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| Home > News Archive > Cauldron News Old: April 2005 | Search |
| Cauldron News Old: April 2005 |
| Money and Magic Posted Saturday, April 30, 2005 by Randall |
What does you religion feel about the relationship between money and magic (ritual/workings/whatever)?
On a lot of forums I lurk I've seen a similar conversation pop up - how terrible it is to charge money for a spell/working/ritual/whatever. How do you feel about it? How does your religion feel about you doing a spell/working/ritual/whatever to bring money to you (a prosperity, job, money spell sort of thing)?
And if those two ideas are in conflict (Can't sell a spell but can bring money for myself using a spell), how do you reconcile the two ideas?
| What is Fate? Posted Saturday, April 30, 2005 by Randall |
What do you believe about fate? How powerful is it? Are some things simply fated to happen and cannot be avoided no matter what one does? Is everything fated and one just thinks one is making choices? If fate something random or is it created/controlled by the Gods (or by Karma, etc.)? Do you believe there is any way to predict fate? Control fate?
What, if anything, does your religion teach about fate? How does your religion's teachings (if any) mesh with your own beliefs?
| Divination and You Posted Saturday, April 30, 2005 by Randall |
There are quite a few people in the forum who utilize some form of divination in their practice. Sometimes it's related to religious worship/practice and sometimes it isn't. Many Recon religions use divination though some forms of it are probably no longer utilized (thinking of entrail reading here).
How do you use divination? What type of divination do you use? Is it a part of your religous observations?
(Keep in mind that I'm a Greek Recon who's spiritual ancestors made full use of many different forms of divination. I, however, suck at most divination and don't practice it.)
| Coven Wicca or Solitary Wicca Posted Saturday, April 30, 2005 by Randall |
"Many Coven Witches will claim that there can be no such thing as a Solitary Witch. Ignore such ramblings! As I have already pointed out, the Solitary Witch is actually much older, and therefore more 'authentic', than the Coven Witch." -- Raymond Buckland "Wicca for One" page 80
My main questions spurred by this passage are:
How viable is Raymond Buckland as an author on this subject? What's a good counterexample to this book?
Do the Deities truly care? (This is the most important one for me.)
How do Coven influence your faith? How does being Solitary influence your faith?
Besides Wicca, what Pagan religions operate in a Coven?
| Vegetarians as Pariahs? Posted Thursday, April 28, 2005 by Randall |
I was just wondering if anyone here is a vegetarian or a vegan. I never realized how many reasons there are to not eat meat and milk. There is so much I didn't know about what I was putting in my body.I read some horrible things (cruelty and health-wise) and even watched a few short videos with my eyes half-closed and will never eat meat again.
I just decided to make the change and have found that while its not hard to be vegetarian for me because I never liked red meat (so I only have to give up chicken and fish). It is difficult to be a vegetarian socially.
My question is: do you ever feel kinda lonely or like everyone thinks your a big freak. People seem to think that just because I love animals and choose not to eat them, I think their rights are more important than human rights. Some take it almost personally when I tell them I can't eat meat. Like it's a "sin" or something (for lack of a better word).
Has anyone experienced this?
| "Bewitched" statue in Salem? Posted Thursday, April 28, 2005 by Randall |
TV Land is proposing to erect an 9' bronze statue of "Bewitch" (Elizabeth Montogomery) atop a broomstick in a center in Salem -- back in 1970 a couple of episodes were filmed there. (I was a toddler back then, but I remember the episode well.) A few people in Salem are upset over the statue, stating it is insensitive to what really happened in 1692. Not everyone is upset by the return of "Bewitched" to Salem (the self-proclaimed "Halloween Capital of the World"). Some in the city's Wiccan community say they welcome the tribute to one of America's best-loved witches. "Many of us love and adore the show; we grew up watching it," said Jerrie Hildebrand, 50, a graphic designer and practicing Wiccan. "But it has nothing to do with our religion. . . . I only wish I could twitch my nose and make my house clean." (There is an article appearing in today's Boston Globe by Kathy McCabe, Globe Staff)
Anyway, what does everyone thing about this?
| Karma: The Why and How? Posted Wednesday, April 27, 2005 by Randall |
I have a problem with the concept of 'Karma' and perhaps someone can help me clarify what they mean by it. After all, a lot of people refer to it.
There seems to be two kinds that people are referring to. One, is the Metaphysical Karma - ie: If you mess up in this life, you'll keep coming back until you get it right and reach Nirvana.
