that may or may not be true (I'm not going to confirm or deny that, it's not my place to do so.)
Whether it occurs in that setting or not - it would be a reflection of the larger application of the concept of three fold return. Which is that it's something that the individual Wiccan is supposed to ACTIVELY do, not wait for the westernized Kalifornia Karma (props to Catherine for the term) or to some bean counter in the sky to do for them.
It . Is . Not . A . Passive . Thing.
If you are being affected by someone else's spell - a spell for good or not for good (and let's not get into how spells someone thinks are for you own good can really be controlling and/or not in fact for your good) - YOU are to take action and return magical working on them three times over. "Good" spells done for you create a debt for you to pay. SO DO 'BAD' SPELLS. A debt - for YOU to actively pay back. As always in magic - ain't no one going to do your work for you.
Yes, I blogged a bit about this before, over at http://fernsfronds.blogspot.com/2012/03/threefold-bitchslap.html.
What do you think about THEM apples?
Frondly, Fern
Saturday, June 2, 2018
The Vices of Malkuth - Inertia and Greed
Blessings Darlings!
Since I am dreading and thus putting off blogging about the Wiccan Rede ... this seems like a great time to talk about the Vice of Malkuth "Inertia", since I'm experiencing it. But as long as I'm here, I'll look at the other vice of Malkuth as well.
You might not know what Malkuth is, if you're new around these parts. It's the last Sphere of the Kabala, the beginning of the trip up the Heavenly Tree towards ... let's say enlightenment, given Ayn Sof. At any rate, it's the start of any path - it's Earth and the mundane. And you have to be functional in this Sphere before you can really get to the other spheres. Taking the first NEW step can be hard to take.
Malkuth is sphere most bound by Newtonian physics, and one of the laws of Newtonian physics is that a 'body at rest stays at rest/a body in motion stays in motion' unless some other force acts on it. In magical terms, your Will is not a part of your body, so it can get your Malkuth-bound ass in motion.
The problem is often that at that point ... the other vice of Malkuth takes over. Greed. And since we're talking Malkuth - materialism. Folks tend to get this idea that you need All The Things to be able to move on the Path before you. Pentacles! Books! Athame! Wand! Offering plate! Pentacles! Cauldron! Chalice! Pentacles! Robes! Incense! Oils! Herbs! Books! More Pentacles! More everything!
People mistake "buying things" for 'doing the spiritual work'. And often they don't know if what they are buying is actually useful or not. Because without having done any of the work, they haven't developed the VIRTUE of Malkuth - Discrimination.
So folks who are still at this point of barely tapping their big toe on Path start 'advising' others that 'buy all the books! Every book has at least something useful in it" as if folks have unlimited money to Buy All The Things and unlimited time to Read All The Things - and they COMPLETELY ignore Working Any Of The Things. Because all the tools and shit that you can buy is USELESS if you don't do the work. If you fill your time with Buying All The Things and Reading All the Things (even if they are virtually worthless) you are NOT NOT NOT going to have time to do ANY of the things.
Do . The . Things.
Yes, I'll write that blog today. It won't be going up until June 14, the way I've got the 'oft quoted phrases' posts scheduled. While it's on today's 'TO DO' list ... that doesn't mean it has to be the first thing done. Using my Discrimination - doing THIS topic was inspired 'do this thing' to add to the list, not to crowd anything out.
So there.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Frondly, Fern
Since I am dreading and thus putting off blogging about the Wiccan Rede ... this seems like a great time to talk about the Vice of Malkuth "Inertia", since I'm experiencing it. But as long as I'm here, I'll look at the other vice of Malkuth as well.
You might not know what Malkuth is, if you're new around these parts. It's the last Sphere of the Kabala, the beginning of the trip up the Heavenly Tree towards ... let's say enlightenment, given Ayn Sof. At any rate, it's the start of any path - it's Earth and the mundane. And you have to be functional in this Sphere before you can really get to the other spheres. Taking the first NEW step can be hard to take.
Malkuth is sphere most bound by Newtonian physics, and one of the laws of Newtonian physics is that a 'body at rest stays at rest/a body in motion stays in motion' unless some other force acts on it. In magical terms, your Will is not a part of your body, so it can get your Malkuth-bound ass in motion.
