Tag Archives: pagan

Is Paganism Built on Shifting Sand?

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Shifting Sands by EidolonWeasel

Shifting Sands by EidolonWeasel

I recently read an article on a well published website, where a noted blogger was discussing her crisis of faith with modern paganism and its many derivatives. I respect this author and have read her writings for some time, but felt a bit annoyed by the tone of the piece. Now, don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed her honesty and ability to thoughtfully convey her doubts, and readily admit, that even pagan die-hards like myself have periods of dryness, of heartache, of questioning our thoughts and convictions. However, what disturbed me most about the article was the fallback of the author on the ‘spiritual sanctuary’ and ‘inspiration’ of ‘Abrahamic’ religions to offer support that paganism was unable to provide. Really? In the interest of animistic polytheists like myself, I would like to offer a rebuttal….and I hope one as equally thought out and well-written as that of my doubting, searching sister.

The background, the foundation and the infrastructure of monotheistic religion is pagan in origin. In his 1878 Essay on the Development of the Christian Doctrine, John H. Newman wrote:

“The use of temples, and these dedicated to particular saints, and ornamented on occasions with branches of trees, incense, lamps and candles; votive offerings on recovery from illness; holy water; asylums; holy days and seasons, use of calendars, processions, blessings on the fields, sacerdotal vestments, the tonsure, the ring in marriage, turning to the east, images at a later date, the ecclesiastical chant and the Kyrie Eleison are all of pagan origin and sanctified by their adoption into the Church.”

From the dying god mythos to current holiday celebrations of Oestre and Yule, the ‘Abrahamic’ religions felt a need to incorporate the strength, endurance and the longevity of the pagan culture into their own to attract converts and to stabilize a religion that was only gaining followers with bullying tactics and torturous threats.

To me, these examples symbolize the strength and stability of the pagan path and its origins. It deeply resonates with humanity and is not a path of shifting sand, but rather, so strong that its own symbols and ancestral tenets were adopted by a religion grasping for solidity after a sloppy, sophomoric start.

If one is not religious or has no firm anchor on which to attach, then during the buffeting winds of life, one may find oneself battered and bruised and left wondering what the hell happened. Paganism is no different. It is my belief that one must have something greater than oneself to call upon; be it the Gods, Mother Earth, the Cosmos, the Cosmic Web, or the Fates.

Philosopher and historian, Mircea Eliade, in his book, “The Myth of Eternal Return”, views the sacred as ‘….a construct of human consciousness.’ ‘All things reveal and all things conceal, the Nature of Being”. This ambiguity is echoed in doubts of Pagans and Christians, Jews, Hindus and Muslims all over the globe. Doubt is not wholly the pagan’s playground. It is the Nature of things to Change. Change is the only constant and nothing is set, but only our belief makes it so. No religion or belief system holds the key to stability, to sanctuary, to firm foundation, to doubt-free existence. However, I agree with Eliade on the point that the “…Earth herself is intuitively a religious form”. The Earth Mother and the Divine Feminine historically have been ‘anchors’ for pagans; that port in the storm to which we cling.

She is our source of protection, nourishment and Power from which we all draw. We are taken out of ourselves and thrown about the Cosmos on Her whim. She is life to us, She is faith to us, She is mother and destroyer to us. She is not shifting sand. She is mountain, ocean, elemental and solid. There is nothing ‘weak’ or ‘shifty’ abiding here. The Christian and Jewish patriarchs who claim ‘dominion’ over Her must surely be jesting. Dominion?  I see no evidence of man holding dominion over his own paltry life, let alone the most Ancient Gaia. We are ruled by Her moods, Her weather, Her changes and now, our ignorant destruction of Her. We shall pay for our disregard and narcissism.

All of mankind occasionally finds themselves careening through rolling waves of doubt. This is nothing new, nor is there any belief system that will eradicate it fully. I myself rest on the oldest of religions; the primitive, powerful, magical system that has sustained humanity for thousands of years before the birth of an Abraham or Jesus. I need no scapegoat god to hold up my ceiling of faith. I have my ancestors, my Deities, the Earth Mother and the magic of the spheres. I have the elements, the Spirits, the Dark Arts which tap into the Unknown. I shiver in anticipation of my faith. What will it bring? What will be the ending? Doubts there may sometimes be, but faith pervades and ultimately remains sure on a mountain of history, on an ocean of evidence, on a personal decision to return to the archaic and ancient; on all the history and legacy that transcends the shifting sands of time.

