Herbs...

Yesterday my grandfather gave me a little book on herbs he picked up on sale. I was just flipping through it and landed on a page which had a flower on it that I've had no success identifying for, what, two years now? Looking more closely, there seem to be three or four more that I might also have seen growing around. This should certainly be helpful this summer.

Conversion Tactics

So I've just had to delete a spam comment from a Christian blogger, which was the general "here's how to pray to Jesus and become a Christian" sort of copy paste I'm sure most non-Christians have seen many times over. There was no conversation, no personal element to it, simply the spam and a blog link (which I did not follow, and of course have no interest in promoting here).

I've always considered this a very strange tactic, and often wonder if the people who use it even stop to consider what it would be like from the other side. If I were to go to this person's blog, leave a comment on an unrelated post of theirs, no introduction, no indication that I actually understand that there is an individual behind the screen, just a spammy attempt to convert them... would they jump up and convert? It's very unlikely - and yet, that's all they seem to think other people need. As if we're not actual people with our own beliefs, experiences, and so on.

Beyond that, each Christan that I've seen use this particular tactic doesn't seem to understand one little thing... we've seen it before. There are very few non-Christians in my country who do not have a basic understanding of Christianity. Many of us come from Christian backgrounds, have Christan family members, have studied Christianity, and so on. It is very hard to miss Christianity in our particular society. Heck, there have been times where I've known more about Christianity than the Christian attempting to convert me! They are sometimes shocked to discover that, yes, I have in fact even read the Bible. I have taken the time to learn about their religion, but they have no interest in learning a single thing about mine, or how I have come to be where I am spiritually. Often I am made to feel like they don't even view me as a person - yet, even so, they think their spam will have some sort of success?

Look. I accept that most Christians feel they belong to the only true religion, and that sometimes they attempt to convert people because they believe they're saving them from something horrible. I understand that, I really do... but if you're going to try to convert people? Take the time to actually get to know someone, take the time to actually have a conversation with them - talk with them, not at them. Don't spam. No one likes spam.

Imbolc and the Coming of Spring

There are some who celebrate Imbolc as the beginning of spring, but where I am, we are firmly still in the middle of winter. Like many places in the US, we got hit with a ton of snow yesterday, and it's snowing again today - which is not unusual for this time of year. Everything is covered in snow and ice, nothing's growing.

There's really only one sign that warmer weather is coming - in NH, we now have an hour and a half more sunlight each day. It may not seem like much with the snow and freezing temperatures, but for me it's a welcome reminder that spring is coming.

Until then, while I still try to get outside on the warmer days, there are a lot of cold and icy days where I'm forced to stay inside (especially after hurting my back recently - slipping on ice and re-hurting it is a chance I can't afford to take). I've been keeping busy organizing shelves, decluttering my supply cabinets, and doing all the little things I probably won't want to do when the weather is warmer. It's not always the most exciting work, it can be slow and frustrating at times, but it needs to be done - and the quite time around Imbolc is often the perfect time to do it.

Looking back on the year, and looking forward to the next.

I spent a bit of time today reading back through my posts for this year, thinking about my spiritual growth through the year, as well as looking back on my year as a whole.

Spiritually speaking, the year started off strong. I was motivated, I was accomplishing goals, and things were going great. Then things took an interesting turn... Not going to go into too much detail, but it's enough to say that there was an interesting series of events which lead me to focus much more on other aspects of my life over the spiritual aspects. I mean, my spirituality is always with me, it's always there, even if it's more in the background at times - and that's really how much of this year went. That spiritual foundation was always there for me, but there were other areas which really took a lot of my time and focus.

And it was not a bad year. Actually, it was pretty great. Took up some new hobbies, visited some old hobbies, found new interests, started taking better care of myself, hit a few health problems - but also found ways to deal with them. Did a lot of things, became interested in a lot of things, that I'd never really considered before. Really opened up and got a lot of new perspective on things.

So a great year, even if my spirituality didn't always take the spotlight. However, it also showed me that even if there's not always the time for tackling specific spiritual goals, the core of it all is still always with me. I've been able to build a practice that sticks with me, even when my focus is in a lot of other directions.

So what about 2014? Well, I'd like to take a lot of what I picked up in 2013 and keep going forward with it - but I also need to remember to make time for spiritual practices that go beyond the foundational core. That's really all that was missing from this year, and if I can bring everything all together during the next year? It'll be fantastic.

