The Jackal's Path

The Things I Can't Yet Say

2011-10-27T21:40:00.004-04:00

I'm just going through the motions. I'm not sure what to do. I feel like I'm walking towards my own doom in a stupor and haze. It almost feels like sleep paralysis--completely and painfully aware of every molecule around me and every fiber of my being but powerless to control or interact.

I continue to drift towards that end I know is coming.

But I kid myself into thinking one more day won't make a difference.

But it's a day that's lost and can never be got again.

But it's a day spent under a charade--façade.

It's another day that I force myself to further endure this physical malady that I know is born within--that I know is an outward reflection of my stress, my sadness, my anxiety.

I'm no longer happy here. In fact, I haven't been happy here for a while. But I believed I could ignore what made me unhappy and focus on what did make me happy. But it was a fool's folly. I'm even more unhappy than before.

I need something else. I deserve to be completely happy and you deserve to be with someone who makes you equally as happy.

I do love you. More than I ever thought I ever could. I didn't know I was capable of this much love. But I don't think love is enough. There are other things people need in order to stay together and we simply don't have that. Though, I wish we did.

I don't want to hurt you which is why I can't put this off much longer. But I write it here in a public space amongst strangers that you'll never see it. I write it here in the hopes that it might help me decide if this is the right path and the right time to take that separate path. I write it here hoping that it might alleviate some of the pain and sadness inside me now--like a temporary pressure valve just barely keeping the tenuous balance.

Phew!

2011-07-30T23:13:00.003-04:00

Once again, I'm back from my web hiatus! Life is crazy! And lots has happened!

I've bounded on a new journey since I got my tattoo. It has been a journey that started with an ethical dilemma.

The day after I got my new marks, I decided to abstain from eating meat. I remained a vegetarian for about two weeks before deciding to become fully vegan. It has been a very rewarding journey. In fact, it has been one of the most physically, mentally, and spiritually rewarding changes I have ever made in my life.

And now, next Saturday, I will be embarking on another amazing journey, though, this one is not spiritual in nature. My company is sending me to India to assist with training of one of our teams based out there. What an amazing opportunity I could not refuse! A chance to visit the oldest extant culture! A chance to immerse myself in an entirely non-Abrahamic culture!

While coworkers who have been and friends who have never been tell me I need to visit the normal tourist fare (the Taj Mahal and various markets and malls), I'm more excited to get caught up in their holy day celebrations and visit their temples!

Today Was a Good Day

2011-04-30T23:08:00.003-04:00

I had been considering getting this tattoo for quite some time now. The original idea was to have the tattoo wrap around my bicep in a single line but the tattoo artist informed me that it would neither look good (as the different contours around the human bicep would warp the letter such that they would no longer be uniformly sized) nor be exactly as I imagined. They were very patient and kind in explaining the best match to what I wanted and this was the result. I'm very pleased!

This is not a tattoo I intend to display (it is easily covered by short-sleeved shirts) and it's really a mantra for myself, a self-enchantment as it were. I'm not revealing the meaning to anyone who cannot read it for themselves unless they are members of my immediate family or my best friends.

Afterwards, we went to a local festival with lots of art and cuisine. I met the Goddess within human form! A statue of a Water Goddess, found within an oasis in the middle of the city (they literally created an oasis amongst the concrete with real-grass "mats", flowers, and a water fountain in which she stood), had come alive to gift the people with water. Check it out, it's only five minutes long (watch in full screen):

The Green Man vs The Great Hunter

2011-04-29T22:52:00.000-04:00

As a Pagan, I believe that the Created, i.e., the Universes of the Seen and Unseen world, were born of the Divine. I believe that every living organism, flora or fauna, was also designed (via the mechanism of evolution) by the Divine. I also believe that the Divine has also imbued us with not only Seen parts but Unseen ones and that some of these Unseen parts include souls. I think that humans are one of a handful of creatures whose unseen parts includes a self-aware soul and that while the majority of life on our planet has Unseen components, they do not have self-aware souls.

