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C A U L D R O N A N D C A N D L E #95 -- December 2008 A Publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum website: http://www.ecauldron.net/ message board: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/ social network: http://tcn.ecauldron.net/ newsletter: http://www.ecauldron.net/cnc/ Please DONATE to Support our NEW SERVER http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?page=62 In this Issue: [00] Editorial Notes [01] Cauldron News * TC Online Winter Solstice Celebration: All Night Dec 20th * Major New Feature: TCN - The Cauldron Network * New Cauldron SIG Web Sites * The Cauldron's ELEVENTH Anniversary [02] Interesting Recent Cauldron Discussions * Solstice Gifts for Children? * Using our Gifts/Talents? * MMC, GUM, and Other Myths of Neo-Paganism * Magic and Power/Self-Empowerment? * Geasa (Taboos) * Combining Religious Holidays -- Right or Wrong? * Practicing Paganism as an Atheist? * Sin, Punishment and Redemption in your Religion? * Your Gods and Where You Live * What If Your Religious Beliefs Are Wrong? [03] Flamekeeping: The Oddities Of Ecstasy [04] Articles * Sigils, Chaos Magick, and More * Public Places in CauldronMUX [05] Support The Cauldron with Donations [06] Support The Cauldron with Assistance [07] Newsletter Information (Including How To Subscribe/Unsubscribe) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++ Please support our sponsor +++ LOOKING FOR PAGAN SUPPLIES? Visit The Cauldron's Pagan Supply Store http://www.ecauldron.com/esesf.php +++ Please support our sponsor +++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [00] ========= ========= EDITORIAL NOTES ========= Welcome to the December 2008 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 It's been a quiet month -- especially compared to the last few months with server problems and server moves. However, this is a good thing as it means The Cauldron: Apagan Forum is back to normal. Well, as normal as we get. December 13th was our 11th anniversary. We are ancient in Internet time -- and still going. It was nice to have the server move finished in time for our 11th anniversary. The holiday season is upon us, so I will keep this editorial short. Be sure to read the Cauldron News section below, however, for information on our newest feature: TCN - The Cauldron Network. The Hosts and staff of The Cauldron: A Pegan Forum wish to wish all of our members and readers a very happy holiday season. May whatever winter holidays you celebrate be joyful and your 2009 better than your 2008. 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 ========= ===== ===== ONLINE WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION AT THE CAULDRON: ===== ALL NIGHT SATURDAY NIGHT, DEC. 20 ===== Winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere -- the longest night of the year -- is marked in any number of pagan paths, old and new. Many of us Cauldronites celebrate by staying up all night, and who better to spend the night with than other Cauldronites? (Careful how you answer that!) So for the second year in a row, we're having a thread just for the solstice: "Up All Night: A Technopagan Winter Solstice" 2008! It's simple: Anytime on Saturday night, Dec. 20/the wee hours of Sunday morning, Dec. 21... no matter where in the world you are...whether you're staying up all night or just awake and around at the moment... drop by the Cauldron and look for the thread titled "Up All Night: A Technopagan Winter Solstice 2008" in the Pagan Religions 101 folder. There you can join in the online party: share your experience of the longest night of the year, tell a story around our cybercampfire, listen to the bizarre true confessions of the sleep-deprived as we struggle to make it through the night, or just take part in the banter. If you are in the southern hemisphere and celebrating the summer solstice, come on by anyway. You can remind us of what we are missing: sun and warmth. All are welcome. It promises to be a night to remember! UP ALL NIGHT: A TECHNOPAGAN WINTER SOLSTICE 2008 in the "Pagan Religions" 101 folder Saturday, December 20 - Sunday, December 21 BE THERE! ===== ===== NEW FEATURE ADDED: TCN - THE CAULDRON (SOCIAL) NETWORK ===== While it is not MySpace or Facebook, The Cauldron now has its own "social network" for members of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum (and their friends). TCN - The Cauldron Network is a Kickapps-powered "social network" for members of The Cauldron. Its main feature is unlimited storage for your photos and videos, however, it has social network features like blogs, friends, a home page, etc. as well. You can take a look at TCN (and sign up if you want -- and we hope you will) at http://tcn.ecauldron.net/. If you want to sign up for TCN, please use your Cauldron ID for your TCN account if at all possible. Once you get an account at TCN, please list your TCN account name in your profile (TCN ID in Profile/Forum Profile Information, near the bottom of the list) here on the message board and it will automatically generate a link to your TCN profile. This link will appear on both your message board profile AND in your messages on the message board. TCN is somewhat limited compared to places like MySpace and Facebook, and