Samhain

Happy Samhain and happy Halloween!

My original Samhain plans ended up being tossed around a bit, so this year it seems I'll be doing the bulk of my Samhain celebrating tomorrow and the day after. Which actually works out well for me, because it will coincide nicely with my regular lunar rituals for the last day of the cycle and the new moon, which have a very nice overlap in symbolism. Isn't it nice when disruptions end up working out?

Still, I was able to celebrate a bit last night as well. Yesterday it rained most of the evening, but stopped around midnight - it was foggy, warmer than it had been earlier in the day, and everything smelled damp and earthy. Perfect atmosphere for a small Samhain ritual. First I went to the edge of the woods and just spent some time meditating. Then I left some simple offerings for the spirits - flat bread, eggs, and apples.

I also ended up doing a little spontaneous working. I'm sure many are familiar with the basic concept of this working - you list negative things you don't want in your life, things that are holding you back, bad habits, and so on, then you burn the list and picture these things being removed from your life. This time of year is traditionally the time to cull the herds, the time to let things go, and of course has associations with death and release, so I thought it would be a perfect little working which would utilize those energies of this season.

I expected the real benefit of this working to come in the actual listing of what's holding me back, and to an extent that was helpful. There were no surprises on the list, but it was good to actually write these things down, to really see them and acknowledge them.

However, the surprise of the ritual was when I actually went back out to burn the paper. I felt like I received two clear messages from Westya (who is personified in flame), who I'd never really felt anything so clearly from before. Until now, our relationship was very quiet - a mutual sort of I'll remember and honor you, and you'll gift your blessings to my home, and that was it. But during the working, I felt she gave me two messages... First, that it's going to be hard work. Change is coming, and it's going to be hard, it might be a painful process, and to remember that I asked for it when that time comes. Not that unexpected of a message, really, it made sense. The second message, though, was that it was all going to be alright. That if I put my faith in my foundation (my deities and core/daily practices), I would get through the change, and that she is taking an active role in this, but likely in an unexpected way, and she will burn through my obstacles as long as I am willing to put the work in. The other deities I work with will be there to, but that in this I should look to her first.

 Honestly, for such a small ritual, I couldn't have asked for more, and I was not expecting anything like that. Simple rituals can still have big impacts.

Prompt: Magical Names

Do you have a magickal name? Do you share it with others? Maybe only with your coven sisters/brothers? With the God and Goddess only? How did you choose it? Did it "choose you"?

At this point in time, I do not really have a magical/spiritual name, although I've had several in the past.

The first spiritual name I remember choosing for myself was when I was an Egyptian Wiccan, and it was MeketHeru - which means something like 'protected by Horus.' At the time I wanted to take on the name as a dedication of sorts, as Horus was the first deity I'd ever felt pulled to develop a close relationship with. I chose it by looking at many ancient Egyptian names and their meanings, and carefully chose something which I felt reflected part of my relationship with Horus.

Names were considered very important in ancient Egypt, and this is shown in a few myths and customs they had. So, as I moved from Egyptian Wicca into reconstructionism, the significance of names and their role in my work grew quite a bit. I was initiated into a reconstructionist tradition and given another name, which I spent a lot of time meditating on. I took an interest in doing "true name" work, put simply, that is finding your soul's name, so to speak (which I did not have much success in - but learned a lot from at the same time). I also looked into taking on temporary names, working with them as talismans in a way, to develop a particular trait in myself, and that sort of thing.

I actually really enjoyed much of the name work I did as an Egyptian reconstructionist. I realize not everyone finds significance in spiritual names, but it was something that really spoke to me in the context I was working in at that time.

Now though? I don't really have a spiritual name. The name I took, and the name I was given, will both always have a special place with me - but they no longer reflect who I am now. Where I came from, yes, and that's important, but I don't go by either name now. It just doesn't feel right. Name work seems to be something I left behind with reconstruction, with the Egyptian deities who stepped back when my path took a dramatic change. The deities and spirits I find myself honoring and working with now don't seem to care one way or the other what name I call myself... It might be something that I might find myself exploring again some day, but right now? It just doesn't have a place within my current practice.

