getting back on track with Pagan Prompts...

Prompt: Deities and Pantheons
Taken from multiple suggestions and my own list, this week we want to know about the god(s) and/or goddess(es) with which you work.
Do you have a single patron god and/or goddess? Or do you stick with a certain pantheon of deities?
How did you come to connect with these deities? Did they choose you or did you choose them?
If you are comfortable with it, please share a story about connecting with these deities, what it is that draws you to them, or even how they have helped you in this life.

My journey started with Gaia in a somewhat nebulous state. Just the idea of a sentient energy source that binds us together. Through my Wiccan time the archetypes of Goddess and God and their ritual dance through the year made sense, but still was somewhat formless to me.

Since then I have come to realize that there are all manner of deities, spirits, ancestors, elements, spirit guides that are available for us to interact with.
My practice has settled into a much more concrete practice. While I still think of Goddess as nature, as the universe, I have found entities closer to home to converse with in a more day to day practice.

I have found that there is a difference between calling on a goddess and trying to establish a relationship and having a goddess knock on my door. Big difference.

I have let myself re-establish the wonderful and natural relationship with the elements and spirit guides that I had as a child. The four spirit guides that I talked to as 'saints' in my childhood are still with me, stronger than ever.

My everyday practice is right now dominated by Bast, who burst on the scene not too long ago (and without invitation I might add). The elements are part of daily practice, my four spirit guides and the Trickster are also always available.
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If you would like to read more on my thoughts on the Elements, scroll down the right hand column to Labels and you will find 8 previous blog posts on this topic.
There is also more information about spirit guides and about Bast at stumbling upon the path of the goddess

Find Pagan Prompts here

more politics, please read

Once again I am sending you to Hecate's blog. If I ever decide to quit yakking myself I may just leave this blog up as a permanent link to hers.

http://hecatedemetersdatter.blogspot.com/2009/08/in-short-word-without-too-many.html

warning: one of those political rants...

I have had my knickers in a twist over the health care reform "debate." The fear mongering is way over the top, the sense of entitlement is astounding, but the worst, the very worst is the people showing up at town hall meeting with guns.

This over the top behavior and the daily news media analysis there of is out of control. My reaction to it was a huge amount of negativity of my own.

I have and I will continue to write and call my representatives to voice my opinion about what they should do. I am open and honest about my views on this issue.
But I am over the so called debate.

The American people will get what they want and deserve and I include myself in 'they.' If they really want real health care reform they will make it happen and if they want to step aside for a loud mouth with a gun who wants to intimidate them into shutting the hell up....then they will get more loud mouths with guns making decisions.

We all make our own world.

A new moon ritual for new beginnings

You will need:

One candle to honor the Goddess in her new moon, blue or white is nice, any color is fine. I have a large pale blue/green candle that I use for all moon rituals.

Incense or sage for cleansing the area.

A small unused notebook and a pen.

Four items to honor the elements.
I sometimes use:
a small bottle of sand for the element of earth
a feather for the element of air
a red candle for the element of fire
a small cup of water for the element of water

When I am in a candle mood I use candles for the elements:
brown or green for earth
yellow or pink for air
red or orange for fire
blue or white for water


Cleanse the area with incense or sage. I create sacred space by simply grounding and centering and visualizing an area around myself filled with energy, closed to random or chaotic spirits and open only to those I invite.

Call the Elements.
I start with Earth. If you are using candles, light them as you call each Element.
Calling them can be as simple as 'I call the Element of Earth to attend and add energy to this sacred space' or as elaborate as you wish.

After calling the Elements, take a moment to honor Goddess, ask her to look favorably on this ritual that you offer up to her and light the candle for her.

Take a few minutes to sit quietly. Reach out to the Elements for additional energy and power. Fill the space around you with their power and energy and reflect on the new moon as an opportunity for new beginnings. An opportunity that we are offered over and over again.

Take your notebook and write something along the lines of:
I will manifest these things that I desire and need in my life and I will do so without harm to anyone else.

Then begin to write down what you need to create in your life. It can be a few things or many. Large or small, tangible or not.

Concentrate on manifesting these things in your life without harming anyone else.

Release the energy that you have created with this work and send it out into the universe to do your bidding.

Thank the Goddess for her presence in your life and put out her candle.

Thank the Elements for loaning you their energy and ask them to return to their own realms, putting out their candles (if any).

Bring yourself back to normal time/space, ground the energy creating your sacred space.
_____________________________

On the full moon take your notebook and cross off any items that have manifested in your life since the new moon. On the next new moon create a new list, leaving off the things that have already arrived. Do not just cross off and add to the old list, each new moon write down the new list.

On her blog Liz has a cleansing ritual bath that would be a wonderful way to prepare for this ritual. Check it out at Lizzie's Logic.

New Moon and a birthday

New moon was this morning at 6:01 EDT.

