Pagan

[*Magic_and_Silk*]

Hi Bit...and everyone!

[Bit]

{{{{{{{{{{{{Magic}}}}}}}}}}}}} How are you today, darlin?

I'm looking forward to a new-to-me experience; we should be able to go on Friday evening to a local New Moon Circle. It seems to be a presentation rather than a ritual, a talk on Litha. It starts with a potluck, so no stress on getting dinner out of the way first, yanno? I like that.

[*Magic_and_Silk*]

Originally Posted by Bit

{{{{{{{{{{{{Magic}}}}}}}}}}}}} How are you today, darlin?

I'm looking forward to a new-to-me experience; we should be able to go on Friday evening to a local New Moon Circle. It seems to be a presentation rather than a ritual, a talk on Litha. It starts with a potluck, so no stress on getting dinner out of the way first, yanno? I like that.

Hey, Bit....I am doing better. I am going for another inversion treatment this evening. A friend of mine is a massage therapist and very good at what she does. She is Druid...Pagan. So, the energy is way good!

I hope you have a GREAT time this weekend. How very fortunate you are.

Goddess bless, my friend!

[Bit]

Goddess bless you too, honey, and your massage therapist! It's a wonderful thing to find someone who understands energy work on that level!

[*Magic_and_Silk*]

Originally Posted by Bit

Goddess bless you too, honey, and your massage therapist! It's a wonderful thing to find someone who understands energy work on that level!

You're tellin' ME!!!!

[Bit]

Yanno, one of the most inconvenient things about being disabled is the choices it forces you to make. New Moon Circles come once a month, Pride comes once a year... and my body is making it plain today that I cannot do both in one weekend. *sigh* So, no community time for me tonight. Maybe next month.

[Massive]

Originally Posted by Bit

Hi Licious, welcome! That's why we're here, to give each other a community. I suspect a lot of us have experienced what you do, and some of us are still that isolated. Threads like this one have been my haven from a harsh world for a long time.

Massive and LadyBlue, thanks for the info about Stonehenge and Woodhenge!

Hello to Nat, oblivia, softness, Magic, Foxy Shaman, and everyone else!!

You're welcome Bit, There's more information I know about Woodhenge, but I'm rather heavily medicated now due to reinjuring My back and details are somewhat lacking.

[Bit]

Massive, may your back heal quickly and easily and may it stay strong! Blessings!

[foxyshaman]

Hello everyone!!

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Sunshine}}}}}}}}}}}} I am sorry your body rebelled and you were unable to attend the new moon ceremony. I was looking forward to reading how it went. Did you get to Pride? I missed the parade, I got caught up in stuff that was so not on my schedule. I really wanted to go. We are going to the pride film festival this week, well all two evenings of it. There are some other events going on, but I am not sure how much we are going to be able to attend.

Nice to read what everyone is doing. Massive I have never heard of Woodhenge, fascinating stuff.

Nat that is a beautiful mirror. Very ornate. I like stuff like that, it reminds me of Art Nouveau, such beautiful detail.

I have finished my transition and now I am not quite sure what is on the horizon, but I am sure it will be just as delicious as holding circles for years. We finished with a terrific Whoop Up Trance Dance... very cool way to end an era. But holy moly the energy released was intense. I was sooooo tired for the next week. I kept promising my body I could sleep on Saturday night and to just hold on... I slept 13 hours and got up at 1pm on Sunday... I felt like I had finally come home to myself. I had a great sleep and had lots of renewed energy.

My GF and I are writing a workshop on Sacred Sexuality. We were supposed to present a short version of it at a Co-ed spiritual retreat weekend, but I got word this morning that it was cancelled due to low registrations. Bummer, we really wanted to short run a workshop. We are still going to develop it, and then present a short day version this summer. We have enough couples to run it. We are most interested in running it for the LGBTQ community as there IS NOT ONE sacred sexuality workshop for us anywhere in central Canada. Well none we have found anyway. There are tantra weekends in Vancouver and Toronto, but none geared towards us. We had to fly to Calif. to find lesbian workshops. Stupid eh!!! Good thing I have that Mohammed mentality.

What is everyone doing for Litha? Ceremonies? Quiet evening? Long night of passion?? Anything????

[Bit]

{{{{{{{{{{{{Foxy}}}}}}}}}}}} wooohooo!! Been waiting for you to come back!

Glad you've managed the transition with a wild and wonderful ending, and that you have lots of energy for your new beginning now! I think life has lots of cool stuff in store for you, darlin.

That workshop sounds amazing and wonderful.

