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Guardians of the Threshold, Hearth and Family

June 10, 2013 in Family Crafting, From the Hearth, Hearth and Home, Pagan Family, Pagan Spirituality, Uncategorized

Your home is a cauldron of power, it holds all of the energy that has ever been within it, around it, under it or near it; it’s an entity to itself and an extension of you and all that influences your life.  The main door, hearth and the household shrine are the 3 major sacred places within a home; its’ a living temple like your physical body is the home of your spirit. Just as there is God and Goddess, a home has two guardians, the protector of the threshold, usually a male deity and the guardian of the hearth, the female aspect.

The entrance to a home is a between place where your inner home meets the outer world; that makes it a sacred and powerful energy spot, the protector/guardian of the threshold is sustained by its magical currents. The watcher’s job is to support helpful energies and to keep harm at bay; he is the God of the house. Whichever God you choose, honour him on his traditional feast day, or the anniversary of the date you moved into a new space; it’s also courtesy to inform the threshold guardian of any changes in the household, he needs to know who he is responsible for, who to keep at bay etc. Choose a God that has qualities you desire in a protector, note his associations and symbols, and create some kind of token to hang at the door. Make herb oil that relates to him and anoint the doorpost in his honour on a regular basis; also remember to acknowledge his presence and the work he does for you, it can be a simple nod, a few words, or touching the door frame or his symbol as you pass through. The God’s focal point is the main door; however he also travels through all beams, frames and any doorways within your home, keeping an eye on things. When you invite the God to be guardian,  offer him food and drink, show and tell him about your token, what it means to you and anoint it and place it close to the door frame, as a symbol of his power. All rituals associated with the threshold guardian take place at the main doorway, if you live in a shared space, it would be at the door that opens to your personal room.

A hearth Goddess is the heart of your home, she’s the source of warmth, life, and all that is cherished within it; she infuses your home with love and blessings. Traditionally she lived in the fireplace where family and friends gathered, food was cooked, liquids heated, stories shared and people literally warmed up on a cold day. Even if you lack a fireplace, you probably have a stove, water heater or furnace; gas appliances create an eternal flame through the pilot light, the modern hearth is literally a stove. The hearth Goddess has a special affinity with fire, so keep a candle or oil lamp near your stove and light it whenever you cook or only on special occasions, it’s also good to have a symbol of the Goddess you choose hanging above or near the stove, as a reminder of her love. Anoint the token and candle with an oil blend that corresponds to the Lady, offer her food and drink, tell her about the token and what it means to you and that the candle is dedicated to her. Whenever you cook look at her symbol and acknowledge her presence; bless the food in her name, or even ask her to help you prepare a meal if you need some inspiration.

So now you have a Lord and Lady in your home, who else needs to be acknowledged? Every family has a guardian spirit who watches over its members whether related by blood, marriage, adoption, fostering or soul bonding. These loving guardians have no specific name, though they are often referred to as Wise Ones, Ancient Ones, Grandmothers and Grandfathers; often they are ancestral spirits who have worked with a clan over the ages and continue to be involved. These guardians work in pairs, the Spiritual Mother and Father of the tribe or soul family and it is to them that the family shrine is dedicated. Some families also have totem animals that may be part of their heritage, and it’s also appropriate to honour those creatures at the shrine. You need a representation of the guardians, so whatever you choose it would be two, a female and male aspect; you could create a couple masks and decorate them to represent your ancestors or you could simply choose two candles and display pictures, or tokens that represent these spirits to you. If you live in a family, make the shrine a family project, ideally each person has something to contribute, the ancestors live through each one of us. You could also include things like a clan’s tartan, family crest, postcards of where your family originates, whatever has meaning for you.

When the shrine is completed, gather your family, and pets, and place an offering bowl and chalice in the middle with a candle on either side. Invite the guardians to watch over and be in your home, offer them food and drink, light the candles and state your intention of remembering them through the two representations and their bonds to you, then introduce each family member.  Remember to feed and talk with your guardians on a regular basis.

When you invite these beings to be part of your home, remember you are making a commitment to honour, remember and include them in your life.  If you neglect your house spirits be prepared for them to leave, and it isn’t always a smooth transition when they do vacate! It’s way better to not go there than offend these helpers that you called and invited into your space. That being said they are all very powerful allies that bless your home with their presence.