I really need a new moon ritual for myself and I will try to come up with one to share with you in the next couple of days.



There is a touch of fall in the air already and I usually feel invigorated at these subtle changes at this time of year. Right now I just feel exhausted. Time to reach deep and connect with Elements for energy and grounding, use the new moon for a fresh start and look around at the changes as the Wheel turns again.

Today is also the birthday of Ann Moura, one of my most favorite witchy authors.

Author of Grimoire for the Green Witch, one of my favorites as well as Green Witchcraft: Gold Magic, Fairy Lore & Herb Craft, Green Witchcraft II: Balancing Light & Shadow, Green Witchcraft III: The Manual. Also Green Magic: The Sacred Connection to Nature and Tarot for the Green Witch. There are several others, I hesitate to try for a complete list. I have enjoyed everything that I have read by her, learned from it and treasure it.
Happy Birthday Ann.

cross posted with stumbling....

Reading blogs and reading my own email and sometimes even the comments on my blogs, I realize that it is difficult for us to leave behind the concepts of deity that we are surrounded with in this society. I am talking about the role of the minister, rabbi, imam, priest, preacher.....and unfortunately the perceived role of the high priest or high priestess.

Do you still, sometimes, think of your deities as being 'over there' or 'out there' or 'up there' and they speak to an intermediary who will tell you what they said?
This is one reason I left Christianity.

I speak to my goddess.
I speak to the elements.
I speak to the spirits of the land
I speak to my spirit guides
and
THEY SPEAK TO ME.

If some little voice inside your head is right now going ....yeah-but....please take a deep breath, tell yourself out loud that you do not need anyone to speak to deity for you and say something out loud to the deity or element of your choice.

We are so conditioned to believe that someone else may speak to deity, but we, individually, do not. People with tin foil hats might speak to deity (or aliens) but we do not. Ministers and other clergy who are somehow morally superior may speak to deity but we do not. The high priestess may speak to deity, but we do not. We can grovel and beg and pray, but we do not converse.

Please leave that thinking in the closet where it belongs. If you want to have a personal relationship with deity, spirits, ancestors, elements or anyone else, you can do it. It is not weird, you are not crazy and there are no special requirements.

I found a book that can help you along this path, if you are interested but still skeptical or hesitant. Michelle Skye's book Goddess Alive is primarily a series of guided meditations and rituals to help you connect with deity. She focuses on the Celtic and Norse goddesses and their associations with sabbats and esbats. I recommend that you check this book out, it might be available at your public library. If a different pantheon is calling to you, this might still be helpful in showing you how to research and write your own meditations and rituals to connect to a particular deity. If you are seeking Celtic or Norse goddesses then she has done the hard work for you.
If you decide to use this book, please let me know what you think and whether or not it helped you.

myths, legends, gods and other stories...

Some historians, studying some cultures, support the idea that the myths of that culture are actual tales of heroic deeds, base battles for power and idyllic portrayals of life rather than that they are simply made up of whole cloth.

So if say, Celtic or Egyptian pantheons and mythologies are actual (if more or less embroidered) histories of a dim past; then when we honor what we call deities from these pantheons, are we actually calling on our ancestors?

Oh my gods!

ohmygods.co.uk

gaia

calm down and carry on

Hecate

According to The Wiccan Book of Days (Gerina Dunwich)....

"On this date, the major pagan festival of Hecate is traditionally held at moonrise. Hecate, the mysterious goddess of darkness and protectress of all witches, is a personification of the Moon and the dark side of the female principle."

Hecate is not a deity that I work with personally, but I much admire her from afar.

an Award!

The awards that bloggers give to each other are always fun.

Liz at Lizzie's Logic sent me this one. Thank you so much, Liz.

The most fun part, and the most difficult, is picking three blogs to also award this to. Just three is the hard part.

Backtracking a little I found that some of my favorites have already received this award, so that helps a little.

With this award, I am to:

Include the award in my blog post.
~ Link the nominees within my post.
~ Don't forget to mention the person who gave you the award.
~ Let my chosen winners know that they received The Domestic Witch Blog Award by commenting on their blog.

So, here are the blogs that I award this to:

Confessions of a Kitchen Witch

Crafty's Cuppa Coffee

Hedgewitch Inn

Happy Birthday, Carl

Today is the birthday of Carl Llewellyn Weschcke.
Without him your metaphysical bookshelf would be very bare.
Take a minute and say a thank you.

Llewellyn Publishing was originally started in 1901 by Welsh Astrologer Llewellyn George who published astrological handbooks. The first Llewellyn Moon Signs book was popular with the public (and not just astrologers) and Llewellyn Publications began expanding and publishing more and more on occult subjects.

