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C A U L D R O N A N D C A N D L E #93 -- October 2008 A Publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum website: http://www.ecauldron.com/ message board: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/ newsletter: http://www.ecauldron.com/cnc/ shopping: http://www.ecauldron.com/mall.php Please DONATE to Support our NEW SERVER http://www.ecauldron.com/donatepaypal.php In this Issue: [00] Editorial Notes [01] Cauldron News * Message Board Outages * New Server for the Message Board [02] Interesting Recent Cauldron Discussions * Which Came First Your Religion, or Your Magic? * Outdoor Rituals? * Worst Spell Poetry * Designing or adapting spells by yourself * Books on "Celtic Spirituality" * Desk Shrines/Altars * Academic Books vs Non-Academic Books? * What Do You Want From Your God(s)? * Wicca Books with a Little More Depth? * Consequences of Following your Path? * How to Learn Working with Energy? * Music in Rituals and Magic * How Do You Celebrate the Full Moon? * Chaos Magic Group Work * Personal Tenets [03] Flamekeeping: Prejudice and Postjudice [04] Article: Halloween: The Past in the Present [05] Support The Cauldron [06] 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 ========= I ended the August 2008 editorial with this note on the message board outage of early July: "I'm almost afraid to send this newsletter out for fear another outage will follow. LOL. But its going out anyway." While the message board did not go down again immediately as it had after the June newsletter, we have had a number of message board ups and down since early July. It turned out that Bob's 10 year old server was simply dying of old age. Our message board is not on a new server -- but it is no longer free. More on this in the Cauldron News Section following the editorial. As you can tell, the newsletter is still not back on its regular monthly schedule -- and I'm beginning to think it may never be. In the year since LyricFox was diagnosed with oral cancer, my life and schedule has changed so much that I am beginning to doubt that I will ever have as much spare time as I used to have. Nevertheless, I will try to get this newsletter published as often as possible. That looks to be about every two months. 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 ========= ===== ===== MESSAGE BOARD OUTAGES ===== The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's message board has suffered a number of sudden outages over the last couple of months. The Backup Board has seen more use in the last three months than it has it years. Gods willing, things should be more stable now. See the next news item for why. ===== ===== MESSAGE BOARD MOVED TO A NEW VIRTUAL PRIVATE SERVER ===== Bob (BOBTHESANE) has been kind enough to provide The Cauldron's message board a free home on his personal server for the past 4 years -- since we moved off of Delphiforums in April 2004. Unfortunately, his personal server is no longer in the same city he is and is ten years old. It is sick and dying and that is what has been causing all the outages we've been having since July of this year. It was time for TC to move to a new server. While we looked around for a free or low cost solution that could support an active message board like ours, we really could not find one. Our members were not interested in living with the limitations of the free board we use as a backup board. This left us one real choice, getting a decent sized server of our own -- even though they are not cheap. As of Thursday, October 9th, The Cauldron's message board is on a powerful virtual private server (on a 4 CPU XEN host with a maximum of 14 other users and with 1024 megs of RAM reserved for our use). Most members are finding the board faster and more reliable on this new server. However, we've only been on the new server 3 days as I write this. Not much has changed from the users point-of-view -- at least not yet. You'll still find our message board at: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/ And the message board works pretty much the way it has for the past year. The major change is that 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. TC's nearly free lunch is over, we'll now see if there is enough membership support to keep TC going in the manner our members wish it to. Your donations are needed to keep The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's message board up. While with hope to have a formal donation system with a donation meter up soon -- so everyone will know how were doing each month, but we don't have one yet. Fortunately, our members have been very generous during the transition to the new board, so we are not desperately counting the days to November 1st when our next server payment is due. However, it is ALWAYS better to have extra money for emergencies, so if you want to donate to our server fund, we would be very happy to have your donation. 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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. ===== ===== Which Came First Your Religion, or Your Magic? ===== Did you practice magic before you found/developed your religious path? Or did you already have your religious leanings before you began to delve into magic? In your own personal view of things, is the one in direct correlation with the other? Or do you view them as completely separate things? Why? