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The Lady’s Blessings

May 14, 2013 in Guests, Hearth and Home, Uncategorized

On Mother’s Day I was thinking about the women who have influenced my life over the years, of course my own Mom, and also other Mothers, Aunties, Granma’s, friends and mentors along my journey. There are a few who helped bring huge changes to my life, and I would like to share a few stories in honour of the Divine Feminine that touches every person.

My Mom was gracious and married late in life, my parents adopted a toddler and decided to take on another baby boy and went to a different orphanage in Scotland. I was 6 weeks old and had arrived the day before their visit, I’d been 4lbs 2oz at birth and was up to 7lbs by then, though I must have been tiny because my Mom to be thought I was a doll at first. She was horrified that such a “wee babe” was in the children’s home, and felt compelled to see me properly, that was the beginning of our relationship in this life. My parents immigrated to Canada when I was 4, my Dad got work but Mom didn’t even though she had a doctorate degree. She ended up assisting my father who was also a professor, transforming his research notes into papers for scientific journals, meticulously drawing all the strange microscopic creatures, I marvelled at her skill. Mom had been one of the first female Professors at Berkley University in the 1940’s, then returned to Scotland to be with her family and began doing research on animal pathogens at Edinburgh University before she married. My Mother had been financially independent before we immigrated, she never made a cent from the work she did to support my father, and it was something that wasn’t talked about.

I was around 7 when we were in a car accident that left her permanently injured, somehow I fell  into the floor space behind the front seats and the car crumpled around me, Mom wasn’t so lucky. Her life became filled with pain, Dr’s appointments, procedures, physio, endless meds etc. she changed from a social person to a shut in. I took on the house chores and began to resent that I was expected to, Mom and I always seemed to be bickering and arguing, there was more disapproval than support, we didn’t do activities together anymore, and I missed the Mother I had before the accident. As the years passed our conflicts grew more serious, by the time I was 12 the whole family unit was in crisis and falling apart. I left home at the first opportunity that presented itself and dissolved all ties; it took me until my mid 20’s to connect again.

My Mom and I sat down and had a very honest, difficult and painful conversation, we both cried and apologized for our hurtful words and behaviour towards each other in the past. I understood that she had also been hurting, scared and frustrated, and we were able to mend our relationship. My Mom passed when I was 27; we had a lengthy phone call the day before, sharing our life experiences, laughing and appreciating our connection. I love you.

When I was a girl women from our church would show up and whisk me away for an afternoon or weekend, they brought meals and baking for my family. I learned to knit bandages to hymns, a kind of magic in itself, we made old cards into baskets, I discovered the mystery of suspending fruit in gelatine, that washing machines were useful for cleaning baby dills before pickling and how baking soda and lemon juice cleaned just about everything. Daisy, Edna, Beda, Cathy, Granma Taylor thank you!

Kate and I sat outside the office of the women’s transition house one stormy night. Her first words were “Do I look as bad as you?” I replied “I hope it looks better that it feels!” we grinned and became allies. Our friendship grew, we talked about our dreams, how next time we would break the cycle, we knew we didn’t deserve abuse. That was so long ago, we have both learned the difference between love and cruelty, and discovered self love in the reflection of each other. Kate you are precious!

Sheila and I met at a women activists group, and we were tired of marching and holding signs in the sun, wind and rain! We mimicked the parody of politics and transformed it into street theatre; we were fabulous together and even got on the news. Your hug is as big as the Universe my beloved Auntie, Wise One, Mother all wrapped in one. When I am an old woman may I be as spry and have a sense of humor like you, you are the beautiful sound of laughter.

My birth mother Valerie, there was no mistaking I am your child; I saw my face reflected in yours for the first time and knew my beginnings. We walked together for a time, you told me of my ancestors, how they once served the Lady, the gifts of our blood. Your love touched me, thank you for carrying me into this life.

