I read it.

I don't know if I approach things more as a priest of some kind or a shaman more.
Animals in general like me and I can usually understand in my own way other larger animals and dangerous predators. I see a second outline around anything alive. I doubt I can see what others would call an aura. It is like a larger glass like outline, nothing like a cartoon.
I am not ritualistic and meditation in proper form for me is impossible especially in a city. My meditation is going on long hikes as FAR away from humanity as I can get. I get seriously claustrophobic in crowds.
I can feel magnetic fields as well. TV let of STRONG Fields I can feel up to a foot away from them like feeling the skin of a ball under my hand almost. It is tough to describe. Crystals also have a feel to them in my hand. Oddly Diamonds almost have no feel to them at all. Quartz on the other hand, hmmmmmm.
Tormaline, either the Black or the red and green Watermelon Tourmaline also has a rather strong feel to them.
I love rock hounding!!!
Finding crystals is the pinnacle of excitement for me.
I also love collecting cacti.
I am not as much of a healer but I do act in that capacity in one of the many jobs I do to stay financially afloat.

So what would others consider what I am more like based on my information so far?
Shaman, medicine man, priest? I am no wizard by ANY stretch of the imagination. If I was I would probably unleash something HP Lovecraft flavored on accident because of me forgetting something important or accidentally making a discovery we were not ready for yet so I don't mess with it!

I do understand the necronomicon is fictitious and that Cuthulu and the rest of that genra was only a story with no historical basis. Otherworldly entities like Pazzeusu, Baael, Demogorgon... well they may have been Babylonian deities BUT in all honesty there are things out there and I mean past the space we know and understand that have no place here in this world and if they got here it would be VERY VERY bad for all of us.
otherwise the rest is all good!

Andy, I agree that the best meditation is to get far away from people and into nature. I think I really need to do that soon. I have so much in my head right now and I can't even sleep well the last week or so, let alone meditate. It's been like having the tv on too loud 24/7.

As for lower level entities......I don't mess with them. I got enough nasty humans to deal with in my life.

Thats true. Thats also supposed to be a distinctive trait of Taurus. They need to isolate themselves in a secluded place or deep in nature and away from other humans in order to think. Are you a Taurus by chance Andy?

That's interesting about the Taurus person. What sign are you Krimsa? I can meditate better at night whent the energy is calm. I'm so wound up and stressed right now it'll take me a few days to find some mental peace with a lot of effort.

Im a Taurus. But dont get the wrong impression. I tend to not buy into a lot of the "traits" that each sign is supposed to posses because if you really look at them, they are quite ambiguous. I think at one point James or someone had posted a long list of the different attributes that each is supposed to possess and I saw myself in some of the Taurus but also some of the Gemini and so on and so forth. Thats why I always take it with a grain of salt.

I am bossy and pig headed at times. Of course I prefer the term assertive. That is a Taurus trait and I fall into that category but that is more of a personality type.

That's why most people who do charts look at the whole picture when you're born. And, your moon sign makes a difference too. I once looked at my sun sign and my moon sign and it was a better overall descprition with both of them.

In my most troubled times I used to walk out over the prairie and over a hill to a small pond where frogs jumped into the water and snakes came to drink.

I would sit at the edge of the pond and I no sooner sat down then the solution to what ever was bothering me was as clear as a bell ringing.

Then a meadow lark would call and a flock of ducks would land on the pond or fly over. A small band of miniature ponies would come up to the pond and drink.

Awesome!

Today the sun dismissed the clouds
Although it nary said a word
We walked together in the crowds
Of butterflies and birds.

Two horses came a running
Their tails were flying high
Their countenance was stunning
Beneath the flawless sky.

That was really beautiful JB. The kids go with their dad on Sunday. I'm going to plan a little solo getaway and get my head straight.

The beach is where I usually go, but I think I will need to some exercise to really start to let go.....I know some good hiking trails out here. I think I'll do that.

I went to a beach once. Don't get there too often. Here was my impression:

http://www.springfieldcolorado.com/poems/ocean.html

The Ocean

Somewhere there is an ocean
Where waves meet with the sand
Imagine ceaseless motion
Where natives are well tanned.

And visitors (like me) arrive
With skin as white as foam
They wonder how the others thrive
And if this is their home.

They think of sharks and jelly fish.
And feel like such a fool,
Forget the fear, forget the wish
And go and find the pool.

Thats cute. I love the sound of the ocean myself. Im from California and grew up along the coast. I also have a healthy respect for the dangers associated with the sea since I saw it happen as a child growing up. People from Nebraska or Ohio would come on vacation and wander out into the Tide pools to pick up hermit crabs and blennies and whatever else and they would not notice that the tide was coming back in rapidly. So all of a sudden you are surrounded by ocean again and trapped. At least one tourist would die every summer that way. Or else they turn their backs on the breakers in order to take photos and someone gets washed away and they never recover a body or if they do its too late.

Thats happens all the time along the coast of California. Ruth probably knows of what I speak.

I love to look at it, and walk along the beach, but swimming in it scares the hell out of me.

When I went to the Bahamas I was in the ocean floating on an air raft I had rented and a native or more experienced tourist warned me of jelly fish. She said they had nets but that some of the small ones have gotten through them.

The remedy for jelly fish is urine. I pictured my traveling companions pissing on me after having been attacked by a jelly fish, and I decided to get out of the water.



They were all on the shore in beach chairs reading romance novels.