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7037.0 ===== ===== Outdoor Rituals? ===== With Samhain approaching, I'm feeling very compelled to have my ritual outdoors. Something I've never done before, but have always wanted to do. I have a really nice chimnea and thought about building a huge fire there and making that the center of my circle. Other than that, I'm not sure what I need. Is it customary to still have candles at the corners? Should I construct an actual circle with stones? What about the incense? Things that are easy to do inside, but in the dark, and with the wind, and no real altar might be difficult, you know? I always get this (albeit stereotypical maybe) image in my head of happy witches just dancing around a big fire, and that's kind of what I'm going for. Simple, but I still want to be respectful and "proper". Any suggestions? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7034.0 ===== ===== Worst Spell Poetry ===== You can give us all a laugh with cheesy love spells out of your teenage BOS? Any abysmal spell drafts in your paper bucket? Or you've written some bad examples just for fun? Maybe you want to nominate any spells from the net, books, serials or movies which weren't according to your lyrical taste?? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=7007.0 ===== ===== Designing or adapting spells by yourself ===== Any general advice what to watch out for? Are there specific phrases to avoid? Or specific contents necessary to include? Do you self-design spells? (Which kind of or which kind not?) How do you usually go about it? Are there specific steps you take? Things you prepare or consider first? Do you work on them over a longer time period? Do you experiment and improve? Have you ever spontaneously designed a spell? Do you feel more secure with self designed spells or with ones from a book/teacher/other source? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6975.0 ===== ===== Books on "Celtic Spirituality" ===== Over the last however many years, I've read pretty much all of the academic books on the market about Celtic/Irish mythology, archeology, art, etc. I think I have about as good a grasp on what we know about ancient Celtic religious practice as most lay people have, and, frankly, I'm bored with the histories. I'm tired of reading dry descriptions of archeological artifacts and stuff like that. It's important and provides a critical foundation, but enough is enough. However, I still feel that I need to keep moving forward and developing my own spirituality or it will stagnate. I think that spirituality is a work in constant progress that is always evolving. So, with complete understanding that nobody knows how the ancient Celts practiced their religion, I've bought a couple of the more recent books that purport to help the reader to understand "Celtic sprituality", whatever that is. I'm starting with The Mist-Filled Path: Celtic Wisdom for Exiles, Wanderers, and Seekers, by Frank MacEowen, and Fire in the Head: Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit, by Tom Cowan. I'm hoping that these books might help me move my thinking forward in much the same way that deep discussion here at TC does -- by stimulating critical and creative thinking about my own beliefs, ideas, and spirituality. I'm wondering if anyone else has read these or any other similar books, and if you have any thoughts about them. * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6933.0 ===== ===== Desk Shrines/Altars ===== We've had threads before dealing with altars in small spaces, portable altars, altars at college, etc., but just now I'm specifically curious about what people have going on at work. I know I've heard of people having small unobtrusive altars or shrines set up in their workspace. Do you have something like that? If so, how is it set up? I have a little sun-shrine: a Sun tarot card that Hubby picked up for me at Comicon, a printout of more or less the same graphic I use as my avatar here (but minus the flames in the center), a couple of health-cause-related lapel pins, and a copy of this are pinned to my cubicle wall, and an LED pillar candle sits below them. At one point I also had made an attempt to put up elemental representations on the four walls of my cube--fire is kind of obvious, I think, and then I had an enamel butterfly pin for air and a sticker with the Japanese kanji for "water" that I used for... er, water. I can't remember what I used for earth. I think I did that more for the hell of it than for any particular religious/magical purpose, though, since I haven't done much elemental work for quite a while, and as I've rearranged things most of those representations have gotten shoved into one big group of "personal decorations" (family photos, cartoons, etc.) on one wall. So I guess they don't so much count... * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6916.0 ===== ===== Academic Books vs Non-Academic Books? ===== This thread hit me just now, thinking about the Familiars fiasco about Academic vs Non-academic sources. Is there a time and a place for a Non-Academic source? What should be classed as a non- academic source? (well besides things like Wikipedia) Myself personally I think academic sources are either direct sources (such as myths, legends, things like that) and indirect sources (writings by scholars on the primary sources). These are useful when discussing general relgious terms and the like. Then Non-academic sources is either UPG, or perhaps some one writing a book on the source though their profession isn't directly related to it. I think these are useful for when talking about practices, and in the case of UPG, when talking about personal practices. I don't believe they are mutually exclusive either, I think both are needed to have a well founded base. So what are y'alls thoughts on the matter? