Eye of Newt

OK, so I have been simmering on this topic for a few days because I didn't want to overreact.  My gut reaction to Newt Gingrich's recent remarks about gay marriage being a "perfectly pagan behavior" made me really confused.  Perfectly pagan?  What the hell right?
Many responses to this comment by the former Speaker of House rightfully point out his triple play marriage.  He's Catholic, which means he has pulled a bit of a Henry the 8th with the whole marriage-divorce thing.  He has truly taken his marriage vows seriously. He started when he married his teacher Jackie at the age of 19 in the year 1962--the beginnings of the freelove era (Hahn 2011 With Converts Like Newt -Why He's an Embarrassment to Catholics.) Ok, so youthful indiscretion I guess and he decided that the whole hot for teacher thing wasn't what he really wanted so he got a divorce.  Ya know, the Catholic church makes the whole divorce thing kinda hard.  My uncle got a divorce and so did my cousin and guess what?  The Catholic church has these rules--you need to essentially get them to sign off on the wedding never having been valid.  You need letters from people who were there and who are willing to attest to the wedding being a non-event.  It's weird. They can wave their magic wand and say the wedding never happened, but Newt doesn't think pagans should wave their magic wands for religious practice to heal the divide that is present between the right and the left, secular and religious or maybe even for his poor ex who he left when she was gravely ill.  Hmmmm.
Newt also asked for an open marriage according to one of his ex wives.  Well, let me see here, last I checked Catholicism wasn't really down with that and it certainly flies in the face of one man-one woman under Defense of Marriage which Newt so ardently supports now that he's grasping for power.
You see, Newt has also said that he is running for POTUS because he has a moral obligation to run since the others running simply aren't good enough people AKA Christians.  Wow--that's humility for you.  Pride much Mr. Newt?  You do realize that according to Catholic teachings pride is one of the seven deadlies right?  So you have lust and now pride...seems like a lovely stew of Dante-esque proportions brewing for good ol' Newt. I'm sure I could keep going with the 7 deadly sins, but I think you see my point.  Maybe not, so let me state it plainly: 
Newt is deflecting the real story here with blame directed at the pagans.  He is playing the same game that he has for years with idea of point the finger at the other guy in hopes that the public buys it and doesn't look too closely at his hypocrisy or his callousness or his misguided righteousness.  By trying to draw a line connecting paganism, gay marriage, and the fall of civilization, he is attempting to distract attention from him.  If people see pagans as the bad guys, then he's free to do what he wants and behave how he wants even at the risk of violating the very doctrine he has taken an oath to uphold.  At one time he swore to represent the citizens under the Constitution--all citizens, not just the Christian ones.  If his idea of representation under the Constitution means that he can behave however he wants because he's a Catholic who need only go to confession to absolve himself of his sins, but my friends who have been in a monogamous marriage for over 10 years and have survived one of them having a brain tumor and years of recovery are the reason of our decline as a nation then I don't want his version of representation.  These two men have shown more decency and love in their relationship than Newt's behavior has demonstrated in my opinion.  It's not about Catholic.  It's not about Pagan.  It's about human decency and liberty. 
Therefore Mr. Newt Gingrich, you can live your life the way you want.  I don't care if you decide that your current wife is also disposable because you find yet another pretty thing to turn your head.  I don't care if you make all kinds of money as a "consultant."  I don't care if you think you are the only candidate to save the country from it's current state.  This pagan rebukes you.  This pagan will vote against you.  This pagan will continue to live life according to the Wiccan rule harm none because that is what America the free is all about.  I may not be prefectly pagan, but I know that everyone deserves the right to live the life they want to live without a hypocrite grabbing for power to persecute them.

I Did It! Work in progress...

Imbolc

Purify self:  shower with rosemary and salt and visualize letting go of the past

Purify space:  burn rosemary and pine on a charcoal disc prior to ritual

Sacred space:  yellow altar cloth, wheel of the year disc with white candles anointed with frankincense oil at points and orange anointed candle in the center

Cast the circle

Recite Blessing Chant:

            I call upon the source of all creation,

            The mother Goddess and father God,

            Along with the spirits of the elemental realms

            To bless this time, this place and I who join with you in celebration.

Invocation:

            Goddess—Mother Goddess of sky and sea

                        Create in me inspiration’s light

                        I call to you to be with me

                        Join me here for Imbolc’s rite.

            God—Father God of sun and forest

                        Awaken again from cold slumbering night

                        I call to you to leave your rest

                        Bring to the world your Imbolc light.

Rite:    Festival of light as the Son returns

            I welcome rebirth as the fire burns

Light the candles

Write my goals for the year and any plans I would like blessed

            In myself let feel your rebirth bright

            Breathe in me inspiration tonight

            Burn for me a path to tread

            Nurture your world from darkness to light

Burn my list and let it smolder in the cauldron

Simple feast of dairy and spice:  pepper jack cheese and milk

            Lord and Lady bless this milk and cheese

            Products of your love’s bounty

            May it feed me with your loving spirit

            Thank you for this meal.

Reflect on the hope and promise of a new season of life and creativity.  Thank the Lord and Lady and spirits of the elemental realms.

Close circle.

           

Living Wicca SC

            Page 123 colors white, green, blue

           

Wicca: a Guide for the Solitary Practioner

            Page 67-68 purify after winter, cleanse, renew, fire=illumination and inspiration

            Snow and evergreens

            Page 139  snowflake decorations, white flowers, snow from outside

            Orange candle-musk, cinnamon, rosemary, or frankincense oils

Witch: A Magickal Journey Fiona Horne

            Page 63-65 Oils: cinnamon sex magick, frankincense purify and protect

            Page 38-40  Colors: orange—legal, confidence, pride, empathy

                                    White—cleanse, protection, spirituality

                                    Green—prosperity and good luck

            Page 278-280  Incense—dragon’s blood powder, frankincense, musk oil

                                    Spring cleaning

                                    Yellow cloth—creativity and inspiration

Wicca The Complete Craft   DJ Conway

            Page 79           awaken maiden aspect, renewal and new beginnings

            Page 211         dragon’s blood—love, purify, protect

                                    Frankincense—raise vibrations, purify, protect

            Page 271         white candle—Goddess

                                    Green candle—the God

            Page 371         Cinnamon oil—protect heal clairvoyance

                                    Spiritual vibration, prosperity association with sun

                                    Frankincense—sun

                                    Rosemary—sun

            Page 406         New beginnings, new goals, new life Imbolc incense

Page 433         orange candles for major changes, encouragement, prosperity, creativity, success and energy

           

Live and Let Live

Here we  go: final chapter.  Can you believe it? 

This chapter isn’t even 2 full pages, but it is important.  On page 196 SC makes some extremely keen statements about what living Wicca is.  Of course, he believes that “harm none” is an “excellent first step in Wiccan living.”  I concur.  Of course, the question then becomes, can’t you follow harm none without the religion?  Sure.  Harm none is an excellent philosophy for a moral code.  It goes in depth with the whole Golden Rule and 10 commandments.  However, when those times come up when you are grappling with whether or not something is causing harm, sometimes taking some time out to meditate, pray or seek guidance from the teachings and beliefs of your religion can help you reason through the predicament.  Sometimes it is in those quiet moments of contemplation when the voice of the divine is clearest.  Sometimes it is in moments like brushing your teeth or scrubbing your toilet as well, but those little ah-ha moments are what make the big ideas make sense. 

