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C A U L D R O N A N D C A N D L E #77 -- September 2006 A Publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum website: http://www.ecauldron.com/ message board: http://www.ecauldron.net/mb/ 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] Cauldron News * September Challenge [02] Interesting Recent Cauldron Discussions * Inimical Gods? * Are Heathenry and Asatru the Same? * How to Deal with Christmas? * The Value of Discipline? * What Does It Take to be a Member of Your Religion? * Is Your Non-Pagan Other Half Supportive? * Significators in Tarot * Eclectic a Four-Letter Word? * Do Some Paths Glamourize Immaturity? * Prayer: What Do You Say When You Aren't Asking for Something? [03] Pagan Announcements * NOW OPEN: Ta Hiera Hellenic Polytheist Forum * Pagan Moderators Mailing List * Pagan Forum Alliance Web Site Updated [04] Book Reviews: * Llewellyn's 2007 Witches' Datebook * Llewellyn's 2007 Magical Almanac [05] Articles * Breathing for Meditation * The Chaos Magic 'Primer' [06] Flamekeeping: Membership and Separation [07] Software Gadgets: The Column * Free Launch Bar -- Quick Launch Cubed * Sandboxie -- Run Internet Explorer in a Sandbox * AlfaClock Free -- Enhance your Taskbar Clock [08] Grimoire: Magickal Healing Bath [09] Pagan Webmaster: My Top Ten Website Pet Peeves [10] Recipe: Chocolate Coffee Bark [11] Support The Cauldron [12] Newsletter Information (Including How To Subscribe/Unsubscribe) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++ Please support our sponsor +++ LOOKING FOR PAGAN SUPPLIES? Visit The Cauldron's Pagan Supply Store (An Affiliate of Pagan Shopping Online) http://www.ecauldron.com/esesf.php +++ Please support our sponsor +++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [00] ========= ========= EDITORIAL NOTES ========= Welcome to the September 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. While I would really like to say that there will be a second issue of Cauldron and Candle in September, if I said that I would be lying. I think it is time to call the twice monthly publication experiment off. My life is just far too busy most months to pull this off. It's time I just admitted this. If you read the Pagan Announcement section below, you'll discover one of the reasons why I am even less likely to have time to do a second issue, I'm involved in a new Hellenic Pagan message board, the Ta Hiera Hellenic Polytheist Forum. While this board will be far less busy than The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum, It will still help fill up those "spare" hours. If you are interested in Hellenic Paganism, I hope you will make Ta Hiera's message board a regular stop. You'll find more information in this newsletter, but if you are impatient, all you need is the URL: * http://www.tahiera.org/ I'd like to remind everyone of a couple of painless ways to support The Cauldron if you are in the market for web hosting or pagan supplies. Buy directly from our links: Dreamhost -- Pagan Friendly Web Hosting * http://www.ecauldron.com/web/zdreamhost.php Pagan Supplies * http://www.ecauldron.com/esesf.php Randall Sapphire Editor and Publisher, Cauldron and Candle Co-Host, The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum [01] ========= ========= CAULDRON NEWS ========= by The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum Staff ========= ===== ===== September Challenge ===== In September we're going to go off in a different direction for a bit. We're going to focus on relationships. Your Challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to choose one relationship and find a way to improve it. This might mean making a point of spending more time with a parent, for example, or doing something to inject a little romance back into your relationship with your significant other, or talking to a friend about an issue that's coming between you. The nature of this Challenge is pretty personal, so I want to emphasize that although we love it when people share their Challenge experiences, of course you're not obligated to. However, I hope that you'll participate even if you don't post about it! What relationship are you going to improve? Do you have any plans yet for accomplishing this? * http://www.ecauldron.net/cncmain.php?m=1340.1 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++ Please support our sponsor +++ PAGAN-FRIENDLY WEB HOSTING * * Now with 20 GB Web Space & 1000 GB Bandwidth * * http://www.ecauldron.com/web/zdreamhost.php Dreamhost offers high-quality, low cost web hosting with a dedication to free speech. Pagan sites are welcome! Read why we use Dreamhost for The Cauldron's web site: http://www.ecauldron.com/web/whydreamhost.php Starter Plan Features * 20000 megs web space * 1000 gigs/month bandwidth * 3000 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!) Visit Dreamhost for Affordable, Pagan-Friendly Hosting http://www.ecauldron.com/web/zdreamhost.php +++ Please support our sponsor +++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [02] ========= ========= INTERESTING RECENT 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 Feedburner, 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 Feedburner's free news delivery via the form at the end of the site "News and Updates" section of The Cauldron's main web page. ===== ===== Inimical Gods? ===== I've noticed that many of the scarier gods of various pantheons have been redefined, reclaimed, or 'clarified'. Possibly justifiably, but it does leave kind of a void in our consciousness. Set, Mars, Scathach, the Morrigan; all have adherents (as they always did, of course) and most are viewed in a positive light by those adherents. Even Satan has worshippers ready to tell you how he has been misunderstood and miscast for centuries. What I want to know is, are there any Big Bads left? Any gods who just plain don't like people? Who destroy not to clear a way for the new, or to teach a lesson, but just, well, because tromping things is fun? Is there a real Adversary out there whose bad side you definitely don't want to get on, and who doesn't actually have a good side? Does Evil have a patron? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncmain.php?m=1544.1 ===== ===== Are Heathenry and Asatru the Same? ===== I did some Googling because I know nothing about them, and came across this site which states "Heathenry, also called Asatru, is the pre-Christian tribal religion and culture of the Northern European peoples known variously as the Germanic tribes, the Teutonic tribes, or the Northern Europeans." Um, hmmm. And today I'm reading your eprimer, and it states "Asatru is the modern reconstruction of the religion of the pre-Christian Germanic peoples." Not until later down the page does it say "...for people inclined towards study and further knowledge of the magicks associated with Heathenism, there is much to explore and ponder." So are they the same thing? And now that I'm writing all this ... I thought Thor (mentioned in the eprimer) was Norse. Where do the Norse fit into it? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncmain.php?m=1541.1 ===== ===== How to Deal with Christmas? ===== For those of you who are still "in the closet", how do you deal with Christmas? My family are Christian, and have always celebrated Christmas. Last year I felt like a bit of a fraud accepting Christmas presents. I sent some to my family as well, wrapped in "seasonal" paper, not Christian themed. And I sent out "Happy Holidays" cards, rather than those with specific Christmas sentiments. I feel it's a little wrong to accept Christmas gifts when I'm not Christian. I'm unwilling to "come out of the closet" right now though. Thoughts? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncmain.php?m=1498.1 ===== ===== The Value of Discipline? ===== What value would you put on discipline in magic? There are so many types, from free-flowing, 'whatever feels right' magic, to systems with rules and correspondences up the wazoo. Do you find a difference in terms of effectiveness in these methods? To clarify - if you had an important goal, would you take the time to collect your ingredients in the dead of night, with a silver knife, while naked, etc., or would you dash off a spell using whatever you had in your kitchen, substituting as necessary, telling a while candle it was really black now, and trusting to your focus and intent to carry it off. Is 'proper form' an unnecessary frill, or does a spell have more 'oomph' when done elegantly and according to form? The comparison that comes to my mind is in poetry. Free verse and poetic pose are both evocative, and, done properly, beautiful. They don't seem to require the discipline that iambic pentameter or haiku forms do, where there seems to be a sense of accomplishment in finding the perfect word with the right emphasis or number of syllables. Is there a value distinction between them? Would you choose one form over another according to the 'importance' of the occasion? I've seen advice on here to 'do what feels right and it will work'. I've also seen some very specific debates about academic rigour. Is cutting the formality out of a CM ritual and adjusting it to your tastes a matter of freeing yourself of the limitations of form, or is it a matter of being unwilling to tackle the difficulties of discipline. I go back and forth on this myself, both in magic and in poetry, but it always seems that the more important or more difficult a task, the more I go for the formal and disciplined. A word that takes a week to find, and is perfect, seems to acquire value just from the sense of achievement in finding it. Similarly, a spell done to rigourous and demanding standards seems stronger somehow. Opinions? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncmain.php?m=1478.1 ===== ===== What Does It Take to be a Member of Your Religion? ===== What does a member of your religion/spiritual group have to have/believe to be considered an actual member? Do you have to be a hard polytheist? Do you have to use magic? Basically, what makes a person Wiccan, or Asatru, or whatever? What are the unifying threads? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncmain.php?m=1442.1 ===== ===== Is Your Non-Pagan Other Half Supportive? ===== Obviously this is to all of us who live with Non-pagan partners... I was really daunted when I first got together with my fiance. I'd dated a few non-pagans shortly after I came out of the 'Broom' Closet and we had a few issues come up because of my faith. I need not have worried about it though. K has been so completely understanding and supportive about my faith, despite the fact that she has no interest in gods of any kind herself. As I've mentioned previously on this board, when we first got engaged, she did some research for our wedding and found a pagan priestess who would perform our marriage ceremony and obfuscate it just enough to make it so the Christians in the audience wouldn't notice, which I think was soooo totally sweet of her. (Even though we've ended up just going with a Justice Of The Peace (Non denominational wedding) because of cost issues) She also bought me the most beautiful chest to keep my working tools in when I'm not actively using them (it doubles as an alter as well) for my birthday. She even recently picked me up and gave me the kick in my butt that I needed when she knew I was avoiding talking with Hecate (I made a promise I didn't quite keep...still smoking.) I talked things over with Hecate and we made a deal that I would cut down, and quit after the wedding. I was curious to know if those of you with Non-pagan partners have been as lucky as I have with my wonderful K? If not, what sort of problems have you come across? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncmain.php?m=1399.1 ===== ===== Significators in Tarot ===== Back when I was first learning Tarot, my teacher made a big deal about using significators. I thought at the time that it was a great way to get used to the court cards, gender, age, child- bearing/having status, hair and skin colour, etc. I even tried to learn the astrological attributes of each one. With sixteen options to choose from, I could usually come up with a significator for anyone I read for. Add in the people who use Major Arcana for significators, and you have a whole population right there in your hands. I found over the years, however, that I dropped the practice. Oh, I will occasionally use a significator for a situation, if I really want to focus strongly and narrowly on that sitch, and sometimes if the first card out is a court card I find it significant, but in general I just don't use them anymore. For regular (and irregular) tarot card users: how important is the concept of a significator card. Do you use one consistently, in special circumstances, by chance, or not at all? How do you find it affects the reading - it's focus, it's accuracy, etc. Enquiring minds want to know! * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncmain.php?m=1361.1 ===== ===== Eclectic a Four-Letter Word? ===== Ever feel like "eclectic" is sometimes received as a four letter word? I'm thinking on this because I realized how much I've been avoiding the word over the last year and a half or so. Seems like the immediate thoughts that come to mind, for me, is that of picking and choosing little bits and mixing up a religious Smoothie. Even though my path IS an eclectic one. Sometimes it feels like I won't be taken seriously by someone I'm talking to if I say eclectic, or others when someone I meet (say in a Witchy store or viewing a new online community) replies with an exclamation of "YEAH me too, I blend Buddhism, Sihk, Gnostic, Wicca, ______, ______," etc. Then its me mentally groaning. So from not wanting to be associated with such a way of thinking, I tend to omit the word all together. It's like "eclectic' means "Oh, well the beauty of being Pagan is that I can believe however I want!" and getting out the blender. Am I just building up an issue in my own mind and making myself crazy by overanalyzing or do others feel similarly? I am asking because its either a thing others notice too, or I'm being a bitch and should be trying to correct the attitude towards the word. * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncmain.php?m=1356.1 ===== ===== Do Some Paths Glamourize Immaturity? ===== I've been tossing this around in my head for a couple days. There are a couple paths, Feri being the one I'm mostly thinking of that really focuses on the power and allure of the child self. Nimue in particular, seems to be perceived as sexually viable, and in some ways outwardly more physical than the Star Goddess who moves in almost macrocosmic aloofness. The uncontrolled fey nature of the ever alluring woman/child is carried by a child. In thinking more about this, I wonder if this is a good thing. It sort of infantalizes a woman's power, and stunts it. Locks you in a geisha like existence, dependant upon the notice of other more grounded people. Makes it seem like in order to retain your charge, you need to maintain a state of unknowing. It's hard enough for women to accept the passage of stages of life in a world that already fixates on youth. It's hard enough to accept and use your own personal power. Is it healthy to elevate a state of being that can't really be maintained? I've always had a sort of kinship with Nimue, but recently have really seen how it holds me back. Prevents me from seeing power and direction as attractive. I find that experiences in child self state, while the energy is thrilling, it's also scattered and pretty random. I guess what I'm finding is a need for a more consistent energy. I'm also thinking that coming into that energy means taking a deliberate step away from archetypes that glamourize the childlike. Rather than working to be closer to a feral nature, focusing more on clear sight and self actualization. Tearing off the gossamer wings, throwing down the veil and just flat out not playing endless peekaboo with fairies. * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncmain.php?m=1324.1 ===== ===== Prayer: What Do You Say When You Aren't Asking for ===== Something? ===== As some of you may know I have recently started a small shrine to Ganesh due to a nudge and following events. However, I have a big question regarding shrines and worship. If I am not asking Lord Ganesh for something but I still want to honor him at my little shrine what do I say? Hi, how are you? Right now I have been bringing in fresh wildflowers and changing them out as needed and occasionally lighting a candle. I put my hands together at my breastbone, elbows out and bow to his figurine without really mentally verbalizing anything. But it definitely seems like something is missing from that. My question is what do you say when you aren't actually praying for something? If you are just honoring them? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/cncmain.php?m=1321.1 [03] ========= ========= PAGAN ANNOUNCEMENTS ========= ===== ===== NOW OPEN: Ta Hiera Hellenic Polytheist Forum ===== by Randall ===== The Ta Hiera Hellenic Polytheist Forum is now open. The Ta Hiera Hellenic Polytheist Forum is a polytheistic reconstructionist religious web site and message board devoted to facilitating the understanding of ancient Hellenic religion (and related ancient religions) and the worship of the ancient Hellenic deities. While clearly based on academic research into ancient practices, the understanding and worship is adapted for modern times and places. The Ta Hiera Hellenic Polytheist Forum is not affiliated with any Hellenic religious organization. This forum welcomes anyone interested in discussing Hellenic polytheism regardless of group affiliation (or lack thereof), provided they adhere to the forum's rules and guidelines. If you are interested in Hellenic Paganism (or a related religion from the same time period) from a scholarly/reconstructionist point-of-view, you will want to create an account and join this new forum. Membership is free. Ta Hiera's web site and message board have the following major purposes: * To provide religious support, education, and resources to Hellenic Polytheists; * To assist Hellenic Polytheists in individual and family worship; * To facilitate communication and fellowship between Hellenic Polytheists; * To provide resources and information to those who are interested in ancient Greek religion; * To facilitate advancement of the private and public worship of the ancient Hellenic deities in the modern world, inspired by the forms and ways practiced by the ancient Greeks in ancient Greece and its states, territories, and colonies as historically defined; as reconstructed through research and study; and as adapted for modern times and places; * To facilitate advancement of ancient Hellenic polytheism through manifesting the work, in the modern world, of the ancient Greek deities as known by the ancient Greeks in ancient Greece and its states, territories, and colonies as historically defined; and as referenced in the art, literature, architecture, and history of the ancient Greeks. If you are a member of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum, you will find a lot of familiar faces on the Ta Hiera Hellenic Polytheist Forum: Hosts: Randall and LyricFox Staff: Caroline (CGJULIAN), Catja, Eidhos, Phillip (PHOIBOS), Sasha (SASHAPABLO) Threadstarters: Euphonia, Hiketes, Dan (AETOS) Like The Cauldron, the Ta Hiera Hellenic Polytheist Forum's message board runs on Beehive Forums software. For More Information: * Ta Hiera Web Site http://www.tahiera.org/ * Ta Hiera Message Board http://www.tahiera.org/forum/ * Forum Rules http://www.tahiera.org/forumrules.php ===== ===== Pagan Moderators Mailing List ===== Pagan-Moderators is a low traffic email discussion list for moderators of mailing lists, message boards, and BBSes with a Pagan or magickal orientation (and, on a case by case basis, Pagan-friendly interfaith and other religious discussion areas with a good number of Pagan members). It is a place to discuss moderating techniques and dealing with the day to day hassles and problems all moderators put up with. It's also a place to let out a primal scream when you have to, we'll understand. This is a restricted membership list. If you request membership, you must send a list of the forums you moderate along with a sentence or two describing their topic and activity level to the list-owner so the list moderators can determine if you are qualified for membership in Pagan-Moderators. If you do not send a message to the list owner within 72 hours of subscribing through Yahoo! Groups, you will not be added to the list. If you moderate a Pagan-oriented mailing list or message board, the Pagan Moderators mailing list may be something you would find helpful. For More Information: * http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pagan-moderators/ ===== ===== Pagan Forum Alliance Web Site Updated ===== The Pagan Forum Alliance web site has been updated. Member forums are now listed in groups based on the recent average number of posts in the forum, which will help visitors select a forum with the level of activity they can handle. The Pagan Forum Alliance is a "webring-like" association of publicly accessible Pagan-oriented discussion forums and mailing lists which adhere to the following standards: * Forums are not run as part of or for the primary benefit of a commercial entity. * Forums stress critical thinking over blanket acceptance of ideas based on their popularity. * Forums do not support racism, hatred, generalized bashing of other religions, or illegal activities which are harmful to others. (This last includes being somewhat conservative with respect to posting copyrighted material.) * Forums treat Wicca as one religion among many separate and distinct Pagan religions. * Each forum has clear, reasonable rules which are posted where they can be easily found. * Each forum has an active staff and relatively unbiased moderation. * Each forum encourages open discussion and allows for polite debate of ideas and issues. The above standards are admittedly and purposely subjective in part as they are designed to be flexible rather than dogmatic. For More Information: * http://www.ecauldron.com/pfa/ [04] ========= ========= 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@comcast.GETRIDOFME.net ===== ===== LLEWELLYN'S 2007 WITCHES' DATEBOOK ===== Llewellyn's 2007 Witches' Datebook by Llewellyn Published 2006 by Llewellyn ISBN 0738703303 144 pages Trade Paperback $9.99 (U.S.) $13.95 (Canada) http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=0738703303 I always look forward to the Witches' Datebook. It doesn't contain any earth-shaking revelations, nor is it filled with what we once called "mystic, trystic b.s." This edition, as always, contains information on moon phases and signs, significant stellar events, and enough thought-provoking entertaining articles to keep you interested. In the back of this volume are concise listings of Full Moon dates, eclipses and planetary retrogrades. It also contains a few pages for your personal phonebook. One of the things I have always liked about the Datebook is its spiral binding, allowing it to open flat and stay open. This makes it convenient for making notes in it, if nothing else. The articles in this year's edition are "Night of Hecate", "Tips for the Busy Witch", "The Cone of Power', "My Other Broomstick", and "Making Magical Inks". The Llewellyn tradition of diversity in topics continues unabated. In all the years I have picked up copies of this book (dating back to at least 1999) the price has not increased appreciably (to be honest, it has gone up in price - from $9.95 to $9.99). There is something to be said for consistency. The daily entries follow the normal Llewellyn format, with moon signs and phases and a color suggested. There isn't a whole lot of space for daily notes, but that can be a good thing (it encourages brevity and efficiency in though). On each odd numbered page (starting on page 29) you will find a short article, a recipe, an invocation, a piece of poetry and/or an illustration. It is a convenient size, contains enough basic information to help in tracking trends, and is well-designed. For me, it is a staple in my yearly purchases. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++ Please support our sponsor +++ NEED PAGAN OR MAGICKAL SUPPLIES? Shop Paganshopping.Com via The Cauldron's Pagan Supplies Store http://www.ecauldron.com/esesf.php +++ Please support our sponsor +++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ===== ===== LLEWELLYN'S 2007 MAGICAL ALMANAC ===== Llewellyn's 2007 Magical Almanac by Llewellyn Published 2006 by Llewellyn ISBN: 0738703273 384 pages Trade Paperback $7.99 (U.S.) $9.50 (Canada) http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=0738703273 Over the years Llewellyn has developed a formula for each of their annuals which works. The format for this annual is quite simple - articles divided among the four elements by a variety of authors and a short almanac section in the middle. In this volume there are forty-seven articles (15 in the Earth Magic section, 10 in the Air Magic, 11 in the Fire Magic, and 11 in the Water Magic section) by twenty-eight authors running the gamut from writers on Llewellyn's list of book authors to folks whose major contributions are on websites and in the Llewellyn annuals. The daily listing section, in keeping with most almanacs, is actually the least important reason to buy this annual. After all, that information is available from any number of other sources. The articles are the major draw. This year, as every year, there were some articles that jumped out and begged to read ("The Well-Organized Witch" comes to mind), and others I just skipped over. That doesn't mean I won't go back at a later time and read them, they just didn't hit a chord at the time I was looking through the book. This year's selection of articles seems even more diverse than usual, to me. Some addressed problems we have all faced (like "Spiritually Social: A Guide for Sticky Situations") while others were much more specialized ("Sigils & Signs"). There were a number of recipes, and a few "reference" articles. This very diversity is, in my opinion, one of the major strengths of this annual publication. Over the course of a few years you can build up an impressive store of material to use in research. (Hint to Llewellyn: It might be worthwhile to publish an index of the articles once every five years or so on your website.) Overall, I have to say that this is probably my favorite of all the almanacs I see every year. I thoroughly enjoyed it once again and recommend it whole-heartedly. [05] ========= ========= ARTICLES ========= ===== ===== BREATHING FOR MEDITATION ===== copyright 2006 by Robert Morgen ===== Breathing is the most important part of meditation and Kundalini Awakening. It's the foundation of all the exercises and skills that come after, so taking the time to learn it now will make things much easier. From our birth until death we breathe more or less continually, yet for the most part we do it without any awareness of our breath and its effects on us, and believe it or not most people in the western world do it wrong! Breathe in through your nose and draw your breath down into the area just below your navel, allowing your stomach to expand as you breathe (Baby Breath) and filling your lungs entirely with each breath before exhaling through your nose. Take a moment right now and feel your breath. Pay attention to the air as it flows in through your nostrils and down into your lungs. Don't think about anything or do anything other than just breathe. 1. Are you taking a relatively shallow breath and just filling the upper lobes of your lungs? 2. Does your stomach move out as you breathe? 3. Do you feel the bones of your ribcage expanding and opening with each breath? For most people the answer to 1 is YES and the answers to 2 and 3 are NO so lets expand this exercise a bit. This time draw your breath down to a point about 2 inches below your navel (the body's center of gravity). When you do this you'll feel your stomach expand and push out in front of you. Most westerners usually keep their stomach pulled in and their chest out, so when you do this you'll have to relax all those muscles. Just take a moment and be aware of your breath as it flows down into your center. Now as you inhale and draw your breath down, also let your ribcage expand. You'll feel your floating ribs at the bottom of your ribcage spread and move, and you may get a few pops out of your spine also. Just take a few moments and breathe this way. Don't think or let your mind wander, just breathe. If you've never meditated before then congratulations, you just did! It's exactly that simple. There are many benefits to proper breathing. The extra oxygen in your system means that your heart doesn't have to beat as fast, lowering your pulse and your blood pressure. Drawing the breath down into your center also helps to massage your internal organs, providing more oxygen to them as well as helping to release the accumulated stresses that build up there. The long term health benefits are immeasurable and have been repeatedly proven for thousands of years. Breathing is by far the most important part of the kundalini awakening exercises, although it sounds so simple. Paying attention to the breath is the beginning of opening up your awareness and it's seen in every meditative culture on the planet. Take some time to practice this, as it's the foundation for everything that comes next. If you have to dedicate your meditation time to breathwork for awhile then that's good, as we all proceed at our own pace. I recently read a translation of some of Jesus' teachings from the original Aramaic (the language he actually spoke, although he apparently wasn't literate) and it was very interesting to me that in Aramaic they used the same word for 'wind', 'breath' and 'spirit'. Those with a Chi Kung background might find it interesting to take another look at the New Testament and insert the word 'breath' every time you see the word 'spirit'. It's funny that something as simple as proper breathing can have such a profound effect on the rest of your life, but don't take my word for it, you can find out for yourself beginning with your next inhale. === === About the Author === "Breathing for meditation" is an excerpt from Robert Morgen's book "Kundalini Awakening for Personal Mastery" (ISBN: 0977380106) which is available at a bookstore near you. His new book "Easy Meditation for Martial Artists" (ISBN: 0-9773801-3-0) will be available in October, 2006. Learn more about his books, free events and newsletters at http://www.mysticwolfpress.com Kundalini Awakening for Personal Mastery http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=0977380106 Easy Meditation for Martial Artists http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=0977380130 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++ Please support our sponsor +++ PAGAN FRIENDLY WEB HOSTING AT DREAMHOST http://www.ecauldron.com/web/zdreamhost.php Dreamhost offers high-quality, low cost web hosting with a dedication to free speech. Pagan sites are welcome! 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Visit Dreamhost for Affordable, Pagan-Friendly Hosting http://www.ecauldron.com/web/zdreamhost.php +++ Please support our sponsor +++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ===== ===== THE CHAOS MAGIC 'PRIMER' ===== by EverFool ===== Chaos magic is one of the more obscure Western occult traditions, in that not every occultist has even heard of it, and many of those don't necessarily understand what chaos magic means to its practitioners. However, it might more truthfully be said that chaos magic does not comprise a tradition, but a point of view - or even as a way of processing points of views. Peter Carroll, who essentially founded Chaos Magic suggests that the theory is a meta-paradigm. I will return to paradigms later. It is impossible, in my view, to discuss Chaos Magic, without first acknowledging its roots. Austin Osman Spare is the best- known source - much of his thinking shapes aspects of Chaos Magic. However, it is important to note that Chaos Magic is influenced by Spare's writings, rather than mirroring his views exactly. Spare's magical writing (Microlagus, The Book of Pleasure, The Witches' Sabbath, Mind to Mind and How By A Sorcerer) can currently be found in a single volume published under the title of Ethos. === === Spare === Spare felt that religion was nothing more than chains. He approved of neither religion nor science (in the latter case, it was more pure knowledge that he appears to disdain - Spare was interested only in 'practical' things). He suggested that any idea necessarily involved its opposite. For example, to call something beautiful was to acknowledge also its ugliness. He discusses in his work the concept of 'self love,' which can be difficult to describe. Spare portrays it as a state of laughter - in a sense it is a state of being satisfied with everything in oneself. He also denied the concept of identity, as we know it, which I will return to later in this primer, as it is a part of his thought that has carried through to Chaos Magic theory more or less intact. His approach to magic revolved around sigils - creating an abstract symbol over which to deliberately obsess, and therefore to occupy the main mind. Spare felt that the mind could only hinder magic (for example in normal ritual, Spare felt that one was only acknowledging the lack of the desired result, rather than achieving anything). Therefore