Leisha's Posts - RealPagan- Paganism for the Real World

Pagan/Witch/Heathen Community Needs assessment

2012-01-24T22:18:15.000Z

Hi Folks,

Family of mine is working on a project for needs assessment within the Pagan/Witch/Heathen/etc. communities and could use your help:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/pagancommunitysurvey

The survey will take about 15 minutes and is open to U.S. residents ages 18 and up.

Thank you so much as a personal favor to me for everyone who completes this survey. :)

Pagan riffs on "The Lord's Prayer"

2011-12-27T13:30:55.000Z

Here's another one found in one of my notebooks that doesn't seem to have a life on the Internet at present.

This one is attributed to "Eilyan, 1995" and appears to be done in the style of the Christian "Lord's Prayer."
High and Holy Lady
Which art the Cosmos
Hallowed be Thy Names!

Thy Will be done
Throughout the
Astrals, the
Earth, and the
Underworld

Illuminate us this day with the Holy Grail

And bless our intentions as
We bless the intentions of others

Let us not stray from the narrow path to
Thy Holy City,
Sarras
And deliver us from all maleficence

For Thine is the Cosmos,
The Power,
And the Glory
Now and Forever.

And As I Will, So Mote It Be.

---------------------------

And this is another variant from 1994, written by Connia Silver

Our Mother,
Whose Essence lies in all,
Thy wisdom come
That our will be done
In accordance with Your Divine Plan.
Give us this day the ability to co-create
For the good of all with harm to none.
And bless us with compassion
for those we do not understand,
As well as those who do not understand us.
Illuminate Thy path of Truth before us,
And awaken us from our own illusions.
For Thou are the Universe,
Love and Spirit within.
So be it! Blessed be.

Sacred Steps

2011-12-27T13:19:41.000Z

Looking at which notebook this is in, I probably found this on a BBS back around 1993 or so. I don't know the author of it, and haven't had any luck finding a copy of it online. I am sharing it here so it won't be lost to time, even though it isn't something that resonates with me these days.

Sacred Steps

Energy-air,
Air-energy
Swirling, tumbling wild

Body-aware
Aware-body
Trembling, awake, quick

The sacred web
In me, of me
Me in it, of it
Immanent

Forest of the Sacred
Self-aware, self-aware
Me of it and it of me
'til "it" and "me" are meshed
as one.

Hesitant, shaky steps
A newborn in a new world
Rhythms tug at my heart
Drawing me through the world.

Gathering strength, purpose
My feet trace out a sacred path
A sacred path that's right
A sacred path that's Rite

Earth mother
Hear my prayer.

Tending of the Witchflame

2011-12-22T19:35:01.000Z

This is something i wrote....sometime. Probably wrote it back in '06 or so, but just found it while cleaning out that big bin of misc. papers. Figured it would be a good Yule gift for you all. Enjoy!

From the land on which I walk

To the sky where spirit soars

Through the waters of life I call

I, of the witchflame, give my word.

Let my voice blend truth and love

Let my deeds be guided above

From my ancestors wisdom bring

Strength and joy to every thing.

Land and flame, wind and sea

A life of honor mine ever be

Balaced with karma, grace to impart

Let malice be banished from my heart.

Lord and Lady, my prayer given free

Tend well this witchflame, so mote it be.

Why I believe in "Witch DNA"

2011-12-21T18:34:11.000Z

Witch blood, hereditary witch, natural witch, witch DNA. Regardless of what you call it, the topic can raise the hackles of newcomers and oldsters alike. More often than not, profession of a belief that some people are born into witchcraft inclination is seen as the mark of fluff. As a person who, ideally, has a reputation for being pretty fluff-free, I'd like to come out and make a rather bold statement.

I believe in "Witch DNA".

Because that statement is likely to cause some raised eyebrows, I think it needs some explanation.

First, I do not believe that there is a single "witch gene" that if one has, one is automatically a witch and if one lacks it, one can never be a witch. First and foremost, witchcraft is a developed skill. It needs work. If one does not have the "witch gene", he or she still can have a fulfilling life as a witch through dedicated study and practice. Likewise, if one does have the "witch gene", but chooses to avoid the "witchy arts", that person will not be a witch by merit of DNA alone.

Second, having the "witch gene" does not mean that it will express itself within witchcraft exclusively. I have met people who I believe possess the "witch gene" who are devout Christians, serving Jesus through mediated words of knowledge and healing touch. I have met atheists who, through their psychic ability, have a firm pulse on the future. The "witch gene" in no way determines one's chosen spiritual path.

Third, "witch gene" is a bit of a misnomer--it is a set of traits that are likely encoded on different genes. But just as certain genetic traits crop up together many times within an individual, the "witch gene" would refer to a case when many of these "witchy" traits crop up within an individual.

Fourth, the "witch gene", in my view, is likely both a recessive set of traits and traits that must be triggered through environmental stimuli to become active (akin to certain diseases, although I would not instantly classify witch-ness as a disease). The recessivity explains why it may seem to skip around within families. The triggering event can be anything from a traumatic experience that brings about some sort of awakening of spirit to the energetic passing of power that occurs at initiations.

