Title: Advanced Wicca: Exploring Deeper Levels of Spiritual Skills and Masterful Magick
Author: Patricia Telesco
Publisher: Citadel Press New York, NY Date: 2000
ISBN: 0806521376
This is a book very focused on how to do magic. The skills and techniques described are accessible to one who is not on a Wiccan path, though they may need to be adapted to make them work better. Adapting and customizing spells and rituals is among the information presented here as well as a solid set of knowledge for magical safety in doing so. While the book is a bit out of date, the skills it teaches are still applicable and highly useful.
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Monday, October 29, 2018
Quiet time: Is it just for Christians? (Spoiler, it's not!)
Dear Reader,
Modern Christians attempt to dedicate a part of their day to prayer and contemplation. They call this 'quiet time'. Some journal their experiences. Some pray their version of the rosary. Others engage in reading of their holy scriptures. Most commonly, this is found in the Evangelical Christian community as a morning discipline for communing with their god.
Daily prayer is something that most of any faith would benefit from. For those of the Filianic/Déanic faith traditions, daily prayer is very helpful because it bolsters our spiritual strength in a world where we are in the stark minority. Quiet time for contemplation and communion is beneficial for many reasons. This time should not be used for prayers of contrition and penance. Nor is it a time that should be for prayers of petition beyond that of guidance.
Quiet time is a meditative period that can be of any length of time focused upon opening oneself to Dea's guidance and simply being in her presence. I personally keep a prayer journal. I spend my quiet time meditating upon Dea and simply listening for guidance for my day. I then spend a bit of time writing a few lines about my prayer session. More often than not, I write a 'letter' to Dea about my concerns and what came to me as I had my quiet time with her.
I know people of a wide range of religious paths. Almost all of them spend some 'quiet time' with their gods. In almost all cases, this has been reported to be something that brings them a greater sense of peace and union with their gods. It has also been said to be a cherished part of their day that helps them be a better person.
Modern Christians attempt to dedicate a part of their day to prayer and contemplation. They call this 'quiet time'. Some journal their experiences. Some pray their version of the rosary. Others engage in reading of their holy scriptures. Most commonly, this is found in the Evangelical Christian community as a morning discipline for communing with their god.
Daily prayer is something that most of any faith would benefit from. For those of the Filianic/Déanic faith traditions, daily prayer is very helpful because it bolsters our spiritual strength in a world where we are in the stark minority. Quiet time for contemplation and communion is beneficial for many reasons. This time should not be used for prayers of contrition and penance. Nor is it a time that should be for prayers of petition beyond that of guidance.
Quiet time is a meditative period that can be of any length of time focused upon opening oneself to Dea's guidance and simply being in her presence. I personally keep a prayer journal. I spend my quiet time meditating upon Dea and simply listening for guidance for my day. I then spend a bit of time writing a few lines about my prayer session. More often than not, I write a 'letter' to Dea about my concerns and what came to me as I had my quiet time with her.
I know people of a wide range of religious paths. Almost all of them spend some 'quiet time' with their gods. In almost all cases, this has been reported to be something that brings them a greater sense of peace and union with their gods. It has also been said to be a cherished part of their day that helps them be a better person.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Books?
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| Photo courtesy of Pexels.com |
I do have ebooks of what I’ve written available for purchase through Lulu.com. Due to some technical glitches between Lulu and other platforms, you are going to have difficulty finding them on Amazon and related big book sellers. I am currently trying to make sense of the CreateSpace - Kindle Direct Publishing merger. (I’m locked out of my account right now because they have my zipcode as two towns over. It’s weird. Customer service can theoretically fix it, we’ll see.)
As much as these works are a labor of love and devotion, I am trying to bring in a little more income for my family. I am willing to offer these books as PDF documents for donations to the paypal account attached to my main blog, The Veiled Witch, here at Blogger. We’re at a bit of a tight spot right now, I don’t like asking for your assistance but if you can support this, I can produce more work for you.
Titles available are:
A Year With Dea: A Filianic Daybook (Northern and Southern hemisphere editions available)
Drowning in Light (This is a collection of visions and guidance I have had from Dea over the years, including my first experience with her back in the early 1990s before I had even heard of Filianism.)
Rose Petals: A Filianic Psalter
I deeply appreciate your support thus far. The fact that I am now a ‘real’ author is the realization of a lifelong dream. It couldn’t have happened with out your assistance. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Wednesday Ramblings
Dear Reader,
I said I was going to be busy this week. I didn't anticipate a norovirus slowing me down or various other random things going awry. While the Norse crisis flow chart says this would all be Loki's fault, I think it is more likely that my kids are in school bringing home every virus they could catch and my disorganization over the last several months due to being severely depressed is catching up with me. I'm making progress getting things back on track, but it has been slow going.
The notebook that I have been working on writing the rosary meditation book manuscript in has started to fall apart. I'm one fifth of the way through it. So, I am now transcribing material from the notebook and attempting to add to it at the same time. This is not working very well, as one may expect. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
I am at an utter loss for how to get the ebooks so that they can be available on Amazon and other sites. I am having format issues and getting nowhere fast on that front. I'm trying to fix them but it seems like each fix creates another problem.
