Return to Cauldron and Candle Archive

C A U L D R O N A N D C A N D L E #67 -- February 2006 A Publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum website: http://www.ecauldron.com/ message board: http://www.ecauldron.net/ newsletter: http://www.ecauldron.com/cnc/ shopping: http://www.ecauldron.com/mall.php http://www.ecauldron.com/doxysbazaar.php In this Issue: [00] Editorial Notes [01] Annual February Donation Drive Info For 2006 * General Information * How To Donate * Donor Bonuses for Individuals and for Pagan Businesses [02] Cauldron News * Cauldron Message Board Gets New Server * Our Plans To Fix The Message Board Speed Problem * CauldronMUX Is Back [03] Cauldron Events [04] Cauldron Discussions [05] Cauldron Reviews * The Ancient Art of Faery Magick * Ancient Pagan Symbols * The Enchanted Diary * Lid Off the Cauldron * Book of Shadows * Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires [06.1] Feature Article: Scrying - A Modern Look at an Ancient Art [06.2] Humor Article: The Speshul World of Wytches and Majyc [07] Support The Cauldron [08] Newsletter Information (Including How To Subscribe/Unsubscribe) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++ Please support our sponsor +++ PAGAN-FRIENDLY WEB HOSTING * * Now with 20 GB Web Space & 1000 GB Bandwidth * * * * AND MySQL 5 * * http://www.ecauldron.com/web/zdreamhost.php Dreamhost offers high-quality, low cost web hosting with a dedication to free speech. New Features: 20 Gigs Web Space 1000 Gigs Bandwidth MySQL 5 Subversion Starter Plan Features * 20000 megs web space * 1000 gigs/month bandwidth * 600 email boxes (POP3/IMAP) * 75 ftp/shell accounts * host unlimited domains/subdomains * php4, php5, cgi, fastcgi, ssi * zend optimizer, ruby on rails * unlimited MySQL databases * announcement lists * discussion (aka mailing) lists * Jabber server * Crontab and Shell access * Web-based Control Panel * One-Click installs of the Wordpress blog & PhpBB forum * 1 free domain name * helpful tech support * and much more! All for $9.95 a month with a $49.95 setup fee. Pay for a year in advance and there is no setup fee. Pay two years in advance and the price drops to $7.95 a month. (And there is a 97 day money back guarantee!) Read why we use Dreamhost for The Cauldron's web site: http://www.ecauldron.com/web/whydreamhost.php Visit Dreamhost for Affordable, Pagan-Friendly Hosting http://www.ecauldron.com/web/zdreamhost.php +++ Please support our sponsor +++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [00] ========= ========= EDITORIAL NOTES ========= Welcome to the February 2006 issue of Cauldron and Candle. You are receiving this issue because you subscribed. To learn how to unsubscribe, see the last section of this newsletter. This issue finds The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum in transition -- yet again. Bob installed a new server with lots of horsepower (4 processors!), but it does not seem to like the current version of Beehive Forums as our message board crawls -- taking forever to load pages. The server flies on earlier versions of Beehive Forums, drill down boards, etc. So if you are a member of our message board and have been annoyed by the board slowness, be sure to check the Cauldron News section for more information on this issue and our plans for dealing with it. February is also our Annual Donation Drive month. We have a special section on that later on in this issue as well. We also have the usual book reviews, articles, message board discussions from January, etc. We hope you enjoy them. Randall Sapphire Editor and Publisher, Cauldron and Candle Co-Host, The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum [01] ========= ========= ANNUAL FEBRUARY DONATION DRIVE INFO FOR 2006 ========= ===== ===== General Information ===== It's February and our annual web hosting bill for ecauldron.com (the main web site with our articles, reviews, newsletters, etc.) is due this month, so it is time for our annual Cauldron Donation Drive. This year, we are hoping to raise some extra money for expansion (as we have grown a lot in the last year) If those of our members who can afford to contribute $5, $10, $20 or more in the next few weeks would do so, we'd probably have all the money needed. The Hosts are donating $80 toward the fund, so they are not just asking for others to help out while they sit back and plan a trip to Greece on the money donated. Don't worry, if we don't get enough donations, the main web site will not disappear. The Hosts will scrape up the money needed somehow, so there's no "if you don't donate the web site will disappear" nonsense some other sites have been known to do. We just appreciate all the help we can get as the Hosts are not rolling in money any more than you are and a large bill in one month would really work havoc. We would really like to see more money donated than we need to pay the hosting bill this year as with our growth, we really need to do some expanding and sometimes paid software just works better than free software (like the Flash Chatrooms we added last year to replace the troublesome Java Chatroom). While we will not say "Dig deep and give tell it hurts" like the TV preachers do, but we will say that every little bit helps. Donations can be accepted via PayPal or the Amazon Honor System (or even by money order). Paypal is slightly better than Amazon as they take a slightly smaller fee out of what