Confession Time

So here's a confession for you all... 90% of the time when someone makes their spell/prayer/ritual rhyme, I think it sounds corny.

I know, I know. I'm sorry.

I mean, I would never point at someone's work directly and say to them, yeah, you tried, but that is so silly sounding - that's just rude, right? It's uncalled for. Still, I can't do it myself. I don't ever bother with making anything I write rhyme, and I can't remember the last time I incorporated something into a working which rhymed. It just doesn't do anything good for me.

Unfortunately there seems to be this idea floating around that you need to make things rhyme, because that's the only way to raise power. Which is flat out wrong. Yes, this might be a good technique for some people! I know lots of folks who like when things rhyme... it makes it easier to remember, and yes, the flow of it helps them build energy for the working. Awesome, if it's working for you, go for it. It doesn't work for me, though, and I know I'm not alone there. The rhyming usually takes me out of the right mindset for a working.

So, if you're new to witchcraft, just know that you don't have to work with rhymes, even if someone says that's the only way to do things... because it's really not. There's so many ways to raise power, and heck, you don't even need to include words at all in a ritual if you don't want. Find what works for you. If it's a rhyme? Great. If not? Don't worry, try something else.

Samhain and the Thinning of the Veil

There's one phrase that is commonly used to describe Samhain, and that is "the time of year when the veil is thinnest."

Let's start with the basics here - what exactly is the veil? In this context, the veil is what 'separates' this world from the unseen world. Many traditional witches will use the term hedge instead of veil, which might help paint the picture. A hedge is a boundary between one thing and another - such as the tame land of the yard and home, and the wild land of the forest... or, the seen world, and the unseen world. The veil is that boundary, that separation between the two.

This is not a hard boundary. As an example, think of a typical bridal veil. It's there, you can see it, touch it... but it's often thin, gauzy... you can see through it, air passes through it easily, water would too. If the veil is a few layers thick, it might take some time for water to pass through, but it would - if it were just one thin layer, the water would pass through quickly and without issue.

Of course, calling it a boundary may bring about the wrong impression. The unseen world is not just a separate location - as a backyard might be from the woods - but it is interwoven throughout the seen world, as well. We're just not usually aware of it. The veil, the boundary, is not really an actual block between the two, but more of the limit of our own perception.

So why is the veil said to be thinnest at Samhain? One reason often given is that Samhain is the peak of the dying season, and it's that transition that causes the veil to thin. I like this imagery myself, but I don't think that's the complete answer.

There are other times of the year when the veil is said to be thin - many associate Beltaine with another thin spot, as it is the peak of the "birthing" season. It's not just death that thins the veil, after all. Beltaine, along with Litha/Midsummer in some cultures, are classically times when the spirits are quite active - although they became more associated with fae and other such spirits as opposed to the dead that are associated with Samhain. Of course, the dead are not only associated with Samhain, because we see things like the Wild Hunt of Yule/winter in many European cultures. The Greeks thought the restless dead wandered with Hekate on the last day of every month (what we would now call the new moon). Other cultures have their own, different views.

So what is it really that causes the veil to thin? I don't know that it is really anything external, like the changing of seasons, at least not in itself. I think a big part of it rests within the human mind. These symbols, these expectations and ideas of a society, they stick right into our subconscious and they change our perception. If you're in a culture where the dead wander every new moon, that will influence your perception of the veil accordingly.

Likewise, if you're in a culture where Halloween is that spooky time, where horror movies and ghost hunting shows take over the TV, where people start sharing their stories, going to haunted houses, putting on costumes, putting out decorations, etc. that cultural belief is, again, going to influence your views and perception.

A bit of rambling...

I've been dead tired these last few weeks, which makes it hard to get any writing done. I had some good ideas for the pagan blog project, but just had no energy to get them down, and I haven't forgotten the deity writing project - just, again, same problem there. I'm slowly getting some longer posts together (really hoping to get the one on the equinox out), but meanwhile, how about some possibly disjointed rambling?

I bust out the Mabon decorations earlier this week since it had been cool for a while - and then we hit that mini heat wave with some 90F weather. Wasn't really feeling the whole autumn thing anymore, but it looks like it's going to cool off again, so the decorations are going up. The leaves are starting to change outside, too.