Today I am surrounded with beautiful, strong, creative women, I love my HPS and her family as if they were blood kin, and we are a family of choice. I have bonded with my inner circle and we are only one tree in a grove of many others, and we are all connected. The Goddess touches us through our mothers, grandmas, sisters, aunties, female friends and she is also found within every man and boy, her reflection is found within you and in eyes of others. Did you realize the Lady blesses the world through you? Just something to think about

Abundant Blessings

Dawne

 

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Self Centering

April 30, 2013 in Guests, Hearth and Home, Pagan Spirituality, Uncategorized

This past week has been a lesson in Self Centering for me. Sometimes the lines between being “of service” and being expected to do something can look similar on the outside, yet they are very different energies on an inner level.  When does helping turn into a disservice to others?

My big clues were that I was beginning to feel resentful and angry towards some people in my life circles, I’m usually a down to earth, level headed kind of gal, I have an easy going nature, and generally have a positive outlook on life.  When bitterness creeps in I know something is very unbalanced and I need to take a good look at where the roots of these feelings originate. It’s not a pleasant or easy process to dig through the stuff, fortunately I am blessed to have a counsellor who is not connected to my life in any other way, and she provides a non partisan view that helps me out a lot.

Exploring the layers of emotion I realised that a pattern had formed, and that there were two parties involved, my conflicted self and the persons related to the issues. For an event to recur all the participants need to agree on some level to keep it going, the scenery and the players may change yet the general theme becomes persistent, it may play out in a hundred versions until you notice what’s happening. For me, the production goes like this. Someone asks for my assistance, I like to be helpful so provide the help, the first time I don’t expect compensation because it’s time freely given. The person asks if I can lend a hand again and promises to pay when some money comes in, I oblige because I think everyone deserves a break. The same individual requests me to help out again, often has not compensated me for my time and effort and continues to promise to pay at a later date, I say okay. This continues on, the help becomes expected or the person feels entitled to it, I have conditioned myself to keep repeating and the other person to have expectations.

I acknowledge this awareness is part of my personal growth and it can be tricky to really see what is happening, blaming others doesn’t work, what am I doing that contributes to the cycle? I got to thinking how the Goddess is the Mother of all, and how her law is love; the only thing she asks is for me to embrace what is best for my life, and to work towards creating the life I desire. So what is best for me?

Allowing people to take advantage because I feel empathy is in no way respecting me, it actually devalues my worth. My first step was to look at the areas of my life that were generating these feelings. One continual annoyance is around transportation issues, I don’t mind offering a ride depending on the circumstances; however it has morphed into an exercise in frustration on some levels. There are people who are regular passengers, in some cases for over three years, they promise payment whenever some money comes in. In time I do receive some money and am thankful, however the amount paid and the true cost of providing rides has no relationship and I am the one who absorbs the expenses. I decided to take my power back and stop this cycle by changing my behaviour, so I informed my regulars no gas money, no ride.  As you can imagine, I sure got some waves of resistance, everything from guilt trips, I was being unfair, I was preventing participation in events, it’s my job as a priestess, you are punishing me, its not my fault I am broke, you are driving there anyhow…yada, yada.

I did feel guilty and unhappy at first, and wondered if  I was being unnecessarily cruel towards these folks; the incoming responses really enforced that. When I felt really vulnerable to caving in, I let myself feel the emotions and recited the Charge of the Goddess, especially the part about “keep strong your highest ideal and strive ever towards it, let naught stop you nor turn you aside” it gave me courage and strength. I was able to close my eyes and meditate and I found what I needed within.

I understand it is not my responsibility to keep bailing people out, in fact by continually helping all I am doing is providing a band-aid; my actions keep the cycle repeating, and the resulting feelings of resentment at the expectations do have powerful potential to damage some friendships. I also know each person needs to learn how to manage their own resources whether financial or not. It’s also clear it’s all about choices, with taking the action of buying a product or participating in an event I am agreeing to the consequences of that act, even if it means peanut butter sandwiches are my staple food for a while.  If I know something like full moon ritual occurs every month, and that I need gas money, and it’s important for me to attend, what is my priority? What do I prefer, those takeout coffees or going to ritual? We all need to choose what is important to us personally.

You probably have heard the saying “The Universe Provides”, yes it does! However, if the Universe continually provides through the generosity and at the expense of other people, the scales are not in balance for the giver or the receiver. The out breath and in breath are both important to the continual flow of life, one cannot exist without the other, and so it is with all things. It’s good to take a look at your life and see what is working and what isn’t, and by honouring yourself you also honour the Gods.

