A Tool of Transformation: Working the Warrior Wheel by MarVeena Meek

A Tool of Transformation: Working the Warrior Wheel

By MarVeena Meek-Ghost Queen

The definition of a warrior priestess is an awakened human, fighting for peace, harmony, and individual, autonomous freedom to bring the Gold Horse (awakened humans) to victory.

The goal of the enlightened warriors is to use their tools to fight ignorance, slavery, bigotry, to bring about a world of individual freedom and autonomy.

Wheels are ways of learning bodies of information in the medicine path.

In the Sweet Medicine Sundance Path there are a lot of wheels. Our mind learns easily in circles so things are overlaid that way to help us integrate the teachings and compare them to other wheels for multiple overlays of information.

I had the opportunity to put this wheel into use when I studied martial arts and began to compete. Being a show-me girl, I always like to see something work before I really give it much merit or thought.

If I hadn't started coming up with issues in my training I might not have tried it, but things started coming up in my program that I had a hard time overcoming. One of my good friends, also in the medicine path, suggested that I learn the warrior wheel and put it into action. You can use this same wheel in a lot of your own day-to-day life situations.

That is why I am sharing it here. This is also a good way for me to empty my cup symbolically. The cup cannot be filled again until it is emptied. By sharing what has worked for you, you are emptying your cup. The universe responds by giving you more to learn.

My first issue was having a hard time judging my space and distance. When you are preparing an attack, it is crucial that you be able to know where you are and what your opponent’s kicking distance is as well. The idea is to get into their space and score your point without them seeing it coming. It is like you are on the edge, creep on in, then: Boom! You are in and you score. I was having challenges knowing how close I could get and when I was at my distance to score.

Space and Distance is a Southwest issue. The counter to that issue is to do personal ceremony and give yourself WTA's to push your edge on all levels.

A WTA is a (Warrior Task Assignment). My interest in martial arts was originally a WTA from the man that I apprenticed to. He challenged me to study a martial art to help me gain a better sense of self in the physical body. So I did, starting in 1999.

The WTA suggested finding ways to push your personal edge or personal comfort zone.

What I did to push my edge was to sign up and take black belt classes in Tae Kwon Do which were training for State Competitions and Nationals. I was the only colored belt in the class; everyone else was already a black belt. So every class I took was over my head--really hard but when you train over your head for a project you really gain from a higher level. When I was actually with someone at my own belt level I was more than ready to compete with them. They were easy compared to what I trained with every day. It also helped me that I was one of two women in the class, so the intensity of training was really high. That, then, became my natural level. I thought every woman across the country was training for Nationals the same way I was. Turns out that was not so. My natural level was hands-down more intense than anyone I competed with, which was great for me.

To counter my problem gauging space and distance I gave myself the job of training with better and higher-ranked martial artists than I was. I also did personal ceremonies to stay connected with spirit. Sometimes I would just light some incense and sit under a tree outside and pray. In the SW, the symbolical idea to be gained here is my willingness to engage with the unknown. I was afraid of the unknown in a match: Would I get kicked really hard; would I would lose; how would I feel about that? Do I have the stamina to go three rounds? I had kept all these little unanswered questions to myself. This was causing me to lose my abilities to judge. As I began to train and really push my personal edge by training above my belt rank, I gained solid strength and understanding about my abilities and limits. This gave me confidence. I did my personal ceremonies to gain a sense of inner strength; this gave me that calm and understanding (of “It is a good day to die”). When you are really ready to bring it on, that energy and power are so awesome. It really helps support your play.

It seemed that I was getting better at gauging my space and distance within a few weeks of implementing the new approach. What I think is weird is that as soon as that challenge cleared up I began to have a problem with my timing.

Timing is crucial in a martial artist, it is important for all of us and we may not realize it. For a martial artist who is competing, it is an important factor. My timing was off; I was missing opportunities and starting to attack too late.

So, I looked on the wheel and discovered the cure was to keep and plot the naturals. What is that? It is the moon phases, cycles, the tides, where the planets now. What is going on in the heavens? I bought myself an almanac and begin to read it every morning: where is the moon, what are the times for sun rise and sunset, are any planets in retrograde? I began to get up in the morning to watch the sunrise; I made sure I watched the sun go down at night. I kept track of when the moon would rise and would watch that. By getting in harmony with the heavens and nature I was in better harmony with my self and all that is.

This allowed me to see better and know when to move, and when to wait. You can also affect one place on the wheel by working across the wheel. So when I was trying to build my strength and power I not only did the exercise in the west, but the east also. In the east it says to pursue knowledge, so I studied the great martial artists, especially Bruce Lee, who I think is a Master energy incarnated. I also studied other spiritual teaching from other schools in the Eight Great Powers. This helped me to have a good attitude and approach to my training, and to develop my power and sense of self, and connectedness to all that is.

I used all of this for martial arts; you could use this same wheel to rejuvenate a business, rebuild your own physical body--there are a lot of ways of using these teachings to empower your own life.

I took my martial arts to two State competitions and won two gold medals, then to Nationals and won two more gold medals sparring, then went on to earn my first-degree black belt and my second degree down the road.

 

If you need a little blueprint for success this would be it!

When we learn to live within sacred law, we can step into our power and shining in a beautiful way.

The Warrior Wheel

In the North: Intent and Coordination

In the Northeast: Relaxation and Focus

In the East: Self Development & Speed

In the Southeast: Attitude & Approach

In the South: Balance & Control

In the Southwest: Space & Distance

In the West: Power and Strength

In the Northwest: Pattern and Timing

Thank you for sharing some time with me here. May you walk in beauty!

MarVeena Meek-Ghost Queen

(C) Aug 9, 2009

If you like this article and would like to use it in your own E-zine or Newsletter you can. Just add this complete blurb with the article in its entirety.

From Dallas TX, MarVeena Meek "The Ghost Queen" publishes her Ghost Queen E-zine with paranormal and spiritual articles twice a month. Also great hint's and tips on psychic development. You can sign up for free at her website www.marveena.com She has earned her First and Second Degree Black Belts in Tae Kwon Do, Two Times Texas State Champion in Sparring and Two Times National Gold Medal Winner in Sparring. An Ordained High Priestess from Global Goddess, she works now as a Psychic Medium, Reiki Master and Hypnotist across the US. For more on the warrior wheel, see "The Song of the Deer" by Thunder Strikes with Jan Orsi. Check out www.dtmms.org. Also, see her blog for information on the Gold Horse at

www.marveena.blogspot.com

Boadicca by Nicole Kapise

Boadicca

Back, far back

when Queens reigned,

where the brave were sung

drenched in battle’s bloody beauty

the Iceni fight still.

Boadicca broken, refusing to break.

                            

The bird, black as a mother’s love,

The Morrigan

behind her arm―

the arc barely visible,

the spear shining, soaring

the flames blinding:

their height, their hate,

but so beautiful,

as Londinium continues to burn.

