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I am sorry for Raven's breaking heart and for Megosh's failed body. I certainly will say a prayer and send some love to them.
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{{{{{{{{{{{{Jenn, Foxy}}}}}}}}}}}}} Thank you both so very much!!
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Bit, I feel for your friend and know just how hard it is to bear what she is going through. I will send light and thoughts to Megosh in the hopes that shes gets some relief from her pain. Also i dont know if anyone has any animals that could use the rest of my beloved Diego's medicine--it is called Vetmedin. It is the animal equivalent of cumadin--a blood thinner for the heart but i have like 40 1.25mg pills left that should go to someone that needs them. If anyone knows someone whos kitty or doggy could use them please let me know ill gladly send them to that person. They are expensive and id love to help out anyone that needs them since my lovely boy doesnt anymore.
love to Megosh, and everyone else, and all the beautiful creatures in the world |
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Mitmo}}}}}}}}}}}}}} You are a kind and generous soul! If no one here needs the medicine, maybe your local humane society will know of someone who can't afford it?
Update on Megosh: although she's still in great pain, she has started eating again, and her litterbox abilities have also resumed some. I don't know if this means she won't die or if this is like a cancer patient rallying right before the end, but I am so glad she's doing a little better! Thank you all for your help! |
Another on the light path
"pops in and waves"
Hi - I'm really glad to see this forum. I teach and practise Reiki, meditation and as an empath I strive to help wherever I can without forcing my views on anyone. I look forward to interesting posts and healthy debates on here! Blessings, Penny :) |
Hey everyone. I hope it's ok to ask this question but I was curious, for those who have kids, what did you do for winter celebration and how did you address the Santa for younger kids? K and I were discussing this and how we would address winter holidays, particularly with younger kids. (Although K is Atheist and I'm buddhist we both agreed that it would be fun and an important family time with the kids).
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Hi Penny, welcome! It's nice to meet you! Please feel free to comment or ask questions anytime!
Linus, that's a great question! I don't have kids--maybe a couple others will talk about that--but I can tell you that Santa is the strongest memory we have of an indigenous Northern Shaman. Red, black, and white are the colors of the Goddess in all the most ancient cultures, because they are the colors of Life itself. In those far northern cultures, reindeer (caribou, on this side of the pond)were sacred, the givers of life. These days Shamans talk about the drumbeat being the "horse" they ride to do their work, but back in the mists of time, horses were unknown to the Northern peoples; their Shamans rode the flying reindeer in the drumbeat. Evidently there was a strong tradition of the Shaman visiting villages at Midwinter, telling stories, singing songs, wrapped in his sacred furs and bringing his sacred reindeer with him. I don't know if gifts were part of the celebrations, but certainly they have been part of many other cultures' Midwinter feasts, so they might have been---and the tie between Santa and gifts DOES go back several hundred years if not a thousand, so who knows? Maybe that was an integral part of "Scandiwhovian" Midwinters also. It might also very well be that the Shamans were also traders, bringing trade goods to the villages at Midwinter, and that the "gift" tradition is a dim memory of that. Hope this gives you a starting place! |
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My sympathies on having to live stealth. I had to do so for five years and oh my, what a strain that was... more of a strain than I realized. I have a letter I wrote about Stealth Paganism around here somewhere; after I finish :laundryday: I'll find it and post it. |
Well, lol, no laundry--friends showed up. It was a happiness, since my freezer and fridge were overstuffed. I always feel like I have to share at Thanksgiving, yanno? It makes me feel "right" inside.
Oh hey--twas Raven and I have a report on Megosh! We still can't tell if this is a true recovery or if it's the equivalent of a cancer patient's last rally before they die, BUT Megosh is more alert, willing to move around the apartment, and she's eating and drinking more and more... plus peeing more and more, but hey... Raven will deal with it if it means she has time with Megosh! Anyhow, I came back online to post that letter about Stealth Paganism, so that'll be next. I'm hoping it doesn't break the character limit! I'm known for that... :cheesy: |
Building a Vibrant Broom Closet: Stealth Paganism
We all find situations where we are just not able to be out as Pagans or Witches. Sometimes it's uncomfortable. Sometimes it would affect our children's school situation. Sometimes it could cost us a job. Sometimes we live with people of other faiths, or of no faith, and they're threatened.