Llewellyn George died in 1954 and Carl L. Weschcke bought the business in 1961. Since then it has continued to grow, expanding into many realms of alternative healing, religion and philosophy. Carl Weschcke is an elder and former high priest of the American Celtic Tradition of Witchcraft. He has been a long time supporter of the pagan movement, pagan festivals and pagan publishing. His son holds a masters degree in publishing, works for the company and hopefully Llewellyn Worldwide (as it is now known) will continue to publish alternative information for many many years.

Thank you Carl and Happy Birthday.

connecting to the Earth

The Great Sunflower Project

Paganism is Earth Centered.

Easy to find inspiration if you live in a rural setting, more difficult if you are a city dweller.
But there are organized, community ways to get involve in appreciating the Earth and sharing this appreciation with others and not just other pagans. I just heard about this one on NPR today.

This is a great project, unfortunately I found it kind of late this year. You can still run out and do this, get your kids, friends, neighbors to do this, if you have any sunflowers in your area. Wild sunflowers grow along the roads here so there is still plenty of time in areas like this.

For next year, plant a few sunflowers in your yard or in a big pot early in the spring and sign up to be a bee counter.

No matter how urban, how densely packed, how concrete the jungle where you live, you can still do this and connect with other bee counters all over the world.

The Great Sunflower Project

additional bee watching project

Great Pollinator Project

This one isn't flower specific, it involves watching how many bees come to any flower anywhere in a 30 minute period. Like the Sunflower Project, you can find all the info on the website and download forms and info.

Pagan Tapestry is not Magicka School

It is not any school at all, it is also not the initiatory path of a Tradition.
It is my own musings, thoughts, practices, ramblings...offered up to my deities as part of my spiritual practice.

I do very much appreciate comments and questions, although I most often have no answers for the questions. I do enjoy seeing the growing list of 'followers' although that is simple ego...we all like to think someone wants to listen to our ramblings. Mostly I enjoy just the thought that the Pagan population is growing every where, including the blog-o-sphere and spilling out onto many, many blogs.
I do even appreciate the comments of Granamyr, although my frustration and hers clearly spilled out in the comments on the Full Moon post. She is probably not the only person frustrated with my lack of response to simple questions, so I offer this explanation for this blog for anyone who is puzzled by what seems like the refusal to answer a simple request.

This blog is about my spiritual path, it is about feeling and experiencing and connecting. It is about reading and hearing from many other sources about traditions and experiences and practices. It is ALL, in one way or another, about my relationship with deity.

It has NO basis in fact, scientific explanation or a well layed out path of learning and knowledge.
It is hit and miss and substance and fluff.
It is about EXPERIENCING and experimenting.
It is about how incredibly hard it is in this techno/scientific society of ours to just sit still and BE.
Think, enjoy, experience, FEEL...without analysis or explanation or even a good reason.
If there is something on this blog that prompts you to ask...how, or why, or if...that works.....I suggest that you TRY it. EXPERIENCE it for yourself, don't ask someone else for an explanation. Or don't. Whatever suits you.
But I am not here to teach anyone else 'how' or 'why' or 'if'
Part of my practice is to encourage you to find out for yourself. Beyond that...nothing.

Corn Moon, Full Moon, August Moon

This is the moon of the early harvest. This is the time to collect your magickal herbs and store them for the winter or share them with others. I have basil drying on the porch right now. Since my lavender didn't bloom, probably because I planted it late, I am going to pick up a bunch of lavender at the Farmer's Market this weekend.
This is a good moon for acquiring, gathering and storing. It might be a good time to go for a promotion at work, to celebrate a friend's success, or just to appreciate how this planet just keeps shoving gifts at us over and over again.
It is hard to imagine while it is 90+ degrees, but the Wheel is turning and the seasons are changing. If at all possible, go outside to celebrate this full moon. If dancing naked around the bonfire is against the zoning ordinances in your neighborhood, then just sit outside and enjoy the moonlight. Many covens, including my own, go to quiet public parks for full moon rituals, that is a wonderful way to celebrate the goddess.

Do something, don't let another Full Moon slip by while you decide what to do.
Don't have a ritual?...try this...
Light a single white candle.
Raise your hands to the sky and if you can see the Moon, embrace it. If you cannot see the Moon, visualize it.
Say out loud...

"Mother Goddess, I stand before you, your daughter (or son).
I am a Follower of the Old Ways, a worker of Magick, a Seeker on an old Path in a new world.
I call on you every month when the Moon is full as my ancestors have done through all of time past and will do until the end of time. I celebrate your presence in my life. This is a promise that I have made to you and that I keep to the best of my ability."

Start with that or say any damn thing you want to say; sing, dance, sit in a chair, meditate, do something, SAY something.

pagans and christians

According to the Atheist Foundation of Australia, neo-Paganism is slowly replacing Christianity on a worldwide scale.

http://www.atheistfoundation.org.au/articles/pagan-connection

goddess