[Cauldron and Candle Illo]

Cauldron and Candle
Issue #21 -- March 2002

A Publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum
website: http://www.ecauldron.com/
mailing list/board: http://www.ecauldron.com/fregmb.php

With a little help from The Witches' Thicket
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Return to Cauldron and Candle Archive

C A U L D R O N   A N D   C A N D L E  #21 -- March 2002

           A Publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum
                website: http://www.ecauldron.com/
     mailing list/board: http://www.ecauldron.com/fregmb.php
  delphi forum: http://forums.delphiforums.com/CUSTOM7999/start
             newsletter: http://www.ecauldron.com/cnc/

           With a little help from The Witches' Thicket
               website: http://www.cros.net/soraya/
    delphi forum: http://forums.delphiforums.com/thicket/start

In this Issue:

[01] Editorial: Secrecy and Wicca
[02] Poem: Air
[03] Article: Ostara Ritual of the New Greening
[04] Review: True Magick
[05] Review: Tarot for All Seasons
[06] Review: All Around the Zodiac
[07] Review: Reflexology for Beginners
[08] Review: The Pagan Path
[09] Magick: Charm to Secure Employment
[10] Magick: Friendship Candle Spell
[11] Food: Ostara Simple Feast Recipes
[12] Humor: The Major Arcana and the Light Bulb
[13] New Articles on The Cauldron's Site
[14] New Web Polls
[15] Support The Cauldron When You Buy at Amazon.com
[16] Newsletter and Forum Info
              (Including How To Subscribe/Unsubscribe)

 +++ Submission Deadline for next issue: April 20, 2002 +++
   Guidelines: http://www.ecauldron.com/cnc/submissions.php


[01]
=========
========= EDITORIAL: SECRECY AND WICCA
========= by Randall Sapphire
=========

Wiccans tend to be against secrets.  Most Wiccans are against
secret lists of banned web sites in Internet monitoring software
and against secret decision making in government.  Most Wiccans
know that too much secrecy can easily be used to cover up things
that would fare very poorly if exposed to public scrutiny, such
as blocking access to Pagan web sites while claiming to only
block porn and hate sites.

Unfortunately, some Wiccans do not practice what they preach when
it comes to secrecy.  While they condemn secrecy in others, they
still maintain broad oaths of secrecy about their particular
practices. While keeping most religious and magical material
oathbound might have been necessary during the Burning Times or
in England prior to the repeal of the laws against Witchcraft, I
certainly see no need for it now -- at least in most "first
world" countries.  Names and addresses of group members, perhaps,
but ritual information, no.

Those who insist that secrecy is necessary in Wicca generally use
some common arguments to support their position. What follows are
my responses to some of the common reasons I've seen presented
over the years in support of keeping material oathbound.

1) It's always been done that way.

  My Response: There's little evidence to support this claim.
  Most of the true family trads I know of do not have oathbound
  information.  In some, certain empowerment/initiation rituals
  can only be performed on family members, but information per se
  isn't really an oathbound secret.  As far as I can tell, Wicca
  seems to have acquired its ideas of oathbound material from the
  Masons and from the magical lodges of the 1700-1800s.

2) Wicca is a mystery religion.

  My Response: By definition, mysteries must be experienced. You
  can read about them or hear them described, but will not
  understand them until you experience them (and you are prepared
  to understand them).  The real reason for keeping such rituals
  secret has always appeared to me to be for control and prestige
  reasons.  Having secrets makes most people feel special and
  feel as if they have some bond with others who possess the
  secret. That seems to be a very silly reason to keep religious
  ritual and information secret.  Having secrets also gives those
  in charge of a group more control over the members of that
  group.  The leaders of many Wiccan groups with oathbound
  secrets also seem to be very interested in controlling their
  members in general.  I hear of many more oathbound groups
  trying to control who their members work with, play with,
  and/or even sleep with outside the group than I do of groups
  without oathbound material.

3) Wiccan material is dangerous in unprepared hands.

  My Response: Performing rituals of worship without proper
  training is dangerous?  We are taking about worshiping the Lord
  and Lady here, aren't we?  Not some demon from one of the Keys
  of Solomon?  I'm sorry, I can't buy into this "it's dangerous"
  line. The Lord and the Lady aren't demons out of some medieval
  story ready to destroy those who make the slightest mistake in
  a ritual.

  You say the power can be abused? Surely you aren't claiming
  that some manic is going to be able to point to their enemies
  and scream "Kill!" in the middle of a ritual and the Lord and
  the Lady are going to run out and kill as "commanded"?

  What's that?  You mean that raising power is dangerous and that
  someone of evil intent could steal the power being raised and
  use it for nastiness?  Hmmm, raising power for worship is not
  really dangerous and raising power for magick is no more
  dangerous than using an electrical appliance.  The minimum
  necessary training needed for either using electrical
  appliances or raising magickal power can be given to most
  teens/adults in an hour or two.  As for stealing the power
  raised and using it for nastiness, anyone who can do that
  against the will of the others in the circle already has so
  much knowledge of their own that adding Wiccan's oathbound
  information to it would not noticeably increase their power.