Does this mean we have to deny ourselves and our spirituality, allow the situation to stifle our growth? No, not at all. It means we have the opportunity to truly examine what it is that makes us Pagan, what it is that makes us a Witch. It means we are gifted with a chance to get down to basics and to strengthen some of our abilities that might not otherwise get much attention. When we're in the broom closet and living stealth, what gets emphasized is our attitude. We have certain choices... for instance, our Yule tree might look just like everyone else's Yule tree, right down to the five-pointed star on top... it can be as Pagan as we wish to make it, full of natural decorations including that classic animal companion of northern Shamans, the reindeer, and no one will know that it is Pagan. It will just fit right in. Our holiday or Yule cards can talk about "the Season" and never have to say the word "Christmas." Our Samhain/Halloween decorations can be as kitschy as anything you'd find at a dollar store, or they can be all natural, or they can incorporate the Mexican Day of the Dead decorations; they will all fit right in. Halloween is All Hallow's Eve (hallows means saints), and November 1st is All Saints' Day... in Mexico they call All Saints' Day the Day of the Dead--but it's all the same holiday at the root of it, concerned with ghosts and families. Day of the Dead is not focused on long-gone saints, btw, but on one's family members who have died. Unlike the scare-off-the-spirits approach of modern Halloween, Day of the Dead provides families with a way to honor and welcome their ancestors--but both holidays acknowledge the thinning of the veil between the worlds, that time when spirits are close. Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated in September in Europe and they call it Harvest Home, but we're a retail nation now (rather than a farming nation) and the harvest food is on sale in November here... it is still, at the root of it, one of the oldest Pagan impulses we have: to celebrate the harvest and give our thanks. Easter is what remains of the Germanic Eostara celebrations; she was the Goddess of Spring and her symbols were the pig, the rabbit, and the egg... so yanno, ham for Easter dinner and the Easter Bunny bringing eggs, this is again a very old Pagan celebration. The Eastern European tradition of pysanky, or finely decorated eggs, makes use of very old Pagan symbols... again, a stealth way to incorporate Paganism without notice. The end of April/first of May--Beltane--is traditionally a time to celebrate the beginning of summer, and although the custom of giving May baskets full of flowers has fallen by the wayside, we can still celebrate with bouquets of flowers for the house or with a good day's work in the garden. Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice, Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, can all be marked and even celebrated as astronomy. When you think about it, that's pretty much what the early Pagans did anyhow. Memorial Day is the US's answer to Day of the Dead, and provides us with another time to honor our Ancestors, this time with flowers rather than pumpkins. The Fourth of July is not Pagan... but yanno, food and firecrackers... it oughta be! lol! We can participate in these same events everyone else does, and yet make them more meaningful to us by privately acknowledging the ways they fit into our Paganism. When we live in the Broom Closet, we do have to be cautious; maybe not as careful as our ancestors did in the Burning Times (from the 1400s to the 1800s, generally, especially in Europe), but still, we have a lot at stake and it pays to use discretion. We don't ever need to tell anyone what we are. There is an old philosophy that says there are four requirements for being a Witch: To Know, To Will, To Dare, and To Keep Silent. This came out of the Burning Times, when speaking about Witchcraft was punished by death, and over the centuries it has built up a strong reservoir of energy. We can keep silent about who we are and what we do, and we will be joining in with our ancestors in doing so. Have you noticed that you can build up lots of energy around something you're keeping secret, but once you talk about it, all the energy fizzles away? We can make this same principle work for us in the Broom Closet. By choosing not to speak about our Paganism, we can keep our everyday energy contained the same way we would in a working Circle, and gradually get used to working with larger and larger amounts of energy as it builds up. One of the key ways to stay stealth in the Broom Closet is to find the things that carry the same names as they do in the larger culture around us. For instance, many people grow up believing that "prayer" is something specific, that one is only praying if one is reciting specific words that other people wrote, but there is another, broader definition that says prayer is talking to God. And what are we doing when we do a spell, a working, a Circle, or when we send energy, but talking to God/Goddess/All That Is? There are many Pagan gods. One can fit in nicely by talking about God........ and just not specifying which one. Here is where it pays to be eclectic, as well... there is a very old saying in Islam, "All Gods are one God, and Allah is His Name." There is a very old tradition in Wicca that calls the Goddess the Lady of Ten Thousand Names. There is the known history of Paganism that equates various gods and goddesses in different cultures--for instance, Diana/Artemis, or