Elemental Images

Here is the Elemental images picspam. Full sized images available here.

Masks of the God

The second in my picspam-type entries, this time focusing on the God. Enjoy!

Guises of the Goddess

This is a simple picspam-type entry, but I hope it can still move people and be thought-provoking. I'll be posting more of these types of entries in the coming weeks, through the end of July.

But before I begin, to the other US citizens I have following me...

Elements

I did some thinking and restructuring, and added this lesson to my Wicca 101 series. Enjoy.

Elemental Powers

Wiccans call upon the powers of the Elements in ritual and other Magickal work. Across the board, the four classical Western Elements are included, being Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Some of the time, a fifth is included, the Element of Spirit, sometimes also called Akasha or the Ether. Each Element has many common associations, although some may differ between individual, Coven, and Tradition.



There are other associations as well, but these are the more basic ones.

In ritual, the Elements are each called in turn to watch over and lend strength to the workings that will be performed (it should be noted that the most common places to begin calling the Elements are North and East, and there are compelling reasons for both). Often physical representations of the Elements are present on the altar or at the edges of the ritual space in the appropriate direction. It is also very important to dismiss or banish the Elements at the end of ritual; imagine the unchecked power of Fire hanging about!

The Elements as a group are sometimes called the Quarters, as the space between each is one quarter of the ritual space, or the Corners or Directions.

There is a bit more to discuss in relation to the Elements, but as that relates more directly to Tools, I am saving it for that section.

1 - This color association is my own, and I came to it thusly; It is said that Spirit is the combination and perfect balance and harmony of all the other Elements. If that is so, then what are all colors mixed together? Well, first we must decide if we’re talking about light, or pigment. If light, then the answer is white. If pigment, black. This is yet another duality, and as discussed before, Wicca is non-dualistic. So, if we combine black and white, the result is grey, or perhaps silver. This makes more sense to me than purple, which is red and blue, and while can be send to be a blend of male and female energies, to me then excludes the other colors in the spectrum.

Joyous Midsummer

Then came the jolly Sommer, being dress’d
In a thin silken cassock coloured greene,
That was unlined all, to be more light;
And on his head a garland well beseene.
--Edmund Spenser, "Faerie Queene"

But yonder comes the powerful king of day,
Rejoicing in the east. The lessening cloud,
The kindling azure, and the mountain’s brow,
Illumed with fluid gold, his near approach
Betoken glad.
--James Thomson, "The Seasons: Summer"

---

And, for the Other side...



This image inspired by "The Death of Llew" by Mike Nichols.

Quotes

Just a few quotes for today, as I haven't updated this blog in a while... :/

"We dance around the ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and knows." --Robert Frost, poet

"Without Evil there can be no Good, so it must be Good to be Evil sometimes." --Satan in "South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut"

"God answers every prayer. But sometimes the answer is, 'No'." --priest from an episode of "Law & Order"

"Not all who wander are lost." --J. R. R. Tolkien

"Follow your Bliss." --Joseph Campbell

"The problem with Yahweh is that He thinks He's God." --op. cit.

"There are two kinds of knowledge; Symbolic Knowledge and Intimate Knowledge. Science deals with the former, arts deal with the latter. The primary focus of the religious pursuit is the latter. To confuse the boundary by using physics to analyze spiritual experiences is to largely miss the point." --user "felisarcanum" on LiveJournal

"The injection of religion has a coma-like effect"
--from "Wreath of Barbs," :wupmscut:

"Witchcraft is, and was, not... for everyone. Unless you have an attraction to the occult, a sense of wonder, a feeling that you can slip for a few minutes out of the world into the world of faery, it is of no use to you." --Gerald Gardner

Found Article: The Question of Oaths

An article found on LiveJournal, written by Jenett.

Found Article: The Sacred Phallus

I'm a member of a Pagan Yahoo! list, and this was recently posted by the author. I am reproducing it here with his permission. Enjoy.

Phil the Fill-in Philosopher

I downloaded an app on my Pixi called Phil the Fill-in Philosopher. it's kinda like mad-libs in that it asks you for words, but you can opt to skip that and it generates the words, then puts them into nuggets of wisdom. Some of them end up nonsensical or humorous, but a few so far have been worth repeating and pondering...

"You know it will be a good day when a butterfly sits on the moon."

"Love flows warmly around you."

"If you decide to endure, you can do it."

And my personal favorite:

"To further develop your self-awareness, surround yourself with metaphorical people."

Beliefs Survey

Shamelessles taken from CricketSong at Lunar Wisdom.

Paganesque Playlist

I've embedded a playlist into my Paganesque entry with nearly all the songs on it! For those that are missing, I've left the links up. Go check it out!

Joyous Beltane

Interconnecting the Sabbats

Well then. Reader Request didn't really pan out. But it's not too late to ask me question or post topic suggestions!