we just have to live with those limits as TCN is hosted by kickapps.com and the software is not under our control. We can't rewrite it to make it work as you might like. However, Kickapps.com does upgrade the software with new features from time to time. We hope you will use and enjoy this major new TC feature. Full members got an early look at TCN over the last few days, and generally like what they saw. Over 30 members have signed up during the preview period. Many have created profile pages and uploaded some pictures, so there is already content out there to look at. You'll also find a link to TCN in the Community Menu part of the left side menu called TCN Social Network and a TCN button in the top blue menu line of our message board. http://tcn.ecauldron.net/ ===== ===== NEW CAULDRON SIG WEB SITES ===== The Cauldron Cill SIG has a new web site located at: http://cauldroncill.ecauldron.net/ The Reformed Kemeticism SIG has a new web site located at: http://kemeticsig.ecauldron.net/ ===== ===== THE CAULDRON'S ELEVENTH ANNIVERSARY ===== Eleven years ago (on 13 Dec 1997) -- after three frustrating days when only Elspeth, Ann (Empireone), and myself could post -- The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum opened its doors to the general public on the Delphi online service. This was before it was known as Delphiforums and back when user forums, then known as "Custom Forums" had a presence on both the paid Delphi Online Service (in wonderful a pure text/command line like environment) and on their new free Web forum version. The forum was an instant success with 60 or 70 messages posted that December and hitting 1000 messages within six months or so. The Cauldron was started as a Yule gift from me to Elspeth -- you had to pay Delphi for forums back then (six months in advance). It was staffed by Elspeth, Ann, and myself with an able assist from our friends from the dying GEnie Online Service. We started a web site for the forum in the web space I got with my Delphi account in January of 1998, although we did not get domain name for a couple of years. Our forum has done well in the years that followed, although TC has had to move around a lot. From Delphi to a mailing list. Then back to Delphiforums (Delphi's new name). When Delphi's poor service and pricing got to be too much to much in early 2004, Bob offered us server space and we moved to our own site. First with Beehive's Delphiforums-like software (two incarnations), then (very reluctantly) to SMF early in 2007 when it became apparent that Beehive software just could not meet the needs of this forum. Bob's server gave up the ghost this fall and we had to move to our own Linode VPS. The first time in our existence that have had to pay a monthly bill for the message board. Fortunately, our members seem to be stepping up and donating every month to make continuing this board possible. It has been a very interesting 11 years. Sometimes it has been interesting in the "may you live in interesting times" sense of "interesting," but mostly it has been interesting in the good sense of the word. Lyricfox and I met through TC and married over four and a half years ago. We all made many new friends via TC. It's also been a lot of work. Work which has been shared with our staff members -- without them, this forum would not be here today. This is especially true this last 12 months as the hosts have been dealing with cancer and have not been nearly as active on the board as we had been in the past. However, the reason The Cauldron's message board is still here isn't the Hosts or the staff, it's our members: the wonderful people reading this message (and now funding the monthly server costs). Without you, this forum would be a ghostly place haunted by memories of discussions past. It's been a great eleven years. In "Internet time" we are as ancient as the dinosaurs, but we are still here, still doing our thing, and still enjoying ourselves doing it. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++ Please support our sponsor +++ PAGAN-FRIENDLY WEB HOSTING 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 Plan Features * 500 gigabytes web space * 5000 gigabytes/month bandwidth * unlimited email boxes (POP3/IMAP) * unlimited 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 $10.95 a month with a $49.95 setup fee. Pay for a year in advance (only 9.95/month) and there is no setup fee. Pay two years in advance and the price drops to $8.95 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. ===== ===== Solstice Gifts for Children? ===== We do gift-giving on Christmas here. It's the holiday our families celebrate, and it's when Santa comes. This year, I'd like to give the kids one gift to open at Yule, though. I don't want it to just be another piece of noisy plastic junk (they'll get plenty of that since my husband has a hand in the shopping). I want something meaningful, but I'm not sure what. My oldest would be old enough for a piece of jewelry, but not the younger ones. They are only 4, 3, and 1. Any ideas? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7712.0 ===== ===== Using our Gifts/Talents? ===== Last year I was often told by a member of my family that I was "wasting my talents" by not going to University to do something that they thought I had a special talent for. They also insinuated that this talent was given to me for a reason, and that it was a bad thing for me not to be using it. Even though things have calmed down now, these words have played in my mind for quite some time. It has gotten me thinking about what I've heard people call a 'God-given talent', and whether I believe these exist or not. Do our talents come from an external force, or from within ourselves? Or perhaps even from both? In addition, regardless of where these talents come from, do we have a duty to use the talents that we have? Why/why not? Does it depend on what kind of talent it is? Is there more of a duty to use them if these talents are considered to have been given to us by the Gods/a particular Deity? What do you think? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7713.0 ===== ===== MMC, GUM, and Other Myths of Neo-Paganism ===== There are some ideas/concepts in (generally Wiccish/Wicca- influenced) neoPaganism that those of us of a more academic bent shy off from discussing, because of how strongly they've become associated with "Pagan fundies", those who insist on casting them as literal truth. But they're useful concepts - as myth, not fact - for many people. Catja on myths: Myths are *sacred* stories -- sometimes the very telling itself will be sacred -- that enshrine the Big Cosmic Truths of a culture: where the world came from, the relationship of humans to the divine, the foundation of sacred institutions like kingship or sacrifice, what happens after we die, and so forth. Myths are making a COSMIC truth-claim, which, depending on the culture and individul believer, can range from "metaphorical/poetic truth" to "literal/historical truth"; however, a myth's PRIMARY function is to convey a cosmic truth, so any historical truth-claim will be secondary. Two well-known and widespread examples are the Great Universal Matriarchy often associated with Marija Gimbutas (though the form in which it's often found in neoPaganism goes farther than she did), and the Maiden/Mother/Crone triple goddess - I believe others were mentioned in the thread this is spun off from, and there are likely others that haven't been mentioned. What myths of this kind are included in, or have influenced, your path, and how do they function in that context? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7699.0 ===== ===== Magic and Power/Self-Empowerment? ===== How do you view the aspect of power in magic generally? Does practicing magic give you a feeling of being powerful? If so, what kind of power would that be? Do you think some people are drawn to magic for some kind of power? What do you think about this? How do you see the relationship between power in magic and power in everyday life (work, family, etc.)/society? Do you think magic can be a way for people who feel powerless or repressed in their everyday lives/society to empower themselves in a positive way? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7546.0 ===== ===== Geasa (Taboos) ===== Spelling aside, I'm wondering if there's anyone else here at TC who considers him/herself to be under a geis (taboo). I've mentioned on other threads that Brighid has communicated to me that I'm not to reach out to other deities or to engage in magic. It didn't occur to me until yesterday, when I was mentally flailing about trying to describe how I know I'm not supposed to do those things (in response to a post from Aine), that these two "orders" or whatever seem to be pretty similar to some of the geasa described in the lore. If there is anyone else out there in this situation, how did your deity communicate it to you? Do you know why you were given this geis? Were you agreeable, or did you try to argue? Have you found it difficult to comply? What would happen if you broke the taboo? How long did your geis last? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7533.0 ===== ===== Combining Religious Holidays -- Right or Wrong? ===== Right now I have in mind Christmas and Yule/Winter Solstice. What do you think about combining these? I have known people to combine these holidays before for the sake of family. For example; one person is Christian and the other Wiccan and they want to strike a nice balance between the two. Or the family is one which celebrates Wiccan holidays, and yet the children are so drawn in by the idea of Christmas (because it's everywhere! Cheesy) that they decide to combine the two. What is your opinion on this? Is it right/wrong? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7518.0 ===== ===== Practicing Paganism as an Atheist? ===== So I'm in a transitional period right now and I've been reconsidering my 'spirituality'. I have been for several years an Atheist and that is unlikely to change. This has left me somewhat empty however. Christianity, through prayer, offered a means of self awareness and reflection which has been lacking. I've therefore been considering taking up the ritualistic and ethical aspects of Hellenismos. Ritual offers a vehicle for trance (a heightened state of focus) and the Greek Gods represent fundamental archetypes (I don't mean any disrespect to those who worship them as Gods) which combine to form a complete human being. The last while I've been acting out the motions of prayers to them