Thor/Ares/Mars. If we take what is similar from these ideas and give it a Pagan twist, we have the statement that "all gods are one god--and the name doesn't matter." *cheeky grin* Practical matters... how can we have a Pagan altar when we are living completely stealth? Nearly everyone has a dressertop or countertop, a windowsill or bookshelf that could use a little... well, you know.... ornamenting. An interesting rock or crystal gives us Earth. A fresh flower in a vase or a seashell gives us Water. A candle gives us Fire. An incense burner or a pretty feather gives us Air. A living plant combines Earth and Water. A clear piece of glass gives us Fire and Air. A mirror gives us the Goddess or the God. A picture of our Totem animal calls them in. No one ever has to know this is a Pagan altar. In quiet moments, we can allow its simple peace to seep into our souls, grounding us and giving us an unobtrusive focus for our prayers and energy work. We can keep our Book of Shadows (if we choose to have one) on a computer--on a CD or a Flash drive. We can call it a journal--for what is more intimate to the workings of our souls than our own personal book of spirituality? We can develop our talents at writing poetry, singing, making art--these are especially appropriate in Celtic Wicca and Shamanism. We can become people of Nature, decorate with a natural theme, collect rocks, feathers, sticks, seashells, or other natural objects. We can watch the weather, keep a cloud journal, notice the temperatures and the path of the jet stream, chart the rain and snow or the varying speeds of the wind. We can wear jewelry made of stones and crystals, seashells, wood, bone. There are so many things we can do. What ways have you found to fit in, to pass unnoticed while still honoring your Paganism? Bright Blessings to us all! Cath |
Here's a link to a new children's book.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Up-Pagan-Workbook-Families/dp/0764331434"]Amazon.com: Growing Up Pagan: A Workbook for Wiccan Families (9780764331435): Raine Hill, Gillian M. Pearce: Books[/ame] There are many children's books linked to that page, btw. |
Hi Linus,
I did tell my kids that Santa was not real... and then I got a call from the school, cause it made other kids cry... and then I got a call from my ex mother in law... and then I decided to take a fox approach... Kids... Santa is an amazing magical being. Christmas is about Magic and the celebration of magic. Etc etc... They accepted that and until they were 10 or 11 (I think) they continued to believe in Santa... We still celebrate Christmas cause most of the family does, but we also celebrate Solstice which is to me more important. Bit thanks for the info on shamanism, it may have been new information. I think personally the red and white of santa's uniform in the Saami traditions is in reference to Amanita Muscaria, or Fly Agaric the magic mushroom. Reindeer love it and it is one theory of flying reindeer... but only one mind you!!! |
I read a marvelous book on Santa and Shamanism several years ago, Foxy. The author made a cogent case for the sacred colors, and might have mentioned fly agaric--I don't remember--but also tied Santa into the tompte and other northern beings. He also traced Santa's history as he changed, passing through the Germanic and Celtic cultures.
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Merry meet, my planet friends. Nice to see this thread here.
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okay.. wow... I have literally read every post in this thread thus far and I am amazed and completely intrigued. I hope you do not mind me poping in an reading. I have learned so much and can not wait to learn more. I hope you are open to questions and or even conserns if they would pop up. Thank you.
peace and Smiles :frog: |
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QUOTE=Bit;11145]I read a marvelous book on Santa and Shamanism several years ago, Foxy. The author made a cogent case for the sacred colors, and might have mentioned fly agaric--I don't remember--but also tied Santa into the tompte and other northern beings. He also traced Santa's history as he changed, passing through the Germanic and Celtic cultures.[/QUOTE]
Good Morning Miss Bit!!! :cheerleader: I am always interested in reading other thoughts and ideas on Santa and how the traditions all started. I have found over the years that there is always an excited audience when we begin to discuss our holidays and pagan beginnings. Right now I am preparing a Winter Solstice ritual called Dreaming the Dark. I did it in 2007 and have had requests to do it again this year. There are three parts to it, drumming, aspecting and joiking. We meet for a practice and then we meet for real on Dec 21. It is a good thing that the 21st is a Monday, cause not many people have office or family plans on a Monday. I am not including those who celebrate Yule and not Christmas. Those individuals are obviously busy :dimbulb: <sometimes I catch myself thinking and I am all like.... oh bright one Foxy, briiiggghhhttt...> :huhlaugh: Now I won't have amanita muscaria for this, although they do grow where I am. I have seen them but never ingested them, I have heard they make you very sick, very sick indeed. But then ayahuasca made me very sick, and I knew that going in and it did not change my resolve to try it. Anyway I am getting off track. :byebye: |
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Daryn, HotProf}}}}}}}}}}}}} Welcome, welcome, welcome!