4) Some rituals, like initiations, need to be kept secret or they
will not have the proper effect on the participants.

  My Response: In my opinion, any ritual that depends on surprise
  for its effect is a very poorly designed ritual. However, there
  is a less theoretical problem with this position, especially
  where Wiccan initiations are concerned.  Most Wiccans seem to
  believe that the Rede requires they get informed consent to
  perform a ritual for or on anyone, even for something as simple
  and harmless as a healing spell.  Given the profound changes
  initiation can set in motion in a person, how can anyone give
  informed consent if they do not know exactly what is going to
  happen in an initiation ritual?  For that matter, why would any
  sane person who truly understands the power of an initiation
  ritual agree to undergo one that they have not at least read
  though?

5) My coven uses a private set of names for the deities, lords of
the quarters, etc.  These names appear throughout our rituals, so
while our rituals aren't really a secret, we have to keep all of
our rituals and practices oathbound to protect the secret names
we use.

  My Response: While there is certainly nothing wrong with using
  a secret set of names for the deities, guardians, etc., having
  secret names is really an extremely poor excuse for keeping
  everything oathbound.  Rituals should be recorded with generic
  names (e.g. "the Lady," "Guardian of the East," etc.), not with
  the secret names.  Group members should just substitute the
  secret names when they perform the rituals.  This would not
  only end the need to keep all of the rituals and practices of
  the group oathbound, it would enhance the security of the
  group's secret names as they would no longer be written down in
  every copy of each of the group's rituals.

My advice to individuals is simple: avoid oathbound groups. Other
than the keeping secret the names of a group's members, the
secret names of the group's deities (if any) and perhaps the
group's current, active magickal workings, I see no truly
justifiable need for secrecy in Wicca today.  Many oathbound
groups hint at having great knowledge that cannot be obtained
elsewhere to bestow on those who join.  A few groups might
actually have such a store of truly hidden knowledge. However,
given everything that has become known and been published over
the years, I really doubt many do.  If you are tempted to join an
oathbound group, carefully evaluate their reasons for secrecy in
light of this article and your own common sense before you take
any oath. You probably will also want to carefully check to be
sure the group isn't hiding massive control of their members'
lives as well as their rituals behind the cloak of oathbound
secrecy. Most probably are not, of course, but you definitely
want to find out before you join.

My advice to oathbound groups is less direct, and more complex. I
believe you need to carefully evaluate your practices to see if
your secrecy is still really necessary.  If you determine that
the secrecy really can no longer be justified, you need to
abolish it.  In most cases this can be done without breaking
current members' oaths of secrecy by simply not requiring those
oaths of new members.  There are, of course, more direct ways to
end an oath that no longer serves any purpose. Anyone leading an
oathbound group should be able to figure out how to do so within
their ritual framework once they decide that it should be done.


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[02]
=========
========= AIR
========= A Poem by Moonsongstress
=========

Breathing low as the grass through the meadow
Of my mind, She came. Breath of my breath,
She said, exhaling life dew through me and out
The other side of existence. My center filled to

Its brim with the salty fresh breezes as it drank
Them in with the hunger of wolves scenting prey.
And I awoke to the life of now to stare into the
Eyes of the storm and feel her pass through me,

Leaving sharp traces of her cool knowledge and
Salt-pan crusting thought, rimming my mind with
Its diamond, crystal, biting edge. Teach me, I
Cried after her. But she was gone and though I

Searched, she was nowhere to be found. But the
Pricking knowledge called me and I scratched
Its surface down and down until I reached the
Core of my soul. There I found her deep in my

Center, waiting the ages out for time's sweet
Wisdom to dawn in the light of my inner eye.
Yes, I am here, She said. Where did you think
You would find me? So I sat at her feet, looking

Into the grey mist of the morning light, and as
The soft edged dawn was born low in my mind,
Understood with the rising of my sun that She
Was me and I should look within for her shining.

Copyright (c) MoonSongstress 2001


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[03]
=========
========= ARTICLE: OSTARA RITUAL OF THE NEW GREENING
========= Copyright 2000 by Moonsongstress
=========

  [Editor's Note: This is a solitary Wiccan ritual for Ostara.
   Indented paragraphs should be spoken aloud.]

===
=== Tools for the Ritual
===

 * Sky blue and fresh green altar cloths
 * Ostara incense - a fresh scent such as lemongrass or
   narcissus
 * Golden God candle
 * Silver Goddess candle
 * White altar candle
 * Quarter candles and corresponding stones
 * Matches, taper and snuffer
 * A young green houseplant - this should be a long-lived, hardy
   variety such as a spider plant (The Latin name for spider
   plant is Chlorophytum).
 * Several small pieces of parchment paper
 * A good quality pen
 * Simple feast - iced fairy cake and elderflower and apple
   drink.

===
=== Preparation
===

Before the day of ritual spend some time thinking about things
that you would like to achieve in the coming year and dreams you
would like to bring to reality.