References:

Sjoo, Monica and Mor, Barbara. The Great Cosmic Mother. New York: Harper and Row, 1987.

Eliade, Mircea. Patterns of Comparative Religion. New York: Skeed and Ward, 1958.

Eliade, Mircea. The Myth of Eternal Return or Cosmos and History. New York: HarperTorch Books, 1954.

Image: http://eidolonweasel.deviantart.com/

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What’s In Your Wallet? The Big Pagan Sellout

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‘Unaffordable’ by Khaled Kashkari

Update to post:

It would appear that this post has struck a chord, and not surprisingly, those who have the most to lose are complaining the loudest. Long may it continue. If not profiting from my tradition and selling unneeded kitsch to the masses makes me ‘self-righteous’, so be it. I’ve been called a lot worse, and am frankly honoured to have been mentioned as an oppositional voice to this endless consumer nightmare and constant promotion of useless goods which are produced more for the benefit of the money-hungry seller than the magical/spiritual needs of the buyer. Thanks for that guys. You know who you are …Now, on to our discussion:

What’s In Your Wallet? The Big Pagan Sellout

It’s cool to be Pagan right now. Being so makes one hip, edgy, a demi-anarchist. It would also, from all accounts, make one financially prosperous. I am talking about the ‘The Big Sell Out’; the ‘Pagan for Profit’ mentality that has taken over our computers, our lives and most sadly, our traditions, paths and beliefs.

Type ‘Pagan’ into your web browser and you will be bombarded with hundreds upon hundreds of sites offering to sell you everything from amethyst studded wands to faux zebra-skin mojo bags. We have purveyors of ‘safe’ flying ointments (they were never meant to be SAFE), herbal remedies for body and soul, spells for every occasion and ailment, tarot divinations, (“Call in the next 10 minutes and I’ll throw in a complimentary astrological reading”), and such illogical and unusable wastes of the Earth Mother and Her resources as to be shameful.

We have stones, chalices, fetishes, potions and poppets – wands, robes, cloths and parchments. If I see one more advertisement for a goddamn psychic reading or lemon-based herbal enchantment in a nylon sachet, I am going to cut my own throat.

Pretty ‘witch’ balls, decorative brooms, sparkly Goddess earrings, ‘road-kill’ animal skins dressed up as shamanistic ‘Spirit animals’, ornately embroidered robes, Life Coaches and Paypal donation buttons.  Ahhh. Yep, there’s true power there. Gotta be. It’s new, has pretty packaging and the advertisement said so.

I would expect such behaviour from Christians. The church has always been a big proponent of riches (even though their own scriptures and Founder denounce it; please see Mark 10:23-25: English Standard Version (ESV).

23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”).

The Catholic Church is one of the world’s richest organizations, worth literally untold billions. According to some sources, the Pope, as head of this conglomerate, is the wealthiest individual on the planet.

From this mindset, I would expect a sellout. From a movement supposedly started by an illiterate, desperately poor carpenter, that has devoured the world and left millions in spiritual slavery and poverty, yet, ironically, is worth billions (some say too many to count), from THIS type of institution, I would expect a sellout.

Call me old-fashioned or old school, but I remember growing up with people who lived in mobile homes in the New Mexico desert who would be considered destitute by today’s standards.  They worked outside; they grew their own herbs. They made their own tools for their Craft. They believed that actually making the magical item yourself added to the power. They would never consider ‘buying’ it from an internet ‘witch’.

The intent of the Worker was transferred bit by bit to the item being created. It was useless to buy something someone else had made for a ‘magical’ working. It had to have THEIR web strand embedded in it. To change and influence our own individual reality, our OWN essence and our ‘own thread’ of being needs to be inherent in our tools. Not a stranger’s. To buy our spirituality or magical props is the lazy man’s way of Crafting. It is also the weakest way.

