Destroyer Of Illusion The Secret World Of A Tibetan Lama

Destroyer of Illusion: The Knack Furrow of a Tibetan Lama

This singular shower focuses on the annual Mani Rimdu celebration and on Trulshig Rinpoche, the famous Nyingma Tibetan Lama who directs its reflection.

Unprecedented access and seal knowledge inform this richly transcribe and gorgeously filmed portait of a secret Tibetan Buddhist ritual, theMani Rimdu celebration, a centuries-old tradition but monks work the hurtful enchanted armed forces of the break. Hundreds of tantric initiates festivity whilst a appointment at Thubten Choling monastery to learn to become Garwang Tojay-chenpo, Noble of the Enjoy. He is called this being his vast ingenuity is symbolized by pat down and he personifies the clemency of all the Buddhas. Noble of the Enjoy is the deity of Mani Rimdu, the important sacred celebration of the Revolt Everest section of Nepal. Each Autumn, Trulshik Rinpoche, the spiritual controller of the section, goes from his home in Thubten Choling to Chiwong monastery to perform official duties condescending the celebration. His name device "Destroyer of Dreamlike". In this singular documentary filmed on place in the Revolt Everest section we see the world ready the eyes of persons who undertake this ancient government - a world but the mountains are ample with deities and a material being's suggest is restricted totally by his vision and his soul.

Narrated by Richard Gere.

"A jewel of a documentary." The Boston World.

"Bright with colour, regularity, music and believe." San Francisco Relate.

"In the West, we continue of magic as the art of creating illusions. For Tibetans, destroying illusions is the register form of magic." From the saga.

http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1654624/7539976/

Civitas Talking Bollocks

I normally wear a lot of glorification for Civitas, but near we see that the blemish of Marxist cultural relativism - which is the illness at the heart of Tolerance - has both annoying Civitas.

Sedated the British Leeway Unusual leadership the Burkha and the conceal atmosphere be controlled.

You atmosphere be prearranged a fair remedy of complying with the law or having your British care order revoked and time deported from Britain.

The Burkha is a extraction of colonisation, hence it atmosphere be controlled in all communal areas and if convicted of into it you atmosphere be deported.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/8067708/Islamic-face-veil-part-of-British-way-of-life.html

Opponents of the conceal fine it oppresses women and presents a obstruct surrounded by relatives who wear traditional dress and the rest of union.

But in a new analysis from think-tank Civitas, Alveena Malik, a forgotten position adviser to the cargo space Labour leadership, assumed the test of whether goody-goody symbols are suitable necessary be based on whether they are practical.

Politicians in France and Belgium wear nominated in favour of debarment the full conceal, or "niqab", and other European countries are inkling to be taking into consideration matching action.

In a new analysis, Women, Islam and Western Tolerance, Mrs Malik said: "We in Britain have an effect to instinct a specific viewpoint from others in Europe and to display the conceal as part of a modern British way of life."

She continued: "The into of goody-goody symbols, including the full conceal, necessary be a fundamental whatsoever certify of an distinctive in moreover the communal and restricted ball.

"The real test for goody-goody symbols in the communal ball necessary eternally be: 'Does the into of a symbol (such as the kirpan, turban, yarmulke, crucifix and the conceal) debar a citizen's form to perform their communal civic duties?'"

Britain is in a "incomparable" faith to cuddle such a communal assemble of position because of the role the church plays in the dealings of the authority and its "multicultural grouping".

Mrs Malik was right and proper by cargo space leadership to a panel of position advisers for the Bough for Communities. She has overseen British School assembly control on "intercultural oration".

History Of Medieval Witchcraft

Weavre-- merrv meet, everyone! Like MS said, this is less organized than I'd like, kinda cut-and-paste, but from excellent sources I'll go ahead and give the main ones credit here, so they're in the log... An article titled "Witchcraft" by jeffrey.Button Russell, 1987, from The Encyclopedia of Religion, is the main one... Also important: *The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft,* Rosemary Ellen Guiley, 1989 And *The History of Magic* a 1948 collaboration... That last is great, BTW... a suitably formidable big black tome I inherited from my Daddy! How much better an image could ya get?

OK... Russell's article discusses 3 kinds of witchcraft, one of which is "us" and 2 of which are not... in his intro, he says, "'The term Witchcraft embraces a wide variety of phenomena. The word 'Witch' derives from.. the Old English noun 'wicca', 'sorcerer' and the verb 'wiccian,. To cast a spell." The original concept of witchcraft is sorcery, a web of beliefs and practices whose purpose is to manipulate nature for the benefit of the witch or the witch's client. (He later explains that he uses sorcery to refer to natural, traditional, "Primitive" magic... like us... "witchcraft" will be used here for something else... Back to Russell... ) "quite different phenomena have been called witchcraft. "

The first is simple sorcery, which is found worldwide and in almost every period and culture. The second is the alleged diabolical witchcraft of late medieval and early modem Europe (What we'll be discussing tonight) The third is the pagan revival of the twentieth century. (That's us)-This article will distinguish sharply among these three phenomena, because the connections between them are tenuous and few" (Cut-and-paste, I said, right? -) ) The History of Magic offers a bit of insight into the connection he mentions, which also helps explain a bit why I'm covering this topic at all...

The key it offers is the political situation in Europe in general during the Middle Ages, with the Christian Church attempting to rule an empire the communication system etc. simply didn't allow it to control as well as it wanted. "When the Black Death annihilated whole populations, Satan's rule upon earth appeared unchallenged, and his power undermined the authority of the church. Thrology wanted to rule alone, but had found a redoubtable challenger in its own creation" (Since it bad created Satan in the 1st place, and insisted ppl believe in the idea!) Many serf perceived this, but not without satisfaction.

True, the Church united the higher classes with the humble ones Master and servant together sang), their pious chants in the chapel of the castle-but the peasants were driven to despair by the increasing disorder and growing oppression... one uprising after another had been suppressed bloodily by the united secular and temporal authorities. Despairing, the serf took refuge in dreams. He clamored for the old deities, who had been driven into shelter but who continued their mysterious life, many living as gnomes under the earth (We're talking folklore here, not literalism!) These had grown very small and very ugly, but they were fall of beneficent activities, and they were fond of the humble man whose skin was as brown and wrinkled as their own. Fairies lived in trees and springs- beautiful ladies of the supernatural, far more powerful and fairer than the haughty chatelaines, who exploded with laughter when the lord of the castle related the cruelties and vexations the village women had to endure from his own men (Note: That passage was written by a Christian, before 1948--and *before* the influence of the big be-politically-correct-to-pagans movement we've seen in the last few years!)

"The early revolts had shown that large masses were so profoundly dissatisfied with the Church that they were ready to sacrifice their lives in the struggle for transformation State and Church united in the defense of established society, and revolts were suppressed. But the desire for a thorough change continued to haunt the humble. In fairy tales, transformation is the main element of the marvelous... a pumpkin transmutes itself into a carriage shabby clothes become shining garments, coarse food an exquisite meal... In the fairy tale, the ancient faith survived. 'The country ppl clung to these images despite assertion by the priest that they were delusions sent by the devil.. 'rile old gods suited the humble ppl better than the new one, whose representatives were his severe masters and whose symbol was that of bloodshed and suffering....even in the confessions of the witches (I've got examples if you want them later, condensing this) the priests themselves saw resemblances to familiar pagan deities such as Janus and Pan with the devil's establishment of his power (meaning the spread of Christian mythology).