At the beginning of the ritual mentally cleanse and sweep the
area moving deosil. Set up the quarter candles and stones
symbolizing the elements of the quarters. Decorate the altar with
its cloths, and then the candles. Place the golden God candle to
the right back of the altar and the silver Goddess candle to the
left back. The white altar candle goes at the center back of the
altar between the Goddess and God candles. The green plant is
placed before the altar candle. Place the items for the simple
feast to one side.

Take a shower or splash your face with water for purification.
Sit quietly and meditate for a while, then ground and center.

Sit; open your heart to the new greening.

===
=== The Ritual
===

The ritual is begun. Moving deosil, light the Goddess, God, altar
and quarter candles and incense. Cast the circle in fresh green
light. Call the quarters and spirit center. Invoke the Goddess
and God. Bid them all Hail and Welcome.

Sit; open your heart to the new greening.

Contemplate the green plant.

  The wheel turns on the everlasting, silvered thread of time and
  the earth ever responds to the cycle. She now begins to stir
  from the cleansing sleep of winter and wakes from her slumber
  to show green life once more. Everywhere around us new life
  peeps out, full of freshness and gentle determination.

  Tiny though the new plants are, each one is a complete parcel
  which contains the potential to be the strength that envelops
  mountains in loping stride, shifts earth and rocks without a
  thought, shelters and protects human life and fearlessly sails
  the mighty oceans. The pollen of the plants which produce new
  tender shoots such as these travels through the vast coldness
  of space without the need of man-made protection and penetrates
  every environment on earth.

  This is a time to mark the limitless possibilities for new life
  as it begins its latest cycle of growth and is nurtured into
  being by the earth. It will develop as far and as fast as it
  can in the time it is given.

  Our own new plans and projects begin as small and vulnerable as
  seedlings such as these, but their potential for growth is just
  as limitless. Time and the mind hold them and, if we nurture
  them as the earth nurtures her children they will have the
  chance to fulfill their potential and fill our dreams. Tender
  plants all, but centered with the hearts of mighty oak trees.

Sit; open your heart to the new greening.

Take the green plant and place it before you at the center front
of the altar.

  Green Lady, Gaia, you are the Goddess on which we rest and the
  abundant, fertile one from whom comes the stuff of life. You
  bless your children with that vital spark which is life,
  feeding us from the bounty of your storehouse.

  We are made of your clay, breathe your air, move with the
  energy of your fire and are nourished by your water. You are
  the name I can call the part of the one that sustains us in
  life, and at death welcomes our spent bodies into your cauldron
  of change.

Take the plant and raise it in your hands.

  I bring this plant to this place today in its new beauty and
  green potential.

Replace the plant onto the altar.

  I bring my new plans and dreams for the coming year to this
  place today in their unformed and undeveloped state.

Take the pieces of parchment and the pen. Write your plans and
dreams on the parchment. Fold each one and kiss it. Then roll
each one into a tiny ball. Arrange then in a pleasing way in
front of the plant.

  Here lie my plans and dreams. The fresh, tender newness of this
  plant is like the plans that are newly formed in my life this
  spring. Potential they have, but young and tender they remain.

  Green Lady, Gaia, in this ritual I offer all these things to
  you in the knowledge of your abundant blessings. I will care
  for this plant as I care for my own plans and dreams for they
  are all your children. As I help it to become the best and most
  effective version of itself that it can be, my plans and dreams
  will mirror its thriving and move towards the achievement of
  their potential. The growth of this plant will remind me that
  my plans and dreams thrive in your care as they do in my own.

Taking the pen and using the end without the nib, gently dig
holes in the earth surrounding the plant. Insert a parchment ball
into each one and then cover each one with earth.

Sit; open your heart to the new greening.

Address the plant:

  Strong may you grow and sturdy. Well rooted and reaching for
  the sky. As you grow, may my plans and dreams grow too.

Now is the time for mental exploration so sit and open your heart
and mind to the new greening. Spend a little time exploring the
world through the eyes of the plant. Remember that though it is
small and rooted into one place its kind have spread and
colonized terrain that would surely kill a human being. The
potential within it is the same potential within your own plans
and dreams.

Sit; open your heart to the new greening.

Proceed with the simple feast to ground yourself.

===
=== The end of the Ritual
===

Address the Goddess with thanks, love and dedication.

  May I listen for and hear you,
  May I look for and see you,
  May I reach for and touch you,
  May I wait for and find you.

  Teach me what I need to know, and what I am now ready to know.
  Your blessings are abundant, bless me abundantly.

Thank the spirits of the quarters and center, and also the
Goddess and God. Ask them to go if they must but stay if they
will. Bid them all Hail and Farewell. Open the circle. The circle
is open but never broken.

The ritual is ended.

Place the plant in a prominent place so you can watch its
development.


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[04]
=========
========= REVIEW: TRUE MAGICK
========= Reviewed by Daven
=========

True Magick: A Beginner's Guide
Author: Amber K
Paperback, 272 pages
Publisher: Llewellyn
Publication date: January 1991
ISBN: 0875420036
US Retail Price:
Amazon Link:
  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0875420036/thecauldron

True Magick is an interesting read, if you are reading it as a
basic introduction to Wiccan Magick.

