I was never the victim of hit and run. But, I did take a one day suspension as a cop for opening my car door on a traffic stop and taking the trim off some guy's car who tried to squeeze past me. Of course, that was about a week after I backed into some old lady's fence pole and knocked it over in the police car. I got a warning for that one.

There are many different views of the afterlife int the pagan community. Generally the belief is in reincarnation and there is no belief in hell.

Here is my personal belief for which I have no scientific data to back up:

Souls reincarnate as humans only (I don't believe we ever come as animals or inanimate objects). We do this in order to evolve as beings by learning the lessons we need to learn. Once we have evolved to a certain level (I'm guessing level 70) we don't have to come back anymore and that's when can rest for eternity (or some other unspecified long period of time)in what most would call "heaven" also referred to as "Summerland" by some witches.

hahahah, Ruth! I actually try to drive as little as possible now. Just the expense alone. I conglomerate trips like if I have to go into town I will try to get several things done.

Well this is all not very Wiccan related. Abra has a bunch of questions.

James....
As for good and evil spirits, yes I believe in them. I just don't know enough about them to comment on them. I've only had one encounter with a ghost and I haven't done much reading on the subject. Sorry.

I was just curious because a lot of the spells in Scott's book are directed toward warding off evil spirits, protection rituals, and purifcation spells.

There are so many of them it almost sounds like it was written for people who are paranoid instead of paranormal.

Anyway, I've never felt any need to ward off evil spirits or bad luck, etc. I've always felt that I'm natrually immune to those things for some reason.

However, I do sometime become physical ill. Scott does have healing spells and rituals, but there's no mention of evil spirits as being the cause of the illnesses. So it doesn't few that illness in general is viewed as being caused by evil spirits.

I was very happy to see the spell for 'Composing Music'. That one just kind of popped out of the blue. He doesn't have a whole lot of specific spells for creative things in general so seeing one for composing music was a bit of a treat for me since this is one of my interests.

I tend to be attracted to using magick for creative positive things. I LOVE to create. I'm a natural born creator.

I found the last chapter of "Earth, Air, Fire, and Water" to be extremely encouraging. It's entirely devoted to making up personalized rituals, spells and incantations.

I particularly like to use my own creativity when doing magic, and Scott encourges this all the way through all of his books. Spiritual magick is all about resonating with the universe, and so the more comfortable a person is with a ritual the more intimate the vibrations.

So I'm looking forward to designing my own rituals. I tend to get quite involved with things like this. I like to kept things 'simple' and natural, but was appears to be 'simple' to me, may seem complex to others.

Scott also suggests simplicity, but at the same time some of the rituals he describes are quite involved.

For example, the ritual for Composing Music uses the following tools and ingredients:

Color: Blue
Herbs: Camomile, nutmeg, orris, rose.
Stones: Azurite, blue calcite, jade, sodalite
Elements: Water mainly, (but fire can also be used to enhance passion in the music).
Symbology: Artwork created by the composer symbolizing instruments, score, and/or images associated with what the piece of music it to be about.

He gives no specific incantation for this but suggests that incantations should be created specifically for the piece of music that is to be composted. Keep in mind that Scott is not suggesting that these incantations themselves be put to music or lyrical chants, but that's certainly an option.

I'm taking this all very seriously.

I'm putting together a magick ritual site specially for the rituals that I will create to be associated with composing music.

The site is just a small stand near where I compose music. It will slowly grow over time.

I currenly have a very unique crystal clear urn that I've filled with various blue stones that I have found near the river. I then filled the vessel with mountain spring water.

This covers the color blue and the water.

I'm eventually going to buy a dwarf indoor potted 'rose' bush. (I really get into this stuff seriously).

Right now I'm using potpourri for the rose and other herbs.

I'm setting up a tea warmer and will eventually drink Camomile tea with nutmeg as part of the ritual whilst burning orris incense.