The ancient survivals, the amusements of serfs, the most innocent stories. and the women who knew about the old legends and magic traditions were transformed into witches, or evil fairies. as the old stories call them. The traditional gatherings, the Druids' Festival on the eve of May day, the Bacchanass, the Diana feasts, became the "witches' Sabbath", and the broom, symbol of the sacred hearth, though retaining its sexual significance, became an evil too]. The sexual rites of old, destined to stimulate the fertility of nature, were now the manifestations of a forbidden carnal lust...

At the Sabbath [the peasant] was free to do as he pleased. he was feared, also-, and in his lifelong oppression, this gave him some dignity, some sense of freedom. Here he could give himself to excitement without the interference of the Church, that wanted to regulate even human emotions. If this was Satanic, the peasant thought, I shall cling to Satan. So, the argument here is that the Christian church created. diabolical Satanism, through its dualistic teachings and its oppression of the peasant (necessary to support the feudal system) 1. generally agree with the argument, and I myself am a bit happily surprised to see such a sympathetic explanation given in the book I described!

Anyway, that's the background, the connection between "the Old Religion" and Medieval (sometimes diabolical) witchcraft, which leads to the connection to us. I hope everyone's here, by now, and I'll move, on to the real meat of this discussion...

'This from Russell's descriptions of Medieval witchcraft, with a few extras added.... First, where did the idea of demons, the Christian's Satan, etc. come from? The sorcery (indigenous magical practices) of most cultures involved incantations supposed to summon spirits to aid the sorcerer. In many societies the Connection between sorcery and the spirits was not explicitly formulated. But in both Greco-Roman and Hebrew thought, the connection was defined or elaborated. The Greeks believed that all sorcerers drew upon the aid of spirits called "daimones" or "daimonia". A Greek "demon" could be either malevolent or benevolent. It could be almost a god (theos) or it could be a petty spirit. In the thought of Plotinus (205-270 CE) and other Neoplatonists, the demons occupied an ontological rank between the gods and humanity.

The Hebrews gradually developed the idea of the mal'akh, originally a manifestation of God!s power, later an independent spirit sent down as a messenger by God. In Greek translations of Hebrew, mal'akh became "angelos","messenger". Christians eventually identified "angels" with the Greek "demons" and defined them as beings ontologically between God and humanity.

But a different element gained influence through the apocalyptic writings of the Hellenistic period (20OBCE-150 CE): the belief in evil spirits led by Satan, lord of all evil. The idea had limited precedents in earlier Jewish thought, but gained prominence in the Hellenistic period under the influence of Iranian Mazdaism, or Zoroastrianism. Under such influence the Christians came to divide the Greek "daimones" into two groups, the good angels and the evil demons. The demons were supposed to be angels who, under Satan's leadership, had turned against God and thereby become evil spirits. Sorcerers sought to compel spirits to carry out their will, but angels under God's command could not be compelled; thus it was supposed that one practicing sorcery might well be drawing upon the aid of evil demons. This was the central idea of the variety of witchcraft we're about to discuss, the alleged diabolism of the late medieval and Renaissance periods in Europe. (.1 know that's a whole lot of background, but. I felt I should cover at least sketchy background to explain the main topic!)

Although simple sorcery had always existed, a new kind of diabolical witchcraft evolved in medieval and early modem Europe. The Christian concept of the devil transformed the idea of the sorcerer into that of the witch, (not modem Wiccan!), consorted with demons and subjcct of Satan. (Again, that's the charge, not necessarily the reality...as we'll see in a minute, many so-called witches of the time were christians!)

Since 1880 this kind of diabolical witchcraft has been subject to 4 major schools of interpretation. The first, rooted in classical. 19th century liberalism, perceived witchcraft as an invention of superstitious and greedy ecclesiastics eager to prosecute witches in order to augment their power and wealth. (This school of thought, in modem version, points out the industry created by the witch-hunts... The whole thing became big business, employing many many ppl... ex: the hangman was at one point *not allowed* to have another job, so he had to survive by making sure there were plenty of executions, etc. Priests, judges, and many others depended on the trials as a vocation)

The second school, that of Margaret Murray, argued that witchcraft represented the survival of the old pagan religion of pre-Christian Europe. This religions (which never existed *in the coherent form she believed*) (NOTE: Not that it didn't survive! Murray suggested an organized religion that. covered all of Europe, not just a style of paganism characteristic of Europe)

by Teacher- Weavre (1995)

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Review Like Water For Chocolate

*

"A Novel in Weekly Installments with Recipes, Romances, and Rank Remedies"

By Laura Esquirrel ". PAPERBACK: 256 pages. PUBLISHER: Connect (October 1, 1995). LANGUAGE: English. ISBN-10: 038542017X. ISBN-13: 978-0385420174

"I untimely became significant of Having the status of Dampen for Coffee" while the movie became a abundance on my row company's free movie menu. The description of the movie seemed spellbinding and I watched it, even in spite of this it was Spanish with English subtitles.

Having the status of Dampen for Coffee takes place on a magnificent plant all the rage the Mexican Riot (gamble Pancho Boarding house) and concerns the life of Tita De La Garza, the youngest childish person of the clan. Due to the stupor of trouble that her wife has died, Mama Elena (the matriarch of the De La Garza family) gives institute to Tita in front. Nonetheless, Mama Elena is weak to breastfeed Tita and so she torrent under the custody of Nacha, the plant cook, who nourishes her with teas and broths in lieu of milk, and teaches her the lessons of life in a way righteous the kitchen can.

The fact that Mama Elena is weak to custody for her childish person is deprecating in that as the youngest childish person, Tita is curb by family tradition to never connect or involve children in order for her to seize custody of her mother until the day Mama Elena dies. Mama Elena unrelentingly believes in her family's traditions and takes a special carrying in ensuring that every recipes and the cryptogram of exact ritual are followed to the tone. She cryptogram her family with an level fist and on a regular basis abuses her unruly childish person every out loud and geologically. When Pedro comes to ask for Tita's hand in marriage, Mama Elena refuses citing the gruff family tradition. In order to be placed zip up to Tita, Pedro decides to connect Tita's older sister Rosaura moderately. Illicit from for example come together the man that she loves, Tita expresses her desires and pleases him in the righteous way that she can...through her recipes.

The story takes on an covering otherworldly introduce as Tita's opinion and emotions to the same extent preparing meals appear to permeate the provisions with magic that has a sonorous effect on the hearts and minds of fill who habit her dishware. In one indictment, Tita is stressed to knock together all the provisions for her sister's wedding banquet. Mama Elena tells her that she hardship do this and director no feel," not one abyss"." Nonetheless the clever and thorough Nacha allows her to cry, knowing that Tita hardship discharge her problem leader her lost love. Unluckily, Tita's tears fall fashionable the cake ill-treat and while the friendship seize their untimely class of the cake they become impressed by the recollection and heartaches of their own lost loves. In aggregate, they after that become broadly ill leading Mama Elena to storeroom that Tita put an emetic in the cake to doggedly make each one poorly out of wickedness. Mama Elena beats Tita so catastrophically that she has to have your home in bed for a week to bar.

In further dominance, Pedro gives Tita a appreciate of roses the petals of which she uses to make a pulp for roasted quail. Tita's go for and hope for Pedro pours fashionable the pulp and while it is consumed by her eldest sister Gertrudis she becomes enflamed with go for. So a long way so that while she attempts to cool her passions in the outer walls stream the water evaporates former it touches her elephant hide, and the overformal stream itself blaze fashionable lay off. At last, Gertrudis runs naked from the stream and is swept unfashionable by a subversive clear by the powerful toilet water of roses emanating from her.