Book Review - White as Bone Red as Blood: The Fox Sorceress by Cerridwen Fallingstar

Book Review by Dawn "Belladonna" Thomas

White As Bone Red As Blood: The Fox Sorceress

By Cerridwen Fallingstar

Publisher: Cauldron Publications (July 27, 2009)

ISBN-10: 0578027119

ISBN-13: 978-0578027111

This is such a beautiful book. I started it and finished it in one day. I couldn’t put it down. Cerridwen Fallingstar certainly has a way with words. Her writing style and skill at storytelling are beyond description. The story was visual and I could see it in my mind as I was reading.

The story begins when we meet Fujiwara Seiko at 11 years old.  Her mother, Fujiwara Fujuri, is the High Priestess of the Inari Shrine. She tells her that Tokushi, a girl a few years younger, will carry the dynasty through her womb. As a young girl Seiko faces enormous challenges with the deaths of members of her family. As a young woman Seiko falls in love with a beautiful man who turns out to be someone different than she thought. She bears him a daughter she loves with all her soul. Although forced to leave her daughter behind, she leaves her husband’s house to live with an uncle. When she realizes she cannot stay there, she leaves to find her childhood friend Tokushi, the new Empress. Thus begins her life at court. She makes many friends and uses her healing skill,s especially with women in childbirth. Seiko becomes intimate with the Empress and a few other women and teaches other women of the palace the erotic art of love.

This is a deeply emotional story written by a woman about women. The visual descriptions of how women can have relationships with other women are very fulfilling. I highly recommend this book to all women but with the warning to be prepared to be swept away by the excellent narrative all the way to the last page. I am looking forward to the sequel White as Bone Red as Blood: The Storm God.

BOUDICA-WARRIOR WOMAN by Angie Skelhorn

BOUDICA-WARRIOR WOMAN by Angie Skelhorn

Boudica, also spelled Boudicca, formerly known as Boadiccea and known in Welsh as "Buddug" (60-61 CE) was a true woman warrior. Her name means “victory”. Boudica was a tall woman with long fiery red hair that hung down to her hips, a harsh voice, and a piercing glare. She was known to wear a large twisted gold necklace, a many-colored tunic and thick cloak fastened by a brooch. Boudica was of royal descent. She was queen of the Iceni tribe of what is now known as East Anglia. Boudica led an uprising of the tribes against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire. She and her supporters destroyed Camulodunum (Colchester), Londinium (London) and Verulamiuym (St. Alban's). An estimated 70,000-80,000 people were killed.

The Iceni community farmed the land for centuries. The people could trace their ancestry to the area back for many centuries. They grew their own food, made their clothes and taught their children. They had plenty. They were well fed and stored what was needed. There was peace and comfort to the Iceni people's existence. Boudica's husband, King Prasutaqus, made a deal with Romans for independence for his nation. Iceni became a Clinet Kingdom to the Romans. King Prasutaqus lived well on borrowed money. When the King died peace was lost. Boudica's husband bequeathed his kingdom to his two daughters and his wife. The King's will was ignored. The Romans had no respect for Boudica as a leader or a conqueror. Romans gave no rights to women. Men owned them from birth to death. Roman law only allowed inheritance through the male bloodline. Boudica found herself alone in a man's world.

On a day unlike any other the Roman troops marched into Boudica's village and claimed everything for the Roman king. The soldiers searched out Boudica and her two daughters. Boudica was tied to a post and whipped mercilessly. The Queen's two daughters were captured by the Romans who had their way with them in the most wicked of manners. Boudica vowed revenge on the Romans for the brutal deeds done to her, her family and clan. The Queen was determined to destroy her enemies. Boudica found support from neighboring tribes. In her chariot overwhelmed revenge, she set in motion a revolt that will forever be remembered.

Boudica was equal to any man when it came to war. She and her army slaughtered their enemies as they headed from one target to the next. Not a single Roman defense stood in her path. Populations were wiped out and buildings burned to the ground to erase what the Romans had built in the name of progress. Earth magic was visible in her strategy. Boudica employed a form of divination as she continued forward. She invoked Andraste, a British goddess of victory, then released a hare from the folds of her dress and interpreted the direction in which the hare ran.

Many Neopagan sources describe the hare as sacred to Andraste. Queen Boudica would address Andraste, then give thanks for the omen of victory. "Let us, therefore, go against (the Romans), trusting boldly to good fortune. Let us show them that there are hares and foxes trying to rule over dogs and wolves." When Boudica finished speaking she let a hare escape from the folds of her dress; and since it ran to what was considered the auspicious side (left side, the auspicious; the right side, inauspicious), the whole multitude shouted with pleasure and Boudica, raising her arms toward the heavens, said, “I thank thee, Andraste, and call upon thee as woman speaking to woman, those over whom I rule are Britons, men that know not how to till the soil or ply a trade, but are thoroughly versed in the art of war and hold all things in common, even children and wives, so that the latter possess the same valor as the men. As the queen, then, of such men and such women, I supplicate and pray thee, victory, preservation of life, and liberty against men insolent, unjust, insatiable, impious."

The Roman governor, Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, led the campaign to defeat Boudica. The very same Roman governor in 60 or 61 CE, also attacked the Druids on the island of Anglesy in North Wales. He killed all the men, women and children. The Roman's armor and weapons were perfected for the time. They took the best their enemies fought with and improved on the arms. Boudica's supporters fought with sharpened sticks, farm and household tools. Boudica stood in an open chariot with the reins in her hand led the revolt. She and her supporters made their way to Londinium (London) after defeating Camulodunum (Colchester), and Verulamium (St. Alban's). Gaius Suetonius Paulinus realized he didn't have enough resources to defeat Boudica so he abandoned the people to fend for themselves.

Boudica had no remorse. Everyone who stayed in Londinium (London) was put to the sword. Most Romans were hung from the crucifixes that themselves, had erected. She burnt Londinium (London) to the ground. Today beneath the city, there still lays a 13-foot layer of scorched soil from the fires that raged. After Boudica's victory, her overconfidence brought her downfall. Suetonius regrouped his forces in the West Midlands. Despite being outnumbered, he defeated the mighty Warrior Queen. At the final showdown 100,000-200,000 Britons came to watch. The Roman governor didn't know the person who was destroying his army. Unknown to Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, the feared warrior was a woman.

When it came time to battle, Boudica, tall, proud and prepared to conquer or die with glory, Boudica lifted her hand to the heavens and commanded her people to follow her lead. When a bloodthirsty savage cry came from Boudica's lungs, her followers began the fight for their lives. Men, women and children fought side by side. From the chaos the Romans became a killing machine and set a path that crushed men, women and children alike to death. Bodies mounted up. Boudica's daughters were killed. Some 80,000 Britons died. Boudica stood on the battlefield knowing all was lost. The Romans continued their march and brought down Boudica's culture, her way of life. The Romans wiped out the Earth-centered people. They broke the connection between the people, the land, and the gods. The spiritual way of knowing was lost as the Romans' material way of knowing grew in importance.