I said I was going to be busy this week. I didn't anticipate a norovirus slowing me down or various other random things going awry. While the Norse crisis flow chart says this would all be Loki's fault, I think it is more likely that my kids are in school bringing home every virus they could catch and my disorganization over the last several months due to being severely depressed is catching up with me. I'm making progress getting things back on track, but it has been slow going.
The notebook that I have been working on writing the rosary meditation book manuscript in has started to fall apart. I'm one fifth of the way through it. So, I am now transcribing material from the notebook and attempting to add to it at the same time. This is not working very well, as one may expect. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
I am at an utter loss for how to get the ebooks so that they can be available on Amazon and other sites. I am having format issues and getting nowhere fast on that front. I'm trying to fix them but it seems like each fix creates another problem.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Sometimes it really is a Sign.
Dear Reader,
As you may be aware, I have been working on a manuscript discussing the Filianic rosary. It has been slow going and pretty frustrating. I mentioned my frustration with this a few times to my husband. Less frustration with the subject matter and more with the fact that writing is going a lot slower than typing would be.
Less than a day after this, the pretty little red notebook that I have been working on the manuscript in has begun falling apart for no apparent reason. As such, I have begun the process of transcribing the notebook's contents into a document file and typing this up. I suppose Dea decided that I shouldn't be doing this the hard way.
I'm presently one fifth of the way through my page count goal. I'm still writing notes as I have to charge my laptop between transcription sessions, but in the space of an hour I managed to type up what was two days worth of hand writing. I will honestly say I was glad that I wrote my work with pen instead of pencil. Pencil would have been harder to read as it gets smudged if you look at it funny.
But, that is where this project stands right now.
Dea bless.
As you may be aware, I have been working on a manuscript discussing the Filianic rosary. It has been slow going and pretty frustrating. I mentioned my frustration with this a few times to my husband. Less frustration with the subject matter and more with the fact that writing is going a lot slower than typing would be.
Less than a day after this, the pretty little red notebook that I have been working on the manuscript in has begun falling apart for no apparent reason. As such, I have begun the process of transcribing the notebook's contents into a document file and typing this up. I suppose Dea decided that I shouldn't be doing this the hard way.
I'm presently one fifth of the way through my page count goal. I'm still writing notes as I have to charge my laptop between transcription sessions, but in the space of an hour I managed to type up what was two days worth of hand writing. I will honestly say I was glad that I wrote my work with pen instead of pencil. Pencil would have been harder to read as it gets smudged if you look at it funny.
But, that is where this project stands right now.
Dea bless.
Thoughts on Necromancy for the Intermediate Witch
Dear Reader,
I'm taking a break from my manuscript to type up this post. (Partly because I'm about to go cross eyed from going over my notes and partly because the notebook I was writing in has spontaneously begun to come apart for no apparent reason. Thus, I have started the process of typing that monster up.)
If you are wondering, I'm a necromancer. That doesn't mean that I play around with dead bodies. That's a necrophiliac. I suppose in polite company, one would call me a medium that specializes in contact with the deceased. I prefer to call a spade a spade and own the term necromancer. Spirit contact is a skill pretty much anyone can pick up with some time and patience. The thing with necromancy is you have a few basic guidelines you need to remember.
Point the first: they are dead for a reason. Perhaps that reason is that they passed peacefully in their sleep at a nice age of 98 and a half years old, surrounded by loving family. More likely, they passed by way of some manner of misadventure. Most misadventures happen because somebody did something stupid and dangerous. The deceased may have been a hapless bystander to the lethal misadventure consequences or they may have been the one who did the deadly dumb thing. Either way, remember that they're dead for a reason and they may not be entirely upfront about that reason.
Point the second: they are not always going to be 'nice' or 'good'. When you die, you die. You don't change into another person immediately and your root characteristics are going to stick around for a while on your soul until you're ready to move on to your next life. That means the person who was an unsavory, smarmy character in life is quite likely to be the same scumbag in death. There are some who realize the errors of their ways during incarnation and make a complete 180 in their behavior. They are the exception, not the rule.
Point the third: there are going to be dead people with agendas out there and are going to try to get you involved in them (with or without your consent). The dead who interact with the living usually have something they want to get done. They are as inclined to manipulate information and what they present about themselves as they are motivated to get the thing done. Some may do it by way of trying to scare you into doing what they want. Some are going to do it by trying to charm or guilt you into it. Either way, they have an agenda. Especially when they come looking for you to pass on a message of some sort. Remember, you don't have to go along with their agenda. As an embodied being, you are actually pretty well off in this case if you decide to tell the dead to go bug somebody else. There's a reason why they can't just reach through the veil and pick you up by the scruff of the neck. They don't have a body to do it.