O.K. Now this implies (to me) some kind of meta-mechanism which is somehow observant of how a life is led. It implies (note I said implies) , a deistic genesis. Or perhaps simply a kind of cosmic 'clock-work' that started sometime, somewhere, to which we are all bound. Also, who is to say that coming back as an earthworm is a bad thing? Maybe it's a good thing. Maybe being human is on the lowest 'rung' of all. But for sure, it means that every life is being paid 'attention' to, in order to fix the next 'rung'.
What about the 'common' Karma that people speak of . First, it seems that it has 'gradations'. For instance, there is the 'rule of three' (just an example). Or people say 'Don't worry, their 'Karma' will catch up to them". What does this mean? Does this also imply an over-riding cosmic mechanism? And does it apply to everyone? This is important for this reason. If it is an over-riding cosmic mechanism, that means everybody is subject to it. So in a group of ten people, though maybe only one believes in in, all are subject to it. In which case, all the people that suffered with the Tsunami, or 9/11 or any such disaster, did something to bring it upon themselves, even new-born or yet to be born babes.
Or, does it only apply to some people? In which case, why? Why has the cosmos singled out just some people to be effected by this phenomena? The man who ran the Treblinka death camp went on to spend 20 more or less happy years in South America, raising his family and making good money before he was caught.Stalin (though it was found he had suffered from brain damage for a long time), just died one night at a not unreasonable old age. Why didn't 'Karma' get them? Or perhaps it is only effective if you believe in it. And the people whom they caused to suffer so horribly? Does the idea of individual Karma absolve those who order the fate of many, because the individuals are merely living out their 'Karmic destiny'?
And what about 'gradations' of Karma. Say you have had a nasty visitor. On their way out, you are staring at them and thinking " I hope your tires are slashed". Then you turn around to go in the door and you schuck yourself on the door frame. Lots of people say "Instant Karma"! Or maybe one's mind has been in the thrall of an emotive state and you just were not paying attention. This is another case perhaps for 'only if you believe in it'. And what decides the 'level' of bad Karma which will attach to them? Or good Karma. Some people who live perfectly blameless, kind and giving lives come to horrible ends, suffering unspeakable things until they die.
I sometimes wonder, because humans as a whole like a cohesive structure, a story with a middle, beginning and end that contain some kind of continuity of cause and effect, that the fact that sometimes there isn't any demonstrable 'reason' for happenings, serves to increase our feelings of powerlessness in what seems sometimes like a very arbitrary world.
Any thoughts?
| Deity Names for Children? Posted Monday, April 25, 2005 by Randall |
How do you feel about deity names when given to children? The main reason I bring this up is because one of my old instructors named his child 'Isis' (mainly because he's a master icecarver and wanted something with the word 'ice' in the name.) And while that may not seem terribly negative, I've also heard of people naming their children 'Loki.'
I mean, to me it makes me wonder if that person has gone off the deep end in purposely naming their child something like that. If nothing else it's going to effect, I think, the perception of the child. much like naming a child 'bubba' vs( of I dunno) Wiltmore. Kwim? I mean is the little girl going to have entitlement issues because she was named after a god? Is the little boy going to have issues with authority because he's named after Loki?
I'm wondering, also, if this is an American hangup - I know a lot of folk from Mexico named 'Jesus' <--rarely pronounced the same but still. And people don't have an issue with Micheal, Rapheal, etc?
I dunno - what do you think about it?
| Ending A Relationship With Deity? Posted Monday, April 25, 2005 by Randall |
Somewhat inspired by the "Oathbound" thread, and a bit related to this time of the year of for me -- do you think it is ever appropriate to end a devotional/worship relationship with a deity? Under what circumstances? And how it should be done?
As some of you may know (I think I mentioned it on TC several times), I have been involved with a Germanic recon group several years ago. I've left both the group and Germany since then. Also, my religious path changed completely. It doesn't include anything Germanic. Still, every year on Walpurgisnacht, I do something small for the (Germanic) goddess I used to work with.
In the oathbound thread, Paradox said that "better to ally yourself loosely than to break an oath later". I never took formal oath to that goddess. Never specifically promised anything. Still, I feel that I "owe" her something. Isn't the establishment of the relationship in itself a sort of a promise?
| Oathbound? Posted Sunday, April 24, 2005 by Randall |
I was just wondering if the people here who are within (or have been within) an 'oathbound' tradition or religion, can explain the function of the 'Oath' to their beliefs. Not articulating this well, sorry. I'm not asking details about 'oaths' but more, why have one?
| Can Mortals Put One Over the Gods? Posted Sunday, April 24, 2005 by Randall |
In some cultures there are tales in which at some stage Gods have been defeated in some way by mortals (even if they later get revenge for it). If I recall correctly there are a couple of tales in which Athena is bettered at weaving or playing the flute, and gets 'slightly' angry as a result, and there is a Norse myth which begins with Loki, Odin and Haenir are captured by Fishermen...