is donated. If you want to be personally credited and thanked for your donation, be sure to use PayPal and mention your message board login name in the Comments box (if one appears). (Amazon donations are anonymous so we can't email you our thanks). Note that donations to TC are not tax-deductible in the US and probably aren't elsewhere either. ===== ===== HOW TO DONATE ===== You'll find a large white box near the top of The Cauldron's main web page with donation links or you can use these: Donate Via PayPal http://www.ecauldron.com/donatepaypal.php Donate Via Amazon Honor System http://www.amazon.com/paypage/P3903JRFVQVDN Donate Via Money Order (No personal checks, please) Email donations2006@ecauldron.com for a mailing address (Note this email address will not work after early March) ===== ===== DONOR "BONUSES" -- INDIVIDUAL DONORS ===== We have a few bonuses for individual donors (at least, for those who do not donate anonymously). All Donors The hosts have a selection of used Pagan books (many are review copies and are very close to "new"). Three donors will be selected at random and given their choice of one book from the available books. These books will be sent book rate (in the US, surface mail overseas). Any person who donates (provided they do not donate anonymously) has a chance to win. No minimum donation is required. Contributor Level Donation (US$25.00 or more) 1. Message Board User Name listed as a Contributor for 2006 on our Sponsors page. 2. 2006 Contributor Button for your signature (or Web Page) that will not count against your graphic file size total for your signature. Sponsor Level Donation (more than US$50.00) 1. Message Board User Name listed as a Sponsor for 2006 on our Sponsors page. 2. 2006 Sponsor Button for your signature (or Web Page) that will not count against your graphic file size total for your signature. 3. The possibility of extra bonuses during 2006 -- depending on how our expansion plans go. ===== ===== DONOR "BONUSES" -- BUSINESS DONORS ===== If you run a Pagan-related business and wish to make a large donation, we have some special business donor bonuses as well. These bonuses are new this year and were a suggestion from one of our members afyer the 2005 donation drive. Silver Pagan Business Sponsor (US$75.00 or more) 1. A link to your Pagan-related business (with a short description) on our 2006 Sponsors page. 2. A link to your Pagan-related business (with a short description) in the March issue of the Cauldron and Candle newsletter in a special 2006 Sponsors section at the start of the newsletter. (Current circulation: about 2500 addresses -- if by some chance there is no March issue, this listing will appear in the next issue published thereafter) Note: These bonuses are only for businesses that are truly Pagan-related. Gambling, adult, multi-level marketing, and the like will not receive these benefits. The opinion of The Cauldron as to whether or not a business is Pagan related is final, if in any doubt, please email donations2006@ecauldron.com and ask before you donate. Gold Pagan Business Sponsor (US$250.00 or more) 1. A link to your Pagan-related business (with a short description) on our 2006 Sponsors page 2. A link to your Pagan-related business (with a short description) in the March issue of the Cauldron and Candle newsletter in a special 2006 Sponsors section at the start of the newsletter. (Current circulation: about 2500 addresses -- if by some chance there is no March issue, this listing will appear in the next issue published thereafter). 3. A link to your Pagan-related business (no description) in a Sponsors box in the right column of the main page of our web site (www.ecauldron.com) during the rest of 2006. 4. A link to your Pagan-related business (with a short description) in issues of the Cauldron and Candle newsletter published from April to December 2006 in a special 2006 Gold Sponsors ad in the body of the newsletter. Note: These bonuses are only for businesses that are truly Pagan-related. Gambling, adult, multi-level marketing, and the like will not receive these benefits. The opinion of The Cauldron as to whether or not a business is Pagan related is final, if in any doubt, please email donations2006@ecauldron.com and ask before you donate. [02] ========= ========= CAULDRON NEWS ========= by The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum Staff ========= ===== ===== Cauldron Message Board Gets New Server: ===== It Flies -- For Everything Except Our Message Board ===== As you may remember, The Cauldron's message board was down for almost 36 hours just before the Winter Solstice in December. Bob got a borrowed backup server running and moved everything to it which got us back up. In early January, he tried putting everything back on a rebuilt version of the original server. That did not work. We talked about starting our annual donation drive a bit eariler than usage and asking for a lot more money to buy a new server, but that tuned out not to be necessary as Bob discovered he had enough parts around to make an old 4 processor Ultrasparc system together. While it's processers aren't as fast as current processors, there are 4 of them and they "do more" because of their design. This system worked, so we don't have to try to raise $1000 or more extra to built a server. Unfortunately, this system does not work well for the version of Beehive Forums that The Cauldron's message