In ancient Egypt, this would be the relationship of the ba and ka. The ba was the component of the Unseen, a type of spiritual aspect of the being, that all living beings possessed. It was the most basic of the spirit-bodies an individual being had. I liken it to be the 'spark' of the Divine within all living organisms; the most basic common denominator between all life and the Divine. On the other hand, the ka was that spiritual part where one's consciousness, one's self-awareness, one's individuality, personhood, and ability to reason and think abstractly have root. The ka is the origin of sentience (in the sense of the word that implies human-level intelligence). The Ancient Egyptians believed that only humans had kau (plural form of 'ka'); animals did not.

I agree but with several exceptions. I believe there are a few other species that are self-aware and sentient, among them are: the Great Apes, elephants, and cetaceans (e.g., dolphins and whales). In this worldview of mine, we are required to treat all living beings with respect and honor though we might use them for our own needs like food and materials. Being sacred--being of and created by the Divine regardless of intelligence or 'sentience' as defined above--the animals we eat deserve our utmost reverence. We fulfill our roles as the Hunter and they, the prey. This has been the order of things for millennia, not only for humans but for all beings--the endless circle of predator and prey: a life is taken so that another might live; a sacral relationship were there ever one.

However! I also believe that while these prey animals are not sentient in the sense that I would consider humans, the Great Apes, dolphins, etc, they are sacred. And being sacred, regardless of whether or not they are sentient, are self-aware, have individual personalities, or think abstractly about art, philosophy or in a language, they are as much children of the Divine as we are and need to be treated accordingly. For every child of the Divine, I believe, has, at the very least, the right to lead a full life free of unnecessary suffering and slavery (after all, what are cattle but slave animals?). They may not have as highly evolved a mind as humans or dolphins but they do feel anxiety, pain, torture, suffering, and death. This alone makes me wonder if I should forego meat.

But, the meat-eater in me decries vegetarianism and insists that the Gods have created me to eat meat. Indeed, were it not for our meat-eating, we would never have evolved the intelligence to questions whether eating meat was ethical! The meat-eater insists that to eat the prey animals is to honor the cycles of life and death and the lessons of the Great Hunter and the meaning of sacrifice. But even the meat-eater in me admits there is no honor or value in our mainstream mass-production farming methods.

So, what is a Pagan to do? Honor the sacred in all life and be vegetarian or honor the cycles of life and death--the hunted and the hunter--and be omnivorous?

Perhaps there's a middle-ground? Be vegetarian in the fruitful seasons and only eat meat during the months of wane? But that doesn't solve the ethical dilemma of all life being sacred, free from slavery, and free from suffering.

Another answer would be to only eat animals raised and killed humanely? Would that be kosher? Do they have 'free-range' cows and turkeys?

Do you think about these things? What kinds of answers have you arrived at?

Sufferer's Tea

2011-04-25T23:36:00.005-04:00

I suffer from serious, often-debilitating seasonal allergies. I have often been unable to focus, unable to breath, talk, or (in some cases) even get out of bed because of my seasonal allergies being so severe. While flushing my sinuses with water (nasal irrigation) works, it requires that I do it nearly every hour or I return back to square one. I've also tried every allergy medication--prescription or otherwise--under the sun and none work that let me stay awake. So, I decided to try a more natural approach. Lo and behold! I have found one that works!

Sufferer's Tea
Fresh mint (for healing)
Fresh chamomile (for purification)
Raw honey (for healing, purification, and strengthening)

Pour two parts of the honey into the bottom of your cup and infuse a tea directly into the cup of one part chamomile and one part mint. Stir. You shall 'see', below the surface of the tea, a warm golden-yellow, perhaps near-white glow to the concoction that emanates from an outward-moving spiral that starts in the center. It expands and pulsates until the entire cup is aglow.

Take four cups (32 oz.) prior to bed each night and within two days, one will find themselves relieved of their suffering.

Nota Bene:
The honey should be of local flora, collected by local bees for best effect. This can be purchased, I have found at local farmer's markets or from your local beekeeper, if you have one.

I have also noted that my allergies return with a vengeance if I abstain from the tea for more than one day.

This tea is also very effective in easing insomnia.