With these disclaimers firmly in place, what does the whole "witch DNA" thing mean?

For people who possess the "witch gene", it has been my experience that these people are more likely to be drawn to certain forms of spiritual work in line with their genetic predisposition, just like a person with an "artistic gene" is more likely to have the urge to perform works of art. Like any other genetic compulsion, if one wants to avoid expression of that compulsion, it takes a lot of work. It is no shock then that those people who have that genetic compulsion of witchcraft often feel that they "have no choice" but to pursue some form of expression of that "witch gene".

Like a predisposition for skills (for instance, athletic ability), a person with the witch gene may find it easier to tap certain traits than a person without it, just as a person with athletic ability may find it easier to to become an athlete than those without it. On the other hand, a person may be challenged in finding balance because of the overwhelming nature of that drive.

And like any other aspect of genetics, without accurate testing, there's no way to tell who carries the gene and who doesn't. Currently, the human genome project hasn't located a "witch gene", but it does seem to be something that can be "tested" for, at least in traditional witchcraft paths. Many times, someone seems to have the "it"--a certain something that seems to signal a person who is really called to a Craft path. This doesn't mean that all initiates of traditional Craft has this "it". Some people develop it over time (a latent gene being triggered). Some people never have it. All are equal within the circle, whether they start out with "it" or not. (From my perspective, initiation can also be a "mutation-like" event...perhaps the divine changes a person's DNA on some level to give them this "it"? Who knows, and ultimately it doesn't matter in my view.)

My daughter was the ritual product of a working of two witches. Does this mean she carries "witch DNA"? Who knows.... it usually doesn't show up in any recognizable form until after puberty. It is possible that she got the dominant non-witch genes instead of both recessives. On the other hand, "witch traits" are pretty common on both sides of our families, even though (to the best of our knowledge) we're the first witches in our respective family trees.

So now my questions to the larger group...what are your thoughts on this? If we're products of our DNA code, combined with attributes that come about through nurture, why would it be out of the question that "witch-ness" is a DNA-coded trait? Also, what sort of skills, talents, and abilities are coded through this "witch gene", if you believe in it? I've got a list...but I want to see what other people come up with.

Korvidae Kalends by Dawn

2011-11-29T01:37:25.000Z

Here's one of those things that I've found in my purging of papers. I have no other information about where I got it from or who wrote it, other than it was written by "Dawn". I've preserved the capitalization and spelling from the way I wrote it down:

January did bring to me

a Key to Unlock the Mystery.

February’s Gales did Bring,

Lore and Learning on the Winds.

March came with other Needs,

rising up with Oestre’s seeds.

April Rainers brought more than Water

Mother’s Childe, I, her Daughter.

Come Merry May and Morris Men,

the Dance leads back to Whence Began.

In June was felt the Eternal Hour,

all Betwixt the Golden Flowers.

July brought Dame Aletheia,

Her Truth, For all Eternity.

August, Month Noir, Ah Quite Bleak,

Was I so Sure for What I did Seek?

September, All Wrongs were Righted

Rest and Peace ere were Sighted.

October Gales brought Spirits Old,

Friends, Lovers crossed Thresholds.

November’s Leaves Spun to the Earth,

leaving Fallen sorrow in their Dearth.

Riddle Me This during Misrule’s Nights,

What Journeys take to Raven’s Flight?

Why I don't write poetry...one of my poems

2011-10-24T02:03:21.000Z

Another ol' writing of mine, this time from 2007 when I was doing some work with the elements leading up to initiation. It's not good--I'll admit that--but since someone asked a while back what my beef with poetry was, it's that most of it sounds like this to my mind. :P

I need to be consumed by
Freedom
once again.

To drive down this familiar road as fast as I can,
So fast that the car that confines me
Cannot itself keep up with me.

To run beyond speed
So that the energies of nature
Struggle to keep up with my pace.

And in that moment of impossible speed,
To fling myself from a cliff of incredible height
Knowing that the Air itself will hold me aloft
With the Mysteries of billions of thoughtforms
Ideas made manifest, and those yet to become

Flying down from the heights
Immersed into a velvet robe of Water
The depths of droplets.
Each droplet a tear of sadness or of joy
Water that sustains life, or destroys it.
And to be able to journey down into the deeps
Where even light cannot exist without a Guardian.
Never needing to breathe, for air is of another world.

Until, at the deepest of depths, there is Earth
And still I go deeper
Merging through layers of history
Placed neatly in order for all to see
Each layer more dense than the last
Each shifting of history growing closer to the core

Until finally the earth itself gives way
To the majesty of Fire
The Star at the center of all.

To be consumed by that once again
And as the fire takes all
Transforming and transfiguring
And as I am thrust back up through the realms
Searing through the earth
Scorching through the water
Blazing through the air

Until all that is left is that essence of the flame from the deep
Transformed again into ashes
Knowing that in those ashes lies the breath of all creation
And I, like a Phoenix, shall be reborn.

A Few Thoughts on Shadows

2011-10-17T12:31:59.000Z

Wrote this back in 2006. Enjoy!

A few thoughts on shadows:

1. Everyone has a shadow, because there is no way for us to exist in total darkness.

2. Spiritual people, because they work closer to the light, often have stronger shadows. This is how the balance is kept.