I'm sure owl be adding other things to this ceremonial altar as it will be an evolving process. Something deep within calls to me to include a vining plant as well.

I'm not sure why, but I envision the vine growning horizontally along the music staff producing leaves and berries along the way that manifest to become the notes, stems, and flags of the written score.

I'm sure that image itself will become a part of the symbology. I envision myself standing at an easel painting this musical image of the vine growing along the staff. In the background a symphony orchestra plays the score as I dynamically paint it out with earthy watercolor paints.

I'm falling in love with the rituals of magick.

When it's just a part of who you are it happens that way.

James you mentioned keeping it simple was one of Scott's suggestions. This is a preference. Sometimes my rituals are very simple and sometimes they are not. It just depends on what I feel I need.

As for magick, candle magick is the simplest I have used and hoodoo is the most complicated. Both are effective for me and I just use whichever one I feel the need to use at any given time.

Well, I agree with Scott's idea that keeping it simple is cool. I think his real purpose in that was to convey to people that it doesn't need to be complex.

I certainly agree with that. If someone feels comfortable with just a wiggle of her nose, then more power to her.

I think if I were going to write a book in magic I would suggest that it can be simple, or complex, whatever feels right for the person who's doing it.

After all, it's all about vibrations and communication with the spiritual essence of reality. So whatever a person is most comfortable with is what they should stick with.

I can never keep anything simple and you can probably tell that from my posts.

I almost never post a one-liner.

I am enjoying reading your posts very much. I don't respond in depth because the truth is that this is a very personal journey that will be different for everyone. Of course, I will answer any of your questions to the best of my ability, but there really is no right or wrong answer to most of this.

I feel priveleged to be able to be here for your "awakening" and love reading what you have to say.

I'm not sure precisely what the 'awakening' is all about. But I think I have a clue.

I've always been close to nature. And I've always been naturally spiritual. There can be no doubt about that.

I was raised as a Christian, and even though I was fed the dogma I guess I never really swallowed it. I knew deep down in my gut that it was devoid of truth. At least in it's entirety.

I never had a problem with the moral teaching of Jesus. From my point of view that was just plain common sense. I mean if I had been around in the days of Jesus I would have simply agreed with everything he said (on a moral plane). I seriously doubt that Jesus ever claimed divinity. Or if he did, he meant it pantheistically, I'm sure.

I have always been in tune with the great spirit(s) from my earliest childhood. And I give the spirit the potential for being polydynamic because from my point of view its a moot concept. The demand that there be only one egotistical 'godhead' has never rung true in my soul.

I don't believe that spirit has an ego.

Having said that, I think the true 'awakening' is not so much the discovering of magick rituals, or of any particular religious 'dogma'. On the contrary, I think it's more of just the opposite.

I think we, as humans, have a very real need to envision the spirit in some way that we can identify with.

The Bible does this with pinpoint accuracy (not to imply that its correct, but rather that it demands a very precise and specific picture of God). People like this because it gives them something to put their finger on. Pantheism is a very abstract picture of God, and people have difficulty with it. It's far too nebulous for them to grab onto firmly. (At least this is true for western people). Clearly the people of the east have less problem with this. Although, even many eastern pantheistic religions have tended to become quite dogmatic in an attempt to make the 'god concept' more concrete.

I think one thing that the Wicca picture has done for me is allow me to view God in a very precise, yet still abstract manner.

And it's not just Wicca alone that did this. I've been thinking about many other religious concepts before I got here.

One is the concept of the Great Spirit of the North American Indians. They view spirit in everything. It's truly a pantheistic or pagan philosophy. However, even they had the tendency to assign the spirit to 'individual' things. Such as the spirit of the wolves, the spirit of the bear, the spirit of the forest, the spirit of the lake, the spirit of the river, and so one and so forth.

And even though I thought I understood those concepts I didn't really appreciate their depth until more recently.