A Midsummer Tale - Draft 1

2011-04-17T00:14:00.012-04:00

A Midsummer Tale

My son, my son
I bid thee woke
For e'ry boy
Must end his run
Through wooded oak
An' blesséd joy.

My son, my son
Thine time has come
A man doth wait
For it's begun
Calm an' fearsome
He knows thine fate

My son, my son
Take heed advice:
To put an end
To spritely fun
Thine sacrifice
Must we attend

He walked through the forest, its shimmering greens parting for him as they always had when he passed but this time there seemed to be a solemn reverence in their movement--this time they were genuflecting. The clearing was ahead; he could both see it and feel it. It was a palpable presence, an unmistakable tension. He knew he ought to run. More accurately, his instincts demanded that he turn around and dive deep back into the forest. He could go back to jumping wildly throughout the canopy, free-falling idly from on-high only to swing himself up before touching ground, he could continue his daily pranks on the lakeside beavers whose dams slowed the rivers and stagnated the pools downstream and who, he thought, took themselves much too seriously. He could go back to teaching the birds how to sing, taking idle naps in the darkest caves midday, and racing any stag from end to end, if he found one brazen enough. In fact, he was quite sure he would be able to do anything he wanted until the last star in the sky fell to Earth, if he would only just turn and run back.

But, he knew he wouldn't. He knew he couldn't. He was compelled to keep moving towards the end of the lush green forest.

A Midsummer Tale

2011-04-11T19:32:00.003-04:00

I've previously alluded to my inability to the 'connect' with the Sabbats. Being raised in a non-agrarian society and not directly living off the land, I find it difficult to relate the traditional mythos and traditions of the Sabbat with my spiritual and physical life. Additionally, I have found that the traditional narratives that run through the Pagan community tend to be more Goddess-based than God despite being solar holidays. It's almost as if the action of the God in the Sabbat myths is nothing more than backdrop whereas the action of the Goddess is the most important. Being raised in a patriarchal religion, I find the feminine bias in most modern Pagan myths to be just as unrelatable. So, I've decided to write own!

Originally, I wasn't going to post it until it was finished. But, this is supposed to be a place for my thoughts and the "crazy in my head", so I guess it's appropriate that I share here what I've been largely preoccupied with, no? I think each Sabbat is going to be a short-story and each short-story will begin with a poem. So, without further ado, the beginning of "A Midsummer Tale":

A Midsummer Tale

My son, my son,
Thine time has come
For e'ry boy
Must end his run
Through oak fulsome
An' blesséd joy.

My son, my son
Thine time has come
A man doth wait
For it's begun
Calm an' fearsome
He knows thine fate

My son, my son
Take heed advice:
To put an end
To spritely fun
Thine sacrifice
Must we attend

As you can see, I'm not a talented poet but these aren't really meant for an audience; they're meant for me. And, I'm sure you can also see that the b-verse in each stanza is giving me some trouble.

I Have Found God

2011-04-09T23:49:00.004-04:00

I've been studying spirituality for the last 12 years and I get to points where I'm less confused. Not that I have all the answers but where, for the moment, I am comfortable with the answers I have been able to hash out. Then, some time later, something shakes me up again.

If you're never questioning, you're not thinking, I guess.

I believe that what we believe is important and that what we believe is not as important as that we believe. I believe in one God but I also believe in Many. I believe that these many gods are individuals, immutable, and separate but I also believe they are the same. I believe in gods that have names and gods that don't. I believe in personal gods, who are happy to be all up in our business, and I believe in impersonal gods, who are too busy making the Universe work to worry about the minutia of our daily lives. I believe in gods who are archetypes and gods who are unique.

I believe in a God who has a name and a face and a God whose only an idea that lives in the spark of things. I believe in a Goddess I have not met and a Goddess upon whose bosom I walk every day.

I'm a crossroads and I'm not sure what path to take.
I'm a crossroads and I'm not sure it matters.

Local Pagan Community

2011-04-07T23:47:00.000-04:00

This jackal's path is a pretty solitary one. Indeed, I do walk another path that has many others following the same map and we are brothers and sisters in our faith and our temple. But the path which I have been documenting on this blog has been a largely solitary one since I began walking it 12-13 years ago. And I like it that way! Well, most of the time.

