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| Home > News Archive > Cauldron News Old: August 2004 | Search |
| Cauldron News Old: August 2004 |
| Pentacle On Your Signature? Posted Tuesday, August 31, 2004 by Randall |
In Dream Magic by Sirona Knight, the author says "Many of those who practice the art and craft also use a magical symbol in cunjunction with their signature for protection and empowerment. I strongly recommend doing so."
But she isn't specific of the scope: does she mean just on spells, etc. or anything we sign? If it's anything I wanted to put a pentacle next to my name when I sign classwork and the roll stuff like that... but maybe I shouldn't when half the class are Christians. Or maybe I should pick a less obvious magickal symbol?
| Dealing with People Without Religion? Posted Tuesday, August 31, 2004 by Randall |
What about people who never give any religion any thought, and go on about their daily lives? They aren't atheist, monotheist, polytheist or anything like that, and they seem to do okay. For example a friend of mine, he just works and does his thing. He isn't religious at all. What do you think about this?
| The Olympics - Big Wake-Up? Posted Monday, August 30, 2004 by Randall |
I was just wondering how many of you watched the Olympics closing ceremony and wondered about the energies involved and whether a big ritual like that would do anything for the deities highlighted?
| A Brief Theological Biography? Posted Monday, August 30, 2004 by Randall |
I'd absolutely love to hear about your religious paths -- how you got there, why you stayed, what you believe and how you practice. You certainly don't have to answer all of those questions: any sort of information would be interesting. It needn't be long, either. Just a few notes, or as long as you want to write -- or not at all, of course!
| Pre and Post Inititation Posted Saturday, August 28, 2004 by Randall |
This is a question for those of you have been initiated into some kind of magical or spiritual system.
What did you feel like to the build-up of being initiated as in maybe a few days before? Did you have butterflies, apprehension, extreme eagerness to get it all over and done with etc?
When your initation was complete (and yes I know that completion is a term that is misleading in certain spiritual ways) did you feel great or disappointed? Or something else?
(I'm hoping most people understand what it is I'm asking - and no - not trying to extract oathbound information - not that anyone would ever give it out but I'm just interested in the emotional aspects and perhaps it would be good to reflect on "back then" to now and maybe it would help someone who is currently in the "waiting room".)
| Pagan Pride Posted Saturday, August 28, 2004 by Randall |
Do you go to Pagan Pride? Is there one near you? (http://paganpride.org/ will tell you, if you don't know.) Have you gone in the past? Is it something you get things out of?
In more general terms, whether or not you find them useful, do you think they're useful for other people? Who would you recommend it for? Do you think they're a good thing for the Pagan community in general?
I'll answer my own questions eventually, but I'll start with this - I got reminded I wanted to start this thread by getting the confirmation email for the class I'm teaching this year at the Twin Cities Pagan Pride Day (called "Better Pagan Research" which should give you an idea what it's about). It's my first class outside of teaching Seeker classes, and the first one I've had to prepare from scratch.
| Egyptian Deities - A Good Book Please? Posted Thursday, August 26, 2004 by Randall |
I am in real need of a good book which describes all the Egyptian deities (or at least most of them) and preferably with some spells/rituals in them to help me out.
And what exactly is the Book of the Dead? I've never been able to find a decent review of what is included in the book, so sorry if I sound naive but I know no better! If it's just about what the Egyptians believed happens to you in the afterlife then I'm not really that interested (as I already have a decent enough knowledge of that for now), but if it's more than that then I'd like to know exactly what is included in it.
| Symbols and Multiple Gods Posted Thursday, August 26, 2004 by Randall |
If you work with more than one God or Goddess and they are all connected to one particular symbol, would you/do you just have One representation of that symbol but use it for all, or do you have a seperate one for each? Would using just one for all be looked upon as disrespectful?
| How Do You Deal With Stress? Posted Tuesday, August 24, 2004 by Randall |
What do you all do about stress?
Yes, I know. Chammomile tea, quiet time, soft music, long baths, candlelight. I've got a lot of tricks up my sleeve mundanely. But is there anything magical you do to help give the mundane methods a little extra kick?
And as a side note... Is there anything you would do magickally for a friend or family member or SO who was super-stressed? I'm asking as much for Hubby as for myself here, I think. He's even worse than I am right now.
I'm not talking about a magical cure-all, of course. Just something to help ease the way a little. Any ideas?
| Offline Pagan Friends Posted Tuesday, August 24, 2004 by Randall |
For those of you who interact offline with Pagans, both solitaires and groups in your area, do you find that the quality of discussion and interaction is different than your online friends and aquaintances?
| How Long Since You Last Cast a Spell? Posted Monday, August 23, 2004 by Randall |
How long has it been since you last cast a magickal spell? (Note: Prayer does not count as magick for the purposes of this question.) Would you say this length of time is abnormally long or short for you?
| Giving Things Up For Faith Posted Monday, August 23, 2004 by Randall |
I suppose everyone here has had to give up something or other for their faith (not in the least, in most cases, money for books). Has there been anything that you've found particularly hard to give up? If so, how did you deal with that?