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6910.0 ===== ===== What Do You Want From Your God(s)? ===== There are many characteristics that are attributed to the Gods. Often a God or a Goddess is said to be a God of Love, of War, of Poetry, of Healing. The list is endless. The novel that I am currently reading, Avalon by Anya Seton, is set in England in approx. 900 CE and it has gotten me thinking about what it is that people actually want from a God. For instance, one character who is a Norseman and has lived in (mostly) Christian southern England has become frustrated with the worship of a God in a religion that is, to quote, "fit only for silly women and puling monks." He goes on to say that he now worships "Thor- The Thunderer." Evidently it is a God of stregth and power that he wishes to worship, and this is shown by his transformation from a manservant, to a warrior. Consequently this shows that he wishes to worship a God which he relates to. In one respect, he has chosen his God in image of himself. Is this something that many of us are guilty of, do you think? What is it that you want from your God(s)? Is there any particular quality that, for you, is important for a God to have? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6858.0 ===== ===== Wicca Books with a Little More Depth? ===== During the last four years that I've had this interest in Wicca, I've read a few beginner books about it. Not nearly as many as I would have wanted to read, however. I began with reading Cunningham's "Guide for the solitary practitioner", and "Living Wicca". I've also read Buckland's "Complete book of Witchcraft", as well as a minor smattering of other books on related subjects such as Tarot, divination, magic and the like. Those books were all mostly good. They were very interesting. But there was very little depth. Being a scientifically oriented person (I'm a programmer by profession), I need something more... convincing. I mean no offense to anyone, but I'm not going to believe that there are actual deities (God and Goddess) just because Cunningham tells me so. I'm not saying there aren't, I believe that there could very well be, but I want to read something with a little more depth about the subject. I want to read a theoretical discussion on the nature of these deities - are they actual sentient beings, or just symbols of natural archetypes? I guess you could argue that "this can't be proven either way, it's a matter of faith". Fine. But then I need way more information before I decide where to put my faith. Cunningham and Buckland provides very little in this direction. Also, this thing about magic is very confusing to me, given my "scientific" nature. But things I've read about quantum physics lately, and how little of it science understands, who knows what could be possible? I'm sure there are books that deal with this issue from a neutral point of view as well. So, given what I've said above, can anyone recommend some books or other resources that might help me along? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6766.0 ===== ===== Consequences of Following your Path? ===== As an uncommitted newbie I'm curious to hear about what the more experienced members have to tell about spiritual and 'real-life' consequences of choosing their paths or making specific commitments. Also I'd like to hear from those who are at the beginning of a path or commitment, what they think the consequences will be and how that affects their choice. * Have you ever faced any difficulties or pain for following your path? * When you choose your path/ choose to make your commitment, what did you think about the consequences and how did it affect your choice * Have you ever been afraid of the consequences for choosing a specific path or making a specific commitment? Thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts. * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6816.0 ===== ===== How to Learn Working with Energy? ===== When I read about Wicca and spiritualism in general, I often come across the notion of "energy", and how you're supposed to be able to work with it an feel it. You sometimes read thins like "walk around the room, feeling where the energy is strongest". Well, I don't feel a damn thing. I fear I may be utterly untalented in this field. How do I go about improving my non-existent abilities with energy work? Are there books I should read, or web sites, or perhaps even some simple exercises I could do? Or should I just go back to being a mundane computer programmer