and my psychological state has improved because of it. Its given me a chance to reflect on aspects of my life as if I were speaking to something that represents perfection in that area. So before playing guitar I 'pray' to Apollo beforehand, prior to study I 'pray' to Athena and so forth; as well as at the end and beginning of the day. This is also giving me the chance to study and practice part of what made Greece such an innovative and important society. Their virtue, love of life and introspective spirit are something that I would love to evolve towards. I feel like I'm connecting to people who were in many ways superior to ourselves and in so doing maybe getting closer to the virtues they possessed. Are there other Atheists who have found themselves drawn to Pagan practice for similar reasons? Have any previously non-religious members find they developed belief because of the practice? If you are reading this as a Pagan, or specifically a follower of the Hellenistic tradition, how do you feel about an Atheist adopting some of your practice? Also, does this represent a fundamental character flaw on my part? Wouldn't someone who knows himself have no need for this? counter to that notion so any advise/wisdom would be appreciated. * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7439.0 ===== ===== Sin, Punishment and Redemption in your Religion? ===== Is there any kind of sin, punishment and redemption in your religion or beliefs? * Do you believe people can sin or violate the sacred? What would you call a sin or violation of the sacred? * Do you believe in punishment by your God/s, Goddess/es, spirits, entities or powers for wrong doings? * How are those punishments enacted in your opinion? Do they affect your present life or after life? * Can the wrongdoer be redeemed? If, when does the punishment end? * Is there any way to avoid punishment in the first place? Any thoughts? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7415.0 ===== ===== Your Gods and Where You Live ===== I know that there has been a thread at some point discussing whether or not deities are tied to place, but I want to ask a more direct question: If you moved across the country, to a different country, or even to a completely different continent, do you think you would still strongly feel the presence of your God(s)/Goddess(es)? Why/ why not? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7367.0 ===== ===== What If Your Religious Beliefs Are Wrong? ===== It's one of those questions that always gets asked by people trying to convert - what if you're wrong. This isn't an attempt to convert, just a thought-game. Take a good long look at your religious beliefs - and ask. What if you're wrong? What would change? What wouldn't change? Can you accept the doubt, or is doubt the enemy? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7333.0 [03] ========= ========= FLAMEKEEPING ========= THE ODDITIES OF ECSTASY ========= 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/ ===== ===== The Oddities Of Ecstasy ===== Ecstasy is something totally outside daily experience. It transcends us, throwing ourselves into a world of beauty and wonder and terror. Ecstasy breaks all boundaries, destroys preconceptions, reshapes the world in a frightening instinct. It is that moment when things become clear that weren't, that the world around you changes into itself, that everything you've ever believed is charged with new significance or destroyed as meaningless. Ecstasy defies easy description. It is that moment when your soul reverberates with the Universe, and no words can describe that. But we try, oh, we try. We build religions and boxes of words to shove transcendant ecstasy into, and try to contain that ecstasy into safe parts of our lives. We want it in the box where we can pull it out when we want to bask in it again, and shove it back away when it's not convenient. But we can't. Ecstasy transforms all or doesn't come to us. It exists in a place out of words, out of easy understanding. I cannot say what ecstasy means. The words we have don't describe it. It must be experienced, and each person's experience will be different. Or perhaps they're all the same, but we perceive it differently. We can open our lives for it and never find it, or we can run ourselves to the ground and have it appear out of nowhere. It is a gift and sometimes a curse that blows us away. Ecstasy needs to be welcomed into our lives. It makes us more ourselves, more powerfully changed by the world around us and more powerful to change the world. We need to make space for ecstasy, even while admitting that ecstasy cannot be shoehorned into specific space, forced into time that's convenient for us. We have to allow our lives to change, to look at more than day- to-day concerns. There are ways to welcome ecstasy into our lives. We have to give ourselves time for ecstasy, time that allows for our world to change in ways we can't predict and control. We have to allow for change and chaos, to accept the change that will happen to our lives and still seek it knowing we won't know what will happen until it's too late. We have to let go and accept that the Universe is bigger than we are, and just allow what will happen to happen. We cannot control. The best we can hope for is that the transformation is something we accept instead of resisting. ===== ===== Questions: ===== * Do you allow room for ecstasy in your life? Do you try to keep it boxed? * Could you accept transformation if it happened to you? Do you want it? * If ecstasy came to you, what parts of your life would have to change? What box of words would it open?n? [04] ========= ========= ARTICLES ========= ======= ======= SIGILS, CHAOS MAGICK, AND MORE ======= by M Deskins ======= The concept of sigils and sigil creation is new to many people these days, but chaos magicians and discordians have been working with them for many years. The dictionary defines a sigil as: 1. A seal; a signet. 