Also - is there a point where you would decide you have to give up too much, and what would you do then?
| Saint Joseph's Statues and Home Selling Posted Friday, August 20, 2004 by Randall |
Would you use a St. Joseph's statue to sell your home?
I think I probably wouldn't do it, because it passes the boundary of "eclectic folk magic" into "eclectic Christian folk magic" in my mind.
But, I've heard of all kinds of people of faith (or no faith) trying this. I've heard of at least one realtor whose home has an entire room devoted to St. Joseph statues used in her clients' home sales!
| Thor's Hammer Sighting On TV Posted Friday, August 20, 2004 by Randall |
I was watching "The First 48", it's a true crime show that focuses on the first two days of real murder investigations. The first two days (or the first 48 hours) are when a solid lead is most likely to occur and any case that does not have a solid lead occur within that time frame has a dramatically decreased chance of being solved.
I was watching one of the shows focusing on a case in Phoenix, when I noticed someone present was wearing a very large Thor's Hammer. He was never identified, so I didn't find out what he role was. He didn't look like a cop, he looked a bit like a tech and it was during an autopsy, so I wonder if he was a photographer or someone in training.
Anyway, thought I'd share. Anyone else have any sightings to report? Obviously, Fiona on "Mad Mad House" does't count.
| Your Gods. . . They Don't Exist! Posted Thursday, August 19, 2004 by Randall |
I was sitting here thinking about General Jerry Boykin and his statements about how his god was a real god and some of the other things he mentioned. That segued into a question for Randall and I decided I'd toss it out to our members...
How would you react if you found out your gods didn't exist? How would it change you? Feel free to do some guessing here on these and expand on them.
| Article Research (Looking for Volunteers) Posted Thursday, August 19, 2004 by Randall |
My kindred sister is working on an article exploring the relationships between male gods and their female dedicants, and is trying to gain as much perspective as she can for the writing of this article. With that in mind, I decided to hop over here and see if anyone here was interested in answering some questions for her?
The article idea has been proposed to NewWitch magazine, though knowing her what gets published is going to end up being ultra-condensed from how long the article turns out. (I suspect she's going to get more feedback than she realizes.) If you are willing to be quoted, let us know what name to use. If you would like to answer the questions and not be quoted, just let us know; that won't be a problem.
| If Jesus Ran For US President This Year Would He Win? Posted Tuesday, August 17, 2004 by Randall |
This poll is inspired by a opinion piece in this morning's Waco (Texas) newspaper. The author is pastor of Seventh and James Baptist Church in Waco. He argues that Jesus would be unelectable in the US, despite all the religious pundits proclaiming this to be a Christian nation. Read this short article and vote on whether you think Jesus could be elected President in the US today.
From the article: 'From the messages now filling the nation's television screens, it is clear that every candidate is certain that God is on his/her side. All this has led me to ponder how the world would respond to a member of God's family seeking a place on the ballot. Could Jesus win a national election in a nation so many like to identify as "Christian"?'
| Offerings Posted Tuesday, August 17, 2004 by Randall |
I would like to know what other people offer to their Gods and Goddesses. And what they do with the offerings after the essence of the object is consumed by the deity.
| A BOS for my Daughter: Suggestions Wanted Posted Monday, August 16, 2004 by Randall |
My daughter is turning 11 on the 29th and noticing it's also a full moon gave me an idea. I've decided I'm going to buy a nice notebook for her to use as her personal 'Book Of Shadows', although I might call it something else.
My plan is to include some basic stuff, as well as leaving plenty of blank pages for her to fill as she sees fit. I'm not entirely certain what to include, although I have a sort of general idea, and was hoping for suggestions.
One thing I would really like is a Full-Moon ritual that she can perform on her own. She's far more connected with the moon than I am, although I'm not sure if it's a strong connection or mainly because she's named Dianna. I rarely even pay much attention to when the full/new moons are, so I don't have a personal ritual I could adapt for her.
| Do Pagan Religions Need Better Organization and Rules? Posted Monday, August 16, 2004 by Randall |
Should Pagan Religions become better organized with better rules? I know there are quite a few pagan groups with stricter rules/beliefs. But what this questions is for is... What makes someone a Wiccan... An Asatru... etc. Right now 90% of the pagan faiths have comepletelly different deities, different names for items, different rituals, etc.
