Kym's House o' Paganism

[Plissken]

Kym, I'm glad you're starting to feel better. I'll continue wishing the best for you.

(Oh, and PDX is Portland, OR.)

[lurch]

Kim..Thank you very much. I see the naturalness of your suggestion and just as importantly , the soft touch. Thanks again.

Plissken..My opening "blur" wasn't meant as indicative of a curse. I'm sorry for the infer. I use to post at a site that was about my favorite TV show. Discussions held on the boards would some times materialize in the dialogue of the TV show. There were times when posting there, that I felt like I was entering another " realm". Light headed, dizzyness, detatched from body experiences,etc ,all the while posting. Then, my ideas or words would pop up in an episode later. That was surreal. I have had similar experiences here and elsewhere. When I started the post above, I began having the same,,and decided to let it happen. You are right. Having been positively rewarded I go with it these days.

This a.m., said new mgr, was a few cubicles down from mind on visit. I happened to need to travel past her and as i approached, she brought up her right hand and litteraly sheilder her face with it, even tho she was looking elsewhere. On her middle finger was a silver ring, with a black obsidian stone , carved to be a Pharonic Egyptian Scarab, the Dung Beetle...So , it occurs to me,,exactly who is the hunted and the hunter. Later in the day, there she is coming down the stairs and I am going up. It seemed to be the natural time to say it and indeed the words rolled naturally,," Blessed Be!!, There you Are"..She laffed like I never heard her before laff. No words, just Laffed.

Thanks to Kim,,tomorrow or whenever, I will tread litely but intently in the path of discovery. MEL

[Kymbierlee]

Wow, Lurch- I can't imagine a real witch would have laughed at you for saying Blessed Be. Usually we are thrilled to have someone recognize us and approach us in a friendly manner. Could be she doesn't follow the Pagan path the way it should be followed. As with any faith, however, Paganism has its share of buttheads. They talk the talk, but don't walk the walk so to speak. You'll see people wearing the jewelry, and the robes, goth make-up, etc and trying to act all mysterious. They talk about spells and curses, and hexes and blah blah blah. Let me emphasize again, these people are not real witches, and are an embarassment to the Path. Hopefully this girl you know isn't one of them, but I don't like to hear someone laughing at "Blessed Be." It is a sacred phrase, and should be treated as such. Walk in the Light, Mel, and be careful until you know what that girl is about.

Plisskin- not sure of anything in Portland, but try searching the net. Just key in Beltane and Portlane Oregon and you should get some hits. It's a major holiday and Portland is big, so there should be a lot going on. Good luck.

[Mica]

Thanks, everyone- I feel better already. It takes more than a broken heart keep a good witch down for long... Like Av said- I always have the Watch! Here is a spell for all the rest of us who have had this happen to them (ie all of us).

To help get over an old loved one.
You Will Need:

1 red candle for strength
2 white candles for healing
A piece of paper with the persons name written on it
The Spell:
Now you begin by placing the s white candles left and right from the red then you light the red candle, left white, then right white candle while you are chanting these words:

Thank you Kim!

"I burn thy name so it shall be
cast out of my memory
(name of person) your name is as cold as ice
to get over you would be nice"

This spell works best midnight during a full moon.

I guess it won't hurt to give it a try, after all I like candles and gives me an excuse to go shopping for more If it doesn't work at least I'll have a fragant room
Thank you Kim!

[Mica]

That spell works best if you're smacking him in the head with a 2x4 in time to the words.

Good idea, but then you'll become a fugitive if the jerk dies, and with my luck I better not follow your suggestion in my case

[Gadget nee Jemcheeta]

Interesting stuff. I'm glad to see this thread continue, I read it every time it's updated. and Lurch: Recently I've been able to read every word of your posts, and they're very interesting!

[Kymbierlee]

Good idea, but then you'll become a fugitive if the jerk dies, and with my luck I better not follow your suggestion in my case

Ahhh..............that was Fist's suggestion, not mine. Not that it was a bad idea, but witches don't advocate violence in their spells.

After the spell is over, that is another story, however. (Hand me that 2x4, will ya, Fist?)

[Kymbierlee]

Blessed Be and Happy Beltane everyone!




Now all of you go get naked and dance around that May pole..........

[matrixman]

Uh, no naked dancing for me, thanks. Right now, it's minus 10 Celsius where I live, and it's recently been snowing.

[Edge]

I'm happy to dance, anytime... but whenever I get 'skyclad', my dogs give me funny looks - and adding a 'maypole' just makes it worse.

[Avatar]

--A

[Kymbierlee]

Nothing wrong with maypole edge..... Tell your dog to lighten up!

[Kymbierlee]

OK, now that everyone is done pole dancing, back to some serious Paganism. I have decided to include a self-dedication ritual to the Pagan path just in case I have converted anyone out there (Not that I am trying, mind you, but if it happens, here is something you can do about it).

The ritual is taken from the Eldritch's Cauldron web site (One of my favorites) and can and should be modified to suit the individual performing it. It is very similar to the one I used to self-initiate to this path. It's really a simple, beautiful ceremony.

BTW, I do not call the guardians of the four quarters by the names of the Archangels. It just seems not quite right to me, but the lady who wrote this ritual, Lady Morgan Crystal Moonstone, used them and I did not feel it was fair of me to alter her words while giving her credit for the ritual.
I simply call on the Spirits of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. I figure they know who they are without me assigning them names


Prepare area - gather all tools and set up altar
Bathe, add Sandalwood, Frankincense & Cinnamon. Add Sea Salt, light candles & concentrate on what is before you.