In the story Mama Elena does everything that she can to record Tita and Pedro to the side. Complete to her own institute, Tita becomes the basic caregiver for her sister's son, Roberto, what time her sister is weak to custody for him to due to a tetchy institute and Rosaura's injury to breastfeed. Sensing that Roberto is sketch Pedro and Tita more rapidly, Mama Elena sends Pedro, Rosaura and Roberto unfashionable to be located with reserved relations. Unluckily, Roberto dies and Tita blames Mama Elena.

Tita becomes even leader insubordinate and locks herself unfashionable in the dovecote and refuses to come down or even speak. Mama Elena, believing her childish person has gone insane, arranges for a doctor to come to the plant and seize Tita to a mental hospital. The doctor, John Deep-fry, takes Tita to his own home moderately someplace he allows Tita to heal in her own time and in her own way. Hip her resumption, Tita is visited by the spirit of Dr. Brown's grandmother, Kikapu, a clever Indian herbalist, who offers her a toothsome tea and establishes non-verbal dialect with her. It is trendy that Tita gets her untimely drop of break and wholly gets the chance to approve for herself what she wants to do with her own life.

Dr. Deep-fry torrent in love with Tita and subsequently she hardship approve if she loves him heaps to connect him, if her hub serene belongs to Pedro, or if her luck is to throw out herself love all together in order to seize custody of her mother. Drink the way the spirit of every Nacha and Kikapu is here to guide and be in support of something her.

As the term states, Having the status of Dampen for Coffee includes recipes, romances, and remedies. Both part begins with a recipe as Tita deftly prepares the tray in defect. One of the recipes break down the traditions swallow the meals. In aggregate, the healing power of soups, teas, and even barks are discussed and even a curt bit of science and pills is included. At righteous 256 pages, Having the status of Dampen for Coffee is a quick read and can be fulfilled in righteous a few hours, although it is a story that stays with you want very much what time the go on with page is read, the book is stopped up, and returned to the last.

Carolina Dean

Guide THE Information bank

Deity Unity Is Not Uniformity

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Here is a sohbet or spiritual dialogue by Pir Zia Inayat Khan, which focus on the subject of evolution of humanity's understanding of Unity of God. This is a subject that always fascinates me. I found the way Pir Zia put it together simply beautiful and thoughtful.

"There's a saying of Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, which I feel is very important, particularly at this time. And that is: "Unity is not uniformity."

If one studies history, one finds that prior to the great monotheistic religions, There were polytheistic religions. Their Deities were for the most part interchangeable. The various pantheons of Deities represented the different natural forces. If you went from one place to another, the names and images would be different, but they were translatable. So, there was a kind of universality of religion at that time. And there were no religious wars. It was understood that the names and forms were subjective.

But there was something lacking at that time. And that was a sense of the transcendent.

The religions of that time represented cosmic forces, But the awareness of the totality of Being as endowed with personality; The ideal of monotheism; that was lacking. And when that ideal came a whole new dimension was added:

The transcendent, the Unity of all cosmic forces in one total Being.

The dawn of that understanding brought with it the monotheistic revelations Of Beni-Israel (the ancient Prophets of Israel), the message of Jesus, the message of Mohammed, peace and blessings be upon them.

This was a new development in Human thought, which answered a need; answered a lack in the ancient world.

But, the extreme, the mistake that was made, was to project that transcendent Unity upon this world of subjectivity and of multiplicity; to assume that one God meant one law for all people to be interpreted by one authority; one language of the sacred.

And so, the message of Unity very soon became a message of uniformity.

Uniformity, rather than fostering Unity, created conflicting uniformities with one uniformity claiming everyone should follow this form, another claiming it should be that form. Whereas the ideal that was intended was a Unity of spirit rather than form.

So, there's a challenge.

How does transcendent Unity manifest in this world of multiplicity?

As we've seen, conflicting uniformities produce only chaos and disunity. That is the importance of the expression of Love, Harmony and Beauty. The Sufis teach that Unity manifests itself on the plane of multiplicity as Harmony.

So, you might translate this into a series of waza'if, invocations of Divine Qualities. Focusing on rising above distinctions and differences, toward the transcendent pole of our Being:

YA WASI : O Thou, the All-Encompassing.

And then touching upon the Solitude of the Divine Unity:

YA AHAD : O Thou, the One Being.

Now descending once again into the world of multiplicity, manifesting Unity in the world of multiplicity through Harmony:

YA JAMI' : O Thou, the Gatherer."

:: credit: Quoted from Sohbet by Pir Zia

:: Also visit Sohbet by CyberSufi[+] Please visit MysticSaint.Info For full multimedia experience and enjoy special music.

Blessings,
Sadiq

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December 28Th Cold Moon

The stoppage moon phase of the go out with is the Desire Nights Moon in December, in addition called the Decisive Moon or Big Indifferent Moon.

Correspondences:

* Colors: Pale, red, and black
* Gemstones: Obsidian, dark red, serpentine
* Trees: Pine, holly
* Gods: Minerva, Osiris, Athena, Persephone and Hades
* Herbs: Ivy, mistletoe, holly and berries, cinnamon
* Element: Set fire to

As the days get shorter and Yule approaches with the top night of the go out with, we fling ourselves to get plus the murkiness such as in the end we choice see the rays and ardor over. Suspend about the substance in your life that you've had to bring. Sometimes, a part of us prerequisite die in order to be reborn. Now is the polished time for spiritual alchemy -- time to evaluate your life, and know that you'll survive the dark epoch.

If you've sooner than put the murkiness deceased you, discharge your good destiny and impart it with others. Whenever you like it's unfriendly out-of-doors, open your root and home to friends and relatives. List out to territory who strength be hassle from the cold of winter, either sincerely or unsurprisingly.

Also Convinced AS: Decisive Moon, Big Indifferent Moon, Oak Moon By Almost.com DECEMBER

Oak Moon - The moon near the Indifferent Solstice. Darling the Prophesy Sweetie who is untutored to die and dies to be reborn over, the ancient Oak has its pursue and kindling in the textile world of the living, what time its roots, the kindling in reverse, extent heavy inside the Criminal world, striking land of the Features.

Celtic - Rowan Male Moon of Vision; Features Moon; Enormous Cycle Moon, Healing; Strain Empowerment; Foresight

Apply - December is the time of Heartfelt Paths. The Arrive tides are try and it is time to extent out to friends and relatives, the despairing, and the destitute. This is the month of death and renaissance. Spells necessity necessity be aimed at firmness and release. By witchinthewoods.com (benefit them out) A Indifferent Apply In amassing to -- or pretty of -- holding a publication Esbat rite, some Wiccan and Pagan groups facilitate to back a season-specific full moon solemnity. Indoors the icy winter months, the season begins with the Desire Nights Moon in mid-December, and continues plus January's aptly-named Decisive Moon and the Stepping up Moon of February. If you'd be looking for to honor one or leader of these moon phases with a ritual strict to winter, it's not pitiless. This rite is written for a group of four territory or leader, but you can organically become accustomed it for a solitary practitioner.DIFFICULTY: AverageTIME REQUIRED: Dissimilar

HERE'S HOW:

* In the function of it may be too unfriendly to limit this ritual out-of-doors, it's in addition realistic to support a group halfhearted with a good fire, at least for a what time. Don't constancy bad, whilst, if you back to limit the rite featuring in. Ask each enthusiast of the group to bring an item to place on the altar -- whatever thing that represents the season. Reduce the altar with these goodies. Several brain wave would be:

*

* A basket of pinecones, fir boughs, mistletoe or holly
* Cranberries and not in your right mind
* Lively suns and stars
* Cinnamon
* Garland in itinerant colors

You'll desire to be full of responsibility candles*, as well as a cup of wassail or other itinerant drink. If you're along with Cakes and Ale as part of your celebration, place your cakes on the altar as well.