3. People who claim to embrace the darkness fully, do so many times because they are afraid of what shadow they would cast. By keeping themselves close to darkness, they feel they are able to hide from their shadow. They cannot, because the shadow is part of them, and humans cannot exist in total darkness.

4. Conversely, there are people who wish to embrace the light fully so they do not have a shadow. They do this by becoming "transparent people." The light passes through them, but they do not feel there is anything there to cast a shadow. When they try to be transparent, the light will pass through them...and it will not touch them, for to touch them also means that there will be a shadow.

5. Shadows reflect that which is there. If we are unable to see what we need to see of ourselves through light or reflection, our shadows will provide us with the information we seek.

6. Shadows, like light, tend to blend together when they are close to others of their kind. Be cautious that you are examining your own shadow and not the shadows of others around you who touch yours.

7. Your shadow is most clear when you are put up against a wall. Thus, in times of great strife, our shadows may seem much clearer than at other times. This allows us to have clear sight of our shadow, to know our shadow, and to work with it better than if we examined it from afar.

Have all the good rituals been done?

2011-07-08T12:40:35.000Z

Within various systems of philosophy, the question comes up at some point as to whether all the _______ have been done. Have all the original songs been written? Have all the thoughts been thought? Have all the original books been written? Have all the original movies been made?

This morning, I got an e-mail about a local eclectic coven's newest offering.... Saturday services. The gist of it is a service where people get together for "a silent contemplation, readings from Wiccan liturgical and modern texts, and an energetic prayer circle."

They're not the first group I've seen out there who feels that there needs to be some sort of counterpart to Christian or Jewish worship services (Rev. Kendra, anyone?). I doubt they'll be the last to try either. And certainly, if that's what their members need, more power to them.

In a discussion with some other folks lately about what services are needed to be provided by a coven, I pointed out the two things that are a must-have for me: communication and good ritual. Communication seems to be a universal stumbling block for most organizations--Craft or not--however this is something that can be taught and learned if members are willing to make the commitment.

That just leaves good ritual. The *theory* and some of the skills behind good ritual can be taught, however I've seen people with exemplary training in good ritual who fail to lead a good ritual. I've also seen people who have an awesome track record in ritual have an off night. On the flipside, I've also seen people who are bad at ritual sometimes have an amazing one.

I've seen a trend that when a ritual has been really awesome, I've been instructed to take very detailed notes so that the ritual can be duplicated in the future. In my view, once a good ritual has been done, it is a huge challenge to replicate the experience again just by following the same steps. One challenge I've heard from some group leaders about sabbat rites is that if you have a liturgical system that says X, Y, and Z occur in the rites for the ABC sabbat, it's hard to keep your participants on the energetic edge of their seats as much as you can the first time.

It's also an issue that I've heard brought up by elders in the Craft... the "oh this ritual again" mindset. At most large festivals I've been to, unless they need to be there for political reasons, elders are the first people to try and avoid the "standard rituals" that they've seen over and over and over again. And those that attend seem to come out of the ritual less enthused and less fulfilled than someone who is attending the ritual for the first time.

So in some respects, the solution would be to only do one-off rituals. But can that level of creativity be achieved month after month, year after year, with consistently good results? Are there only so many themes that can be employed for rituals, and at a certain point, it's all about variations on a theme?

Another elder I know describes ritual practice as a form of energetic drug use. When you are starting out, even a really cheap and cheesy, poor energetic ritual can be enough to give you that "ritual buzz". The longer you are within the Craft, the larger amount and better the quality of the "ritual drug" that you need to achieve that initial buzz. It is that elder's opinion why people start out eclectic and then progress to traditional Craft... better buzz potential. It's the way the gods get us hooked into making bigger commitments. And although I am not necessarily comfortable with the idea that the gods are just divine drug pushers, I've not found any compelling disagreements to the sentiment behind that analogy. I've seen people who, in pursuit of good ritual buzz, go through all the signs and symptoms of a junkie looking for the next fix. They'll put themselves into financial poverty to buy the next ritual thing, attend the latest workshop, or get a book that will give them....something. They'll fill their schedule with so many rites and rituals that they neglect their friends and family. I can't tell you how many Craft people I know who spend all of their vacation time on pagan festivals such that they can't go on a real vacation, for instance. When they go through a drought without good ritual, they go into depression and classic withdrawal symptoms.

At my stage and situation in my practices, I still have the blessing to be able to attend really good ritual decently often. On the other hand, I look at descriptions like the one above, as well as so many other rites out there these days, and wonder if there's a limited pool of "good ritual" out there, and as time goes by, the amount of good ritual will be diluted to the point where people and places who try to do good ritual consistently will be drown out by the mediocre.

Any thoughts?

Not the same, but that's okay

2011-01-20T14:19:28.000Z

A few years back, I had a conversation with a self-proclaimed high priestess of a newly formed eclectic ritual group. At the time I was editing a book for her of her practices, and had made some comments in the chapter where she outlined her sabbat rituals that the rituals were all very cookie cutter and that she could probably save some pages by just writing out one sabbat ritual and then have the filler text on another page, or (preferably from the standpoint of her students) she could come up with something a little more in-depth that was specialized for the sabbat. (Each of her sabbat group rituals she outlined would last about 10 minutes if the people read really really slowly.)

