tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50544940230711295482024-03-13T23:19:21.307-07:00Standing at the Gates of Annwntales of magic, divine love, and pathways to peace.Vixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01483203073015522669noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054494023071129548.post-38183869362656804612010-07-12T18:56:00.000-07:002010-07-12T20:41:02.756-07:00It's time to get personal with the Tarot of the Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiza9xFUwLpbuPC5t_jWRvx8jHN5HwNtMVfWFmfZS4RSCSZPal5yvGOkUtq-ZyC3AToi9zx5mPsU-C70qhc3EaAlrfty2NdXkuHXNG6HYbGHAY1mogXg3jSS3MDln-a8qHtal9rU0VqVFo/s1600/aceofpentacles.malomations.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiza9xFUwLpbuPC5t_jWRvx8jHN5HwNtMVfWFmfZS4RSCSZPal5yvGOkUtq-ZyC3AToi9zx5mPsU-C70qhc3EaAlrfty2NdXkuHXNG6HYbGHAY1mogXg3jSS3MDln-a8qHtal9rU0VqVFo/s320/aceofpentacles.malomations.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492919678124140690" border="0" /></a>The Ace of Pentacles rests like the moon on an outstretched hand. The moon is new right now, and I've smelled like iron for the past few days but so far, no menses, and it's been almost four months since I birthed my daughter, making it over a year since I've bled in my course. I never thought I would feel heartsick for menstruation.<br /><br />I feel like I need to clear and cleanse to make room for this bounty coming in.<br /><br />I don't usually associate the Ace of Pentacles with the moon, but it seemed connected somehow tonight. Maybe it's the raw energy aspect. Maybe it's simply that the Ace is suspended in the sky.<br /><br />All the Aces are new beginnings, raw energy. The raw energy of earth is the impulse to work, to make manifest, to put thought, passion, and feeling into form. Birthing, physically and creatively. I once heard a songwriter describe his experience of writing like giving birth. He would seclude himself in his room, his communications would simplify, limited to his basic needs. He would only emerge when the song was ready. Men also have a womb. We all have a center, where our ideas generate.<br /><br />I am grateful for my talents. I am grateful for this gift, though I am not sure what it means yet. I am grateful for the generosity of the Universe.<br /><br />The Ace of Pentacles is also a gift, a new talent we discover which we never knew we had, or which has hidden in the recesses of our Self and we finally pull it out, dust it off and begin to hone it. Or maybe we decide to practice coin tricks.<br /><br />Stasis. Peace. Fullness. This is the power of the Ace of Pentacles.<br /><br />(image credit: Scott Malo: http://www.malomations.com/taber/digital.htm)Vixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01483203073015522669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054494023071129548.post-22771236531295613292010-02-06T16:03:00.000-08:002010-02-06T16:41:18.024-08:00Card of the Day: Queen of Cups<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0oSmD67VRn3rh0HaRxlrnt05ZayYBM7aD4WaZ2f5IAM8jBPnLVOv1IyB0A3Zazo-brDyI9EPZ_jjyAUUD-jm6dIA4fwvpr_KIffE2P_qt0hVBDyGA5G-RdyiMUsqzPxZ8hk4EGFQ1o0/s1600-h/dreamer.queen-of-cups.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh0oSmD67VRn3rh0HaRxlrnt05ZayYBM7aD4WaZ2f5IAM8jBPnLVOv1IyB0A3Zazo-brDyI9EPZ_jjyAUUD-jm6dIA4fwvpr_KIffE2P_qt0hVBDyGA5G-RdyiMUsqzPxZ8hk4EGFQ1o0/s320/dreamer.queen-of-cups.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435286755385265090" border="0" /></a>I feel relief any time I see this card. I feel the waters surrounding the Queen of Cups are warm and inviting, calm and refreshing to take a dip in.<br /><br />She herself is calm, collected, and highly intuitive. She sees your soul when she looks into your eyes. She appears as the goddess in her healing aspect, saying, "Come to me, drink of this water, be healed, and thirst no more." <br /><br />The appearance of the Queen of Cups signifies her presence in the seeker's life as well as a need to exhibit her qualities individually. For men, it means getting in touch with the feminine side, as well as the gentle reminder that She is there just under the surface. For women, it means getting in touch with our nurturing side, being a mother, and finding strength in our mothers. It is letting yourself be healed, and passing on a healing touch to a friend. <br /><br />She also heralds the culmination of emotional change. Something has been growing under the surface, and now it is time for this change to step out of the primordial womb and be fully born into the world. It could be big as the first fish with legs, or it could be as small as a mitochondria. Either way, it brings new possibilities and secrets of the deep. <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Image thanks to: The Dreamers Deck. More info at http://dreamersdeck.com/index.html</span>Vixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01483203073015522669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054494023071129548.post-10971161748738956892009-08-26T01:14:00.000-07:002009-08-26T01:25:52.498-07:00Tarot Food for Thought.