Pride was lots of fun--after a while the freedom to be ourselves even made Gryph a little giggly; being kissed by a giggling Butch is a little strange, lol--but I sure am tired today. The chairman of the Pride Committee has asked us to work more closely with the committee this coming year, as we have a yahoo list and they're looking for more queer female input. I'm looking forward to that.

I skipped the Parade as I was staffing our table (and then later eating lunch), but the festival was lovely. The estimate so far is that we had 2000 people; it's bigger every year! Not bad for the buckle of the Bible belt.

Litha plans... nope, not so far... Gryph and I usually notice it but don't celebrate it. That may be different this year, as we have new friends who are Pagan. We're thinking about suggesting a picnic Monday evening. Their kids like to play with the fireflies in our yard and I'm hoping there will still be lots next week. Right now we are the major producer of fireflies on our block, but we have to mow the lawn tomorrow and fireflies very much prefer grass that is longer.

How about you? Do you have Litha plans?

So glad to see you posting again,
Sunshine

[foxyshaman]

Heya Sunshine!!!!!!!!

I think life does have lots of cool things in store for me. And I am just window shopping. I am trying to find the time to write and it is not that easy. There are always others things to do and then I can't seem to have a quiet week, always booking something. But summer is a busy time and who wants to work inside when it is nice outside.... especially when you get 10 months of crap weather... a girl needs a little sun ... especially when white enough to be a reflector!!!

The Pride Committee... you go girl!! And a giggly butch... that made me smile. And kisses...in public... say it isn't so...so the shy guy gryph came outt his shell a bit then!! Nice!!!!

For Litha there is a new group that is focused on world peace and well other fun lofty ideals as such. So I am taking my drum out to the main square downtown to play with some others. And then we are all wearing white T-shirts carrying balloons in front of us with inspiring words... I am not sure what the word on my balloon will say, but I am excited to cause some people to think and perhaps pick up a balloon and get excited. Sometimes I get depressed when all I hear is that the people around me are buying the basement bargain priced fear that corporate canada is selling. I am not niave and understand that we are at, if not past, the tipping point. I get that things are HORRIBLE... but if we do not accept that we are the dreamers and the dream we will not change. I refuse to dream a mass death for my human world. I choose to dream a world with hope. I am a dreamer and I am consciously dreaming my life better. I am dreaming that the people around me are going to get hope and that together we will refuse the bargain basement priced fear and dream a new paradigm. That is my dream for Litha. In the evening not sure I am conflicted... I could go to the pool and hot tub with some friends I don't get to spend nearly enough time with, or I could go to the park and continue with a public ritual. I am torn.

Next weekend we are heading to Southern Alberta to attend a Sun Dance in the Blackfoot Nation. I have never been to a Sundance, so it should be interesting. I suspect it will be very moving and powerful. I will be attending daily sweats and will be drumming inside. That should be a spiritual experience. I have been to sweats but never been able to bring my drums inside. Then on the way back home we are stopping at the a HUGE medicine wheel to leave offerings and get some energetic infusion. I will be back there in August with a group from the Depossession workshop. So, at least I will have an idea of how to get there and what to expect.

I have directions to another wheel just 340 KM away from me. That will be a nice Saturday . And won't take long... I am such a speed demon...



Do you or anyone else on this list use drums or rattles for healing work?

[Bit]

{{{{{{{{{{{{{Foxy}}}}}}}}}}}}} I keep thinking I'm gonna answer just as soon as I get a little energy... sheesh, that just ain't happenin' anytime soon! sheesh! sheesh!

I'm whupped...

I guess for Litha we're closing the back third of the house off again. Not exactly how I thought we'd be celebrating! But it means we can actually make it through summer's heat and humidity without getting heatstroke inside the house.

Our friend's car broke down; she talked about bringing the kids over on the bus to have dinner together and then walking home, but there's a heat advisory out for Monday and Tuesday is predicted to be even worse, so a two-mile walk home just cannot be a good idea, not even at night.

Truth be known, I'm relieved, because it was way harder than I expected to move the furniture and stuff in order to get the computers back out here in the dining room again, and I did walk to the store and back to get the groceries--my ice packs and the thermal bag didn't really keep the frozen stuff frozen because it's so hot right now, yikes! I really am worn out, as much from the heat as from anything, and will need a day to recuperate.

The good thing is that I FINALLY found the paperwork on the plumbing repairs we had done in October, so now I can call the city and tell them the work didn't hold. This is a terrible time of year to be without a shower, yanno? And our outdoor faucets turn inside the wall when we try to turn them on! That cannot be good for pipes!

So, there ya have our Litha plans, organizing and rearranging. Hope yours is rather more celebratory! lol! That new group sounds GREAT!