One thing I've been doing in my personal practice is trying to understand and make meaningful the Sabbats, individually as well as a whole, exploring the interconnectedness. Here are a few of my insights so far:

Of the first two harvest festivals, Lammas is still holding onto the joy and revelry of Summer, while the Fall Equinox is beginning to recognize the diligence and hardship of Winter. This is a transitional time. I'm betting/thinking/hoping a certain realization will come to me in reference to Imbolc and Eostar.

And also, the Spring and Fall seasons each carry variations on a common theme:

Imbolc - fertility as ideas/creativity
Eostar - fertility as growth/momentum
Beltane - fertility as physical/sex/conception

Lammas - harvest as bounty/reward for hard work
Fall - harvest as consequences/emphasizing relationship between what is reaped from what was sown
Samhain - harvest as death/endings

You can read more about these explorations of mine at my other blog, Priestess Spirit.

Reader Request - Alecia: Reincarnation vs. Contacting the Dead

Thanks to Alecia for submitting my first Reader Request! Here was her question:

One thing I have wondered about is the potential conflict caused by the belief in reincarnation and the ability to contact the dead (ancestor guardians, Ouija boards, etc, etc, etc). What are your thoughts on this topic?

I want to preface this by saying this is only my personal belief, YMMV :)

I don't believe that reincarnation is instantaneous. We are given a period of rest between lives to commune with Deity and those who have passed before us, before continuing on to our next life. So, in that time, it is certainly possible to contact the dead, as they have not come back yet.

Additionally, I believe a piece of each soul/spirit remains with the collective Divine with each passing. I'll quote my "101" piece on the subject:

It’s also a matter of personal belief whether new souls are ever created, or if there are always the same number of souls being recycled over and over. I believe it’s a little of both. Just as with Divinity being like drops in the ocean, the same can be said of souls. I believe there is a constant and consistent amount of energy and “God stuff” in the Universe at all times (similar to the Law of Conservation of Energy), but it takes different forms and is parceled out in different ways. So, even if my specific soul learns all it needs to after this particular life and rejoins the whole of Divine Energy, it may then be re-infused into multiple entities later on.

So, since these souls/spirits/energies leave their "signature" on each other/Itself, it is then still possible to connect with that piece that remained even after reincarnation.

Now, is it always ethical or advisable to do these things? That's a matter of personal interpretation. I will admit, I own a (Parker Bros.) Ouija board, and have experimented with it once or twice, but I own it more for novelty than as a tool. I will also add the caution that, with Ouija boards especially, it's important to have safeguards in place, something like casting a Circle. This is because Ouija boards are non-specific; they're open to anyone and anything that might be hanging around or just passing by. It couldn't hurt to have some kind of shield in place and maybe even a banishment procedure in mind, better safe than sorry.

Unrelated to the Request, I have a new blog, Priestess Spirit. My readers here are welcome to follow that as well, if only just to prove my own fallibility.

Reader Request!

Alright folks, here's your chance to ask me what you want to know! Is there some aspect of Wicca or Paganism you're curious about? Is there something personal about me and my spirituality that you're dying to know? Please, don't be shy, ask away! I'll compose an answer/article for at least the first three ideas I receive, but probably for all of them (dependent upon how much research I may or may not need to do!). This is an opportunity for us all to learn something together! I hope especially to hear from some of my more quiet/reserved readers who haven't commented much :)

I do have one limitation request, however;

Fae, Aliens, Angels, and Teletubbies

What?!

I know that's what you're all thinking, but hear me out. This will be a little disjointed, but maybe eventually I can turn it into something coherent.

And P.S., it's OK if this is tl and you dr :P

New Layout

It's not perfect yet, but I need to get to bed :P Thoughts so far?

EDIT: I think I'm done! Input?

Maiden, Mother, Crone

Last night Hetshepsit and I got into a discussion about this particular Deity model. I'll start with a quote from her:

I honestly do not have a maternal instinct and the Pagan community can sometimes have a lot of emphasis on "first you're a Maiden, then you HAVE to be a Mother, then you HAVE to be a Crone."

My response was rather impassioned, but I've tweaked and added to it for your enjoyment and enlightenment.

Joyous Eostar

Poem

This a piece I wrote to commemorate Blodeuwedd coming into my life...

Blodeuwedd's Charge
Copyright © 0ct. 2008 S.E.J.

From realms beyond, Barn Owl soars;
To awaken the land, Great Lion roars;
Warrior Queen with Her army of Shades;
All stand with me to welcome the Maid.

Under the Sun, high on a hill,
The wind dies down to a reverent still.
The Lady of Spring sparkles with dew,
Banishing old and welcoming new.

Her visage composed of sweet flowers nine.
Clad in grey mist as Dawn is Her time.
Her skin like the Moon, glowing and white.
The wind lifts Her hair like pale firelight.