Abundant Blessings

 

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Movin Time

May 28, 2013 in From the Hearth, Guests, Hearth and Home, Uncategorized

I just moved into a new home and have decided to discuss removing your energetic imprint from a space this week, as it’s timely for me and perhaps you as well.

If you created a shield, placed etheric symbols, invited spiritual protectors, totems, or guardians to your home, it is your responsibility to release what you have generated so it does not mess with the new residents, you may have experienced the phenomenon of psychic clutter yourself. Some spaces just feel heavy or hold impressions that can be pleasant or not. Since energy settles into a physical environment, you are literally leaving parts of yourself behind if you don’t cleanse a space; it’s always good to leave a place neutral by reclaiming and grounding your own psychic imprint.

Ideally an empty space that’s been physically cleaned is the best, or do what you can. Choose a time when you will be undisturbed and able to cleanse the living space. I use widdershins/counter clockwise energy to undo because it diminishes and dissolves and returns energy to its original state. In this ritual the candle burns down completely, so you may wish to choose a tea light or small votive. You also need to know where the middle of your home rests and the elemental directions.

You will need: Incense, preferably frankincense, sandalwood or dragon’s blood, a bowl, water, salt, tea light and holder, lighter and matches, fireproof surface to put candle on

Stand in the middle of your home, then ground your energy into the earth, bring it up through your feet to your head, let it flow over back to the earth, then do the reverse with the sky/star energy. Fill the bowl with water and then add the salt, place the candle beside the bowl on a fireproof surface. Visualise where the boundaries of a circle would be in the room; the idea is to walk widdershins around the perimeter of the circle, visualizing the energy melting away with each step you take.

Begin at the North curve of the circle, start walking and see the energy dissolving as you walk widdershins/anti-clockwise around the circle, state your intention and say something like:

Thank you shield for protecting me, thanks to earth, water, fire, air, spirit and god, goddess energy   This protective circle I now unwind, this space becomes neutral, all energy unbind

Walk all the way around until you reach the place you began; return to the middle and pick up the salted water. Go to the North and begin walking widdershins around the perimeter, sprinkling water as you go, remember to finish where you started. Say something like:

By the powers of earth and water, I do unwind the energy I placed here

Return to the center and light the incense, carry it to the North and begin walking widdershins, keep going until you reach the point you started at, say something like:

By the powers of fire and air, I undo all energy I created here

Return to the center, feel the earth energy flowing up and around you and cascading over you like a waterfall, connect with the cosmic energy flowing down through your head to your feet and flowing upwards like a reverse waterfall. Feel the balance within, and when you are ready project this energy outwards to fill the circle and expanding to fill the whole home. Take as much time as you need.

Light the candle and go to the East, this time you are walking deosil/sunwise/clockwise, walk all around until you return to where you started. You may wish to say:

Bright blessings of the moon to this place

Warmth and happiness of the sun to this place

So mote it be!

Return to the center and place the candle on the fireproof surface, let it keep burning. Take the salted water and flush it down the toilet, it has absorbed energy so remember to wash and dry the bowl as well after pouring the salty water. Let the candle burn down, when its close to finishing gather everything you wish to take with you as you leave the house for the final time. When it burns out gather it and your things, and as you walk through the front door for the final time, recognize this chapter of your life is over, don’t look back but step through the door looking towards your future with excitement.

You may not have time to do this ritual, the other ways to clear a space are:

Smudging with sage, cedar, rosemary, frankincense, sandalwood,

Using Drums rattles, and singing bowls

Chanting, singing

Playing music like Buddhist toning, chakra clearing music

Fill a bowl with water and sea salt, place in the center of the home, leave it overnight and flush it in the morning.

The whirlwind, just visualize a whirlwind sweeping through your home and sucking up the energy and cleaning it- however this could be interpreted as a form of sympathetic magic by the powers that be! I know someone who did this as a quick fix; her home was destroyed by a tornado a few weeks later.

The Vacuum- Same theory as the whirlwind, the cosmic vacuum sucks up the energy and transforms it to light that’s released to the Universe

Pure intent- just focus on the energy being removed from a space and literally call your energy back to you, “I’m outta here house! My energy’s going with me!”

The Besom- Literally sweep the energy out usually with a chant, just remember to sweep out not in!