May you all have a Blessed Beltane!

Dawne

 

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Love your body

April 16, 2013 in Hearth and Home, Pagan Spirituality, Uncategorized

I was experiencing some resistance today, and I also know what I resist persists according to the Laws of Attraction, meaning if you are actively defying a situation your energy is still focused on the problem rather than a solution. So what’s my problem and how is it solved? I feel scattered, my solution, follow my breath through my body, feel the tube of light that extending from my spine down into the earth and imagine roots growing from my feet, reaching all the way to the earth’s center. I visualize any unwanted energy flowing down my roots and being transformed into neutral energy that the planet can use in any way it needs. I sense the molten energy it to moves up the roots towards my feet and think of it becoming a calm, grounding, stable, nurturing force that travels through me and cascades over my head like a fountain. It grounds and balances as it renews my physical sense of being and I am in a better space, thank you Mama Earth!

I think of times in my life when knowing how to ground and recharge would have been helpful. Instead I would just work myself into a tizzy, spinning my brain and searching for reasons why I was in such a frazzled state. There was always some person, situation or set of circumstances that I blamed for my problems, it was nothing to do with me, or so I thought. Of course not being accountable for your actions means that you are essentially powerless because you are the only one with the power to create personal change. It took me a while to recognise that, it made all the difference to my life!

Over the years I have discovered that the logical thinking side of myself is not always my best friend, it can create all kinds of thoughts and reasons as to why something is happening, analyzing each tangent to the nth degree. Do I feel better from this process? No, in fact some thoughts trigger emotions and/or pain and I end up in a worse space than before the process started. I call it the downward spiral, you can either get off of the ride or hit bottom! When mental chatter is ongoing I feel disconnected from the intuitive part of myself, my logical mind bases everything on past experiences, future tasks, programming etc. I shift from participating in life experience to being utterly disconnected and lost in the insanity of judgements against myself and others, rather than being an observer and choosing my level of involvement. Not a place or state that I really want to visit or wallow in, whining doesn’t create solutions, and the last thing I choose to be is a whiny witch!

So what is the solution? I learned to stop, it wasn’t easy, I actually had a sign from a disaster kit that says ok on a green background, and help on the red flip side.  I trained myself to display the red side when my thoughts became overwhelming or stuck in a rut.  It provided a physical task that stopped the thought process, eventually I was able to visualize a stop sign, and even today it means take a break and reconnect. One of the quickest ways to stop a thought is to focus on your breathing and follow the air as it circulates through your body, exit with the exhale, follow the next inhale and so on. Some people journey through the chakra system; others visualize travelling the energy meridians. Whatever works, just direct your attention within and explore how it feels to be embodied and present. You might find it helpful to use your hands and feel the outer edges of your body, to be aware of where your physical being ends and the energy layers begin. Sometimes we can be so disconnected from our body that there is no awareness of the space it occupies, it’s good to make contact, search for the muscles, bones and ligaments under your skin, get to know how your body feels, the manifestation of you here and now.

The physical body is a major factor to experiencing this world, it’s aware of unseen energies and forces that the logical rational self dismisses. As Pagans we are encouraged to love and accept our physical being as much as our spirit, intellect, emotions, and passions, we are a part of the physical realm, the being-ness of the natural world and its cycles.

Our manifested physical being is important factor in our life however some religious groups encourage their devotees to have no relationship with the body or material world. A state of enlightenment or deliverance comes from denying the body and punishing it, things like extreme fasting, inflicting pain and damage known as “mortification of the flesh” are seen as ways to salvation. The body is regarded as an obstruction on the path to evolving, and prevented passage to other realms or mystical states of being. I think of the Buddha and how he fasted and practised extreme forms of physical deprivation for 6 years, it didn’t bring him enlightenment. When he gave up these practises and came to sit under a tree he discovered the true nature of his being by finding his essence and that brought illumination.