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvtfoWwcuNa-VthaRRWmp_Ak7XsrwL0HqxtInb4SRk-HHfw9Xf054bc69I62Ci9fHgFvD-CA7x7Dra-JykQczAvrgaOAyGK3ky20EoIzhZmR8GiAnxmtROCl2enCsFakVK9fH1T0MA80/s1600-h/V_7Wnds.Victorian.Romance.deck.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijvtfoWwcuNa-VthaRRWmp_Ak7XsrwL0HqxtInb4SRk-HHfw9Xf054bc69I62Ci9fHgFvD-CA7x7Dra-JykQczAvrgaOAyGK3ky20EoIzhZmR8GiAnxmtROCl2enCsFakVK9fH1T0MA80/s320/V_7Wnds.Victorian.Romance.deck.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374185119363597186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Tarot helps people look at the future. On the surface, this seems like a simple process of memorization of symbols and key phrases. However, the Tarot itself holds a potential of awe-inspiring enlightenment, and holds important messages for the querent that are sometimes better summarized by the card itself than by any phrases associated with the card. Gazing at the picture on the 7 of Wands, for example, says more than simply “competition,” “defense,” “stamina” or “rivalry” because it contains all those things plus other words that may come to mind as the querent meditates on the image. Pictures speak to us more profoundly than words (don’t believe me? Ask Jung and Campbell). </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Each tarot card is a world in itself. This concept applies from the most simplistic images to the most intricate of tarot designs. The tarot resonates with our collective unconscious, which when you think about it, is pretty huge. It contains our collective memories and experiences as a species, and humanity existed for many aeons – written history is really just the surface. Tarot connects with those elements of our essence as humanity. A reader reading accurately, and drawing up specific events from seemingly broad symbolism, is working from a mystical perspective. </span><br /><br />(Image from the Victorian Romantic Tarot, Magic Realist Press)Vixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01483203073015522669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054494023071129548.post-47797940630527810582009-08-14T02:11:00.000-07:002009-08-14T03:28:27.983-07:00Deity of the Week - Oya<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwO5BVNw4BmiWWjS3S3724tKLWg_W3vV4-PRUrjGClR_GrMuMocSDlllCkXwZHNW9UUF4pIG28cu-Ok_xn2DbZ9_LtEzB00h0x-oPUI241rcRUvM7XFj-3Ba0aEPsTlhpF9MYLkadYdo/s1600-h/oya2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwO5BVNw4BmiWWjS3S3724tKLWg_W3vV4-PRUrjGClR_GrMuMocSDlllCkXwZHNW9UUF4pIG28cu-Ok_xn2DbZ9_LtEzB00h0x-oPUI241rcRUvM7XFj-3Ba0aEPsTlhpF9MYLkadYdo/s320/oya2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369761310899834290" border="0" /></a><br />She is the instigator of earth-shifting storms, warrior goddess of magic, and guardian of the dead. Her whirling skirts are tornadoes as she dances across the sky. I am thankful for her powers because she moves the junk that collects in my life so that I can be cleansed. She also reminds me that I should get around to cleaning anything I want to <span style="font-style: italic;">keep</span> so that it is not moved for me.<br /><br />I am reminded of Oya every time I hear this song (even though it's really about Durga, I think of Oya, too - I'll have to feature Durga next, I suppose), and so I had to look up a video of it to share. <br /><br /><object height="405" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mwh_HsyyxRs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mwh_HsyyxRs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="405" width="500"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><br />Oh there is a murderess amongst us<br />Her love is a violent spiral<br />Hurling in upon us, conjured up<br />At the birth of the world<br /><br />Durga is a dancer<br />Mindless questions find no answers<br />Slicing through the ether<br />Yeah she's gleaming like mother of pearl<br /><br />Dirty little whirlwind<br />Commander, destroyer<br />I've found you<br />Dirty little whirlwind<br />I am pinned by the heat of your swirl<br />Dirty little whirlwind<br />Defender, controller<br />I found you<br />Dirty little whirlwind<br />Tangled up in the flesh of a girl<br /><br />Oh you could curl me beside you<br />The spark in your eyes belies the apocalypse inside you<br />Twisting the pits from the particle<br />Skull can't save face<br /><br />So shake the shame from it<br />Burn it up inside you<br />Let me churn in your furnace of whirl<br />Dirty little whirl wind<br />Defender, Destroyer<br />I found you<br />Dirty little whirl wind<br />I am pinned by the heat of your swirl<br />Dirty little whirl wind<br />Commander, Controller<br />I found you<br />Dirty little whirl wind<br />All caught up in the flesh of a girl<br /><br />All that I ever wanted to be was destroyed at sea<br />hurricane rescued me salvaged calamity<br /><br />All that I ever wanted to be was destroyed at sea<br />hurricane