It’s also possible to neutralize energy with salt; some people sprinkle it all over the house and leave it overnight then vacuum it the next day. Or you could add it to the water that you are literally cleaning the house with, just be aware it could react with cleaner, it’s also possible to put salted water in a spray bottle and just spray the whole house.

It’s up to you. Happy Cleansing!

 

 

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Pirate Pleasures and Wiccan Woes

May 7, 2012 in Sage & Scourge

Once upon a time, in a far off land called Ohio, there was an eclectic owl who lived amongst pirates. Enmeshed in a torrid love affair with a Viking (seriously, she should have known better than to go out with a Viking, Vikings and Pirates just don’t really belong together), the Owl traveled to somewhere in the Middle-Of-Nowhere to go to the Earth Warriors Festival, run by her amazing friend Black Powder Molly and the other Pirates of the C.U.C. Constantine. It was there that she decided to really disliked a curmudgeonly Wiccan musician, who had the temerity to yell at the pirates for being too loud at his performance.

Little did she know, this musician was enmeshed in his own torrid love affair with an icy sculptor, which in hindsight, explains much of his curmudgeonliness. Also, the pirates were being really loud. That’s what pirates do. Curmudgeonly Wiccan Musicians have very little sense of humor when it comes to festival performances.

The festival came to a close too quickly. Time passed. The Viking drifted away, and the owl, who had recently moved to a different realm of her enchanted land, Columbus, was sad and depressed without her usual pirate companions. So it was greatly exciting for her when Madmadmadmadmad Madame Magda, the ship’s scribe, called her up and asked her if she wanted to go on a quest: to New Orleans, to observe the strange Southern customs of Yule. The owl of course exclaimed “YES!”.

But Madmadmadmadmad Madame Magda mentioned that there was one tiny drawback to the whole plan.

“Yes?” inquired the Owl.

“Well…do you remember that horrible old curmudgeonly Wiccan from Earth Warriors?”

“That guy?!!!” replied the owl, scowling.

“Yeah, we’re going to stay with him.”

After making odd grumbling noises and fluffing up her feathers, the Owl, with Madmadmadmadmad Madame Magda and her Coyote, set off to another enchanted land (one with a great river). And it was there that the owl came to see that the curmudgeonly old Wiccan wasn’t as curmudgeonly as she thought, and where she fell madly in love with the great city of New Orleans itself.

A few more months passed and the Owl began to pine for the Wiccan, and eventually, probably due to the interference of a certain Welsh Owl Goddess, the owl was awarded a job at a large university near the Wiccan. The owl left Ohio behind her.

Thus begins the cohabitation and adventure of two Pagans who in some ways could not be more alike, and in others, more completely different.

Things to know before going further into the deep mysteries of this column:

The Pirates of the C.U.C. Constantine are an eclectic Pagan pirate crew who practice Pagan Craft, who dress, act and sing like pirates, and who cavort loudly. Thus they are very noticeable. They practice a spiritual piracy that has proven greatly useful to them.

The curmudgeonly Wiccan practices Blue Star Wicca. He is the high priest of a coven of slightly clueless students. He is a Pagan musician and author. A number of fairies live in his studio, all of whom have crushes on him. The owl does not appreciate these creatures.

The owl is infinitely practical. The Wiccan is not.

Living with the owl and the Wiccan is a singing Bansidhe cat. Her name, appropriately enough, is Bansidhe.

The owl likes sage, she thinks that smudging a home is healthy. The Wiccan scorns smudging and clings tightly to his old-fashioned scourge. He also likes to say things like “Give ‘em a whammy with your athammy!” The owl finds this to be ridiculous.

The Wiccan is a people person, the owl is not. All of the neighbors have somehow drawn the conclusion that they practice a very evangelical form of Christianity. (You know, all those brooms and knives and chalices they carry around…makes perfect sense.)

The owl has a day job, the Wiccan plays music with mangy traveling kids.

They both like beignets.

There is the small issue of a thirty year age difference, which occasionally causes huge generational gaps in their thinking, which they have to work their way around.

But somehow it still works.

So hold onto your hats, kids, and here we go…!

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Energetic Household Cleansing

April 28, 2012 in Guests, Hearth and Home

There are some things that are the same no matter what your household looks like – someone has to clean the toilets, wash the dishes, and do other general housekeeping tasks.