I would say the majority of Pagans come from the philosophy of harm none, generally we celebrate the physical world, the seasons and we love and celebrate our bodies because they carry us through this experience of life. So, next time you find yourself caught up in a thought loop, breathe and ground, sense your energetic and physical being, take yourself out for a walk, swim, dance or some other activity that celebrates living and feel better!

 

Abundant Blessings,

 

 

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Spring Ahead

March 19, 2013 in From the Hearth, Guests, Uncategorized

Here it comes again! Spring ahead, the resting season is over! I hear grumbling, some admittedly from myself, the clock goes forward; we are deprived of time in the morning. I’ve been noticing my thoughts about the time change and my reactions to it and I have to admit I have already adapted. When I wake the sun is rising, when my day is mostly done, there is still light at supper time, it’s a time of expansion and putting ideas into action.

I know there are big changes coming to my life this year, there are things I will be doing that seemed improbable if not impossible just 5 years ago. Looking back I see that the Powers that be were waiting for me to choose a direction, and commit to a path and I have been supported, loved and guided to where I am today.  At times it seems there are so many possibilities, almost too many options and each scenario has its own appeal and learning opportunities. Some options aren’t as appealing when you dig below the surface, and it may seem like it was an illusion of some sort, a kind of glamour spell and you might even shake your head wondering just what was I thinking?  I like wearing rosy glasses, they keep me optimistic, but sometimes you need to take them off, close your eyes and feel things out with your gut instincts!  When you know something isn’t right for you there is no denying it, if you pursue the project or experience you may just find a lot of resistance, you might find yourself rolling under the wave and scraping the sand instead of surfing with it. How many times have you said yes when all your being said no? This is an issue I still work on, I am getting better at saying no and at delegating instead of being super woman and I have found it helpful to have a map of where it is I truly want to go.

Gather a journal or notebook, a favorite pen, candle, incense offering, any instrumental or percussion music that makes you feel good and a place where you can just be without interruption. You may wish to put the candle and incense on your altar, or just near you. If you wish to smudge the area and or yourself do so, when you are ready close your eyes and pay attention to your breathing, not controlling it, just let it flow. Imagine your energy travelling down your body out through your feet down into the earth, let all concerns go to be transformed in the earth. Bring the molten core of Mother Earth up through your feet and through your head, let it cascade down your body like a fountain, energizing and centering your being.  Light the incense and offer it to your Deity of choice, say something like “Blessed Goddess I offer this sweetness to honour your wisdom, I invite you to join me in this quest” Or use whatever words work for you.

Now light the candle and say “From shadow to light, from tales to truth, from doubt to trust, from fear to faith I see clearly and know my heart and will” Sit down and think of your values, what is important to you?  What do you need for your happiness and to feel complete? Write down your ideals in simple terms. Now take a few deep breaths and center again. Again say “From shadow to light, from tales to truth, from doubt to trust, from fear to faith I see clearly and know my heart and will” Think about the ways your values are reflected in your life, write these down too. When you are finished, breathe, center and repeat the chant “From…”  Look at your words; are you happy with the way your ethics and values are reflected in your life?  What would you change? What would you keep the same?

Ground and center again. Think about this exploration and pick one thing you wish to change. What could you begin to do to make this change happen in your life?  Start with something easy that doesn’t require huge amounts of energy and write down what your intention is.  For example if your value is helping others, what could you do to help someone else this week? Could you cook a meal, volunteer at a food bank, babysit, drive someone to an appointment etc.?  Remember to add the date; it helps you to keep track of what you are working on next time you do this exercise.

When you are actively working on creating change the Universe supports you to do so, I think sometimes our energies can be so scattered in so many directions that energy can dissipate, it makes more sense to focus or direct energy towards one thing at a time, kind of the sun through the magnifying glass effect. Those of you who have studied mindfulness already are familiar with this concept; basically it means being fully present in whatever activity you are doing in the moment.  When you wash dishes, think about washing dishes, experience the water, soap, the motion of cleaning, how the dishes feel etc.  I know everyone talks about multi-tasking these days, and we pride ourselves on how efficient we are at it-sometimes more is less!

If you need some motivation to work on the changes you wish to create review the writing, I also have a little chant I say when I’m dragging my heels, it might help you too! “Thought to word, word to action, action to practise brings satisfaction!”