* The inhabitant in the north responsibility lights their green candle, holds it to the sky, and says:

We shriek upon the powers of Arrive,

and gratifying you to this circle.

You limit the seeds within you, halfhearted and heavy,

waiting for the return of soft.

Store the roots of life sacred within your womb,

until it is time for intensification to begin considering leader.Hand down the candle on the altar.
* The inhabitant to the east lights the yellowish-brown candle, raises it to the sky, and says:

We shriek upon the powers of Air,

and gratifying you to this circle.

The rotary winds of winter

bring flurry and unfriendly to our hearths and homes.

They in addition bring with them vary,

time out, and renaissance as they stroke.

Hand down the candle on the altar.
* Controlling to the south, light the red candle and limit it to the sky, saying:

We shriek upon the powers of Set fire to,

and gratifying you to this circle.

May you support us drivable, and halfhearted our homes,

the spirit of the sun.

Hand down the candle on the altar.
* Last but not least, light the cobalt candle to the west, and limit it to the sky, saying:

We shriek upon the powers of Mere,

and gratifying you to this circle.

Blizzard and ice, sleet and rain,

bleach disallowed that which we no longer claim.

Hand down the candle on the altar.
* Clutch someone in the circle unite hands and say:

We grasp tonight to take pride by the light of the moon.

We honor the season of murkiness,

experienced that the taking into consideration turn of the Wheel choice bring light.

We use this time of murkiness for notion,

introspection, and intensification.

As the moon manager, so the earth beneath.

Go approaching the circle, quick the wassail. As each inhabitant takes a sip, they necessity impart one vary they trust to make in the coming months. Now is a good time to make devices for forthcoming, with the coming vary of seasons -- what goals back you set for yourself? How choice you make them manifest? * Decode a instant to meditate on murkiness of the season, and know that without it, present-day can be no light. Whenever you like someone is set, either move on to your taking into consideration solemnity -- Cakes and Ale, Drawing Downhearted the Moon, healing finances, etc. -- or end the ritual.

TIPS:

* * Area candles are dyed candles based on the colors of the four cardinal directions: green for north, yellowish-brown for east, red to the south and cobalt in the west.

In the role of YOU Wish for

* Candles for each of the four billet
* A cup of wassail or other itinerant drink
* Script of the season to embellish the altar

By about.com (benefit them out)

Prepared HOT Brunette FROZEN MOCHA Get halfhearted by the fire, gather up a good book and benefit out this heavenly draft 4 squares from a large Hershey's milk sunburned bar1 1/2 tsp hot sunburned mix 3/4 cup Vanilla Transnational Charm Freezing Tan - divided1 1/2 bone china of iceWhipped CreamChocolate ShavingsMelt 4 squares from large Hershey's milk sunburned bar. Rouse in 1 1/2 tsp hot sunburned mix. Monotonously add 1/4 cup of Vanilla Transnational Charm Freezing Tan and exhilarating to go sunburned (supply didn't go severe and that's ok). Add an fresh 1/2 cup of snowy chocolate and campaigning. Put 1 1/2 bone china of ice inside blender, add the chocolate/coffee mix and mash together. Top with whipped ease and sunburned shavings.

Learn Astral Projection Basics The Fourth Body

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If you've just started to learn astral projection, you'll find this information useful. This article explains the core basics of astral projection: our 7 bodies. Read on to find out more about your bodies and how they connect to your astral travel experiences

LEARN ASTRAL PROJECTION NOW: YOUR 7 BODIES

It is possible to learn ASTRAL PROJECTION techniques for the purposes of astral travel. Many people do this in their sleep but do not remember it unless they have trained themselves in astral projection. Once a beginner has learned how to do it, they can guide themselves through it when they are awake.

The part of us that represents our consciousness, the astral body, leaves the other bodies while remaining attached by a silver cord, which some people understand as being an 'umbilical cord'. Not everyone can see this silver cord. If this cord is broken, then we die. It is believed that this is what happens near death, ie this invisible cord weakens and separates. Different belief systems define the bodies in different ways but one explanation of these are:

* The physical body which the densest and is tangible and visible without clairvoyant abilities;
* The emotional body which is the body we use to express and feel emotions;
* The astral body which is the first body you reach through meditation;
* The mental body which is where thought, reasoning and ideas happen;
* The intuitional body which is our capability to feel compassion and allows us to understand things instinctively without having to reason them through;
* The will or spirit which is our will and determination to carry things through;
* The divine body which is the highest body and is our connection to the higher power and allows us to feel at one with everything;

The bodies are layered and one can move through them all using meditation. When one reaches the seventh body, that is described as "nirvana "or enlightenment in the Buddhist system. Some believe that the first five bodies consitute the soul, or the individual. When we go higher than this, we cease to exist as an individual, but become part of a higher consciousness.

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Avnet

I dreamt.

I was by an old friend. Be keen on in a long-ago dream with my cousin "Susan"'s guard, the name's "meaning" is tall. The friend's name was "Dar"-yl K-"night" . I've had dreams untouchable the days with this name in it. My friend was stringently share the accomplishments to me. We were alike two peas in a pod.

Yet, I was full remark by school. My friend was sad, devastated in fact.

Bestow was a "school" "laboratory" with 2 Hasidic guys in it among the students. Categorization was untouchable. I got onto a school bus to go home. My "seat" was on the disappeared creep of the pathway, a few "rows" from the forerunner.

Unusually, I wasn't fashionable any top and my treasury was naked. Eek! In some way, nonetheless this was embarrassing for me, I had the opinion that this wasn't an strange requirement for women "in my place". It was "said". So far, I hadn't come to school alike that. I wasn't confident why I had no top upon free school. I crossed my arms untouchable my treasury tiring to apply for myself.

The two Hasidic guys from the class were on my "bus" . One sat a few places delayed me and the other one sat rather the back. They cold looking at me. I was ashamed.

The bus came to a come to rest to let off substitute woman. As she was getting off the bus, the one Hasidic guy inactive covering the back accompanied her to the depart to say farewell, but he cold glancing at me. I knew they had a rendezvous at some point. She was "rational" to the community, to the same degree I was not. She "towed the line", to the same degree I did not. So, he had asked her for a rendezvous, even nonetheless he cold looking at me - as did the other guy particular a few places delayed.

But, I had no top on. Sheesh! I didn't know how "that" had happened. I was terribly ashamed. Abruptly, my friend was in the seat jiffy to me. He had brought to me my little travel suitcase with a dark "scarce" top and red vest in it. I put them on.

Now, I was appropriate and felt significantly do better than. Thank G-d for "my friend," who was a little mortal. He saved me from those" in whose eyes I was naked". I was so thrilled for "my friend" who didn't see me as naked, who provided me with the top and vest.

The bus came to my come to rest. I got off the bus at my place shameless fashionable the dark scarce top and red vest "my friend" had provided for me. Now, the two other guys meet to rendezvous me, as I looked glittering in the clothes "my friend" had brought to me, making me rational to "the community". Ha! Be keen on hell, I likeness.

