Crocheting

Right now I'm working on an afghan for my nephew. He has rapid-cycling bi polar disorder (that's what I'm calling it at least...he does have a diagnosis, just not sure on the proper name other than bipolar.) Anyway, he is the sweetest kid, always has been. He just has his moments. Usually his moods rapidly shift between anger, depression and the occasional really good mood. He's a big kid...football player big. The reason I'm posting this is because of the afghan I'm making for him. He just wants something to cover up with that's handmade (see the sweet sentimental side :)) I'm meditating while I make it. The repetitive motion is great for the kind that I'm doing because it doesn't take a lot of counting. I'm meditating on patience and calming, relaxing energies. I'm hoping that some of this is put into the blanket and it becomes something that will help calm him when he gets in his "moods." He takes medication, he goes to a counselor and a psychiatrist, who says he can't have a little more to help regulate his moods :)

I'll post an update to this if anything changes or just to report on his reaction to it when I'm finished.

Regarding spells and rituals

I thought I might place a little notice here in the blog to let you know that I will not be sharing rituals or spells on this site. The best rituals and spells are those you create yourself, it gives them your own personal energy and shows you put thought and effort into them. Paganism is not here to be easy, it is meant to be a religion of self-improvement and spiritual/personal growth. If you truly take your religion seriously you will create these yourself and put the proper thought into them. I don't want to sound like I'm scolding you if you did come here looking for those things, I am not. Merely informing you of my opinion and what type of reaction you will get if you ask me for these things. However, if you are in the process of planning something great and you want some input, go ahead and ask. I won't write anything for you, but I will give some advice or ideas based upon my experience. If after reading this you still want to find ready made rituals/spells, just type it into a search engine, you'll pull up all kinds...although the quality may not be very good.

Blessings on your spiritual journey
PrairiePagan

Pagan Glossary

This is my own personal glossary that I have compiled from my own research. I will continue to add new words and expand upon definitions as I find necessary. Hope this is helpful. If you find a word that is not on my list or not in any of the references listed, please let me know. I'll see what I can do to help find out the meaning.

Aeromancy: Air magic.

Airts: Simply put, this is a Gaelic term for the four compass points, north, south, east and west.

Amulet: A magical object created with the intent of protection.

Anhk: An Egyptian symbol meaning eternal life.

Astral Plane: This is a part of the world where energy vibrates at a higher rate.

Astrology: Not to be confused with Astronomy. Astrology is the study of the influence of the stars and planets on people's lives.

Athame: A sacred tool, not to be used as a weapon, only a tool for directing energy. In some cases it is used to be a representation of the God.

Besom: A broom.

Book of Shadows: A sacred book where a Pagan, Witch, Wiccan, etc. records magical or spiritual workings.

Cauldron: Typically used on an altar to hold water or burn paper or incense.

Circle: Basically a round shape :) Magically speaking, a circle is a boundary marking off sacred space for Pagans to perform their spiritual workings. There is a lot of history and background to this word that I will go into in another post.

Coven: Traditionally, a group of 13 men or women who work together as witches.

Deosil: To move clockwise.

Divination: The art of discovering hidden things by use of magic means.

Esbat: Typically a full moon ritual, however this can also be used to describe any holiday celebrated in a pagan faith outside of the regular 8 sabbats.

Evoke: To call upon a power within you, such as an ancestral quality.

Geomancy: Earth magic.

Handfasting: Pagan marriage.

Handparting: The end to a handfasting, from what I understand this is not necessarily a divorce. Some handfastings are done for only a limited amount of time, maybe a year, the handparting would be done at the end of that year.

Hydromancy: Water magic.

Incense: Burned to promote the proper atmosphere for rituals, both physical and mental, by helping to make those associations that say it is time to focus on the spiritual.

Initiation: When one person admits another person by means of a special ritual, to be known as a member of their group.

Invoke: To call upon the Divine spirits to join you in your working.

Magic: The best definition is that from Aleister Crowley, so I will just borrow his for this: "The Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with the Will."

Meditation: Focused relaxation and/or thought.

Palmistry: Divination by looking at a persons hand.

Pentacle: A 3 dimensional disc with a five pointed star.

Pentagram: A five pointed figure, in magical workings, typically a star.

Pyromancy: Fire magic.