2. A sign or an image considered magical. So how can one create a "magical" sign or an image? And how is it that the sign or image will be "magical"? Basically, you must create a strange symbol that will be recognized only by your subconscious mind. It must be enough to bypass your conscious notice. It is believed by many that our subconscious mind is the realm where "magic" happens. It is our subconscious mind where change takes place both within us as well as the outside world (so some believe). "Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will." - Aleister Crowley. And with sigils, we can perhaps make changes in our lives and ourselves. Here is a step by step guide to making sigils: 1. Write out your intention. Make it a positive one. Do not use any negative words. The subconscious mind will only understand positive intentions. For instance: I WILL SEE SOMEONE WEARING PURPLE SHOES. Do not use words like "want" or "desire" either. Those words are merely "wishes". You want your subconscious to WILL something into being. 2. Cross out every repeating letter. "P" can be found in "R", so you can cross out "P". "N" can be found in "W", so you can cross out "N". "M" and "W" are pretty much the same letter so you can cross one of them out. "L" can be found in "H". You are then left with "WSEOAGRUH". One intention that many people will use is "I WILL OBTAIN EXTRA MONEY". "WOBTAEXRY" The "Y" of course could be in "X", depending on your writing style. 3. Get creative. Draw a symbol or picture using every single letter. Try hiding the "WSEOAGRUH" within the picture. You can make the picture USING the letters. You can turn them any which way you want. You can color or paint them if you wish. It will be YOUR OWN personal image, so you can get creative with it in any way you like. If you'd prefer not to spend that much time on it, that's fine too. You can just scribble a random looking symbol if you want. The only thing that matters is that you make it yourself and add all of the letters to it. 4. Fire it off. Now is the time to "fire the sigil off" or "charge it". By doing this, you make sure it leaves an imprint on your subconscious mind. In order to fire it off, you must look upon the sigil while in a trance like, gnostic state. This can be a tricky part because many people are uncertain as to how to go about being in a state of gnosis. It's not really something I can describe. You must feel it. Here are a few tips though that will hopefully give you an idea: * Deep Meditation - Surround the sigil with candles and stare at it along with the flames while meditating. * Sex - A state of gnosis can be reached through orgasm. Have the sigil hanging up on the wall. * Dancing - Some people can reach a trance state through dancing. Have the sigil hanging up on the wall. * Pain - Yes, some people go as far as burning or cutting themselves when trying to charge off a sigil. I wouldn't recommend anyone to try it though. Please don't. * Exhaustion - Try staring at the sigil while running on the treadmill or something similar. * Yoga - Similar to meditation. Try staring at the sigil while practicing yoga. * Drifting off to sleep - Hang it to where you can see it as you drift off to sleep. Those few seconds in between the waking world and dream world might be enough to fire the sigil off. 5. After you feel that you've successfully charged the sigil, it's time to tear it up and forget about it. Yup. It's best not to consciously worry or think about it. It is officially imprinted on your subconscious mind now, don't let your conscious mind interfere. If you've done all the steps right, then you should be seeing someone wearing purple shoes soon and receiving some extra money. Results seem to happen in 3's: 3 days, 3 weeks, or 3 months. Results usually come when you're least expecting them too; thus the importance of "forgetting" about the sigils. If you find that you have a hard time at forgetting about them, then you could try making many of them all at once, but setting them all aside for awhile before charging them off. Since you won't have them labeled, you won't remember which is which and you'll have an easier time remembering what all they're for exactly. Your subconscious will remember which is which though. In the end, that's what matters the most. ==== About the Author Self Help Magic is a resource site for those interested in self improvement, law of attraction, magick, REIKI, spells, psychic readings, metaphysical, paranormal, and more. http://www.self-help-magic.com/ ======= ======= PUBLIC PLACES IN CAULDRONMUX ======= by Star ======= [Last month we had an