Land was profitable. The Celtic tribes' land and property were confiscated and nobles treated like slaves. The people became of little value. No one knows what happened to the mighty Warrior Queen Boudica or where she is buried. Today, a statue of Boudica charging into battle upon a chariot drawn by two horses stands near Westminster Pier, London, sculpted by Thomas Thornycroft in 1902.

Reference: Wikipedia.org, Warrior Women-Lucy Lawless, narrator

Author's bio- Angie is the fifth child born into a farming family. Her website is http://witchskel.weebly.com

BOUDICCA: “She Who Refuses to Live in Fear Can Never Be Enslaved” by Gayle Goldwin

BOUDICCA

“She Who Refuses to Live in Fear Can Never Be Enslaved”

Boudicca was a 1st century Celtic queen who led her people in an uprising that nearly succeeded in driving Roman occupiers from the shores of the British Isles. Though the High Priestess-Queen of the Iceni could not know it at the time, historians would later credit her with preventing the extermination of Celtic culture in Britain.

The Iceni were initially overpowered by Rome’s treachery and brute aggression. Their lands were seized and many citizens enslaved to pay labor “taxes” to the Emperor. When Boudicca protested, she was stripped, bound and flogged while her young daughters were gang-raped before her eyes.

Injured, but energized by her outrage, Boudicca rallied her people and called her neighbors to arms. She united the usually squabbling kingdoms of what is now southeastern England into a ragtag army of 100,000 warriors. Poorly armed, but driven by fury and determination, they annihilated Rome’s prestigious Ninth Regiment and destroyed Roman strongholds across East Anglia, sending the Empire’s most elite generals fleeing in disgrace. 

Much of her remarkable success was due to her awareness of the spiritual Reality that underlies all outer appearances. Boudicca was not queen of her people because she married a king; she was queen because she was the Iceni’s High Priestess (who, by Celtic tradition, made the man she married a king). Her powerful personal presence and ability to inspire, unite and energize her newly recruited army was due to her profound awareness of what she was as spirit. She knew her purpose for coming to life and inspired her people to remember theirs. 

Death cannot touch your spirit. You live on!

If we win, we live in Peace; if we die, we but return to Heaven. There is no way to lose!

For the soul, there was—and is—no way to lose while fighting for its freedom. Boudicca’s unlikely army of men and women warriors successfully resisted the strongest military power on the planet for two and a half years before being slaughtered by reinforced Roman legions. Though wounded and sick, Boudicca remained defiant in the midst of defeat, choosing to take poison rather than allow the Romans the pleasure of her capture.

Her message remains as true for women today as it was in ancient times: Banish your fear by remembering Who you are!

©2007 Gayle Goldwin. Excerpted from WomanSpirit Oracles: Wisdom of the Ancients, Solutions for Today, a modern-day divinatory tool of Feminine Empowerment published by Boudicca Publications.  To get a FREE online Oracle Card reading, send a FREE Oracle eGreeting Card, or read more excerpts and channeled messages, visit http://www.WomanSpiritOracles.com

Branwen: The Struggle by Angie Skelhorn

Branwen: The Struggle

By Angie Skelhorn

The role of myths and legends is to relive old memories, restore old traditions and to allow the past to become a tangible reality. The story of Branwen allows us to gain wisdom. Even when things go wrong we can learn from the experience. As a queen, Branwen lived in misery. Due to a war that was no fault of her own, her two brothers were killed. Her only child is sacrificed and the love of her husband is taken away.

The Goddess Branwen was the daughter of Llyr. She had four brothers, Bran, Nissyen, Manawydan, and Evnissyen. Bran became King of the Island of the Mighty, Britain. He was the Keeper of the Cauldron of Re-birth. Manawydan was respectful and an aristocrat. Nissyen was brotherly and known to make decisions for the good of all. Evnissyen was known as an unruly trickster, the personification of a malicious mischief maker.

Matholwch, the King of Ireland, decided to take Branwen as his bride when she was of marriageable age. He sailed to Britain where he asked King Bran for his sister Branwen's hand in holy matrimony. King Bran discussed the proposal with Manawydan and Nissyen. They agreed the union would be beneficial for both kingdoms. The couple, the countries and the people happily joined together.

The reception went on into the wee hours of the morning. Quietly, Branwen and Matholwch retired to their chambers and consummated their union. Next morning, Branwen's brother Evnissyen, returned from his travels. He noticed that there were horses that he had never seen before resting in the stalls in the barn. The caretaker told him of his sister's wedding to the King of Ireland. Evnissyen felt that such an important decision should not have been made without his input. Enraged, he slaughtered Matholwch's horses with his blade. The tale of the gruesome deed spread quickly.

Immediately King Matholwch and Queen Branwen prepared to leave Britain's shores. King Bran offered to replace the horses as well as a handsome amount of silver and gold. Matholwch declined. As only the grandest gift would do, Bran compensated Matholwch with the Cauldron of Re-birth.

When the newlyweds returned to Ireland the people fell in love with Queen Branwen. They were in awe of her beauty and fairness. Branwen gave the kingdom a future king, named Gwen. Branwen's popularity soared. Matholwch's advisers and close associates schemed behind the new mother's back. Over time they convinced her husband the King that she also needed to pay for her brother's offense to their royal property. Branwen was stripped of her comforts. She was forced to cook for the entire court. At night she slept alone, forbidden to see her husband and son. The butcher had been told to strike her at least once a day to keep her in her place. Branwen complied and suffered for three long years. Finally, she could bear no more.

Branwen accessed her witch powers and shape-shifted into a starling, her token bird for protection, hope, family unity, and communication. She flew to Britain and communicated her fate to Bran. She then returned to Ireland in fear of the wrath of her husband's advisers, but with hope that she would be rescued. King Bran gathered his armies and traveled to Ireland. He was determined to save his sister. He lay down and stretched his enormous body from side to side of the river Shannon. King Bran's armies marched safely to the other side. King Matholwch was defeated. In order to bring peace he declared that he would no longer mistreat Queen Branwen and he would offer his son kingship.

To please King Bran, Matholwch promised to build a castle large enough to house Bran's immense frame. Bran's ego was sufficiently fed and he agreed to drop his battle swords. The Irish built the huge building with hidden motives. Evnissyen decided to inspect the construction. In different corners of each room he found leather bags on wooden pegs. Curious, he opened the leather bags and uncovered the Irish plot against his brother. In each bag was a warrior, covered with flour, waiting to fight. One by one, Evnissyen squeezed the head of each warrior until it burst. Still suspicious of Matholwch's motives, he tossed Gwen into the fire during his kingship. Branwen dove into the fire to save her only child, but was stopped. A battle broke out between the two kings and their people. King Matholwch was determined to win. He commanded that his dead warriors be tossed into the Cauldron of Re-birth. Each came back to life. Bran's army became outnumbered. Evnissyen gave his life in an attempt to stop the slaughter. He sneaked into the Cauldron and stretched his body outward until the magical pot cracked and broke open. It was too late to save King Bran's life.  He had become mortally wounded in his heel by a poisonous spear.