It's almost Samhain/Halloween/Tamala. A lot of people want to try necromancy around this time of year because the cultural attitude in the western world says that this is the time of year for it. Just be careful if you are going to try it out. Remember, there are as many good people as there are bad people in this world, living or dead. And always, always use magical protection when you are trying out necromancy. Because the dead are not the only spirits out there and the other spirits are just as, if not more, manipulative when it comes to their agendas. No matter how big and spooky the spirit appears, you are in control of the situation. You can order them to run back off to the left corner of Hel just as easily as you can summon them from it.
I'm taking a break from my manuscript to type up this post. (Partly because I'm about to go cross eyed from going over my notes and partly because the notebook I was writing in has spontaneously begun to come apart for no apparent reason. Thus, I have started the process of typing that monster up.)
If you are wondering, I'm a necromancer. That doesn't mean that I play around with dead bodies. That's a necrophiliac. I suppose in polite company, one would call me a medium that specializes in contact with the deceased. I prefer to call a spade a spade and own the term necromancer. Spirit contact is a skill pretty much anyone can pick up with some time and patience. The thing with necromancy is you have a few basic guidelines you need to remember.
Point the first: they are dead for a reason. Perhaps that reason is that they passed peacefully in their sleep at a nice age of 98 and a half years old, surrounded by loving family. More likely, they passed by way of some manner of misadventure. Most misadventures happen because somebody did something stupid and dangerous. The deceased may have been a hapless bystander to the lethal misadventure consequences or they may have been the one who did the deadly dumb thing. Either way, remember that they're dead for a reason and they may not be entirely upfront about that reason.
Point the second: they are not always going to be 'nice' or 'good'. When you die, you die. You don't change into another person immediately and your root characteristics are going to stick around for a while on your soul until you're ready to move on to your next life. That means the person who was an unsavory, smarmy character in life is quite likely to be the same scumbag in death. There are some who realize the errors of their ways during incarnation and make a complete 180 in their behavior. They are the exception, not the rule.
Point the third: there are going to be dead people with agendas out there and are going to try to get you involved in them (with or without your consent). The dead who interact with the living usually have something they want to get done. They are as inclined to manipulate information and what they present about themselves as they are motivated to get the thing done. Some may do it by way of trying to scare you into doing what they want. Some are going to do it by trying to charm or guilt you into it. Either way, they have an agenda. Especially when they come looking for you to pass on a message of some sort. Remember, you don't have to go along with their agenda. As an embodied being, you are actually pretty well off in this case if you decide to tell the dead to go bug somebody else. There's a reason why they can't just reach through the veil and pick you up by the scruff of the neck. They don't have a body to do it.
It's almost Samhain/Halloween/Tamala. A lot of people want to try necromancy around this time of year because the cultural attitude in the western world says that this is the time of year for it. Just be careful if you are going to try it out. Remember, there are as many good people as there are bad people in this world, living or dead. And always, always use magical protection when you are trying out necromancy. Because the dead are not the only spirits out there and the other spirits are just as, if not more, manipulative when it comes to their agendas. No matter how big and spooky the spirit appears, you are in control of the situation. You can order them to run back off to the left corner of Hel just as easily as you can summon them from it.
Sunday, October 21, 2018
Update Note.
Dear Reader,
Due to how busy this week is going to be, I will not be posting much new material. I will, however, post a few 'info dumps' on the mirror blog to share old material. I am at the point of working actively on the manuscript for the rosary book by hand. This requires a good number of hours of my day between the tasks of raising two children and keeping house as best I can manage.
I thank you for your patience with this and I promise that the results are going to be well worth the wait.
Blessings upon your kith and kin.
♥
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Video Post 16: Politics
This is not a transcript. I have no transcript for this video post. I make an appeal for everyone who can to get involved in the political disaster that is unfolding in the United States right now. I am a liberal in a conservative county of WNY. I'm registered as a conservative because that is the only way I get to have any say about who is on the ballot come election time, that's how conservative my county is.
If I had the capacity to be out in the street protesting the things the government is doing under color of law that is deplorable and entirely against what I was taught meant to be an citizen of this country, I would be doing so. As it is, I've become cautious about my veiling styles because people are more inclined to slow down and give me angry looks if it isn't a bandanna or a hat. I'd go out and actively protest if I didn't have to worry about someone coming to harass me later.
My social phobia and my PTSD keep me just this side of home all the time. The current social climate is increasingly close to what I dealt with growing up and it makes me fearful for the safety of my children. The fact that the government has all but declared open season on everyone who doesn't fit their increasingly white supremecist mold is profoundly disturbing. The fact that there are concentration camps in this country is deeply distressing. Our steady march towards facism or something new and somehow worse is the stuff of my nightmares.
I fear that the republic can not stand this assault on our core beliefs. What is happening now is a direct assault on the positions stated in the documents that are fundamental to this nation's functioning and nature. Documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Consitution of the United States are but two that present administrative actions are actively working towards undermining. Not only is the administration guilty but so is the legislature for failing to uphold their duty to check the power of the executive branch of the government. Now, the parties in power are working to set up a Supreme Court that will rubber stamp decisions in their favor. This is a dangerous time for our nation.
Please, for the love of everything holy, go vote.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Wednesday ramblings.