Becoming defensive, she had three excuses for why the rituals were so lackluster in her book:

1. What is in the book is just a sample that someone with no experience could do, so it has to be simple because a newbie isn't going to be able to follow complex directions.

2. What is in the book isn't what we actually do in the group setting--the group setting rituals are much more involved and complex.

3. All witches and Wiccans out there do the "same stuff" so there's no way that anyone could be critical of these cookie cutter rituals.

For point 1, I felt that she wasn't giving newcomers enough credit. In my view, newcomer doesn't equal stupid. She's eased up a little bit on that over the years from what I've heard, but she still takes the assumption that her students (at least in her online school) are stupid until they can be taught her wisdom.

For point 2, I attended one of her group rituals done for the community, and I think she was mistaken--it wasn't more involved nor more complex. It was very much the cookie cutter ritual style in her book, just with more awkward pauses and fumbled lines.

But the main purpose of this blog is to address point 3: Do we all do the same stuff?

First, I think we need to address who we mean by "we". In her view, all witches, Wiccans, pagans, and even those of loose Judeo-Christian faiths that she allows under her banner are all a homogenized group. Certainly this doesn't hold true from my experiences, and I think a quick look around RP would give some indication that we are very different people. At a minimum, we have people who are solitary only compared with people who are group ritual only compared with people who are coven/other ritual group member participants (which means a combination of solitary and group practices). Some are more eclectic in nature, and some are more traditional--and then when we get into the idea of traditional, we come from myriad traditions.

Once we realize that we as practitioners are not the same, it becomes very clear that the stuff we do probably is not universal throughout. There is often a desire to make broad generalizations under the cause of "pagan unity" that we all have things in common. But when we get down to the nuts and bolts of it, what we have in common is so broad that it also includes people with whom we would not try to include in our umbrella classification.

I think part of the challenge comes about in that we attempt to have a shared language, but then we use the terms differently. Terms like Wicca, drawing down the moon/sun, esbat, sabbat, Great Rite, initiation, dedication, and so on have very different meanings depending on who is using them. When I hear certain words used, I hear them in my language--the language of a traditionalist witch. If the person using them is not a traditionalist witch, they may be saying something very different. It is akin to the linguistic differences between British English and American English. There's enough words in common that communication is possible, but the differences are significant enough that profound confusion can occur over certain key words. (A good example from my days in linguistics class, burning a faggot in the U.K. has a very different meaning than burning a faggot in the U.S.)

We don't do the same things. We don't do them for the same reasons. We don't have a shared language. We don't have common theology, lore, or mythology. So why is there such a push to believe that we are all the same at the core?

Because, as humans, fear is a profound motivator. Specifically, many of us fear being alone or abandoned. Coded deep within our primal DNA, we knew that the lone human was more likely to be killed by the dangers of the world than those that banded together. Thousands of years later, we fear being picked off by modern society, and so we feel we must band together or die.

But does this subjugation to fear do more harm than good? With the embrace of a "we're all in this together" mentality, do we risk a level of homogenization such that the things we do different will be purified away? What I do isn't the same as what you do, and that's okay. We need to empower each other's differences, not emphasize similarities that become so diluted that they are meaningless. (Yes, most witches have two arms and two legs. That doesn't mean bumpkus in terms of who we are and what we do.)

One compromise that would be useful is the establishment of a common language or, if that is impossible, find some way to create a pidgin such that we can communicate with one another in an effective way. Can this be done? I have no idea. I'm not sure if anyone but me wants something like that to occur. I just know that what I do is not what the rest of you all do, and that is not only okay....

...it's blessed.

My Life Card

2011-01-12T22:36:52.000Z

As a personal exercise, I have spent years condensing down what I believe....with the idea that if you can condense down what you believe, everything you do should be a reflection of one or more of the principles that you live your life by.

Since I'm not the video blogging kind, here's what's on my card....this is what I live my life by:

The 10 Disney Management Principles

1. Make everyone's dreams come true.

2. You better believe it.

3. Never a customer, always a guest.

4. All for one and one for all.

5. Share the spotlight.

6. Dare to dare.

7. Practice, practice, practice.

8. Make your elephant fly.

9. Capture the magic with storyboards.

10. Give details top billing.

The Three Principles

1. Serve the divine and all of creation through active participation in sacred work.

2. Honor and commune with the ancestors: past, present, and future.

3. Live life by a strict ethical code embodied by personal responsibility and ensouled by the tenets.

Solon's Laws

1. Trust in good character more than promises.

2. Do not speak falsely

3. Do good things.

4. Do not be hasty in making friends, but do not abandon them once made.

5. Learn to obey before you command.

6. When giving advice, do not recommend what is most pleasing, but what is most useful.

7. Make reason your supreme commander.

8. Do not associate with people who do bad things.

9. Honor the gods.

10. Have regards for your parents.

The Credo

Dream, Believe, Dare, Do

The Four C's

Curiosity, Courage, Confidence, Constancy

The Tenets

Learning, Tolerance, Harmony, Humility, Trust, Balance, *

Why are some bloggers on this site cowardly?