Branwen accompanied Bran's seven trusted men to his burial. Branwen could not overcome the sadness of losing her two brothers, her child and the love of her husband. She died of a broken heart shortly after Bran's death. Matholwch, unskilled, abused the powers of the Cauldron of Re-birth. He, too, was killed and his land was left barren. One must wonder why Branwen did not access her magical powers and right the wrong for herself. Could it have been done out of wifely duty? Might she have complied because her brothers Bran, Nissyen and Manawydan felt it was best? No matter what the reason was, poor choices were made all around. Branwen should not have relinquished all her free will to others.

In Branwen's day and time women had few rights. There was no choice of individual style. Females took what was offered and learned how to conform. Today, if we are in a weakened state that can break us, hope and belief will help us forget. We have a choice to listen within and take responsibility for our lives. When one comes under great pressure and hardships, it is human not to think in a straight line because our emotions play a large role in our decisions. Most of the time we try to please everyone and, in the end, we please no one. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how pleasant or unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what is needed. There are so many situations one gets one's self into, where what might first appear to be an obstacle is often a great learning experience. Life is a learning process, a journey of discoveries as we learn by the obstacles that are overcome. The dilemmas are to teach us to be a good person and a better friend. Our events change all the time to put right what goes wrong.

There is guidance in all things. We go through phases--forgive, forget and let go. New opportunities come to put things back in proper order. When everything seems to go wrong, miraculously, everything starts to change for the better.

Author Bio: Angie Skelhorn is the fifth child born into a farming family located south of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. She is hard at work on her novel, "On the Edge."

Her website is http://witchskel.weebly.com

Celtic Astrology for Mabon by Carmen Reyes

Celtic Astrology for Mabon

If you were born September 2 – September 29

Your Tree Sign is

Vine

Blackberry

Botanical Information

Rubus fructicosus, Rubus ursinus, the Blackberry is a common hedgerow, a thorny shrub and a member of the Rose family. Beautiful and delicate white rose-like flowers dot the hedgerow before the berries come. It is one of the most important wild plants that serve as a food source for all animals. All of the species Rubus share most of the same medicinal properties. The fruits are refreshing and tonic, cooling to the blood and helpful to regulate menses. The leaves may be used as an astringent and uterine tonic in place of raspberry.

Tree Name

The Bramble is a thorny vine and the word vine is derived from “viere”, which means, “to twist”, referring to the vine’s spiraling growth.

Tree Goddess

A symbol of wisdom, the Vine is a plant of Venus, dedicated to the Muses, guiding spirits and source of inspiration, nine Goddesses of the Arts who personify our highest ideals and reveal to us ideals toward which we can aspire.

Tree Attributes

Exerting the strongest of powers, spiraling upward in growth, Vine is a good study of neighboring trees and plants and shares its energy with those in its surroundings.

Tree Craft

The leaves of the Blackberry are used to attract wealth. They have healing qualities and can be used to soothe scalded skin while saying this rhyme, "Three ladies came from the east,
one with fire and two with frost. Out with the fire, in with the frost"

Make a wreath of the Blackberry to protect the home. The whole plant can be used to attract prosperity.

Tree Personality

Methodical, analytical, sensitive and compassionate, the Vine represents divine inspiration and the desire to merge with our higher selves. There is a sense of being at home with one’s inner self despite fearing the outside world. The power of the Vine pushes us out into the world where we must learn to trust our inner knowing, our intuition.

Tree Essence

Rubus ursinus increases the will to carry through ideas into action and provide energy and inspiration to overcome inertia.

Tree Message

The Lady of Inspiration is a symbol of the intertwining of the conscious and unconscious mind, a sign of liberation from inhibitions.

Vine is the bringer of visions, divine inspiration and channeled creativity.  You are challenged to follow your intuitive instincts, being careful not to become lost in your own intoxicating enthusiasms. 

Tree Affirmation

“I am inspired”

Bibliography

Graham, Mark. andHeather Buchan. The Celtic Tree Ogham. Milverton, Somerset: Capall Bann, 2006.

Grieve, M. A Modern Herbal. New York: Dover Publications, 1971.

Hopman, Evert Ellen. A Druid’s Herbal for the Sacred Year, Rochester, VT: Destiny Books, 1995

Laurie, Erynn Rowan. Ogham Weaving Word Wisdom. Stafford, UK: Megalithica Books, 2007.

Paterson, Helena. The Handbook of Celtic Astrology. St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn Press, 1995.

Quarrie, Deanne. From the Branch – A Primer in Dianic Witchcraft. Rockmart, Georgia: The Apple Branch Press, 2008.

Energy Imbalances and Wellbeing by S. Kelley Harrell, C.Ht.

Energy Imbalances and Wellbeing

By S. Kelley Harrell, C.Ht.

Recently, I've been receiving a lot of inquiries based on the same topics. I take this as further validation of collective transition, and over the next few months will be responding to many of these questions collectively. Please continue to submit questions about private matters, and I will be glad to feature, those, as well. To that end, I've had several inquiries of late that deal with physical and psychological conditions. Finding that each of them shares the common concern on how beliefs affect our health, I am choosing to address them in a single overview of how health conditions are viewed and approached in a shamanic context. This response is not a template for approaching every energetic imbalance. As there are often similarities in conditions, there are always unique differences.

There are some common beliefs around perceived poor health, the first being that the condition is "bad." Within the consciousness, of that life form and in the spiritual consciousness, itself, there is no concept of good or bad. The condition just is. Demonizing states of being is like saying "trees are bad," or "the sky is good." It is an attempt to create disjoint from something that is otherwise neutral. When we call something bad our body and mind have a reaction to that statement. Think about the terminology used to describe conditions and consider what feelings are evoked by words such as, "illness" or "sick." Do you feel supported when you say them? Does saying them make you feel better? Generally such wording only reinforces the compromised state of health, because that terminology leaves us feeling emotionally less. When our emotions engage, that determines how something influences us. If it makes us feel happy, we feel well. What makes us feel sad, angry, or depressed, leaves us feeling sore, tired, and weak. In that light, specifically, how we feel dictates our reality, feelings being the reaction to how we think. Casting life force into a good or bad polarity does not help the healing process. If anything, doing so hinders it. To that end, regarding such a condition as energy that is no longer functioning at its highest capacity in that location is more useful. In short, it's energy in the wrong place. Allowing it to move to a place where it can be functional or released back to All That Is, is the focus.

Another belief that we tend to hold toward our perception of health is that the illness knows that it is harmful and is willfully creating harm. There can be unique factors around this, but in most cases that I've worked with the condition did not realize that it was causing harm. In fact, it did not even realize that it was in a non-useful place. This isolated view of self also is frequently witnessed in depossession and in psychopomp work, and is resolved by having an open discourse with the life force on the current state of things, the effect it's having, and one hopes, by then facilitating its movement to a more useful place.