the mind had to be silenced so that the magical Will could operate. This could be done by stilling the mind (e.g. meditation), or through exhaustion (which was Spare's preferred method). Sigilisation is also a large portion of Chaos Magic, although it is not the only technique within the 'tradition,' one aspect in which Spare's thoughts have been melded with other approaches. === === The Golden Dawn and Aleister Crowley === Ironically given that Spare ridiculed the Ceremonial Magicians of his time (on page 39 of Ethos, for example, he refers to them as 'unemployed dandies'), the practices of Aleister Crowley and others have influenced the Chaos Magic approach. When I compared the first section within Aleister Crowley's Magick with some of the practices recommended by Peter Carroll, I noticed much resemblance. However, these influences are not particularly 'core,' and I therefore will not discuss them in detail. Aleister Crowley's attitude that it doesn't matter if it's real or not, if it achieves the desired result is often taken to heart, and probably characterises the approach to belief rather better than Spare's attitude (in that he advocated rejecting all belief). === === Peter Carroll === As Spare is sometimes called the 'Grandfather' of Chaos Magic, Carroll is the father. In Liber Null and Psychonaut he includes a diagram in which he essentially attempts to trace the contribution of all previous occult practices to Chaos Magic. My attitude to the idea of magic 'progressing' through the ages is rather different to many published authors, but is not germane to this discussion. However, the diagram does sum up part of the spirit of Chaos Magic, in that it is entirely possible to be using the practices of other traditions, and still be true to the spirit of Chaos Magic. Peter Carroll's Chaos Magic, while strongly influenced by Ceremonial and Western occultism, has room for any practices (I heard once that Voodoo/ Vodou/ Vodun was popular amongst members of the IOT [Illuminati of Thanateros] in Germany). This is why Spare isn't the originator of Chaos Magic - his beliefs formed part of the foundation, but there's a lot of other stuff in there too. === === Chaos === In Chaos Magic, all sorts of ways are found of describing Chaos. I'm going to describe it as I see it. Chaos is a primal force, and it's what everything is made of. 'Chaos' in this sense is just a good a label for an all-encompassing force as 'God' is for others. It's not a source of mayhem and destruction. Well, it is, but it's the source of everything else as well. This is key to understanding many attitudes held by Chaotes (one of the labels practitioners of Chaos Magic adopt, but it is not the only label). Chaos is what you love, but it's also what you hate. Chaos is fire, and it's water, and it's those things whether that's good or bad. This doesn't just mean that it's objective, in that it is beyond good and bad (although it is held to be) - but it also contains the subjective aspects also. It contains all opposites. As everything is of chaos, so everyone mirrors it. === === Identity === Chaos Magic does not really contain the notion of a soul. Certainly there is no 'true' you. The closest there is, is Kia. Think of it as a spark of essence or soul. The animating force. It does not contain any aspects of your identity however (as a side note, I also identify Kia with Will, but this is a personal interpretation). There is nothing about you that is sacred. If you are a liberal, than you must recognise that a different upbringing would have resulted in your being a conservative. If you are not a racist, know that had things been different, you might be a racist now. If you are bitter and depressed, this is not How Things Must Be - there's no law in the universe that says you could never have been joyful. In Chaos Magic, because the person is also a microcosm of chaos, the personality itself is seen as fluid and changeable. A variant belief among some Chaotes is that the individual possesses multiple 'selves' possessing different qualities, having different functions etc. For example, Carroll occasionally refers to the 'magician self,' as the personality that comes to the fore for magical workings and so forth. As magicians, Chaotes seek power over their own identity - not to forge one identity, but to have the freedom of options. Chaos magic is essentially about freedom. Peter Carroll includes 'metamorphosis' in Liber Null and Psychonaut as part of the basic curriculum. === === Belief === As Chaotes strive to be able to change their personality and habits as they choose, they seek the same of their beliefs. In Chaos magic it is recognised that we only have subjective truths available. We don't know what is true, we only have beliefs. Of all beliefs available, some contradict, some outright disagree, and others accuse other beliefs of being heretical. However, in Chaos belief is seen as a tool. Any belief that helps may be adopted, and then changed for the next one that becomes useful. The belief is a disguise, if you will. The Chaote 'truly' believes, but only for a short duration, and therefore does not strictly speaking ever believe. Chaos magic is full of paradoxes. Peter Carroll's approach, for example, advocates randomly changing belief to get into the practice, where Spare would have argued to abandon all belief. The consequence of this is that often Chaotes have a few 'favourite' paradigms that they work within, although there are some who do change between many. Thus a (known) ritual from another path may be used, although it is typical for the relevant paradigm to be adopted for the duration of the ritual. This is what marks Chaos magic apart from eclecticism. Where an eclectic magician or witch seeks to unite rituals or techniques and beliefs and so forth under a uniting theory or belief, a Chaote does not care. The effect of the ritual is the important element, and it is a simple enough task to become a [insert tradition label here] for the purpose of the ritual. There is no need to try to choose one option over another, or to try and work out a way two different things can be true at once. For the Chaote, it is enough that it is held to be true for a short duration. An aphorism that can be said to give a sense of the Chaote perspective reads: 'Nothing is True, and Everything is Permitted.' The saying itself is found in William Burrough's writings, and is attributed to Hassan I Sabbah. There are different interpretations of what the saying means, but a common one is this: because there is no objective truth, or authority to tell us what is absolutely right or wrong, there are no rules. We are free to do absolutely anything. Naturally there are consequences to our actions, but essentially all that determines our actions once we realise our freedom, is our will. What stops anyone from turning on his fellow man? Well often it is the instinct not to, or the fear of consequences. Once freed from limitations such as these, the individual entirely owns the decision as to his or her own conduct. The aphorism has been interpreted on occasion as permission to do anything one wants. While this is within the spirit of the statement, one would be a fool not to realise that there are good reasons for behaving in a civilised manner. However, part of the ethos of Chaos Magic is to be aware of the actual freedom we have. An alternative interpretation has been to turn the first part of the phrase upside down, and to say that everything is true. The latter point of view might be held, without radically altering the practices of Chaos Magic. As has been pointed out by Faerie K., who has helped produce this article, if 'nothing is true,' that includes the aphorism itself. This is not the only paradox within Chaos Magic. In the end, while authors have often claimed that Chaos Magic has no dogma, it actually does (even if there is relatively little). Although Chaos Magic is a meta-paradigm, a way of viewing other paradigms, it is also a paradigm in its own right. It doesn't take a lot of thought to see the potential head aches the theory can produce, so it is probably just as well that Choas Magic is strongly results oriented. === === Sigils === Sigils are one of the better known aspects of Chaos magic. Although Chaotes often do perform rituals as well as sigils (some preferring rituals to sigils altogether) - something that would no doubt vex Spare - I will only be discussing Sigils in this