Daryn, I hope you might be willing to share a little about your path and the take your Tradition has on the holidays, because I've never researched that. *pretty please?* :eyebat: HotProf, darlin, you ask all the questions you like! That's what keeps a thread like this active, people having questions and concerns, yanno? And I am always happy to talk, but what I love even more is when everyone talks cuz then I learn a LOT! Quote:
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoik [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaitEJidUs0"]YouTube- Sami Joik[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzupjHuvACk&feature=related"]YouTube- Yoik'n Roll - Yoik/music[/ame] Now, my dear Foxy, tell me please... what do you mean by aspecting? *eyebrow waggle* love learning new things!! Quote:
Whoa! You are braver than I, Gunga Din.... I have sometimes wondered if the utter disruptions of the electrical system one experiences with fibromyalgia might mimic some of the altered states one achieves with drugs....certainly not ayahuasca or amanita(!!) but maybe some of the milder drugs that are used in shamanism. Quote:
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Cracking Fingers
:pcthink: ahhhh sometimes I get confused when trying to get all fancy in a message... it takes this old fox time to learn new things. Gone are the days of the simple hen house and the chicken wire fence... now we got lights and electricity and alarms and fancy whatnots....
okay unrelated to anything but I had to get that out there. Now Miss Bit you asked what is Aspecting. I learnt Aspecting from the Reclaimers in my area. And then I shamanized it :shocking: I know but true. Anyway, in this particular ritual we use cloths or bandannas or whatever the aspector is drawn to. Aspecting is akin to being a conduit. Aspecting is when the seeker makes a conscious choice to step aside and make space. It is a conscious intention to open yourself to allow this spirit (in this case the Spirit of the Dark) to cohabitate with you for awhile. We are a physical extension of spirit and moving with guidance, spiritual movement, whether that be physical, verbal or experiential – this is an interactive dance between the Spirit of the Dark and the body. We can use Ballroom dancing as an analogy in that the dance is a constant non verbal communication. The cloth is used to facilitate the entry of the spirit helper it is a physical symbol of transcendence. As the curtain parts, or the cloth comes down, one world gives way to another. We are not using masks because we are not engendering a specific form or entity. The Spirit of the Dark is an ambiguous, formless spirit. The Aspectors sit inside the circle of joikers and drummers, so a very intense place to be. It is just fascinating to watch. You can tell who is in and who is out quite easily. It takes a lot to step aside and dance with another spirit. This is not the same as possession as is practiced say by Yoruba dancers or Voodoo priestesses. This is much more subtle and gentle. Usually the aspectors are left with an amazing sense of joy, upliftment and well they are quite high. Now joiking is from the Saami people of northern Scandinavia who have a unique unaccompanied vocal style called joik. Thank you Bit for posting those videos. Joiking is chanting visions. It is an improvised style of singing that is less about actual words than melody and vocal textures. Our ancestors could joik about a hunt, a frozen stream or the birth of a baby, however what makes it unique is that there are no fixed rules and the fluid songs are not considered to be about a subject. The joik, and by extension the joiker, are said to actually become the subject. So when our voices are calling out to the Spirit of the Dark our joik returns the very response we seek. Joiking is the place betwixt and between when the singer sings the song and the song returns to sing the singer. The joik is the summoning of the unconscious or a wordless connection with the deepest archetype of song itself. In this ritual the intention of the Joikers is to sing back the sun; the aspectors are becoming the Dark and returning with messages from the 'outgoing' darkness. The drummers are situated in each corner of the room and they are the energetic backbone of the ceremony. The drums are the energy elixer for the joikers. There is often a lead joiker and drummer, keeping the singers and drummers in sacred space. It is quite easy to lose yourself as a drummer or a joiker. The reason for this is because when you joik, aspect or drum it is your inention to go off on your own. However... that being said there has to be strong singer and drummer to ensure everyone gets back okay. All three roles within the ritual are open to move between the worlds... which is all well and good, but there has to be someone available to ensure they all come back intact and without hangers-on. And there are times when it can take work to bring someone back and work to clear the space after. This is an intense ritual and is only open to people who are very familair with altered states work. We meet for a practice so that people can see what each role is like and they are welcome to change it at the time of ritual. Anyway...:canadian: Did that answer your question and then some?? I can get a bit long winded at times. |
Foxyshaman - Amanita mushrooms are pretty much all poisonous, many of them are lethally so. I personally would not mess around with fly agarics. People who want a spiritual experience would probably be better off with liberty caps which a one of the sub-species of psilocybens. None of these fungus are particularly good for a human body.