rescued me salvaged calamity<br /><br />Do not delay we stood in place for it<br />Turn me up inside you<br />Up and into the heart of your whirlVixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01483203073015522669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054494023071129548.post-11007859696228109862009-08-09T20:47:00.000-07:002009-08-09T23:53:13.757-07:00Terry Pratchett Knows WitchesI just have to put a plug in here for Terry Pratchett because he seems to be one of the best writers at capturing the philosophy of modern day witches, true witches - <span style="font-style: italic;">real </span>witches - even when they live in a totally fictitious world. <br /><br />I just finished reading <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.terrypratchett.co.uk/books/books.php?ean=9780552551441">A Hat Full of Sky</a>, </span>which follows the character <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffany_Aching">Tiffany Aching</a> through her adventures as a trainee witch with a certain Miss Level (yes, it's juvenile fiction, technically, but I think they only call it that because the main character is a young girl). Pratchett even features a real geographic location, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uffington_White_Horse">Uffington White Horse</a>, a chalk drawing in the hills of Great Britain, which, as certain characters in <span style="font-style: italic;">Hat </span>accurately point out, it's not so much what a horse looks like, as what a horse <span style="font-style: italic;">be.</span><br /><br />The novel features Granny Weatherwax, one of my favorite fixtures of Discworld, who also appears in <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.terrypratchett.co.uk/books/books.php?ean=9780552134606">Wyrd Sisters</a>, </span>which I have also read and highly recommend. <br /><br />In <span style="font-style: italic;">Wyrd Sisters, </span>Granny Weatherwax teams up with Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick to restore an exhiled heir to the throne of Lancre. Although I've never seen anyone truly pull off time travel in this reality, the characters themselves are model witches. Throughout his novels, Pratchett outlines very sound principles of magickal ethics and very accurate depictions of life as a Witch. Of course, some live up to those ethics better than others, and some of his witches see fame as synonymous with acheivement. I have definitely met some crones who meet Granny Weatherwax's meddle: staunch, grouchy, apparently crotchety, but brave and when the need arises, downright resourceful.<br /><br />For an example of sound ethics, that I have seen in practice with real witches, in <span style="font-style: italic;">Hat Full of Sky, </span>Miss Level explains to Tiffany how she handles gifts given to her in exchange for her services as herbalist, midwife, and all-around helper.<br /><br />"What do you do with all that food?"<br />"Store it," said Miss Level.<br />"But you---"<br />"I store it in other people. It's amazing what you can store in other people," Miss Level laughed at Tiffany's expression. "I mean, I take what I don't need around to those who don't have a pig, or who're going through a bad patch, or who don't have anyone to remember them."<br />"But that means they'll owe <span style="font-style: italic;">you</span> a favor!"<br />"Right. And so it just keeps on going around. It all works out."<br /><br />The witches who would fail an ethics test are not evil, simply caught up in their own character flaws. One such witch, Mrs. Earwig ("It's pronounced Ah-wij") comes across as rather vain, attached to material goods, and, as a creature trapped in Tiffany notes at the time of her visit to Mrs. Earwig's house, "she thinks you can buy magic."<br /><br />Indeed, I have noticed that the most admirable witches I have met seem not to hang onto any anxiety about getting their physical needs met, as long as they are doing the best they can with what they have to help others who need it. If this doesn't sound very glamourous, that's because it's not. What counts is that we're there for people. <br /><br />Conversely, I've noticed that other witches that don't exactly ring my bell are the ones who get really caught up in having the stuff (which I am guilty of sometimes, after all: human) and maintaining their reputation. <br /><br />The one point that I disagree with, that Pratchett maintains is a taboo for witches in his Discworld series, is that good witches help check one another against cackling. I personally like to cackle sometimes, but it may be a guilty pleasure, come to think of it.<br /><br />Now go, readers, read! And let me know what you think.