Sometimes, I feel the need to reach out and connect with others who might be walking similar paths as mine--paths that are not exactly parallel but are within earshot. I think it's both healthy for the mind and the spirituality to engage with others who have similar, if not the same interests and spiritual goals as yourself. In fact, that's one of the reasons I started this blog! I've met some very awesome people and have come across all kinds of new ideas and challenging questions! But, sometimes, it's also good to meet, commune, socialize, and engage with other like-minded folk in physical space, no? Good thing I live in a big city, right? NOT.

I live in one of America's top 5 most largest and most populous cities and can count on one hand the number of other Pagans I have met in this city. I know many who live around my city (e.g., in the suburbs or the next state over) but only a handful who are within easy commuting distance. What is up with that?

I'm thinking of maybe starting a meet-up or a study group. But I'm not looking to start my own coven or particularly share in rituals with others. Perhaps I will if I get to know this as-of-yet hypothetical group but the point would be more social and communal than fraternal and spiritual. But I bet trying to track down and group together a bunch of Pagans would be much like herding the proverbial cats. I think maybe I'll try to find some people and begin a chill meet-up in a coffee shop and maybe a movie night at my apartment.

Do you have a community in your area? Do you regularly engage them? Is having a community or others of like-mind important to you? Or, are you completely content to keep your spiritual life completely and utterly separate and solitary?

Pagan Bling!

2011-04-03T22:03:00.003-04:00

Last year, while first coming across the Pagan World of Blogger, I had come across a blogger who also had two very awesome Etsy stores. While doing some browsing and perusing, as I do, I found the single most beautiful pentacle I ever come across.

So as not to confuse or appear as if my excitement is neither genuine nor appropriate, let me just explain that, as a man, to find pentacle that is neither too plan nor too feminine is... well, let's just say, I'd rather be searching for Bigfoot! Most pentacles I seem to find are either bedazzled with all manners and qualities of gemstones or are otherwise adorned with feminine symbols (e.g., Goddess symbol, Triple Godess Symbol, or moon iconography).

But, quite honestly, besides that, this pentacle just called to me! T'is a beaut, indeed. It, to me, emanates the perfect balance of masculinity and femininity! A woven-style pentacle cut deep into a silver disc which is overlaid upon a larger copper disc! It hums with perfection and I am very pleased and excited.

So, by virtue of this post, I would like to extend a very grateful "Thank you" to Mel Kickland for her beautiful craftsmanship and whatever muses inspired her to create such a beautiful piece! If you get a chance, check out her stores: MoonLit Creations and Earthen Creations!

People on the Jackal's Path

2011-03-30T22:50:00.002-04:00

I like reviewing the Blogger's Stats section for my blog. It has both interesting and surprising data.

For example, The Jackal's Path is, apparently, viewed by people around the globe. People with ISPs throughout the US, France, Australia, Russia, the Philippines, and even Saudi Arabia have visited this humble little blog.

Some other interesting and surprising statistics!

People have found my blog via search engines by searching for:
... "how to curse someone with black magick
... "american gods jackal"
... "fighting a jackal"
... snake dreams
... pagan masturbation (I don't remember talking about masturbation!)

People who have visited The Jackal's Path use:
... Windows (93%)
...... Internet Explorer (37%)
...... Chrome (35%)
...... Firefox, IE, Opera, Safari, Netscape (all <10%)

And, also, some of my favorite posts are also the ones that have the most page views:
... 1. Spiritual Growth
... 2. Late Lammas Thoughs
... 4. Sin and Wrong-Doing in Pagan Culture"
... 5. Help! I've Been Cursed!

None of this really means anything, my inner-geekdom is just showing by how excited I can be about statistical data.

Blog Re-Design (2) aka Boring Blog Maintenance Blabber

2011-03-28T21:08:00.003-04:00

Well, I've gone and done it! Though it was done with much trepidation, I did some minor re-formatting of the blog. Well, quite honestly, I just picked one of the Blogger-provided templates and mussed around with the colors, so it wasn't that big of a deal other than how vain I am about how this thing looks.