For a little info: http://www.shroomery.org/8752/What-i...cybe-mushrooms I have something of an interest in mycology though that interest is in edibles like chantrelles, morels, chicken of the forest, etc. |
I have decided I can only read this thread when I have at least an hour to spend just on it... I read something and then I want to look it up and research, and then respond with questions... and I just never seem to have the time.
This is directly related to my choice to consider myself Druid. I choose this signifier for its interpretation, even though my actual practices are such a splendid mix of all that works with me.... Druid, as I have found the interpretation, means... one that learns. I love this part of my religion. Learning what works for me, what works for others, knowing as much as I can on each thing... It makes it so difficult for me to pay as much attention as I should. BUT... after the new year I hope to see this change some. One of my yearly goals (not resolutions, because I only care that I tried, happen or not) is going to be to devote more time to my studies and my faith. That being said, even if I don't seem to post often. Please keep in mind I am here and listening. I have a tendency to wait first and speak later, wanting all of my words to be filled with wisdom and meaning. |
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Thanks for the information. I have been to that site a few times, I think it is pretty useful. I have no desire to try AM... like ever. I have however used Psilocybin mushrooms for spiritual work. I really respect the Little People and all that they have taught me over the years. In Canada it is legal to purchase the spores and grow them, but I find them tricky to grow. But hey that is what practice is all about. :turkeyday: |
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Thanks for that Jenn. I look forward to hearing about your path and what you are learning along the way. I too can be slow in responding. Then I get back to it and the conversation is three pages ago and then don't bother cause the conversation train has pulled out of my stop. |
hey, we're flexible here... think of us as a stretchy people.... grab that post and tack it on to the train with your thoughts! ;) Nothing is ever out of date in this thread. :thumbsup:
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......so, I keep falling asleep, oh my, but I so want to answer. I find myself thinking I should eat something and that would wake me up but yanno... what I want to eat is turkey and it keeps putting me to sleep, lol....
Jenn, I think Druidry is a wonderful path and I love that saying about "one that learns." I have to say though, if you are like me--and I suspect you might be--waiting until you have wisdom to share is not the way to go. Wisdom comes through the pen, so to speak; first you write, THEN you gain wisdom--for how else can Nature speak to you, unless you open your (metaphorical) mouth and let the words pour out? This was a hard lesson for me and it took me a long time to lose my self-consciousness and get comfortable writing in public, but it has been one of the most valuable lessons of my life. I have moved forward on my path every time I have been brave enough to just write, and not worry about censoring myself. It allows my thought processes to flow freely and brings new insights every time. I personally think writing is the best gift you can give yourself. Besides, if you're here asking questions, the thread stays active. :eyebat: Daryn, thank you for the shroom link! Foxy, I love love LOVED your post! That was fascinating! And I am jealous beyond words. :hrmph: I sooo want to be there! Tell us more, please? I am assuming that you are the one who keeps everyone safe and brings them home? And omg... without hangers-on. You know, I think I begin to understand what happened to this world to create this society we live in...yikes! So anyhow, it's fascinating to me the way we are all bringing our part of the spiritual world back into being, giving and borrowing back and forth from one spirituality to another. Good for you for Shamanizing things! I think this is as it should be. And yanno, I also think that the more often people join in a ritual like this one, the stronger the balance of the world gets. We've been way off balance for a long, long time, and once the priests of the main religions stopped fulfilling their true priestly functions, I think there were too few people holding the connections open between physical life and Spirit. Too much did come through that shouldn't have--and too few connected when everyone should have. As for :canadian: please continue!! I just love talking with you! Holly and Ivy Blessings! :xmascandle: |
Foxyshaman - the psilocybens in the PNW really like cow pastures which suggests that they like a lot of nitrogen rich fertilizer. And they like open spaces unlike say things that grow in forests. That's about all I can tell you about growing them. Good luck though.