Making sense of our world is why we have religions in my opinion.  When I think about previous cultures and their myths and stories, I see so many commonalities from one religion to another.  This world is amazing and religions have allowed countless humans the chance to order their lives and figure out their roles in the world.  We all want to be happy and free from suffering and religions strive to bring that peace to us.  Unfortunately, sometimes we muck it up.  We are human and therefore prone to such mucking about.   I suppose why I have come to Wicca—being solitary means it is on my shoulders.  No one is going to tell me what I must do and what I must not.  I choose how go about this.  I reason it out for myself with a little prayer now and then.  I’m sure a coven could provide the same, but I’m not so into the idea.  Remember, one of my rules is be aware of anyone who seeks power or dominion over me.  Unlike other religions I have tried, being a solitary has never given me the sense that someone other than me was driving this car.  No one has tried to sway my vote in politics, community concerns, or personal ethics.  This is completely me trying to live the best life I can in this world.  Thankfully, Wicca is very forgiving.

I’m not always the best at harming none.  I have made decisions and done things that have harmed people I love.  SC states that “mistakes are a apart of human life” and that “there’s nothing that we can do that, mythologically speaking, the deities haven’t done.”  Very true—Zeus did some questionable things in his day.  Let’s be honest—mythological deities are completely fallible and prone to sketchy judgment.  They possess all of humanity’s gifts, blessings, as well as faults.  Because of this, there’s no need of confession or forgiveness from them.  We have to forgive ourselves and move on.  Learn from those errors in judgment right?  This is a far more comforting notion than some wrathful being condemning my soul for all eternity.  Forgiving myself or asking other’s forgiveness is way more important and never as easy as confession.  There’s something very humble about this religion and I like that.  No huge cathedral, no vast network of sites all clamoring for my money before I can join, no claims of poverty while eating lobster on Friday nights, and no weird requirements like special underwear or dietary limitations.  Just me listening to the voice of the Goddess and the God through nature, prayer, and ritual.  I don’t know that my path is “perfect” yet, but it’s a lot less crowded, overgrown and muddy than it was ten years ago.  

Sometimes We Are Our Own Best Teachers

Nearing the end of this exercise!  The end is nigh!  Chapter 22 is all about teaching others about Wicca.  Specifically it addresses providing instruction for a student.  I must say, this makes me a little uncomfortable.
First of all, I believe spirituality to be a highly personal journey. With Wicca, there are a lot of different avenues out there and I chose solitary because I like it that way.  If I had wanted a coven experience, I would have sought that, but I didn't.   Instead I started researching.  As I did more digging I uncovered a wealth of information, some rubbish, but still a wealth of knowledge that allowed me to reflect on my own beliefs.  My reading and investigating and reflecting brought me to this point in my life.  I have a deeper understanding of my worldview and my connectedness to all others because of this journey.  I honestly don't think I have any business telling another person how they should practice their faith.  I have in the past directed people who asked about it to some good books on the topic--ones I found personally beneficial--but I have no desire to provide direct instruction on Wicca to the masses.
I do possess adequate knowledge and reference materials to offer assistance to someone who is confused or has questions.  I do have the skills and patience to teach someone.  I wouldn't be teaching for my own glorification.  However, I don't really want to teach.  I feel I have far more to learn before I ever take on a student etc.  I have toyed with the notion of setting  up a commune of sorts based on paganism.  This is a long range retirement type goal.  When I look at teaching in that perspective, I believe I need to be even more knowledgeable and resourceful.  I also would like to see it more as a discussion of ideas...rather Socratic ya know?  Read, learn, ask questions and discuss the issue thoroughly before arriving at your personal truth and understanding.  Transcendentalists would be proud.  I just don't think that my way is the right way for all and if someone really wants an in-depth relationship with the Goddess and the God, they need to be willing to find their own way, too.  

Symbolically Speaking of Book and Shadows

So I didn't blog yesterday.  This is how I justify it:  really busy day at work with end session paperwork fun and Family Friday dinner and the chapter was really not calling out for acknowledgement.  Honest and for true.  The chapter is pages and pages of symbols.  Many of the symbols I've used and some I've looked at and scratched my head thinking, "What the fuck is that?"  So yeah--I just really didn't want to engage that topic.  It was one that I was struggling to find an angle worth writing about.
Today's chapter is way cooler.  It's about starting your own Book of Shadows.  Cue Smiths song from Charmed.
I had a BoS...it was a composition notebook covered in pink plaid paper, swirly cutouts, and a quotation from Ralph Waldo Emerson about how man casts off his worry when in the woods.  I really liked it--except for the pink part, but it was a gift made with kindness and love and the quote rocked. And then the unthinkable happened...
My feline companions peed on it.
I'm not kidding.  I was appalled.  At the time this happened two of our three kitties were constantly fighting and marking and generally being sodding terrors of fur.  This incident was at the point in their rage cycle that they were trying to establish who could and could not be in the circle.  See, Hissy and Poof had routine.  One would stand watch at the stairs and one would be in the circle.  Once Link caught on to the events in the basement he was all the typical curious cat stereotypes and Hissy couldn't stand it.  He is indeed a large cat and he doesn't realize how large he is and Link would knock stuff over or try and light his tail on fire.  Familiar training was not going well.  Consequently, I had to say goodbye to my BoS and I haven't got around to replacing it.
I think I shall type this one so that I have copies of spells, rune readings and musings saved on my computer.  I like the idea of handwriting the BoS and it is fun to try more scripted and stylized handwriting at times, but it's not worth losing everything again.
When I do start making my BoS again, I think I will include a tabbed section for frequently said spells.  I think having the herbs, colors, numbers, stones etc on a quick sheet would be awesome.  Also, since I'm writing my Imbolc ritual this year, why not just write one for each this time and keep 'em?  I say it shall be done!  I see a trip to the office supply store in my future....don't need a binder, got, plenty.  Markers.  Printer paper.  Color cartridge.  Document sleeves.   Is it wrong to put the BoS on a thumbdrive?  Portable is all the rage nowadays.  It's funny to think of the digital BoS.  I could attach ribbons to decorate it.  Of course, it's so small and now has ribbons I could see my feline companions having a field day with it and then I'd be back where I started.
Bugger.

Now I Need a Moses

Rules.  Rules are everywhere.  Humans love their rules.  Apparently Wiccans do too.  It seems somehow redundant to me…if we follow harm none, then isn’t that enough?  However, I suppose in a coven with so many different humans it might be a good thing to have some guidelines, but as a solitary it’s pretty straightforward.  However, perhaps there is something I am missing so I set out to write my own laws. 

1.            Harm none through thought, word or deed.  Honor all living beings as they come from the Goddess and the God.  Therefore give thanks for the food and drink They provide and do not willingly take any life unless it is to preserve my own.

2.            Feel the presence of the divine through the dynamic and diverse world around me and continue to look for it when everything else seems bleak.

3.            Keep the Sabbats and Esbats to the best of my abilities using the most profound sincerity and love.

4.            Continue to seek knowledge and perspective in all things as life is a journey full of lessons and everyone/everything has something to teach.  Share my knowledge with compassion, patience and love.

5.            Be watchful and wary of any who would seek to gain dominion over me.  My life and my liberty are mine to pursue.  May the Goddess and the God guide me to respect the life and liberty of all.

Hmmm, perhaps it was a good idea to give them voice on the page.  The writing them down and the editing and the revision I think was helpful to articulate them just right.  They aren’t just my rules on Wicca, they are rules for how I live.  Imagine that.

In Case There Was Any Doubt

Near the end of the chapter SC encourages his readers to write out their specific beliefs as a way to help solidify the core belief system.  I like this idea and it is therefore the subject of this posting.  Belief according to moi! 

The Goddess and the God:  I’ve already stated that I believe both are necessary.   I tend to visualize the Goddess as very pale, white-blonde hair, with a shimmering, flowing gown.  Depending on what aspect I am calling for, she may change appearance slightly for obvious reasons, but when I am performing a full moon ritual or praying, that’s the image in my head.  For the God, I see him as muscular, robust, bare-chested, elk horns on his head, with red-auburn hair.  Again, his appearance may be different according to the aspect being called.  Part of what drew me to Wicca was the idea of two main deities.  This recognizes the equal participation in life of both male and female without one or the other being dominant.  I find that very important for humanity—respect for both genders as essential to life.  Even plants have both male and female parts ya know.