The problem is often that at that point ... the other vice of Malkuth takes over. Greed. And since we're talking Malkuth - materialism. Folks tend to get this idea that you need All The Things to be able to move on the Path before you. Pentacles! Books! Athame! Wand! Offering plate! Pentacles! Cauldron! Chalice! Pentacles! Robes! Incense! Oils! Herbs! Books! More Pentacles! More everything!
People mistake "buying things" for 'doing the spiritual work'. And often they don't know if what they are buying is actually useful or not. Because without having done any of the work, they haven't developed the VIRTUE of Malkuth - Discrimination.
So folks who are still at this point of barely tapping their big toe on Path start 'advising' others that 'buy all the books! Every book has at least something useful in it" as if folks have unlimited money to Buy All The Things and unlimited time to Read All The Things - and they COMPLETELY ignore Working Any Of The Things. Because all the tools and shit that you can buy is USELESS if you don't do the work. If you fill your time with Buying All The Things and Reading All the Things (even if they are virtually worthless) you are NOT NOT NOT going to have time to do ANY of the things.
Do . The . Things.
Yes, I'll write that blog today. It won't be going up until June 14, the way I've got the 'oft quoted phrases' posts scheduled. While it's on today's 'TO DO' list ... that doesn't mean it has to be the first thing done. Using my Discrimination - doing THIS topic was inspired 'do this thing' to add to the list, not to crowd anything out.
So there.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
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.
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
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 12, 2015
Egregores
Blessings Darlings!
Every group that lasts long enough has it's own egregore. To be clear, I'm not talking about Facebook groups here (tho some certainly do have one), I'm talking about groups out in the real, not digital, world. They are sentient psychic entities. They are created by the group mind, and then once created have a strong influence on the group mind.
We're all in multiple egregores, of course. A family usually has one - you might have one for your nuclear family, one for your mother's side of the family, and one for your father's side. Your workplace, if you have one, has one. Political parties have them. Hobby groups have them. Schools have them. A founding group of like minded folks get together to work on some goal, the psychic energy and will coalesce over time, and - rather like cosmic dust building enough mass and gravity that fusion starts and a star is formed - a sentient entity forms.
Every group that lasts long enough has it's own egregore. To be clear, I'm not talking about Facebook groups here (tho some certainly do have one), I'm talking about groups out in the real, not digital, world. They are sentient psychic entities. They are created by the group mind, and then once created have a strong influence on the group mind.
We're all in multiple egregores, of course. A family usually has one - you might have one for your nuclear family, one for your mother's side of the family, and one for your father's side. Your workplace, if you have one, has one. Political parties have them. Hobby groups have them. Schools have them. A founding group of like minded folks get together to work on some goal, the psychic energy and will coalesce over time, and - rather like cosmic dust building enough mass and gravity that fusion starts and a star is formed - a sentient entity forms.
Every occult
and/or spiritual study group, if it's around long enough, develops an
egregore. Every coven. Every tradition. A coven IN a tradition is,
obviously, part of at least two egregores.
Gerald Gardner, IMNHO, with his rather extensive occult experience, consciously set up the egregore for Wicca (just as he consciously set up the religion). He set up ways to become a part of the egregore, because that is what occultists DO.
We can call the entity the egregore of Lineaged or Traditional Wicca.
Decades later ... came Eclectic Wicca. It seems to me that it's based on Outer Court/not initiated/not part of the Lineaged Traditional Wiccan Egregore information about Wicca. Does it have an egregore? Sure. Does it have the same Egregore that Lineaged Traditional Wicca has? No, because to be come part of that egregore, Gardner set up a specific way to join THAT egregore - initiation, done in a specific way, and by an person who meets specific qualifications.
Is Eclectic Wicca a 'valid spiritual path'? Yes.
Is Eclectic Wicca the same thing that Traditional Lineaged Wicca is? No.
Now, I'm willing to bet that there are folks who agree with this.
And I'm willing to bet that there are folks who disagree with this.
So, let's discuss.
Frondly, Fern
Gerald Gardner, IMNHO, with his rather extensive occult experience, consciously set up the egregore for Wicca (just as he consciously set up the religion). He set up ways to become a part of the egregore, because that is what occultists DO.
We can call the entity the egregore of Lineaged or Traditional Wicca.