These people I grew up with and around, worked with their hands and hearts out of devotion to the Old Ways and the Old Gods. They had no forums, no internet chat rooms, no glitz. There were no Facebook pages where they could ask mindless and mundane questions to people as ignorant as themselves on the other side of the monitor. No ‘Twitter’ updates, no books, no videos, no donation buttons, no Tumblr posts. Nothing. It was them and them alone, with the Spirits and Gods they conjured.

They followed their intuition. They talked to the Spirits and were guided by THEM, not by some red-eyed, well-dressed, over-fed ‘witch’ who got her information from brightly illustrated books and the latest episode of ‘Charmed”.

They worked with what was available. They didn’t have ‘two-day delivery with a Prime membership’. They had to get outside, in the sun and dirt, making talismans out of adobe mud, infused with grasses, rocks and the Power of the Shaman. They spent time with themselves and with the Ancients. They chanted, they prayed, their bodies swayed in time with the Universe. The blood flowed and the magic thundered.  It didn’t cost a dime.

This is not to equate spirituality versus prosperity. It is rather, to show the GREED, and uncontrollable appetite of the eternally hungry and fat internet marketers in comparison to those who seek help, encouragement, education and enlightenment.   I don’t think I’m better, I think I’m wiser. Do I love money? Yes. Will I do anything to get it? No!

To me, these internet predators are nothing more than nasty, rabid whores – selling their bodies, voices, words and unusable talismans to the unwary, weak and uneducated. For the most part, they are diseased, illiterate in the Way and hopeful that their own grandiose ideas of themselves will cover their innate magical and spiritual weakness.

I realize I am being harsh. We all need money to live. I get that. In fact, truth be told, I am probably one of the most money hungry people you will ever have the unfortunate distinction of meeting. But I will say one thing; I have never made a penny off of my Path, nor do I ever intend to do so. My dad told me it was wrong to do this. He said that what ‘was given by the Spirits and the Gods should not be sold. To do so was to trivialize the Power, to monetize it. To do so was to weaken the Gift and to make it a thing of men, not of the Divine’.

I personally think that is why the Pagan sellout is such a success. Most are weak. Their rituals dry, tasteless and rote, their spells ineffective and paltry. I imagine most people think, “If I buy that wand, or that ointment, or the newest deck of Tarot cards, or hire some Life Coach from Amazon, I will be stronger. If I have the newest planetary hours program for my computer, I can cast more effective spells”.  Sorry folks. That isn’t how it works.

You want to be more powerful? You want to rock the world with your magic? Here’s an idea; get the hell away from computer, from the TV, from the cell phone, from PEOPLE, from the internet in general.

Shut your mouth, shut your wallet and sit in silence in the dark. Fast. Pray. Meditate. Talk to plants, talk to the Gods, talk to the Spirits. Stop buying into the hype that you need newer and better ‘things’ to be a Worker. You don’t. You don’t need ‘life coaches’ and road kill finds.

You need dedication, discipline and that burning lust in your heart that will turn you insane.

When you start babbling incoherently to yourself, when you start seeing ‘Things’ that others can’t, when you start feeling ‘Presences’ that others don’t, when you see the Cosmic Web behind every living thing and when you speak to a stone and have it speak back, you will know. You have surpassed the sellout. You have become your own life coach, your own shaman. Why buy from the desperate?

All you need to be a great Worker is your Gods, your Spirits, your Heart and most importantly, a burning, all-consuming Lust for the Unseen. The rest will follow…the tools will be available for the Great Ones will see to it that you have what you need. And your needs are much less than you imagine.

Just you, the Universe and the Ancient Ones. Get out and start traversing the stars.  And guess what? You can leave your wallet at home.

Image:  Khaled Kashkari  - http://khalllody.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=sale#/d1v2cgt

References:  http://humansarefree.com/2012/03/christian-church-is-biggest-financial.html

Charmed: TM & © 2012 Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.tntdrama.com/series/charmed/

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Apathy in Paganism – The Sacrificial Lamb, La Doncella

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Photograph by Natacha Pisarenko/AP – Courtesy of National Geographic

Once or twice in your life, you have moments of epiphany; moments where you are changed forever, as if in a split second. You come across a picture, a poem, a story…and all at once, your life is different. Your perception of the world is altered and you find yourself breathless in the void, wondering how you got there. It’s like falling in love. Your heart beats faster; your breath gets caught in your throat and you become a mere toy in the hands of the Gods.