Jeannie introduced me to tarot. Quite by accident really. Not that I never heard of tarot before that. On the contrary I had a cousin who was a which (not a Wiccan), and she used to read tarot for me many years ago. She had a lot of stuff, including a crystal ball that was really cool.

She was more of a 'Gypsy Witch' rather than a Wicca witch. But that's a whole other story.

Getting back to the tarot,...

I was attracted to the ART of the tarot deck, and I never truly understood tarot in the past. I knew what it was used for and something of the cards, but I didn't understand how to use them and I didn't even know the full story of the Fool.

Jeannie's artwork drew me to the cards. And I bought quite a few decks (over $200 I spent on tarot cards!!!)

You might think that was crazy but it was a good investment. It truly was. I needed to get some tarot cards in my hands and feel what the hell was going on!

I bought a total of 6 tarot decks(carefully chosen). Out of those 6 I got 3 decks that have meaning for me. Owl list them here just for the curious cat.

Rider Waite (original)
Llewellyn tarot
Mystic Faerie tarot

These were far more than just decks of cards, and they all came with accompanying books.

I played with the cards, spreads, and readings. And I read the various stories of the journeys of the Fool.

I read with great intrigue the descriptions of the various cards and their meanings. Not just for these three decks above, but for all 6 decks that I had purchased. The three decks above were simply the most meaningful for me.

I saw in the Rider Waite deck the great influence of orthodox Christianity even though it also contains concepts that seem contradictory to that picture. And, of course, Christianity has never condoned tarot anyway, but none the less the religion had greatly influenced the production of the Rider Waite deck.

I saw in the Llewellyn deck the influence of Wicca and the Great Horned God which actually replaces the devil card in this deck, but if you read the book the description of the Horned God is very much like the Wicca Horned God and not at all like the biblical based Satan. There were many other differences as well. Including the journey of the Fool.

In the Mystic Faerie tarot I saw the Inner Child set free. The journey of the Fool was indeed of a child who traveled through the land of faeries and elves and was introduce to the magick of the elements, of the psyche, and of the Inner Child.

All of these descriptions of the tarot story, although different, conveyed a very enlightening ideals of the spiritual nature of the world and the human condition.

Having been primed by all of this, I came to your thread about Wicca, and ordered the books that you recommended as an introduction to the concepts. So this is like the culmination of a long journey.

It hasn't ended here, but as you have suggested there has been an 'awakening' of sorts, and I think that awakening has really come through the concept of both the female Goddess of the moon, and the Horned God of nature.

I realize now, that these abstract concepts are truly not meant to be taken as genuine 'deities', at least not in the sense of egotistical human-like beings. (although some people probably do view them as such).

However, for me, these are totally abstract concepts. And they are concepts that I can truly identify with.

Now having said that I do view these concept as being genuine 'spirit'. So I'm not saying that they don't represent anything 'real'. I'm just saying that they aren't human-like deities, especially in the sense of being individual egotistical beings who have personal agendas. But they are useful tools to allow the visualization of the great spirit (god if you like). I love this picture because it carries with it both the feminine and masculine aspects of all creation, and it truly doesn't prioritize them. Even though popular definitions have Wicca being a religion that worships a feminine Goddess. I think they totally miss the value of the Horned God. (in fact they probably view the Horned God as some kind of demon). If that's the case then they are definitely off the mark.

(I'm hope I'm not hijacking your thread with these long-winded posts. )

I just wanted to follow up with a comment or two concerning the insight (or awakening) that I'm currently experiencing.

Putting all of this together, I see the Goddess of the moon (the Yin of the Universe), as the High Priestess in tarot. She is the mind. The cerebral center of the psyche.

I see the Horned God as the magician of tarot. Or 'The Holy Spirit' if you like. (He is the Yang of the Universe). Neither good nor bad, but simply all-encompassing. He is the one who hands out the powers of the earth, air, fire and water. It is his hand that is on the Ace of each pip card in a tarot deck. He's the giver of the magic. The distributor if you will. Not necessarily the sole source of power as the Goddess of the psyche is the seat of that.