Been spending a lot of time cleaning out the house. Just sorting and organizing... well, everything really. Whenever I spend a lot of time working on the house like this, I feel pulled to spend more time at the hearth shrine, and focusing more on the home on that spiritual level as well - which makes sense, really.

Cleaning has made me realize that I have a lot of (pagan) books that aren't really relevant to my path anymore - a lot of Wicca 101, and the like. I'm thinking that I need to go through and re-read them all, review them, and move them on to better homes. Make room for some new books that might get read more often. (Especially since I just got two new books today, with a third on the way!)

On a final note for now, I usually like to post pictures here, either alone or with text, but my camera is dead. I don't know when I'll be able to get a new one, possibly not for a few months. 

Prompt: Teachers (and Students)

There are many people this day and age that are searching for teachers. If you browse any Wiccan or Pagan forum, you'll find people searching. So the questions I am asking today is...What makes someone qualified to teach their spiritual path? In the case of Wicca, what would you look for? Years of study and practice? Initiation into a tradition? Teaching experience? What makes someone qualified, in your opinion, to teach another? At what point does a "student" become a "teacher"?
(Pagan Blog Prompts)

I'm not going to speak about Wicca (not being a Wiccan...), or even any other specific tradition, but instead I'm going to look a bit more broadly at the qualities most teachers, regardless of tradition, should have.

The first is, of course, at least a few years of solid experience in whatever they'll be teaching - be it their tradition, herbalism, or whatever else. It's hard to name an exact number, because the truth is, to steal a line from Doctor Who, "It doesn't work like that. Some people live more in twenty years than others do in eighty. It's not the time that matters, it's the person." To give an example, I've met people who happily boast about having been a Wiccan for more than fifteen years... and yet, they don't know when Imbolc is, or what it's about. Something that many others with much less experience would be able to tell you about with no issue. You need to find someone who hasn't just collected years, so to speak, but has filled those years with actual study and practice.

The problem is, if you're new to the information, you might not know how to tell if someone really has done this, or if a person is just lying or exaggerating. Years and even titles can be misleading, or totally made up. This is why it's important to get recommendations from others about a teacher, or to see how respected they are within their particular community, if you can do so. Even those things are not always a solid guarantee, but often they can shine light on some big problems.

Another necessary thing is some degree of consistency and stability. Personal practices grow and change, of course, but if someone is frequently making big changes that might be a sign that they're still working through a lot of things in their own practice, and so might not be ready to guide someone else on theirs. (One or two big changes is probably not a huge deal, that happens, but several in a short time is more of a red flag.)

Experience is good, but it's not enough. Knowing things doesn't automatically mean you'll be able to teach them. A teacher needs to be able to explain these concepts to others in a way that's easy for a beginner to understand. A teacher needs to understand that different people learn in different ways, and at different rates. A teacher needs to understand the order in which to teach things - how to build a strong foundation, and how to work off from that. How to present information, while still letting the student put in the work necessary to the practice.

A teacher needs to have patience, but a teacher also needs to know when a student (or potential student) is simply wasting their time. A teacher needs to know their own limits, and they need to be able to admit when they don't know something, or when they've been wrong about something. A teacher needs to be willing to still be a student, too. It's not easy to teach, and frankly I think we often don't give enough credit to those who do so well.

What about students, though? If you're looking for a teacher, the first thing you need to decide is what exactly it is you want to learn. I'm sure that sounds obvious to many people, but there are a lot of people who seem to skip that step for some reason... Additionally, a lot of people want to learn 'paganism,' which isn't really possible - paganism isn't a single tradition, it can involve all sorts of different practices and beliefs. (There are, however, some out there who are able to guide someone through forming their own eclectic practice.) You'll need to have some idea what it is you're after. If you're looking to learn a specific tradition, see what the requirements are for a teacher to have - if there are any. Some traditions have strict guidelines, while others are much more open.

Remember that teachers are people with their own lives. Don't waste their time - sincere questions or struggles are not a waste of time, but consistently being late, making last minute changes to plans, messing around, or not putting in the work to learn all are. If you're having lessons in the teacher's home, or in a public space, be respectful and leave things in the same condition as you found them (throw out your trash, etc). Be respectful of the teacher's tools and belongings. Don't expect your teacher to hand you everything on a silver platter, there will be points where you have to work for your information, and there will be points where you have to do the work of putting the information into actual practice.