Such was my case upon discovering the Llullaillaco Maiden (La Doncella), a 15 year old girl sacrificed to the Gods of her people, now frozen forever in time. Here is a brief description of the ritual as reported in the New York Times:

‘The children were sacrificed as part of a religious ritual, known as capacocha. They walked hundreds of miles to and from ceremonies in Cuzco and were then taken to the summit of Llullaillaco (yoo-yeye-YAH-co), given chicha (maize beer), and, once they were asleep, placed in underground niches, where they froze to death. Only beautiful, healthy, physically perfect children were sacrificed, and it was an honor to be chosen. According to Inca beliefs, the children did not die, but joined their ancestors and watched over their villages from the mountaintops like angels.

Unearthed in 1999 from the 22,000-foot summit of Mount Llullaillaco, a volcano 300 miles west of here near the Chilean border, their frozen bodies were among the best preserved mummies ever found, with internal organs intact, blood still present in the heart and lungs, and skin and facial features mostly unscathed. No special effort had been made to preserve them. The cold and the dry, thin air did all the work. They froze to death as they slept, and 500 years later still looked like sleeping children, not mummies’.

I am in love with this girl, the Sweet Maid of the Inca. She is the tomb of an Eternal Spirit given to the Gods as a sweet and gentle offering.  What sacrifice! What honour! I am not espousing child sacrifice here. I understand the Ancients had their own ways and they may seem primitive or barbaric to our modern minds, but in reality, for those of us who claim to walk the Old Ways and claim allegiance to the Old Gods, we actually have much to learn from such sacrifice and the relinquishing of all that is held dear.

As a modern Pagan, my life has taken on a hue of apathy. I am not worthy to even gaze upon the sleeping face of this beautiful young girl. I have not her Spirit of sacrifice nor her resignation to her fate. I fight against what I know is my due and I fight to my detriment. I wall myself in behind monitors and screens, behind sterile air-conditioned environments and rarely spend time pursuing with ardent lust the path and traditions of my Ancestors. And I wonder why my life feels so shadowed.

How much I have yet to learn. I give only what is convenient, only what takes up the least amount of my time and effort.  My sacrifices these days amount to internet posts and blog writing. What have I become? What kind of Worker am I? I am ashamed.

The Old Ways are are not ‘harm none’. They are not ‘light-filled’ and pain free. They are not redes of the ‘three-fold law’ or shiny chalices and sparkling athames.

The Old Ways are Blood, Bone, Urine, Sweat, Tears, Dirt, Pain and Loneliness. They are nights in the dark when you call, and no One comes.  They are offerings of Flesh and Life made in the here and now, and when we make these offerings with a clear heart and with deep sincerity, our lives blossom and we become fruitful, reflecting the faces and hearts of our Pagan Past. When we give up our lives, our lives return to us. My teacher said, “best to die now and get it over with”.  He repeated these words often to me. Yes, die now. That is the path of true wisdom. In fact, that is the only path.

I see now that not only do we die once at the end of our lives, but perhaps the Sacrifice we are to give is to die daily; to worship, to honour, to spend time in communion, to make our beliefs and traditions our priorities. If we can tear ourselves away from our computers, TV’s and cell phones, what a difference that would make in our lives.

My sweet Maid has taught me a lesson. Although she died over 500 years ago, her life and memory will live on in me. I will honour her Sacrifice and match it with my own. As long as the Great Ones give me breath, I will give my life to Them and when the time comes, I will give Them my death as well.

I no longer exist. I too, am frozen in time, asleep in the Arms of the Great Unseen. I shall sleep well. I sleep in good company.

Photograph by Natacha Pisarenko/AP – Courtesy of National Geographic

References:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/09/photogalleries/mummy-pictures/

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/science/11mummu.html

 

 

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Spirit Animals – Guides for Our Lives

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Brown Recluse Spider
Richard S. Vetter ©University of California Riverside

Being raised as I was with Mesoamerican and Native American influences, I was taught from an early age about the importance of Spirit Animals or Animal Guides, what some today in Neo-Pagan circles call ‘totems’.  Actually, the word totem for an individual symbol is a misnomer, as a totem typically describes a symbol that represents an entire tribe, clan or community.