Amber K. does a good job of presenting her philosophies and
thoughts, injunctions and warnings in a coherent fashion,
allowing the reader to understand how certain things are working
and why they are happening.

I believe, however, that the failure of this book is that Amber
tries to make it a text for all magick and it does not work.  She
presents a brief (one paragraph to one page) descriptions of
other magickal paths, and she implies that what she lays down in
this book applies to these paths as well.  The rules for Wiccan
magick do not apply to alchemy and never have.

I'm going to go on this facet for a bit to allow the reader of
this review to see where the differences are.

The thoughts on the Rede and not harming none only apply to
Wiccan magick.  In every other tradition of magick out there,
there is no such injunction.  It is assumed that you are mature
enough to understand what will happen if you decide to go on with
the spell despite these consequences.  It also assumes that you
are mature enough to not complain when those consequences come
home to roost in the case of negative magick.

She has rites of invocation for the God and Goddess, but Wicca is
the only theurgical system that uses a Goddess. The Enochian
system, the Rosicrucian system, the system laid out in The Keys
of Solomon, and the Qabalah do not have female deities, but it is
once again implied that invocation of the Goddess is a
requirement.

It is the same story for the Directions, the Elements, the
Spirits, the magickal process itself.  The timing of magick which
Amber goes into says that the Full/New Moon as well as the days
of the week are what is important, when in the Greater Key of
Solomon, there is no mention of the moon, but quite a complete
section dealing with the planetary hours.

Now, I am not saying that this book is completely bad.  There is
a lot in it that is good and worth the purchase price.  But it is
not the be-all, end-all that is implied.  The one disclaimer that
I remember seeing talking about this was so brief that one could
quickly pass it by and never register that she is speaking not
for the more traditional magickal systems.

However, as a work on Wiccan magick, it rocks.  There is clear
descriptions of the morals relating to Wiccan magick, the
processes that one should go through to do spells, the
consequences and the injunctions against using magick for
personal profit.  You may as well throw your wand down a well if
you charge, she states in regards to Wiccan magick.

Other than the one huge complaint of trying to be too much the
one tome of magick that there is, I have really no complaint with
this book.  She lays it out in such a way that anyone could
understand the concepts involved and the needed materials and
disciplines.

All in all, as a book on Wiccan magick, I give it 4 1/2 stars out
of 5.  However, because she never states that this is the
magickal system she is focusing on, I am forced to give this 3
starts out of 5.  Thankfully anyone who is at all familiar with
other magickal systems will be able to spot this bias fairly
easily.

           This review is available on our web site at
               http://www.ecauldron.com/bktmabg.php


[05]
=========
========= REVIEW: TAROT FOR ALL SEASONS
========= Reviewed by Randall Sapphire
=========

Tarot for All Seasons: Celebrating the Days & Nights of Power
Author: Christine Jette
Trade Paperback, 154 pages
Publisher: Llewellyn
Publication date: November 2001
ISBN: 073870105X
US Retail Price: $12.95
Amazon Link:
  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/073870105X/thecauldron

Tarot for All Seasons is Christine Jette's third book. As I was
fairly impressed with her Tarot for the Healing Heart when I
reviewed it a few months ago, I was looking forward to reading
this book -- even with its Wiccan orientation. For the most part,
I was not disappointed. Christine is a registered nurse and
professional tarot reader with a degree in psychology. This gives
her a slightly different, but interesting, point of view on the
cards.

The marketing hype on the back cover describes Tarot for All
Seasons as "Part spellbook, part ritual guide, this book includes
twelve unique tarot layouts for the waxing, full, and waning
moons, and the eight solar festivals of the Wheel of the Year."
Calling this book a spellbook or a ritual guide strikes me as a
bit too generous given that the book is mainly about tarot
layouts, but the author cannot be held responsible for the zeal
of the publisher's marketing department.

This fairly short book is divided into six chapters. The first
two chapters are brief and contain introductory matter. The first
chapter starts with a couple of pages of on the Wiccan Sabbats
and Esbats and then provides a brief introduction to the Tarot.
The second chapter discusses ritual design, how to use the sample
readings in later chapters, and gives several ways to read a
three-card spread to expand on difficult points in any reading.
The third chapter discusses esbat rituals very briefly and
provides an original tarot layout and sample reading for the full
moon, the waxing moon, and the waning moon. Tarot layouts, sample
readings, and a few ritual suggestions are provided in the fourth
and fifth chapters for each of the eight Wiccan Sabbats. The last
chapter is quite short, but full of suggestions for further work.
Tarot for All Seasons wraps up with an appendix listing the
author's Tarot card interpretations.

The real meat of this book is the original tarot layouts. They
are well-designed and each one ties nicely into the sabbat or
moon phase it is for. The layouts themselves are simple. There
aren't any Golden Dawn style full deck layouts here.  The most
complex uses nine cards. Many only use five or six cards. The
author wisely leaves any complexity to the interpretation rather
than the layout. The sample readings are detailed and
interesting. The reader, especially a Tarot beginner, can learn a
lot about interpreting the Tarot cards from these samples.