primer. To express it simply, the sigil is intended a way of bypassing the conscious mind (which is believed to hinder magical attempts). There are various ways of crafting a sigil. The most common method is to write out a statement of will - such as 'I will obtain the job I applied for.' In Spare's original method, one would form the letters into a design - possibly beginning by breaking it down into portions. One then simplifies the image until one is happy with the sigil created. Peter Carroll suggests removing letters that repeat in the statement. This certainly makes for simple sigils! In the statement that I used, 'I will obtain the job I applied for', the result would be 'I wl obtan he j pd fr.' This would then be made into a design (Carroll also suggests the option of turning it into a mantra. There is no reason this could not be chanted in conjunction with the visual technique). Then the individual must reach a state of gnosis (in Chaos magic this is a state of no mind. In Spare's writings this is described as the neither/ neither state). While in this state, one focuses on the sigil, so that the Will may act through it subconsciously (having made the desire abstract). This is sometimes referred to as 'firing the sigil.' Sometimes a Chaote may make many sigils in order to improve the chances of forgetting the 'meaning' of a sigil, and thereby 'charging' sigils randomly. === === Experimentation === Because there is not a great deal of theory in Chaos Magic (what would the point be? Much of it is part of one paradigm or another), there is somewhat more experimentation. One of the better known aspects of this is the willingness of Chaotes to invoke Gods that are fictitious. The Chaote in this situation believes utterly in the God invoked until the ritual is up. This is not the limit to experimentation. Since, in theory, the Chaote believes absolutely anything may be achieved, given the right tools, Will, belief, and so forth, magic may become a case of identifying problem and solution. Of course, there are practical limits - to the best of my knowledge, no Chaote has managed to launch a fireball, defy gravity, or the like. (I have, however, seen claims of these made on Chaote forums. I take these with a pinch of salt. Rest assured, if I develop god-like powers, everyone would become quickly aware). Using magic may then become a case of 'what do I want to do, what can I do? And how do I bridge that gap?' For example, some time ago I saw a group of Chaotes talk about a scheme to spread magic into the popular consciousness, or to bring magic into more people's lives. The agreed method was that various individuals would, when firing some sigil in a relatively public space, link their magic to a further sigil, which had been agreed upon by all practitioners. The intended effect was that all the works of magic would be linked to one network, providing extra power to each location that would exert a subtle effect on the public. Whether this plan had any real effect would be difficult to say, at best, but it is an example of coming up with novel approaches. === === The Pandamonaeon === Peter Carroll advanced a concept referred to as the 'Pandamonaeon.' Buying into the concept of magical/religious/spiritual ages in history (also seen in Blavatsky's, and later Crowley's writings) Carroll suggested that Chaos Magic theory, or 'Chaoist' (Carroll's preferred term for Chaos magicians) ideas would shape the next era of human history. This doesn't appear to have happened yet, but some Chaotes are keen for it to occur. It might be summed up as an era where the majority of people practice personal metamorphosis (of the personality), are able to utilise magic much like any other skill, and where belief is commonly utilised as a tool, rather than an end in itself. The example of experimental magic I gave might be considered as part of a larger intent to bring about the Pandamonaeon. However, there is not enough space to treat the topic with detail. It is referred to in a large number of Chaote websites, books, etc. === === Acknowledgements === Thanks to Faerie K. for double-checking this article, and for contributing facts. === === Sources === Books: * Carroll, Peter (1987) Liber Null & Psychonaut http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=0877286396 * Carroll, Peter (1992) Liber Kaos http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=0877287422 * Crowley, Aleister (1986) Magick http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=0877289190 * Hine, Phil (1995) Condensed Chaos http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=156184117X * Hine, Phil (1993) Prime Chaos http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=1561841374 * Kraig, Donald (2001) Modern Magick [Note: Although this book is not influential in Chaos Magic, nor a book about Chaos Magic, it is an excellent primer to ceremonial magic, and may help understand many of the concepts discussed] http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=0875423248 * Sherwin, Ray (1978) The Book of Results http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=1411625587 * Spare, Austin Osman (2001) Ethos http://www.ecauldron.com/1872189288 Websites: * http://philhine.org.uk/ - Phil Hine's website * http://www.spiralnature.com/magick/chaos/index.html - A summary of aspects of Chaos magic, but also has some interesting new takes. * http://www.chaosmatrix.org/ - One of the classic websites, it contains a horde of information. === === About the Author === EverFool is a staff member of The Cauldron who has a strong interest in Chaos magic. [06] ========= ========= FLAMEKEEPING ========= Membership and Separation ========= by HeartShadow ========= HeartShadow is following her own religious path. She calls it FlameKeeping. This regular column will present articles on FlameKeeping, many taken from HeartShadow's FlameKeeping blog at: http://flamekeeping.blogspot.com/ ===== ===== Membership and Separation ===== We belong to groups, ideals, religions, creeds, and races. The very act of belonging is important to us; it gives us meaning and companionship, a bulwark against the loneliness of the human condition. In return for that gift of companionship, we do for those in the group what we would not do for those outside it. The Divine surpasses groups, defies group definition. We are all part of the Divine whether or not we believe in it or care about it. There is, at heart, no out group, for we are all made up of a greater Self, and when we connect to that Self we lose the illusion of being alone. When we deny our commonality, our greater Self, we feel free to behave differently, even cruelly, to those we see as an out- group. We deny our universal nature to justify our behavior, our lack of compassion. We blame those in the out-group for their out-group status, figure out ways to believe they picked out- group status for themselves in a way that makes them look bad, wrong, or evil, and use that as justification for whatever we wish. After all, they are outsiders, and that makes them wrong. When we believe that all people get what they deserve, we find ourselves denying reality itself. Not only that, but a large part of understanding of how to associate with other people is gone. We all need help sometimes, regardless of the choices we make or the beliefs we hold. Only extending that help to those that match our religious convictions or personal friendship implies that people outside that circle do not deserve help, denying their humanity and need. While we do, and should, react to those closest to us before we reach out to those farther away, that does not mean we can refuse to help those in need at all. Indeed, it is our duty, as fellow- humans, as part of the Divine, to extend that Divine love with each other as well. There are no answers in isolation, only lies. === === Questions === * What harm does loneliness bring? Why is it true? Why is it illusion? * Why do we form groups? * How do we find compassion for people that are for some reason out-group? [07] ========= ========= SOFTWARE GADGETS: THE COLUMN ========= Interesting Items From The Software Gadgets Blog ========= http://softwaregadgets.gridspace.net/ ========= The Software Gadgets Blog aims to present a different "software gadget" every weekday. A software gadget is a program or addon that is both interesting and useful -- and often free. This column highlights three of the programs listed recently. Many