When I was about 7 years old, I was bitten by a Brown Recluse spider, which can be deadly.  My dad said that the Spirit of the Spider had chosen me. I feel honored to have been chosen in such a manner.  It is said that when your Spirit Animal comes to you, you will be changed. Your outlook, demeanor, character and soul are transformed by the Power of the Animal, Insect or Reptile that has taken up a home in your soul. I have found this to be true.

For those not accustomed to utilizing Animal Spirits, the philosophy can seem ‘primitive’ or backward.  This is depressing, because the Ancients recognized the fact that Spirits infuse and inhabit each Animal, Plant, Mineral and Insect that exists; in fact everything in Creation has Its own Spirit. Each one of the Great Mother’s creations pulse with a passion and character uniquely Their own.  To be granted a Spirit Animal and to be recognized by One is to be honoured by the Mother and by the entire Web of Her Universe.

At the risk of offending many, I have to be true to what I was taught and state that just because you have a ‘liking’ for ravens or you enjoy the sounds of frogs, does not mean that a raven or a frog is your Spirit Animal.  For you to embody the Power, Force and Mindset of another Creature, there must be an ‘energy transference’; a distinct acknowledgement by the Spirit Animal and yourself of a deep, abiding connection.  In the past, Shamans would kill and eat the heart or brain of the freshly killed animal to ingest the mental or spiritual qualities of that animal. The meat alone wouldn’t suffice. It had to be the organ that carried the characteristic desired by the Shaman.

Alternatively, one can be bitten or wounded by the Animal Itself.  A transference of venom or saliva is a highly potent act of magical contagion that transfers the Powers and Influences of the Animal to the human.  This is also done with Plant Spirits, when we ingest herbs or other plants that help ‘alter’ our perceptions and ways of thinking. We are linking with the plant, Spirit to Spirit.

There are cases where ‘non-physical’ transferences can occur. These are those deep, soul-changing exchanges where you gaze into the eyes of the Other, not blinking, not moving, but relishing and devouring each other’s Spiritual and intangible essences.

You are walking in the woods or along a deserted path and you come across a fox. You both stand, staring, not flinching, for what seems like an eternity, neither of you turning away, each delving into the Heart of the Other.  There is a definite spiritual transference at that point.

Non-physical transfers can also occur during a deep trance or meditative state, where you meet your Animal Guide in the astral and you form an impenetrable bond.  These non-physical states of transference can occur, but are less common than one might think.

Sometimes, your Animal Guide may be one you are not even drawn to or admire. I believe the Guides choose us, not the other way around.  You will be dishonouring the Spirit of the Animal chosen for you if One is sent and you discard Its presence because It isn’t ‘pretty’ or it isn’t what you had in mind.  Sometimes what we need isn’t always what we ask for or what our preconceived notions may imagine.

I have found it true that typically, the Spirit Animal will be shown or come to you in times of mental, physical or spiritual distress. When our own reserves are weakened, the Great Mother in Her kindness brings to us an Earthly Power that helps supplement and gird up our own.  When I was bitten, my home life was in a critical state of alcoholism and physical violence.  Sister Spider gave me the insight to remain quiet, to be observant, to stay in the shadows and to seize favourable opportunities when they came across my path. She helped me to survive my chaotic childhood. I use Her skills to this very day.

There is no great mystery or ritual to gaining a Spirit Animal. If you are open, if your intent is sincere and you pray to your Deity or to your Spirits, if you need one, one will appear to you. You must be observant, quiet and pay attention to your surroundings.  If you don’t experience a physical transference, don’t worry.  Sometimes Animal Guides come into our lives not as life-long companions but as short-term tutors, helping us recognize a deficiency in our lives or way of being.  Their lessons are swift and They leave our lives as quickly as they enter.  We need to be attentive so we don’t miss the lesson; so that Their appearance is not wasted on the hard of heart or stubborn of mind.

Be open then.  If you feel you are being called, have an open Heart. Pray. Meditate.  Be attentive. For your Animal Guide will come to you. Whether through the forests, through the deserts, through the oceans, through the air or crawling across the ground, They will find you.  Be grateful and honour Them and strive to be deserving of Their presence in your life.