<br /><br />Light and Laughter (and maybe a little cackling)<br /><br />FaeVixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01483203073015522669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054494023071129548.post-27742947781242384552009-08-08T12:02:00.000-07:002009-08-08T12:05:00.108-07:00In Lieu of (sometimes?) Daily Deity......I'm linking to a friend's recent entry:<br /><br /><a href="http://aceltinthecity.blogspot.com/2009/06/she-came-into-my-life-as-queen-would.html">A Story of Demeter and Kore</a>Vixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01483203073015522669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054494023071129548.post-91296651122734157432009-01-16T16:41:00.000-08:002009-01-22T16:17:22.443-08:00Deity of the Week<div style="text-align: left;">I have decided to start posting a daily deity. This one was inspired by research for a book I've recently begun working on.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammit">Ammit</a></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/01666/Images/ammit.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: left; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 233px;" src="http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/01666/Images/ammit.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Owner/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.jpg" alt="" />Ammit is the god of ancient Egyptian lore who devours the souls who do not pass the feather test with Ma'at.<br /><br />I see this god, this strange combination of lion, hippo, and crocodile, as a message of transformation. Devouring is always part of a cycle, and why would mythology be an exception? The soul is devoured, and purified. I'm not sure what the Egyptians thought would become of the devoured soul, but I know that would not have been the end. The Egyptians seemed to have a place for everything, a continuance in existence although in changing forms. So Ammit would help us with this cycle. I would be interested if anyone has done a meditation with him in mind. He has been demonized, but those who are with me in thought would realize that one group's demons are often another's gods, and there is a Dignified and Reversed meaning behind any deity, as with tarot cards. I think practitioners can focus on either side to empower it, and keep whichever side is undesirable a little dormant, in the background. At the same time I think we still need to appease both sides.<br /><br />Ammit then is a gatekeeper, an usher - we might see the ugly insides of his belly if our hearts are not light as feathers, at first, but we return in the cycle of consciousness. Perhaps Ammit appears to some of us in life to warn us away from his belly. Or is he hungry? I'm still working that out.<br /><br />I can't tear myself away from the thought that the deities a person works with are highly influenced in nature by how the worker thinks of them, to a certain point. Of course, it would be unwise to confuse a goddess like Kali with a less ferocious entity, but at the end of the day, the power they have is power we have given them. It's not something to take lightly, but it's not something to completely avoid, either. Ammit says, "Hey, I am mean and ugly, with sharp teeth and pointy claws, but I can grind your consciousness into little pieace so that you lose your ego. You are remade when I shed you from my digestive system, and you go back to the earth and are reborn as someone else to begin again." <br /><br />Just my thoughts for today.Vixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01483203073015522669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054494023071129548.post-38130917787360010092008-10-29T10:34:00.000-07:002008-10-29T11:09:22.160-07:00Pagans in the News<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It's a relief to know people are starting to take paganism seriously. I hope that this article will be reprinted in Pagan newsletters all across the web. Below I have posted some highlights. This article paints a rather rosy picture of the Bay - I have several covenmates who do not feel comfortable talking about their spirituality at their work place (not that I think that should be a common experience, but I think people should be able to freely talk about what they do on the holidays!). It is critical now to establish this kind of safe haven across the U.S. so that people like us do not feel the need to hide.<br /><br />May we take council from our ancestors, and may they light our path.<br /></span><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/29/HODV13LCBM.DTL"><br /><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;" >Samhain: Pagan celebration honoring the dead</span></a><br /><br />...Bay Area witches said they don't need to hide their brooms in any closets. Several witches, in fact, stepped up eagerly to lay claim to the "pagan Martha Stewart" apron. <p> (That apron would surely be black. Said Starhawk: "Witches often do wear black because night is a time of power and mystery, and also because black is slenderizing and doesn't show dirt.")</p> <p>"Martha and I both find crafty uses for herbs, flowers, home decoration and recipes," said Rabbit, proprietor of the Sacred Well metaphysical shop in Oakland and high priestess of the Come As You Are Coven. She added, rather craftily, "Our definitions of 'craft' might be different."