But do you do energetic cleaning of your home regularly?

Most households don’t operate the way mine does – because of my daughter’s medical condition, we have in-home nursing and in-home therapy. Most weeks we have 10 non-family people in and out of the house, and some months it’s as many as 20 people total through my home. My kids are both still in diapers, and yet their bathroom goes through more toilet paper in a week than the rest of the house uses in a month!

Needless to say, it often leaves us all feeling a little crowded, and a little like we need a bath. Add to that a preschooler who’s a little over-anxious and over-sensitive to energy shifts (which result in nightmares), and energetic cleaning of the house becomes just as important, or more so, than the physical cleaning.

Our go-to cleaning method here is smudging with sage – even with the kids with breathing issues and oxygen tubing everywhere. For us, good sage from a known source doesn’t set off anyone’s breathing issues.

Typically, I start at the front door of the house. I say a brief prayer to my patrons and to the spirits of our house and our land, asking them to protects us and to help remove any negative energies from the house. I then work my way counter clockwise through the entire house (up and down stairs, around through each room). I make a pentacle (I use the banishing pentacle that starts at the lower left point, but you might find something else works better for you) at each window and mirror, and seal each door as I exit a room. I continue this way until I get back to the front door, and then I seal that door.

Right now, we’re smudging about once a week, sometimes a little more often. I find sometimes if a little more deep cleansing is needed, dragon’s blood or copal works well in place of sage.

There are other ways to purify your home too – maybe try a purification by drumming, singing, or laughing. Or maybe you have some other incense that you prefer.

However you cleanse your house, a little energetic hygiene can improve the feel of your house quickly and easily.

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Family Tradition – Break Some Bread

July 25, 2011 in Family Crafting

courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Throughout history and even before into pre-history, people celebrated and marked events in their life by feasting. And as civilization grew and communities became larger these simple feasts grew into the holidays that we know today.From the sacrifice of the first of the harvest to the Gods to the laying out of milk, honey and bread for the faeries. From the mute supper laid out to honor the dead on Samhain to the partaking of Cakes and Ale in circle to ground us after ritual.

These are just a few of the rituals that we as Pagans may celebrate with food. Throughout the centuries our ancestors celebrated many more. The question is why? My answer is always simply, it works. Food is a ready vessel of energy, it is what allows us to live off of it. And when prepared with love, excitement and a whole host of positive energies the food, in a sense, becomes super charged. So when you break bread with people in celebration that moment becomes the release of the magick, the continuation of tradition that will carry those feelings forward another year.

But in our modern culture, with all of our processed foods, many of us have forgotten the wonders of wholesome food. The companies have stripped our food of all that was good for us and added sugars and preservatives. This is convenient for us, so we don’t complain. Yet this disconnect has also served as another way we have been divorced from nature. So as we move close to Lughnasadh, it is coming up at the end of this next weekend, let us reflect on that. Think of the traditions that your family has, do you feast for this, the first of the three Harvests? And if you do what kind of food do you have planned? And not to leave any one out this applies to our readers to the furthest South, Imbolc is coming for you all and what better way to celebrate the slow return of the Light then with a simple feast of love?

I have included a recipe below for some bread that you can bake for either Sabbat, hope you enjoy.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
  • 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 5 cups bread flour
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
  2. Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky – just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
  3. Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
  4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely

Blessed Be!

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Your Beliefs… A Family Focus

June 9, 2011 in Guests

A wonderful article was recently posted entitled: Creed of My Family Coven.  It gave an amazing example of a family creed and poses questions to help you create your own personal family creed.  This is a wonderful activity for the entire family that helps lend guidance to your life and the choices you and your family will make.

Once your family has written a family creed how can you get your children to internalize and live by the principals and ethics your family believes in?

Well, for the most part children are simple little beings.  They tend to model and repeat (sometimes to our dismay) what is seen and heard day in and day out.  Those adults that surround them most often will have the largest impact.  Therefore, a good place to start is to personally live the way you want your children to live.  Show them through example what it looks like and sounds like to live by the creed your family has chosen.