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Bit,
You make this a wonderful place for learning... and you are probably right about me. I need to open my mouth, so to speak. I don't know why, but this made me think of a dream of mine, one I had (and remembered which is what makes it weird) almost two years ago now, it was so profound that I woke and immediately wrote it down. I re-read it every few months, and I am now being prompted to share it with you all. I hope through my sharing I can gain something, and I hope also that some of you may as well. ----- Dream from November 9 2007 Alison’s House I walked down a path beside a river with a cliff face on either side. As I walked I felt a clam take over. This is all so familiar, a dreamscape, my place of reflection and guidance. After a time, the cliff on the far side of the river fell away to a plateau. I saw a hawk fly above me, almost as big as an eagle. He called to me and flew low. Then it was as if I was seeing through his eyes. I flew high and looked over the landscape. Once I was two men, intimately embraced, in another area a city sprung to life. At last I saw what I was seeking. A fire with three people gathered round it. I flew lower and as I landed I changed shape becoming myself again. I walked to the fire and set down among those already there. The first was and Indian chief sitting proud and erect; his chest bare and feathers in his hair, which hung loose to his waist. Next was a solider, from his uniform and equipment and American solider from WWII. He avoided the glance of the others, and I was fatigue in his face. The last was and old Chinese medicine woman. She too was proud; and like the Indian, used to being in charge. For some time we sat in silence as other images cam into my mind: a grave yard and my sister’s grave, playing a game in the yard as a child, lowering yet another loved one into the ground. Finally I asked the chief, “Why are you here?” indicating the others as well. He replied “We each represent a piece of you.” As I again looked at each of my companions I became confused. I had similarities to the medicine woman; we both used herbs and energies to heal. But what could these other two represent in me? “I don’t understand,” was my guarded reply. “I am not a soldier, a warrior as this one.” The Indian smiled patiently. “You are strong than you thing. You weather storms that would drown many. You fight to be yourself and make choices to place yourself in great adversity to achieve your goals.” He placed a hand on my shoulder before speaking again. “The battles you fight could be easily avoided, the warrior in you must fulfill honor. You must be true to yourself in the face of others. As I once again looked at the soldier he raised his head and as our eyes met yet another mired of images flooded my head. First was the soldier on the battle field, kneeling beside a fallen comrade, assuring him things would be fine and help was on the way. Calm and in control, even through his friends dying breath. Next was a young woman, myself I realized, comforting a relative at my sister’s funeral. Controlling my own emotion until I felt others had been satisfied. I saw myself grow older as other battles in my life were played out beside me. When I returned to the fire I looked at the chief, unable to speak. He nodded in understanding. “The woman is next. To her people she is invaluable. She is able to see the signs of sickness and relieve the pain of others. You also were given this gift. Not only to use plants as medicine, but to feel pain and remove it. The pain you have felt in your own life serves to heighten these senses, without it you would lack the understanding of the energies you see in others; not to mention the desire to remove from others that which you have suffered.” In the old woman I saw many things. But, mostly I was reminded of the joy and awe I fee as I use my abilities to help another. This time it was I who nodded in understanding and I to speak. “But what of you? I am not a leader of masses; I was not born to a position of honor as you were.” At this question he laughed, his head falling back and a great full sound filling the air. “It is true that the position I was born to was clear for all to see. I was a leader to my people and they knew to whom they could turn. I bore my burden of responsibility publicly. You are not so lucky, Little One. You are to be a leader, but quietly. Waiting as I did for a people to come to you for guidance and in return being guided yourself, the spirits putting those in need with in your path. But I represent more than that in you. I am also hear to guide you, as I was guided. Your spirit is close to the land. The animals and plants whisper to you. Listen to them. For to long you have ignored the call. Time grows short. Move quickly to ready yourself once more. You must go.” At once I awoke, lying beside my lover; the light entering the room a gentle embrace. Still I was shaken. |
WOW. Jenn, profound is hardly the word for it!
My impression is that you were being shown past lives, and how your personality and roles in life have continued through the many turnings of the Wheel. Thank you for the compliment about the thread. This, I think, is the key to Empaths. "........You also were given this gift. Not only to use plants as medicine, but to feel pain and remove it. The pain you have felt in your own life serves to heighten these senses, without it you would lack the understanding of the energies you see in others; not to mention the desire to remove from others that which you have suffered.” Maybe this is part of the reason so many Empaths have fibromyalgia and other chronic pain illnesses? I have to say that every misstep, every mistake, every broken dream and shattered heart I have endured along the way have been like grist to the mill; they have all played into my healing abilities in one way or another. Everything I have endured, when I recognize it in another, I am driven to ease it, to ease their pain.... Thank you for being brave enough to share your dream with us. Thank you for the validation of the insight about pain and why we-who-are-healers experience so much of it. It's one thing to notice a correlation, and another to find confirmation! That's a gift--thanks. :stillheart: |
I actually thought of a question today, one that I have always been curious about. Meditation is such a big part of so many aspects of our work, and I have heard a different different ways to do it. I am curious, if you are willing to share, about your own personal forms of meditation. What types of breathing exercises help you, your visualization methods...