Decades later ... came Eclectic Wicca. It seems to me that it's based on Outer Court/not initiated/not part of the Lineaged Traditional Wiccan Egregore information about Wicca. Does it have an egregore? Sure. Does it have the same Egregore that Lineaged Traditional Wicca has? No, because to be come part of that egregore, Gardner set up a specific way to join THAT egregore - initiation, done in a specific way, and by an person who meets specific qualifications.
Is Eclectic Wicca a 'valid spiritual path'? Yes.
Is Eclectic Wicca the same thing that Traditional Lineaged Wicca is? No.
Now, I'm willing to bet that there are folks who agree with this.
And I'm willing to bet that there are folks who disagree with this.
So, let's discuss.
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
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
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.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Nature Unaided Fails
Blessings Darlings!
I want a stang. Y'all who are Pagans have seen stangs before - they are the 'staff with two or three points on the top'. Here's a grand article about them http://witchofforestgrove.com/2011/02/27/how-to-use-a-stang/. I have heard it can be used as a magical gateway, and want to try that out. I have to admit I don't quite get how that would work, or why it would be different than using a 'regular' staff, or my staff with the antler on top.
Today, a cold day with a seriously sharp wind, I moved from inertia into active on getting one. Or co-creating one.
We have a whole lot of Tree Of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) growing around here. It and I have decided that my stang will be of that wood. While a import (and, let's face it, an invasive one at that) in the US it already has a mythos here. Not only does it resist city pollution, but it's the tree that was the central image in the book/movie "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn". And it grows fast, which is part of why it and I are working together on this.
Because while I WANT a stang out of this wood, that doesn't mean that the trees here have the formation I want ready. Or at least ready somewhere that isn't 40 feet in the air. So today nature and I started working together.
I went out to the smaller of the two copses - the one my main altar and the huge holey stone is in - and started evaluating and conversing and building a relationship with the smaller trees. I removed the side branch buds forming under 6 feet high on their stems. Once they get to be about 8 feet tall, I'm going to be pruning the main stem back about 2 feet, and letting two or three branches form and grow up, competing to be the main trunk. Once those get to be a couple of feet tall, I will fell the tree and make the specialized staff.
You might have noticed that this is not an instant-gratification version of getting a magical tool. No, this is a form a relationship, grow together, work together, THEN work to turn out a tool (and working to a freshly cut tree whose fresh sap can cause blisters). This is taking time to build the right long-term relationship. This is not 'shopping for a tool'.
It is the tree working on my nature, as much as me modifying nature.
This, my darlings, is the Great Work.
Frondly, Fern
I want a stang. Y'all who are Pagans have seen stangs before - they are the 'staff with two or three points on the top'. Here's a grand article about them http://witchofforestgrove.com/2011/02/27/how-to-use-a-stang/. I have heard it can be used as a magical gateway, and want to try that out. I have to admit I don't quite get how that would work, or why it would be different than using a 'regular' staff, or my staff with the antler on top.
Today, a cold day with a seriously sharp wind, I moved from inertia into active on getting one. Or co-creating one.
We have a whole lot of Tree Of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) growing around here. It and I have decided that my stang will be of that wood. While a import (and, let's face it, an invasive one at that) in the US it already has a mythos here. Not only does it resist city pollution, but it's the tree that was the central image in the book/movie "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn". And it grows fast, which is part of why it and I are working together on this.
Because while I WANT a stang out of this wood, that doesn't mean that the trees here have the formation I want ready. Or at least ready somewhere that isn't 40 feet in the air. So today nature and I started working together.
I went out to the smaller of the two copses - the one my main altar and the huge holey stone is in - and started evaluating and conversing and building a relationship with the smaller trees. I removed the side branch buds forming under 6 feet high on their stems. Once they get to be about 8 feet tall, I'm going to be pruning the main stem back about 2 feet, and letting two or three branches form and grow up, competing to be the main trunk. Once those get to be a couple of feet tall, I will fell the tree and make the specialized staff.
You might have noticed that this is not an instant-gratification version of getting a magical tool. No, this is a form a relationship, grow together, work together, THEN work to turn out a tool (and working to a freshly cut tree whose fresh sap can cause blisters). This is taking time to build the right long-term relationship. This is not 'shopping for a tool'.
It is the tree working on my nature, as much as me modifying nature.
This, my darlings, is the Great Work.
Frondly, Fern
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