Fixing Her gaze, She looks to my soul,
Drawing forth knowledge of Witch-child’s goal.
She knows the next step, what must be done,
The task is set forth for what’s yet to come.

She pushes my body deep in the ground,
Still from my throat comes not a sound.
Swallowed by terra, alone in the dark.
Conquer this trial and receive the Art.

As I try to find my way,
From above I hear Her say,
“Out of the Earth,
Climb to your birth!
Out of the Earth,
Climb to your birth!”

Pagan Music

I've yet to meet a Pagan who doesn't like music, and I'm sure there are times when most of us look specifically for Pagan music. There are a few "old standards" that come up when someone asks after Pagan music, Emerald Rose, Wendy Rule, Gaia Consort. I myself like stuff that's a little "harder" and "darker," some of my favorites being Within Temptation, Inkubus Sukkubus, and my new discovery, Faith and the Muse.

However, I also sometimes find Pagan-like messages and themes in the works of those who are not (publically) Pagan. I call these songs "Paganesque," and my current list can be found past the cut below. (Now with a playlist!)

Bella Strega Aradia

Found out something interesting recently; "ara" in Italian means altar, and "dia" is the feminine form of "dio," which means god, so dia = goddess. So, in essence, "Aradia" means "altar to the Goddess." The specific Goddess, in this case, presumably being Diana, Aradia's mother. Hmm......

Also, as folks may or may not be aware, Italian Witchcraft has a long history of familial intermarriage - this is because it was believed that Witchcraft was carried in the blood, and so to keep the magick strong, Italian Witches would often marry and reproduce with relatives. I figured out today that this must stem from Aradia's parents, Diana and Lucifer, being siblings and giving the world Aradia, who taught Witchcraft to the Italian people.

Behind the cut are the lyrics to two songs by the British Pagan Goth band Inkubus Sukkubus. One is called "Aradia," posted here for obvious reasons, and the second is "Lord of the Flame," just because.

Native Meditation

Is it wrong for me to want to assist my roommate with meditation? She recently received a CD of Native American instrumental/meditation music, and is considering buying Lakota Sweat Lodge Cards. She is herself part Native, Oglala Lakota-Sioux to be more precise, so I guess that's why I hesitate; I'm not native, and I don't want to feel/appear to be getting into all that nasty cultural appropriation business. Thoughts?

Transposition

So yeah, I apparently suck at this posting thing now :( Mea culpa.

But, in supplication, I bring you something very funny:

Hexeengel says:
OMG i am SO GLAD that gods love you no matter what - i COMPLETELY FORGOT that they were locked in their kennel like ALL DAY :( :( :( poor puppies!!!
er
dogs
LMAO

Hetshepsit says:
lol

Hexeengel says:
TYPO FAIL

Hetshepsit says:
Oh you :P

Hexeengel says:
because, yeah, if GODS were locked in a kennel all day, i don't think They'd love you anymore

...Yeah.

Joyous Imbolc

Lyrics from "Waiting for the Sun" by The Doors.

Dates and Times

Long time no post, I know. Thought I'd pop in for a quick minute to post the 2010 New and Full Moons, and Solstice and Equinox dates, courtesy of the LunaBar tool. Any times listed are, I believe, GMT. Plus, here's an article about what a Blue Moon truly is.

Tarot Influence?

For my birthday this past November, I bought myself the Sensual Wicca Tarot deck. As is my practice before working with a new deck, I slept with it under my pillow for three nights to infuse it with the "purest" possible form of my personal energy.

In this case, I think it was a reciprocal thing.

Seeker's Perspective

Wow, long time no post.

Anyway, happy 2010.

Like my last piece, this is one that concerns the Gardnerian Tradition, but obviously from the outside looking in. This is my personal overview of what I know of the Trad.

Let me begin by explaining a concept that will be mentioned throughout this piece, what I refer to as “the Mysteries.” For me, there are two kinds of Mysteries, Greater and Lesser. The Greater Mysteries are open and available to anyone willing to seek them out. Call it God, call it Nirvana, call it Enlightenment, call it complete understanding, it is that ultimate place that I believe all religions, spiritualities, and disciplines of science are attempting to achieve, comprehend, and explain. These Mysteries are for everyone to seek in whatever way best suits them. The Lesser Mysteries then are those religions, spiritualities, and disciplines; they are the paths to that shared destination. However, if these Lesser Mysteries were readily available to everyone, they would no longer be Mysteries. The Greater Mysteries are Mysteries precisely because we have not reached them, they remain unknown to virtually all of us. Lesser Mysteries are Mysteries to the uninitiated or uneducated. This is why working in the sciences requires much formal schooling and training. This is why oathbound paths exist. Hence, Gardnerian Wicca is comprised of such Lesser Mysteries.