The book's main flaw is its short length. Tarot for All Seasons
left me feeling somewhat disappointed that there wasn't more.
There is so much more that could be done along these lines.
Nevertheless, any Wiccan (or Neo-Pagan following a non-Wiccan
path which celebrates the same holy days as Wicca) interested in
the Tarot should take a serious look at this book. Tarot readers
following a path with different holy days, however, will find it
much less useful.

           This review is available on our web site at
               http://www.ecauldron.com/bktfas.php


[06]
=========
========= REVIEW: ALL AROUND THE ZODIAC
========= Reviewed by Randall Sapphire
=========

All Around the Zodiac: Exploring Astrology's Twelve Signs
Author: Bill Tierney
Trade Paperback, 460 pages
Publisher: Llewellyn
Publication date: December 2001
ISBN: 0738701114
US Retail Price: $19.95
Amazon Link:
  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0738701114/thecauldron

Bill Tierney's All Around the Zodiac is an introductory astrology
book with a unique twist. It concentrates on the signs of the
zodiac. Not the meaning of your "sun sign," your "rising sign,"
or your "moon sign," but the meaning of the signs themselves and
how the signs relate to each other and to the planets. Bill
Tierney has written the astrology book I'd love to have had when
I first developed an interest in astrology in the late 1960s. Of
course, this book could not have been written 30 years ago as
half the book would have been on the mathematics of casting a
horoscope. All Around the Zodiac doesn't waste any space on this.
Programs to do the math are available on the Internet (and a free
birth chart offer is included for those without a computer or
internet access).

This guide is dived into three massive parts. The first part
describes each of the signs in detail, with special attention
paid their elements and modes. Each sign is given about ten pages
of description, not just a short precis and a list of
celebrities. Part Two describes how the signs interact with each
other in a chart. This volume explains signs that square, oppose,
sextile, trine, semisextile, and quincunx. Each combination of
two signs receives about a page of description and a short list
of celebrities. This part contains one of the most comprehensive
discussions of these interactions I've seen in an introductory
astrology book. The third part of All Around the Zodiac explains
how the signs blend with the influence of a chart's planets.

All Around the Zodiac is a thick book. While it is certainly a
harder read than Linda Goodman's Sun Signs, it is by no means a
dry and boring read. Bill Tierney warns readers in the
introduction that he aims "to have a little fun while exploring
these signs" -- and he does. While not everyone will fully
appreciate his sense of humor, it saves this book from the dry,
textbook tone of many astrology books. While I'm sure some will
consider this book somewhat superficial, it is much less
superficial than the introductory books I read many years ago.
All Around the Zodiac is an excellent introduction to astrology
for those ready to learn more than their sun sign. However, this
book is probably more than someone only slightly curious about
astrology would want.

           This review is available on our web site at
               http://www.ecauldron.com/bkaatz.php


[07]
=========
========= REVIEW: REFLEXOLOGY FOR BEGINNERS
========= Reviewed by Randall Sapphire
=========

Reflexology For Beginners: Healing Through Foot Massage Of
  Pressure Points
Author: David F. Vennells
Trade Paperback, 238 pages
Publisher: Llewellyn
Publication date: November 2001
ISBN: 0738700983
US Retail Price: $9.95
Amazon Link:
  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0738700983/thecauldron

Reflexology is a complementary therapy based on massaging
pressure points on the feet to help relieve stress and help treat
illness. It developed out of older practices in the 1890s and
early 1900s. While there's no truly scientific evidence that it
works, there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence that
reflexology can help as a complement to standard medical
treatment. David F. Vennells wrote Reflexology for Beginners to
provide a basic course in reflexology to allow almost anyone to
learn the basic techniques so that they can help themselves or
their friends.

The first two chapters of this book cover the theory: what
reflexology is and how various pressure points on the foot
(called "reflexes") correspond to various parts of the body. The
third, fourth, and fifth chapters describe treatment technique,
including warnings about feet with warts or fungal infections
that could be transmitted to the reflexologist! These chapters
are well-illustrated. The instructions given are clear and
generally easy to follow. The sixth chapter is advice on dealing
with patients. The seventh and longest chapter of Reflexology for
Beginners is entitled "Case Studies." Unfortunately this chapter
is more testimonial in nature than "case study" in nature. The
next two chapters deal with the nature of disease from a Buddhist
perspective and meditation. While these have little to do with
reflexology, the author is using them as part of his holistic
methods. The final chapter discusses the future of reflexology as
the author sees it.

Reflexology for Beginners is a clear and concise introduction to
reflexology. Anyone able to follow simple instructions should
soon be able to use these methods to help family and friends.
However, its Buddhist slant may confuse or even annoy some. The
book's major fault is the chapter of case studies. It really
would have been helpful if more of the chapter was devoted to
actual case studies.

In the final analysis, Reflexology for Beginners is a good, if
imperfect, book. Anyone looking for a well-written introduction
to reflexology should consider this book, especially given its
relatively low price. The author has done a good job of
transferring his knowledge to readable instructions.

