Category Archives: Magick

Balance

A friend of mine recently went to the Universal Life Expo — a gathering of vendors and speakers all espousing a ‘white light’ perspective. This is a perspective in which all is good, all is positive, all is light. There is no shadow (and most certainly not Dark), or if there is shadow it must be eradicated completely so that there is no dimming of the light.

As a witch, I find this perspective appaling. My belief system not only acknowledges that there is shadow, there is Dark, and that my role in physical manifestation is to understand both the Light and the Dark within me and my world and BALANCE it.

As my friend said: “If you turn on a light, a shadow is cast.”

Light and Dark and not just opposites, there are a fundamental part of ordinary physical reality. Neither is good, neither is bad. They simply ARE. You cannot eliminate one without doing dire harm.

In talking with my friend it occured to me that the ‘white lighters’ have been actively promoting their agenda (via the new age movement, most notably) for about 20 years now. I wonder if the serious problems we are seeing in our world is in DIRECT reaction to their constant, unrelenting sending out of light into the world?

Think about it.

(and, as always, comments welcomed)

Ritual Notes: FMR in Aries: October 14, 2008

Aries is the first sign of the zodiac and rules new beginnings. It’s a fire sign so we’ve got that extra oomph for releasing, starting fresh as well as getting in touch with our instinctual warrior nature; the raw animal part of us. This year the hotheaded Moon in Aries of new beginnings is opposed by “the great negotiator” Mercury and Sun in Libra, trine Pluto in Sagittarius (routing out and letting go of dogmatic beliefs), sextile Neptune/Chiron/North Node (collective healing of divisions and wounds) in Aquarius (radical change), and is coupled with Venus/Mars (loving action) in Scorpio (death of the old and rebirth into the new).

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Marking the Transition

This weekend I was honored to Priestess a young man’s transition from childhood into adolescence. M. turned 13 in late July, and we’ve known we were going to do a ritual to mark the transition for several years now. (I priestessed his two brothers’ “Baby Blessings” and M. had asked for a ritual just for him. We talked about it and decided that since he was already 10, we’d wait until adolescence. He liked the idea a lot.) M. is a very bright, well-spoken young man who feels like an old soul. His parents are non-religious, but the family has a variety of ritual practices that integrate a nature-based spirituality. They bring me in for the ‘big stuff'<g>.

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Published in Spellcraft!

UPDATE: Spellcraft has, sadly, gone defunct. The article is now available through my “Writings” page.

Spellcraft magazine is ‘the ultimate guide to magick in the southern hemisphere’ and the Spring 2008 issue (#10) features an entire section on cyber witch. I’ve got an article in there about Pagan Schooling Online (page 20). I’ve always liked this magazine (this is my third article/working with them in as many years) amd feel its one of the best pagan magazines available — even if everything is ‘backwards’! 🙂

Go check it out: http://www.spellcraft.com.au

Ritual Notes: Full Moon in Pisces

With the moon’s soft radiance illuminating this sign’s energy, it looks like we’ve opened the ‘basement’ of the Universe to let the light in. This is a time for erratic emotions, intense emotions, and sudden flashes of understanding of karmic ties. Taking place in practical, service-oriented Virgo, it means that the positive directing of this energy is towards our relationships to others. We’re in the midst of the harvest (less than a week until Mabon), working hard to get the fruits and vegetables preserved and stored so we won’t starve during the winter. We don’t have time for worrying about anything other than our community.

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Shame

A few days ago, my friend Di wrote about how a dinner with someone she admired led to her grappling with feelings of inadequacy about her own artisitc vision, the ambiance of her new (less than 1 month) living space), and even her withdrawal from the Pagan community.

It hit me like a gut blow.

Not even a month ago I was told that I have a ‘very high’ shame index — that is, I feel ashamed a lot of the time. Its sort of my ‘go to’ reaction when I get emotional. Since then I’ve been trying to see when I feel shame, so that I can start to hunt down the associated triggers and mitigating factors. It’s hard, because I am not aware of feeling ashamed in the moment, it requires looking back and being a detective. But I read Di’s words and SAW what shame looks like.

Shame is always a lie. Always always always. When we feel ashamed — of our hair, for example, — its because someone told us something about that made us feel small, and ugly. Di, a sexy, vibrant, artistic woman who I have known for (oh wow) 10 years now felt inadequate because someone she admired questioned her decisions.

Shame is the feeling that we are the mistake (as opposed to guilt, which is when we feeld bad becuase we made a mistake). Shame sneaks around, disguised as anger, contempt, withdrawal, attack, resentment, blame, and perfectionism. Shame attacks the ego by makign us beleive we are inherently defective and unlovable. (For years I’ve called myself defective. Ouch.)

Time to get out the psychic bandages and heal the wound.

Ritual Notes: FMR in Aquarius

It was a good ritual — some real surges of energy at the right moments. (Always a good sign.)

We called the Lord and Lady in their aspects as justice bringers and visualized ourselves as becoming full of life energy to be directed at our purpose. When we were brimming full of that energy we placed our cause into an iron cauldron (dark and heavy with the weight of the injustice). As we did so, the iron was transmuted . .  slowly it became labridodite, the stone of many colors. When the cauldron was completely transformed, I grasped the rim and pulled. The cauldron unraveled into a rope of stone, shining with energy and shimmering colors. We handed the stone rope around the circle until we were all connected, then chanted to key the energy. When we were done, we threw the rope up into the air, where it dispersed to do our will.

We all then pledged to do something on the physical plane to support our cause. Write a letter, donate time, send money, SOMETHING, within this next moon cycle. So Mote it Be.

Full Moon in Aquarius: Ritual Notes

August 16th is the Full Moon in Aquarius. I’m beginning to work on my ritual framework and thinking about the energy and how to work with it. Full moons are always about fruition, big energy and hidden things revealed. Aquarian energy is al about visionary, intellectual ideals brought into the mainstream. Neptune is in Aquarius adding a note of transcendent awakening (this would be good energy for an initiation, in fact) and the suite of planets in Virgo (Mercury, Mars, Venus and Saturn) contributes their energy flavors of communication, action, romance, and responsibility to the theme of service.

This is the Full Moon to honor freedom, the blessings of humanity, and the desire for reform without harm. In direct contrast to last month’s ritual, this one is about shedding complacency, joining the best of humanity, and making positive changes in the world.

In this ritual I will write to my political representatives and speak my mind on various issues. I will also incorporate writing checks to my two charities: the ACLU and the EFF to support their endeavors on my behalf.

* * * Some of my readers may be interested in Isaac Bonewits’ “Spells for Democracy: August 2008 edition” (found at: http://neopagan.net/blog/)  * * *