Quintessence: The "fifth" element, in addition to earth, air, fire and water. Typically referred to as spirit, akasha or aether.

Reincarnation: Typically means your spirit will be reborn after you die. This is a pretty general definition, I recommend doing a little more research to fully appreciate the true meaning of this belief.

Sabbat: One of the 8 main seasonal holidays, I typically go by the names that were presented in the Gardnerian Book of Shadows, however many people use the Celtic names for them (although Wicca and many pagan religions that use those names are not actually Celtic.)

Scrying: Divination by gazing into something such as a crystal ball, a mirror, or a bowl of water.

Skyclad: Being clad (dressed) in the sky, or more simply, nude.

Spell: A short ritual working, often added within a bigger ritual.

Talisman: A magical object created with the intent of bringing something.

Wiccaning: To dedicate a newborn/baby to the religion of Wicca. (I prefer to do blessings, asking the divine to protect the baby, but not dedicating the child to a specific religion. That is their choice when they get older.)

Widdershins: To move counterclockwise.

Witch Balls: Typically shiny globes, similar to Christmas tree bulbs, that are/were hung in windows to reflect back negative looks or the evil eye.



For more a more in depth look at definitions and for more words please check the following resources:

All One Wicca: A Study in the Universal Eclectic Tradition of Wicca by Kaatryn MacMorgan

An ABC of Witchcraft by Doreen Valiente

Celtic Reconstructionism

The creation of Celtic Reconstructionism (CR) has been an ongoing collaborative effort between several people who want to further the Celtic culture. In 1985 during the Pagan Spirit Gathering in Wisconsin there were several workshops relating to Celtic practice. A group of people from all over, who attended this gathering, took the information home with them and began to develop their own traditions. Later, these same people met up online and collaborated information to get CR in the works. Kim Lambert ni Dhoireann was the first to use the term “Celtic Reconstructionism” in the 1992 Spring issue of “Harvest” magazine. According to ni Dhoireann, Kathryn Price Nic Dhana was the first to use the term, and Nic Dhana says she used the term “Pagan Reconstructionism” from Margot Adler’s Drawing Down the Moon from 1979 as her inspiration for the term CR. To break the term down, Celtic refers to a specific group of languages and the cultures that speak these languages within a larger Indo-European language group. And from The CR FAQ, “In discussions of religions of antiquity, ‘reconstruction’ refers to the process of building a model of previous historic and pre-historic traditions, and then examining that model for ideas of how to implement those traditions in a modern, practical sense.”

Anyone can be a practitioner of CR. It does not matter if a person is of Celtic descent or not. The only thing that matters is if a person has an interest and is willing to become involved with a community and culture. People who practice CR do not really have a hierarchy or clergy, although some groups may have leadership specific to their group. With that said, people can practice solitary or in a group. There really is no clergy in CR, and the closest thing to clergy is people who are great contributors to a larger CR community. These people may provide one or more of a variety of services such as leading rituals, divination or healing. It is not a requirement to do these things, and it is possible to practice at home alone or with family. Since there really is no hierarchy, the elders are determined by looking at what the individual has given to the community and what type of person they are. It is the person, not a title that people are looking for, for guidance.

The beliefs of CR are that of ancient Celtic religions reconstructed into a modern context. CR attempts to follow the information regarding Celtic religion found in ancient texts and folklore. Information that is believed on a personal level; found or gained through more mystical practices such as meditation or spiritual experiences are called Unsubstantiated Personal Gnosis (UPG). It is not wrong to believe in the information found through UPG, however it cannot be verified through academic methods therefore should be looked at carefully to see if it can be used in spiritual practice. It is important to test out the information gained through UPG to see if it fits with ones beliefs. It can be put up against academic texts and folklore to see if it goes along with everything else one believes. There is no one book that describes the Celitc faith; rather practitioners look to academic texts and folklore, as well as intellectual discussion to further their beliefs.