Originally Posted by that Foxy One

The Pride Committee... you go girl!! And a giggly butch... that made me smile. And kisses...in public... say it isn't so...so the shy guy gryph came outt his shell a bit then!! Nice!!!!

Oh I think that's backwards the Butch got giggly because *I* was all kissy in public. He's always been much more uninhibited than I am.

Your time at the Sundance will more than likely be spectacular... but can drumheads handle the kind of intense steamy heat inside a sweat? I don't know what kind of drums you use. Gryph says it takes a while for the steam to affect rawhide drumheads, but you'll be there a while and then back again, day after day.... okay, I'm probably the only one who would worry about such things, lol... grew up in a family of musicians.

The Medicine Wheels sound wonderful!

I'll answer your question in a separate post; it deserves its own space.

Blessings!
Sunshine

[Bit]

Originally Posted by foxyshaman

Do you or anyone else on this list use drums or rattles for healing work?

Gryph does sometimes. I'd like to learn.

I've always been pretty self-conscious about using tools or props--except candles and incense; I grew up with them--and I find myself really hesitant to just pick something up and start using it.

I confess though, every once in a while I pick up my wand, hold it up into the air, and exclaim "Wand powers actiVAAAAATE!!!" Hey, I wouldn't mind being a superhero. *eyebrow waggle*

Anyhow, I drummed a little bit at Beltane when they were dancing the Maypole and was shocked both that I was able to drum and also how little I was able to do. Go figure, eh? Guess I could use a LOT of practice.

[Nat]

Happy Litha

I have been sick all day, but I did wake up a bit ago and have a tiny fire in a bowl on my porch to which I added the nine herbs. Also, a piece of my Yule log which happens to be shaped like a sort of creature has been on the front porch since Yule. I went ahead and made a place for him in my room, because I just really thought he should be indoors. I have grown attached to him, and knowing that his existence is half-over (since he will go into the Yule fire) is the clearest marker I have of midsummer.

I have been thinking a lot about shakespeare's midsummer night's dream - Titania and Oberon. I think it's kinda neat to have a representation of the world of faerie from Shakespeare. Maybe I will rent the movie tonight.

I am glad the days are waning - I think I am better friends with the holly king than the oak king - or rather perhaps, I am better friends with the night than the day.

[foxyshaman]

Originally Posted by Bit

Gryph does sometimes. I'd like to learn.

I've always been pretty self-conscious about using tools or props--except candles and incense; I grew up with them--and I find myself really hesitant to just pick something up and start using it.

I confess though, every once in a while I pick up my wand, hold it up into the air, and exclaim "Wand powers actiVAAAAATE!!!" Hey, I wouldn't mind being a superhero. *eyebrow waggle*

Anyhow, I drummed a little bit at Beltane when they were dancing the Maypole and was shocked both that I was able to drum and also how little I was able to do. Go figure, eh? Guess I could use a LOT of practice.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Sunshine}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} a heat warning!!! okay we never get those. We get cold warnings and blizzard warnings, but nope no heat warnings. And I can't honestly say I am sorry about that!!! I can't even imagine that. We had floods in southern Alberta this weekend that have wiped out roads, entire crops, cattle herds and lots of farms. And yet in Northern Alberta where we were camping it was quite warm and no rain at all.

I did get it all wrong... you are the shy one!!! Well happy to hear you lost some of it and enjoyed each other. We went camping this weekend with some friends and family of friends and I think my girl and I were the first lesbian couple this woman had ever met. Then we were on the beach and I asked her what she was reading and then she asked me and I said Lesbian Short Stories... but she handled it really well (insert smirky smart ass grin)!!!

can be hard work. It really does take time to build up the small muscles in the arms to beat the drum and hold it. Drumming for a fifteen minute journey always takes newbies by surprise. There are some that can't do it. So, you are not an anomaly rather you are the norm!!!! Nice to know you can fit into normal once and awhile!!

The sundance should be interesting. I will write more on it when I get back. I have several drums and some I would not take into a sweat they are made of goat hide. I have a cow hide drum that is exceptionally thick and takes a long time to change tone and lose its tightness. I have never taken a drum into a sweat either, so it is a learning experience for me too. I am looking forward to the experience. Now this is my totally human voice... god I hope it does not rain lots. I hope it is not too hot, cause that will be just tense for the warrior dancers. They start water and food fasting Wednesday. I think it will be a complete honor to share my energy and support them in their dance.

{{{Nat}}} sorry to hear you are sick. Nice to hear that you moved stuff about in honor of the Day. I like the Litha signature you have on there.