Reincarnation:  I’ve mentioned this before, but I am not sold on the idea.  I think it is probably possible, but absolute truth?  Not so sure on that notion.  I do however sometimes think about what on earth I am supposed to learn in this incarnation if I’ve been down this road before, so I can’t say I have fully discounted the idea of reincarnation.  I prefer to think in terms of one life, one shot, make the most of the time you’ve got in case this is all there is. 

Magic:  Life is magic.  The very notion that we live on a planet with so much bounty and so much diversity is magic.  I find many aspects of this life magical.  That said, I don’t think magic in the context of a ritual and circle as always necessary.  When practiced and performed with purity of intent and honest to goodness belief, I enjoy feeling like I am sending out good stuff into the world.  There’s enough ick out there that what magic I do perform—whether it be full on ritual or prayer—I think provides a little balance.  I also find writing my spells to be a lovely creative exercise.  But performing magic is not an essential part of my practice.  I have—on more than one occasion-- held full moon rites without spellwork. When there is need, I will practice it.  I also think it is important to learn how to practice magic and send energy toward a purpose.  Once you do, then how often you perform it in the future is up to you.  I do tend to perform more magic for other people than for myself.  Whatever the need may be, I do believe in adhering to the idea of the threefold law—whatever you send out comes back threefold.

Interactions with other religions:  My religion is my business.  I am working toward being more open in discussing it with some who aren’t aware, but still and all—my business.  I do believe that everyone has a right to practice whatever religion they want to as long as they don’t harm anyone or try to make me convert.  I’m not going out recruiting and I would really appreciate it if they let me alone too.  I know people get very passionate about their religion and some feel the need to spread their good word and I pray that when confronted the Lord and Lady guide my tongue and my mind so I can listen and then speak up when needed.  When I see laws like the one in Indiana where a group is trying to compel compulsory recitation of the Lord’s Prayer at school, I get feisty.  It requires a lot of deep breaths for me not to rant.  If a private school wants to do that—cool.  If a parent who homeschools wants to do that—great!  However, with public education as it is now it is ludicrous.  Number one, it’s choosing Christianity above all other religions therefore violating expression of religion.  Number two, it is using the government to impose one perspective on all.  Number three, which version of the prayer shall be used?  It varies from church to church after all.  An observed moment of silence where anyone can say their own little prayer if they want, I could see that.  However, why do we need a law for that?  I think my religious beliefs do guide my political beliefs, but the minute we start writing laws based on a particular religion, we’ve got a problem.  Anyway, to each their own.  Spirituality and religion is a highly personal pursuit and if people would stop and look for what they have in common rather than fighting over who is right, I think we’d be a much happier world. 

Racism and Prejudice:  I must admit, I found this part a little astonishing.  SC states on page 137 “many covens simple won’t let non-Caucasians receive training and initiation.”  What?  On the one hand Wicca accepts anyone—male, female or black, white, brown etc.—then he says this?  I suppose it is only human nature; the same exists in other religions so why should we be exempt?  I do however find that idea contrary to the concept of harm none.  Not only are they harming the person they exclude, but they harm themselves by refusing to see beyond their prejudice.  They can have their beliefs and they can call themselves Wiccan and they can invite who they want to their clubhouse, but I would steer clear of any such coven.

There you have it.  My core beliefs according to what SC sets forth in this chapter.   Above all, harm none.  Blessed be.

Sacraments According to Me Because I Said So

A great deal of this chapter has been covered in previous chapters and posts and I see no reason to belabor points regarding circle casting, cakes and ale, or initiation.  Therefore, let me turn to the lesser discussed ceremonies of handfasting, birth and death.

Handfasting:  I was deeply honored to be asked to officiate a wedding over the summer.  I did go online and obtain a minister certificate from Universal Ministries so the service I performed was legally binding according to current state requirements.  Laws about this vary so you need to do some investigating for your area and even once you do, be prepared for bias. I know of at least one person who did the digging and was dismayed to have the clerk tell her that she couldn’t have a marriage license if the person officiating wasn’t “official.”  This statement was probably the clerk’s bias since the state law said anyone could perform the wedding.  In fact—that’s the way it used to be.  Anyone—not necessarily someone ordained—could stand in front and say the words “I pronounce you husband and wife.”  This has however changed.  Personally, a marriage is a private contract between two people and whatever they agree to should be enough.  Unfortunately, things get tricky in today’s world when it comes to trying to get benefits from an employer for your spouse.  Be informed and do what ye will!

Anyway, I have performed a wedding.  The couple did not want a handfasting specifically which means I didn’t literally tie the knot around their hands with a cord, but they were gracious enough to let me say, “Blessed be” really loudly at the end.  I also went hunting for examples of vows etc. for them to choose from since they were looking for something non-denominational yet still of the Christian persuasion.  Perhaps eclectic is a good way to describe it.  Anyway, there are a ton of resources out there on the internet.  Know the couple, know the resources, give them options and most of all—take it seriously.  This is a commitment!  Now a lot of Wiccans use the adage “for as long as love lasts” instead of “till death do you part.”  They may also choose “for a year and a day” making reference to the practice of a sort of trial wedding.  The couple would be handfasted for a year and a day and if things didn’t work out, they simply parted ways and that was that.  If things went well, then they may choose a more concrete wedding ceremony or they might just continue living together with no further public notice.  My point though is this is a serious commitment and one that you should prepare yourself for in every way possible.  The couple has given you a great honor—respect it.

Birth Ceremony:  hmm…it’s called a Wiccaning.  It’s kind of like a baptism, but again there’s some wiggle room.  I believe that a baby is innocent when born and therefore needs no cleansing to get rid of that pesky original sin.  I also believe that the baby deserves the chance to choose his or her own spiritual path.  That said, if I was ever to have a child, I would probably hold a Wiccaning with my husband simply to present our child to the Lord and Lady and to ask Their blessing and to thank Them for the miracle of a baby in our lives.  Again, know the couple, know the intent, take it seriously, and investigate as many resources as you can to help guide you.

Death Ceremony:  I have found my simple honoring ceremonies extremely helpful in the grieving process.  I have said blessings and honorings for friends who have asked that I remember their loved one in my next ritual and I have also held rituals specifically for me to have that farewell that humans need when someone has died.  I must be clear—I tend not to think of terms like Heaven, Hell or even Summerland.  Scandalous I know, but I really don’t know what happens afterward and life is too beautiful and wonderful to worry about the afterlife.  I prefer to live in the here and now to the best of my ability.  If that in some way affects what happens after I die, ok.  Bring it on, but I’m not sold on the idea of an afterlife.  I tend to think that perhaps we move on to another plane of existence—something akin to parallel worlds in physics.  Or maybe we’re just dead and that’s all she wrote!  However, grieving is another matter.  I have found it extremely helpful to have a picture of the person, their obituary, or the flier from the official service on my altar.  I light a candle and ask the Lord and Lady to bless the person’s passing .  Then I thank Them for the person’s presence in my life, help me remember the lessons the person taught me and to please surround me with comfort and peace as I grieve.  I also recall good times with the person.  I must also admit that I often cry—I mean sob and wail and keen.  It’s very therapeutic and I don’t hold back.  I’m like that though—I don’t like crying in front of people so by the time I get to a ritual of death, I am ripe to unleash the emotion.   I’ve found more comfort in this kind of ritual than any funeral or memorial service I have ever been to.  I don’t write it ahead of time either.  This is one of those that I prefer to let myself give up some preplanning and go with the flow.

I hope this posting makes it clear that research, planning and sincerity are important.  If not, THEY ARE!All of these specific rites can be written to the specific participants.  It should be a time for you to get to know the people involved and to connect on another level with the Lord and Lady.  These are deeply spiritual and emotional times in human experience so take it seriously and may They bless and guide you.

Free To Be Wiccan You and Me!