board uses. While everything else on Bob's server just flies, The Cauldron's message board just crawls, somethings taking 20-30 seconds to completely load the thread pane. This means that board members who do not post a lot will seldom really be annoyed by the delay, but those who do post a lot will often be really annoyed as the thread pane has to reload after every message one posts. This means people are posting less. See the next news item for what we plan to do about this problem. ===== ===== Our Plans To Fix The Message Board Speed Problem ===== We've done some testing and have determined that earlier versions of the Beehive Forums software do not have the slowness problem that the current 0.6 versions do. A test board we put up running the slightly modified version of Beehive Forums 0.5 that we ran the first eight months of last year loads at the fast clip we would expect from this powerhouse of a server. The solution to the problem would appear to be simple: revert to the 0.5 version of Beehive Forums. Unfortunately, due to major database changes between 0.5 and 0.6.2, there is no really safe way to do this. Therefore, later this month we plan to: a) Close the current version of The Cauldron's message board to new posts (it will still be available for reading, although probably at a slightly different URL). b) Open a brand new version message board for The Cauldron using the older, much faster version of Beehive Forums. We will also take this opportunity to revamp our message board's folders and organization. When we moved off of DelphiForums almost two years ago, we did it so fast that we really did not make major changes. Our huge growth since leaving Delphi has made revisiting our organization a high priority. The main problem with this is that everyone will have to create a new account on the new board. Current board members will be given a few days advance notice on the old board before the new boasrd official opens so they will have a chance to recreate their accounts before the board is announced to the general public. If you are a member of our curent message board, you will want to check the board every day or two from now until the move so you can use this head start signup period when it is announced. ===== ===== CauldronMUX Is Back ===== CauldronMUX is back up and running after being down for a while after the December server problems. [03] ========= ========= CAULDRON EVENTS ========= by The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum Staff ========= ===== ===== FEBRUARY CAULDRON CHALLENGE ===== This month's Challenge is to let go. Not of just anything, but specifically of a pet peeve. Pick one that really bugs you and release it into the wild. Examine it closely--why does it bother you? Is it really worth getting so upset about? And perhaps most importantly, what can you do to reduce its irritation factor? Once you've got answers--do something about it! Which peeve are you going to try to release this month? (Another thank you to Sperran for inspiring this one!) http://www.ecauldron.net/cncboard.php?m=9004.1 [04] ========= ========= CAULDRON DISCUSSIONS ========= Recent Discussion Topics on our Message Board ========= In an average month, over 200 new discussion topics are started on The Cauldron's message board. Here are a few of the more interesting recent discussions. It's not too late to join in. Thanks to Bloglet, you can now receive an email every night on days we post new site news items to the main page of The Cauldron's web site. These emails contain a link to the new item and the first couple of lines of the news text. You can sign up for Bloglet's free news delivery via the form at the end of the site "News and Updates" section of The Cauldron's main web page. ===== ===== Practical Magic: Cosmologies ===== Since magic is frequently expressed as being the control of subtle energies by the influence of will, the first thing a person must determine is what exactly is the nature of the universe that they are trying to influence? This model of the universe is commonly referred to as a cosmology. For many years now, I have been studying and practicing a form of Hermetic Magic as it was practiced in ancient Greece, ancient Egypt and throughout the Hellenic world (as near as my researches can determine). To see a detailed explanation of my research and my beliefs on cosmology, refer to http://duttond.topcities.com/Hellenic/Hermetic_Cosmology.pdf So for those of you who believe and practice magic: 1) What is the cosmology you use to explain how magic works? 2) What does your cosmology say about the relationship between magic and religion? How do you approach and deal with that? 3) What does your cosmology say about death and any sort of afterlife? How does this effect your goals in life? 4) How does your cosmology define love and soul mates (if it does)? Keep in mind that there are no right and wrong answers as long as you give some thought to what you, yourself believe. * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncboard.php?m=9059.1 ===== ===== Why are You a Religious Believer? ===== Why are you a believer? Note I'm not asking why you believe in your particular religion instead of other religions, but why you believe in religious things at all. Given that there is very little rational reason to believe in deities, spirits, souls, and other unseen and unprovable things, why do you choose to believe instead of remaining skeptical, non-believing, or even not caring? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncboard.php?m=9053.1 ===== ===== Liminal Lore? ===== Liminal places are ones where two or more things intersect - places such as churchyards, which are for both the dead and the living, shores, where sea and land meet, and city limits, the border between the known and the unknown. What role does myths about liminal places play in your religion? Does the area where you live have stories about them? Can you think of any modern examples of this? Urban legends or conspiracy theories, for instance? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncboard.php?m=9023.1 ===== ===== What Topics Would YOU Like Discussed? ===== The Cauldron has been around since December 1997 and it seems to many of us who have been around for much of that time that we have discussed every topic of possible interest to Pagans. However, we know this isn't the case -- it just seems like it to us. We'd like your suggestions for topics to discuss. What topics in Pagan religions, magic, or the like would you like to see us discuss on TC in the future? We are especially interested in ideas for more advanced (aka "Pagan 201") type of topics (one example an advanced discussion: the current discussion of The Odyssey). Please be as specific as you can with your topic ideas. And please feel free to post multiple ideas! * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncboard.php?m=9021.1 ===== ===== Deities Versus Myth And Legend ===== Ok, some of the conversation on the "Kali" thread got me to thinking, and I wasn't sure whether to put this there, or here, or under the mythology section. I decided the mythology section was too pre-determining, perhaps. Talking about why my one-time friend apparently got a fly-by from Kali, when it was in no way related to her tradition got me wondering about some other seeming fly-by moments from Gods and Goddesses. Reconstructionists, in my experience, can be very dogmatic about deities being very much what myths describe...and not a whit more. Not all, of course...in fact many who get that way with me remind of of some of the more simple minded Christian fundies who can quote chapter and verse, but can't interpret a word of it. Anyhow, the question it raised for me is this: does myth and source material determine your apprehension of an experience or only start it? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncboard.php?m=8931.1 ===== ===== The Afterlife: Why Give It So Much Thought? ===== There seems to be a lot of discussion about what people believe happens when they die. I don’t usually join in, mainly because I don’t have any good ideas on the subject myself. I have started to wonder, however, why so many people seem to give it so much thought. My question, to those who think about it, is why. By that I mean, what practical difference does it make in your life? Does belief or non-belief in an afterlife affect the way you live this one? I can understand that if you believe you will be judged, and that the quality of your afterlife depends on what you do in this one, the belief can impact on your day to day behaviour. But if you don’t believe in judgement, why is the question of life after death even an issue? Is it just a fun or improving thing to think about? Does it give extra meaning to the life you are living? Are there things you do or don't do because of it? If your belief or non-belief were the opposite of what it is, would you behave differently? I’ve read descriptions of all kinds of possibilities of what happens after we die. I’m just wondering why this thing that we can’t possibly know until it happens is so important to try to figure out. * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncboard.php?m=8847.1 ===== ===== Triskaidekaphobic Anyone? ===== As I was walking to work this Friday the thirteenth, a herd of cats crossed my path (four black and one charcoal grey)... I?m not particularly afraid of black cats or the number thirteen but such occurrences sometimes make me think one of the Immortals is trying to get my attention. The ancient Greeks defined superstition as fear of the Gods and, like everything, felt it should be taken in moderation. So, out of curiosity, what superstitions do you believe in (meaning signs that you must pay attention to in order to avoid divine wrath)? What is the strangest superstition that you have heard of (whether you believe it or not)? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncboard.php?m=8817.1 [05] ========= ========= CAULDRON REVIEWS ========= Most of The Cauldron's book reviews are now written by Mike Gleason. If you would like to contact Mike with comments about his reviews (or about books you would like to have reviewed), you can email Mike at: gleason.mike@ecauldron.GETRIDOFME.com ===== ===== BOOK: THE ANCIENT ART OF FAERY MAGICK ===== Reviewed by Mike Gleason ===== There are some members of the Pagan/Wiccan/Magickal/Witch community who have let themselves drift into the habit of prejudice. They will dismiss a book because of who the author is, or who published it, or because they don't agree with the topic. I've even done it myself. But, and this is a major point, I have finally learned to judge each book on its own merits. I've said in previous reviews that I am not a fan of D. J. Conway's writing. And I'm not terribly impressed with the current