Dear Reader,
I have been very busy on the domestic front. Some of this is getting ready for Yule/Nativity (I hand make presents for the most part. I'm half done with my list.) and some of this has just been the business of helping the kids with school stuff. I am also on the mend from a rather nasty norovirus that hit the household pretty hard.
On the witchy side of things, life's been about making decisions. Some of those decisions have been hard. I have been attempting for a few years now to run a tarot reading business through Keen. I have come to the conclusion that I'm just going to leave that as a hobby because the business model is one where I'm losing money. I just can't get the customers to afford to invest more effort there. So, I'm leaving Keen chat up as a distraction when I'm doing boring research or chores. I'll post some spells up for sale on there but I don't anticipate any income coming from that. Not if the reception remains as it has been.
I've been working on a book about the Filianic rosary. It's been slow going but I'm making progress there. I'm writing it out by hand as a first draft. Then I'll be editing it and typing it up. I hope to have this available for purchase through Lulu.com by the end of November/beginning of December. The side effect of spending so much time working on the manuscript is that I forget to post on my blogs. Sorry about that. But, as of today, I'm almost finished with the first major section of the book. I'll be working on it more this evening.
I have been very busy on the domestic front. Some of this is getting ready for Yule/Nativity (I hand make presents for the most part. I'm half done with my list.) and some of this has just been the business of helping the kids with school stuff. I am also on the mend from a rather nasty norovirus that hit the household pretty hard.
On the witchy side of things, life's been about making decisions. Some of those decisions have been hard. I have been attempting for a few years now to run a tarot reading business through Keen. I have come to the conclusion that I'm just going to leave that as a hobby because the business model is one where I'm losing money. I just can't get the customers to afford to invest more effort there. So, I'm leaving Keen chat up as a distraction when I'm doing boring research or chores. I'll post some spells up for sale on there but I don't anticipate any income coming from that. Not if the reception remains as it has been.
I've been working on a book about the Filianic rosary. It's been slow going but I'm making progress there. I'm writing it out by hand as a first draft. Then I'll be editing it and typing it up. I hope to have this available for purchase through Lulu.com by the end of November/beginning of December. The side effect of spending so much time working on the manuscript is that I forget to post on my blogs. Sorry about that. But, as of today, I'm almost finished with the first major section of the book. I'll be working on it more this evening.
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Reading for the Intermediate Witch: A History of Witchcraft
Title: A History of Witchcraft
Second Edition
Authors: Jeffery B. Russell and Brooks Alexander
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
ISBN: 0500286345
This is a rather comprehensive book covering the history of witchcraft starting with the late middle ages. Don't be fooled by its slim appearance, this book is packed with a lot of great detail. It gives an extensive explanation of what the troubles were that caused the infamous 'Burning Times' and maps out a fairly clear path of the rise of modern witchcraft. I find this book to be a little bit dated but it is approximately ten years old. If a third edition is out, I would snap that up in a heartbeat.
The discussion of the differences between sorcerer, heretic, and neopagan is interesting. It is also timely considering the increased resistance towards the idea of witchcraft within the United States. It would be wise to review the social system imbalances that gave rise to the 'Burning Times' and consider the parallels to today.
Second Edition
Authors: Jeffery B. Russell and Brooks Alexander
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
ISBN: 0500286345
This is a rather comprehensive book covering the history of witchcraft starting with the late middle ages. Don't be fooled by its slim appearance, this book is packed with a lot of great detail. It gives an extensive explanation of what the troubles were that caused the infamous 'Burning Times' and maps out a fairly clear path of the rise of modern witchcraft. I find this book to be a little bit dated but it is approximately ten years old. If a third edition is out, I would snap that up in a heartbeat.
The discussion of the differences between sorcerer, heretic, and neopagan is interesting. It is also timely considering the increased resistance towards the idea of witchcraft within the United States. It would be wise to review the social system imbalances that gave rise to the 'Burning Times' and consider the parallels to today.
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Wednesday ramblings.
Pictured is how I spent my day, working on my manuscript. The red book is where I'm writing the rosary book I'm working on. The composition book is where I have my notes. Today was a passable day for writing. I got my goal done for page count and a page beyond. I lost about half of my writing time to fixing research errors that I had made. Tomorrow, I hope to do better.
As I was reading through my list of blogs I follow, I was delighted to see this post from Cara Freyasdaughter. Her description of 'dark Freyr' is rather consistent with the face of Freyr that I see during the autumn and winter. Some years, he shows up earlier than others. My experience of this facet of Freyr is not what most people expect of Freyr. He is the hunter and the hunted. In my experience, he has his own Hunt party that goes about to chase off and take down the dangerously nasty spirits where they go. I find it telling that Freyr in his dark aspect became very persistent and present early this year (as in almost mid-July) and that there are now more reports about deer with bovine tuberculosis. (None reported in WNY at this time, but it is a thing to keep an eye on. It is unclear if this disease can be transmitted to humans. Hunters, take full safety precautions as per usual.)
