Living Pagan (original) (raw)
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 livingpagan |
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April 15th, 2008
(no subject) @ 10:46 pm
Hey all.
I am Sayf, and I am currently the admin of a forum called Semiotic. Whilst I am not a Pagan [am a Muslim] I am trying to get some religious diversity to Semiotic. ^_^
So please do check us out.
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Semiotic
~Sayf.
January 24th, 2008
reader? @ 05:08 pm
anyboyd know a good reader in the los angeles area?
July 10th, 2007
formularies for hoodoo condition oils? @ 11:24 am
when i first began practicing i bought premixed oils but now am making my own. however, i am struggling to find good recipes for condition oils. any suggestions? ive heard carlos montenegro is a good author. i have cat yronwode's green book of herbs... to create my own formulas but i do want to get a hold of some well known recipes for condition oils.
in the same vein does anyone have any good recipes for "fire of love" and "stay with me"?
February 3rd, 2007
Question About House Spirits @ 02:51 pm
Current Mood: 
curious
Current Music: Top of the City (Kate Bush)
I have a question concerning house spirits and the honoring of them. I’ve read some different views on house spirits and what they are. Some say that there are hobs and brownies and such who take up residence and help the family out with chores and such. Others believe in the house itself having a spirit. I believe in both, and from what I’ve read, both need to be honored. I’m curious about how others go about this. Do you leave food in a dish for a period of time, do you have a house altar, or do you simply talk to your home? Or do you do something else entirely, or nothing at all? Also, do you feel that your house has one specific center, or heart, or does this center change according to the seasons?
Thanks!
January 6th, 2007
On Keeping Sacred/Special Items Away From Electronic Devices @ 11:23 am
Current Mood: curious
Current Music: Doctor Jeep (The Sisters of Mercy)
This may seem enormously silly, but I'm going to put it out there anyway--I make it a point to avoid placing my reading cards, special stones, and other witchy/pagan paraphernalia near my television and computer. I feel that the type of energy which emanates from both could be detrimental to the energy in my special items, and so I like to keep them separate. So I guess my question is, does anyone else do this? I realize some of it may be psychological, but I'm wondering if there is in fact some basis for this other than my intuition. I'm just wondering what others think, and if you do the same thing or not.
(Crossposted)
December 25th, 2006
Gift of the Moon @ 08:02 pm
Current Mood: 
happy
I just want to share the wonderful piece of jewelry my husband presented me with as a gift. It’s a sterling silver crescent, inset with black onyx. Very lovely, and very appropriate for me, since I love the moon. I live in the Northern Hemisphere, so the crescent could be viewed as waning gibbous moon (because the black onyx forms the dark crescent shape at the edge of the moon from that time), or a waxing crescent moon (if you assume the onyx is in place of the moonlight within that time frame). Onyx apparently is good for grounding, and absorbing the negativity of others. It’s also been listed as being good for letting go of the old.
I am reminded of the crone aspect, not only because of the black color, but also because of the possibility of associating it with the gibbous waning moon, and the aspects of onyx which help with grounding and moving beyond the past. I have been actively moving out a lot of things which remind me of unhappier times in my past, and other things which I no longer have any use for. I also have always personally felt more in tune with the crone aspect than the maiden aspect.
For me, this necklace is a symbol of my connection with the divine, and the natural energies of nature. Here are a couple of links which show the same necklace:
http://www.lythastudios.com/beads/moon/pics/st59.jpg
https://www.paganshopping.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/JMBO.jpg
Neither picture does it justice, but you get the idea. My spouse bought it at a local shop that is very pagan friendly. We’re lucky to have that particular shop in town since the proprietor is willing to special order oils and herbs and books. This allows people who wish to remain in the closet to do so with some discretion.
So, just wanted to share because I'm so happy with it! :)
Crossposted to queerpagan
November 27th, 2006
Hi all @ 11:55 am
Just stumbled into and joined this community this morning. I'm a solitary practictioner, with an interest in witchcraft. I'm not Wiccan, though some of the Wiccan beliefs are similar/the same as some of my own beliefs. For me, magick is more than just spellwork, and my paganism is something that has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. I believe that witchcraft is actively working with energy, including the energy of nature and the elements, the cycles and seasons.
Anyway, I just wanted to say "Hi!".
:)
October 13th, 2006
(no subject) @ 03:58 pm
My roommate and I want to do a ritual this weekend, but we don't know what to do. I need the practice and she does some REALLY good ones. It is usually just her, my hubby and myself. Sometimes her son get involved and some of the boys we babysit but mainly just us three...lol and sometimes just my roommate and I cuz the hubby has fallen asleep...LOL (((love ya hubby)))
We were going to do a name ritual but her and I don't know what our names want to be. I have a good idea but I think I still need time to think of it. So that is a no go. As of right now we just want to do something. Last weekend we did a full moon ritual, which was really cool and spiritual. If anyone has any good ideas shoot me a comment! We also have smudged the house and did a drum circle within the last 3 weeks or so.
Thanks & Love
~Boo
September 2nd, 2006
Howdy! @ 12:14 pm
Just popping my virtual head in to say hello!