In the next chapter of his book, SC provides a plethora of ideas for deepening your knowledge of Wicca and your connection to the outward ritual expression of it.  This chapter is full of gems like a bullet point list of ordering rituals, Sabbat ritual actions, colors, and symbols references.  He generously offers this easy reference to help guide a solitary toward study, immersion, and creativity in Wicca. 

Page 113 is a bullet point listing of the order for any Wiccan ritual.  It is handy when starting to memorize this order—seriously.  Spend a little time just learning the order.  I found walking through the order helped me remember where and what I was doing next.  It was like blocking for a play.  The more I had movement to connect the steps of ritual to the more easily I recalled the sequence.  However what really struck me about the order of ritual is how closely it mirrored the order of a Christian church service of which I have experienced mainly Methodist and Catholic.  I realize that some would call this heresy, but seriously?  They parallel each other remarkably!  Purification of self—you bless yourself with holy water when entering a church.  Purification of space—incense is walked around a room, candles are lit, and music is played.  Creation of sacred space—altar boys/girls (where allowed) prepare the altar for the priest and set out the bread and wine for the offering.  Invocation—you betcha!  Prayer to God and welcoming him and each other to service and reciting creeds and passages from the Bible.  Ritual observance—holy day homily or singing together or chanting a response psalm sound at all like meditation on the Sabbat or raising energy for a purpose?  Earthing a power—Catholics may say that the wine and bread becomes the body and blood, but really?  How is this different from communing (nudge nudge wink wink) with the Goddess and the God during cakes and ale?  Then there’s giving thanks to God before the congregation ultimately leaves the ritual area with a blessing from the celebrant.  Hmmm…just a little like a coven breaking the circle or a solitary saying, “Merry meet, merry part and merry shall we meet again.”  Come on people!  They are so similar in ritual design! 

Although I highly doubt any priest is going to encourage a congregation member to rewrite the origin myth of Christ.  That might ruffle feathers although Anne Rice did just that with her Christ the Lord series.  I do think that by using our own creativity in this manner we can expand our understanding and truly make Wicca ours.  I love writing spells and prayers because they’re like little bits of poetry and I do so love poetry.  However, I have not done the Wheel of the Year myth nor have I written a Sabbat ritual of my own.  I have always read others’ or mish-mashed a few that liked into one.  Therefore, I am going to write my own Imbolc ritual this year.  I’ve got about two weeks so I better get crackin’!  I think the creation myth assignment will be fun to do as well, but not as pressing as writing an Imbolc ritual…here comes the sun…Blessed Be!

Does This Pentacle Make My Butt Look Big?

To accessorize or not accessorize?  How much is too much?  Does the Goddess care if your altar cloth is gaudy?  These and many other questions are discussed in chapter 15.  SC offers a list of “virtually mandatory” tools for Wiccan ritual.  It is easy when beginning to go online and find all the exciting toys like an altar cloth for every Sabbat, the perfect athame and boline combo back with free whetstone, candles in the shape of the Lord and Lady the list goes on.

OI!

May I just interject that while all of these items are typical of ritual work, we’ve already discussed that they are not always necessary.  Furthermore, when you’re first starting out, your circumstances may preclude you from going online and purchasing everything you need.  Guess what—you can make a lot of this stuff.  You can even find a lot in thrift shops.  Old cast iron pieces do occasionally turn up in thrift stores and are frequently much larger than the ones available from occult shops.  Depending on who you are or what style you have you may not feel the need to possess all the trappings and frankly, you’ve got a lot on your mind when you’re first starting out.  Therefore, simplify!  By keeping the accoutrement simple, you allow yourself to focus on other important aspects of ritual like the order of things and making sure your circle is sound.  For example, I made my own deity images out of polymer clay.  I carved symbols of the God and Goddess on them and viola.  I then made a pentacle as well.  These pieces are highly portable as well and they are not breakable.  Always a bonus when traveling or being joined by a feline companion who loves to bat small items to the floor. 

I already had a censer, a cup from a broken set that we received as a wedding present, a small pitcher for water, and also several scarves that I could use as altar cloths.  I did dedicate and consecrate all these items to this purpose mind you, but my point is being creative.  Look around and see what you already have.  You might be surprised. 

Of the listed items in the book, I must say I have never used a bell.  I can understand why someone might, but personally I’ve never used one.  I did use cords when I first started to help mark the boundary of the circle, but I have since let go of that practice.  I also have no idea what covens require of cords other than what SC says about “initiatory groups.”  For a long time—more than a year—I didn’t have an actual athame, cauldron, wand, or embroidered design altar cloth.  I strictly used what I had on hand—literally.  My right hand, the projective one, served in those purposes. 

After I felt that I had truly grasped the basics of ritual, then I started looking into official ritual tools like an athame etc.  My husband actually purchased several items for me one birthday.  He selected a lovely athame that has a triple moon at the hilt.  It’s not too long to be heavy or vicious like some that I had seen.  It’s just right and it is dull.  That’s safer for me believe me!  He also found a small cauldron with the triple moon on it, a black and gold Celtic knot with pentagram altar cloth and a bag with the triquetra on it.  I was stunned and very thankful.  Consecrating these items and putting them to work made my rituals look a bit classier, but they also felt right when I started to use them.  The transition was easy because I knew a lot of the other information so well.  It was maybe a year later that I made my wand on Beltane.  It’s a simple apple wood wand with runes carved on it and ribbons around it.  I may one day replace it, but I am quite fond of it as is for now.

When beginning Wicca reading and researching is vital.  Once you’ve done the legwork, then you can begin to build your accessories, your altar, your ritual “look.”  Yes, you get to decide about what to wear or not wear.  I must say that sometimes skyclad is simply not practical in my region because it gets to dang cold!  Therefore a back up plan is good.  If you get invited to a coven or group ritual, a robe of some kind might be a good idea.  If you want to use colors to represent the quarters or if you want to carve deity images or if you want to build your altar in the shape of a rhombus the choice is yours.  Just know why you are making that choice. There’s a lot of freedom in solitary practice, but I think it is crucial to know and to understand why you make the choices.  Writing them in a journal or Book of Shadows is a good idea as well.  To simply construct according to someone else’s standards runs contrary to the idea of solitary.  This is your spiritual path—why wouldn’t you want to make it your own and full appreciate the gravity of the choices you make?  To do otherwise is careless.

So Happy Together

When trying to reason out personal tradition with regards to Wicca, one of the essential points to ponder involves deity concepts.  SC states that no religions would exist if not for notions on higher beings.  Throughout human history cultures identify parts of their world as Gods and Goddesses and develop these amazing stories which eventually become myth.  These stories provide a base for philosophy, art, literature, morality---in essence: life! 

A sticky wicket in this chapter surrounds the idea of Wicca as strictly or almost completely limited to Goddess worship without the God.  SC ascribes this problem to previous experiences with other religions which portray a nasty, vengeful and cruel God who will damn a human soul.  I believe that this may well be a hurdle for some people.  Personally, I did not.  Being raised Catholic could easily make one see God as less than compassionate.  However, one must sort out the human interpretation and invocation from the personal truth.  While it is fairly apparent that in order to control the masses God’s wrath provides a delightful weapon for those who choose to wield it.  This concept however has brought nothing but devastation of the human soul and experience.  It harms not one, but many.  One need simply read headlines about infidels and suicide bombers and religious groups causing pain and suffering at inappropriate moments like funerals to see how religious belief can be twisted into something horrible.  This is the premise of SC’s point about the difficulty in shifting to a different image of a God. 