I also cleaned up some of my labels. I didn't know that Blogger only gives you a set number and some of them were a little redundant so I just streamlined them a bit.

Next up? Cleaning up some of the dead links! Exciting!

Sin and Wrong-Doing in Pagan Culture

2011-03-28T01:50:00.000-04:00

No, this is not a censure of our favorite Pagan author's blog, Pagan Culture, which is consistently awesome!

I know many Pagans, myself included, find the word 'sin' to be extremely loaded. For me, it carries heavy Abrahamic notions of morality that are often at odds with my beliefs and values. However, as a word that encapsulates the concept of a 'wrong-doing' that has both physical and spiritual implications, I often have trouble finding a comparative word or phrase that doesn't require exposition. That being said, we move forward.

For the last ten years, I have been following a path that believes morality is a function of being in synchronization with the 'Divine cosmic order'. And within this paradigm, humans--as creations both intrinsically of and intricately within this Divine cosmic order--are naturally predisposed to this moral state, which is a great thing, as it turns out, because our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being is dependent upon our ability to remain in synchronization with this Divine cosmic order. We are aided in this charge by a reflection of our natural inclination towards equilibrium: our conscience, the little voice in the back of our minds that pushes and pulls our choices to the moral one. And our actions (and sometimes thoughts but to a lesser degree than deliberate acts) should be judged as either synching with this order or out of synch with it.

If we are out of synch with the Divine cosmic order, we should strive to bring ourselves back into synch with the equilibrium of the order. To accomplish this end, we must be repentant--that is, we must be regretful of and remorseful for our wrong-doing--and work to correct the resultant effects of our transgression. For example, if you steal, it is not simply enough to be sorry and promise to never do it again; you must also make reparations by returning the item or otherwise compensating the rightful owner. Therefore, no god can absolve you of the sin and bring you back into equilibrium because reconciliation is something only one can do for oneself.

This morality paradigm has worked well for me over the last ten years, however, nothing is static, people least of all; we are dynamic, perhaps arguably the most of all of the Created Universe. I previously thought my belief well-founded and firm but I have begun to wonder and re-evaluate my understanding of and belief in my moral paradigm.

While I cannot deny that repentance is absolutely necessary to return to a moral state, I am no longer sure about reparations. Surely, one must be repentant to return to a moral state or otherwise one revels in their immorality and is likely to repeat the offense. But if one is repentant, are reparations necessary to be able to return to a moral state? Or, is it just good to make reparations as a reinforcement of repentance and a wholesome practice of which to make a habit? If one is truly repentant but does not make reparations or confession, does one remain in an immoral state?

I know in some Pagan circles people are not considered to be moral or immoral; these are qualities of choices which may indelibly affect the person but never become a character of an individual. The introspective part of the morality process is the only part of importance because no action or reparation can un-do what has been done. An individual who has sinned must just accept the stain of the sin and move forward with life. So, is confession--meaning, identifying both your sin and your responsibility thereof to a third party, especially an offended party--an important part of returning to a moral state? Can you be a moral person if no one knows that you have sinned? If you have sinned against someone, can you return to a moral state without the offended party ever knowing of the transgression? In other words, if you sin and are not caught but are truly repentant and determine to never transgress in that manner again but do nothing else, are you still immoral? Or, are you moral once you introspectively repent and determine to never do it again? For example, if you speak a lie about a friend to a mutual friend, feel honest repentance, and correct your lie to the mutual friend, do you remain sinful if you do not tell your friend that you spoke a lie?

Furthemore, how can we possibly judge our own actions against a measure that is so incomprehensibly larger than ourselves, i.e., the Divine cosmic order of the Created. Can we really apply the rules that are in effect on a macrocosmic scale to the petty microcosmic quandary of whether I use time at work to blog?

The Divine cosmic order also implies a consistent measure for the entire Universe! What about situational circumstances? What about the muck and grime of human culture? That is to say, how are the mores and actions relative to culture judged? My conscience, that aforementioned reflection of my natural inclination towards equilibrium with the cosmic order, informs me that taking a life outside of self-defense is one of the gravest and out-of-synch actions one could possibly do. But, there have been entire cultures that practiced human sacrifice! This presents me with something of a predicament: either these cultures were completely out of synch with the cosmic order for their duration or my paradigm which posits a cosmic order by which human action and thought should be judged as either moral or immoral is flawed. Either 'they' are wrong or I am!