           This review is available on our web site at
               http://www.ecauldron.com/bkrfb.php


[08]
=========
========= REVIEW: THE PAGAN PATH
========= Reviewed by Diane Verrochi
=========

The Pagan Path: The Wiccan Way of Life
Author: Janet and Stewart Farrar, Gavin Bone
Trade Paperback, 256 pages
Publisher: Phoenix Publishing
Publication date: March 1995
ISBN: 0919345409
US Retail Price: $14.95
Amazon Link:
  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0919345409/thecauldron

This is a book I recommend strongly to anyone who comes to me
asking for a basic book on Paganism.  The primary reason for this
is the book's chapter entitled "The Rainbow of Paths," which
gives brief descriptions of some of the better known Pagan paths.
There is a growing perception that Paganism or Neo-Paganism and
Wicca are interchangeable terms, and I believe it is important
for someone just beginning to look into Paganism to learn at the
outset that Wicca is one of many, rather than the only of the
Pagan religions.

Outside of this chapter, however, several assumptions are
presented that unfortunately contribute to this very
misapprehension, such as the various Gods and Goddesses being
"tuning-signals to the same two aspects of the Ultimate" (p. 15).
Similar generalizations relating to cycles of holy days,
reincarnation, and environmentalism as a religious mandate are
found in the book as well.  And so I strongly suggest one not
stop with this one book, or even with the books found in the
bibliography.

One other problem I find, and it is a fairly serious one, is that
chapter 11, "The Ancient Roots," perpetuates the myth of a
widespread (if not worldwide) Paleo-Pagan Earth Goddess religion.
While some of the information presented is useful, including some
of the speculative history, the presentation of the whole as
accepted historical fact is problematic.

However, the book's strengths still outweigh its weaknesses, I
believe.  The chapters on "Magic and Divination," "Healing,"
"Pagan Families," and "Pagans and Christianity," while
necessarily brief and introductory in nature, present enough
information to give the reader a basic idea of the relevant
techniques or ideas and to (one hopes) prompt the reader to delve
further into the areas of most interest to them.

As a whole, I consider this book to be one of the better
"Paganism 101" books available, so long as it is read with a
critical eye.  If I were teaching a "Paganism 101" class, I would
probably include this book alongside Ronald Hutton's Triumph of
the Moon as the joint starting points on the reading list.

           This review is available on our web site at
             http://www.ecauldron.com/bktpptwwol.php


       ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
                         UPCOMING REVIEWS
       Here are a few of the books we'll be reviewing in
       future issues: INVOKE THE GODS, MAGIC OF QABALAH,
       THE MAGICIAN'S WORKBOOK, MAKING TALISMANS, MAGICAL
       USE OF THOUGHT FORMS, MUDRAS, MODERNWICCAN CD-ROM.
       Reviews often appear on our web site first, so
       check there for new reviews if you can't wait for
       the next issue of the newsletter.
       ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


[09]
=========
========= MAGICK: CHARM TO SECURE EMPLOYMENT
========= Author Unknown
=========

Supplies:

  1 green handkerchief
  3 cardamom seeds
  1 bay leaf
  1 sprig of rosemary
  string

Procedure:

Take a green handkerchief or a piece of green cloth roughly that
size, lay it flat with one of the corners facing you.  Place upon
it 3 cardamom seeds, a bay leaf and a sprig of rosemary (or its
equivalent of dried herb). These herbs surround you in
self-confidence and attract energy. Cardamom sweetens your
personality and brings out your natural eloquence. Bay leaves are
symbols of success and triumph. Rosemary is a herb of achievement
and mental alertness.

Tie the corners together with a length of string, so that you
have a little bundle of herbs.

Usage:

Carry this to your job interviews. Before each interview, hold
this bundle and visualize yourself walking into the interview
room, radiating confidence imagine yourself being in a position
to pick and chose jobs at will.


[10]
=========
========= MAGICK: FRIENDSHIP CANDLE SPELL
========= Author Unknown
=========

Supplies:

  Pink Candle
  Good Luck or Friendship Oil
  Pink silk Ribbon
  White Silk Ribbon


Cast your Circle. Arrange altar. Invoke your Gods. Anoint the
pink candle with Good Luck or Friendship oil while thinking of
the friends that you want to make. Imagine yourself laughing with
them, going out with them -- really see yourself with them.

After your candle has been anointed, light it. At this point you
must call out the things that are important to you in a friend,
for example: honesty, trust, open mindedness, humor, whatever. As
you light the candle, see the flame as being the energy that
burns between any two close friends. When this is completed, take
your two pieces of silk ribbon and weave them together. Simply
winding them around each other will do.

While you do this, think of bringing your new friend closer to
you. You are binding that friend to you, making them loyal to
you, the way any good friend should be. DO NOT bind a specific
person to you, only bind the idea of the perfect friend to you.

Once you have done this, tie the ribbon to the base of your
candle as best as you can. The candle's light is a beacon to
bring friendship to you and another person.