2010-12-15T21:36:28.000Z

To me, being a witch means that one lives a life of personal responsibility and personal accountability. This includes for our actions AND our words. If you write something, but then either don't allow for comments to be posted or feel the need to moderate comments, it is because you are afraid of what people might say. To me, this shows cowardice and goes contrary to the ideas of personal responsibility and personal accountability.

If you feel strongly enough about something to blog about it, then be brave enough to stand by your convictions publicly, even if you think people might disagree with you. Witches shouldn't be cowards.

Psychic Larvae and Psychic Vampirism

2010-11-24T18:57:13.000Z

Many people of the internet world have heard stories of so-called psychic vampires, willingly or unwillingly feeding off the energy of those around them. Although it is easy to dismiss these claims as the ravings of deluded attention seekers, there is some validity to claims that people can drain one’s energy, albeit not in a supernatural way. In my view, there are three classifications for psychic vampires.

The first category is people who are attention seekers and want to brag to everyone they know that they’re psychic vampires. Some may talk about how proud they are of it and others may talk about how it is a curse that they live with. In general, these attention seekers can usually be identified because they regale anyone who will listen with tales of their exploits, and more often than not they also claim various forms of supernatural abilities. They usually are under age 30, and may also have an obsession or extreme interest in vampire folklore (more akin to Twilight and Interview with the Vampire than older vampire folklore), as well as other supernatural interests. The only way they are actually able to take energy off of people is when people willingly give them the one thing they seek—attention. By ignoring them, they become quickly impotent.

The second category that I classify as psychic vampires is people who prey on or engage in codependent relationships. Codependency, sometimes identified with inverted narcissism or Dependent Personality Disorder, is one form of an abusive relationship. More often than not, partners of self-described psychic vampires fall into the characteristics of codependence. In addition, when a self-described psychic vampire claims to be unable to feed, his or her personality also shifts wildly to exhibit large numbers of codependent traits. A list of the warning signs of codependency can be found here:

http://www.coda.org/tools4recovery/patterns-new.htm

The best resolution for these conditions is evaluation by a trained psychologist or therapist or, in the case of the psychic vampire “victim”, removal from the relationship and severing of contact.

In my view, there is a third category that does have some metaphysical merit, and that is the issue of psychic larvae. Although it is commonly accepted in many circles that it is often necessary to cleanse one’s self of negative energy, explanations of why and how “negative energy” attaches itself to someone are not as forthcoming. If we believe that there are creatures that exist outside of the purely physical realm, then it would stand to reason that there is as much variety (if not more) of nonphysical beings as there are physical beings. One category of these beings is sometimes referred to as psychic larvae. Think of them as energetic bed bugs that stick onto a person and feed off of their auric energy.

All people can have them attached to their body, and like bed bugs, unless you see them, you likely won’t feel them there. Too many of them, however, and you’ll start to notice a decrease in
energy.

Just like some people are more attractive to mosquitoes than others in the physical world, I believe that some people are more attractive to psychic larvae than others. In addition to some people just seemingly more “tasty” than others, certain activities and behaviors can increase one’s attractiveness to psychic larvae. Examples of activities and behaviors that promote attraction of psychic larvae include:

Substance use or abuse (alcohol, tobacco, drugs)
Mental illness or instability
Emotional turmoil or trauma
Work in fields, such as emergency rescue or medicine, that puts a person in
contact with the dead or dying (as once a human dies, the psychic larvae
will need to connect to a living host)
Practice of witchcraft, energy work, or psychic work
Living in or visiting places with energetic instabilities (for instance, a place
where someone has been killed) or high levels of psychic activity
Severe or chronic physical illness, or short-term attractiveness based on
temporary illness, stress, or grief
Poor maintenance of “psychic cleanliness”

It may be that some of these attractiveness characteristics may be a result from a larvae infestation. For example, larvae can decrease a person’s well being and make them susceptible to immune challenges that cause physical illness, although it is important to note that not every common cold is caused by psychic larvae.

Because we live in a world with many challenges and myriad energies brushing up against us, at any given time, we all have psychic larvae on us. This is why many witchcraft or similar spiritual practices teach the importance of cleansing rites (smudging, anointing, ritual baths, etc.). This is also why when we are feeling stressed, things that provide cleansing from larvae (for instance, a long, hot bath after a stressful day) make us feel healthy and cleansed.

Through certain risk factors and personal predisposition, some people will attract more psychic larvae to their bodies than others. It is my view that many people who claim to be psychic vampires who do not fall into the first two categories are simply carrying around large amounts of larvae on their body. When they claim that they are “feeding” off of someone, what is actually happening is that the psychic larvae on the host body (which is “starving” hence, the need to “feed”) simply move to a new host that has more energy and thus appears more tasty. The loss of psychic larvae on the self-proclaimed psychic vampire will make them feel better, and the attachment of psychic larvae on the new person will make that person feel worse. In reality, it has nothing to do with either person—it is just etheric bed bugs crawling to a new meal.

It is important to note that psychic larvae are not malicious any more than a mosquito or a bed bug. They are not out to attack you. They are not out to harm you. They are just out for their own survival.