The obvious leap then is an understanding of morality as relative. This would mean that morality is completely a social construction and dependent upon the human experience. This, in turn, must mean that morality cannot be divinely inspired or directed because the gods are independent of human experience and society. Of all three paradigms, I find this the hardest to accept. If morality is relative, then what meaning does any of it have? If it is relative and each action is not instrinsically moral or immoral, what is the point in having a moral code or ethos? If morality is relative, then there is no reason to live a moral life beyond the vain satisfaction and pleasure of thinking that you lived within the proscribed limits of your paradigm. If morality is relative than we should never judge ourselves or others for our actions any more harshly than we would a tornado that levels a town.

So that is where I am now. Sin is a transgression of an absolute, though situationally dependent, moral code that must be repented and redressed or at least repented. Or sin is meaningless because morality is relative and also essentially meaningless.

But what about you? Where do you stand? Where do you draw your morality from? What serves as your guide? What is the nature of morality and sin? Do you ever find your own morality at conflict with your culture? Presuming you weren't raised a Pagan, how has your morality changed since becoming a Pagan?

'American Gods' Film

2011-03-26T12:52:00.003-04:00

EXCITED!

Neil Gaiman has confirmed that his best-seller, "American Gods", will be made into a movie. I am very excited. I am not a huge reader of fiction novels. In fact, including American Gods, the only other fiction books I have read that were not academic assignments were the Harry Potter series and "Queen of the Damned" (well, halfway).

For those of you who have not read it, I really suggest you do. Gaiman's premise revolves around the concept of what has come to be termed 'soft-polytheism' in the Pagan communities. "American Gods" is hinged upon the idea that any God to whom humanity has ever prayed is real and while they have an existence and power dependent on the number of believers they currently have, they also have motivations and individualities of their own.

I do not want to give too much away of the book but the book, for me, vividly brought to life every theological question I had about gods, the gods vis-a-vis God (that is, the concept of an Absolute Godhead, from which the other gods emanate), and relationship between humanity and the divine (e.g., are the gods personal beings or are they impersonal archetypes).

Blog Re-Design

2011-03-24T23:11:00.002-04:00

I'm thinking about experimenting with a new blog design.

I like the green but I'm a bit over the black. I think I might go with some a wheat or a beige color.

Either way, I really want to keep the green integrated but I don't know how well green goes with other colors in a bloggy format.

We'll see. Sorry for the inconsequential post, folks, my next post will be of greater consequence. I've been thinking on the subject of men in spirituality and Paganism. Here's the launch-thought: Are there Men's Mysteries in Paganism and Witchcraft? Is there something unique to being a man (vis-a-vis a women/Women's Mysteries)? Is there something unique to being a Pagan man?

Why Should a Pagan Celebrate on St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-18T01:05:00.002-04:00

Every year, the modern myth that St. Patrick's Day commemorates the mass-extermination of the Pagan Peoples of Eire by a Roman-trained Christian missionary invariably resurfaces. Some in the community, also invariably, buy into the propaganda and begin or join the righteous crusade to 'stick it' to St. Patrick and his memory. This reshaping of history is patently false (right up there with the belief that the ancient Irish Celts held the potato as sacred), so it leaves me to wonder about the significance of St. Patrick's Day in America.

St. Patrick's Day is a Catholic feast day and has evolved to become a day in which Irish culture and contribution is celebrated and recognized. Many people wear green, attend parades, exchange or consume traditional foods, adorn shamrocks, attend parades, and drink themselves slizzard. One of the most fascinating things about this holiday, to me, is that even non-Irish are entreated to participate! Throughout the day, I've noticed Italian-, German-, Asian-, Indian-, and African- Americans joining in on traditional Irish songs, wearing green, or just generally getting into the spirit of the day. It is a rare example, especially in a large city, of the ability of human beings to come together in synchronicity to engage one another with a single focus. It is an amazing example of people dropping the labels and baggage to which they normally cling so fervently in order to share in each other's company! How rarely do we do this! Sure, people are supposed to do it it during the 'holiday season' of Winter but I think an argument for a true expression of harmony and plurality can be made for St. Patrick's Day.