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Pagan Know-It-Alls or When to Keep Your Mouth Shut

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There is a type of virus that has been plaguing the pagan and occult community for decades, a virus for which the only cure is suicide or euthanasia. This virus is rampant; a disease so powerful, so malicious, that it strikes at the very soul of paganism: education, free thought and self-empowerment.

This virus is self-importance and narcissism.

Now, here’s the rub: the virus seems to affect primarily those who make money off their occult practices. Those who market themselves as immanent authorities in their fields; those whose blathering blogs, websites, Facebook pages, and forums literally ‘boil over’ with their own enthusiasm about themselves; how superb they are at what they do, how excellent their wares, how impeccable their performance and petitions to the Gods, and most importantly, how lucky we poor mortal souls are to have such enlightened and inspired folks among us. How lucky indeed.

I would like to say, that I also, have very strong opinions on matters of Divinity, herbal uses in magic and healing, Spirit divination, rituals and workings, summoning and communing with the Disincarnate, etc. However, what I hope never to do and what I loathe about some, is the claim to ‘know everything about everything’, and to spout off unsolicited advice and opinion where none was asked for or desired.

We are all ‘specialists’. Building an occult knowledge that is truly powerful, real and Divine, takes a lifetime and even then, we have just scratched the impermeable surface. People spend their WHOLE lives learning just the magic and mystery of the Tarot, or concentrating specifically on Stellar Spirits or Elementals. To purport to be expert in all things occult is not only insulting to those who spend lifetimes on one ‘specialty’, but to the Gods themselves, who have called us. Even the Gods are specialists; war, herbs, summoning the Dead, oracles, etc. Even They have their own areas of expertise and stick to it.

What irritates and harms the pagan community isn’t the fact that people may disagree or argue about some personal characteristics of the Gods or the superb magical benefits of Mandragora, but the fact that so many believe themselves and market themselves as Superior Prefects in Occult Knowledge and Performance. You may be good at what you do, but you cannot be good at everything. You may have a wonderful ‘general’ knowledge; you may know a great many specifics about your own system and that to which you were ‘initiated’ or trained, but please never fool yourself (or think you are fooling us), into thinking that you know ‘all about all’. You are vastly more dangerous and insidious in your self-importance and conceit than any novice or non-initiate who dabbles with the occult on the weekends, fancying themselves as Aleister Crowley, in hooded cloak and pentagram.

Yes, the occult can be dangerous. Yes, not all Gods are kind and not all Spirits are helpful. Not all people are ‘cut out’ either mentally or emotionally for an occult life style or mind set. People can and have, got themselves into serious trouble ‘rushing in where Angels fear to tread’ and even worse, summoning Demons or invoking Goddesses of lust and wrath, not knowing Who they summon and not knowing what to do with the Great Ones once They arrive. I understand those warnings and agree.

But what is not helpful, what is NOT of benefit to the pagan community at large or even struggling, unlearned pagans individually, is the seemingly never-ending platitudes and condescension that just pours off of some ‘pagans for profit’, those that hold themselves as authorities in their fields, and it would appear, authorities in ALL fields.

They drown us with endless, useless verbiage, full of self and offering very little useful or practical information, because really, they believe ‘we just won’t be able to handle it’. Like church priests, the protectors of hierarchies and monotheism, you, my pagan friend, need an ‘intermediary’. You must buy my ointment, you must buy my wand, you must let me make your mojo bags, you must buy my book to really learn the ‘secrets’ of the Craft. Bah…humbug.

I am all for free market, making money, rolling in the gold and earning a living doing what you enjoy and what you know. However, that does not mean that just because you can put a curse on my neighbour, that you also, somehow miraculously know all the intricacies and characteristics of the entirety of the Greek pantheon or that I care to hear your opinions on such. I don’t.

You may be able to make a mean potion to help me achieve trance or visit the astral. Well done. But please don’t purport yourself to be an expert on Luciferianism and their adherents, and spout off about who I should or shouldn’t listen to if I am interested in Luciferianism. You don’t practice it, and you can’t with accuracy know all the detailed information about a system you don’t follow.

For us as diehards, for us of the Old Ways and whose passion for it inflames our hearts and makes us insane, I offer this solution: Do what you do and keep your mouth shut on the rest.