When this is done, sit and meditate on the spell that you have
just cast, sending your energies out to bring that perfect friend
to you. When you feel that your spell has been completed, then it
has. Let your candle burn all the way out and release your
circle, thanking your Gods.


[11]
=========
========= FOOD: OSTARA SIMPLE FEAST RECIPES
========= provided by Moonsongstress
=========

  [Editor's Note: These recipes come from Great Britain.
   The accuracy of the American measurements is not
   guaranteed.]

These are the recipes for the simple feast for the Ostara Ritual
of the New Greening, which appears elsewhere in this newsletter.

===
=== Iced Fairy Cakes
===

Makes 1 dozen.

Cake Ingredients:
 6oz/175g self-raising flour
 1 pinch of salt
 4oz/110g soft margarine
 4oz/110g caster sugar
 2 large eggs

Flavorings:
 1 dessert spoon lemon juice
 Grated rind of one lemon

Icing:
 Icing sugar
 Water
 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Topping:
 A little grated lemon rind

 12 small paper bun cases
 A bun tin with 12 spaces for buns

Pre-heat your oven to gas mark 5/375 degrees F/190 degrees C

Method:

In a large bowl combine all the cake ingredients and flavorings
and beat with an electric whisk for one to two minutes until the
mixture is absolutely smooth.

Put 12 paper bun cases into the bun tin and spoon an equal
quantity of the cake mixture into each case.

Bake just above the center of the oven for 15-20 minutes until
they are well risen and golden in colour.

Remove the cakes to a cooling rack and allow them to cool
completely.

Make the icing using the instructions on the side of the packet
of icing sugar, but add one teaspoon of lemon juice as you mix
it.

Ice the buns and sprinkle each with a little grated lemon rind
before the icing sets.

===
=== Elderflower and Apple drink
===

Makes a generous pint

Ingredients
 Juice of one lemon
 1 fluid oz elderflower cordial
 Half a pint of organic apple juice (clear not cloudy)
 Half a pint of carbonated mineral water

Make sure that the elderflower cordial does not contain aspartame
or any other artificial sweeteners. Only real sugar is good
enough for ritual!

Combine all the ingredients in a jug.
Serve immediately.


[12]
=========
========= HUMOR: THE MAJOR ARCANA AND THE LIGHT BULB
========= Copyright 1999 by Serena Powers
=========

How many Major Arcana does it take to screw in a light bulb?

All of them!

 0) The Fool has already started before anyone else is ready.

 1) The Magician assembles an array of objects that might be
    needed, displays them to best advantage, and starts
    discussing how to go about it.

 2) The High Priestess sits in the background, knowing one thing
    is missing but says nothing.

 3) The Empress fusses around making sure it is safe and nobody
    gets hurt.

 4) The Emperor tells everyone he thinks it should be done right
    now and starts delegating responsibilities.

 5) The Hierophant offers advice on the missing part after
    consulting with the High Priestess.

 6) The Lovers umm and ah about what wattage bulb to put in this
    time.

 7) The Chariot charges in and starts doing it himself regardless
    of the others' protests.

 8) Strength surreptitiously places what's needed into Chariot's
    hands and gets it done her way.

 9) The Hermit suggests a candle in a lamp would provide light in
    the meantime.

10) The Wheel of Fortune laughs and reminds everyone that the
    light will need changing again in the future.

11) Justice works out whose turn it is to change the light and
    whether the division of labor is being delegated fairly.

12) The Hanged Man sits back and contemplates how darkness can
    change our lives.

13) Death points out mournfully that this was bound to happen and
    how everything ends.

14) Temperance tells Death to chill out, it all evens up in the
    end.

15) The Devil tries to blame the Hanged Man for causing the light
    to blow and creates bad feelings all round.

16) The Tower suddenly starts ripping out the original light
    fitting so he can create a whole new more basic look.

17) The Star marvels at new beginnings and says how much she's
    looking forward to having the light working again.

18) The Moon continually offers conflicting advice, confusing
    everyone until he wanders off to the relief of all.

19) The Sun wants to redesign the whole room around a much
    brighter light.

20) Judgment examines the globe to see whether it truly was its
    time to blow and ponders whether the globe can be recycled.

21) The World suggests that any problems with the light are
    temporary: we had light once, we will have it again, and
    suggests focusing on the bigger picture.

Meanwhile, the Fool has already finished changing the light bulb
and is off doing his own thing.


[13]
=========
========= Cauldron Info
========= NEW ARTICLES ON THE CAULDRON'S SITE
=========

The following new areas have been added to The Cauldron's web
site since our last issue.

 * Web Polls are back!