This is going to be a bad year for hunting, I can feel it. Freyr's warned me that things are happening that requires the Hunt to begin soon. If it hasn't begun already, I'm not sure. Both Freyr and Loki have been telling me to focus on myself and my household. The last of the summer's heat is passing away with the ending of this heatwave, if my joints are accurate in their predictions. I was going to harvest my herbs but it is going to rain tomorrow and I just didn't get to it today. Hopefully I will get it done before the first frost hits. Again, I have a feeling that it is coming sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, I am going to be working on my writing and taking that harvest of knowledge and putting it to use. Maybe this weekend I'll talk a little bit about autumnal Freyr. Spring and Summer is Loki's season with me. Autumn and Winter is Freyr's season with me. But sometimes they make their presences known at random during the other's season. It may be heretical for me to say it, but Freyr and Loki get along well and have some kind of relationship. Maybe a friendship, maybe something else that I just don't have the word for. They've more points in connection than me. I've watched them have disagreements. They don't have screaming arguments, they have very civil, very calm and very cold discussions. I've watched them also conspire together. Well, sort of watched half of it unfolding. Loki is very much the "I have a GREAT IDEA!!1!eleventyone" guy as Freyr tends towards the direction of "I have a plan."
It gets weird sometimes when that happens. Weird like last January weird. But, everything works out well in the end. I trust them implicitly. It is when I stop trusting myself that things get hard.
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Intermediate Witchcraft: Psychic Safety Lessons
Here is a link to the posts on psychic safety. I will be posting on psychic safety in the future something like a series of lectures on how the mechanics of some of this stuff works. Because if you know how your equipment works, it is easier to service and use it properly. I'll be getting into some weird topics like egregores eventually. I'm going to start out with the nuts and bolts level of basic magical 'machines'.
If we were talking about actual machines, this would be my showing you how hammers, saws, and levers work. The previous posts are simple exercises using those proverbial hammers, saws, and levers. Egregores* and related topics would be the simple computers of magical construction. Now, just as tools can be used for various purposes beyond what they were originally intended and in the hands of a creative and properly motivated person anything can be a weapon, I know that these lessons can be taken in directions beyond what I am promoting.
Anything you do with this information is on you. Caveat emptor. I am the writer who produces the spell book. You are the one who decides if it is a coffee table book or a tool. And what you do with said tool is your karmic and moral responsibility.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
* Somewhere, I know, there is a ceremonial magician ready to pull their hair out right now. Homonculi, egregores, and tulpa are on one level more complicated than computers and at the same time, they're very simple. So, I apologize to the ceremonial magicians who are probably just this side of a meltdown over this eventually coming up. You're not the only keepers of this knowledge and I assure you that my path to it is different from yours.
If we were talking about actual machines, this would be my showing you how hammers, saws, and levers work. The previous posts are simple exercises using those proverbial hammers, saws, and levers. Egregores* and related topics would be the simple computers of magical construction. Now, just as tools can be used for various purposes beyond what they were originally intended and in the hands of a creative and properly motivated person anything can be a weapon, I know that these lessons can be taken in directions beyond what I am promoting.
Anything you do with this information is on you. Caveat emptor. I am the writer who produces the spell book. You are the one who decides if it is a coffee table book or a tool. And what you do with said tool is your karmic and moral responsibility.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
* Somewhere, I know, there is a ceremonial magician ready to pull their hair out right now. Homonculi, egregores, and tulpa are on one level more complicated than computers and at the same time, they're very simple. So, I apologize to the ceremonial magicians who are probably just this side of a meltdown over this eventually coming up. You're not the only keepers of this knowledge and I assure you that my path to it is different from yours.
Monday, October 8, 2018
Pagan Parenting: Demigods?
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| Photo by Mat Brown from Pexels |
My boys have some interesting ideas about the divine. They call out to gods from a pretty wide range of pantheons for a rather wide range of reasons. When there was a fire at a garage a block away from us, my eldest called on every single storm deity he could think of to help put that fire out and keep people safe. He made a special point of calling on Zeus first and a few more times in the prayer. He's come to the conclusion that Zeus is a god who supports heroic professions, such as fire fighters because of how Zeus stood boldly against chaos in the beginning of all things (as per the book of mythology we have here that I read him the old stories out of). Zeus is a hero and therefore must be a god of heroes, that's how Cuddle Bear explains it.
(Interesting side note about that fire, it was a pretty severe fire. When the structure began to collapse, there were people inside. As the firefighters described it, the building paused for a moment long enough for them to get out. Considering the timing of it all and when we heard the building collapse, which was terrifying for Cuddle Bear, I'm pretty sure that his prayer was being answered by the firefighters getting out with minor injuries.)
They have also come up with alternate names for the powers that manage things when they can't remember the names given to them from the myths. The one that stands out strongest in my mind is how they have decided that in the Norse pantheon there is a deity named Windia (pronounced wind-dia) who is female and directs the winds. They have called out to her to help make the weather better for them to play outside. Interestingly, they argue that Windia is a helper to all the Norse/Germanic storm deities. That her job is just to move the wind in the right direction.