How can you tell that you have an abundance of psychic larvae? Here's a few signs (although always rule out mundane reasons first).

Unexplainable fatigue
Depression
Insomnia
Physical cuts, sores, or bruises (generally self-inflicted during sleep or unintentionally when awake)
Dietary cravings (i.e., red meat, alcohol, sugar, carbohydrates)
General feeling of discomfort or unease
Physical pain
Headaches
Crawling feeling on the skin/itchiness
Feeling like one isn't grounded
Breathing difficulties

What can be done to treat a personal infestation psychic larvae? Here are a few tips that can help you if you find that you are being plagued by these critters.

1. Make sure your physical health is in order. That means staying properly hydrated, eating healthy, being physically fit, abstaining from toxins (drugs, tobacco, excessive alcohol use), get regular checkups from the doctor and all age-appropriate screening, and get your recommended amount of nightly sleep. This also includes making sure that if you need supplements, that you take those as well. It has been my experience that people who have a lot of psychic larvae also seem to have vitamin D and iron deficiencies.

2. Make sure your house, car, and workplace are physically clean. Just like physical bugs, psychic larvae are less attracted to places that are neat and clean.

3. Make sure your house, car, and workplace are energetically sound. This can be done through a variety of regular cleansing work.

4. Stress less. We know that stress releases body scents that attract bugs. Why would it be a surprise that it releases psychic scent to attract larvae as well?

5. When performing magic or other psychic work, clean before and clean up afterwards.

If the going gets tough, there are many other stronger options that can be considered, including cleansing through intense baths with things like cinquefoil, hyssop, or rue; “scraping” psychic larvae with an iron blade (akin to removing leeches from the skin); doing work to cleanse and reset the chakra points; and other purification rites. But in general, most people can be relatively free of psychic larvae if they take active action to cleanse themselves regularly and then do a bit of extra cleaning if they have been exposed to a situation where they were likely to pick up psychic larvae.

The Kubler-Ross Stages of Grief Model for Coven Loss

2010-11-16T01:00:00.000Z

In 1969, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross compiled the five stages of grief in her book On Death and Dying. When a group, such as a coven, dissolves or when an individual either makes the choice to leave or is forced out, it is  a major life adjustment. In many ways, it is a process by which the individual  goes through a death and rebirth cycle. Here is an application of the Five  Stages of Grief as it applies to coven separation.

Stage 1: Denial. In this scenario, denial can manifest in many different ways. Sometimes denial takes the form of “All of this will blow over and things will go back to normal.” Other times, denial can manifest by  you holding on to remnants from your previous coven experience, such as retaining  your coven name, keeping your copies of teachings or books of shadows, or a  need to interact with people, beings, or even tools/ritual items from your  coven experience. It can be a sudden shock and adjustment to know that you’ll  never do certain things the same way again, such as attending rituals with  certain people or even something as simple as being able to call up an  individual when you just want to talk. In general, the denial phase is

the most  brief for most people going through a coven separation. If it is the  dissolution of a group, denial can also take the form of a desire to try and  form the group again with a new name but the same people and format (going by  the assumption that there was a single person who was the point of failure,  which is almost never the case).

Stage 2: Anger. Contrary to some new age love and light philosophies, anger can be a healthy emotion. It is not uncommon, nor is it undesirable, to be angry about a coven separation incident. In most cases, an  individual in a coven has devoted a lot of time, energy, resources, and emotion  into their coven life. To have it not work out exactly as desired can be  frustrating and lead to anger. Sometimes this anger may be directed at an individual. Other times, this anger may be directed to the coven as a whole,  the tradition, the religion, or even the gods themselves for letting things  fall the way they did. Although anger is healthy, it is problematic to lash out at individuals or try and find scapegoats. The best solution I have seen for  dealing with anger is to first accept that it is okay to feel anger and then  spend time in prayer or meditation to help work through the anger. If you are  not able to work through the anger on your own, talking it out with a trusted  advisor or counselor can be helpful, but remember —talking through anger is not  the same thing as engaging in malicious gossip. In general, if you can find  someone to talk to who is not directly involved, that often makes it a more  healthy and positive experience.

Stage 3: Bargaining. This phase is one of the least pronounced in the stages of grief following a coven separation, however when it manifests, it is important to be aware of how it influences future actions.  Sometimes the bargaining process can be done among individuals as a way to try  and get the group unity back together. Some examples I’ve seen include  individuals asking to come back for a “trial period” or meeting socially to try  and show how everyone has moved on into a healthy space. Other times, bargains  may be made with the gods themselves, and sometimes not for healthy goals. For  example, an individual may say that they are willing to take the karma of their actions in the situation if the other people involved get their dues, too. Like  the other stages of grief, bargaining in itself is not bad, as long as it is  executed in a healthy way. Bargaining should never be used as a way to try and  return things back to the way they were before—that never succeeds.