It's not easy to change our vocabulary or our beliefs for expressing how we feel about physical or psychological conditions. In some cases, elaborating on how poorly we feel is socially more accepted than celebrating how great we feel. The phrase 'misery loves company,' doesn't stir strong emotions for no reason. Creating discord is a lot easier than engendering harmony, and that is no more true than in matters of wellbeing. Regardless, allow yourself a head start in changing your unconscious perspective on health. During my recent pregnancy and postpartum I found Sandra Ingerman's How to Heal Toxic Thoughts: Simple Tools for Personal Transformation very useful in creating a way to speak how I felt in my mind and body that alleviate them, and I highly recommend it for that purpose. Putting new thought patterns and methods in place for how to create health will be more easily done in a state of calm. That is not to say that it is too late to address these when feeling compromised. We are always ready to begin, and we're always ready to feel well.

Coming Out Star Seed

Many of us are familiar with the phrase "Star Seed," meaning those creatures from other star systems who settled into the Earth realm with many of their etheric layers functioning at high levels not common to this plane. The original writings on such beings were linear, targeting specific timeframes for birth, particular skills and demeanors. Among my clients I have worked with many Star Seeds and most certainly identify as one, myself. Through the years that I've grown as such and interacted with others, I've gained gratitude for that pioneering information, as well as realized just how limited and confining it was. The bounds of people who identify as not being from here are limitless. My hope for this edition of Intentional Insights is that it expands that concept a bit, opens channels for other Star Seeds to reach out, and reminds us all of our infinite greatness.

It's not easy being the fringe of the fringe, and I say that from the depths of my freaky, non-conformist heart. I can't tell you exactly when, I can't tell you precisely where, but I can without hesitation tell you that as soon as I became aware of myself in this plane I knew I wasn't from here. Where else could I be from? That's not information readily available to a little girl growing up in 1970s rural North Carolina, or many other places at that time. We didn't have the plethora of information on Star Seeds, Indigo Children, Crystal Children, that we do now. That lack of tribe shaped my spiritual growth to this day, though I readily recognize that I would not be the mindful person that I am now without my life being exactly as it has been, and I'm at peace with that.

It seems mine is a quite common experience, with many variations. How do know Star Seeds know they aren't from here? Mostly, because Grandmother Earth never felt like home. Some people very much feel they are originally from this plane and move very well within its layers. Grandmother Earth is a complex creature, home to refugees from all corners of the Void, and a sister in a much bigger family system than we have dared explore. Star Seeds have memories of some other place, some other family–some of which are the birth family, some of which they've never encountered here. Star Seeds tend to be extremely intuitive and aware of that fact. Generally we are very impatient because we recall being able to manifest what we wanted with little or no effort either before we were in form, when we were in a different form, or when we were on Earth before. Yep, that's what I said. I personally don't buy into past lives, not because I don't believe we don't have many manifestations of ourselves, but because I don't experience that those manifestations are limited by the concept of time (I wasn't joking about being fringe of the fringe.). My soul growth and what I've seen in some others who identified other star systems as home includes a stratum of this plane when it was new, when it was actively being created. We might call it the time of the Gods and Goddesses of our mythology, but even that feels limiting to me. No, I can't say that I buy into the whole Atlantean/Lemurian thing, but I do without question know there have been many elevated manifestations of humanity that our science cannot or will not affirm. We didn't just come in a singular era. Some of us return time and again, some of us just got here. In any form, Star Seeds are manifestors, though generally frustrated unless or until we master the magick of the formed realm, of which therein lies the rub. We don't tend to get along well with the formed realm. It's heavy, it's dense, restrictive. The result is that a lot of us have keen body issues, if not flat out self-destructive tendencies when it comes to the form. Most Star Seeds have extremely active upper chakras and are aware of their transpersonal space (sometimes to the degree of what our society considers mental illness), but are equally lacking in their lower chakras. This energetic imbalance manifests in dissociation, being spacey, depression, and many other ways. Likewise, many Star Seeds are highly empathic, can read life force, talk with spirits, but can't give you directions to the drugstore around the corner. The formed realm can be very challenging for us to traverse, such that the rules don't make sense. We arrive at our conclusions using a different logic, not better, not worse (though often amusing), that isn't always easily communicated with language. That density challenge often leaves a lot of Star Seeds wanting out of this plane. They perpetually feel this need to go home. Key to their success here lies not in skipping this strata, but in mastering it. We can't get Out There without going through the center of Here. Remembering that we came here of choice is the first point of Earth grounding for many Star Seeds. Experiencing the lush lifescape this plane has to offer was chosen for a reason. Honing the life purpose can be a great reminder of that plan. The Star Seeds who function the highest here aren't the ones whose crown chakras are open and their third eyes are beaming into higher planes. The ones who do really well are very grounded into Earth energy. They are comfortable in this foreign home. Their chakra systems and etheric forms are fluid throughout. They are very anchored into the magick that this realm teaches so that they can allow the stellar life force within them to connect with the cosmic life force in the planet herself. After all, Source is our common ancestor.

From the first realization that I was having a different spiritual experience on Earth, I felt isolated by people and more at home with spirits. I really began to feel the disjoint in my existence here when I committed to a shamanic path. I gave my best to honoring the teachings of Earth shamanism, as it is so neatly packaged and readily offered in our modern cultural interpretation of shamanism. I talk with animals, plants, crystals, dead people, faeries, weather, structures inhabited by spirits, inanimate objects, the spiritual manifestations of physical and mental conditions, soul parts of the living… I've not done it all by any means, but I've given the all that I know a thorough exploration, and endeavor to do so still. I love it; I feel it. But there was something capping that experience for me. Something was missing, and all I needed to find what would complete that lack was to look up. Contemporary distillations of shamanism omit what the ancients and indigenous have always known–we are all stars, and as we Star Seeds have reconnected with that wisdom, intergalactic life force must be honored in our spiritual paths. I wholly marvel that there are others far better gifted than myself in the magick of this realm. They are powerful healers, teachers, shapeshifters, empaths and liaisons to a beautifully primal spiritual tradition. I celebrate our earth shaman and animists as wildly as I rejoice my own heavenly homecoming. When I honored that facet of myself, when I allowed myself conceive that my spiritual community was largely not of this place, my shamanic path gave way to a ferociously vast terrain of All. I found my path of celestial shamanism. I looked upon it and it was good.

Hi, my name is Kelley, and I'm a Star Seed.

Soul Twins, Soulmates, Twin Flames and Rigid Truth

"The truth you believe and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new." ~Pema Chödrön, The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving Kindness"

I recently featured Chödrön's quote as my Twitter update while I was penning a response to a client regarding soulmates. The two seemed so related that the quote is fitting to introduce this collective inquiry: What are soulmates and why do we seek them?

Most of us have been given some concept of soul connection by early childhood, a definition that sticks with us unless or until we explore the concept ourselves. When I first began working with others as a shaman a large number of my clients were dealing with some aspect of 'soulmate,' whether it was the search to find one or clarifying an existing relationship with a soul relation. The thing that I noticed most was how desperately many cling to the concept of 'soulmate' and to the people they believe to be such. I was curious about what led people to believe that soulmate = perfect union, that having a soul connection to someone would entail staying in a relationship that clearly did not meet needs. Equally, I was driven to understand the psychology that feels it's useless unless it is in a recognizable soul union.