article introducing CauldronMUX. This month we follow up with a list of interesting public places in Cauldron, taken from the CauldronMUX FAQ online at: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7608.0 ] Here are some of the public places in the MUX, and a short description of each one. ===== ===== Wandering the Grey Mists ===== This is the very first place a guest or new person comes when he or she connects. Back when we were on Delphi Forums, an irate person calling herself Lady Kismea cursed us all to "wonder the grey mists", and it only seemed appropriate to incorporate that into our virtual environment! There isn't much to this room; it's more a greeting room than anything. Staff members will often leave puppets here when they're online so that they can welcome people to the MUX and offer assistance if it is needed. Staff puppets you may encounter include FluffBun (Heartshadow), Puppy (Phoibos), Kitten (Chabas), Starlight (Star), Happy Fun Ball (Koi), and Bob's puppet (Bob). There is only one exit--to leave the Mists and go to Central Park, type [o]. You can teleport into the Grey Mists using #0. ===== ===== Central Park ===== Central Park is the main hub from which most of the major areas of the MUX are accessible. It's pretty much what it sounds like--a well-maintained park, complete with picnic areas and playground equipment. From here, you can go to any of the three living areas, visit one of Cauldron MUX's two fine drinking establishments (including the Cauldron Lounge, where chats are often held), or visit the Ampitheater or Learning Library. You can teleport to Central Park using #137. ===== ===== Duck Pond ===== The Duck Pond is a place for Cauldron MUX residents to relax. There are ducks here to be fed and picnic tables for those who want to eat beside the pond's calm waters. From here you can wander over to sit by the Fountain, explore the Forest, view the Statuary, step into the Walled Courtyard of Darkhawk's Egyptian temple, or return to Central Park. ===== ===== Cauldron Lounge ===== The Cauldron Lounge is a room where Cauldron MUX residents often gather to chat. It looks sort of like a sports bar, but with different sports than you would normally find in such a place. You will find several private tables here, where you can sit with friends and talk amongst yourselves while also participating in the general conversation of the room. There are also several fun items to play with. Take for example the Moon Machine, which will tell you the current phase of the moon if you enter the command [+moon]. Or the Tarot Deck, which you can shuffle and use for readings. Or the Endless Ice Cream, which not only dishes up any flavor you can imagine, but also entices the other occupants of the room to try some themselves. If you need help using any of the items, just [look] at them, or ask the other people in the room. The only exit from the Lounge is [out], back to Central Park, and you can teleport to the Lounge using #23. ===== ===== Wunder-Bar ===== The Wunder-Bar is Cauldron MUX's second social establishment. The theme here tends more toward the Norse, as might be guessed from its name. Although there aren't as many "toys" here as there are in the Lounge, there are still some interesting things to interact with. There is a jukebox and a chessboard here, and you will also find Molly the Wandering Wench. Molly will happily serve you food or drink, or sell you various items from her cart. You should [look] at her for further instructions. The only exit from the Bar is [out], back to Central Park, and you can teleport to the Bar using #129. ===== ===== Ampitheater ===== The Ampitheater was designed for performances, speeches, lectures, and other such events. Unlike most real-life ampitheaters, its seating is quite comfortable. You can [look program] to see if any upcoming events are scheduled to be held here. The only exit is back to Central Park. ===== ===== Learning Library ===== The virtual home of The Cauldron would certainly not be complete without a library! This one's function within the MUX is to provide newcomers to the MUX with valuable information about using the system. This should be your first stop if you aren't familiar with how the MUX works. Enter [learn] to get started on a tutorial. If you want to get straight to the commands, enter [command]. Or if you want to learn about the comm system, enter [channels]. The only exit from the Library is [out], back to Central Park. ===== ===== Elysian Fields ===== Elysian Fields was the first residential area to be built, and thus far remains the most popular. Scattered around the Fields, you can currently find the residences of Seichi, Bella, Samantha, Stuck, Hellfury, Mariora, Ocelot, Tara, Wyvernfriend, Novitiate, Mellee, Heartshadow, Star, and Phoibos. (You can also go back to Central Park from here.) If you would like your own home in the Fields, contact Phoibos and ask him to set you up. You can teleport to the Fields using #53. ===== ===== Asgard Apartments for Wayward Heathens ===== Asgard Apartments was the second residential area built in Cauldron MUX. It is designed to appeal to the Norse-inclined among Cauldronites, featuring a Thor's Hammer motif on the walls. Asgard Apartments also has many lovely amenities such as a pool, a garden, a fitness