Well thats great. I have a prison pen pal in ASPC (Arizona State Prison Complex) Been writing him off and on for years. He's been in for a very long time.

hello everyone, Im at jobcorp now. They are tring to get a Wiccan covent started!! I joined but have to wait for other people to sign up.

Cool! Hope you get a few more interested.

That's interesting. How did you get started doing that?

That's really cool. Who is starting it?

Just do a search for "Prison Pen Pals" online and plenty of sites come up. You can see what their crime (s) is so you dont need to write anyone you are uncomfortable with of course. The one I write is in for drug/firearm related activities but he did get 8 years due to past infractions. It kind of builds up in that respect. I do recommend a PO Box just for safety reasons.

This is kind of interesting though I cant remember now if its been discussed before on this thread. It might have so if it's a re post, I apologize. This thread has lasted a very long time which is a good thing.

Its a little bit of information about Wiccan morality. Very often I hear criticisms on forum or even just questions and the implication from those that are unfamiliar with this form of spirituality is that "Wiccans have no morals or no guiding principles" in their worship or "everything goes with the Goddess" I heard someone claim the other day. So here is some information but feel free to add more.


Wiccan morality is largely based on the Wiccan Rede: 'An it harm none, do what ye will'. While this could be interpreted to mean "do no harm at all," it is usually interpreted as a declaration of the freedom to act, along with the necessity of taking responsibility for what follows from one's actions.

Another element of Wiccan Morality comes from the Law of Threefold Return, which is understood to mean that whatever one does to another person or thing (benevolent or otherwise) returns with triple force.

Many Wiccans also seek to cultivate a set of eight virtues mentioned in Doreen Valiente's Charge of the Goddess, these being mirth, reverence, honour, humility, strength, beauty, power and compassion. In Valiente's poem they are ordered in pairs of complementary opposites, reflecting a dualism that is common throughout Wiccan philosophy

Well i cant wait for us Wiccans to be accepted as a whole

That is kind of an issue right now. At least that is my understanding. Some Wiccans crave the exposure and would like to enjoy certain aspects of a much higher profile established religion. Then still others are fearful of that occurring. I can truly see both sides of the issue. Especially since historically and in fact still to this day, there is a great deal of apprehension as it relates to the occult in general Thats only one possible problem.

Oh i know thats part of the reason im gettin out. Im accually thinkin bout tryin to get us at least recognized if those dont want the full spotlight...

While having morality rules established within a religion may cause some people to act morally, it is certainly not a guarantee of good behavior. Look at any religion and you will find mostly people breaking the rules.

Wiccans are just like any other group of people. You've got your good and your bad. Yes, there are morality rules in Wicca and paganism in general. Whether or not they are adhered to depends upon the individual. I guess what I'm saying is that morality is something you are taught growing up and in some ways we know instinctively.

I'll be using that quote from here on out =p

Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to join in.

October 22, 2008

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wednesday

Goddess of Mercy Day (Chinese)

Waning Moon ~ Moon Sign: Leo

Moon Phase: Fourth Quarter

Color: Yellow

Incense: Honeysuckle


(From Llewellyn's 2008 Magical Almanac)

Well, here I am again with another long-winded post.

I've finally started in on the actual Wicca book that you originally recommended. I've been reading the books on elemental powers first. I've enjoyed them thoroughly, and I really like Scott's presentation because he does encourage abstraction and personal inclinations as well as personal incantations.

This is about as non-dogmatic as a religion can get. (at least as presented by Scott Cunningham)

I love the way that he also presents Wicca with the same abstraction. This is the way religion should be!

He presents the Goddess and God basically as the Yin and Yang of the universe. He confessed them to be abstract notions and not actual deities, however, he explains that because we are human it can be beneficial to visualize them as actual deities simply to facilitate a better communiqué with them.

I think a lot of people who are so used to viewing God as a person-like deity would probably wonder what it could even mean to communicate with a spiritual essence that isn't a deity. In fact, it's that very mindset that drives the deity façades of the Goddess and God. How we view God is really a matter of our own ability (or inability) to imagine abstractly.

He shows that the Goddess is traditionally associated with the Moon, and the God with the Sun. But these are truly metaphors. None the less by viewing these great lights in the sky and experiencing their presence we can indeed experience a rapport with the Yin and Yang of the spiritual nature of the universe. And it is beneficial to have actual objects to turn to, to appease, to worship, and to appeal to. He also suggests to visualize an actual human-like God and Goddess if this is helpful to our own psyche and emotions. He offers various names and descriptions based on images associated with ancient mythologies, or suggests to visualize them anyway you feel comfortable with.

I think for some people this immediately sounds like they are 'making up a God'. But in truth it's no different at all from the popular conventional religions. Who's to say what God looks like? Everyone has their own visual images of God even in the conventional religions. It's no different. The point is that we need to attune ourselves to God, and this is best done by conjuring up images of some sort or another.

I really like the God and Goddess approach of Wicca. Scott actually presents these as being the Yin and Yang of a single spirit. They are of equal import and it's not truly polytheism at all. It's just a recognition that God has both feminine and masculine aspects. (At least as Scott presents Wicca). There may be other people who view Wicca differently stressing more importance on the female Goddess of the Moon and maybe even demanding that she's an actual deity. That, to me, it just a representation of Wicca that is leaning toward the more traditional view of the dogmatic religions. Before they know it they'll be putting words in the Goddesses mouth and making claims about what she wants specifically from people. Then they will have destroyed the true beauty of Wicca.

They already have her basically saying, "Do as you will, but harm none". I think that's quite enough. No need to write a book of detailed rules and regulations.