The Equinox is very near, so Happy Ostara all!  Spring ahead with passion and blossom into the beautiful being you are and that the world welcomes!

Abundant Blessings!

Dawne

 

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Middle of the Mundane…

February 28, 2013 in Everyday Magick, Guests

The end of February. I can honestly say that I am happy it is here, but at the same time… Can it be over with? Can we please have spring and the warmer weather that comes with it?

I am one of those people that suffers from “cabin fever”. I live in North-Central Wisconsin. Right now, we have a good 18-20 inches of snow on the ground. I have 4-5 foot snow banks lining my yard. To go outside and do anything seems to require a ton of effort. Just to go out and get my mail in the afternoon requires boots, jacket, hat, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I love the winter and being able to go sledding and snowshoeing on warm days….but…

This brings me to to my magical life. I don’t have the energy, or maybe it is ambition? I don’t know what you want to call it, I just don’t have it right now. It is so bad, honestly, the thought of doing anything with regards to the Full Moon seemed like a lot of work. I know it all has to do with the “cabin fever”. If you look at the time of year… really, it is kind of a dead time. The earth is still sound slumber awaiting the arrival of warmer weather (at least by me it is) which won’t be here until closer to the equinox or later, which most likely will be later. I won’t get a chance to work in the gardens around my house until at least mid to end of April. That is a lot of time yet! It is no wonder that one can get so discouraged this time of year. At least in the summer months between Sabbats, one has other yard work that can be attended to.

As I sat and thought about this, I needed to reprogram my train of thought. Instead of focusing on what I couldn’t do and how much I wanted the warmer weather to be here. I decided that this was the perfect time to work on me. When I say “me”, I mean the inner me. My spiritual self needed time to rest as well, and with all of this negative thinking I had going on, I wasn’t doing myself any justice.

I started making a point to sit down and meditate. Now, that normally wouldn’t be a problem for anyone, but I was having an issue. I needed to force myself. I meditated on being at peace with myself. I wanted to feel comfortable in my skin that was itching for warmer weather and for all of this snow to be gone.

I found in the first couple of days, I felt much better about just myself in general. I started to see things in a more positive light. The biggest notice I saw in myself was that I was starting to see the subtle signs in nature that spring was really not that far away. The buds on the trees were starting to pop out a little bit more. The birds were singing, where I don’t remember hearing any birds making much of a noise at all in January. The sun was indeed poking out of the horizon in the morning a bit earlier, and just the same, lasting a bit longer in the sky in the afternoons.

I realized it really wasn’t as bad as I thought it was, I just needed to change my perspective and do a little bit of work on the inside, to notice positive things on the outside. )O(

 

 

 

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So what’s the deal with Imbolc?

February 4, 2013 in Hearth and Home, Uncategorized

The days are getting longer and the wheel keeps turning, even though our planet is going through many changes I feel reassured by the seasonal cycles, that all things have a pattern that make up the “bones or structure” of the year. I love Imbolc because it signifies to me that I have made it through the winter months, the days are getting longer, the seasons of planting and growing will return, and it’s time to start planning for what I wish to create and manifest during the year. I feel like the trees, my inner sap is rising into an explosion of life, and I feel that energy around me, especially in the forest.

In these modern times we have families, work, service, activities and responsibilities that often don’t mesh with the “appointed time” of an event. There are some folks out there who practise what I call “Fundamental Paganism” and insist everything has to be spot on; I do understand that if you are doing a working and desire specific energy for a precise purpose, getting all the ducks in a row is of benefit, however sabbats are “a festevus for the rest of us”. Time is a human concept we use to measure life spans, the length of days etc. I have never been less blessed for honouring a Sabbat at a time that is not exact, I don’t think the powers that be mind if it’s early or late, it is the act of taking time out of our regular lives to remember and honour the deities, energies and seasons that makes it important.