I am off to drum and walk around with a peace balloon. Wish me luck. I hope I get some people to smile and maybe even one to think to dream of a different chapter to our human story. We need new myths... but that is a totally different post!!!

[oblivia]

Just wanted to pop in here to wish you all a very Blessed Solstice!!!

[Bit]

Solstice Blessings!! {{{{{{{{{{{{Nat, Oblivia, Foxy}}}}}}}}}}}}}

This Solstice, the oil spills are heavy on my mind. Foxy's mentioned dreaming new dreams (YES! write that post, please?) and we certainly need them. I think we also need to recognize that any of us who are tuned into the Earth are going to be feeling the oil spills (two in the Gulf; one in Alaska; there's a new one in Egypt today; Nigeria is awash--who knows how many don't make the news?) in our hearts, minds and bodies. Have you noticed when you're sick, really sick, how hard it is to control your moods, how depressed you might get, even how hopeless?

I think the current of hopeless despair that is poisoning so many of us right now is the exact same current of oil that is poisoning the oceans, like an infection gone out of control.

You, dear FoxyShaman, have the antibiotic. Spread hope! Dream it, drum it, believe it into reality! We WILL start using clean energy sources, we WILL stop drilling and spilling. Drum it into reality, oh Shaman. Bring it into the Now.

I hold the hope and the dream with you!

May the earth survive and prosper! So mote it be!

[Bit]

Originally Posted by Nat

I am glad the days are waning - I think I am better friends with the holly king than the oak king - or rather perhaps, I am better friends with the night than the day.

{{{{{{{{{{{{Nat}}}}}}}}}}}} I'm sorry you're sick hon, but so glad you had your ritual anyway! Good for you!

May your small creature comfort you through the waning of the year and may you be blessed when he comes to Yule!

You know something, the part of your post that I quoted above really spoke to me. I also am better friends with the night than the day. I think it's because everything quiets down so much--the background roar mostly goes to sleep and I can finally have peace, blessed peace.

Snowfall does the same thing. Something about snow hugely dampens psychic vibes. I don't know whether it's some kind of forcefield effect or whether people naturally respond to snow but turning their thoughts inward, but either way, the background roar cuts off entirely during snowstorms. If there were a way to afford the heating bills and to grow food, I would be happy for a world of constant snow!

[Bit]

PS, lol....didn't answer the rest of your post!

Originally Posted by foxyshaman

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Sunshine}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} a heat warning!!! okay we never get those. We get cold warnings and blizzard warnings, but nope no heat warnings. And I can't honestly say I am sorry about that!!! I can't even imagine that. We had floods in southern Alberta this weekend that have wiped out roads, entire crops, cattle herds and lots of farms. And yet in Northern Alberta where we were camping it was quite warm and no rain at all.

{{{{{{{{{{{{Foxy}}}}}}}}}}}}} Oh hon, I had to get used to blizzard warnings when I moved here, but heat advisories have always been part of my life because I grew up in the desert. What astounds me here in Wichita is that they issue the heat advisories and warnings when the heat index goes above 100 degrees F (38 C)... heck, they didn't issue them in Phoenix unless the actual temperature itself went over 115 (46 C)!!

I still think it's crazy for anyone to live where it gets that hot... and even crazier for people to just blindly accept it, as if that kind of climate were not completely made by humans! If the trees had been left in place rather than burned to smelt copper, gold, and silver, if the rivers had not been dammed, if the land had not been bulldozed for the convenience of cattle ranchers, Arizona would be covered in forests and marshlands to this day. Forests and marshlands don't get to 122 degrees day after day in the summer, nor do they build up such intense heat that the rain routinely goes around them. It's trees that call the rain down to earth; scientists haven't thought of that yet, so they haven't studied it--but I have lived where there are trees and where there are not. I have seen what happens when old growth forest calls the rain. I have seen what happens when city trees call the rain. I have seen what happens when there is no water near enough to bring that rain.

We have done this to ourselves. I don't understand why no one seems to understand that. We have done this to ourselves.

Originally Posted by foxyshaman

can be hard work. It really does take time to build up the small muscles in the arms to beat the drum and hold it. Drumming for a fifteen minute journey always takes newbies by surprise. There are some that can't do it. So, you are not an anomaly rather you are the norm!!!! Nice to know you can fit into normal once and awhile!!

Ah well, what surprised me about being able to drum is that my carpal tunnel syndrome is pretty badly flared up. I have no speed or finesse at all, am only good for a simple bass beat at this point--but that's more than I expected to be able to do. I doubt I could go fifteen minutes at a time though!