state of books on the topic of faery. So, this book had a couple of strikes against it when it arrived unexpectedly in my mailbox. Read the full review on our web site: http://www.ecauldron.com/mg/bktaaofm.php ===== ===== BOOK: ANCIENT PAGAN SYMBOLS ===== Reviewed by Mike Gleason ===== This book (and its companion Sacred Symbols in Art) has been around for nearly eighty years. It is concerned with symbolism from the Middle and Far East and, due to the early date of original publication (1929) predates many of the more common conceptions of New Age interpretations. Read the full review on our web site: http://www.ecauldron.com/mg/bkaps.php ===== ===== BOOK: THE ENCHANTED DIARY ===== Reviewed by Mike Gleason ===== This book is aimed at teenage girls and will have minimal appeal to the average teen male. In this, it conforms to the common perception that the Craft is dominated by females. This isn't necessarily bad, since there are both male and female "mysteries" (mysteries in the sense of needing to be experienced and incapable of being transmitted any other way). Although I, personally, believe that every entity experiences lifetimes as both genders, I do understand that most people can't access their experiences as the opposite gender. Read the full review on our web site: http://www.ecauldron.com/mg/bkted.php ===== ===== BOOK: LID OFF THE CAULDRON ===== Reviewed by Mike Gleason ===== The author is a Gardnerian initiate and, consequently, espouses the "It takes a Witch to make a Witch" position. Self-initiation is not an option for this lady. A lot of what she says resounds with what I was taught, although I am not Gardnerian. For instance, her statement on page 53: "Unlike the ritual magician's circle, which is there to keep elementals and hostile forces at bay, the Witches' circle is erected to contain the magical power raised within it." Many modern-day Wiccans stress to protective aspects of the circle, thus betraying their fear of the powers they are attempting to associate with. Read the full review on our web site: http://www.ecauldron.com/mg/bklotc.php ===== ===== BOOK: BOOK OF SHADOWS ===== Reviewed by Mike Gleason ===== I have read some of Ms. Gonzalez-Wippler's other books (on the subject of Santeria), so when I saw this one, I wanted to see what she had to say. Plus, I am a traditionalist, in a lot of ways, when it comes to Witchcraft and the idea of her being a "self-initiated" witch makes about as much sense as a "self- ordained" Catholic priest. I really felt a need to see what was in this book. In her introduction she acknowledges some of the "great names" in the Craft, even claiming acquaintance with them. Unfortunately these individuals have crossed the veil and can't verify her claims. Read the full review on our web site: http://www.ecauldron.com/mg/bkbos.php ===== ===== BOOK: SECRETS OF THE MAGICKAL GRIMOIRES ===== Reviewed by Mike Gleason ===== Okay, before I even got past the cover I was having doubts about this book, and by the time I finished the Contents listing my reservations had grown. The subtitle of this book is "The Classical Texts of Magick Deciphered". Looking through the contents I saw both the Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon on the same page. Excuse me? Oh, I know that there are rituals from these texts throughout the book, but even a brief description of these two seminal works deserves more than a single page. Read the full review on our web site: http://www.ecauldron.com/mg/bksotmg.php [06.1] ========= ========= FEATURE ARTICLE: ========= SCRYING - A MODERN LOOK AT AN ANCIENT ART ========= Copyright 2005 by Sally Taylor ========= Scrying, the art of gaining telepathic information by gazing into crystals, began thousands of years ago. Ancient civilizations revered crystals, believing they had magical powers. The people thought that the gods would deliver mystical wisdom to the meditator through the stones. Battles, travel, healing, diets, and even decisions about the ruling of kingdoms were often planned according to wisdom imparted to scryers from their stones. Today the art of scrying is still widely practiced, but has lost a bit of it's mystery as we have gained knowledge of the reactions between energy and crystals. We now know that crystals vibrate with their own frequencies. They also absorb frequencies they are exposed to and can actually store this input within them. The stone has the capability to amplify these vibrations as well. Scientists actually use crystals to slow the speed of light, and many are used in communication devices. Because of their capacity to store energy information much as your brain does, crystals are also being used in the construction of a new type of computer. It is the capacity of the crystal to play back stored information in the form of energy for your brain to pick up and decipher that gives the crystal its "magical" power. When you pick up a crystal which is on a frequency level that is compatible with your own, you gain access to this stored information. The compatability of frequencies is the reason that you will find some crystals will work for you and others will not. Being that emotions and thoughts have also their own frequencies, "bad" vibrations can be stored just as easily as "good" vibrations. In other words, you can pick up a crystal that will have negative reactions. These negative vibrations can become so amplified that a stone can