August 22nd, 2006
The Spiral Dance @ 09:37 pm
I understand what you mean about the way that Starhawk writes. I think the valuable things in this book are actually the exercises and the rituals. I am fond of this book because it is the first book I read on witchcraft. (it was the original edition not the 20th anniversary edition)
I believe that the legends that she is referring to are the legends of the UK...that is, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
It would be really nice if Witches could claim an ancient lineage and we can in that witches have always been in existence. What has not always been in existence is the current definition of what a witch is...the fact is that time has brought about many changes in all cultures that still exist today. There are those that no longer exist. Change brings new understanding and with that understanding we recognize that what was a witch 500 years ago may not be remotely close to what a witch is now.
Remember that this book was published 20+ years ago, and being a person that has traveled a strange and diverse path of witchcraft I can promise you that things have changed immensely. Most people were still very afraid to step out of the broom closet. I remember the first time I told someone I was a witch...they literally shifted in their seat and leaned back, away from me.
I think the disappointment you are feeling is so very common, it is the realization that really, we are creating the myth, we are creating the legend and we are doing it out of remnants of things we believe happened hundreds even thousands of years ago.
What is different in Starhawk's book is that she points out that this thing that we are all trying to get at is there and has been there since the dawn of man. What we seek is an ancient connection and the disappointment comes when you read through thousands of pages and cannot seem to pin down where that connection is.
The connection is within you, it is within me, it always has been and always will be.
There's a lot of good information in this book but sometimes it gets lost in the mire of her verboseness.
Also, I think this book is more about her own personal experience as opposed to instructional.
Keep reading, and seriously try some of the exercises. The other thing you might try is write out what it is you want in being wiccan and or being a witch. What do you expect to gain from it and give from it ?
The Spiral Dance @ 06:47 pm
Current Mood: 
contemplative
Current Music: Fur and Feather....
Okay, here goes. I really don't like this book. I am on chapter 2 and I am giving it a chance, but usually if it doesn't grab me early on, I don't finish it. I understand Starhawk stating that Witchcraft is probably the oldest Western religion, BUT, I think we all know that Wicca is a newer religion. Yes, many things are based on ancient religious practices, but these were all oral traditions and I don't think that too many of those people are still around. How do we know what they did? Because anthropologists said that is what they did? That is simply an educated--I use this term lightly--guess. And what is this "According to OUR legends"...? Wicca has legends? Or is it Witchcraft that has legends and which legends are these? Which cultures? Not all Wiccans are Witches. Plus, not all of us follow the Celtic legends. I guess I just don't like where she is coming from. Maybe I don't understand exactly where she is coming from. Plus, it feels as if Starhawk is in need of ritalin. She jumps around in her topic, if you can actually figure out the topic, besides reading the chapter titles. Also, I don't feel like this book is telling me something I haven't already read before. Are all books on Wicca or Witchcraft the same? I must have thirty books on such things and they are all the same, except for two. Right now, I am thinking that the Idiots Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft explain more than the rest of these other books. I am just disenchanted right now. I expected more out of this book and I am dissapointed.
August 3rd, 2006
Chapters three and four @ 05:58 pm
The main grace that I know is lacking in my life right now is forgiveness. I cannot begin to know how to gorgive myself for things I have done in my past. Once I try to, the blame seems to get shifted to someone else. Honestly, I am not sure if I want to forgive these other people. I have hate for some of them. I have, through years of therapy, Ha Ha, learned to forgive some actions, but as I mentioned, the blame goes to someone else. I cannot think of the small thing I could do to forgive others, but for myself, I could think of the person I have become instead of the person I used to be. I do not have my own set of graces. I believe that all I hold dear have already been listed by Dianne.
Chapter 4
I have only cast a circle once and it was during my training. I haven't really thought about why I would cast a circle. I was taught that it is to keep out negativity and bad whatevers. I think that I would probably cast a circle if I felt I needed that extra feeling of security. I have been working on preparing my entire home to be encircled and cleansed. There has been so much negativity coming in to my home, aka Doris (my grandmother)it feels stuffy and the air feels dull and stale.
I do have a couple of shrines set up right now. My first one is pictures of my family all over my fridge. Second, my walls are dedicated to my two children. Downstairs, I have an entire wall with pictures of them since they were babies. Upstairs, I have the hallway filled with their artwork. I have an entire 6 foot shelf dedicated to my totum animal the African elephant. And last, I have a shelf of various god and goddess shatues. I have been contemplating creating a shrine of sorts up in my room. I was thinking aobut a shrine exclusively for the Goddess. There I can pray or meditate to her and have an actual place just for me to worship, besides going outside.
July 27th, 2006
Chapter 1, Question 2 @ 09:30 pm
Current Mood: contemplative
2. How much thought have you given to your personal path? Do you follow books to the letter, go on your instinct?
The God and Goddess (#1) @ 05:15 pm
Current Mood: contemplative
(paraphrasing from the book)
1. How have you seen the God and Goddess? Do they have faces and names? Are they a presence without words?
"The Circle Within; Creating a Wiccan Spiritual Tradition" by Dianne Sylvan. @ 05:13 pm
Our first post will focus on a book that a friend and I have been reading entitled: "The Circle Within; Creating a Wiccan Spiritual Tradition" by Dianne Sylvan.
This book focuses on creating a daily spiritual practice for the individual. We just started reading the book and we are up to chapter 2.
So, to begin, at the end of each chapter the author gives you "3 things to think about"...I will just begin at the beginning and we will go from there.