| Embracing Jesus and the Goddess? Posted Sunday, August 15, 2004 by Randall |
I found another book that I'm thinking to add to my library, however, I'd like opinions from others first, who may have read it or heard the reviews about it. The book is:
Embracing Jesus and the Goddess: A Radical Call for Spiritual Sanity by Carl McColman
| Opinions on Moura's Green Witchcraft Series? Posted Sunday, August 15, 2004 by Randall |
I found a whole bunch of books by Ann Moura. They were once recommended to me as good books. Has anyone here heard of the author or have any thoughts on these books?
| What is an "Earth-Centered Religion"? Posted Thursday, August 12, 2004 by Randall |
What is "earth centered religion" and what isn't? This has probably been addressed in the past, but I'm not sure I've ever seen a clear explanation. I have been hearing the term for years and am still confused.
| Seasonal Affective Disorder Posted Thursday, August 12, 2004 by Randall |
As you know I've been lurking around and generally butting in for
a month or so now. I haven't worked out where I fit and as a
result I'm reading up on everything from Gnostism to Wicca. I am feeling very drawn to earth based religions that follow the agricultural cycle. Which got me thinking, my mother has SAD and although I haven't been diagnosed I believe I also have it so at the moment I'm just at the end of my high; I get up early and go to bed late, I have energy to complete projects (although I'm starting to get more tired at the end of the day) that come midwinter I would look at cry and take a duvet day if I was asked to complete them.
So here's the question is there anybody here that follows an agricultural/earth based religion that feels the same way and/or suffers from SAD? I've formulated this screwy theory that, if re-incarnation is 'true'. Then we may well be naturally biased towards a certain faith (rather than up bringing) and that our psychology and/or health may well be affected by this!
| Festival Experiences Posted Wednesday, August 11, 2004 by Randall |
I've been reading all summer about friends going to Pagan festivals, then coming back and saying what a blast it was. I loved going to summer camp growing up, but I've never been to a Pagan festival -- my hubby and I are both college students, and it's hard to scrape up the cash for it, though we've tried I don't know how many times.
It also seems to me that (especially pre-Internet) festival-going is a huge part of "the Pagan experience" (Provided there is such a thing). I get most of my interaction with fellow Pagans online, so it seems more important to meet at least a few in real life.
However, some of the things I'm reading don't exactly inspire me to attend. I don't especially want to see dozens (hundreds?) of strangers naked, nor do I want to sleep with anyone I just met, or party till the wee hours. And I can wear my sarongs any day of the week, thanks.
So, my questions to all -- have you been to a Pagan festival? Was it fun, and worth the time and trouble to get there? Do you go to one (or several) every year? Would you recommend a particular festival? Has a horror story stopped you from attending when you used to, or wanted to? (Something else you want to add on the subject?)
| Reiki & Magic Posted Monday, August 09, 2004 by Randall |
I was reading a bit about reiki and how it can be used to heal people, not just people who are in the healer's immediate vicinity, but also at a distance wherever the person being healed may be (this is possible apparently if you're a more advanced reiki practitioner).
Which brought to mind the healing spells you might do as a Wiccan. It seems to me, though I may be wrong, to be based on a similar idea - ie raising your own energy and then directing it outside your body in order to heal someone else. However in reiki that energy is known as "ki".
So my question is this: has anyone here practiced reiki and also healing spells? What are the similarities/differences? Have you ever mixed Eastern healing practices (such as reiki) into a Wiccan (etc) healing ritual - and with what results? Or have you found one of these types of healing to be more effective than the other?
| Reincarnation - What Would You Be? Posted Monday, August 09, 2004 by Randall |
I was wondering this yesterday. If reincarnation is what happens when you die (and yes, that's a big "if" for me!), what would I like to come back as?
I think I'd love to come back as a leopard as I feel a great affinity towards them. However I also thought coming back as a dolphin would be nice as they're happy, sociable and co-operative - something I greatly admire.
So, what animal would you choose to come back as and why? Also, if you do believe in reincarnation, do you feel a duty towards protecting animals because you may one day return as one?
| Online Wizard School Posted Sunday, August 08, 2004 by Randall |
I can't believe nobody's brought up the Grey School of Wizardry here yet. (I suppose it's new-ish.)
I'm waiting to hear back about some details like "how will these courses actually be taught--email, discussion forum, or what?" and "how will non-written work be checked" and "what kind of standards are being used--how much time & effort are the kids supposed to put into these courses?"
In the meantime, the CAW and Zell/Ravenheart political debates are exploding all over livejournal.
I have the book. It's, umm, interesting. Packed with info, and full of annoying references to fiction, and occasional jaunts into Oberon's particular view of the universe (Wizards are "good guys," sorcerers are "bad guys), but overall a nice reference book.
| When Friends Need Energy Help Posted Sunday, August 08, 2004 by Randall |
Today a friend asked me for help of a witchy nature. He said his energy was off-kilter, he felt like his energy was out of his body by a few feet, and he wanted my help with fixing that.