I've tried explaining to them that Njord is the god of the winds, but they insist she is his helper. I'm not sure, but I think this is how demigods happen. I've done divination on the matter, fortunately, the gods find the children adorable on this and think that having a being to delegate tasks to is always helpful. So, I guess there's a new household demigod here.
Triune Goddess: Separate or not?
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| Photo by Alem Sánchez from Pexels |
The Bright Mother and the Daughter are one. From one perspective, this means that the Daughter shall continue to exist as part of the Bright Mother. The Daughter, however, is more than a mere creation but Dea herself. As such, the Daughter stands beyond the limits of time. The holy Daughter is also one with the Dark Mother. Just as the Dark Mother moves in mysterious ways that we may never fully comprehend, so too does the Daughter.
In the beginning of all things, the Daughter was present with the Bright Mother in the potential of creation and the creative urge. Obviously, the Daughter is present during the era of history and time, sustaining reality and protecting us from oblivion. In the final time of existence, the Daughter is present with the Dark Mother, guiding us to our true home and She that loves all.
Sunday, October 7, 2018
Examination of the Heart
Filianic
Sutras: The Temple of the Heart
Verse 1
Know your own heart and make
examination thereof: for if you know not your own heart, there can be
no true knowledge of anything.
We are all familiar with the maxim
– An unexamined life is not worth living. We are called to have the
simple faith of children but we are also called to be responsible in
ourselves through self knowledge. When a small child acts out of
frustration and we ask them why, their answer is almost invariably "I
don't know." This is because they do not know their own heart
and/or have the language to express what is therein.
We must carefully study our own
hearts and acquire deep knowledge of ourselves. Through this process,
we may come to know something of our spirit and that which transcends
our humanity. Most of all, we may answer the question of whey we
acted in the fashion we have when we find ourselves at the feet of
our Teacher and She is giving us our lessons in Thamë.
Because through deep self knowledge we find ourselves pulled along the thamelic path of our current incarnation and we draw closer to Our Lady.
Dea bless.
Because through deep self knowledge we find ourselves pulled along the thamelic path of our current incarnation and we draw closer to Our Lady.
Dea bless.
Saturday, October 6, 2018
Godspousery notes: DO THE THING (again.)
I have a problem with anxiety. It gets in my way rather often. With the current state of affairs of my nation, I am struggling with heaps of it. As a result, I find myself trying to diminish my expression and limit how much I say in the hopes of not repeating the horrific harassment that I endured when I was younger. It is a daily struggle for me.
I was quibbling with myself over weather or not to write some things today when Freyr calmly said, "Are you a writer or not?" I answered that I was indeed a writer. He then asked me why I wasn't writing. It's been a discussion we have had on several fronts and on several different occasions. It always boiled down to "are you YOU or not? why are you not acting like YOU?"
It is always an awkward moment when you are getting called out for not acting like yourself. Especially when you are in your own home, technically alone. It is especially awkward when you are called out for not acting like yourself, when you're home alone not to be disturbed for several hours, and there are to be no negative consequences except for making yourself feel bad.
Did I mention that Freyr has sternly told me that I shouldn't be making myself feel bad for being myself? I have a taboo about this. It's on my list of things to be working with my therapist with. It's on my list of things to meditate and work with my spirit companions on healing. At the same time, when I have days that I get so caught up in anxiety and fear that I am not conscious of the fact that I am breaking my taboo.
Fortunately, Freyr is kind enough to remind me. Though it is usually with a droll comment, something that is directly to the point but also with enough dry humor to make me pause and chuckle. And breaking that tension and anxiety with a laugh is often a big part of what I need to get moving forward on things.
I was quibbling with myself over weather or not to write some things today when Freyr calmly said, "Are you a writer or not?" I answered that I was indeed a writer. He then asked me why I wasn't writing. It's been a discussion we have had on several fronts and on several different occasions. It always boiled down to "are you YOU or not? why are you not acting like YOU?"
It is always an awkward moment when you are getting called out for not acting like yourself. Especially when you are in your own home, technically alone. It is especially awkward when you are called out for not acting like yourself, when you're home alone not to be disturbed for several hours, and there are to be no negative consequences except for making yourself feel bad.
Did I mention that Freyr has sternly told me that I shouldn't be making myself feel bad for being myself? I have a taboo about this. It's on my list of things to be working with my therapist with. It's on my list of things to meditate and work with my spirit companions on healing. At the same time, when I have days that I get so caught up in anxiety and fear that I am not conscious of the fact that I am breaking my taboo.
Fortunately, Freyr is kind enough to remind me. Though it is usually with a droll comment, something that is directly to the point but also with enough dry humor to make me pause and chuckle. And breaking that tension and anxiety with a laugh is often a big part of what I need to get moving forward on things.
Friday, October 5, 2018
Recommendation: Goya Novena Candles.
Dear Reader,
If you are looking for long lasting and clean burning novena candles, the ones from Goya appear to be the best. (Note: I am not being paid for this post, just mentioning what I've observed over the last few years going through novena candles.) They're inexpensive. You can find them pretty much anywhere Goya products are sold. And they burn really clean. I've never had issues with this brand having the wicks off center. Nor have I found them to have any problems with scents that trigger my asthma. When they have been scented, the scent is very light and dissipates quickly.