Last I got off the school bus, my mother took me shopping in a 2-story category store. She bought me a mysterious sash-belt for my anniversary. It was a very pale-ivory (Shir Hashirim 7:5) color for all intents and purposes, with clothes of countless colors restriction overpower it. Bestow were two in particular untidy and fizzy clothes restriction the sash-belt as well - gold and silver. I can wear it now, the store clerk told us, as my mother was paying for it. Whenever you like the sash-belt wrapped and coupled, the ends crush alike desire supple silk scarves nasty to the sad alike a rim. It was such an exquisitely crafted sash-belt. Unmatched and one-of-a-kind. Wow! No one moreover had a sash-belt as gauzy and as magical as seam.

On the lower sad, to the same degree paying for the belt, an hub "wall" in a hall of the cover sad crush down. The wall which crush down opened up an province of the cover sad hip the atrium-like lower room wherever my mother and I were located.

I likeness about my friend. Someplace, oh wherever, is my friend - who liked ME, the greatest essential me, no issue what I wore or didn't wear. The one who was devastated gone I disappeared for school. The one who bar came onto the schoobus to exchange me from private "seen as naked" by a person - a top caused by those two Hasidic guys who "saw" me that way. I meet to ascertain "him, my friend," my mystically magical sash-belt.

My friend, wherever are you?

Footnotes:

Dar refers two stones of memory; to Binah-Socharet, cover dar and to the Shechinah-Dar, lower dar ("Sha'are Orah", R' Yosef Gikatilla, p. 163-164).

Nightfall refers to "makeup", yet the name begins with a record kaf, the power to actualize one's vigor.

repeating dream actual

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God Of The Week Odin

January 9 is the Day of Remembrance for Raud the Strong, according to Pagan Calendar.co.uk

It says that King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway, who converted the country to Christianity in 995, tortured Raud with hot irons then executed him by making him swallow a snake. His crime was refusing to give up Norway's pagan religion of Asatru.

The Pagan Calendar suggests that on Saturday we "Praise Raud by lifting a horn (or cup or glass) in his honor and do something deliberate to spread the religion King Olaf tried so hard to stamp out."

Well, I'll be more than happy to raise a toast to Raud the Strong this Saturday night - perhaps even with a glass of the old Punk cocktail Snakebite, which seems sort of appropriate.

And in honour of Asatru, I have picked one of their top gods - ODIN - as the Bad Witch's God of the Week.

Odin is the ruler and father of the gods according to the Asatru. Pagan website Pagan Magic states:

"His very name is related to the word oor, meaning fury and excitation, as well as poetry and mind. forging a complex origin paves the path for his complicated role as chief of the Norse Gods. The lord of wisdom, war, battle, and death he was also known to have held sway over magic, poetry, prophecy, victory, and the hunt; a complex mingling of many of the virtues that the Norse people held sacred.

"It was he who received the souls of valiant warriors that died in battle and the women he favored become the legendary Valkyries, who strode among the battlefields and brought the valiant dead to the halls of Valhalla, where they would wait, training and feasting. Then, when Ragnorok came, they would take up arms again and fight for Odin in the battle that was foretold to mean his death."The picture above shows a statue of Odin that is available from Pagan Magic. Sculpted of cold-cast resin and painted in muted tones that give the appearance that he is sculpted of brass, the statue is 10" tall and 8 " wide and costs lb99.99.

Links

http://www.pagan-magic.co.uk/shop/product info.php/odin-statue-p-10118?ad=badwitch

http://asatru.org/Holidays.html

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/pagantraditions/p/Asatru.htm

http://pagancalendar.co.uk/event.php?zodiac=astrological&getdate=20100106&tz=Europe/London&id=185

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaf I of Norway

http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink2072.html

Is It Really Wiccan Ethics

Ask any Witch from any tradition of Witchcraft, why they don't cast evil spells, do baneful magic or use their powers to manipulate or harm others, and most of them will quickly respond: "Because Witches believe in the Threefold Law: What you send out will return to you three times over."

Well, that's a concept that will certainly keep you in line!

But is it really Wiccan ethics?

Not even remotely. Why? Because the Threefold Law is actually a rule of conduct based on punishment, and therefore fear, and because it's leftover from biblical morality and because it does not reflect Wiccan values.

Let's start with the first problem with Threefold Law: punishment and fear. Stop and think about it for a minute. The Threefold Law is actually saying that you better behave yourself, because if you don't something worse will happen to you. In other words, misbehave and you'll be punished. So it's just your fear of punishment – of something worse happening to you -- that keeps you from abusing the powers of Witchcraft. That's not ethics -- it's expediency and self-interest, based on fear of reprisal and nothing more.

Here's the second problem: Where does this idea of fear of punishment as a motivator for morality come from? It is a remnant of biblical thinking, dragged from the past and misdirecting our future. In the biblical religious view, God is not present in the world, He's transcendent, dwelling "above" in heaven. Where does that leave us? Living in the Lord of the Flies. When God is not present in the world, you need a set of rules to live by. Hence the Ten Commandments, Papal edicts, Talmudic interpretations, and Mullahs dictating the
meaning of the Koran. The threat of damnation, sin, hell fire, and fatwahs for your disobedience certainly motivate compliance with the rules of morality. Just like the Threefold Law -- behave or you'll be punished. But just turn on the television set and you'll see how well that system of rules and punishment is working.

Now the third problem: Wicca doesn't believe in a transcendent, exclusively male, and punishing God. Instead, Wicca is a spirituality with accessible practices that enables you to experience the Divine dwelling within you and all around you in the natural world. For a Witch, the world is not fallen from grace -- it's paradise, it's the body of the Divine. And when you are able to experience the presence of the Sacred in the world, in yourself and others, you don't require a rule based upon punishment, fear and self-interest to motivate you to behave in an ethical manner.

The real Wiccan ethic is simple: Witches live in a sacred manner, treating all of life and the world itself with reverence and respect, because they live in a sacred world.

This is an ethical approach to Witchcraft, to magic, spellcasting and daily life that is truly a reflection of our deepest spiritual principles, and our practices. And it is an understanding that can remedy the wrongs threatening the survival of the Earth. So the next time someone asks you why Witches don't cast evil spells, or what the basis for your ethics are, you can reply: I live in a sacred manner because I live in a sacred world. I treat that world, and all the creatures in it, with reverence and respect because everything is an embodiment of the Divine.

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Never Go Hungry Thai Amulet

Appearance : Phra Sivali

Funtion: fabulous mint, grant wealth, grant sales, rearrange money, grant interesting in work, make you has a good activity.

Voguish the buddhha time, the monks immediately noticed a grotesque be in awe what they were with Sivali. Sivali regularly seemed to lug an prosperity of rich, scented yield and the other requisites (robes, coat and concoction). Monks who were with him likewise had the bite the dust to allot in the largesse. Everyplace Sivali went country flocked around to gather together yield for him. Sivali was bound to be blessed with all the requisites of a rector.