And I don't think we have St. Patrick, the Catholic Church, or even Irish culture to thank for that, which is why I do not feel the need to 'stick it' to St. Patrick. I think all of that is irrelevant! The Saint, the Church, the Feast, and the religious history of the day is a red-herring. None of that has much significance to the large majority of people out there celebrating; all that information tells you is why people are celebrating today. The real significance of St. Patrick's Day is that people have made it the entire focus of their day to step outside of their everyday 'boxes' and celebrate with others who are similarly focused!

And now, you either think I'm completely off-base, am an overly optimistic hippie, or we're on the same page! I'd be interested to know which!

Clawing My Way Through

2011-03-14T23:56:00.006-04:00

First off, let me just apologize to those few who have stuck around! Regardless of whether or not you remain subscribed because you figured that I, like many bloggers, just drop off the face of the Earth for a while only to return or because you you just forgot you had a subscription here, I thank you! It honestly doesn't matter to me because I'm just grateful that I didn't sign back on to find myself at 0! Nothing is more isolating or capable of making you feel lonely than you already are than finding that the Internet--of all things--has abandoned you when you finally have something to say and the time to say it!

It's Spring, so naturally, change is in the air. I suppose it'd be exceptionally dense of me not to recognize this fact when considering all the changes I've been feeling and noticing, some intentional, most not.

I haven't been sleeping well the last three weeks and am not able to pinpoint a particular cause. It's not insomnia as I'm not tired and don't doze off or attempt to recoup missed hours of sleep. I'm just not tired. And when I do sleep, it's more often like a trance or a light sleep to the point where I am still on some level very much aware of my surroundings (e.g., the position of my significant other, the sounds outside my window, the sounds from the apt above my own, etc). It's not so much a "shutting down" that I normally experience with sleep but a quiet stillness. The lack of dreams also is indicative that I'm not sleeping as my dreams are often lengthy and colorful, to say the least. I know it can't possibly be stress because I've been the most UNstressed than I ever have been in recent memory! Money is good, job is good, I'm on hiatus from school, and bills are paid. So what gives?! Quite honestly, it feels as if there's so much going on in me... or around me... or THROUGH ME (!)... that is preventing me from sleeping. I'm glad I'm documenting this because I'd be very interested in seeing how I feel this time 2012.

Unrelated (or maybe not) I've been feeling like a lost ship out to sea when it comes to spirituality. I know there is a safe and familiar harbor nearby that I am always welcome to return to and should and do want to return to in the near future to continue to cultivate my relationships there. However, for the current course I have laid and the current objectives I have set, returning to that harbor would be counter-productive. (Wow, Waben, way to take an analogy and run with it. Can you take it any further? Let's see!) The major problem is that, though I know I have this burning desire to explore lands I've only ever heard about, I have no specific goals or destinations nor do I have any inkling which direction the wind is blowing. Hell, I'm beginning to think that the wind isn't blowing at all!

This loss of focus is--and there is no doubt in my mind about this--due to, in some exponentially large part, the fact that I have been spending the better part of the last two years trying to reign my newly-minted adult life into control. There were some seriously tumultuous times due to finances, personal relationships, careers/academics, and other worldly obligations. I think my preoccupation with the mundane concerns of life have robbed me of that focused shine I had when I was younger and had the luxury of being able to withdraw completely within myself (and therefore, by extension, completely beyond myself) and study every nook and cranny of the psycho-spiritual experience that was my own existence. But, what had become an exhausting effort combatting one fire-fight after another in the mundane world left me too preoccupied to think of anything else other than how I was going to budget my next necessary-expense.

So how say you all? Have you had this experience? Has your mundane life often or for a long period befuddled your spiritual one? Is this just another one of those trappings of growing up and becoming an adult? Because if so, someone needs to say it! 'Being an adult sucks!' Oh, what's that? People say that all the time? Well what are we doing about it, then, peoples? What do you do about it? How do you restore balance to a life that's making unbalanced demands?