Examining how the concept of 'soul relationship' is put out there one quickly bumps into Edgar Cayce's work around the topics of "soul twins" and "twin flames." Having been widely interpreted, the perspective largely perpetuated through his readings is that there is one and only one perfect soul complement. In this view the soul is a dual-faceted entity that splits itself in two equal masculine and feminine life forces in order to bridge a wider terrain of experience and learning in the earth plane. These two come together in formed life to complete the Oversoul's (or High Self's) earthly work. I'm comfortable that Cayce knew things that I don't, though within the framework of my experience is a truth that souls are limitless. Not only are they infinite, they are collectives spanning distance and time, perhaps even dimensions, doing acrobatic energetic feats, splitting into many manifestations and rejoining so cleverly we can't begin to hold them in linear understanding. This is the beauty of our transpersonal. It isn't just metaphor that we are all connected regardless of the era we were born, the location in which we reside, the biological sex we wear, or the species we inhabit. We are connected, period.

I've had many clients come to me who realized they were in a soul-connected relationship only to find that interpersonal issues weren't resolved by virtue of this spirit union. Most couldn't understand how a precious soulmate could inflict harm on its Other. The reality is being connected at very high levels to someone doesn't automatically impart that the earth consciousness is well adjusted. In fact, it doesn't imply anything. Unfulfilled expectations are the result of earthly filters we have applied to a spiritual state of being. In that state several of my clients expressed that they felt they had been given a divine gift and to walk away from it would be a dismissal of their Higher Power. More harrowing for some was the idea that in leaving this soulmate they would karmically forfeit finding another. Changing this belief isn't just leaving a lover or spouse but is a crisis of faith much the same as realizing one's chosen religion no longer suffices. For many to turn away from a soulmate, even in extremely abusive situations, it feels like going against Nature because we have been programmed to view soul connections through a limited earthly lens. In some cases we have been indoctrinated to put our interpretation of those filters above our own welfare and needs. That inclination is as harmful in unhealthy soulmate relationships as it is insidious in those who feel they have no self-worth without one.

In that light it isn't the soul connection that is damaging; rather, the way we have been taught to perceive it is. Soul connection at its most basic isn't about how many we have or how long they last. The soul doesn't know male or female, or loving one versus loving five, or romantic versus platonic love. It doesn't even differentiate cat from tree, or son from place. The soul does not know time. All it knows is fluid, expanding compassion and unconditional love for All Things. When we start applying linear constructs to soul connections and spiritual experiences, the experiences become stagnant. Any thriving wisdom they imparted ceases to evolve and grow.

The Celtic concept of "anam cara" is the most fluid understanding of soul bonding that I've learned, the "soul friend," one who simply by being in form reminds us of infinite connection and moves us in the way of growth when we won't move ourselves. For that reason soulful bonds often create more challenges for us, rather than fewer. What I see in that dynamic is our power to create ourselves exactly as we want to be in as many ways as we can comprehend. Within that open comprehension and bond with All That Is, would it not be possible to see anyone as a soulmate, if we allowed it?

We live at a time that the rules for how we come into this plane are changing, if they ever were truly static. Perhaps it is our ability to widen our comprehension of the rules that has changed. Years ago a friend said to me, "When you find truth, pick it up. Inspect it carefully, then put it down and walk away." Truth, like souls, cannot be held. My outlook has been more fluid since I learned this. I have become my metaphor, and in doing so recognize you more freely.

The Power of Moving On

Hi Kelley, My husband and I have been apart since 2004 and I still have no resolution. We have not talked other than him telling me that he will make my life a living hell, and he has done so. He is planning on marrying the woman he left me for in 2010. I still see him on the highway on my way to work. That man was my heart. What happened to make him hate me so? Thanks ~L

Thanks for your note, L. I can't get core insight about your husband without his permission. I can tell you that from the imagery I see he felt for a long time like a starving, impoverished person, though the circumstances of his despair were self-induced. He is on his own path of creating conflict for himself as a means of learning self-reliance and empowerment. As he treats himself without care, it is no surprise that he would treat you with even less. Consider it beneficial not to be with him any longer, in that regard. How he cares for himself is his choice and his process for this time.

What concerns me is your process. There is great danger in staying locked in a victim mindset over circumstances you can't change, instead of focusing on the things you can change that will benefit from your attention. It seems that you are steadily giving away your power to many others, leaving little for yourself. Put yourself first. You need to care for and raise your life force now more than ever. If you do not have a regular meditative practice, even if it is visualizing random colors of light moving through and around your body, such will improve your health and your outlook. Finding an energy worker to help you raise your life force a Reiki master, shaman, holotropic breathwork practitioner… will vastly help you heal your life force, your body, and your heart.

The Renegade's Guide to Dreamwalking

Kelley–I don't know if this is particularly shamanic, but I'm an avid dreamer, though rarely can I figure out what my dreams mean. Can you recommend a good guide to dream analysis? Thanks! Compass-less.

Thanks for your note, C. One of my first clues that I was on a different path was in the depths of my dream world. I've always been a vivid and lucid dreamer. Recommend a good guide? Sort of. There are two excellent resources for interpreting dreams. The first lies in cultivating the bridge between your conscious and unconscious minds. Dreams can be many things–a mirror of yourself, messages from your unconscious, messages from your body, travels out to/memories of other planes/experiences of yourself, messages from other beings, or visits from other beings. Sometimes a dream is a combination of these. My general approach to decoding my dreams and those of my clients falls mostly in that order. First I determine if the dream was coming from me or another consciousness. (Yes, I know, ultimately we're all one consciousness, but in order to comprehend metaphors and symbols they must be filtered through a coherent legend, which resides in your unique unconscious/conscious mind connection.) Most people who dream prolifically seem to have their own measure for determining the origin of the dream. Myself, I just know. Dreams that don't come from me feel foreign, to put it simply. The quickest test I can suggest for this determination is to ask your High Self to step into your conscious mind and pose the question, "Did this dream originate from me or from a separate consciousness?" Go with the immediate answer you get, whatever fashion that answer comes in. Depending on that response I go in different directions. If it was my unconscious communicating with me, I consider how the personalities and symbols in the dream are a mirror of me. By that I mean, I assume that everything in the dream was really me, even if the figures in the dream are other people that I know. From there I break down the archetypes by gender, age, emotional state, physical condition, etc. Even the setting I examine archetypally to decode any message it may need to convey. Probably 80% of my dreams are facets of myself expressing needs or hurts that need to be addressed, or beliefs, habits, relationships, or thought patterns that are no longer functional in my life. By considering that everything in the dream is mirroring some aspect of myself I intercept messages from my unconscious mind or body (which has its own symbolic communication system), not only do I cognate the message, but I "write in" what that symbolism meant so that if it comes up again I have direction right off the bat. Retaining this personal meaning is where keeping a journal is invaluable. Most of the time once I unravel the meaning of a symbol, I don't dream about it again; thus, recurrent dreams are resolved. Remember, as with all truths, what was meaningful in a certain way one time may be meaningful in a different way subsequently. Even though the symbolism may have been sound at one point in your life, allow yourself the freedom for it to mean new things later. As you grow your consciousness expands. So does how you carry and interpret archetypes.