   We are testing a new web poll program. Current polls will
   now appear on our main page.

   http://www.ecauldron.com/

 * Reviews Index Revised

   We have moved our lists of reviewed books and divination decks
   to our main "Books & Reviews" page. This makes that page take
   a bit longer to load but eliminates an entire level of our web
   site, reducing the amount of clicking and page loading needed
   to find things.

   http://www.ecauldron.com/bookstore.php

The following book and tarot reviews (some included in this
newsletter) are new to the web site:

 * Tarot for All Seasons

   http://www.ecauldron.com/bktfas.php

 * All Around the Zodiac

   http://www.ecauldron.com/bkaatz.php

 * Reflexology for Beginners

   http://www.ecauldron.com/bkrfb.php

 * The Pagan Path

   http://www.ecauldron.com/bktpptwwol.php

 * Mini-Motherpeace Tarot Deck

   http://www.ecauldron.com/trtmmpt.php

 * Mudras: Yogi in Your Hands

   http://www.ecauldron.com/bkmyiyh.php


[14]
=========
========= Cauldron Info
========= NEW WEB POLLS
=========

We are trying a new poll program on The Cauldron's web site.
This one isn't quite as nice as our last one, but it works with
the new security restrictions on web hosting company has put in
place.

To start things off, we are rerunning the poll that was ended in
January after only a few days when our old program stopped
working. (Note: It's much easier to vote multiple times with this
poll program as it does not use cookies, just IP addresses -- but
please don't. )

Question: What would be your primary interest in joining an
  organized group of 100 to 200 people that followed your
  preferred religious path?

Possible Answers:

  * Scheduled worship multiple times a month
  * Socializing with co-religionists
  * Group religious study
  * Other reason
  * Not interested in large groups

New polls will now appear on our main page in the narrow right
column:

 http://www.ecauldron.com/


[15]
=========
========= Cauldron Info
========= SUPPORT THE CAULDRON WHEN YOU BUY BOOKS AT AMAZON.COM
=========

If you wish to purchase books or other items at Amazon.com, you
can help fund The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's web site by using
this link to access Amazon.com when you make your purchases:

    http://www.ecauldron.com/fradambooks.php

Just use this link to go to Amazon.com via our web site and
almost every purchase you make that visit will earn The Cauldron
a small amount to help pay for our web page -- at no extra charge
to you. You can also use the Amazon link on the menu of every
Cauldron web page and not have to remember this long link.

Unlike the Amazon link listed in some prior issues of this
newsletter, you can simply visit this site and save the link in
your bookmark list. If you then use this bookmarked link every
time you wish to visit Amazon.com, any purchases you make while
there will help fund The Cauldron's web site.


[16]
=========
========= NEWSLETTER AND FORUM INFO
========= (Including how to subscribe and unsubscribe)
=========

Cauldron and Candle is a free publication of The Cauldron: A
Pagan Forum with assistance from our sister form, The Witches'
Thicket. The Cauldron and The Thicket aim to publish this
newsletter once a month and often actually succeed in doing so.
We tried to publish it twice a month for a while, but real life
interfered too often.

Copyrights on individual items in this newsletter are retained by
their author, please contact the editors if you need to contact
an author for permission to reprint an article and the editors
will do their best to put you in touch with him or her. No one
involved in producing this newsletter has any money to speak of
so suing us if you don't like something we do is a waste of time
and money.

++++
++++ HOW TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE
++++

You are receiving a copy of this newsletter because you signed up
to receive it. You can subscribe or unsubscribe to this
newsletter via your web browser at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cauldronandcandle/join

Or you can unsubscribe via email by sending a blank message to

cauldronandcandle-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Be sure to send this message from the email account actually
subscribed to the newsletter. If you have trouble unsubscribing
by email, please use the web browser mentioned above.

If you need to change your subscription to a new email address,
unsubsribe your old email address and subscribe your new email
address.

++++
++++ NEWSLETTER WEB SITE AND BACK ISSUE ARCHIVE
++++

The Cauldron and Candle web site contains information on this
newsletter and an archive of back issues.

http://www.ecauldron.com/cnc/

++++
++++ CONTRIBUTE TO CAULDRON AND CANDLE
++++

Cauldron and Candle is always looking for articles, reviews, and
announcements of interest to the Neo-Pagan community. Submissions
will normally be considered for both the newsletter and our web
site. For more information, please see our submission guidelines
at:

http://www.ecauldron.com/cnc/submissions.php


++++
++++ PLEASE INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO SUBSCRIBE
++++

If you have Pagan friends who you believe would be interested in
Cauldron and Candle please invite them to subscribe. You can
either drop them a note yourself or -- better yet -- send them
one of The Cauldron's email postcards with the information.

You are also welcome to forward a copies of this newsletter to
interested friends and associates provided you forward the entire
newsletter.

++++
++++ LINK TO THE CAULDRON: A PAGAN FORUM
++++

If you like The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum please invite your
friends to visit. If you have a web page, we'd really appreciate
it if you put a link to The Cauldron's web site on your web
pages. If you'd like some graphic buttons to use to link to our
web site, check the following URL:

http://www.ecauldron.com/linktous.php

Thanks in advance.

++++
++++ SUGGESTIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME
++++

Don't forget that your suggestions for the forum are always
welcome, either posted on the message board or via email to
Elspeth Sapphire (elspeth.sapphire@worldnet.att.net) or Randall
Sapphire (rssapphire@ecauldron.com). Typos are, as usual,
courtesy of the Goddess Eris.

Merry Meet, Merry Part, Merry Meet again!

Return to Cauldron and Candle Archive


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