Stage 4: Depression. The depression phase can be one of the more challenging phases to get through, and not all people who enter this phase ever exit from it. There may be a sense of hopelessness at the current  situation, or a fear that if you open yourself up to love and trust ever again  that the results will be the same. Depression can also result in a desire to be  isolated from the world at large. It also may not be wholly confined to your  spiritual growth—depression may also leak into every aspect of your life.  Although it is natural to go through depression over a major life change like  this, if depression starts to interfere with your life as a whole, makes you unable to engage in the enjoyment of life or function in your day-to-day living, or lasts long-term, it is advisable to seek professional counseling to  assist with your movement through this stage. Remember, burdens shared are  burdens lightened.

Stage 5: Acceptance. Sadly, not everyone who goes through the upheaval of a coven separation moves to this phase. In some cases, this healthy stage is replaced by an unhealthy desire to rebound to whatever group  comes along next just to fill the void that was left from the original hurt.  Ultimately, if an individual can accept that every experience in life is a  growth experience, and although growth can hurt, an individual can survive it  and thrive from it, then they are stronger for the experience. Acceptance  doesn’t mean that you forget all that has happened to you—rather the reverse.  You are able to see lessons from what has happened and hopefully have the grace not to end up in the same situation again. It is a time of karmic resolution and a rebalancing of the scales. From this point of acceptance, you are able to  love and trust again, and although you may never choose to join a coven again,  you are not so hardened on the experience that you cannot see the
benefits and  beauty of coven done right. In fact, you are able to see the world with eyes  wide open. More importantly, you are able to get on with your life path in  whatever direction it is meant to go.

Recognizing the stages of grief can be useful to help move through them and back into a stage of healthy living. Not everyone experiences these stages the same way. Not everyone experiences them in the same order. In  addition, just because you have been through one phase doesn’t mean you can’t  end up back there again. You
may feel that you have moved beyond the anger  phase, for example, and into
acceptance but then some other trigger that you didn’t realize comes up that
brings you back to the anger phase. Learning to  recognize the stages of grief
and how they affect your life is a part of “know  thyself”—and knowing yourself
is a project that is constantly in progress.

Oathbound: It Isn't One Size Fits All

2010-11-16T01:00:00.000Z

Spinning off from another thread where this was brought up and in the hopes that a certain someone will put a link to her blog on the subject (hint hint!) and that another certain someone will write up an essay about it (hint hint hint!), I thought it would be interesting to have different people weigh in on the topic from their own perspectives.

Contrary to popular opinion, there is not a one-size-fits-all list of what qualifies as oathbound. In fact, what is oathbound in one tradition might be public knowledge to another. In some traditions, some material that is oathbound is at the discretion of the HP or HPS about who it can be shared with.

In general, for the tradition I'm with, what qualifies as oathbound generally falls into three categories:

1. Personal/intimate details

2. Things that wouldn't make sense out of context, could be dangerous if done wrong, or is the family "secret recipe"

3. Things that need to be experienced first-hand

For item 1, in different traditions I've seen everything from the legal names of initiates to the address of the covenstead to personal telephone numbers and e-mails as oathbound. Also, details about how certain things are done in ritual or what is done in ritual or even what is *said* in ritual (as there is often a bit of discussion time during cakes and wine/ale) is considered oathbound. In these cases, it comes down to just good etiquette. Circle MUST be a sacred and safe space for all attendees. How awkward would it be for me to open up and bear my soul to my brothers and sisters about something that I'm struggling with only to find it posted up on Facebook, tweeted out on Twitter, or blogged somewhere the next day. Just like I wouldn't go around sharing details about my sex life with the next person I see on the Metro or put my credit card number on a billboard for the world to see, some things are really just private because even in this age of oversharing, some stuff still is personal.

For item 2, this is usually the big deep dark secrets that people think of when the O word gets tossed around. In general, it is information that unless you are part of the tradition that works with it, even if you had the information, it wouldn't do you any good. A fictitious example: the coven I'm with uses certain jewelry charms as identifiers for initiates. Let's say that one of our oathbound secrets was the words to a song to use with that jewelry summon a purple fuzzy unicorn to start off our Moosemas rites. Well, if you don't celebrate Moosemas and you don't care for purple fuzzy unicorns and you don't have the piece of jewelry required to do this, why would you want the secret song lyrics? And even if someone handed them to you, you still couldn't put them to use without the tune anyhow... and that tune isn't written down because the person who wrote the lyrics couldn't write musical notes on paper to save her life!

There also can be times where there's recipes (oils, incenses, teas, etc.) that might be oathbound in a tradition because unless used carefully, they could be toxic. That sort of stuff would be karmically problematic to hand out to just anyone without the person being taught hands-on how to make it work.

And the third one is the Colonel Sanders principle... you/your family worked really hard to come up with the 11 herbs and spices that are specific for your fried chicken. Why would you give it to just anyone who wasn't part of your family? (This one was covered very well by Albiana in her blog.)

For item 3, generally this includes things like initiation and elevation rites. There's something very potent about not having the details of a rite handed to you before you go through it so you can experience it for the first time yourself. Think about it like this... a polite person wouldn't go around giving spoilers about the twist ending of a movie or the surprise killer at the end of the latest hot mystery book. Likewise, it's just good form not to share the details of the personal surprises that would come up by giving away copies of initiation rites. Besides, the experience is different for each person, so why color your views on what should happen by seeing the script?