During the hours of the day that your children are not with you, surround them with positive role models.  Make sure that the people in charge of caring for your children understand how you expect your children to be treated and how you expect your children to treat others.  It is perfectly exceptable to share your family creed at a parent teacher conference.  Even though your family creed may be spiritual in nature it is by far more of a guideline to a respectful and loving existence.  Hard to find fault in that…

Making Your Family Creed a Focus Every Day: 

  • Start by working with your family to create a artistic display for your home.  Brainstorm ways to do this that include a bit of input from everyone.  Little ones might be able to color.  Older children can write the creed out in fancy lettering.  Mom can assemble the finished product in a frame or scrapbook style wall display.  & Dad can find the perfect place in the kitchen or family room to hang the final masterpiece.
  • Select a time when the family is together daily (dinner, family time) and reread your family creed.  Discuss ways you have chosen to live by the principals.  For children, it is especially helpful to give examples of times you did something difficult in order to live the kind of life your family has agreed upon.

With a little family planning and a few minutes each day, you and those you love can grow closer to the earth and the Goddess.  The time spent renewing your beliefs and reflecting on your life will be time well spent.

Brightest blessings to you & yours.

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Capturing the Elements

April 13, 2011 in Guests

Here in Las Vegas, even on a moonless night the sky is bright with street lights and casino lights; even the quieter subdivisions seem ever-lit by porch lamps carelessly allowed to burn throughout the always active, constantly busy, nights.

In the two years I have been here I cannot remember seeing a single star.

Our house sits on the corner of two streets lined with little houses deep in the middle of a fairly large subdivision.  Our backyard consists of a cement slab, surrounded by pink rocks, three high cement walls and three dry, barren looking “trees.”

I miss my home.

In some ways, moving to the desert has given me a new appreciation of what Earth is, and what Fire is.  It has also reminded me of the importance of family, of spirit, and of how lonely it can be when you feel relentlessly cut-off from or out-of-balance with the elements.

And yet, it was here in this barren treeless valley that I decided it was time to live a pagan life with my children.  It was here that I decided I could no longer hide who and what I really am, and so it is here that I struggle to find new ways to appreciate the unseen and the untouchable, for myself and for my children.

It is spring.

Yet the only environmental indicators of such are the rapidly rising temperatures by day, and the sudden infatuation the boys in the neighborhood have, once again, with baseball.  Today, despite my determination against it, I actually had to turn on the air conditioner, and I have to admit, that even my Jayson seems to have caught baseball fever.   I, however, feel we have skipped Spring entirely and are already well into another, hot, endless summer.

Which brings me to the point of this article –

“How do you teach your children to recognize and internalize the signs of the seasons if you cannot recognize or internalize them yourself?”

That is the question I have been asking myself a lot lately – and the other night, Grandmother Moon inspired in me, an answer.

“Find it,” she said, “find it and take a picture!”

So, that my friends’ is exactly what my children and I intend to do.  You’ve heard of, I’m sure, those photo-a-day challenges, or photo-every week- for a year challenges.  Well – we’re going to photograph the elements, every week, a few times a week, until we feel that we REALLY know them.   Whether it takes a few months, a few years, or a few decades – we are going to seek out and photograph the Elements, even, no- especially, when they seem no where to be found.

Yes – there will undoubtedly be the obvious: a photograph snapped of a flame for Fire, or a fountain for Water, maybe a bird caught mid-flight will represent Air and a rock for Earth; but as we explore and really seek out the Elementals, I’m hoping to see photographs of more discreet representations – Water represented by Old Age, or Air represented by Intellect or Inspiration; a photograph of a young child or the strength of muscular man to represent Earth and perhaps Fire will be represented by a simple snapshot of a newborn inhaling the breath of life for the very first time.

  • For myself, I take this challenge very… not seriously, but very deeply.  It is a challenge, to learn to see them where I have previously taken their presence for granted – to find them where they are not typically found.
  • For my oldest son, I wish to inspire him, to see the Elementals in their natural, obvious states, and to question them.  For every obvious photograph of Water, is there not also a representation of Fire?  Of Earth?  Of Air?  I seek to challenge him to see it, to feel them and to learn from them; to find balance in every manifestation.
  • For my younger children, including my oldest daughter – I wish simply to introduce them.  Just as we have walked 100 times before, physically touching and discovering the elements through nature walks and scavenger hunts – now through the eye of a camera, I wish them to discover the elements in things they cannot so easily touch or take with them; to find them in the bigger picture, and to find them within a smaller frame.