Imbolc is one of the greater sabbats it’s also known as Imbolg, Oimelc, Brigit, Brigantia, Bride’s Day, and Candlemas. For our ancestors it marked the time when ewe’s began to produce milk for their young, and has many associations with dairy products for that reason. The Goddess Brigit is associated with this day for her links to animal husbandry, healing, light and fire, and the story that she danced with candles on her head to distract the Roman soldiers from capturing baby Jesus. Some of the animals who have been hibernating begin to stir, we even have Groundhog Day on Feb 2nd, if our furry friends emerge to a cloudy day spring is here, if it’s sunny and the shadow shows winter will last another 6 weeks. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the next Sabbat Ostara,/Spring Equinox, planting time, is six weeks down the road, do you?

The Lady and Lord are seen as young children and Valentine’s Day originally celebrated simple child like love without the adult orientation. This is also a perfect time of year to think about your unique gifts to the world and how to strengthen and nourish those talents throughout the coming year. The earth will spring to life, the land will become fertile again, the sun is getting stronger, the days longer and warmer and unlike Yule when changes are subtle, you do notice it’s not dark in the late afternoon. It’s a very hopeful time, the physical planting time has not arrived, this is a sabbat of thoughts and ideas, mapping out the direction you wish to go physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally.

One of the popular activities of this festival is blessing seeds, you can do a general blessing or choose a specific seed for a goal and bless it, keep the seeds on your altar until planting time. You could light candles to welcome the sun’s warmth and/or bless candles that you are designating for ritual use throughout the wheel of the year. Many people also bless and/or consecrate magical tools at this sabbat for use during the year, blessing is a general type of energy whereas consecrating means you will only use the item for a specific purpose, I discussed how to do that in my last two columns. Imbolc reminds me of promises, we often think of them in reference to other people, however it is also important to make pledges to ourselves, to recommit to our personal and spiritual growth, some folks also choose this sabbat to rededicate to a specific deity or their spiritual path.

At this time I think about the seeds resting in the earth, it won’t be too long until they germinate and begin the journey of growth that pushes up through the soil reaching towards the sun. Plants are so magical, the sun and their mojo (that we know as chlorophyll) transmutes into a form of sugar that makes them grow, by the magical process called photosynthesis. Plants are a wonderful example of alchemy at work; they celebrate their growth with flowers, when blossoms fade seeds remain with the promise and potential for the next generation.

Seeds also teach us about patience, like them, if we push too hard or too early it may defeat the natural progression of a cycle, we end up with stunted growth or something totally unexpected. Yes, you still need a healthy dose of focused thought and emotion to activate the Universal laws that is their water and fertilizer; however they need the freedom and right environment to flourish. That’s where we come in, spend a few minutes every day thinking about what you wish to create in your life this year, you might like to write it down and read it aloud when you wake and then before you sleep. That sends a clear signal to the powers that be, that you are open for business and not merely dabbling. After stating your desired outcomes remember to say thank you and connect with the feelings of how it will be to have that goal manifest. Also be open to any guidance, messages or impressions you receive while creating your year, you might like to keep a journal for this purpose. When you think about your wishes, remember to dream big, the forces of life have more stored potential than we can ever imagine. Happy seed thoughts to all!

imbolg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A Celtic Male View:Balance pt2

November 26, 2012 in The Celtic Male

This week i will continue with the theme from the last post but will speak on how it affects our children. As said before, we all need balance in our lives and so do our children.

I recently saw posted in a group setting a woman tell another woman how she was better off without her man around and so were her two boys. She claimed these boys did not need to have a man there because it would only make them grow up to be violent. I am sure this woman who wrote this has had bad experiences in life involving men. Often having a bad experience can be traced to the person just having bad taste in who they like or attract. Or maybe its poor judgement on their part, either way, what she said was reprehensible.

Children need to have both the male and female  influences in their lives. As it is more often the male aspect that is lacking we will delve deeper into that.

I have seen children raised without a father figure around who did not turn out with the ability to function normally in the world and society. This is more prevalant amongst male children. While it may seem great you have raised a momma’s boy who is sensitive and caring to his mother, you have also raised a child who is dependant on his mother as well. What happens when she is no longer around for him? How will he make it now he is slapped with the reality of life in the world? Or, the male child grows up without a fathers guidance and takes to the streets and crime he learned from the “older” kids who took him under their wing in school?