Celtic Reconstructionists believe in multiple Gods and Goddesses. Because there are so many deities in the Celtic culture, the deities one chooses to work with are typically chosen based on the Celtic culture that person leans most toward. Some CRs will work with Patron or Matron Deities, and it is believed that the deities choose the person, not the other way around. CRs do not worship or use the divine; rather they build a relationship with them which resembles more of a friendship. One thing I have found interesting in this research is the “paths” that people can choose to follow. There are such paths as the Warrior path, or the Poets path. The path chosen is decided by a person’s interests and where they feel a pull toward. It is possible for a person to study more that one path at a time whether that is personal choice or possibly a requirement to master a specific path. There are many ways a person might follow a specific path, but to give an example; if a person follows the Warrior path, they might work with specific war deities, and then they might work on mastering something physical like self-defense or fensing, etc. Along with this the person might follow a career path that goes along with the warrior path, such as military or law enforcement. I thought this was a neat way to bring your life into perspective and focus.

Typically the holidays celebrated are determined by the path and deities that are followed. However certain paths do celebrate Samhain, Imbolc, Bealtaine, and Lunasa, as well as other important holidays specific to the person’s faith; such as a specific holiday to their Patron or Matron deity. The common practice for the dates of celebration are as follows: Samhain is celebrated as approximately the first frost; Imbolic is the first thaw; Bealtaine is when spring turns to summer, and Lunasa is is held around the middle of August sometime. In addition to holidays, rites of passage are also celebrated such as handfastings, burials, and child blessings. To celebrate any of these things, sacred space is not created as a place for spiritual practice as it is in some other pagan religions, it is found. This means that a person may find a spot out in a field that “speaks” to him as the perfect spot for spiritual practice.

There is a whole lot of information out there on the Celtic Culture and CR. This essay barely skimmed the surface of the information available. I'm happy with the religious path I follow, however I strongly believe that no matter what religion you follow there is always something to gain from learning about other's beliefs. Diversity is all around us, rather than fight it, we should embrace it.

Sources:

The CR FAQ (website) http://www.paganachd.com/faq/index.html Site copyright to Kathryn Price NicDhàna

“Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism” WitchVox Article by Erynn Rowan Laurie, Kathryn Price NicDhàna, Aedh Rua Ó Mórríghan, Kym Lambert ní Dhoireann and John Machate, ed. by Erynn Rowan Laurie http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=uswa&c=trads&id=6645

The Wiccan Rede

"An it harm none, do what ye will"

These are the eight words of the Wiccan Rede. There is also a poem with a similar name, "The Rede of the Wiccae;" I have heard that there was another version of the same poem titled "The Wiccan Rede," but I am unsure of the accuracy of that statement. If you are ambitious, perhaps you could check on that statement and beat me to the update :)

Rather than discuss the history of this ethic, I would rather focus on the meaning. For an in depth look at the history, please check out the link to John Coughlin's site.

What I like about the Rede is that it is an ethical guideline rather than a commandment. This is purely my opinion, I don't have anything against people who wish to follow commandments, it's just not my thing. To each, his own, I think that's the saying. Anyway, what I like is that it challenges people to pay close attention to the actions that are made. The way the Rede is worded does not tell people they cannot do something, this is often the misinterpretation...again a problem. The Rede is very clear with what it states, there is no need for interpretation. The Rede tells us, So long as it doesn't cause harm to anyone or anything, go ahead and do it. What then, should we do if an action causes harm? If it causes harm, then it doesn't fall into this guideline and you should look towards other ethics or laws. You may look at The Law of Return, other moral laws, or even local, state or federal laws. The idea is to be aware of your actions. The Rede doesn't tell us we can do whatever we want, that would be only stating part of the Rede. Self responsibility is a huge player when looking at those other actions that are not contained within the Rede. If you harm someone, you're going to have to face the consequences.

Another quick little issue I want to bring up is shortening the Rede to "Harm none." This is not what the Rede says, again because by stating it this way it becomes a commandment, which it is not. By shortening the Rede to "harm none," you now have left the door wide open for interpretation, which it is not meant to have done. Where does harming none stop? By eating, plant or animal, I had to kill a living organism, by breathing I kill microscopic organisms, I could no longer wash my hands or use anti bacterial/viral, nor could I take medicine. Many people would say those are the extremes and don't count...but where is that stated. The shortened (inaccurate form) only states to harm none...the way I look at it, it means harm none, which is a catch 22 because by focusing on all of the above actions to harm none, I have now caused myself to be malnutritioned and catch any infection or disease out there, thus harming myself. So, please...do not shorten the Rede to "harm none." It's not worth killing yourself over :)