</p><p>...The big events on Saturday include a spiral dance at Kezar Pavilion, where there will be altars set up for air, fire, water and earth, as well as for guests to honor their dead. One might call it Bay Area paganism's annual coming-out party - except that here witches feel little need to hide.</p>Vixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01483203073015522669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054494023071129548.post-48727735015644677212008-10-06T11:34:00.000-07:002008-10-30T14:49:25.607-07:00Making Rain<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Near sunset on Friday, October 3rd, a cluster of witches gathered in a park behind a yoga studio in Berkeley. The witches stored their non-essentials in the yoga studio and headed outside with blankets, rhythmic instruments, and cookies and wine as an offering to the gods and goddesses. They built an altar and laid the blankets in a circle as the evening darkness settled in. When they were all ready to begin, one of the witches cast a circle with an umbrella. It began to sprinkle, without any chants or spells having been done! The witches screeched and hooted in pleasure, as two High Priestesses stepped into the middle to call Hera and Ixchel</span>...Vixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01483203073015522669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054494023071129548.post-31814664025049297062008-09-16T16:27:00.000-07:002008-09-16T16:28:23.160-07:00Magical Theory<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">A friend of mine recently asked me, “How do you think magic works?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">After thinking a couple of minutes, I replied, “I think it’s something that science just hasn’t explained yet, it’s a relationship between a person’s will and the surrounding universe. Kind of like in quantum physics, they’ve discovered that particles shift when observed. I think that’s how magic works.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Of course, I think how it works is secondary to the fact that it works, although I think talking about what you can do to make magic more effective is important. How many spells have you experimented with and seen a direct outcome later on? If a spell backfires, is there at least a part of you that still thrills that the spell worked at all?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Some spells won’t work, for a number of reasons. Sometimes you aren’t ready for the outcome of the spell, you don’t believe you deserve what you’re asking for, or perhaps you don’t really need the outcome of the spell. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I think I am going to begin a spell journal. I will write the spells I perform, the day they are cast, and the outcome when it happens. This might be tricky considering that a lot of people believe that a spell will only work if you forget that you did it so that the universe and your subconscious mind can make it happen. I’m inclined to agree. Solution: writing down the spell right after it is done, and not looking at that entry until one moon cycle later (or however long the spell is supposed to take), being sure to make a note on the calendar to look at the book at that time (but not making a note of why). </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">When we cast a spell, we are reaching out to the divine, to spirits, to our ancestors, gods, goddesses, our higher self, or our unconscious mind- whatever is the holy vehicle to carry out the magic. That aspect of the universe takes the magic and instigates change, like the effects of observation on subatomic particles. The change happens, and our spell returns to us. Or, for whatever reason, it doesn’t, and we either find what we did wrong or end up re-casting the spell over and over until we figure it out.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">What if all the pagans in the United States all cast a spell on the same day to say, help impeachment charges be brought against the President? Would we see any effects? Would that be meddling? I mean, I don’t think I’ve met a single pagan who thinks that Bush is doing a great (or even good) job, so I don’t think it’s out of line to request something like this or organize a bunch of us to do this. A friend of mine posted a spell for magical justice to get gay marriage legalized in the state of California, and I think a lot of people were doing magic toward that goal. In any case, gay marriage was made legal in this state, and we all feel like we did something. Maybe it’s something that would have happened anyway, but I can’t help but feel like we had a part in it.