Anyhow, hope that explains a bit about what sort of things are oathbound. I'm hoping that other members of oathbound traditions can weigh in to give some additional examples or feedback about it. And for those who are not part of an oathbound tradition and have been a little twitchy about the idea of being oathbound, does this clear up some questions for you or just raise more? :)

Keeping the kind of things that are oathbound as oathbound is actually pretty easy. It isn't so much the whole "I've got a secret" bit...it's just that the kind of subjects that are oathbound rarely even get touched on in even the most detailed conversations. It's very easy to stay oathbound, even if you are a wordy blabbermouth like yours truly. :P

Rede of the New Seeker

2010-11-16T00:55:54.000Z

This is something I wrote a handful of years ago (under another name, if you've seen it elsewhere), and figured I'd share it here:

Rede of the New Seeker

Bide you well, if you talk the talk
In truth and strength must you walk the walk.

For those who claim to want to learn
Must know that knowledge is privilege to earn.

Your words and deeds shall be your calling
Lest a lack of morals become your falling.

No guide upon your path shall you find
Unless you watch the focus of your mind.

Perfect love and trust are tools to hold
When before the gods you stand so bold.

And if in your heart is a motive impure
A fool's errand you run, this much is sure.

Be accountable for who you are and become
Be responsible to yourself and all others as one.

To unlock the magic within you someday
You must choose to be a witch everyday.

-- M.H., originally written in 2004, revised 2010.

Ten Warning Signs for Groups

2010-11-10T18:39:03.000Z

I wrote this about a decade ago, but just found it as I was cleaning out papers. I hope you enjoy!

So you've decided that you want to find a coven, grove, circle or group. You may have even found a group that you're curious about. There are a few warning signs that you should be aware of when looking for a group to participate with. Sadly, there are some unscrupulous people out there. This list gives you some ideas of what to look for so you know what to avoid.

1. A group that advertises that it will be around only for a limited time. Reputable groups aren't limited-engagement runs. A group may only offer classes some years and not others, and a group can always end up folding, but if the group expressly says that they'll be around short-term and pressures you to act now or lose out, they are best to be avoided.

2. A group that says once you join, you cannot leave. The Craft is built on the necessity of free will. If a group is telling you that you can't leave, that's your clue to leave immediately.

3. A maximum age limit. Some groups may have a minimum age limit, generally because of legal issues regarding the teaching of minors. On the other hand, if a group has a maximum age limit, it should set off warning bells that they're more concerned with the age of an individual rather than the individual themselves.

4. A group that requires sex. In the past, there have been groups that require sexual intercourse for initiation or elevation, however these groups are few and far between. Because of the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, it is my opinion that any group that requires sexual intercourse between members should be avoided. As a brief aside, nudity is not the same thing as sex. Some groups do perform rituals skyclad and there are clothing-optional festivals, however these conditions should be made known to the individual before it becomes an issue. If nudity makes you feel uncomfortable, however, you can certainly opt to avoid groups where that is required (see #10).

5. A group that requires large amount of money. Let's face it, to have the things that we want in a spiritual community, we do need financial resources from time to time. On the other hand, if you are being required to contribute excessive money--or if the money that you're contributing seems to benefit only the group leadership with nothing to show for the members--it's probably a sign that you should find another group. In many traditions, it is considered unethical to pay for initiations or elevations, or even teaching and training (beyond the costs of materials that may be needed or facility rental for the class location).

6. A group where the leadership is never to be questioned. We may have the divine within us, but we are not gods. We are all human, and we can make mistakes. If the leadership in a group does something that you find odd or unethical, ask questions. If you find the answers unsatisfactory, or if you are punished for daring to ask questions, it is a good sign that you may want to seek elsewhere.

7. A group that makes unrealistic claims, including claims of a lineage, especially when they will not provide proof. Most groups do not have lines that go back generations upon generations. Some traditions may not provide information about their lineage until after an individual initiates, however use your best instinct. If a group claims a lineage going back to King Arthur, they are full of it. LIkewise, be wary about groups that make impossible claims--groups run by reincarnated spirits of Lemuria or groups led by aliens, for instance, or groups that claim you will learn how to shoot fireballs or levitate in six easy lessons.

8. A group that requires you to recruit or convert others if you want to advance. This is a spiritual path that we come to on our own. We do not convert others, because the gods speak to each of us differently. We are not Amway. We do not run around with buttons that say "Ask me about the Goddess!" If the only way you can join or advance with a group is by converting others, this group should be avoided.

9. A group that requires you to break ties with anyone who is not of that group. Not everyone will understand your choice in spiritual path, and you may have a falling out with friends or family. That's a choice between you and them. No group should tell you who you can or cannot have contact with, however. That is a form of control and isolation and an act to subvert your free will.

10. A group that makes you feel uncomfortable on a gut level. Yes, especially in initiatory processes, you may have times when you experience discomfort or the uncomfortableness of facing your own darker sides of the self. On the other hand, if you feel deep down that there is something wrong, trust your instinct. It is better to miss out with a group and be wrong than to go with an unhealthy group and be proven that your gut instinct was right.

There may be some groups who have some of these characteristics for different legitimate reasons, so as with all things in life, let reason be your supreme guide. And remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.