For more information regarding the history of the Rede please check out the websites and books listed below:

http://www.paganlibrary.com/ethics/wiccan_ethics_rede.php

http://www.waningmoon.com/ethics/rede.shtml

All One Wicca: A Study in the Universal Eclectic Tradition of Wicca by Kaatryn MacMorgan

Wicca 333: Advanced Topics in Wiccan Belief by Kaatryn MacMorgan

Witchcraft for Tomorrow by Doreen Valiente

Free Rice

Self improvement and volunteer work are another two things that many Pagans find important; they rank pretty highly on my importance meter for spirituality. While it is a stretch to call it volunteer work, self improvement is rather spot on for the site Free Rice. This is a site hosted by the UN. The basic idea is to go to the site and "play" the vocabulary game. For every answer you get correct the UN will donate 10 grains of rice to help stop world hunger. So, not only are you helping to stop world hunger, you are also improving your vocab skills.

When I first heard about this site I thought it might be a hoax, or at least there might be a little something else behind it all. The first place I always check when I get that feeling is www.snopes.com, sure enough, this is the real deal. If you play it enough you can be making a difference in peoples lives. The amount that I've "donated" is quite minimal, however when you look at the stats for the day, the more people that participate, the more food gets served to people. I think no matter how small, ever little bit counts. The snopes link above for "the real deal" tells how the site can donate based on correct answers.

Have fun learning!!

GreenDimes

A huge part of being Pagan is caring for our Mother Earth. There are so many different ways to believe in the divine, however in Paganism the majority of them consist of a belief in animism. Animism, in a general sense, means a belief that most everything has a soul. The soul is typically considered to be a spiritual concept that connects our being to the divine. Please remember, this is a short, generalized definition of what can be a complicated concept. For a more detailed history/description of animism please check out this site.

The actual reason for this particular entry was to give you the site http://www.greendimes.com/
Although it does cost a little money to participate, the group provides a great service. Once you sign up for this service, a tree will be planted for you every month and if you give them your name and address they will contact direct mailers to stop junk mail. This saves both trees and water. In a time when becoming green is so important, both to the earth and to, possibly, your religion, this is a great site to check out.

The Rede of the Wiccae

Please keep in mind this is only a poem that contains the ethic of the Wiccan Rede, the poem itself is not the ethic. There will be another article written discussing the meaning of the ethic, the Wiccan Rede. I will also go back to this poem and write an essay regarding the legitimacy of phrases found within it, but I'll save that for another day. Just something to think about.

The Rede of The Wiccae

being known as the counsel of the Wise Ones

Bide the Wiccan laws ye must in perfect love an perfect trust.
Live an let live -- fairly take an fairly give.
Cast the Circle thrice about to keep all evil spirits out.
To bind the spell every time, let the spell be spake in rhyme.
Soft of eye an light of touch; speak little, listen much.
Deosil go by the waxing Moon; sing an dance the Wiccan rune.
Widdershins go when the Moon doth wane, an the Werewolf howls by the dread Wolfsbane.
When the Lady's Moon is new, kiss the hand to her times two.
When the Moon rides at her peak, then your heart's desire seek.
Heed the Northwind's mighty gale; lock the door and drop the sail.
When the wind comes from the South, love will kiss thee on the mouth.
When the wind blows from the East, expect the new and set the feast.
When the West wind blows o'er thee, departed spirits restless be.
Nine woods in the Cauldron go;burn them quick an burn them slow.
Elder be ye Lady's tree;burn it not or cursed ye'll be.
When the Wheel begins to turn;let the Beltane fires burn.
When the Wheel has turned to Yule, light the Log and let Pan rule.
Heed ye flower, bush an tree;by the Lady blessed be.
Where the rippling waters go, cast a stone an truth ye'll know.
When ye have need, hearken not to other's greed.
With the fool no season spend or be counted as his friend.
Merry meet an merry part; bright the cheeks an warm the heart.
Mind the Threefold Law ye should; three times bad and three times good.
When misfortune is enow, wear the blue star on thy brow.
True in love ever be unless thy lover's false to thee.
Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: "an it harm none, do what ye will."

By Lady Gwen Thompson of N.E.C.T.W., as transmitted by her grandmother, Adrianna Porter.