Purify space and open the circle.

Face the East, raise your projective hand (the one you write with) and point to the sky. Say:"Raphael, Angel of Air, I do summon, stir and call you now to witness this rite and guard this circle.Powers of Air, be with me as I journey between worlds."

Turn to the South, point your hand & say:"Michael, Angel of Fire, I do summon, stir and call you now to witness this rite and guard this circle. Powers of Fire, be with me as I journey between worlds."

Turn to the West, Point your hand and say:"Gabriel, Angel of Water, I do summon, stir and call you to witness this rite and guard this circle. Powers of Water, be with me as I journey between worlds."

Turn to the North, point your hand and say:"Ariel, Angel of Earth, I do summon, stir and call you to witness this rite and guard this circle. Powers of Earth, be with me as I journey between worlds."

Face the Altar, raise your hands to the sky and say:"The Circle is cast and I am between the worlds, beyond the bounds of time, where night and day, birth and death, joy and sorrow meet as one."

Ring the bell to signal that the circle is cast and to invite the deities.

Read the Charge of the Goddess.

Light the Candle and raise your hands and say:"On this night and in this hour; I call upon the ancient power of (your choice of deity) I ask that you assist me in my dedication ritual as I take a new path in my life."

"I have cast this circle this night to perform the act of dedication of my mind, body and spirit to the Goddess and God, and to the Religion and Science of Witchcraft. From this day forward, I will honor and respect both the Divine and myself. I vow to hold the ideology of the Craft in my heart and my mind for the totality of this lifetime and beyond."

Next, point to your knees and say:"Blessed be my knees as I kneel at the altar of my faith, not in supplications, but in thanksgiving."

Next, point to your groin and say:"Blessed be my womb that holds and produces the creation of the human essence. I vow to protect and teach the children of the world."

Next, point to your chest and say:"Blessed be my heart that it may beat steady and true. May the warmth of my love spread throughout the galaxy."

Next, point to your lips and say:"Blessed be my lips that they shall utter truth and purity of mind and soul. May wisdom flow for the benefit of all humankind."

Next, point to your third eye and say:"Blessed be my Astral Sight that I may see through the veil of life with the truth of the Divine."

Now, turn to face the altar, raise your hands in the air and say:"I, (your name), in the presence of the Universe, do of my own free will and mind, most solemnly swear that I will ever abide by the religion and science of the Craft. I shall neither harm my fellow human with the secrets that I learn, nor shall I flaunt my beliefs or power before them. Henceforth - from this day, I shall be reborn as (Your New Craft Name) and shall honor, respect and cherish this oath I have taken!"

Next, take the wine & say:"As I take this wine into my body, I take that of the Goddess, Earth Mother and seal my oath...forever."

Drink half the wine and hold it to the sky and say:"Accept this wine as my offering of thanksgiving."

Then place the wine on the altar and say:"I, (Your Name), wish to thank you (Your Goddess/God Name) for presiding over this dedication ritual. May we together walk within the light forever."

Close the circle, starting in the East and thank the Angel and Power for assisting in the rite. Follow with South, West, North.

Then face the altar and say:"The circle is open, but never broken."

Clean up, pour the wine into the ground.



I simply use Mother and Father when referring to the Goddess and God in my rituals, but a lot of people prefer to work with one or two specific aspects of them. The Mother frequently becomes Diana, the Goddess of the Moon, and the Father is often referred to as Herne, the God of the woods and green places. Many Pagans prefer to pick a specific pantheon of gods and goddesses to work with (i.e. Celtic, Roman, Greek, ancient Egyption, and so forth). I keep it simple because my memory for which member of the pantheon is responsible for what fails me. (Mars is the God of War and fire, Diana is the Goddess of the Moon, etc) Too confusing for me........

Bright Blessings to all of you.

Kym

[Vector]

Though the ritual above is not the same, it makes me think of the celtic binding ceremony which was used at our wedding at a Renaissance Faire.

I am not actually Pagan - though my wife is a bit closer to being so. But I like different experiences and this seemed like a fun way to get married

[Kymbierlee]

Vector-
It sounds marvelous, and if I ever do decide to get married again (highly doubtful) it will be a handfasting ceremony.

[Vector]

Vector-
It sounds marvelous, and if I ever do decide to get married again (highly doubtful) it will be a handfasting ceremony.

It was a beautiful ceremony. I think everyone came out of it with positive experiences despite their various backgrounds (Catholic from my side of the family and Jewish from my wife's).

Admittedly I was a little conscious of the references to the "Horned Consort" and how that might be interpreted by my family. But it didn't seem to phase them, if they even noticed.

[Avatar]

Herne, the Horned one, God of the Hunt.

Some Wicca paths incorporate him as consort and defender of the Lady, others ignore him totally, preferring to consider Wicca a "feminine" religion.

--A

[Plissken]

Herne, the Horned one, God of the Hunt.

Some Wicca paths incorporate him as consort and defender of the Lady, others ignore him totally, preferring to consider Wicca a "feminine" religion.

--A

Heh. Gynocratic Theism.

[Gadget nee Jemcheeta]

ugh.... This kind of stuff is a big turnoff for me. Seeing as how I'm male, I'm not willing to submit myself to any specific feminine force, anymore than I am to submit myself to a totally masculine force.

Of course, I'm an atheist anyway, so this is all really moot.

[Avatar]

Heh. Gynocratic Theism.

Why not? It's been practiced the other way round for centuries. Still, that said, they're certainly not as uptight about it as other religions have been, and when I said "feminine" I'm sure folks realise that I didn't mean "for women only".

--Avatar