more were listed and you'll find more gadgets like these added every week at the Software Gadgets Blog at: http://softwaregadgets.gridspace.net/ ===== ===== FREE LAUNCH BAR -- QUICK LAUNCH CUBED ===== Many people have ten, twenty, or even more icons in the "Quick Launch Bar" area of the Windows taskbar (next to the start button). The Quick Lauch Bar can easily get overcrowded and not so quick. While you can put folders of shortcuts in the quick launch area to create menus, you have to Control-click to open the menu and you have no control over the order of items in the menu. Free Launch Bar is a free toolbar enhancement that makes the "quick launch" area of the taskbar much more organized and useful. Free Launch Bar makes it easy to have organized menus of programs in your quick launch area. Here are the main features of Free Launch Bar from the program's web site: * Creating menu on taskbar with unlimited levels * Compatibility with Windows XP * Integration into Windows Shell * Low resources * Compatibility with Quick Launch * Creating separators to group shortcuts inside menus * Different view modes * Hotkeys * Using PNG pictures as icons * Support of Windows Drag&Drop technology. To add shortcuts you can simply drag them into menus * Improved tips. You can include some of HTML tags into button description. * Fast toolbar switching * Absolutely FREE Free Launch Bar is a scaled down version of the shareware True Launch Bar which has even more features (but costs about US$20). However, the free version has a lot of useful features and is a wonderful enhancement for just about any Windows desktop. Give it a try! Rating: 5.0 Operating System: Windows 95+ License: Freeware Price: Free Version: 1.0 Web Site: http://www.freelaunchbar.com/ ===== ===== SANDBOXIE -- RUN INTERNET EXPLORER IN A SANDBOX ===== While I prefer Firefox and Opera to Internet Explorer, there are a few sites that just don't work with any other browser. Sandboxie lets you run IE in a sandbox, so the changes it makes to your disk and registry are not permanent -- unless you want them to be. This allows you to run IE and visit those oddball sites that insist you have to be using IE to do business with them -- with a greatly reduced risk of infecting your system permanently with malware. When you are finished using IE, you can empty the sandbox and revert your system to the condition it was in before you ran IE. All changes made by IE (new favorites, cookies, history, downloaded malware, weird modifications to the registry, etc.) go away when you empty the sandbox. Sandboxie will even sandbox other programs and has advanced features that will allow you to copy changes you want (downloaded files, new favorites, etc.) out of the sandbox so you can keep them after you empty the sandbox. From the Sandboxie web site: ...[Y]ou may want to run your Web browser inside the sandbox most of the time. This way any incoming, unsolicited software (spyware, malware and the like) that you download, is trapped in the sandbox. Changes made to your list of Favorites or Bookmarks, hijacking of your preferred start page, new and unwanted icons on your desktop -- all these, and more, are trapped in and bound to the sandbox. You could also try a new toolbar add-on, browser extension or just about any kind of software. If you don't like it, you throw away the sandbox, and start again with a fresh sandbox. On the other hand, if you do like the new piece of software, you can re-install it outside the sandbox so it becomes a permanent part of your system. Sandboxie intercepts changes to both your files and registry settings, making it virtually impossible for any software to reach outside the sandbox. Sandboxie traps cached browser items into the sandbox as a by-product of normal operation, so when you throw away the sandbox, all the history records and other side-effects of your browsing disappear as well. Sandboxie is freeware. There is a paid version with a few additional features (e.g. warns you when you try to start selected programs outside the sandbox), but for many people the free version will do more than enough. Rating: 4.5 Operating System: Windows 2000+ License: Freeware Price: Free Version: 2.42 Web Site: http://www.sandboxie.com/ ===== ===== ALFACLOCK FREE -- ENHANCE YOUR TASKBAR CLOCK ===== I recently switched to a third party Windows XP theme that has a slightly smaller taskbar. I can get two rows of quicklaunch icons and task buttons while squeezing out a bit more room for my actual application windows. Unfortunately, this left only two lines for my taskbar clock. It displayed the time and day of the week instead of the much more useful (to me) time and the day of the month. So I started looking around for a replacement that would display what I wanted it to display. I discovered a number of commercial programs that would solve this problem, but could not justify paying $20 or $30 for a clock program. I finally discovered AlfaClock Free. This program lets me display the time and date in the taskbar the way I want it without charging me enough to buy a couple of cheap wall clocks. From the AlfaClock web site: This tray clock combines multitude of cool features with stylish design. First, you can set AlfaClock to display time, date and day of the week simultaneously. Second, you can customize AlfaClock to announce this information periodically. And you can set an alarm - a very handy feature, if you frequently keep losing track of time, while using your computer. Atomic Clock Synchronization feature allows you to periodically connect to atomic clock time servers to make sure that your computer displays correct time and adjust it automatically, if necessary. AlfaClock has quite a few of extra features that other taskbar clocks don't have. Like copy time/date to clipboard feature. Or a fully customizable pop-up calendar. Created to ISO8601 specifications, it allows you to change the first day of the week, highlight weekends and holidays. Unlike some taskbar clock programs, Alfaclock Free is compatible with programs that change the look of Windows such as StyleXP and Windowblinds. It solved my taskbar clock problem nicely. Rating: 5.0 Operating System: Windows 95+ License: Freeware Price: Free Version: 1.83 Web Site: http://www.alfasoftweb.com/alfaclock/ [08] ========= ========= From the Spell Grimoire: ========= MAGICKAL HEALING BATH ========= Take a silver or white candle, some salt, and a healing oil (such as carnation, violet, sandalwood, or narcissus) into the bathroom. Light the Candle as you invoke your deities. By the candle's light run a tub of very warm water. Cast some salt into it, add a few drops of your favorite healing oil, and then step into the tub. Relax. Feel the warm salted water sinking into your pores, through your skin, sterilizing the sick portions of your body. Visualize the "black worms" of disease leaving it and when you feel the water teeming with them. Pull the plug and let the water drain out. While it is draining chant: The sickness is flowing out of me, Into the water, down to the sea. when the tub is completely drained stand up. Splash your body with fresh water (a shower is ideal) to remove the last vestiges of the sickness-laden water. Repeat as needed to speed your body's recovery. === === About This Spell === This spell is taken from The Cauldron's Spell Grimoire, a collection of basic spells available on The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's web site. You'll find more spells at: http://www.ecauldron.com/spells/index.php [09] ========= ========= Pagan Webmaster: ========= MY TOP TEN WEBSITE PET PEEVES ========= by Nancy Barney ========= I do a lot of surfing on the Internet. I'm always Googling something. Sometimes I'm doing business research. Other times I might be shopping, looking for fun stuff, free stuff, product reviews, or news. The Internet is a wonderful thing when it's done right. When websites are designed poorly, it can be very annoying. My top ten pet peeves about the design of web pages: === === 10. Websites with nothing on the home page to identify === itself. You've seen them. Nice graphics, artistic, elegant looking home pages with no information. It might say " BXY Inc.", with a link for 'Contact' and a list of clients. You click on every link, but you still don't know what the company does. Hmmm - must be top secret ... or they are spies ... nobody knows. === === 9. Flashy, sparkly, swirling intro pages. === You click