where I do have talent. * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6783.0 ===== ===== Music in Rituals and Magic ===== My practice focuses around music (or at least does at the moment), so I was wondering: How important is the origin of the music one uses in rituals? Does a piece of music carry the composer's intent with it even if the musician associates it with something completely different? For example, could a piece originally written in honor of someone (like a monarch or family member) be used as a love song, as long as it sounds like a love song to you? And of course, there's the question of whether it's appropriate to use Christian music (or music from any other religion) in a Pagan ritual. I guess if you say music is just a tool for the witch or whoever is doing the ritual to go into trance, meditate, or to carry the spell, then it doesn't matter what it was originally intended to be. But, on the other hand, if you consider magic to be part of the music itself, then it would matter. If that is the case, what would you do with music whose origins aren't known? So, is magic a property of music, or is music whatever you make of it? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6647.0 ===== ===== How Do You Celebrate the Full Moon? ===== I find myself, over the past few months, celebrating the full moon with a group of like minded individuals. We have been doing simple pagan based activities and rituals. It's been a very nice experience for me thus far. Now I find myself in charge of our next get together. What we have done so far has been very nice, but there is still a lot of experimentation going on, and we aren't yet ready to do the same thing every time. So I'm wondering, what do you do to celebrate the full moon? What types of ceremonies and magic do you think the full moon is best for? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6636.0 ===== ===== Chaos Magic Group Work ===== I have never come across a "Chaos Coven". I loosely define myself as a Chaos Magician, and I enjoy group work from time to time. What's a Chaote to do? While I can certainly perform Chaos inspired rituals and magic on my own, there are certain activities that just require a group. For example, it's pretty difficult to perform a multi-part chant in the round by yourself. So, what do I do? Personally I've chosen to join and work with more conventionally Pagan groups because that's what exists in my area. This doesn't conflict with my beliefs, and for the most part it doesn't seem to bother the people I work with. (The exception being idealogical disagreements.) So, to my fellow Chaotes, are you willing to work with non-chaos groups, or do you choose to go it alone? For non-chaotes, does the idea of a Chaos Magician in your circle bother you? Or do you find it acceptable? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6600.0 ===== ===== Personal Tenets ===== I've been reading Isaac Bonewits' Essential Druidry and it got me thinking about what my tenets were. 1. Don't believe or do things unless you know why - and "because we've always done it" or "because X does it" is not a reason. 2. Beliefs are not set in stone - experiences or talking with other people may change them. 3. Other people's beliefs may be different from mine. This does not necessarily mean they're wrong. 4. Don't convert people. 5. Scholarship is the backbone of my practice. However, if the scholarship is not used, it is useless. 6. Paganism is not just something to be done at the weekends, it's part of my life. 7. If you don't know the answer, either go away and think about it and then come back to the person who asked the question and answer them or tell them you don't know. What are your tenets? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.net/forum/index.php?topic=6571.0 [03] ========= ========= FLAMEKEEPING ========= PREJUDICE AND POSTJUDICE ========= 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/ ===== ===== Prejudice and Postjudice ===== There are a lot of questions about judging. About what are appropriate and inappropriate things to judge on, about what judgment even means. While I don't have cosmic answers, I do have some insights into the question. The biggest question that I see is the difference between pre- judging and judging based on actual information. Pre-judging involves things like skin color, sex, clothing, and other things. Of those, I think the only ones one has any right to judge on are those that are clearly chosen (like clothing) and even there one must be careful. While someone choosing to pick a certain clothing outlook may well want to be seen a certain way, that doesn't make that perception accurate. Judging based on actual information, however, is not only acceptable but necessary. We cannot simply claim to not judge and walk through life with our head in blinders. For one thing, it is a lie no matter how much we claim to value being non-judgmental. It is impossible to not judge as we go, to not evaluate the worth of the people around us and what we think of their choices, their actions. For another, it is actively harmful to ourselves and those we care for when we don't evaluate the people around us to make accurate decisions. So what do we do? We do our best to make certain our