And now for the fun part,...

The Horned God is both lazy and wise!

Wisdom is the mother of invention. It is the Horned God's job to pass out the power that the Goddess provides to all living things. But the Horned God doesn't want to run around waiting on everyone hand and food like some kind of Genie on speed. So what does he do?

He gives the power to the winds, and the trees, and the stones of the earth, and puts it in the flames of fire.

And then he's free to wander through the wilderness that he loves so much whilst the elements bestow the power of the Goddess to anyone who should ask via a simple incantation or ritual of respect for the power that is freely released by the elements upon request.

That's where I'm at Ruth.

Well i'll be derned....lol. so any of ya'll from az or Ga?


Merry meet and blessed be

Heya. Glad you stopped by. Im on the East Coast myself. Are you in the military right now or is that an old photo?

Oldish

This is a good thread if you are practicing or else if you have questions. Trying to dispel some of the myths and misunderstandings that surround it. But you can talk about whatever. It often gets WAY off topic.

That'll be my fault.

I'm a hi-jacker.

im always off topic when theres gorgeous women around...

Good morning.


Hi, cowboy! I thought you knew about this thread.

Magick is like a gun. It is neither good nor evil. It is only the person doing magick that uses it for positive or negative.

On a side note....be careful, because like with a gun you can accidentally shoot yourself in the foot. I speak from experience.

Oh no sweetie. You actually are the one keeping the thread on topic of Wicca and Pagan spirituality. I was referring to me and Beach when we get going with our various discussions, hit and run car accidents, Dunkin Donuts coffee etc...

Magick Ferns

This is a personal story that I'd like to share with anyone who cares.

When I was younger I grew many gardens and I was truly one with nature. I was always seeking natural ways to beautify my cottage and estate. I wanted to wrap my cottage in a hedge of living leaves. Partly for the scenery and partly for the very caress of the living world upon my abode. At first I was considering the purchase of commercial hedges. But then one day I was at my spring and the giant ferns that grow there captured my attention. These ferns grow 4 feet tall with large and lacy leaves. They almost appear as though they belong in a tropic rain forest instead of a northern temperate forest. They also appear magickal as though a leprechaun might step out from behind one at any moment.

I pondered how they might do next to my cottage which is also within the wooded forest. So I carefully dug up a few of the ferns and lovingly transplanted them around my cottage for an instant hedge of green.

Everyone would comment on the new addition to the scenery, and the ferns truly did provide for me the 'Story Book Forest' feel and look that I was hoping for. The ferns did very well in this location. Much better than I had hoped. They grew stronger and larger every year even procreating new offspring. Clearly they like their new location. They've been coming back year after year for well over a decade now (maybe two)

However, these plants are deciduous and they hibernate through the winter months. So every year they turn golden brown and appear to 'die'. I cut off their brown spent leaves every fall and place them on the compost pile to nurture the gardens in the next spring. However for the past decade or so I have never really made a ritual out of this, even though I have always performed it as a loving chore. I've never taken this task for granted.

This year, however, because of my awakening to the power and spiritual value of incantations I have written the following prayer that I will chant softly to each plant as I trim away the spent summer leaves:


With these shears I cut thee down
Your summer smile is but a frown
I love your ferns of greenery
Your gift of living scenery

Now you sleep, I tuck you in
I wait once more, your springtime grin
Sleep well my friend and know I care
I love the beauty that you share


I'm fully aware that people who take nature for granted, or who think that the physical world is less than spiritual will not understand the mystical divinity of this chant.

However for me, this chant is about much more than just the ferns. This chant is a reverent worship and recognition of respect and appreciation of the life and powers given by the Goddess and God of eternal creation, the Yin and Yang of being.

I've come home before I died. I never thought such a thing could be possible.

Yet it is.