This is where personal connection to the deity and personal responsibility for belief enters in.  I found asking myself the deeper questions like—do I truly accept that Catholicism is the only way and all these other people will be condemned to Hell?  Yikes!  That’s a frightening notion.  Then I had to ask myself if we as Catholics only believe in God, why am I praying to saints or the Virgin Mary?  Hmmm.  Then there’s the question of religion for manipulation and the hypocrisy of it all.  Go out and build missions to spread the word of God and if the other people don’t submit, kill them.  Lovely.  If you don’t do this and this and that you will go to hell.  The Devil will come and get you and take you away to the fire and brimstone for eternity.  It’s a wonder I didn’t run away sooner when I really began to consider the words that I learned to say by rote from the time I was a kid.  I know that Catholicism isn’t the only culprit here—please don’t misunderstand.  This is my experience though so I can speak to it from that point of view and thereby see the point SC is making.  I think people from other world religions could see some aspects at play in their religions as well.  It even happens in Wicca.

A few years ago, I heard the story of a parent who described herself as Wiccan.  In a meeting with the child’s teacher the parent actually said, “If you don’t start towing the line I’ll curse you and you know what that means.”  Is that not tantamount to child abuse in the name of religion?  Yes!  Does it hurt the view and acceptance of Wicca?  Absolutely!  Does it happen too often across the world in many cultures and by many religions?  Sadly yes.  It horrifies me the things that people do in the name of religion.

However, I believe strongly that despite all the ugliness that religions can be beautiful. 

I remember that when I was a little girl—not much more than a toddler—that I was very ill.  I had a terribly high temperature and they thought it was meningitis and some said cystic fibrosis and the doctor was worried that if my temp got higher I’d have to be admitted to the hospital.  My mother was of course very anxious.  She was rocking me in the chair to soothe me and at some point during the night I reached out toward the wall in front of us and said, “Baby has no shoes, Mom.”  Now Mom got a little worried.  What the heck is her daughter on about?  There wasn’t anything on that wall except a couple candles in holders and a large stereo from the mid 1960’s up against it.  But I kept on about the baby without shoes and couldn’t we give him shoes.  My mom kinda freaked.  I eventually settled and fell asleep.  Then my fever broke.  My mom reflected on the events of the evening and reached the logical conclusion provided by her faith which was that I had seen a vision of the Virgin Mary holding Christ and that is why I healed so suddenly.  This explanation brought her great comfort and reinforced her religious views.  It brought me comfort as well when I was older and she told me the story.  I thought that somewhere in Heaven my file read “Watched over by God” and this was some kind of badge that would get me passed Saint Peter when the time came.  Now I know it very likely was a hallucination of some kind brought about by the high fever.  However, my mom’s explanation was perfectly logical according to her religious views and I believe it demonstrates the aspect of God and Goddess that should be remembered: love.

Now, that’s not to say that the Goddess and the God are without darker aspect.  The cycle of life shows us that we are mortal and we will die.  However, our loved ones will continue to live and love.  A storm or earthquake may devastate a population, but life will go on through the love and hard work of people.  Saying that someone died because of God’s wrath or that a culture was destroyed by a tsunami because of God’s punishment violates the simple truth of nature.  Death and devastation are part of the cycle.  That’s life.

In Wicca, we cannot have life without the interaction of both the Goddess and the God.  Life depends on that connectedness of all livings beings.  I do not think seeing Them in physical manifestation is necessary for me to accept a Goddess and God.  I don’t feel I need to see them physically in order to follow my Wiccan ways.  I see Them everywhere and feel Them everywhere.  The complexity of life on Earth would not be so exciting if not for the interplay of biology for reproduction, regeneration or exploration.  In whatever aspect you know the Lord and Lady you need only look to nature to see Their limitless dimensions.  Sure—call on whichever aspect you need for that particular moment.  Learn about Goddess and God mythology and belief across cultures.  However, to ignore one in favor of the other is not completely in keeping with Wicca.  Perhaps praying to Them to help you feel both of Their presences in your life or casting spells to aid in healing from past teachings that caused you harm are necessary, but exclusion of one or the other contradicts the basic framework of what Wicca is.  The idea of male and female, the masculine and feminine, exists everywhere in nature from animals, to plants, to sponges and to microbes that provide the building blocks for life.  To deny either the Goddess or the God denies the very essence of Wicca and nature itself.

Abra--Abra--- Abracadabra! I Wanna Reach Out and Grab Ya!

Yahoo!  We’re into the 3^rd part of the book.  The part that I really wanted to get to.  The part that got me thinking about my choices and what to do about them in the first place.  Viola!  Part Three: Your Own Tradition.  What a most excellent title.  I love that as a solitary I get to set the pace and routine and well let’s face it—I’m in control.  I do so love feeling like I have control.  I think SC’s comment about adhering to a tradition based in a framework of what Wicca is ensures that the religion itself doesn’t completely disintegrate.  I guess that’s why we need to read, read and read some more so we can identify the core of what Wicca is before striking out on our own tradition.  Personally, following the “harm none” and the wheel of the year celebrations is the scaffold around which I built my tradition.

I do enjoy the creative aspect of Wicca.  I enjoy going through a process for a full moon spell when I have to track down color, herb, candle, oil and write the chants  or spells.  I am more deeply involved that way.  With my previous religious experiences I felt like I had to recite the rosary for everything or keep the holy days in the same way year after year.  I lost interest.  It was not personal.  Now I make it deeply personal when I set out to pray or cast a spell for someone in need.  That’s not to say I always make my own rituals.

I borrow from just about every author I’ve read from SC to Fiona Horne to online sources and yes, even Silver RavenWolf.  I borrow a little here, tweak a little there, mish-mash together and eventually something brilliant happens.  Ok, maybe not always brilliant, but usually satisfying at least.  Stay tuned for the really good stuff that is coming in the next few posts.  Seriously—this is when the magic happens.

My Spell Costs Less Mana Than Your Spell

SC takes a chapter to define solitary Wiccan magic.  It’s really not all that different from a coven’s methods.  Solitaries do the same thing—cast circle, raise energy, send it out—just, we do it on our own.  He breaks the chapter into little subheadings and we’ll tackle each one .

The first topic is the circle.  I highlighted the section on giving your circle a white glove test.  I have to say that you can definitely feel the difference between a sloppy circle and a strong circle.  It’s hard to describe, but when I’ve really cast a successful circle I feel a shift.  It’s like I don’t really notice I am in my basement any longer.  The cat boxes don’t exist.  The stray toilet on the east wall isn’t there.  The laundry begging for a wash disappears.  It’s just me and maybe a cat or three and everything else is a little fuzzed out.  It’s a really unique experience.  I have found that the more time I take with meditating and breathing before attempting to cast circle, the better off my circle shall be.  If you don’t know, the circle is the sacred space within which a Wiccan works magic, prays, celebrates holy days etc. 

Raising energy within the circle focuses the next section of the chapter.  I touched on SC’s suggestions briefly in the last posting, but it’s worth addressing here.  The chanting idea is a good one and I have found it effective.  Although, you need to be mindful—if you’re alone in the house no biggie.  However, if there’s someone else in the house, you might not want to chant faster and faster and faster and louder and louder and louder to raise energy in case you frighten the poor soul.  Obviously, in an apartment this would also be a less than ideal way to raise energy.  Try it.  If you can, try it.  You need to find what way works best for you.  The muscle tension method is another great way to raise energy and requires little auditory output.  You can combine the muscle with the chanting if you want, but used by itself especially for abbreviated rites or bare bones rites, it was sufficient to increase the tension in my muscles until I had to let it go.  When I combined muscle tension with breathing I got the best results.  Breathing techniques are helpful in a myriad of ways.  I found that the slow in through the nose and slow out through the mouth was quite calming.  I would increase the number of counts I took to breathe in and out each time.  As I breathed in I would visualize good and positive energy coming into my body and then breathing out was of course the opposite.  Then once I felt a charge within me, I added the tension.  I tightened to about 50% when breathing in and held that tension when I exhaled.  Next inhale was tension to 75% and the last was as tight as I could before releasing the energy and sending it to its purpose.  Some Wiccans dance; I’ve never tried.  I guess I found a solid method and I stuck with it.  Maybe somewhere down the line I will dance and see what happens.