actually become known to be cursed. This is the case with some very famous gemstones. (See the article about the cursed black diamond in the Station 1 Connector newsletter for an example of cursed gemstones: http://www.rockhoundstation1.com/newsletter.html - December, 2005 issue. Archives are at the bottom of page if you are reading this after December). The main rule here is that if you have bad feelings from a crystal, or bad things happen to you while in contact with a crystal, it is best to avoid the stone completely. Something is not right with the frequency or stored energy in the stone. So how do you find the right one? Choosing the right stone may be a bit easier than you may think it would be. You may have a particular crystal in mind when you begin your search for the right one. While browsing for that crystal, it is likely that another one may catch and hold your attention or your eye. When you continue your search, you will find that you are continually being drawn back to that crystal. You may be so strongly attracted to a crystal that it seems to be actually calling to you. That is the crystal you will want to choose. It attracts you because it's frequencies and information storage are right for you. Before using a crystal for scrying purposes, you will want to clean the stone to erase any interfering frequencies from the surface. This can be done in a few different ways. Most people soak the crystal in a water and sea salt solution for 24 hours before use. Some bury the stone in natural fiber cloth such as silk or linen. After cleansing, the stone may be left in sun or moonlight for a while to "charge" it much as you would recharge a battery. This process is claimed to amplify the stone's energies quite effectively. Once you have the stone prepared for scrying, place it against a background that aid visual contact with the stone. A plain white background can be effective for this for most crystals. Now notice any patterns you may see in the stone. Clear your mind as you watch the stone and patterns within it. Don't bother adapting a frozen stare, just watch it naturally. Soon you will see images or patterns evolving in the stone. You won't be thinking these things -- you will physically see them. Once you see the patterns or images, ideas will come to you about them. Pay attention to these ideas, but let them flow freely. What is happening is that the stone is releasing stored energy to you, or converting energy it is receiving from you into ideas. By using the stone's stored and active energy flows you can learn about events from the past or about connections you have to events in the universe that might go unrealized without the amplification of the energies by your crystal. You will be able to see the effects of your energies on the stone as many crystals will start to change visually with continued use, and develop cloudy spots or change of color. These changes in no way should be viewed as spoiling the stone. They are just natures way of showing us that the crystal's power to amplify, store, convert, and distribute energy are quite physical processes and have much less to do with magic than our ancestors realized. === === About the Author === Sal is an avid gem and treasure hunter, explorer, writer, and is the owner of http://www.rockhoundstation1.com [06.2] ========= ========= HUMOR ARTICLE: ========= THE SPESHUL WORLD OF WYTCHES AND MAJYC ========= by Mari (ABSENTMINDED) ========= Hello everyone. I used to be a Christian/Jew/Muslim but realized six months ago how terribly wrong it all was and decided to come home to Paganism because I am a natural witch and have decided to admit it now in spite of the terrible persecutions I know I will face. In the last six months I have read everything on the top shelf of the New Age and Pagan section of my high school library, even though I really didn't have to because just realizing what I am has given me total enlightenment and all the knowledge I will ever need to have a perfect life and get everything I want and punish anybody who isn't as enlightened as me and tries to persecute me with logic and facts and thinking they are better than me. In order to help the less enlightened, and to show how ooky- spooky I have become, I will now post the most important things you need to know to become as kewl as I am. You can thank me later. 1. Todays witches are so much smarter than the ones who perished in the terrible Burning Times because they would simply cast a glamour that would send the evil soldiers to arrest the Christians next door instead of them. If they got arrested anyway they would just cast spells of confusion on the judges and walk away unburnt. 2. If you are confused by all the different names you hear on the pagan scene, you should know that some Wiccans just prefer to call themselves Recons or Asatruar or Neo-pagan or whatever because Wiccans can do anything they want as long as they Harm None, and using different names helps keep their identities secret from the evil Christians who will persecute them if they get the chance. We are so rare and speshul and secret that using lots of different names makes us seem like too many to chase down and burn. 3. We don't have to be afraid of Satan and Hell because they are concepts that just plain don't apply to us. If people or parents get on your case about this remind them they are giving you negative energy, which is Harming you and they shouldn't do that or the Three-fold Law will get them, whether they believe in it or not. It's, like, karma or something, and they can't get away from it. 4. You don't need to have a magical name, but it is a good idea to get yourself one for protection. That way nobody will know who you really are to persecute you unless you have to tell them to prove you really are powerful and dangerous. You should have more than one in case somebody curses you to make you look like a fool online you can just switch and come in on your own side and show you have powerful friends. Any really good website will have a program to help you choose the names you use for magic. 