Originally Posted by foxyshaman

The sundance should be interesting. I will write more on it when I get back. I have several drums and some I would not take into a sweat they are made of goat hide. I have a cow hide drum that is exceptionally thick and takes a long time to change tone and lose its tightness. I have never taken a drum into a sweat either, so it is a learning experience for me too. I am looking forward to the experience. Now this is my totally human voice... god I hope it does not rain lots. I hope it is not too hot, cause that will be just tense for the warrior dancers. They start water and food fasting Wednesday. I think it will be a complete honor to share my energy and support them in their dance.

The cowhide drum sounds like the one I would try, for sure! And hey to that human voice, I share those concerns. I had no idea the dancers don't drink water and the medically aware part of me is screaming inside about that.... but I know it's a spiritual thing and that they should be okay. I'm looking forward to reading about your experiences, whatever you can share.

Blessings!
Sunshine

[foxyshaman]

{{{{{{{{{{Sunshine}}}}}}}}}

I am glad I do not live in a dessert zone. We do get 100 degrees here, and even sometimes hotter. But not often and certainly not for many days in a row. Thankfully!!! I am not antiheat, but sometimes the house just gets too hot to do anything...

Drumming with carpal tunnel can't be fun. I used to get bursitis in my shoulder that held the drum and oooyyy vvveeeyyyyy that hurt. Then I had this journey where I was practicing fighting with a sword.... cause really every shaman has to know how to weild a sword cause you never know what is coming your way... and I am only 1/2 joking. Anyway.... the spirit I was sparring with sliced the shoulder with bursitis. In the journey I looked down saw the flap of skin where my shoulder was, flipped it back up, tapped on it (futile in hope that it would stay that way... I just needed a good sewing kit) and kept on fighting. Not without pain the Spirit World, but not enough to yell "uncle"!!! Well when I got out of the journey the arm I could not lift higher than my breasts because of the bursitis had 0 pain... nada... and it never came back...

Now I did re-injure it while holding onto the head board... but that is a WHOLE OTHER story (insert rascally grin)...

We do need to Dream. We do need to accept that we are POWER-FULL and stop buying the package of powerlessness that we are sold by the sandman of our generation. WAKE UP our spiritual powers and reconnect with the POWERS that are and be. We have all tapped into the Dreaming. How many of us have manifested what we needed. Sunshine I know this has happened for you, I have read that in your posts. And I know that whoever reads this will be nodding their head because they too have manifested. That is the Dream Stream... if we can dream it...

It is difficult to create a space ~ or find a language where others will see this as well, or know it anyway. During the Peace March... which I quite loved... there were a lot of "WTF" looks and some unkind words spoken, but most people watched this silent parade for peace dumbstruck. Argh... it just gets the Aries in me all Fired Up. And then the Pisces in me just wants us all to get together and create a beautiful world. Good thing I accept my split personality!!! The other thing which I found surprising, well I always find this surprising, is that besides the people who came with me, all the participants were young, many much younger than my 44 years. I am always perplexed by that. I have been an activist for many years and my peers just keep getting younger. That is a tangent and not really relevant to this post, but what the hell!!!

Story of dreaming... I did a journey where the Spirit of the Wheel showed me how to build a Medicine Wheel for healing a specific problem one of my patients had. Well I was short three stones and they had to be fist sized. When I realized this I just simply said out loud "okay I am all here to build it and you said I had enough stones. Where are my three stones?" I went about my business and thought I would find the stones I needed next time I was out walking or something. That night I put the kids to bed and I was walking past my daughters door and in the corner between her doorway and my doorway were... yup you guessed it... three fist sized stones. So, if dreaming and open honest communication did not work I would not have those stones. It is one of my favorite stories for the simple reason that you can't make up stones. They are either solidly there, or they are not. And they were solidly there!! LOL.

Are there gatherings in anyone's areas for spiritual leaders/practioners for the oil spill? There is another gathering of the practioners in my area for spiritual relief for the Diva of the water. And the Divas of the animals. I journeyed the other night I saw Mother writhing in pain. The Spirit of Oil was PISSED. The council I meet with simply said this is a human issue and you need to deal with it. It is overwhelming... and the # of spills that occur each year... I had no idea until i started doing some research into this.

Shamanically I am doing all I can do. I try to get people excited or at least driven to do something to change. When I journey I just keep getting the message to keep the prayers coming. Keep the Reiki coming (I don't do Reiki so this must be a message for others). I am doing journey work to the mechanism for the pipes and the systems that have failed. I am just at a heart broken loss as to how to make a tangible difference. I know that spirit work is rarely tangible, but this is a tangible devastating issue.

What are others doing? Anyone want to share prayers or ceremonies that I can pass onto others?