Frequently I wander off in a dreamstate, which arguably isn't a dream at all, but perhaps the classic "vision." Nonetheless, it's a particular kind of spirit journey that only occurs when I'm sleeping, so I still consider it a form of dream. In these visions, I experience going out of my body, or perhaps I experience a different manifestation of myself. This could be some simultaneous life, some experience of myself from a past, or perhaps an entirely different plane of existence that I know isn't Earth. Sometimes I visit someone in this type of dream, or I see things from an animal's perspective. Again, distinguishing this type of dream for me is typically easy, as I am consciously aware that I'm dreaming. Some consider these journeys "lucid dreams," in which the dreamer is observing the dream from a detached perspective while also participating in the dream, and directing its progression to some degree. If you're not sure if you are wandering out, the same "High Self" test as above is appropriate to do to determine if you are astrally traveling in your sleep.

Another type of dream that I think falls under the category of "vision" involves messages and visits from other consciousnesses. Once you determine that a dream did not originate from your own consciousness the task becomes one of clarifying the message. Perhaps that requires a little research and a bit more skill, very much of the shamanic sort. I find that dictionaries for dreams are one dimensional, at best. Without question I support the collective influence that archetypes and symbols have, and encourage becoming familiar with those across various cultures. However, I feel that stopping there is missing a vital reason for why the symbol visited us. In addition to collective relationships to symbols we experience personal relationships to them, and those meanings are only culled out when we consider the symbol is its own consciousness that has intelligent insight to deliver specifically to us, as individuals. While brown bear may mean protection and confidence as an archetype, to me, specifically it may also carry a message of hope and the ability to sustain through hard times. The way to create those personal bonds with symbols is through meditation and shamanic soul travel.

The second key to understanding your dreams lies in connecting with the feelings they evoke. Feelings are precisely the bridge that connects the dream to your waking life. When you can clarify the way a dream left you feeling and see how that feeling manifests in current circumstances you have decoded the symbols of that dream. In that brilliant inner light you can't get lost.

Be well, C!

~*~*~*~

Kelley is an author and shaman in North Carolina. Her shamanic practice is Soul Intent Arts. To schedule a private session with Kelley or learn her teaching schedule visit www.soulintentarts.com. Updates for her practice can be found at:

http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Fuquay-Varina-NC/Soul-Intent-Arts/1280...

Find her publications at www.kelleyharrell.com. The full archive of Intentional insights is available at www.intentionalinsights.com. Kelley can be reached at Twitter via http://twitter.com/SKelleyH , and on Facebook at: http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/S-Kelley-Harrell/45224242576?ref=ts

Intentional Insights is a Q&A column inviting you to look inside yourself. If you have a question that you would like to have addressed regarding a brief Soul Reading or questions about spiritual healing and shamanism, please send them to Kelley at soulintentarts dot com.

Found Goddesses: Part 5 - Barbie by Barbara Ardinger, Ph.d.

Barbie[1]

          Like Athena from the head of Zeus, Barbie was born (in 1959) from the mind of Ruth Handler, cofounder of Mattel, Inc., and named after her daughter. Well … if you want to know the truth, Barbie is known to be a knock-off of “Bild Lilli,” a lascivious doll from a German tabloid. But our Barbie wasn’t a naughty German plaything. Like “Kitten” on Father Knows Best, like Mouseketeer Annette, our Barbie was an All-American Girl. She became the most popular doll in America. The author of Forever Barbie writes that she “may be the most potent icon of American popular culture in the late twentieth century.”

          Reader, have you noticed that Protestants don’t have goddesses? The faithful of the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox churches have Mary Mother of God and gaggles of saints, but the sixteenth-century Reformers reformed Mary right out of the church. The Puritans further purified the church of beauty and holidays. John Knox wrote a tract called A Monstrous Regiment of Women, in which he attacks uppity women like Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots and praises women who know their proper place. In the early Protestant churches, everyone could be a saint, but no one could even think about being a goddess.

          Today, America worships the goddesses of the silver screen and MTV, but who’s the greatest popular goddess? I nominate Barbie as Protestant Goddess, as the Goddess of All Girls. Just as Isis is She of Ten Thousand Names, so Barbie is She of Ten Thousand Wardrobe Changes.

Behold the apotheosis of the doll.

Hail, Barbie, full of grace,

Mattel is with thee.

Blessed art thou among dolls

And blessed are thy multitudinous accessories.

Holy Barbie, girlfriend of Ken,

Play with us now

And as long as plastic and fabric will last, amen.

Barbara Ardinger, Ph.D. (www.barbaraardinger.com), is the author of Pagan Every Day: Finding the Extraordinary in Our Ordinary Lives (RedWheel/Weiser, 2006), a unique daybook of daily meditations, stories, and activities. Her earlier books are Finding New Goddesses, Quicksilver Moon, Goddess Meditations, and Practicing the Presence of the Goddess. Her day job is freelance editing for people who don't want to embarrass themselves in print. Barbara lives in southern California. To purchase a signed copy of Finding New Goddesses, just send Barbara an email at bawriting@earthlink.net.

Moon Schedule from Mabon to Samhain by Dawn "Belladonna" Thomas

Moon Schedule from Fall Equinox to Samhain

By Dawn “Belladonna” Thomas

(Times are Eastern Time)

2^nd Quarter – September 26^th 12:50 a.m.

Full “Blood” Moon – October 4^th 2:10 a.m.

4^th Quarter – October 11^th 4:56 a.m.

New Moon – October 18^th 1:33 a.m.

2^nd Quarter – October 25^th 8:42 p.m.

Moon Void of Course Schedule

Date                                   Starts                                  Ends

Planting Days

October 1^st, 2^nd, 6^th, 7^th, 10^th, 11^th, 19^th, 20^th, 28^th, 29^th, 30^th

Harvesting Days

October 8^th, 9^th, 12^th, 13^th

Music by Ms. Rey

 

 

My name is Melissa Rey. I am an aspiring artist whom happened upon The Oracle through sheer guidance.  There is no other way to describe it.  I sing, rap, write, record, perform, paint; these are my artistic endeavors I use as a medium of expression.  There is a general theme that has seemed to follow me all my life.  The theme is of self discovery, acceptance, struggle, strength and awakening a deep part of my womanly soul.   

Wonder Woman was written and recorded as my single for 2009.    Just click on the player above to listen!

It's a fusion of R&B and Hip Hop and is an extension of me and gives me great pride and joy both while I was creating it and when I perform it.  The message is what is important and seems to be very conducive to the work of Global Goddess. 

I hope you enjoy!