judgment criteria are worthwhile ones, that what we worry about are things that are meaningful instead of superficial. It's perfectly reasonable to worry about what people are doing around you and how that effects you. We judge if the person is someone we want to spend any time around, if this person is someone safe to associate with, if this is even someone we enjoy the company of. When we don't do this, we find ourselves spending a lot of time with people we don't like. Prejudice simply blinds ourselves to the possibilities that exist, and belittles people into superficial categories. True judgment frees us to treat people as they are instead of as generic groups. ===== ===== Questions: ===== * Why do we judge? When shouldn't we? * What do you think are appropriate things to judge on? * In what way do you want to be judged? What characteristics do you want people to see? What ones offend you when you're judged on them? [04] ========= ========= ARTICLE: HALLOWEEN: THE PAST IN THE PRESENT ========= By Elspeth Sapphire ========= The days are shortening and dark comes early. There is a certain crispness to the air as we stroll the streets. Before long, the leaves are turning bright colors, only to slowly drift down to cover yards and streets. Yes, autumn is here. And with autumn comes a holiday enjoyed by both old and young...Halloween. What is the appeal of this night? Why do we find people ranging from infants to grandparents donning costumes and for one night forgetting the mundane? Halloween, or Samhain to the Pagans, has caught the imagination of people throughout the ages. From the ancient rituals honoring the dead to our modern custom of trick or treating, this one night is our time to put aside any fear of the dark and embrace any that walk there as welcome. The ancients chose this time of year to celebrate the dead. The harvests were done and the fields laid empty. The days of sun were at a end and the days of dark were beginning. What better time to celebrate the powers of darkness. This was not a celebration of fear; not always has darkness equaled fear. Instead for those who believed in rebirth, it was a time to reach and touch those beliefs. Just as the fields now laid bare, they would flower again in the spring. And so it was with us, dying only to be reborn. Picture of a Jack-o-Lantern So many of our Halloween customs can be traced to the past and the habits of our ancestors. Each time I look at the jack-o- lanterns shining with devilish grins, I can picture the original lanterns. Turnips were hollowed out and candles placed inside to protect them from the wind. These lanterns were placed on window sills to guide the dead back to their kin. Since the apple harvest was celebrated at this same time, apples often played an important place in the festivals. When you bob for apples or dangle apples on strings, you are walking in the footsteps of other people and other times. Picture of Trick-or-Treaters What would Halloween be without costumes and masks? Yet, have many of us wondered why we so enjoying the wearing of costumes? Dressing up frees us from the ties of our everyday life. For a brief moment of time, we become a princess or an Indian or a cartoon character. This gives us a freedom of action that we normally wouldn't have. Masks have also long been associated with death and the gods. Was early man trying to understand death when he put on a mask of a dead one? Perhaps, donning a mask could put us in touch with the gods themselves. Picture of a Black Cat The black cat, familiar to many a storybook witch, was priced because cats could sense the dead. They could be used as a kind of early warning system. Why black cats? What better color for this time when the darkness rules? Every where I look, I come face to face with the stereotyped image of the witch. Wicked or not, they all looked alike: greenish skin, a wart, misshapened face, dressed all in black. In these days of striving for the politically correct, many are trying to remove this image from Halloween celebrations. I guess they don't see what I do. I look at the Halloween witches and remember pictures of the dark Goddess, dressed in black and with her high pointed hat. She would wait at the crossroads to guide the dead to their rest until the time of rebirth. Evil? I don't believe so, anymore than I believe death is evil. Instead it is one more symbol that has passed down through the years to spice October 31st. Just look around. We are surrounded by symbols of the past that we take for granted. The brooms the witches rode. The cauldrons that bubbled with potions vile. Even trick or treating could be traced back to Celts who went house to house collecting treats of apples. It has been truly said that there is nothing new under the sun. However, this doesn't have to hinder our enjoyment. On Halloween night, you can find me walking the night. Without fear, I will travel, listening to the laughter of the children, as I go back to another time and place. [05] ========= ========= 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. 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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.) [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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