So, do you believe that the Gods can, in some ways, be bettered by mortals/ have their plans thwarted? What do you think these myths teach us about the Gods?
| Naming Witches Posted Friday, April 22, 2005 by Randall |
In your tradition, how long did you go before you chose a name? Did you pick it? Was it chosen for you?
Is a craft name one that you are called by with a group forevermore, or does it evolve? Do you have multiple names? If so how many?
Any particular reasons for the above? Secret names, passed on names?
Anything I missed thats important about names?
| Gardens Galore Posted Thursday, April 21, 2005 by Randall |
So it's that time of year for those of us in the Northern hemisphere: Time to get your gardens in order! (And for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, time to get them to sleep for winter!)
What are you doing with your garden this year? What are your big goals? Short- and long-term plans?
| Do Pagans Need Apologetics? Posted Wednesday, April 20, 2005 by Randall |
APOLOGETICS - from the Greek apologia, meaning literally "words in opposition," and in context "defense." Apologetics is that branch of theology which specializes in preparing or developing doctrinally appropriate responses to questions critical of a religion's beliefs or practices.
In my response to a message at another board, I noted that the person posting here in the Daughters of Frya thread did not seem all that prepared to respond to the questions put to her about the beliefs and practices of the DoF, and I then commented that apologetics are an area of theology that most pagans seem to have given little attention to.
Is this a real issue? DO pagans need to start thinking about this sort of thing?
| Wicca Fiction for Children and Teens? Posted Wednesday, April 20, 2005 by Randall |
I've been seeing a lot of children's and YA fiction with a Wiccan, or general Pagan slant, recently, and it intrigues me. Some of it isn't very good ($RW, the "Circle of Three" series), but I'm interested in it as a niche genre. Have you seen/read any of these books? What do you think of them?
I'm also interested in books that aren't really explicitly Pagan -- or rather, Neopagan -- but make use of popular narratives associated with Neopaganism. I'm thinking of, say, Lloyd Alexander's The Arkadians, a wonderful adventure built around storytelling, set in a kind of alternate-universe ancient Greece. There are many well-known myths in there, but in rather skewed forms -- the joke, and the idea, is that the hero, a would-be storyteller, takes the experiences he has and fashions them into what eventually become the well-known Greek myths. Overlaid with this is a narrative about a matriarchal, peace-loving Goddess-culture overrun by a misogynistic warrior group, which is/was a common claim of Neopagan history, at least until fairly recently. Has anyone read this? Or anything like it?
| Faith vs. Logic Posted Tuesday, April 19, 2005 by Randall |
A lot of people here get accused of not having enough faith, of trying to base everything in their religious lives off history or whatever.
Do you think that's true? Do we base things on faith as well as science and history, or are we simply not speaking of the faith-aspects of our religion?
And on a more personal level... What things do you take on faith? Do you take it on faith because it is impossible to prove, or is proof irrelevant in this instance? Would anything change your faith on these matters?
| Eschatology? Or Your Religon's End Times Posted Tuesday, April 19, 2005 by Randall |
What does your path teach about the end times, if anything? Do you see it as referring to the end of the world, or the end of your religion? For those of you who practice reconstructed religions, do you believe that the end did come and that a cycle has started anew?
| Sacrament of the Bees Posted Monday, April 18, 2005 by Randall |
If you have never worked with bees, you cannot imagine the sensation. First of all, even not in a hive--just a screened box as they come from the breeder, they smell so very good. I'm not sure how to describe it, this scent that is not really honey scent, but just inhaling makes me smile and every muscle in my body seems to hum with the bees themselves. And they are extremely beautiful, golden bodied and with glistening wings.
| Most Effective Curse You've Seen? Posted Monday, April 18, 2005 by Randall |
What was the most effective curse you've ever seen? Why do you believe that it worked so effectively (i.e. what went into the planning that made it work so well)?
| Reconstructionism and Animal Sacrifice Posted Monday, April 18, 2005 by Randall |
Reconstructionists in the United States (as far as I know) don't sacrifice animals in their worship despite it having been practiced in ancient times. The majority of this has to do with the society in which we live. We get meat from the grocery store. It's difficult, yet not impossible, to get rights to sacrifice animals in a religious context. If you live on a farm, then of course it would be easier to perform animal sacrifice.