center and a clubhouse. At the moment, you can find the homes of CrystalWindDream, Ann, Bob, and Asahel (sometimes known as Mike) here, or of course you can return to Central Park. If you would like your own apartment in this complex, contact Bob. ===== ===== Ivory Tower ===== The Ivory Tower is the most recent place in which Cauldron MUXers may set up residence, and is popular with the academically snobby among Cauldronites. It is not, however, solely a residential area. In the lobby you will find some interesting objects such as a random-insult-generating Shakespeare. Going up the Spiral Staircase will lead you to the dwellings of Teej, Enye, Chabas, Desree, and (continuing all the way to the top) Koi. If you go out back to the Arcade, you will find staff offices for Koi, Shadow, and Bob, as well as a gazebo for holding debates in. You can also visit the Mental Health Clinic to tell Eliza how you feel or use the mental floss to get a particularly disturbing image out of your head! Finally, you can return to Central Park. If you would like a condo on the second floor of the Tower, or an office in the Arcade, contact Koi. ===== ===== Connecting to CauldronMUX ===== You can access CauldronMUX from your browser via our Java client: http://www.ecauldron.net/jmux/index.php or by telneting to ecauldron.net port 24201 with your telnet program or with a MU* client on your machine. When you connect to CauldronMUX, you will see a login screen. If you do not yet have an account (character) on CauldronMUX, type "connect guest" and you will be logged in on a guest account. You cannot build things, but you can chat with people in public areas. Remember, you are bound by The Cauldron's Chat/MUX rules even as a guest (and understand that guests are not anonymous as their ip numbers are available to staff). Accounts (characters) on CauldronMUX are available to members of The Cauldron's message board who are Full members or who have posted at least 25 (meaningful) messages. This thread on the message board explains how to request a CauldronMUX account. Message board members unfamiliar with MU*s should probably visit CauldronMUX as a guest a few times before requesting a character to be sure they are really interested in having one. http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=2522.0 [05] ========= ========= Cauldron Info ========= SUPPORT THE CAULDRON'S SERVER WITH DONATIONS ========= As mentioned in the October 2008 newsletter, we now need over US$60 in donations every month to keep the server online. No donations, no server. No server, no message board. Well, not really "no message board" as there is always the free backup board, but the limitations of the free backup board drive staff and many members nuts. Your donations are needed to keep The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's message board up. We now have two ways you can donate. OPTION 1: Make An "Anonymous" Donation in Any Amount If you are not a member of the message board -- or are a member but do not want a donor button to appear on your posts or wish to donate a non-standard amount, you can make an "anonymous" donation (which will not cause any "donor" notation on your posts) in any amount via the Paypal link below. You do NOT need a Paypal account to donate. After Paypal fees, we get 85% to 90% of the money you donate. http://www.ecauldron.com/donatepaypal.php OPTION 2: Message Board Member? Donate Through Your Profile: Get Bronze/Silver/Gold Donor Levels and Benefits If you are logged into the message board, you can make a donation (via Donation Subscriptions in your Profile) at the Bronze Donor (US$5.00), Silver Donor (US$10.00) or Gold Donor (US$15.00) level and get a special button that will appear on your posts as well have access to our Donor only areas (and more for Silver and Gold Donors, see this post on the board for current information: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7335.0). These special benefits will last for one month (or one year if you elect the annual donation option) and can be renewed by extending your subscription. You can elect to make a one time donation or to set up a Paypal subscription that will automatically renew your donation each month or year until you cancel the subscription at Paypal. You can find the "Donation Subscription" link in the "Manage Profile" menu on your profile. Payments are made via Paypal but you do not need a Paypal account to donate (unless you wish to set up a recurring donation subscription). If you are a member of our message board, this link will take you directly to the Donation Subscription area of your Profile (with a stop to log in if you are not already logged in): http://www.ecauldron.net/profiledonations.php [06] ========= ========= 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/forum/ ===== ===== 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 ===== ===== 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.) [06] ========= ========= 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) 2008 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 (lyricfox01@ecauldron.GETRIDOFME.com) or Randall Sapphire (rssapphire01@.ecauldron.GETRIDOFME.com). Typos are, as usual, courtesy of the Goddess Eris.

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