The Principles of Wiccan Belief

In 1974, a group of seventy three witches gathered in Minneapolis, MN to create The Principles of Wiccan Beliefs. There was much dissent regarding what should be included, but eventually in April this list was agreed upon to help clear up misconceptions many people had about the religion.

Here is the document they created:

In seeking to be inclusive, we do not wish to open ourselves to the destruction of our group by those on self-serving power trips, or to philosophies and practices contradictory to those principles. In seeking to exclude those whose ways are contradictory to ours, we do not want to deny participation with us to any who are sincerely interested in our knowledge and beliefs, regardless of race, color, sex, age, national or cultural origins, or sexual preference.

1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarter.

2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with Nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.

3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary, it is sometimes called supernatural, but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.

4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the universe as manifesting through polarity -- as masculine and feminine -- and that this same Creative Power lies in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive to the other. We value sex as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.

5. We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological, worlds sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, Inner Planes, etc. -- and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.

6. We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.

7. We see religion, magick and wisdom in living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it -- a world view and philosophy of life which we identify as Witchcraft -- the Wiccan Way.

8. Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a Witch -- but neither does heredity itself, nor the collecting of titles, degrees and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within her/himself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature.

9. We believe in the affirmation and fulfillment of life in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness giving meaning to the Universe we know and our personal role within it.

10. Our only animosity towards Christianity, or towards any other religion or philosophy of life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be "the only way" and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practice and belief.

11. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present and our future.

12. We do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do we worship any entity known as "Satan" or "the Devil", as defined by the Christian traditions. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another.

13. We believe that we should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and wellbeing.

Journal Prompts

To help get you started on your path of spiritual growth, I'm including a list of journal prompts. The intent of a prompt is to spark your interest and get you writing. So, you can either write on each and every topic I list, you can browse through to see if you want to write on one of them, you can go over the ideas and see if one inspires you to write on something different or you can ignore them and come up with your own ideas to write on. Whatever you decide is fine with me, I'm just here to provide a springboard for you to start with, or help you out if you get stuck.

I personally find journaling to be important in spiritual growth. One reason is because you may discover something about yourself you didn't realize, another is because it helps keep a record of your spiritual progress. Another essay will be written about rituals, however I do recommend keeping a record of your rituals and what worked or felt right and what didn't. By doing this your experience will help you design workings that will work for you, rather than doing something because it's easier to do what someone wrote. Thinking and growing with experience is a key part of spiritual growth for most Pagans, what ever form that takes.

Now, here is a starter list of prompts. I will try to get back into this one and add more as time goes on, but here's something to start you out with.

1. What do you think the divine looks like (assuming they are a physical form)?
2. What element (earth, air, fire, water) do you find yourself most closely associated with?
3. What is your favorite color and why?
4. Do you identify with any specific religion?
5. What does religious tolerance mean to you?
6. Who have you found to be most inspirational to your personal growth and why?
7. Do you have a daily routine? If so, what is included in it?
8. Describe yourself with complete honesty.
9. What is your favorite animal and why?
10. Do you believe in magic?

Welcome

I always hate writing the first entry. Everything else seems to flow more easily, but it is the very first entry that is always the most difficult. Even in books or notebooks, I tend to leave the first page blank, and I usually don't write an intro. Eventually I wrote a book blessing for my personal spiritual book. Don't worry, I did a ritual blessing to protect it before I started it, just didn't write a book blessing right away.

Anyway, enough of the starting out the blog entry. This is my new blog PrairiePagan. It's not my first blog, but it is my first blog focused on something other than my personal life. My intent with this blog is to share information on Pagan religions, Wicca and New age practices specifically, however I will probably drift into some other areas since I do tend to follow an eclectic path. One thing I will stress is that just because I'm eclectic does not mean that I just take and deface whatever I feel like. There is a huge responsibility that comes with being eclectic. Kaatryn MacMorgan-Douglas wrote a great book The Ethical Eclectic: A little handbook for those following the way of many paths.

I hope you will find useful information here, whether your intent is learning about your own religion or self, or just learning about someone else religion for your own betterment. This site is here to provide you with information, and I will try to provide as many resources as possible for you to do your own research.

Thank you for stopping by, and I look forward to making this a fun and educational place.

Blessings
PrairiePagan