For me, I tend to dream-scape... I guess that's the best way to put it. When I sit down to meditate and reflect, I sit comfortably and begin to just breath deeply and regularly focusing on the beat of my heart and the rhythm of my breath, before too long I am two places at once. I am still sitting there relaxed and breathing, but I am also walking down the path from my dream. Its always the same one, the same place, only the things I see as I walk every change. This process for me has always seemed so vastly different from the others I have encountered so I am curious to hear about other experiences... to learn what others see and do, so I can understand it better. |
Sounds like the beginning of a guided visualization to me, Jenn; seems like a really great way to do it!
I'll be back to post more tomorrow; tis time to :beddybye: now. :byebye: |
Hail and Good Morning Fellow Planeteers!!!
JustLovelyJenn I like your question. I like :praying: and drumming and singing and journeying and meditating... preferably not all at the same time tho'. Okay no semi seriously... I use the drum and other instruments to alter my conscious state for trance work or altered states work. I specifically like the drum for trance work as I find it quite easy to enter the state and stay in it. I also like the didjeridoo for trance work as well. The sound of it allows me the opportunity, much like the drum does, to drop into the Theta state and into the liminal state. The rattle is also, for me a very effective tool for trance work, especially if I am doing trance postures. I also use the rattle and drum in healing work. The vibrations help the body to release whatever is stuck on or in the body. I also enjoy guided meditations, I find that they allow me to access both the language and imagination parts of my brain. I also lead guided meditations which I love to do cause it is just as much a mystery to me where I am taking the room as it is to the room where they are going... <hmmm does that even make sense??> I have tried various times quiet meditation, but I have to admit that I can be lazy and let me mind wander. So, I use tools to get me to the places I want to go. You mention in your post that are always in the same place but that things change. In journey work I use the same starting place, I refer to it as my anchor. From there I travel to what is commonly referred to as the three worlds, upper lower and middle. The three worlds is a common motif in shamanic practice. From my anchor then either spirit takes me to a particular place, or I have a specific task which requires me to go to a specific land to travel through. Anyway... I am about to get wwwaaayyy technical, far more than your question asked for and I am afraid I will show my :nerd: colors. I would be most interested in hearing others experiences too. :waitinggirl: ((((Bit))))) just sending you :bucktooth: :gimmehug: |
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I'm a little distracted right now *sheepish look* and I owe y'all a post for sure! But I also have to go to the post office... maybe I can put that off a couple days.... I need to mail cards overseas and my local store doesn't have that kind of postage stamps; I actually have to brave the post office during December... yikes! :bolt: Well, lol, actually, it's yikes and stand still, waiting in line for half an hour! :shocking: And that reminds me, postage to Canada.... ah google how I love thee! I'll have to post that in the card exchange thread if someone hasn't gotten there first. So if y'all here in this thread would like to get on our Solstice Card list, PM me your addy! I have cards and I can afford stamps! :cheesy: |
Am I bad? Oh yes, I am bad... didn't go to the post office, and didn't make it back in here either. :vigil: Thanks for leaving the light on for me. :sheepish look:
Meditation techniques... I've tried so many---and failed so many. Sheesh. I am a DISMAL DISMAL failure at "emptying" my mind. I can hold a visualization for a while if it's complicated enough to be interesting, but contemplating nothing? SHEESH before you know it there'll be a laundry list of stuff to do scrolling through my head... or I'll be off on some fantasy or other. Many years ago I learned what used to be called Silva Mind Control. It is a wholly benign magical system (shhhh! don't tell THEM, they think it's not magic!) that teaches guided meditations and strong visualizations, and everything is based on achieving specific brain wave patterns. Now two caveats--if you click the link, Jack Canfield will shout at you :shocking:--you might wanna scroll down and turn his volume off--and the Method is Christian-based. I had forgotten about that because it didn't used to emphasize it, and also because I was a Christian when I was first introduced to it, so I wouldn't have noticed. Anyhow, obligatory disclaimers aside, Silva Mind Control taught me relaxation techniques and creative visualization; I still use the countdown to get down to the Alpha Level and I still walk out of the base level onto a wooded path that leads to one of my sacred spaces. So when I absolutely cannot get calm and centered, I close my eyes, take three deep slow breaths, and start counting from ten to one very slowly with my breathing. I've just re-read your post again Jenn, and it occurs to me that maybe I'm not answering your real question... is your question how do I meditate? Or is it how do I work? Because they aren't the same for me unless I'm desperate to get grounded. Normally, I get grounded either by pushing my energy down into the earth--and I may do that frequently during the course of any day--or by touching Gryph, because he and I ground each other naturally. How I work is different. I send energy--in the same sort of way that I push my own energy around, lol--anyhow, I send energy into the Universe or to another person. If someone needs healing, comfort, love, I send it to them using the same "push" feeling or sometimes (if they're farther away) a "throw" feeling. If I'm praying, I send the energy to Goddess or God or to the Universe. There are lots of other ways to work, but this is the way I work right now. |
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I have come to understand it doesn't matter what you perceive the Great One is God/gods, Goddess/goddesses, Great Spirit, Higher Power, Universal Power, etc... What is important is how is grows you a person, how it urges you to care about yourself and others, and whether or not these actions increase goodness or diminish it. I do not prescribe to my Great One vs your Great One but rather the combination of each equals Greatness. 'All for One and One for All' has taken on a whole new meaning! |
Hi FriskyFemme, welcome to Pagan! Thank you for sharing your beliefs with us!