5. If anybody does make you feel bad by acting like they know more than you and proving it, there are all kinds of curses you can use to punish them. It's okay to do this, cause if they hurt your feelings they have Harmed you, which I already told you isn't allowed, and you can do what you want to to get back at them. These are just a few of the things I know. I don't have time to write the rest out because my parents are persecuting me to do my homework. Just remember - as soon as you wake-up to being a pagan, everything you need to know will already be inside you and inside a few good books with 'teen' on the cover! MM and MP and MM again. (I'm not quite sure what that means, but it's something witches say and I know the meaning will appear to me magically when I'm ready.) Your friend (if you know what's good for you), High Lady Platinum Eagle Smilodon === === About the Author === Mari (ABSENTMINDED) wrote this as a test post for one of the test message boards we have been using to try to find a faster version of Beehive. It was far too funny to lose when the test board disappeared, so we rescued it and added it to the humor section of our web site. [07] ========= ========= Cauldron Info ========= SUPPORT THE CAULDRON BY VOLUNTEERING TO HELP ========= The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum was founded in December 1997 to provide a friendly but serious discussion area for Pagans on the Internet. We've grown a bit over the years. We now have an active message area, a large web site with around 700 pages of information (including over 300 book and divination deck reviews), and a monthly email newsletter. To continue to provide and expand these services, The Cauldron needs lots of volunteer help from our members and supporters. Here are some of the things members and supporters can do to help The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum thrive: ===== ===== Actively Participate In Our Message Board ===== While our new message board welcomes readers, we encourage members to actively participate by posting their comments and views in our discussions. One of the easiest ways to help The Cauldron is to actively participate in our message board. The staff especially appreciates members who start new topics for discussion based on their own questions, opinions, or interests. http://www.ecauldron.net/ ===== ===== Articles! Essays! Tutorials! ===== We are in constant need of original, well-written and accurate articles, essays, tutorials, and other written items for both our web site and for our Cauldron and Candle newsletter. There's no real limit on length for web site articles. Here are a few areas in which we always need articles: * information on the beliefs and theology of the various Pagan religions, especially non-Wiccan religions * information on holidays and festivals of the various Pagan religions, especially non-Wiccan religions * recipes for oils, incenses, and food for the various Pagan holidays * magick, spells, and ritual information * herbal information * positive articles on dealing with other faiths * information on historical pagan cultures * editorial/opinion pieces Non-Wiccan material is stressed not because we don't want Wiccan material but because good non-Wiccan material has been hard to find. We have a web form you can use to submit an article for consideration: http://www.ecauldron.com/bnbarticleform.php ===== ===== Book Reviews ===== While The Cauldron receives some review copies from a couple of Pagan publishers, there are many books that can only be reviewed on our web site if a member has a copy and writes a good, objective review. The Cauldron is interested in reviews on the more academic books used by reconstructionist Pagan religions as well as on the books one finds on the Pagan/New Age shelf in the bookstore. We have a web form you can use to submit a book review for consideration: http://www.ecauldron.com/bnbbkreviewform.php ===== ===== Graphic Assistance ===== The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum is purposely a low graphics site as we value page download speed over flashy graphics. However, we are always willing to talk with artists who have ideas for well-designed small graphics (small in both physical dimensions and file size) that might enhance a specific article or page. ===== ===== Invite Your Friends ===== If you have friends or acquaintances who you believe would find The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum useful, please tell them about our site. If you are active in our message board and have friends who might enjoy them or have information to contribute, please invite them. ===== ===== Link To The Cauldron ===== If you have a web site where linking to The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum would be appropriate, simply providing a link to this web site is a big help. Our Link to this Site page explains how you can do this if you need help or want some simple graphic buttons to use: http://www.ecauldron.com/linktous.php ===== ===== Donations ===== As The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum uses as many free services as possible, our need for money to operate our site is currently lower than our need for the many items we list above. However, if you have a few dollars to spare, we would be honored to have your help in paying for our web site. You can donate by using either PayPal or the Amazon Honor System links below (we get about 85% of what you donate). Donate via PayPal http://www.ecauldron.com/donatepaypal.php Donate via Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/paypage/P3903JRFVQVDN ===== ===== Amazon Purchases ===== The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum also receives a small percentage (usually 5%) from most items purchased from Amazon.com when you go to Amazon.com from one of the links to Amazon on our web site. If you purchase a lot of books, CDs, and other items from Amazon.com as many members do, going to Amazon.com through one of our links when you are going to make a purchase there is a painless way to help fund this web site. http://www.ecauldron.com/zamazon.php If you are a regular user of the US version of Amazon, you can help The Cauldron by replacing the URL of your ebay bookmark in your browser with the above link so that TC gets credit every time you visit Amazon.com. To do this in Internet Explorer or Firefox, find Amazon in your bookmark list. RIGHT click on it and select Properties from the popup menu which will appear. A dialog box describing your bookmark will appear. You'll see the standard Amazon url -- probably http://www.amazon.com/ -- in an edit box (labeled "Location" in FireFox and "URL" in IE). Erase that url completely and replace with one listed above, then click on OK. If you use Amazon UK, you can use this address http://www.ecauldron.com/zamazonuk.php If you use Amazon Canada, you can use this addess: http://www.ecauldron.com/zamazonca.php ===== ===== Ebay Purchases ===== Are you an Ebay user? Ebay has a new program that pays affiliates a small percent of the winning bid if the winning bidder enters ebay from an affiliate link (some like how our Amazon.com affiliate program works). So if you visit the US version ebay via the following link, the Cauldron will get credit for your bids: http://www.ecauldron.com/zebay.php If you are a regular user of the US version of ebay, you can help The Cauldron by replacing the URL of your ebay bookmark in your browser with the above link so that TC gets credit every time you visit ebay. To do this in Internet Explorer or Firefox, find ebay in your bookmark list. RIGHT click on it and select Properties from the popup menu which will appear. A dialog box describing your bookmark will appear. You'll see the standard ebay url -- probably http://www.ebay.com/ -- in an edit box (labeled "Location" in FireFox and "URL" in IE). Erase that url completely and replace with one listed above, then click on OK. ===== ===== Have Questions or Suggestions? ===== If you have specific questions, proposals or other ideas we haven't mentioned here, please email them to rssapphire00@ecauldron.GETRIDOFEME.com. (Unfortunately, Randall has to answer general "Tell me more?" type questions with a request for a more specific question. He's not trying to be rude, he just can't think of anything general and useful to say that isn't said here.) [08] ========= ========= NEWSLETTER INFORMATION ========= (Including how to subscribe and unsubscribe) ========= Cauldron and Candle is a free publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. The Cauldron intends to publish this newsletter once a month and often actually succeeds in doing so. We tried to publish it twice a month for a while, but real life interfered too often. This issue of Cauldron and Candle as a whole is copyright (c) 2005 by The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. 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. The opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of newsletter, The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum, or its staff. Publication of an article in this newsletter is not an endorsement of the authors position or any products and companies mentioned therein. 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 OR CHANGE EMAIL ADDRESS ===== 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 method mentioned above. If you need to change your subscription to a new email address, unsubscribe your old email address and subscribe your new email address. Note that you have to make these changes yourself. Yahoo Groups does not allow the list owner to make them for you. ===== ===== 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/ ===== ===== 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. ===== ===== SUGGESTIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME ===== Don't forget that your suggestions for this newsletter are always welcome, either posted on the message board or via email to LyricFox (lyricfox@ecauldron.GETRIDOFME.com) or Randall Sapphire (rssapphire00@ecauldron.GETRIDOFME.com). Typos are, as usual, courtesy of the Goddess Eris.

Return to Cauldron and Candle Archive