They're excellent for candle magic that requires multiple days of burning a candle for said spell. They are obviously excellent for novenas. And they make really good sources of emergency light during a power outage. (Yes, I actually did that once. Someone had a car accident with a power pole down the road and most of the village's lights went out. I just happened to have the candles on the altar lit when this happened.)
If you are looking for long lasting and clean burning novena candles, the ones from Goya appear to be the best. (Note: I am not being paid for this post, just mentioning what I've observed over the last few years going through novena candles.) They're inexpensive. You can find them pretty much anywhere Goya products are sold. And they burn really clean. I've never had issues with this brand having the wicks off center. Nor have I found them to have any problems with scents that trigger my asthma. When they have been scented, the scent is very light and dissipates quickly.
They're excellent for candle magic that requires multiple days of burning a candle for said spell. They are obviously excellent for novenas. And they make really good sources of emergency light during a power outage. (Yes, I actually did that once. Someone had a car accident with a power pole down the road and most of the village's lights went out. I just happened to have the candles on the altar lit when this happened.)
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Video Post 15: Belief
Transcript:
Belief is a word that has been in the news a lot these days. It means different things in different contexts. In matters of faith, it is a state of acceptance of an argument as truth or falsehood. For the religious person, the criteria for something to be believable is highly personal. Religious creeds and systems of belief develop when groups of people come together and agree to accept the same criteria for belief.
I believe that people are fundamentally good. I believe that evil happens when they fail to follow the fundamental good within themselves. I believe the victims of evil who speak out are doing their best to seek aid and healing. When one has done evil to another, a rupture is made in the relationship that must be addressed before long term harm is done. This is the way of Thamé as I see it.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Wednesday ramblings.
Dear Reader,
You may not be aware of it, but I now have a Tumblr account. You can find me on there as Lady Brythwen Sinclair. My blog (which I think of as a mini-blog, to be honest) is The Abbreviated Priestess. I try to post daily prayers to the Janya/Angel of the day. I also post links to my work on my main blogs. I hope to begin sharing some artwork at some point when life calms down a bit.
I am somewhat stalled on my transcription project. Mainly this is because my favorite pen for writing in that notebook ran out of ink. If I knew that the paper was heavy enough, I'd be using a dip pen or a fountain pen for it. As it stands, I'm looking at my collection of pens and debating which I will be using for the next transcription session.
Over the last month, I have written a mere six additional prayers for the next edition of Rose Petals. I am, however, at twenty four additional prayers because I had a good number written up before then. So, progress is still happening on that project.
Coming up on National Novel Writing Month, I have decided that I'm going to work on my rosary book and actually finish the thing. I've been collecting notes for a while. I just have to sit down and write out the draft. Then edit it. I think I may still be able to get a paperback out in time for the beginning of Advent. I confess, I am cheating a little bit at NaNoWriMo because I'm starting work now. November, however, is shaping up to be a very busy month at my house.
I know that there are still some bugs to be worked out with the digital editions of the books I have already done. I'm still trying to fix them. If I can't get it sorted out by the end of the month, I'll be having my technomancer husband have a look at it. I'm pretty sure I'm missing something really simple and silly.
You may not be aware of it, but I now have a Tumblr account. You can find me on there as Lady Brythwen Sinclair. My blog (which I think of as a mini-blog, to be honest) is The Abbreviated Priestess. I try to post daily prayers to the Janya/Angel of the day. I also post links to my work on my main blogs. I hope to begin sharing some artwork at some point when life calms down a bit.
I am somewhat stalled on my transcription project. Mainly this is because my favorite pen for writing in that notebook ran out of ink. If I knew that the paper was heavy enough, I'd be using a dip pen or a fountain pen for it. As it stands, I'm looking at my collection of pens and debating which I will be using for the next transcription session.
Over the last month, I have written a mere six additional prayers for the next edition of Rose Petals. I am, however, at twenty four additional prayers because I had a good number written up before then. So, progress is still happening on that project.
Coming up on National Novel Writing Month, I have decided that I'm going to work on my rosary book and actually finish the thing. I've been collecting notes for a while. I just have to sit down and write out the draft. Then edit it. I think I may still be able to get a paperback out in time for the beginning of Advent. I confess, I am cheating a little bit at NaNoWriMo because I'm starting work now. November, however, is shaping up to be a very busy month at my house.
I know that there are still some bugs to be worked out with the digital editions of the books I have already done. I'm still trying to fix them. If I can't get it sorted out by the end of the month, I'll be having my technomancer husband have a look at it. I'm pretty sure I'm missing something really simple and silly.
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Reading for the Intermediate Witch - Introduction
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| Image courtesy of Pexels.com |
You may have finished reading the list that I provided for beginning witches and wondered what more was out there. You may be a witch who has progressed beyond the basics of circle casting, raising energy, and directing it where you want it to go. You may have some questions about how the fundamentals of magic work or are interested in working with spirits in a more complex manner. Intermediate witchcraft looks more like the traditional image of witchcraft including dabbling in the arts of necromancy, divination, and scandalous things like cursing.