If you are of the Voodoo persuasion, and this is your passion, and life’s blood, wonderful. Keep to it, please share what you know. Please make a great living at it if possible. But don’t clutter the pagan consciousness with your little snippets of genteel wisdom on the worrisome aspects of evoking Circe or Lilith. I am not interested. If I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it.

If your path is one of circles, athames, the Lord and Lady and candle magic, I am happy for you. I hope all your petitions are granted and that while ‘harming none’, you increase in prosperity, abundance and health. But I am not interested in your warnings of summoning Shades or working with the Dark. You don’t know about it, you don’t practice it, you don’t agree with it, so….kindly be quiet.

When you come right down to it, the Gods have blessed us all with specific knowledge to aid in our growth, and that of our brothers. The Great Spider Woman Herself has set each of us on Strand, not on the whole Web. We are to work what we know. We are to continue learning and hopefully share wisely what we have learned and what has been given to us.

Work your Strand. Do what you do with honour, diligence, authority and peace. But, where your knowledge is closed, your mouth should follow.

Burn

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I fly on the Midnight
With wings of longing
Dodging stars

The Air so cold and thin, It scratches.

I fly to Her
My twilight Mistress
She calls, bellowing sonic booms.

My heart latches

Spring open
My One Love
True End of my Desire

She consumes me
I am Cinder

The flesh crackles
A human Fire.

Secrecy and Silence in the Way

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It has always been my opinion that most people talk too much. Yes, they do. Constantly, consistently, and to the self-serving irritation of all the other chatterboxes and babblers around them.

Our society is overwhelmed with words: TV, internet, radio, iPods, iPads, audio books and cell phones with a never-ending stream of music, videos and movies. There is hardly a place on the planet where one can go and be alone, in silence. It’s amazing how many people are afraid of silence. Much is masked behind a façade of words, to the dismay of the Gods and the annoyance of the Spirits. To sit alone, in golden silence and listen to the Voice within, to the Spirits, to Nature, is life’s best experience. I have never learned more, either from myself or from Those greater than I, than in that peaceful silence where no words are necessary and all is revealed.

How much wisdom, lore, myth and power has been lost behind our wall of words? For those of us raised in the Way, the tradition of our mothers and fathers was passed from generation to generation by silent demonstration, carefully guarded instruction and timely discipline. How far we have wandered from that deeply rutted, ancestral road of contemplation and deep thought.

Now, as civilization and technological progress seeks even more ways to control our time and attention, we impetuously skip down superficial highways of celebrity gossip, status updates,stock quotes and second-by-second news tickers. We have lost our map, lost our way and lost our Faith. It is on the quiet back roads and desolate trails which are rarely travelled, where true wisdom lies; this is where we meet our Spirits and connect with the Divine, and where the instruction of our ancestors and the obsession of our souls truly reside.

My family was one of few words. There was little small talk or idle chatter. I was taught the importance of keeping quiet and keeping secrecy in Walking the Way. When doing a Working of any kind, the cryptic veil of silence should be drawn between the Worker and his/her friends and yes, even family.

Deep calls to deep and only the Deep shall respond.

Speaking about a Ritual or a Working and sharing intimate details of the ways and words used is highly disrespectful to the Powers who aid us (Familiars, Deities, Elementals, Ancestors and other Spirits). If you call upon otherworldly Powers to assist you in gaining aptitude and skill in your Art, you risk losing your ability to communicate and invoke/evoke those Powers ever again if you speak of them rashly or in a way that reveals too much.

There is a reason for this secrecy. Power shared is power lost. Those who aid us will be hard pressed to repeat Their help if we continually rend the veil and share Their sincere potency to those around us who are ill-prepared, immature, uninitiated and ungrateful. With discipline, endurance, prayer and seeking comes wisdom. Anyone who isn’t prepared to walk the rugged path, should not be given the Keys to the Kingdom.

If you break the rule of silence, your power in the Way will be weakened, your Sources will become distant and you will find yourself with plenty of time for the idle talk, gossip, and time-wasting chatter in which you so willfully and ignorantly indulged yourself. That is your due reward. Your seeds of distraction and lack of focus have grown into a full-blown power failure and you will not be helped. You will sit in the silent dark eventually, not from your own heart’s longing, but as punishment for your derision and folly. Be forewarned:

That which is taught in the Dark should be kept in the Dark.

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