Sending the energy out toward its purpose is part that I really like.  I have a rather well-developed ability to visualize, which is extremely helpful  when releasing energy.  Some Wiccans like to use the athame to direct energy, some a wand, but I prefer just my hand.  When I really feel that the energy has really built enough releasing it through my hand is rather tingly.  My whole arm will be fatigued from the exertion.  Now I realize that those responses are physical results of all the tension and someone who doesn’t get into the magic or religious aspects would poo-poo it as simple physiological response.  Absolutely.  Doesn’t matter what you call it, it’s releasing energy and that much energy being released will produce physical reaction.

SC concludes by addressing a criticism of solitary Wicca.  Some say that a coven is better because the other members serve to protect the members from attempting any negative magic.  Maybe—if one member asks others to participate.  It’s still possible he/she would maybe do a circle alone because the coven would be opposed.  Furthermore, as SC points out, a moral person is a moral person.  Bottom line: either you accept and practice “harm none” or you don’t; solitary or coven doesn’t matter.

Found Object Wicca

Sometimes less is more which is the case with simple rites. For Wiccans , a full ritual with all the trappings requires several supplies from God and Goddess representations, elemental tools like candles and incense,  a wand, athame (ritual knife) and anything else specific to the magic you plan on performing.  When I lived in Missoula for 5 weeks during my master’s program, I found SC’s chapter on simple rites extremely valuable.

That summer it was frequently 100+ degrees outside, I had a ton of homework, and I was living in married student housing.  Luckily, I was alone in my apartment, but I didn’t want to bring all my Wicca gear with me as I had a hard enough time packing the essentials into my truck.  Consequently, I whittled it down to just what was necessary in my view—my God and Goddess discs that I made out of polymer clas, a candle, an incense burner, and a pentacle again made out of Sculpey.  Since I had neighbors and very thin walls, I didn’t want to get to loud with my chanting etc and I didn’t want to dance around vigorously in case my candle fell over and I lost my deposit because of a burn mark.  SC’s advice on various methods of casting and raising energy really helped!  I started experimenting a lot with breathing techniques and muscle tension.  Because of the simplified situation, I feel that my ability to raise energy got better that summer.  The restriction allowed me to experiment and really learn about channeling that energy under any circumstance.

I’ve also had several occasions to be camping when a full moon or a Sabbat occurred—especially Lughnasadh.  I love being able to work magic up at the lake!  I’ve done everything from esbat, to Sabbat to cleansing, to healing, to blessing a marriage.  Being without all the accessories gets you back to the bare bones and it lets you get a little creative.  One of my favorites was a cleansing ritual I did on the shore of the lake.  I used a stick to draw symbols in the dirt and I gathered items from the campground to be used like stones, wildflowers, coins people dropped and I had a delightful bath in the lake by moonlight.  It was truly lovely.

There will come a time when a need presents itself and you have no materials.  It is during these times that knowing how to locate items and how to perform rites independent of your usual digs is imperative.  Even if you don’t think it will, experimenting with SC’s suggestions in this chapter will be a beneficial exercise in stretching your abilities.

Let's Make a Deal Deity Edition!

Chapter 10 addresses the idea of making offerings.  The concept of an offering to a deity is not a new concept.  I’ve seen Buddhists light incense ritually for a specific purpose.  I’ve seen Catholics light candles and pray for a specific person in need.  I’ve offered some of my cakes and ale after a ritual to the spirits.  I tend to think of all these practices under the same umbrella.  They are all ways to pay homage to metaphysical entities and attune with spiritual forces! That's right--all similar practices from different religions and philosophies.

                Unlike some misguided or misinformed concepts of offerings, Wiccans like me don’t make offerings of living beings.  That certainly does not fall under the notion of harm none.  I read an article over the holidays about a body being found in India and that the body was suspected to have been used in some sort of ancient blood sacrifice.  This kind of practice should never be done under the name of Wicca from what I can tell because I don’t think the Goddess would take very kindly to us killing something in Her name.  I even mutter or at the very least think, “thank you” when I harvest herbs and vegetables!  As for eating meat—I would love it if I could say thanks before the slaughter of an animal.  I wish I could say a blessing over the poor beastie who is on my grill, but I am not made for hunting.  At the very least I can say thanks and merry met after the fact.  I can also try to get meat from producers who use best practices like no hormone, grass fed, free range etc.  I don’t equate harming none with following a vegetarian diet because I have concluded that I am an omnivore who needs meat protein.  But I digress.

                Anyhoo-offering thanks helps maintain a thankfulness that I wish more people held sacred.  Whether you say thanks by lighting incense, putting a little food in a dish or just saying simple, “thanks” to people who do something kind I think it keeps our spirits high.  It gives us something to remember when we are feeling low.  It helps us recall all the positives in our life when we are feeling beaten and battered.  At work when I am feeling utterly hopeless or useless, it helps me to send positive notes.  Saying thank you and praising the people at work helps me remember how wonderful they are and how important my role is in their lives and vice versa.  I LOVE writing thank you notes.  I think this is fast becoming a lost practice.  I am finding more and more people who think a thank you note is unimportant or unnecessary as long as you say thanks next time you see the person.  Well, if you see the person regularly, maybe.  But if he or she lives states or even countries away, you can make their day by taking that time and it just might make you feel warm and fuzzy too.  Clearly there are a myriad of ways to be thankful and if you’re not into thanking a God, at least be thankful in your attitude.

By the way, I appreciate every one of my readers.  Thank you and BB.

You Can Save it, You Can Live On it, Or You Can Be Like It

I am taking chapters 8 and 9 together since they really do pair nicely like a crisp white wine goes with the snappiness of an apple.  Now I am thirsty...

These chapters start the next section of the book and involve applying Wicca to your every day life.  One of the first ways to do this is through prayer.  It’s funny, if you’re not a mainstream religious type people sometimes assume you don’t pray.  Rubbish!  I probably pray more now than I did all those years growing up.  Cunningham states that effective prayer is a “truly spiritual” way to “contact the divine.”  As a kid, I always pictured prayer like a phone line to God.  I think God was busy a lot.  Who wouldn’t be?  Creator of Heaven and Earth and now billions of people trying to reach you?  God needs call waiting and voicemail.

Anyway, prayer usually begins when we first have a need or something moves us.  Why else would we consider praying unless there was some impetus right?  Well in my upbringing, we often were told to kneel and pray at certain times of a service or before meals etc.  This is fine, but it sometimes felt like, “Hiya God.  Not sure what to say.  Shall I ramble while I watch this baby three pews up gnawing on the hymnal?”  It wasn’t very satisfying.  Now—was this because of me not being focused enough as a child to grasp the point?  Maybe.  There was one prayer growing up that I loved—prayer to my guardian angel.  It made me feel safer when I thought the monster under the bed was drooling over my toes which sometimes dangled over the side.