Now, instead, of a bag to bring home our treasures, we take with us our cameras and our field journals, and when we get home we can pull them up on the computer, discuss them, print them and create for ourselves our own private Book of Elements to grow with and to pass down through the generations.  And what a wonderful teaching tool it will be…

Blessings and Namaste,

Luhnna

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Pagan Pancakes

March 30, 2011 in Guests

Introducing children to the craeft can be tricky – especially when your children are very young.  The concepts of Goddess and God are particularly difficult to understand.  My parenting approach is very natural and intuitive, and I have found explaining traditional concepts of deity to my children to be frustrating and even counter-intuitive.  So, we have settled on a different approach.

My little ones are learning to honor and speak with deity by observing the seasons and communicating with the natural environment around them.  We turn to Grandmother Moon and Mother Earth, the Green Man and Father Sky.  When something goes missing, we call upon the Finder Fairies for help, and all of our children delight in leaving their shiniest white teeth as offerings for the Tooth Fairies.   Our children’s explorative and inquisitive natures have also made it easy to introduce the Elementals and the importance of balance and intention throughout our everyday routines; and one of our favorite ways to do this is by encouraging our children to help out at meal times.

Scott Cunningham wrote in his book Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen, that pancakes are linked with the two most important gifts of the earth – grain and milk; and are thus honored as highly magical foods.  It just so happens, that pancakes are also a favorite in our home and absolutely honored as highly magical foods.

The following recipe is a fun way to introduce and explore pagan concepts with your children.  It is written as we perform it – I hope you enjoy.

PAGAN PANCAKE BREAKFAST

The Ingredients:

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 c – whole wheat flour
  • 1 c – buttermilk
  • ¼ c – butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 tbsp – packed brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp – vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp – baking powder
  • ½ tsp – baking soda
  • ¼ tsp – salt

The How

  1. CLEANSE THE SPACE: We talk about the Elemental Water and the importance of clearing dirt, grime and negative energy from our space as we physically clean the area to be used for food preparation.
  2. GATHER AND COMBINE INGREDIENTS: As the kids help gather ingredients and read the recipe, we discuss the Elemental Air as related to intellect and creativity.  As they poor the ingredients into the mixing bowl and begin to mix them, we talk about what we are doing, what ingredients we are using and where they come from – the Elementals Earth and Water.
  3. *Beat egg in medium bowl with a hand beater until fluffy – then beat in remaining ingredients.
  4. VISUALIZE and FOCUS INTENTION: While mixing, we discuss the importance of infusing love and positive energy into our food as we prepare it.  We imagine a loving happy home, laughing and enjoying each other’s company, etc.  – this is truly their first real experience with spell work.
  5. HEAT GRIDDLE OR SKILLET and COOK: Our gas stove allows us to cook over an obvious flame, so it is easy to relate the cooking process to the Elemental Fire.  We also further discuss intentions as we inscribe the batter of each pancake with hearts, stars or other symbols to bless the food as it cooks.
  6. FLIP ‘EM and STACK ‘EM: Flipping the pancakes reveals hidden messages and pictures in the browned side of the pancake which is also a great way to introduce children to simple divination.  My kids LOVE taking turns interpreting the magical symbols.
  7. SERVE and EAT: When the pancakes are fully cooked and ready to serve, we again visit the subject of intention and visualization.  We take a moment with our hands over our plates above our food to direct and infuse the food we are about to consume with our own loving energies and to say thanks to Mother Earth and Father Sky for providing such a wonderful meal.  We butter and syrup our pancakes then dig in.

The End Result

One very happy family with children who are actively relating pagan concepts to their own actions, abilities and of course, delicious grounding sustenance.

Blessings,

Luhnna

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Defining One Pagan Household

January 19, 2011 in Guests

"Teachable Moments" - Daddy & Daughter at the Falls

The pagan household?  Since day one when I was introduced to this project, I have had one question on my mind: What is a pagan household? More specifically – what do I want from mine?

The sad fact is I have only recently come out of the broom closet; very recently. And – I did so, not for me, but for my kids. My older children knew I was pagan, as we had discussed it once or twice when they were younger – but they knew very little about what that meant. My younger children had no idea; and while my husband knew what I was, he too knew very little about my craeft and what it looks like to be pagan because I kept my practice completely to myself. This was really no way to live and I often felt very disconnected from my family.