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DARK GODDESS
By Amanda A. Leonard Black Candles ,Heavy Incense. Black dress for a mourning rite. Dark... ....So dark before Dawn. The Bones of Many Snap Beneath my Feet The sweet smoky essence of Death Surrounds my head like an adorning crown. Inhale deeply..... Fragrance so alluringly pungent it sickens me I embrace it. I am one with all . I am both Creator and Destroyer Beginning End Beginning again. Like the circle unending I face my shadow, my dark reflection. I absorb all the power it offers. With acceptance,reverence,and anticipation , I allow the melding of spirits to transpire. Dark and Powerful . My immunity to false realities created claiming hope for things achieved at the end of this pointless game. Lies and deception. Vision is reality my quest is mine alone. My rules, are the rules I myself have chosen. My fears Are only the fears I have decided to entertain In this space of transition The light and dark are neither. Only what I may accept that they may be. For I will not limit my power. Slavery I will accept no ones rules but my own. For the rules are mine alone. For this is my game and always has been since the Beginning The end The Beginning I AM DARK GODDESS Just felt like sharing a little..... |
I am A Witch
by Amanda Leonard First of all I proudly claim my identity as a Witch with no hesitation. It is who I am , one of the most powerful parts of who I am. It is the Goddess in me. It is the healer and the teacher, It is the old wise womyn and the young beautiful maiden. It is the nurturing Mother, A protector and a fighter. It is my vision, my quest, my path, and my purpose. It is my highest fulfillment. I am a Proud Witch. Not only am I proud witch, but also a proud Womon, I am a proud, determined, strong and passionate Lesbian Witch, A womon who loves womyn. A womon that appreciates the beauty she sees in all womyn, Yes I am a fearless, in your face, loud, proud, lesbian witch In a man's world. I am also a psychic , I have been since I was young. I would have dreams of being a witch........ along ago in a far away place. I could distantly recall the shelves in my cottage filled with herbal tinctures and majikal concoctions I could so easily imagine the sensation of the cool dirt floors on my feet The aroma of lavendar and sage could send me into a day dream of my garden boxes Of herbs, and the soaps, and salves I would make from them. I could sense my closeness to all living things and I swear mother earth would call out to me and I would often crave the feel of digging with bare hands deep into her cool moist soil. For reasons I couldnt explain my mind held information about majik and things which I had never studied I knew majikal chants from off the top of my head.... and I would hum tunes I knew well but couldnt recall why that was. I sometimes before I would fall asleep for the night, the strangely familiar celtic melodies of an ancient past would set the stage for a regression to a lifetime once lived. Yes I am a Womon, a Proud Witch and I have lived that life many times. For reasons I am constantly reminded of, I have once again chosen this life as a Womon, a Witch, a Healer, a Teacher a Mother and a Child, a Sister and a Friend, a Protector and a Spellcaster, a Conjurer and a Hexer, a Reader and a Psychic, a Medium and a Channel, an Energy mover and a Shapeshifter, a Shaman and a Sage, an Exorcist and a Creator A Priestess and a Goddess. It is My rite to claim this to be so. It is my wish to use my power to the highest good of all. It is my vow to harm none which are innocent. It is My desire to excell in all aspects of Majik and the craft and to never end my study of majik and manifestation. It is my destiny to live and die in this life as a Witch And maybe the next ... and the next.... and the next..... I am a proud Witch. My strength Lies within this fact. |
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