Man o wars? I think thats what they have in the tropical climates. Those are supposed to have horrible stings. Im not sure if they can alleviate the pain at all in fact. I bet the urine is only to somehow disinfect it. Ive also heard of them spraying cold vinegar in water on it but that is probably a placebo at best. If the person thinks it might help, then it will. There are some fish also that if you step on them, the spines shoot up into the soles of your feet and you will die from the venom. Its serious stuff.

Yes, you do have to be careful with the ocean. When I take the kids we only go to the beach where they have lifeguards on duty and I always pick a spot near the main lifeguard station. I love to swim in the ocean, but you have to know the current rip tides.....you can end up getting out of the water a mile from where you started and you didn't even know you moved.

Wow that might freak me out. That is only because I have not been living next to the ocean all my life. I am a pisces and I love the water. If I had grown up near the ocean I would probably be surfing and scuba diving and all kinds of stuff.

Yeah, it's something I am used to, but if you're not it can be very scary. You simply have to know what precautions to take. I don't like scuba diving. I used to dive and then had an accident. (As a side note...the Coast Guard guys are hotties) But, I didn't really like it before that because I am a bit claustrophobic and it always made me uneasy.

Abracadabra wrote:



Abra I read you post but I didn't comment because I dont really know anything about wands and how they are used in ritual. Ive never owned one. How are you going to use this wand exactly?

Wands are used in a myriad of different ways. Just like anything else everyone has their own beliefs in how to use them.

For me they are just 'crystal holders'.

A "wand" is basically just a rod of anykind.

In witchcraft a "magick" wand is usually a rod that holds stones, crystals, or other objects for the purpose of facilitating the transformation, amplification, or storage of emotional and/or psychic or spiritual energy.

Some people believe the magickal powers are 'in the wand'. In fact, anyone who believes that the physical world is a manifestation of omniscient spiritual energy must believe this at least to some degree.

Other's, looking at it from a more scientific or pragmatic veiw, believe that the wand acts as a vibrational medium that can be "charged" with energy or brought into harmonic vibrational sycronicity with the frequency of a person's aura thus facilitating the transference and/or transformation of emotional or cerebral energy.

Still others view magick wands as simply physical symbols that serve to spark the imagination. They then believe that the imagination is the true mechanism of manifestation.

I probably accept a little bit of each of these in various ways.

As I've said, for me, a wand is simply a handle used to hold objects (often crystals) that serve the above purposes.

As for the Chakra wand, I find it very intriguing specifially because I am begining to focus on cleansing and fine-tuning my chakras.

A belief in a 'chakra' itself is an act of imagination.

There are no physical entities known as 'chakras'. A chakra itself is an object of the psyche.

We create our chakras just as we create our deities. We create them via the power of our imagination. They are every bit as real as our imagination.

For some people this may seem rather strange, but from a very pragmatic point of view it is quite powerful.

When we imagine these chakras to exist in our body we also imagine the power they have. And by recognizing the domain of that power we create that power within ourselves.

It's truly not unlike the very simple and real fact that we can change our mood by using nothing more than our free will choice and changing our attitude.

When we do that, we actually change the chemicals that are manufactured and released within are physical body and brain.

Mind over matter, in the truest sense of the concept.

Well the same is true with chakras. They don't need to physically exist. We create them in our mind, and we choose by free will choice how they will make us feel and to what parts of our body and psyche they will tranfer and transform energy.

Those mere thoughts cause our bodies to release hormones, chemicals, and even create electronic pathways within our nervous system to faciliate and manifest the desired results.

So where does the wand come into play?

Well, for me, it plays the role of everything I mentioned above.

Partly it is simply a symbolic reference frame to help me mentally visualize and organize my thoughts.

It's true that I could just print out a visual picture of the wand and that would serve this purpose.

However, I've decided to buy into the belief that the entire physical world is indeed a manifestation of omniscient spririt. (or at the very least, that all-is-one and everything is connected).

For this reason, I'd like to pick up the wand and touch the stones that represent each chakra as I focus on them and meditate on them to enchance the manifestation of the chemical and neural pathways which I build up by merely thinking of these charkas as being the focal point of that energy.

I also have the mental ability to imagine and even 'physically sense' energy flowing between my chakra centers and the stones within the wand.

Now why is this important?

Because when I imagine this flow of energy and feel it physically, I am actually building up neural pathways within my body to create a network of energy flow that I can then call up at any time, even without the aid of the wand.

So for me, the ritual with the Chakra wand will most likely amount to simply holding the wand in my hand during my chakra meditations and yoga workouts. And then resonating with the appropreate crystals as I go though the meditations and exercises.

It will also make a nice addition to my altar.

Let's face it, the traditions of witchcraft are almost entire assocated with the symbology and/or interaction with physical objects that represent the omniscient spirit that manifests reality.

This is truly what it means to be a "pagan".

Arrogant Christians define pagan as follows:

Pagan - anyone who isn't a Christian, Jew or Muslim.

But that's an absurdly arrogant and meaningless definition created by bigoted people who denounce everyone and anyone who doesn't believe that their chosen doctrine defines God.

I laugh at their arrogance and define the term pagan in a way that I believe is far more meaningful.

Pagan - anyone who believes that the physical world is the manifestation of an omniscient spirit.

By this definition I consider myself to be a Pagan. I am a pantheist, a mystic, an animist, a shaman, and of course. a witch, or alchemist if you prefer.

I believe that the physical world is the manfestation of omniscient spirit. I take this quite literally and because of this I believe that "God is in rocks", as well as everything else.

Spirit is energy, and all material objects are manifestations of energy. Einstein discovered this, atomic power plants prove its truth, as do the stars.

We are a manifestation of spirit.

And so is a chakra wand.

huff puff

Another long-winded post.