</span>Vixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01483203073015522669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054494023071129548.post-9030030378602276072008-09-11T22:23:00.000-07:002008-09-11T22:24:34.328-07:00Dream in July, of Horses<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I was working on land owned by a free farmer with a medium sized stead. I took care of the horses and performed miscellaneous tasks around the place. One particular mare I had cared for and trained since her birth. She was about two years by the time of my dream. </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The land was owned by a middle aged couple who had one or two children of their own, but their children were still young, and they were growing old. I was in my early twenties in the dream, and I remembered that I had stayed at the farmstead since I was adolescent, working off some sort of bond. Was it set by my parents, had they given me up as some sort of tribute, or just couldn’t feed me themselves any more? I do not know. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">A breach of trust happened, or I perceived a breach of trust as happening. Either way, I decided it was best for me to leave. I gathered some provisions from the store house and readied the horse that I had raised, riding out just as the sun rose in an overcast sky. Though my processing conscious mind was unfamiliar with the culture in my dream, I understood the mare was my due. I had worked off my bond and had been staying there as a free woman, for some time by that point, because the owners of the land were kind to me. At the moment, however, I felt I had been wronged, so I was not thieving by taking the mare; at the same time, I tried to leave without saying goodbye, so in that way I was leaving in shame.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Once I had ridden some distance from the compound, I saw the lord and lady of the land riding hard on my trail, calling after me. Their tones sounded apologetic, and they said things like, “Come back, girl, we need to speak with you – this isn’t what you think it is.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">What was my name? Fiona? Faustina? Freya? I do not remember, and I could be inserting this retroactively into my memory, but they called a name beginning in “f” and ending in “ah” – I slowed, they caught up with me, breathing as hard as their horses. They began to explain their apology, and why they had chased me all that way, when I woke up.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The very first thing I remembered about the dream was galloping through scrub brush (sage?) on low sloping hills under a cloudy sky, with my fibrous (linen?) skirts and my cloak billowing behind me. I saw that my mare was a dusty dapple grey. The woman was astride a pale dun mare, and the man rode a black stallion. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I woke up with the feeling of that dream happening a long, long time ago.</span>Vixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01483203073015522669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054494023071129548.post-66190593572013332582008-09-11T22:22:00.000-07:002008-10-30T14:36:25.454-07:00Mindblowing Magickal ExperienceIt’s difficult to pull thoughts from thin air, to find the right words at exactly the right time. I don’t have much time to write, so I’ll try to freestyle and make as much sense as possible for now.<br />I attended an amazing gathering of Dianic witches last weekend. I went by chance to a gathering in the redwoods. I say by chance because my High Priestess just happened to have an extra space for Gathering the Goddesses. Having read Z. Budapest intermittently since my awakening to the old ways, wanting for years and years to attend a large gathering of witches such as this, I expressed my interest in going.<br /><br />I danced with over a hundred other women in the firelight. I shed my clothing and danced naked as I was when came into this world (except for the red cord tied around my waist in initiation, not unlike the cord that ties us all to the Mother). I grew closer to my sisters by leaps and bounds, and two and a half days felt like a week, but I wanted it to be a month.<br /><br />Time became thin. We raised immense amounts of energy and worked magic on behalf of the well-being of humanity, and we discovered new aspects of ourselves and each other. We celebrated our potential for creation, our flow of life, and our natural intuitions, our distinct talents and traits as women.<br /><br />I won an Epona necklace in a silent auction, and I will be working with her more now.Vixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01483203073015522669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054494023071129548.post-19236570421646080172008-09-11T16:12:00.000-07:002008-09-13T11:29:34.174-07:00In Memoriam (a sestina)<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The land basked in peaceful autumn morning light</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">On the day the city streets were flooded with dust.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In a matter of hours our President spoke of war</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">while planning to pack up and ship off the mangled steel.