In any case, I'm about to begin the extended rituals of opening up a more direct channel of communiqué with both the Goddess and God (the Yin and Yang) of the universe. I will indeed use the Sun and Moon as abstractions of their presence as is done with traditional Wicca. I'm not sure how much I will 'deify' them. I think I will allow them to present themselves to me over time and allow that aspect to evolve in its own way. I also see the Yin in the Earth, and Water, and the Yang in Air, and Fire. So I see the Goddess and God in more than just the two great lights in the sky. I see them both in all facets of nature.

Just on a side note, as an alchemist, I've notice that much of the powers of the Wind are attributed to the Goddess, yet Air is masculine. I'm a real stickler for understanding how these things can be. Well, I've decided that Air is masculine as pure element. But when it moves over the Earth due to temperature difference caused by the Earth's surface (the feminine element), then Wind becomes more than just 'Air'.

In other words Wind is a dance between the Yin and the Yang and therefore Wind carried both the God and the Goddess. In fact, this can be said of all the elements. In their purest state they are either masculine or feminine, but in dynamic settings they can be a mixture of both.

That's probably a bit too analytical for many people who are merely interested in the spiritual aspects, but as an alchemist I tend to be a little more observant to the tangible details of how the ethereal spirit is manifest. I take this all quite seriously.

I've just learned how to set up an altar, and I'll need to find a suitable cauldron. I know I have a heavy cast iron one around here somewhere, quite old actually.

I'm truly amazed at how much sense this religion makes. It's a beautiful religion. Utterly stunning. A real tribute to the creator of this universe. I've never genuinely looked into is seriously before. I was always taught that witchcraft was just fairytale stuff. I never realized that this is a serious religion. It makes far more sense than the dogmatic religions I was taught. And it's far more positive and loving. People have no clue what they are missing. Talk about a romantic religion, this is like the epitome of romance. A genuine love affair with God. Anyone who wants to love God should definitely look into Wicca. This is a seriously romantic religion.

I'm just starting to read the chapter on Broom Magic. I've already started reading a bit and I'm already utterly amazed. I definitely need to buy a suitable broom, and it's not going to be from Wal-Mart either. This is definitely going to be a trip to an antique store. No question about that. I might even be lucky enough to find one that was actually owned by a witch previously.

Wow! Harry Potter here I come!

Thank you so much Ruth for suggesting this book, I'm loving every page of it. I really like the abstract way that Scott presents everything, he leaves the actual relationship with God entirely up to the reader. He sets the reader free to communicate with God in whatever way the reader so desires. Which is precisely the way it should be. He strips it entirely of any dogma and just gives the abstract concepts of how to interact with God directly. No pretense, no make-believe, just very clear and powerful explanations.

It's Excellent! And it's perfect for me. This is me. No doubt about it. I've been suppressed my entire life by people who were blind to the beauty of this religion. Such a shame, I would have been a great witch as a child! This religion fits me to a 'T'. It's precisely how I view the world, and God. And anyone who thinks it's evil is just plain sick. That just a huge dogmatic lie of another religion. A religion that never did anything for me but made me feel unnecessarily guilty for wanting to do good things! I'm still angry about that and rightfully so!

I love Wicca as Scott Cunningham presents it. I'm not going to necessarily support it overall because I'm not sure how other Wiccan's might view it, and I'm not necessarily going to support their views.

Like you've said, the last thing anyone should want to do is push Wicca toward becoming dogmatic. I'm afraid that if it became mainstream that's precisely what would happen to it. It would be destroyed by the fundamentalists who want to write dogma, name the Gods, and write manuals of rules and regulations that the Gods expect from everyone. What would we'd have then? It'd just be Jesus on a broom.

Anyway, thank you for recommending the book. It was well worth the purchase, as were the other two by Scott on Earth Power, and Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. These are right up my alley.

Goddess of Mercy Day (Chinese)

I wonder if they are referring to this Goddess specifically.

KUAN YIN

Kuan Yin, revered throughout Asia for thousands of centuries, is the Chinese Goddess of infinite mercy and compassion. Her name means "she who listens to the sounds" (suffering) of the world. In the Buddhist tradition, she is an aspect of Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva who sprang from one of Buddha's tears.

She once took the form of Miao Shan, a woman who was spurned by her father for refusing to marry: later, Miao Shan sacrificed both arms and legs in order to heal her father. Her appeal is particularly widespread because she gives assistance in this world: she provides the earthly blessing of children, health, and long life and rescues people from drowning, lightning, and poverty.

Just commenting as I go through.....

"do as thou will and harm none" is not attributed to the goddess. I may be mistaken but I believe it was Gerald Gardner who came up with this and it's a change from Aleister Crowley's initial statemen of "do what thou will is the whole of the law". If I'm wrong someone please correct me.

Wow! That's a lot of spunk for a limbless lady.

I don't know. but, that's a good guess. I have appealed to Her before and find her a very loving and nuturing goddess.

Ya know I was thinking that also James. You are becoming a very skillful mind reader it seems. I didnt site that because it came from one of my "Goddess Knowledge Cards" that I found at a garage sale out in California. It just has a abstract depiction of the Goddess on the front of the card and then a very limited synopsis on the back. I think the limb amputation occurred during her "human existence" on Earth but who knows. Its a little vague. Maybe she is like "The Dark Knight" in the "Holy Grail"

Na Im just kidding. I think she is VERY well established throughout not only China but other southeastern Asian countries such as Vietnam, Laos, Thailand etc..Shes big mojo in that area of the world.