Angel of God, my Guardian dear, to whom His love commits me here, ever this day (or night) be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.
I still find that to be a beautiful prayer.  I have a lot of fond memories of my guardian angel prayer.  
I suppose that is part of why I find myself naturally praying spontaneously.  Now I am moved to it--not told to do it.  I suppose for kids you need to model and practice to help them get the point.  I also figure that the sense of calm repeating words like my Angel of God prayer brought me is why I find those little prayers like "Oh Goddess guide my words"  or "oh Goddess build within me calm and serenity for my day" etc come to my mind so easily.  I try to remember to say thanks before meals whether it is aloud or just a mental "Wow! I am fortunate to have this meal.  Thank you."    It's a fact that chanting slows the heart and calms the mind, so it stands to reason that prayer will bring about similar positive effects for a person.  It may just be mumbo jumbo to some people, but I think it builds within a person a sense of gratitude--a sense of humility.  Both of those I think are important and prayer is one thing that helps me remember to value what all I have.  
Of course, there is the old pray when you have need and all else has failed.  Ah the prayer of desperation!  Long may it reign!  However, if you're not praying all along, is that not rather rude?  There is no bargaining with the deities.  I know people try and all & we laugh about it in pop culture, but that seems to run counter to the whole purpose!  Of course, prayer in need is consoling as I have said.  However, having a prayerful attitude helps in daily living and therefore keeps you in tune with the Lord and Lady or other deity when you do have a deep need.  I don't think that the powers that be won't listen--please don't misunderstand, but I think the restorative and calming effects will be more profound if you practice praying more regularly.  I love that Cunningham refers to prayer as little acts of magic.  They are!  If more people would try to understand that then maybe Wicca wouldn't be so misunderstood.  Oddly enough it was a priest who rewrote the Our Father who helped see the true nature of prayer.  I love that prayer.  I should try to find a copy of it.  Essentially, he rewrote the prayer so that instead of being based on power and hierarchy, it based on God's love--and not a strictly masculine God either.  That man was one of the holiest men I have ever met and he opened my mind to so many possibilities.  I think it was his encouragement to learn and understand other religions that helped me see how they are so similar rather than different.
In chapter 9 Cunningham gives several examples of prayer for different purposes.  He also gives an outline to help you compose your own prayers. Always the teacher this guy.  I love the morning and evening prayers.  This morning for example I saw the full moonlight shining under the drapes in the living room so I pushed them aside to see the full brightness and wow!  It took my breath away.  Consequently, I was moved to a short prayer for the morning.  Here's my evening prayer for you:
Gracious Goddess within and among us,
Horned hunter of the Sun and within us, 
We thank you for this day,
And ask that you guide us through a peaceful night,
Blessed be.

Within you and among you--religion--you can take it with you!

Chapter 7, the last chapter in part 1 of Scott Cunningham's Living Wicca focuses on Wicca as part of the every day life.  I think that any person needs to have a set of morals--a code of ethics if you will--for how they want to live their life.  I believe that how I want to live my life is probably contrary to someone else's idea of how to live.  I accept that as long as their way of living is not going to in any way interfere with mine, we can coexist.
SC--I'm going to use that for the author so be warned--SC writes in the first line that "religion permeates all aspects of life" and that "mundane factors can weigh us down until we begin to question whether we ever spiritually felt a thing."  I have felt something.  I am moved by the mysteries.  I do find peace in meditation and an occasional prayer makes me feel better.  For some, this isn't the case.  For some, they do the same reflection or experience a similar comfort from their religion.  Great!  Celebrate that feeling.  Let it guide you to a life of peace and harmony and appreciation for all you have.  A spiritual center can be quite fulfilling.  The sticky part comes when someone attempts to force their spirituality on another in which case I must ask are they really acting in accordance with their spiritual center and core beliefs?  I fear that sometimes the answer would be no if they studied and reflected and applied what they know about respecting life. Any religion that touts killing another person because they believe differently is not holy in my opinion.  It is not showing respect for life.    I can't control what another person believes or practices in their own life until they bring that argument to me.  Live and let live!  However, if you bring your core values and try to use any method--force or law--to make me conform to what you say, I will object.  I will point out how what you are doing is not in accordance with respecting life.  I think that more often than not if two people with opposing views sat down and studied one another's point of view more commonalities would emerge than differences.  I've also been studying a lot on liberty lately so it's having a definite impact on my views of religion.  Wicca is my religion and I love that I have the freedom to express it as openly as I want to.  I love that my country supposedly believes in my right to practice it.  I am enjoying seeing how the principles of Wicca apply to my every day life.  However, I do not think that I should try to get my congress men or women to put forth a law that says the Wiccan Rede should be posted in public buildings because that is inappropriate.  I do not believe government should be used to further the agenda of any religion.  Again, religion and the practice thereof is deeply personal and no one's business but my own.
SC lists a few points on pages 46-47:  harm none, reincarnation, karma, magic, thought, and earth stewardship.  I figure if I let these ideas and how I practice them guide my interactions with others, then I am living in accordance with my religion and my respect for others.  Harm none--this  is the Wiccan big idea.  It teaches us to rise above negative emotions etc. to transform into something positive.  Harm none should absolutely permeate my life and I believe everyone's life.  Harm none is the most direct way to implement a respect for life and one another.  Is what I am doing going to cause harm?  I would love it if people who make laws stopped to consider how what they are doing is going to impact everyone before they sign or vote on a law.  The current personhood amendments, the defense of marriage amendments, the No Child Left Behind fiasco all do more harm than they do good when I consider them in light of harming none.
Reincarnation I haven't made up my mind about yet.  I like the idea of getting another shot if I totally screw up.  A do over is cool.  SC's point about suicide is well taken; however, harm none also should apply to that concept.  However, I tend to believe I should live my life as if this is my only one.  I feel compelled to live to the fullest and in the most authentic and good manner as  I can.  It's taken me a while to figure this part out.  I'm human afterall.  But I am trying.
Karma--I love this notion.  It is the golden rule--do onto others as you would have done onto you.  Besides, it feels good to do good things for others.  Showing kindness to someone else for the sake of doing good--not for any reward--is ideal.  I want others to respect me.  I want others to let me live as I want to live.  I want others to be happy.  Therefore, I need to act that way to others.  It's that concept of lead by example.  I am perfectly aware that I don't need a religion to teach this to me.  I know that I may not always get the best in return.  However, if I believe in harming none, then I should practice it.  If  I get back what I put out there in that regard, all the better.  The three-fold law really drives that idea home.  Essentially if you don't know, threefold law is another way of talking about karma.  It means that whatever you put into the world you get back triple the potency.
I don't know how to improve on SC's statement about magic:  Magic reminds us that we do, indeed, have control over our lives.  It does do that for sure.  I wish  more people understood that magic is really just an extension--an acting upon--prayer.
Thought--the idea of changing a negative outlook of "I lack this item so I am going to whine about it" into "I have such blessings in my life" is really rewarding.  I love it.  Sometimes others don't really like it when I suggest looking at their situation in another way.  Fine.  I look at it this way--my house is not the prettiest.  By society's standards there are all kinds of improvements I should do.  However, when I get dragged down by the lawn not being as green as my neighbor's or the porch not being centered, I think how luck I am that I have a house over my head.  I have this space that is mine.  I share this space with my husband and three cats.  It's our home and some people don't have that.  We are fortunate.  In time, we will make improvements as we see fit and not because we need to keep up with someone else's idea of beauty.
Earth stewardship--again, this goes back to harming none.  The more I've read though, you have to be very careful on this point.  Some organizations I think would be harming none, actually do.  Humans are such a passionate species that we forget sometimes.  We forget that our one little cause impacts so much more beyond our own little reality.  We must truly think about our actions and what we're doing and what is best for us and our world.  We can't live without it.  That's fairly straightforward as far as guiding principles are concerned.  How best can we live in accordance with the planet without harming ourselves or anything else?  Too often I think we we look at it through the greedy goggles.
If you can start to bring all of these ideas together and try to incorporate them into your life every day--let them be your conscience--then maybe we'll get it.
Whew.  Lotta stuff to consider with this chapter.  Applying the tenets is never easy.  One thing I love about Wicca--I really don't have any major arguments against these ideas.  I don't see how I could.  Solitary Wicca doesn't tell me I have to believe in everything.  I'm honestly not really sure about the whole reincarnation thing.  I think it's completely possible that this is all there is.  Therefore, I should harm none and love this life as much as possible.

If Nancy Drew and Thoreau Had a Baby What Would Happen?

Have you ever been startled by how wondrous the full moonlight is while walking or driving home from some mundane activity like grocery shopping?

Have you ever watched a thunderstorm with awe over the force of nature?

Have you been walking through the woods on a summer day and come across a grove of trees bathed in the light and felt your breath catch?

Ever watched an infant hold an object he or she hadn’t seen before and try to make sense of it?

Congratulations. You’ve experienced a Wiccan mystery.