What do you do when someone asks you for assistance like this? I'm not just looking for would you/wouldn't you help here, but also what (if any) steps you would actually take toward resolving the situation.
My experience and knowledge concerning how to do this sort of thing for someone else being nil, and being a little fuzzy on how to even do it for myself, I had to regretfully tell him that I couldn't help him. I don't see any reason beyond my own lack of skill not to do something about the situation, but I unfortunately just didn't know what to do. I think maybe someone else was able to help, but I still feel kind of bad...
I don't know why it's bothering me so much, either. He did seem OK when I saw him again later, and not upset with me for not helping him or anything, so I shouldn't be so worried about it. I guess I kind of feel like I ought to have been able to help him somehow... Like I'm missing some sort of basic skill or something.
| Indigenous Spirituality Questions Posted Saturday, August 07, 2004 by Randall |
From reading these forums it looks like some of you live in countries where white Europeans have appeared relatively recently (in a historical sense), but maybe you've investigated the indigenous religion of the country where you live. What are your experiences with these indigenous spiritual traditions? Particularly Australian Aboriginal, but also others e.g. native American. In other words:
* If your original family background is white / European, have you actually had dealings with people from the indigenous culture in question when investigating their spiritual path? Or have you learned things mainly second-hand (through books / internet etc)?
* Have politics ever come into the equation (for instance issues regarding the original inhabitants of a country versus the white "colonists")?
* If you are involved with an indigenous religion as well as a European-based form of Paganism, how do the two mix for you?
| Talking to Gods? Posted Saturday, August 07, 2004 by Randall |
"Talking" to Gods and spirits - I know a lot of people do, including me occasionally.
How do you suppose this works? And why can't they communicate information like, for instance, if you asked a Greek Deity to tell you the Greek word for something? Things like that don't happen often.
My own opinion is that it's not a voice your hearing, just some kind of energy your brain is making sense off, and definite information can't be communicated that way.
| Coming Out of the Broom Closet Posted Thursday, August 05, 2004 by Randall |
I've noticed that people often have very strong opinions about the idea of being in--or out of--the broom closet. I think that the most vocal group is often made up of those who feel that everyone should be out, that it would be better for the community as well as for individuals, but I also think there are just as many who feel strongly about people having the right to be closeted if they need to be.
What do you think? Do the benefits of coming out outweigh the risks and the losses? Are there some circumstances in which it is better to be secretive? Or is it just better for all Pagans to remain closeted regardless?
| Golden Rule in All Religions? Posted Thursday, August 05, 2004 by Randall |
A comment that I run into often is that every religion has its version of the Golden Rule. I hear this from Pagans and non-Pagans alike. But is it really true? Certainly there are some religions that have a similar aphorism (Buddhism comes to mind). So, is it true for your religion or not?
| Purpose of Prayer? Posted Wednesday, August 04, 2004 by Randall |
What is the purpose of prayer in your religion? In your personal practice?
Do you pray? if so, are they set prayers (like the Hail Mary and other prayers by rote) or do you make them up as you go along? How often?
What/who are you praying to?
| Malkuth Posted Wednesday, August 04, 2004 by Randall |
Is this a state of mind or a place?
If the latter what does it look like? Is this determined by the visitor?
How can you persuade Sandolphan to admit you?
| Angels Posted Tuesday, August 03, 2004 by Randall |
I was looking through Ted Andrew's Animalspeak book for the meanings of Butterfly and he wrote that the colors of yellow and black together were symbols of the archangel Ariel.
This got me wondering about other color combinations and angels, especially blue and black together. Unfortunately what I'm finding on the Internet, so far, has not answered my question.
Does anyone, here, know of some good sites for learning more about angels, or could recommend a book or two, written by authors who Know what they're talking about?
| 50th Issue of Cauldron and Candle Available Posted Tuesday, August 03, 2004 by Randall |
The August 2004 issue of our Cauldron and Candle newsletter -- our 50th issue -- has been emailed to subscribers (over 1500 of them) and is now available on our web site. This issue features the usual forum news and reviews as well as a number of interesting articles.
If you don't subscribe to our free monthly newsletter, you can read the archive copy of this issue at the link below.
| Out of the Closet? Posted Monday, August 02, 2004 by Randall |
How "out of the closet" are you about your religion?
| Structured vs Unstructured Religions? Posted Monday, August 02, 2004 by Randall |
In another thread, someone mentioned that they thought a particular religion was too structured (based on its web page). I've never understood exactly what makes a religion structured, let alone why so many Pagans seem to also automatically see "structure" as bad. Personally, I can't see how one can have a religious group of more than two or three people without having some type of real structure to the group. Am I using "structure" in a different way than the anti-structure Pagans or is it that my world view is just very different than theirs?
Help me out here: just what do you mean my structure and why do you think it is bad -- or good or neutral, for that matter?