It is more labor intensive than beginner's level witchcraft. It also requires one to practice greater self discipline and focus to accomplish their goals. The information I will be presenting is to be considered strictly educational. If you choose to attempt some of the exercises I will occasionally post, you do so with the full knowledge that all karmic responsibility is yours. This is like cooking. I provide the recipe but you are responsible for how the result comes out. And, like cooking, there are a wide range of factors that can keep a recipe/spell from working out as planned. As a witch of some experience, however, I expect you to be somewhat familiar with the unpredictability of magic and things of spirit.
Next week, I will be posting a review of the spiritual self defense and hygiene course that I had posted last year. I will also be posting a link to the page where all of the posts are collated and available for review. If there are questions regarding the lessons posted on spiritual and magical self defense and hygiene, please post them in the comments on the review post this way they are not buried in with other comments from past posts.
Autumn: Harvest and Creation
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| Image courtesy of Pexels.com |
creation of the universe. It is the central portion of the 'Mother' half of the year (which is considered to begin at the feast day of Rosa Mundi, Midsummer and end at Nativity day). The major feast days of this part of the year celebrate the whole of Dea. The first harvest festival of Chelanya is the feast of Regeneration. It mirrors the Eastre cycle and is during the second month of Summer (Kerea, named for Ceres) and corresponds with when the harvest of produce begins in earnest. Some consider it the unofficial start of autumn.
The second harvest festival falls during the month of Abolan near the Autumnal Equinox. It is called Cuviyania. This festival is consider the proper harvest festival and is during the height of harvest time. It celebrates Dea as the Ground of All Being, or the fundamental cause of all existence. All three aspects of Dea is celebrated but greater emphasis is placed on the Bright Mother as the benevolent and abundant giver to all of creation. The major meditative focus for this celebration is the mysteries of creation.
The third harvest festival falls during the beginning of the month of Werde and is a three day celebration. It begins on the 30st of October and continues until the 1st of November. Known as Tamala, it is a celebration of the soul's reunion with Dea. It is also a time where the Dark Mother aspect of Dea is celebrated as the comforter and consolation of the dead. Tamala is very much a time for the meditation upon those who have gone before us and for the celebration of the bonds of love that ties us to them, as well as the bonds of love that tie us to the Dark Mother, Deam Mysterium.
Monday, October 1, 2018
Survey Results & Upkeep Matters.
Gentle Reader,
Your assistance with my survey was of a great deal of help. The overwhelming majority voted for Tuesday's topic focus to be reading for the intermediate witch. I will be giving actual book reviews on these days. Books in a series will have links to the reviews for the other texts related to them. When I am not doing a book review, I will be posting something instructional. First, I will be reviewing the basics of magical/spiritual safety and hygiene. Then I will get into the more advanced workings on those matters.
I will be making some changes to the blog format here on the main blog. I am trying to make it more user friendly. As such, there are some pages that are going to be added and some pages that are going to be removed. I will, for example, be collating all of the video blog posts into a single page for your review and consideration. I think this will be easier than going through the tags now because there are quite a few tags to go through.
On the secondary blog, I will continue doing the Info Dump posts. While I had planned on doing them on Fridays, Mondays and Tuesdays seem to be the days that work best with my schedule. I am currently working through the backlog of divination topics. After the divination topic, I'm going to start rounding up the ones I have of Filianism/Déanism to do Info Dump posts on.
I will be changing the visual theme of the main blog. My goal is to have something that is a bit easier on the eyes and aesthetically pleasing. If I am successful, both blogs will have visually similar themes.
Change comes with the seasons. 🍂 ♥ 🍁
Your assistance with my survey was of a great deal of help. The overwhelming majority voted for Tuesday's topic focus to be reading for the intermediate witch. I will be giving actual book reviews on these days. Books in a series will have links to the reviews for the other texts related to them. When I am not doing a book review, I will be posting something instructional. First, I will be reviewing the basics of magical/spiritual safety and hygiene. Then I will get into the more advanced workings on those matters.
I will be making some changes to the blog format here on the main blog. I am trying to make it more user friendly. As such, there are some pages that are going to be added and some pages that are going to be removed. I will, for example, be collating all of the video blog posts into a single page for your review and consideration. I think this will be easier than going through the tags now because there are quite a few tags to go through.
On the secondary blog, I will continue doing the Info Dump posts. While I had planned on doing them on Fridays, Mondays and Tuesdays seem to be the days that work best with my schedule. I am currently working through the backlog of divination topics. After the divination topic, I'm going to start rounding up the ones I have of Filianism/Déanism to do Info Dump posts on.
I will be changing the visual theme of the main blog. My goal is to have something that is a bit easier on the eyes and aesthetically pleasing. If I am successful, both blogs will have visually similar themes.
Change comes with the seasons. 🍂 ♥ 🍁
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