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Evidence would be removed from the scene and the country</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Leaving us to live with questions, anger, and fear.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Leaders learned long ago they could use our fear</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">To summon darkness in the midst of light.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">For the sake, they said, of defending our country</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">our enemies would be forced to eat our dust.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Meanwhile, they used the demolished towers of steel</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">To take away our rights and rally our nation into war.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">For seven years we have waged a war, </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">using vague threats of terrorism to propagate fear,</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now some people are asking, what about the steel?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Traces of Thermate® brought new questions to light</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">and how the towers collapsed into neat piles of dust…</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Who benefitted? We must ask the leaders of this country.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We have been lied to by the leaders of this country</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">terrorism is not a tribe or nation that can be fought with war.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We ignore the slow deaths of the workers who breathed in the dust </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">but the immediate victims’ names have been abused to fuel our fear.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Nothing is truly free in the home of the brave, light,</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">While the media tells us lies about how jet fuel melted steel. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">To make any change we must make our wills be like steel, </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">overturn the Patriot Act, and make this land the people's country.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We must have courage in the darkness and share the truth as light,</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Otherwise we will find ourselves the next enemy in their war.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We must not let ourselves be imprisoned by our own fear;</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">we must realize that we can turn their empire into dust.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">What would we have found, sifting through all the dust?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The souls of corpses recovered from concrete and steel,</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">did they die in vane? Would they wish for us to live in fear?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We must be the ones to redeem our country</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">From the horrors of this fabricated privatized war.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We must reignite the flame of freedom’s light.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">If we fail to face our fear, if we keep mourning the clouds of dust</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The terror infusing us will snuff out our light and our hearts will turn into steel.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We must fight to save our country, win back our freedoms, and end the war.</span>Vixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01483203073015522669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5054494023071129548.post-34969774941937049862008-08-05T09:33:00.000-07:002008-09-11T16:37:25.567-07:00Poem to the Goddess<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I am a fierce woman.</span><p style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I light the sky with my smile.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Stars twinkle across the plain of my hair. </span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I run naked across the grasses. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I hunt deer with a longbow, and forage for berries.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I take comfort from friends, but can fulfill my own needs.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I am happy to be with my lover, but content to be alone.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I am a fierce woman.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I am free.</span></p>Vixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01483203073015522669noreply@blogger.com0