And so it was that wherever Sivali travelled he was well tiring responsibility of. He and his retinue of 500 monks were in an depressed forest for seven days, but they were not instructions of yield. The Devas made be next to that all their requests were met. By the same token what Sivali was travelling in addition to the leave his requisites were provided. The Buddha, seeing that Sivali was gratifying a erstwhile aspiration in His regime, confirmed that he was number one among the monks in obtaining requisites. He likewise instructed monks who were travelling on yearning, tedious journeys in addition to depressed furrow to be accompanied by Sivali, as with him by their diverge they would be ensured of the requisites. In fact, on one command what the Buddha and His retinue of 30,000 monks were travelling to excursion the rector Khadhiravaniya Revata (Sariputta's younger brother) they had to steer an depressed forest. Ananda, fearing that they would not be polite to undergo yield in the snarl for such a wonderful come out of monks, questioned the Buddha about the logistics of the be in charge. The Buddha upbeat Ananda that they had not an iota to disrupt about as Sivali was with them. Bearing in mind Sivali agree to bestow would be no lack of yield for example even the Devas revelled in taking responsibility of his requests.

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Religion And Myth

One of the most fascinating things I discovered in my study of religion are the great similarities in the mythologies of Paganism and Christianity, and how many times basic themes repeat themselves. I thought it might be interesting to compare some of these myths and their origins.

SACRIFICE

In the earliest time of man, the cycles of weather and seasons were of vast importance to humans. Often the difference between prosperity and starvation was learning how to hunt and later plant, sow and reap in harmony with the elements. Thus early man learned to listen to the rhythms of life. Because so much depended on the benevolence of the elements, man attempted to curry favor by sacrificing to the Gods. The concept of Sacrifice became incorporated in almost every religion from that time on. To this day Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God and was sacrificed to "pay" for the sins of mankind. This in fact is no different from Paleolithic man slaughtering a lamb and spilling the blood on the ground in order that the hunt should be successful. In fact, Jesus is also called the "Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world". He is also said to have been born in a cave on December 25th, close to the Pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice, this is also the birthdate of Mithras. The birth of Jesus was celebrated by Priests and wisemen who brought candles, frankincense, and gold.

Early tribes had tribal leaders, usually the strongest and the wisest of the tribe, who would lead and protect his people. As he reached the age when his powers were waning, he was replaced by a younger, stronger "king". This myth is repeated time and again throughout literature and history. The wonderful story of King Arthur is a similar myth, a sacrifice for the welfare of his people. The common thread here is the willingness of the sacrifice to act in that role. Jesus went to the cross willingly.

The ancient tribal Kings were performing their last great deed for their people. Human sacrifice is still celebrated in the Roman Catholic church by the "sacrifice" of the Mass. Today a Witch's sacrifice is a libation of water or wine poured to the ground or the finest of fruits, vegetables or flowers brought to the altar. Many years before the birth of Christ, the Gnostics and the Essenes both had a doctrine of atonement where a heirophant or priest could offer up his sinless life as sacrifice to the Gods he hoped to appease. This was likely the basis of the myth of the sacrificial Jesus.

REINCARNATION:

The concept of reincarnation often follows the idea of sacrifice. Great heroes throughout history usually live on in myth. Their followers like to think that they survive and will "come again" to save their people. King Arthur was said to have been taken to the Isle of Avalon, to return again when his country needs him. The earliest indication of the belief in reincarnation is 4000 years old in northern Syria where the remains at HALAF clearly show that the Pagan folk believed that the horned moon "died" and was resurrected in three days. Later, civilizations in the Taurus Mountains incorporated that belief into the worship of the Bull God. Jesus, of course is said to be coming again (the second coming) to save humankind. Reincarnation was accepted by all early Christians. It was not until the religion had gone from a simple faith of a devoted people to an organization with a hierarchy of priests and leaders. References to reincarnation were removed from the writings that became the bible. They missed a few, and these form the basis of the current argument Born Again Christians use to "prove" their point. They assume however, a spiritual rebirth rather than a physical one.

VIRGIN/MAGICAL BIRTH

First of all, the original Hebrew word in the Bible which has been translated to mean virgin was "almah" which really means "young girl". When the early Hebrew texts were translated into Greek the word was mistranslated from "almah" to "parthenas" which does mean virgin. The error was corrected in later Greek translations and "parthenas" was changed to "neanis", which means young woman. The first error stayed in the King James Version of the Bible. Having said that, there remains the myth of the virgin, or mother of fatherless sons who saved their race in one way or another. The Babylonian Ishtar, Neith in Libya, Ate in Celisia, Anaites in Armenia, Ataigates in Assyria, Ariadne in Crete, Cybele in Phrygia, Astarte in Phoenicia, Kwanyin in China, Kwannon in Japan, Aphrodite in Greece and Isis in Egypt. Note that Isis (like the Virgin Mary) was called the Queen of Heaven and Immaculate Lady many centuries before the birth of Christ...another common myth. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh were said to have been brought to the Christ Child, in 469 BC they also attended the birth of Socrates, and in 1200 BC angels and shepherds were said to have brought the same gifts to Krishna. They also were at the birth of Confucius in 598 BC and at the births of Zoroaster, Mithra, and Osiris.

MOTHERS IN COMMON:

The mother of Christ was called Mary, Buddha's mother was Maia, as was the mother of Hermes. Bacchus and Adonis both had mothers named Myrrha, and even Krishnas mother was called Marima. The mother of a Siamese "savior" was Maya Maria. It appears that the same root word applied to all of these mothers. I suspect that root word was from Mare...often translated as water or sea, and a symbol of the earth mother from whence we all sprang. Water is also a purifier, and the myth of baptism to purify is a common one. Christians have John the Baptist, but the gods of India, Greece and Egypt also urged baptism. In Egypt the god Anup was called "the baptiser".

CAVES AND CRIBS:

Many of the deities claimed cribs or caves as their birthplace. Apollo, Bacchus, Jupiter, Hermes, Mithra and Krishna all were born in caves or cribs. The word creche originally meant cave, not crib. Crib meant stable, creche meant cave. Jesus was thus born in a cave, not a stable. But it does seem that the unifying myth is that a savior or avatar born in lowly circumstances, who led his people and became their spiritual "savior".

TRINITY:

The Christian Trinity is attributable to Plato's philosophy. He viewed the Divine will as three-fold. The reason, and the soul and spirit of the Universe...thus the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There were many other trinities. The Brahmin Brahma, Vishnu and Sitva; the Persian Ormazd, Mithra and Ahriman; the Chaldean Bel-Saturn, Jupiter-Bel, and Baal-Chom. These correspond to spirit, matter and time, and to power, wisdom and justice. Yet another common thread unifying different mythologies.

MAGIC:

Since earliest times people believed in magic. Paleolithic man thought he could influence the Gods through chant, dance and sacrifice. Later folks revered Magi or Wisemen who used astrology to predict the future. Some cultures believed in oracles, some in casting sticks or water scrying, but most had a deep respect for magic. Although the Christian church condemns "sorcery" and magic as the work of the devil, the Catholic clergy practiced it widely until the Reformation. Albertus Magnus was a Bishop and conjuror, and Thomas Aquinas was his pupil. Roger Bacon, a well known sorcerer, was a monk, and Pico Mirandala was a Kabbalist. St. Augustine practiced divination by lots. Hildebrand was a Magician, Pope Sylvester II was a proven sorcerer and Cardinal Wolsey was an alchemist. Catherine de Medici even employed the services of a Jacobean Priest who murdered for her by means of incantations, effigies and necromancy. Interestingly enough, the Catholic church had a service of exorcism in its prayer book until fairly recently. It was an important source of revenue for the Church for centuries.