I don't know of any reconstructionist who has received a request from a deity for an animal sacrifice. So I am guessing that the Gods are satisfied with the offerings (meat from the store etc) that we can get from the market. And it would also be difficult to reconstruct such rituals.
Following that, could the same thing be said for the Orisha, Lwa (insert pantheon here) from an indigenous or syncretic faith? Instead of sacrificing a goat for Oya, buy some from the store and offer it to Her as an example.
And I'm not saying animal sacrifice is evil or should never be practiced. In certain faiths it does have its place and purpose. What do you think?
| Tangible Reminders? Posted Sunday, April 17, 2005 by Randall |
Right now, I'm in the second part of a series of elemental attunements as part of work with my coven and my 2nd degree classes. We're spending 2 months working with each element, keeping specific promises made (the advice here is keep it simple. It's hard to do stuff every day. )
But one part of this is wearing a ritually charged and focused stone on our body at all times (in my case, I wear it as an anklet: stuff around my wrists drives me batty, and around my neck tangles at night.)
I'm finding it a really interesting thing to do (I've done something similar before, last summer, as part of a specific month-long exercise). I like having the specific physical reminder there, and I definitely feel different if I take it off briefly (like to check how it's holding up.)
So, I'm curious: has anyone else out there done this/do this as part of their practice? Do you recommend it to others? What kind of focus have you used it for? Any practical suggestions? (I'm mostly interested in stuff that's short term, rather than say, a dedicated tattoo. But I think both are applicable.)
| Three Faces? Why Not Four? Posted Sunday, April 17, 2005 by Randall |
I forever see the triple goddess linked with the moon...specifically the moon in its waxing, full and waning stages. What happened to the new or dark stage. I mean, if I'm an ancient and things are appearing in the sky, wouldn't I be concerned about why they disappear?
So, does anyone know why there's all this emphasis on the stages of the moon when it's visible? Why not when it's not there?
| Do Magick and Drug Use Mix? Posted Wednesday, April 13, 2005 by Randall |
I've heard from many different people that if you use cannabis or any other drugs, you've basically cut off any chance you had of performing successful magick.
It got me to thinking about your "body is a temple" and such, but for the life of me, I can't see how cannabis can actually prevent the flow of energy when it comes to magick. It is proven that use of cannabis can have adverse effects when it comes to depression, which is a nasty drain on energy.
So how do you all view this? Do you think that cannabis use can severely screw up your "chi" when it comes to performing magick or ritual work ...or is it all just a matter of personal ethics?
| What Questions Should A Religion Answer? Posted Tuesday, April 12, 2005 by Randall |
Do you believe that religion should answer certain questions? (Some that come to mind would be "why are we here", "what happens after we die", etc.) If so, what questions do you think it should answer?
Note: Not looking for the answers themselves here. Just the questions. We can discuss the answers in separate threads if you like.
| Could Magick Be Dangerous For Beginners? Posted Tuesday, April 12, 2005 by Randall |
Is there any inherent danger in using magick when you've first started out? Could anything terrible happen if you make a mistake? I tried a spell last week and I'm now seeing the results. As cool as it is that the spell actually seemed to work, it makes me a little bit nervous, like I'm playing with fire when I don't really have a thorough understanding of it or how to control it. On the other hand, if I never do any spells I'm never going to get any experience.
Are there any sort of safety precautions I could take? What sort of magicks would you recommend I stay away from until I have a better understanding of how magick works?
| I See Dead People... And Eat With Them Posted Monday, April 11, 2005 by Randall |
If you could invite anyone to a dinner, who would it be? I'd like to limit this to say five people and they need to be people who are no longer living. Also, why would you invite these people?
| Cities as Lifeforms? Posted Monday, April 11, 2005 by Randall |
I'm currently reading a book called Urban Primitives. There's a lot of stupid/useless/semi-dangerous stuff in this book... but there is one interesting idea at the very beginning of the book - cities/communities have spirits.
I guess, for me, this was something that I just took for granted and didn't really think about. A lot of people talk about their car having a personality, wants and desires... or they nicely talk to their computer and it never gives them issues. Boats have names, machines are often referred to by pronouns other then their description or brand name. And even when they are referred to solely by that brand name or description... well it can become an actual name with ramifications. Heck, my family downstate still talks about that 'contrary pup trailer'.
So I think it's not a far leap to start talking about cities being alive, having personalities. In another thread Chavi said that 'New Orleans eats people', heck I think Chicago is Authoritative and Chaotic...