Blessing, Love & Light...    Melissa Rey aka Ms. Rey    

 

The official bio ...   Raised in The Boogie Down Bronx of New York, this Nueyorican artist intertwines classic R&B with a bit of street edge hip hop flava. Writing from the age of 15, Ms. Rey is a multi talented lyricist, singer and songwriter. Lyrically on top of the game, she holds her own in her word play but doesn't stop there, also a gifted singer she backs up her tracks with memorable hooks and solos. With originality in demand, Ms. Rey steps on the scene with a refreshing style of melodic verses incorporating different flows successfully establishing just how versatile this artist is. To add fuel to the fire, her image projects an attitude of strength, artistry and appeal.  At home in the studio as well as on stage, Ms. Rey has performed in many venues throughout the 5 boroughs and throughout the states. She creates and styles herself and her dancers in fashionable, theme based attire to attract the attention of audiences. In 2005 she was an Underground Music Award’s nominee for "Most Promising Female Artist". Gaining popularity in the streets, online & clubs; Ms. Rey has performed alongside hip hop pioneers such as Grand Wizard Theodore/Kurtis Blow, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Greg Nice & DJ Jazzy Jay.  In 2007, Ms. Rey joined forces with Street Corna Music Group and was featured as the female voice on the “I Just Wanna Remix”; the song hit Germany Charts as one of the top songs in 2008.  Currently, she is working on completing an album and recently signed a digital distribution deal with Buttah Sopht Entertainment to position her music in a host of popular digital media forums like itunes.  Her latest single entitled “Wonder Woman” is quickly becoming a popular feminist track that many girls and women can adopt as an anthem. “Wonder Woman” will be a feature on Global Goddess E-zine in fall of 2009.  Recent performances include PR 116th Street Festival in June 2009 (Burger King Stage & Amor 93.1 FM) & July 2009 Iselin NJ Fair. Ms. Rey has exactly what the music industry needs right now, a female MC that crosses over the boundaries of the conventional female rapper.  Please vist my web site www.msreymusic.com/

Pagan Parenting: Part 2 by Sarah Buhrman

Pagan Parenting: Part 2

by Sarah Buhrman

Many parenting techniques seem to focus on getting children to behave the way that adults want them to behave. This does not often take into account the child's development or the child's personality. Child development works with the biological development of the brain, and emphasizes how the brain can and cannot perform at a certain age. Developmental psychology and attachment parenting are good places to start in learning about this aspect.

Today, however, I am focusing on the aspects of the child's personality, which can be broken into two segments: astrological/elemental and past life carry-over.

By taking into account your child's astrological and elemental aspects, you take into account the foundations of your child's personality. By understanding what motivates your child's behavior, you can encourage positive behavior and discourage negative behavior. (I will be talking in the more general elemental aspects regarding astrology; that is, Fire = Aries, Leo & Sagittarius, Earth = Taurus, Virgo & Capricorn, Air = Gemini, Libra & Aquarius, and Water = Cancer, Scorpio & Psces.)

For example, air children will want more explanations, appealing to their logic, while water signs have more emotional motivations. So you would tell an air sign that they should pick up their toys so they can find things more easily, but water signs will pick up their toys to make mom and dad happy. Any basic astrology book or website will give you insight into your child's sun sign motivations, but I recommend finding out the rising/ascendent sign and reading up on that as well. The sun and rising signs will be the most important ones in understanding how your child "works." The moon sign, meanwhile, will help you understand the emotional reactions of your child. Needless to say, the more in depth you go with your child's natal chart, the better you will understand your unique little pagan.

The second aspect of personality that I am addressing today is the past life carry-over. This is the emotional memories that every person brings with them into their new lives. Anything you learn about your child's past lives will help unravel the mystery of his or her mind. By doing this, you can help your child get through the obstacles of past-life "baggage" and support them in discovering their purpose in this life. This will help make the child's life more complete and fulfilling.

Solitary Ritual by Dawn "Belladonna" Thomas

Solitary Autumn Equinox Ritual

By Dawn “Belladonna” Thomas

For the altar:

1 yellow candle

1 orange candle

 An apple

A cup of wine or juice

A small cluster of grapes

Fall flowers or fall leaves

Set up your ritual area.  Light the candles and arrange the grapes, the vine and flowers or leaves on the altar.

Casting the Circle

Take the apple and hold it in both hands.  Feel the wisdom and love of the Goddess.  She is generous.

“The apple is an ancient symbol of the Goddess with her great knowledge and power of healing.  It holds Her wisdom and provides a gateway into other realms.  Sacred is this space filled with the riches of the Great Mother.”

Call the Quarters

“Hail to the Spirits of the East, Element of Air, knowledge, and wisdom.  Bless me with your gifts during the season of fall.  Please join me tonight.”

“Hail to the Spirits of the South, Element of Fire, bring the warmth of sunlight to my day.  Bring illumination and passion in many ways.  Please join me tonight.”

“Hail to the Spirits of the West, Element of Water, come to this circle of mine.  Add love, peace, and intuition in this place and time.  Please join me tonight.”

“Hail to the Spirits of the North, Element of Earth, give me strength and success.  Please join me tonight.”

“The circle is cast as above and so below.”

Call the Goddess

“The Autumn Equinox is the harvest of fruits and late grains.  I ask the Goddess of Grain, Demeter, the Lady of the Harvest and bountiful earth.  Bless me during this autumn season.  I also ask Pomona, the Goddess of Apples to join me.  Please share your sacred orchard with me.

At the autumn equinox a time of equal light and dark hours occurs.  Help me to find balance and harmony within.  Guide me with Your wisdom and remind me to be thankful for all of the blessings that I have in my life.

It is now time to pass from summer into the dark of the year.  On this day of the equinox, this day of balance, it is the threshold where light begins to fade.  As the nights grow longer, it is a time to cultivate inner wisdom.”

Meditation and Giving Thanks

“I raise my chalice in thanksgiving for what the Mother Earth has given me this year.”

Think of these questions and answer honestly.  What is my personal harvest?  What have I brought into manifestation this year?  What can I do to honor the generosity of the Earth that sustains me?  How might I thank my loved ones and acquaintances who have supported my creativity this year?  How can I best acknowledge and celebrate myself for hard work completed this year?

Releasing the Elements

“Spirit of the North, Element of the Earth, thank you for lending your strength and stability this night. Hail and Farewell.  Blessed Be.”

“Spirit of the West, Element of Water, thank you for blessing me with loving emotions so right.  Hail and Farewell.  Blessed Be.”

“Spirit of the South, Element of Fire, thank you for your passion and illuminating light.  Hail and Farewell.  Blessed Be.”

“Spirit of the East, Element of Air, thank you for the winds of change that swirl within my life.  Hail and Farewell.  Blessed Be.”

Releasing the Goddess

“I thank you Demeter and Pomona for joining me this night.  Hail and Farewell.  Blessed Be.”

Open the Circle

“The circle is open but remains unbroken. 

Blessed be! 

Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again.”