We all need balance in our lives, specially our children. My youngest daughter had some issues when her mother and i split. I had no choice but to move far away and could only interact with her over the phone. She began to be a big handful for her mother and did and said things she never would have done while i was there. Her mother spoke to a case worker to help with her and after she had been evaluated was told her behavior was due to a lack of a father figure around. They assigned someone to be a mentor for her and after his visits she would always behave better. I called as often as possible but did not want to try to discipline her over the phone as the backlash would have made it worse on her mother. She has learned to deal with our not being together now as it has been a few years but that was another example of a female child needing to have a male presence.

Of course this works both ways as well. A child needs to have a female aspect in their lives as well. As much as either sex may like to claim we are equal and the same, we are not. Both have different aspects they bring into child raising that creates the balance children need to grow to be healthy productive and happy.

On a whole different topic of balance, i have seen children raised in a well balanced Pagan household, both in parentage and in higher power, turn out to be very well adjusted and productive. Of course, in either situation, Love will go along way in making the child fit well into the world.

I’m done with my rant for today, but i do hope this has helped.

~Killian~

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Taking a Moment to Celebrate

November 19, 2012 in Sage & Scourge

I’m going to keep things short this morning. It’s been a hectic few weeks for us in our small coven.

We had an initiation last week and sadly, with the initiation, my coven sister is leaving us to move onto bigger and better things in London for her career.  (This wasn’t a surprise, but it’s still extremely sad). Our coven is very small and to lose a person is pretty devastating, even as we wish her all of our love and support in her newest endeavors.

One of the nice things was that we all spent a lot of time together last week. Usually people can only all come together for ritual once a week. Last week we all spent just about every night together. This is just usually hard to do with everyone’s schedules and children and well…life. It was really lovely to get to actually just hang out with people and spend some quality time outside of ritual with them, which is generally pretty hard to coordinate all together.

Life gets hectic for all of us, but an initiation is a life changing event. I think it’s hard, especially for those that have been initiated for years and years and who have initiated plenty of people themselves, to remember what first degree really meant to finally get there. I’m still working on mine, when all is said and done, my first degree with have at least three years in the making . The person who was initiated last week had worked on hers for about five years. While first degree is really the beginning of the work that you’ll do over a lifetime as a priest or priestess in any tradition, getting there is a lot of work in and of itself. There’s still a lot work to get done, but…the first major milestone has finally been reached.

Go out of your way to make these events special. Cook good food, buy presents, jump around with pompoms when it’s all over and done with. Celebrate the enormous step that has been taken. And remember those of us on the outside, who are still trying to get there. An initiation is a transitional step and life will never be the same afterwards for everyone involved.

I know that it’s hard to take a step away from life and the work it brings, but what is a circle without joy? What’s the point of celebrating this huge Wheel of Life without these sorts of moments?

Yes, sometimes the Craft is a lot of work. But it’s about these celebratory moments of triumph and of work well done too.

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A Celtic Male View:Balance

November 12, 2012 in The Celtic Male

With all we see going on in the world today it is important not to lose our perspective on things spiritual. The importance of balance can not be stressed to much. I am sure we all know the saying you can’t have one without the other, and it is true. But this follows us into our spiritual realm as well.

One of the biggest turn offs i had found in Popular religion was this lack of balance. Many like to think they have balance,but it seems as if they do not understand it to begin with. For example, in Christianity you have God. The higher power is a recognized masculine power and everyone refers to it as “him”. It is the same with the Islamic religion and the Jewish faith as well.

Now, to the opposite extreme we have Wicca and various other forms of Paganism whose followers sway more to the feminine aspect. Here we can find the opposite extreme of Christianity. Now before anyone gets to upset, understand part of being balanced is to be honest with yourself. The majority i find of the Pagan community as a whole use the term,Goddess, in regards to their higher power.

Why do we have these opposing extremes? Here is my Celtic Male View. I believe our society as a whole has been focused on the Christian idea of morality and principle and to many that was a big turn off, it did not feel right, hence why we went in search of something different. So we find the Pagan path and all its forms and realize that it recognizes the feminine as well as the masculine. So the Goddess is then followed heavily which ends up overcompensating for all those years following a strictly male ideal. As our path has become such over the years it has drawn a huge percentage of women to it. I would say at least 75% on our path are female, could be higher.