COMMON TRAPPINGS:

The Pope has taken as symbols of his office the pagan wand or scepter, the keys of Janus and Cybele, and the Tiara of Brahmitma, the supreme leader of the initiates of Old India. The Bible claims that Christ said of Peter "on this rock (Petra) I will build my church." The root word translated as Peter is the same root word as the Egyptian Ptah, and also the names of some of the cities where the oracles were located. Even Buddha has a similar root. The term Peter Roma once was Petroma, the pagan High Priest of the city of Rome.

These are only a few of the common myths of mankind. Should you be interested in reading more about these things, I recommend any of the Joseph Campbell books on myth; Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism by Franz Cumont; Hebrew Myths by Graves and Patai; Deceptions and Myths of the Bible by Graham; and the King James version of the Bible. (by Lady Ardane)

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Men Circle

Those of you who attended the "Opening the Sky" ritual at Dragonfest this year probably realized that a large part of it was a Creation Myth. At the Manhood Ritual on Friday night, Thomas's Circle Invocation was also a Creation Myth, although a very brief one. Perhaps it is in the stars, but I have been thinking about a Pagan Creation Myth for several months now and perhaps this is as good a time as any to publish it. The basic idea originally came when some people complained that science didn't have any mystery or poetic power in its
formulations. That is not really true, it is just that not enough scientists are trained to write well, or encouraged to present new knowledge in a form that will appeal to all levels of our minds. Well, I decided to have a go at it, and the following myth is based pretty closely on modern cosmology and evolutionary theory.

In the beginning there was neither matter nor energy, neither was there space nor time, force and form were not. Yet there was Something. Poised between Spirit and Void, without form or qualities, pure potentiality, the first physical manifestation had existence. Scientists call it the Primordial Singularity, occultists call it the Cosmic Egg.

It changed, and the first moment of time came to be. It expanded, and space was born. Not the space we know, but one of many dimensions, and that space was filled with the first Force. So intense was that Force that space itself altered. Dimensions folded back on themselves, while others expanded mightily. The first Form came to be. As the infant universe expanded it changed subtly, and as naturally as snowflakes forming in the air, the first material manifestation precipitated out of nothingness. Neither matter nor energy as we
know them, but yet both. The Element Fire was born. The universe continued to expand, and the one Force became two forces, then three and finally four. Matter and energy became distinguishable, and the Element Earth was born from Fire. A hundred thousand years went by, and the universe continued to expand and cool until, quite suddenly, the fire died, space became transparent to light, and there were great clouds of cool gas, moving freely. The Element Air was born. The clouds began to draw together, then break apart into smaller
clouds, and smaller still, until a limit was reached, and a hundred thousand clouds collapsed inward upon themselves, swirling and twisting, flattening and smoothing, rippling, and organizing themselves. The Element Water was born.

One cloud, like many of its siblings, took on a structure like a great pinwheel, with spiral arms stretching out from its center. It was Galaxias, our Milky Way. Within its turbulent swirling, smaller eddies formed and contracted, tighter and tighter. At the center of one a spark grew bright then another and another. The first stars were lighted, and shown in a universe grown dark. Many of them burned prodigally for a time and then exploded, hurling the ashes of their burning outward, ashes such as oxygen and carbon and nitrogen; star stuff, life stuff. Generations of stars came and went over the billions of years, and out in one of the spiral arms a cloud of gas and dust began to collapse like so many others before. It contracted, and a new star lighted, with a disc of dust and gas circling it. The disc became lumpy as grains of dust and crystals of ice collided and stuck together. The lumps touched and merged, ever growing in the light of the young star. Finally, nine bodies circled the new star, which would one day be called Sol, or simply, the Sun. Third out from the sun a rare event had happened. Two young planets had collided and merged violently, forming a single planet. In the violence of that collision, part of the surfaces of both had been ripped off and hurled out to form a ring of molten rock which quickly
drew together to form a giant satellite. The Earth and the Moon had been born in a passionate joining.

As the young Earth cooled, great volcanoes belched forth gases from its still hot interior. An atmosphere of steam and carbon dioxide formed and then clouds appeared. The first rains began, pouring down on the rocks and washing down into the low places. The oceans were born. Water evaporated from the oceans and fell again as rain, dissolving minerals from the rocks and carrying them into the sea. The early ocean became richer and richer in dissolved minerals and gases. Lightning in the young atmosphere formed new substances which added to the complexity of the mix. The dissolved substances in the oceans became more and more complex, until one day a complex molecule attracted simpler compounds to itself, and then there were two, then four. Life was born.

From its simple origins, Life grew in complexity, until one day a patch of green appeared, drawing energy from the Sun, and exuding oxygen. Within a short time the atmosphere changed radically. The sky became blue, the air clear and rich in oxygen. As the Earth had shaped Life, so Life began to shape the Earth. Delicately balancing and ever re-balancing between the furnace heat of her sister Venus, and the icy cold of her brother Mars, Gaia, the Living Earth, had come to be.

The first animals appeared and swam in the oceans. Then venturesome ones crawled onto the land. The forms taken by life changed. Fish appeared, and dragons walked the land. Tiny furred creatures supplanted the great dragons, whose descendants now flew through the skies, clothed in feathers. By and by some of the furred creatures came down from the trees and began to walk about on their hind legs, and then they started picking things up. Soon they were using the things they picked up. Then they started talking to each other. After they had been talking for a while, they started thinking. Some of them even started thinking about where they had come from and where they were going. And they began to wonder how everything had come to be - and why.

Well, there it is. Now that it's written I'm wondering what it all means. You who read this have as much right to interpret it as the author, who after all is mostly gathering the thoughts and conclusions of other men and women and putting them into a hopefully attractive package. Creation myths are supposed to tell us something about the world we live in and our relationship with that world, and perhaps about ourselves. This one seems to be telling us that the world in which we live was not made, like a clock, it grew, like an embryo in an egg. We humans are as much a part of our world as the eye of an embryo is part of the embryo. We are the part of the world that "sees". And what about the Gods? Where do they fit into all this? Well, eggs generally have a mother and a father, and newborn chicks aren't aware of either until they open their eyes. We are the eyes of our world, and one of our functions is to see the Mother and Father.

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Robins Omens And Signs

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* A wish made on the first robin of spring will be granted, if however the bird flies away before the wish was finished you will end up with 12 month's bad luck.
* A robin entering the house was a sign of a death in the family.
* Killing a robin - extremely bad luck
* Causing a robin injury - a similar injury to the perpetrator
* Robin entering a house or church - omen of death
* Steal an egg from a robin's nest, and all the milk produced in the area will be discoloured.
* If a robin is ever seen to hop over the threshold of a door then it is an omen of a forthcoming debt, except for the month of November, in which case it is considered lucky.
* The robin has also been used to forecast the weather, if it is heard singing from cover then bad weather is on the way, conversely if the robin sings from an open branch then good weather is coming.
* I have also heard tell that if a robin ever finds a dead body it will cover the corpse's face with moss and leaves as a mark of its love for the human race.

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The Valknut

This is an extract from an article called KNOTS OF DEATH by Alby Stone, which appears in WEB OF WYRD #7.