Now, can you appreciate these wonders without subscribing to paganism?  Sure—what you call it is up to you.  For me, it is the most explicit expression of the Goddess and the God I know. 

I have read articles and books on the Wiccan mysteries and the only way I can define it for myself is to get out and live among it.  Allow it to surround me and live in me.  Be open to it when it presents itself.

Cunningham writes:

Don’t just watch these things, experience them.  Feel them.  Then you’ll have begun to draw the Wiccan mysteries closer to you.  You’ll have the rare opportunity to fleetingly draw back the veil we’ve thrown over our world and see the face of the Goddess.

How fantastic is that?  To simply observe and feel the love and peace move through you in that sliver of a moment?  To shrug off everything else and experience the infinite in a tear drop.  To find a stillness and allow yourself to be moved by the common.  To feel such utter hope and love that you cry for reasons you don't fully comprehend.  To be captured by the beauty and the calm of the ordinary. 

Mystery indeed.

This Religion Is Just Right or Goldilox Makes Up Her Mind

Think of this idea of initiation like baptism/confirmation or speaking vows during a wedding.  Essentially an initiation is dedicating yourself to Wicca.  In covens, it’s a big dang deal.  For solitary folks, initiation is a little more subdued maybe, but still a big dang deal.   Whichever way you cut it though, initiation makes it sound like some sort of gang rite of passage to me.  Dedication has a better connotation, but personal word choice aside, Cunningham does an excellent job outlining the purpose and procedure for the rite.  He also addresses points of criticism from other Wiccans who don’t agree with his point that a solitary can self-initiate. 

                Why do one at all you ask?—well because it is a public pronouncement that you are accepting this path and committing yourself to follow its tenets.  For a solitary, it can be a deeply personal act.  Part of why I like this path is because there is not a middle man.  No priest to absolve me, no minister to oversee my progress, no high priestess to bless me—it’s all on my shoulders and between me and whatever deity I choose to address myself to.  I love that aspect.  It is a far more intimate relationship this way.  That’s not to say I never feel the need to talk with other pagans.  Far from it!  However, I do feel that when it comes to ritual or initiation, it is a deeply personal act.  If I don’t feel the need to share it with anyone—why should I?  If I don’t feel it is necessary at all, why should I submit to it?  If the answer is because “that’s just the way it’s done,” tough!  Does an initiation ritual give you an anniversary date?  Sure.  Does it give you a new outlook on the path?  Yup.  Does it feel good to symbolically shed the old self and start anew?  Absolutely!  I like what Cunningham says about how an initiation is not necessarily something someone does to another person and that it can happen spontaneously within ritual too.

                I did a whole week’s worth of preparation years ago.  Another author I was reading, Fiona Horne, included a chapter in one of her books about 7 Days to a Magical New You or something like that.  So over holiday break from work I did the recommended activities and rituals.  It was cleansing and specific and rejuvenating to participate in a week long dedication.  I think I gained more during that self-reflection and repeated ritual performance than I would have from having a high whoever say something over my head while waving a wand or a sword.  That’s not to say everyone will respond that way, but rather just because it is different and solitary doesn’t make it wrong. 

                Cunningham’s advice to practice and gain experience in ritual work is beneficial.  I think this because the more adept you are at the mechanics ahead of time, the easier the actual dedication will be.  You will be freer to concentrate on your purpose than on whether or not you called the quarters in the right order.  I believe that practice makes perfect!  Experience also affords you to the chance to build your psychic ability to connect to the energies you are seeking.  For example—it takes a lot of practice to meditate effectively.  To calm your mind and get in the right place mentally so you can form that circle and visualize your objective or send energy out of yourself takes practice!  Lastly, spending the time to prepare also allows you to determine if you really feel “right” in the commitment.  This element was missing when I participated in a dedication ceremony at a Methodist church.  I loved the people I met at that church and I loved singing in the choir and I thought at that time Methodist was the best fit for me after realizing Catholicism wasn’t.  However, I didn’t really put enough thought into it.  I allowed myself to be pushed through the process again just like I had before.  Once I really began reflecting on what all Methodism had to offer, I realized that it wasn’t the right fit yet.

It's my name and I'm keeping it

There's a chapter on magical names.  A lot of Wiccans adopt a magical name.  Cunningham states that if you want to adhere as closely as possible to mainstream Wicca, then you should take one for a test drive.
Hmmm, I've considered it.  I even tried it.  I adopted a different confirmation name when I was 16.  My aunt adopted another name when she took holy orders.  It's not a policy with which I am unfamiliar and Catholics do it too which means other religions probably do as well.
However, when I was 16 I thought it was weird but I did it because that's what good Catholic girls do when being confirmed.  Consequently I took Francis for St. Francis of Assisi which was not a huge stretch because Francine is my middle name.  I took Francis because it was close to my name and because he's the guy who loves animals.  Did it change how I went through confirmation?  Not remotely.  In fact I got annoyed with it.  I got even more annoyed at some of confirmante who took ridiculous and antiquated names because of the humor factor.  I really didn't get the point.
When I got married same issue.  Why should I change my name because I'm getting married?  I really didn't see the point other than tradition.  Therefore why change it now?  Cunningham would say to be true to conventional Wicca--sorry!  I'm solitary so I already violated that notion.  He'd also say some feel that it makes them more powerful and connected to their magical selves.  I'm sure that's true.  So I gave it whirl.
It still struck as unnecessary and ridiculous.  There's something a little pretentious about adopting Morganne for example.  Really?  That's the name or variation thereof for a rather nasty mythical woman. Sorry, but no thanks.  There's also something rather in-the-basement-rolling-20-sided-dice-in-a-cape-eating-Fritos-slurping-soda-while-playing-D&D about it.  Again--this isn't a fantasy game, it's my spiritual path.  Not playtime.  But I tried it.  It didn't stick.  Shocker I know. I am who I am and if I can't connect to the energy of nature as I am--name and all--then what's the point?  

Day 3 Can I throw a sickie and still be Wickie?

Today's chapter is all about whether or not you are effective in ritual when you're under the weather.  The first time I read this book I thought, "Are you kidding me?  They need a chapter on that?  Gimme a break."  Of course, my mom rarely ever accepted that as an excuse not to go to church on Sundays, but I now know after a few years of practice that I've felt too sick to develop an energetic circle sometimes let alone put any oompff into a spell.  It makes sense right?  You have to prepare yourself physically, psychically and emotionally and it's exhausting sometimes especially if you have any kind of fatigue issues. 
I think Cunningham offers valuable common sense advice on this issue.  You have to know your body very well to do this kind of spiritual expression.  You can't spend what you don't have.  There are other ways to still express your pagan beliefs other than big ritual.  Healing prayer is sometimes quite grounding.  Meditating is very helpful for anxiousness and the brain that won't stop.  One lovely thing about this path is that it is highly individual and you guide it.  Do what you can and accept when you need healing too.
That connection to the spiritual boost in a solid circle is something I've been noticing lacking lately. When it's there, it is exhausting but it also makes me feel like I have a little say in the Universe.  That's envigorating.  Anyway,  I have been feeling physically well for quite a while...ok so I was before Christmas...been back on proper eating plan since Jan. 1 and feeling better...but I've been waning on the psychic link thing.  My dreams are kind of stunted right now, which bothers me.  I'm not remembering my dreams and that's not a good sign.  It's disupting my mojo!  Consequently I'm feeling off.  I recognize my body and mind are not balanced.  I'm working on it and I know that until I do, I shouldn't be throwing anything at the Universe because it's not focused.  I really don't want to put more muck out there.  I've done enough of that.  I found it quite liberating not to have guilt over missing ritual.  I always remember pagan events in some way.  It might not be full on circle action, but I'm still mindful of dates and moon phases etc.  The great thing about being solitary--I can give myself permission to celebrate in whatever fashion I want as long as I harm none.  Poof!  There's a big idea.