We all know of the anger and wars we see in the name of religion. The “Big Three” religions battle and fight over the holy lands and any other perceived offense.  They do not have a balance, all three are a masculine driven spiritual belief. To the other extreme and this follows along with my last column here, we have all the arguing and in fighting within the Wiccan/Pagan Community. Again, a lack of balance but with a feminine driven aspect.

Balance is recognizing there is BOTH aspects to the higher power, not one or the other.

In my eyes the best way to refer to the higher power is  The Lord and Lady. This shows respect and acknowledgement to BOTH aspects, not just one. I feel calmer within myself. Most people on our path who do the same, i have noticed, are calmer people as well. They have no past grudges to bare.

Lets face it, the men within the Masculine driven beliefs feel superior to women and do not feel there is a feminine side at all. Those following a Pagan path who tend to feminize their higher power are dejected from their past and upbringing and are rebelling in this way. Both sides act superior to each other. Find your balance, you are not superior to anyone, but equal. I say this to ALL people out there who want peace and happiness in their life, look at how you recognize your higher power and if you are not balanced then do so, see how it feels to find your balance, I think you may just find you are a happier, more peaceful person inside and outward towards the rest of society.

There is so much more i could add to this , but will refrain, for now. Perhaps my next column will be part two.

Until then, May all the paths you walk be Green and Golden,

~Killian~

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A Male Celtic View

October 29, 2012 in The Celtic Male

So for my first article in The Celtic Male I had planned on writing about Samhain. But considering there will be many others writing on the same topic I decided a different direction. I hope it is not to controversial but it needs to be said in hopes at least a few people will be touched by it and rethink their actions.

I have noticed while getting more and more involved with online covens/groups that many people in our faith, be it Wiccan or any other Pagan group, are nasty to one another. People do and will disagree and will often argue about a point to the extent that they end friendships/relationships. This is part of our nature as humans. But when this happens in a group and it effects the whole group to the point where people choose sides the rhetoric begins to go south.

As I said I have seen this happen. What bothers me about it is the name calling, back stabbing and character assaults that take place. The groups separate and continue to on and on in their verbal assaults on each other. Feelings get hurt, people cry and feel sick to their stomachs. So here I pose my question, is this not breaking the Rede? Hurting others is a violation of the Wiccan Rede and the Pagan Commandments. Yet, it continues as if those doing it feel they are doing nothing wrong. It saddens me to see it and,quite frankly, Makes me ashamed those doing it are part of the same spiritual belief as I.

In light of all of it I have seen and the verbal assaults I have witnessed I have come to a few conclusions. To begin with, and most importantly, these people can not be true followers of our spiritual path. Why do I say this? Because you can NOT preach love and light and wish peace and happiness on others while intentionally hurting others. The negative energy alone they are transmitting begs for karma to to walk up and say hello, time to pay the piper. Many of these people are leaders in their Groups. That sets a bad precedent for new people to follow. It helps breed hate and anger and gives the rest of us a bad name in the face of the “dominate” religions that run our society. If we wish them to accept us, we need to show that we follow and practice what we preach as it were.

When this happens and tempers flare, speak your peace, get it off your chest and let it die. Better yet, take it private so to avoid hurting each other in public. It is not hard to do and keeps the hate from spreading like the disease it is.

I personally try to watch what I say and not do or say things to hurt others. I am not perfect and do sometimes “snap” but I end it as soon as I can and do not linger on it. I have been blessed in regards to my appearance when it comes to this. I am a big guy with an intimidating look so I’m not attacked often verbally in person and seldom in type. When I see others being “bullied” I try to help in anyway I can as I feel it is a sort of mission given to me to try to comfort and help people. Hence, this article.

I will end this now as I do not wish to sound as if I am being to preachy but it has bothered me of late and I wanted to share. I look forward to any comments,positive or negative, and will do my best to answer any and all questions posed to me.

I hope all of the paths you walk will be Green and Golden, Blessed Be.

~Killian~

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