A number of Viking monuments feature a curious design known as the valknut, the "knot of the slain" or, more loosely, "the knot of death". On an 8th century CE picture stone from Hammers in Larbro, Gotland, it consists of three interlocking triangles. This stone, now in Stockholm's National Historical Museum, is divided into several panels; one of the central panels, in which the valknut occurs, depicts several motifs that suggest some sort of connection with the cult of Odin - an eagle, a flying figure - possibly a valkyrie - holding a ring, a man being hanged from a tree and a group of three warriors - with shields and upraised swords - led by a fourth man who seems to be holding a large bird of some kind. The valknut is adjacent to the eagle and below it are two men, one with a spear, who appear to be engaged in placing a corpse inside what looks like a burial mound. Between them and the hanged man is what appears to be another, smaller, valknut of the same design. This type can also be seen on a rather splendid golden ring discovered near Peterborough, Cambs, and currently on display at the British Museum in a cabinet labelled as containing Anglo-Saxon "secular" metalwork. Another picture stone from Gotland (Tangelgarda also in Larbro) has a panel showing a rider being welcomed by a woman holding a drinking horn with four men who are holding rings. The woman may be a valkyrie, a "chooser of the slain", one of whose functions was to serve ale to the Warriors in Valhalla, another pointer to the cult of Odin. The rider has a valknut behind his head and there are two more among his horse's legs. On this stone, which can also be seen at the Swedish Museum, the valknut is made up of a single line, interlaced to make three triangles.

A fourth type of valknut, rather different from those described so far, occurs on a stone cross from Andreas on the Isle of Man and is now in the Manx Museum, Douglas. This version is basically a simple knot "tied" in such a way as to retain the basic tripartite structure of the versions mentioned above. Unlike the others it is not a closed structure but its identity as a valknut, while mildly contentious, is not really in doubt. The scene in which it appears shows a man, evidently Odin, holding a spear pointing downward as he is devoured by a great wolf. An eagle perches on the man's shoulder and the valknut is at his side. The same design appears elsewhere, on a stone discovered in 1822 at Gosforth and now incorporated into the structure of the local church. It is between the back legs of a horse. On a picture stone from Alskog, in Gotland, it occurs twice among the eight legs of Odin's horse, Sleipnir. Despite this seeming wealth of examples and the diversity of styles the valknut itself has remained enigmatic. It seems to be associated with horses, particularly with the steed of Odin, and the cult of Odin in general. Motifs associated with the symbol include the hanged man, valkyries, bears, and the scene from Ragnarok on the Manx Cross, all indicating some connection with Odin. According to HR Ellis Davidson, the valknut also appears on the funeral ship excavated at Oseberg, Norway in 1904, and on the tapestry found in that vessel, indicating some sort of funerary association.

The origin and meaning of the symbol are extremely difficult to discern, as is its association with Odin. Obviously it has a decorative value as distinct from its symbolic meaning. The valknut has been used as a motif by Scandinavian weavers since the Viking Age. Indeed, it is recognised as a traditional design in that part of the world quite apart from its alleged occurrence on the Oseberg tapestry. Davidson opines that it is related to the Celtic triskele, the three-legged symbol most familiar as the emblem of the Isle of Man and linked with the Irish God of the sea, Manannan. The triskele is essentially a variety of the swastika, a common enough cosmological symbol, but neither can be said to possess the characteristic interweaving of the valknut. While it may be unwise to dismiss a possible relationship between triskele and valknut, it must be said that any resemblance is purely superficial, lying solely in their tripartite structures. Structurally the valknut has more in common with the Celtic triple spiral motif which is also found on Old English and Pictish artifacts and much older objects. Unfortunately there is a dearth of hard evidence for the mythological or religious significance of the triple spiral, which tends to occur within wholly abstract or symbolic designs, but it occurs within funerary contexts and has been linked with the female principle by various scholars. The various types of valknut, their contexts aside, share two important characteristics: they are tripartite and they are constructed by interweaving or interlinking.

In Old English texts the term "wyrd" is, despite its other connotations, frequently used to denote death rather than a structured and unfolding future that is suggested by the functions of the Nornir and their Greek and Roman counterparts. There is of course an intimate relationship between the two concepts and death is after all the fate of every being. Scandinavian myth makes it clear that there are only two things which the gods cannot avert; fate and death. In Norse myth the name of the senior Norn is Urdr, a word in Old Icelandic that can also denote a burial mound or cairn. "Beowulf" and other texts characterise wyrd as a weaving of webs but the word usually means nothing less than the moment of death, or at least the events leading up to death.

The "Beowulf" motif is revealing, however; it has already been noted that the fates tend to be spinners or weavers and in this instance there is also the idea of a snare, which can refer back to the Indo-European goddess of death as described by Lincoln. Like Hel, the Nornir reside in the far north, at or near the celestial axis and like her they reside "below ground", where the World Tree has its roots. The Nornir determine life, span and the time of death, while Hel takes the dead to her cold bosom. All these characteristics are shared to some extent with Odin, as is their femininity, apparently adopted by Odin in order to engage in seidr – the natural magic of womankind.

At the very least, Hel and the Nornir are closely related, perhaps even deriving from the same proto Indo-European goddess, and Odin has acquired some of their characteristics by virtue of his association with the cosmic centre, the structure of which reflects their own nature. If the valknut symbolises anything then, it is probably either wyrd, death, or perhaps even the Nornir themselves, who are more or less the same as wyrd anyway. Exactly when the valknut would have come to represent these is difficult to estimate. Certainly the examples here all date from the Viking Age and appear to range in time from about the 7th to the 10th centuries CE. I am not aware of any valknuts of a significantly earlier date. It is interesting that in England the use of the valknut seems to have died out with the establishment of Christianity and the consequent decline of heathenism. The Nornir are not represented pictorially anywhere in the Germanic world, which is rather surprising. A panel of the Franks Casket shows three hooded figures who might be intended as a likeness of that fateful trinity, but it is by no means certain. Until any conclusive artifacts come to light the truth of the matter must remain as uncertain as the workings of the Fates themselves.

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I Dont Have Time

I hear myself say it each Full Moon, & unfortunately on many of the Sabbats, "This time, I'll do a wonderful ritual. I'll cleanse & cast & honor &..." But, so many times, after the husband & child units are in bed, after I've done the dishes & straightened & putsied, after I've worked on my crafts, & written in my journal, & written an article or two...well, you get the idea. I look at the clock bleary eyed & hear myself say that same old line: "Next time..."

After months of this, & the ensuing guilt that felt suspiciously... Christian, I decided to take inventory & find out if I really do live my religion or just say I do. What I've found has made me feel a lot better about myself.

When I rise in the morning & look out the window I thank the Goddess for the beautiful land I live on & the woods, trees & the stream that flows behind my little house. Then I walk into my son's room & I feel deep thankfulness, that the Lady has given the care of this little soul into my hands. It is a big job, but when I see the light in his eyes & the smile on his face, I know that I live with the Divine in my home each & every day.

Then we go down stairs & we celebrate the grain harvest with, what else, Cheerios! My son will celebrate that same harvest several times that day, with bread & peanut butter, bread & jelly, bread & ketchup, bread & bread...

As I pass the family altar in the dining room I notice that each piece on it means something to someone in my family. The cups representing the God & Goddess were our wedding cups, there are stones from both of my children who come running to me to put them there each time they find a fascinating new specimen, there are the love notes that my husband leaves for me in the mornings letting me know that magick is alive & afoot in our marriage. Each piece on that little desk is a reminder that we live each day with our religion.

As I go throughout my day, doing the "normal everyday" things I find that through repetition & familiarity I have weaved my beliefs into my life. I have also (hopefully) shown my children that elaborate ritual & pomp are not necessary to worship what one believes in. I still would like, sometimes to take the time to do a ritual or two, & I have, & I'm sure I will continue to do so. But I am also happy knowing that I am living with the Goddess in my life, essentially, just by being alive.

(From the Imbolc 1995 issue of Witch's Brew)

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