on a link, expecting to get someone's home page with the information you're after. What you get is a page with pretty pictures flashing or blinking or swirling around. It does this for several seconds, or longer if you're not lucky. Website programmers enjoy playing with these fancy features (ooh, aah!). They look cool, but they waste the reader's time. They serve no useful purpose, unless you're selling flashy, sparkly things. Another kind of intro page that is slightly amusing ... you click on the link to a website and you get another page that just says "click here to enter". === === 8. Music, or any other sound, that starts up when you click === on the home page and you can't turn it off. In the first place, I resent it when people assume I want to listen to their choice of music. There should at least be the option to turn it off. I find a website that has some good content that I'm interested in, so I go to their home page and the music starts playing some sentimental, mushy song like "Feelings". So I hit the 'stop' button on my browser, but the music goes on ... and on. OK, fine, I click on one of their interesting links and thank you God, the music stops. When I'm finished with that page, I have to go back to the home page to get to the next link and guess what happens! That's right - "Feelings, whoa, whoa, whoa, feelings...." So I quickly hit the next link. They have several interesting links on their homepage so I'm am going back and forth 15 times and the music is going off and on 15 times. Pretty soon, my husband says, "What the heck are you doing over there?" So I either give up on that website or mute my sound. === === 7. Excessive drop down menus. === Drop down menus have their place when you have an option of 50 states or 100 countries, but I think they should be avoided when there are only a few menu options. This is another one of those cool features programmers like to play with that isn't necessarily productive for the user. One problem I have with drop down menus is that too often they are coded in text about the size of the width of my cat's whiskers. You have to have the dexterity of a Swiss watch maker to click on the right option. If the drop down menus have several nested levels - one wrong click on level 5 and you have to start over! If you have a drop down menu with 100 items, for heaven's sake, please have them in alphabetical order! I was filling out a form with a drop down menu with about 100 countries listed in random order. I had to read the whole list and I finally found my country near the bottom listed between China and Transylvania! === === 6. Too many moving parts. === Too many moving graphics on every page make it hard to read the content. I know, it's fun to have cutesy animated graphics on personal web pages, but they shouldn't get in the way of reading the content. A little animation is interesting and artistic - too much is annoying and cheesy. Oh, let's not forget the most annoying graphics of all - animated banner ads that talk to you! Excessive animated banners are distracting and annoying and they look unprofessional on business pages. If a page has too many of them, I won't stay there long. === === 5. Web page that is too long or too big. === Long web pages are too hard to follow. These are the web sites where the first page goes on and on with no discernable structure. It's like trying to read a 400 page book on 1 very long sheet of paper with no chapter breaks. Web pages with huge pictures are a problem, especially for Internet surfers on a dial-up connection. Pictures should be resized to no more than 50k-100k and/or compressed. When someone is on a dial-up connection, it can literally take 5 or 10 minutes for a bunch of large pictures to be displayed. Couple a bunch of large pictures with a web page that never ends and you might as well go watch your favorite movie while the page is loading. People on a slow connection will just give up and go to someone else's website. === === 4. Totally invalid search results. === If you spend a significant amount of time researching on the Internet you have probably run into this. You enter 'cat jewelry' in the search engine and you get a page that is selling a bunch of stuff, but it has nothing to do with cats or jewelry - and it's not a rock group called Cat Jewelry either. This happened because the keeper of that website is using the search keyword phrase 'cat jewelry' for their website because they found out it is a popular keyword. This is known as keyword spamming. What are these people thinking? I guess they think if you throw enough spam against the wall, some if it will stick. If Google catches you keyword spamming they send a burly guy named Bruno out to stomp on your keyboard. No, seriously, they drop you from their 'lists' and act like you don't exist. === === 3. Websites that look like they were shot out of a shotgun. === These websites often have the #5 problem also - going on and on with no structure. They have tons of obnoxious banner graphics with no common theme. 'Save the Orphan Rats', 'Best Long Distance Rates', 'Are you a good kisser?', 'Free Insurance Quotes'. They have all kinds of unrelated text links in different text sizes and colors, with no organization or relationship. Often these unorganized, unfocused websites use about 15 different fonts, sizes, and colors, giving it the look of the work of a 10 year old. Somewhere on this website there must be something related to what I Googled to get there, but darned if I can find it! === === 2. Text size that is too small or too large. === Have you ever seen a web page where the text size is so large you have to scroll down to read 3 words? Does the author of that website think they will get their point across by shouting at the top of their lungs? How smart does that make the author of the 4 inch letters look? Sometimes the text size is way too small. It must be wonderful to have such great eyesight that you can comfortably read letters the size of the year on a penny from 18 inches away. It's ridiculous to go to all the work of creating a website with great content, but it's too hard to read. I know sometimes you can change the text size in your browser, but sometimes you can't. === === 1. Content is hard to read because of text and/or background === colors. The purpose of having written content on your website is so people can read it, right? So why make it hard to read by having light pink text that you can barely see on a pink background. Add to this scenario text that is too small (see #2) above and have some butterflies or fairies flittering across the screen, and you have a pretty picture that is impossible to read! The easiest to read is a very dark text on a very light background. Even white text on a black background is harder to read. When you create a website or web page, avoid anything that wastes the reader's time or causes confusion. Too many fancy features slow down the loading speed. If you want people to read your content, make it easy to read. Your structure and design should be straightforward and organized. When you are building a web site, you need to consider what is best for the readers and they are more likely to stay on your website longer. === === About the Author === Nancy Barney is the owner of writing-planet.com ( http://www.writing-planet.com/ ), which has free articles, free article submission and free writer's resources. [10] ========= ========= From the Cauldron Cookbook: ========= Chocolate Coffee Bark ========= submitted by Ashtarot ========= === Ingredients 2 to 3 Tbsps fresh fine ground coffee 12 oz. bag simi sweet chocolate 1/8 tsp vanilla === Directions Melt chocolate, add coffee and vanilla. Stir till well incorporated. Spread 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick on wax paper. Let cool, then break in to bite sized chunks. Enjoy === === About This Recipe === This recipe is taken from the Cauldron Cookbook, a growing collection of recipes submitted by members of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. You'll find more recipes at: http://www.ecauldron.com/cookbook/index.php [11] ========= ========= 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/mb/ ===== ===== 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.) [12] ========= ========= 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) 2006 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.

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