When I decided to go public, I started evaluating how it would affect our way of life. Initially, I thought it would be fairly simple – it would affect our holiday traditions, and it would affect our discussions on nature and spirituality (mostly in the fact that we would HAVE such discussions). But as I became more comfortable sharing who I am and what I believe with my children, I realized that being a pagan parent means LIVING a pagan life as a family – it affects everything!

The first thing I saw change, was our definition of family. Our definition of family (in the immediate sense, and as unhealthy as it might seem) before had been something along the lines of:

“…people who are related, physically or emotionally, and who live together under one head of household.”

Lovely – I know, but understand, our family perspective was coming from a very unhealthy, chaotic space. Things were not well for us, for a very long time.

Our new definition, admittedly much borrowed from Lady Maeve Rhea in her book, Handfasted and Heartjoined, is something more like this:

“A family is a loving unit of peoples whom pull together to provide a stable, functional, nurturing, and healthy environment; one which provides protection and room for all of its members (including children), to grow as individuals, so that each member is able to achieve their fullest physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological potential.”

A mouthful, absolutely; and by now, you are probably asking, “what does your new definition of family have to do with defining the pagan household?”

Well, let me explain. Pagan households come in many sizes and many flavors – what makes one does not necessarily make another. Ours is a family household, and not just any family – we are a mixed family; mixed spiritually, in that my husband is agnostic and we were both raised Christian; and mixed biologically – my husband is only biologically the father of our younger children; he is “Step-Dad,” to our older children. So we face every day and with every breath, the dynamics of life in a mixed family household. It makes sense then, that our definition of family would form the very foundation of our Pagan Household – what it is now and what we hope it will someday be.

The second thing that I noticed once our family started living pagan, was the frequency of what I call “teachable moments.” I really did believe that I would be “teaching” my children about witchcraft and paganism, in the family circle, during the sabbats, esbats, and on occasion, when approached with a specific question; but that’s not what paganism is, is it? One is not a pagan only on holy days – if one is pagan, they simply ARE pagan all the time.  That’s worth repeating:

“One is not a pagan only on holy days – if one is pagan, they simply ARE pagan all the time.”

Being pagan is about honoring deity – call it the Universal Current, the Power, God and Goddess or even just, the delicate balance of nature. As pagans, we honor deity in every moment with every breath. Being a witch also means practicing magick. A true witch incorporates magickal intent into even the most mundane activities – and for those of us who have been practicing magick for an extended period of time, it comes so naturally that unless we are working our magick in a ritualistic manner, like for a sabbat, an esbat, or working a specific spell – we don’t even realize we’re doing it!

Being pagan is such a natural part of who we are that it’s almost involuntary – it’s like breathing! It’s so natural, that I find now, that every decision, every action and every moment relates to some aspect of pagan spirituality; and thus every moment is an opportunity to share what it is to be pagan with my children and my husband. EVERY moment is a “teachable moment.” So there it is, criteria #2 for our pagan household:

“…an environment in which honoring deity and practicing magick are embraced and encouraged in every moment.”

And finally, what’s a pagan household without a pagan house? When we began living pagan, even our house itself changed. A home is a physical representation of the spirit or personality of its residents. Sadly, our home was just the house where we lived and kept our things – it was cluttered, chaotic and lacked emotion. When we decided to embrace paganism as a family, our house became our circle, our living, breathing spiritual temple. Images of deity and nature populate each room; purifications, charms and protection spells are performed regularly; offerings are left for the Other Folk; and the scents of oils, candles and incense, have become scent-sational reminders of the life we have taken on. Our house – our home – has become pagan; and as such it provides us all with a nurturing, protective environment in which to grow, both individually and as a family.

So there we have it – the criteria for our pagan household:

Our pagan household is:

  • Based upon loving, communicative family relationships where each of its members come together to provide the following:
  • A stable, functional, nurturing, and healthy psychological environment, which provides protection and room for all of its members (including children), to grow as individuals, so that each member is able to achieve their fullest physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological potential;
  • An environment in which honoring deity and practicing magick are embraced and encouraged in every moment;
  • And an equally stable, functional, nurturing and spiritually representative physical environment, which all members can grow with, be a part of, take pride in and call home.

What does your pagan household look like? Please share – that is, after all, why we’re here.

Blessings and Namaste,

Luhnna

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