What does everyone else think? Do they think that cities are perhaps another form of 'life', with streets for arteries and souls(or whatever)?
It seems like so many of the Pagan authors extol country living and getting close to nature as Pagan ideals... But do you think there is power also within a city? A different power perhaps, but Cities distort the country side around them - is that a form of power?
| Making a Book of Shadows? Posted Thursday, April 07, 2005 by Randall |
Since I am just learning about Paganism, Wicca, etc. I haven't bought any "tools" as of yet, I have decided to study and read a lot more before I practice any magick. I would, however, like to have a Book of Shadows to record in things that I have learned. I know this may sound silly, because of course it doesn't REALLY matter what the book looks like, but I would like a big, thick, leather book. You know, the dusty, yellow paged, old world style witch's cookbook kind of thing you see in movies and read about in fiction novels. I think it probably appeals to the kid in me.
Anyways, I was looking online and I found a couple that I like, but they cost somewhere in the ballpark of $300.00 each, so I was wondering if anyone knows how I can make my own or of a good book or website recommendation for me to check out.
| Candle Magick Conundrums? Posted Wednesday, April 06, 2005 by Randall |
I want to do a simple little ritual ... I've read up on it, I think it is something I can manage without wreaking havoc upon the free world -- but I have a conundrum: what kind of candle do I use?
Everything I've read says that it :
* should be a virgin candle -- check, I understand that.
* needs to be dressed -- OK, I think I get that, check
* should be a color representative of the ritual -- Right, check.
* ought to be either consumed or destroyed post ritual -- check, right-o
* can be any kind of candle I want -- NOT CHECK, dude - ANTI-Check
So, here's my problem. What kind of candle will last long enough for the ritual but not have so much left unburnt that I feel like a wax-schmuck for getting rid of it? How fast does a candle burn? What if it runs out before I'm done? Should it be unscented? (I mean, I'd hate to have conflicting scents running around in my ritual room.) Does it MEAN something significant if I have a candle in a particular shape? I mean, do I really WANT a cat shaped candle? Or a crescent shaped candle? Or a candle shaped like an upside-down Buddha with dragons on his feet? Where does one get little gold candles or little blue candles? Do I need to get a "ritual prosperity candle" or can I just use the lovely little green taper that we couldn't find at Christmas?
| Righteous Judgement? Posted Tuesday, April 05, 2005 by Randall |
A LOT of old religions have either a god or a whole passel of them dedicated to fixing the balance by smacking the crap out of wrongdoers. The Egyptians have Sekhmet, the Greeks .. well, they all take turns... and if I knew more about other religions, I'd probably be able to remember more examples.
So, what place does righteous judgement have in your religion? Is it the province of the gods, or are we sometimes called to smack the crap out of wrongdoers ourselves? How do you integrate this with the rest of your moral code?
| If Religions Disappear? Posted Tuesday, April 05, 2005 by Randall |
Here's an idea I was batting around with some friends. It is weird, but go with it, just a hypothetical that has been fun to play with:
We wake up tomorrow, and there's NO religion. Nada, zip, nothing'. No Christian Bible, no Talmud, no Koran, No sacred writings/scriptures of any kind. No archaeological evidence or any human memory of any religion either. Nothing.
How long would it take religion (of any type) to be created? What kinds of religion would be the first to surface?
Would Bob notice that every time he washed his car, it rained... so in drought situations a car-washing cult would come about? (We have gotten into a lot of cause and effect arguments)
So...any ideas?
| Visualization and Magic Posted Tuesday, April 05, 2005 by Randall |
I've recently been reading some non-magical books talk about visualization, and it got me thinking:
Do you use visualization in your magical practice? If you do, how do you visualize? Do you actually see what you're visualizing, like you would if your eyes were open? Or do you imagine/feel/etc. what you're visualizing? Do you think there's a difference between controlled daydreaming/imaginations and the visualization you use?
What techniques did you use, if any, to strengthen your visualization skills? (No need to explain in detail...I already have plenty of examples from books, lol.)
| An Era Ends: Pope John Paul II Dead At 84 Posted Saturday, April 02, 2005 by Randall |
AP (via Yahoo) reports: "John Paul II, who led the Roman Catholic Church for 26 years and helped topple communism in Europe while becoming the most-traveled pope, died Saturday night in his Vatican apartment after a long public struggle against debilitating illness. He was 84."
While John Paul II was very traditionalist in his interpretation of Catholic doctrine, he was a very popular Pope both among Catholics and non-Catholics. Many non-Catholics appreciated his apologies for wrongs the church had committed over the centuries. Share your memories and comments in this thread.