By the way, you may have noticed that I referred to myself as 'Waben' earlier. That's actually my name proper but when I created this account Google demanded a name with 6 characters or more. I thought the current spelling in my username would work but have come to understand that the additional vowel creates a word that sounds like 'way-ben' as opposed to the appropriate 'wah-ben'. I'm going to have to brainstorm an acceptable alternative.

(P.S.- You will please forgive any inappropriate capitlizations or misspellings in this post. I've written this entry entry on my iPhone's browser and it's extremely tedious to type upon.)

(P. P. S.- If you know of any good cheap or free blogging apps for iOS you can personally recommend, t'would be awesome!)

Unexpected Results

2010-08-22T20:43:00.003-04:00

Last night, I planned a ritual in order to add some clarity to the path I should be walking. I felt I needed a more poignant method of making it clear that I'm a bit confused over what lies ahead and Who I can feel calling to me from the peripheries. I thought it was a rather straight-forward ritual to call Them. However, it had rather unexpected results.

Throughout the chunk of the ritual, the chant was largely something to the effect of: may whoever is hanging around, please reveal themselves; may whatever God be near, please reveal Yourself; may whatever Goddess be near, please reveal Yourself. This may have been too vague.

After raising, I was... overcome by an intense arousal like something I have not felt in a very long time. It was both overwhelming and compelling at the same time. It was unbridled, ecstatic, and wild lust and desire.

I'm not sure what to make of it. It wasn't at all what I was expecting. Well, in all honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect but it certainly wouldn't have been [i]that[/i].

There are a few Gods who come to mind when I ask who could have inspired such a fit. But I didn't get an impression of devotion but that could have been the fault of the... distraction.

I think it will be something to mull over. And I'll have to try a different approach when seeking out what Gods have been calling me.

Burn Away

2010-08-15T18:38:00.005-04:00

In a powerful divination in my Kemetic path, my ancestors came through the divinatory tools and stated, quite plain, that I am like a Phoenix: always changing, always burning away the old, and creating myself anew. It sounded amazing and, to this day, is a powerful experience for me. It's a wonderful and apt description. And yet, some times it can cause a burden.

For almost ten years, I was content with my practice as a Kemetic Recon. My soul felt at home in the worldview and spiritual culture, I recognized the Gods as my own, and I thought I knew my place in the world, forever.

I should've known better than to think anything was forever.

I still feel a great, unshakable, and innate connection to the spirituality of the Land of the Pharaohs. But there is another part of me that yearns and reaches out for something else. Witchcraft.

There is a part of me that is entangled in Witchcraft. It wants to explore and flesh out as much of the practice as it can. It wants to dive deep, head-first. It wants to call out to Gods whose Names I've never spoken before and ask Them to teach me Their mysteries. It wants to engage in practices and methods foreign and strange to the Kemetic part of my soul but it, too, feels like home and it feels now.

I've been putting it off. Not knowing where to start or even how to begin.

Which gods should I approach? I seem to have a bit of curiosity in Dionysus and Hecate but whether this is spiritual or coincidental (due to their obvious associations with Witchcraft), I don't know. There are also things that tug and pull at the periphery of my consciousness, like I've forgotten something extremely important about them: peacocks, peacock feathers, snakes, and... "the wisdom, music and rhythm snakes can teach".... Don't ask me about that last one; it's just there.

Late Lammas Thoughts

2010-08-02T22:48:00.004-04:00

I've been reading much about the 8 Great Days, the Sabbats. I've been trying to connect to the Wheel on more than an intellectual level--on a more emotional, spiritual level. I've been trying to find an inalienable relevance--an intrinsic and profound significance--of the Cycles of the Year beyond the most profane and mundane observations. I need to have a deep and meaningful understating of the Sabbats; I must get a handle, a conceptual understanding, and a spiritual appreciation of the Sabbats' most basic, i.e. primal, importance such that even a pagan like myself--born and raised in a bustling city, seemingly far removed from the wonders and whims of the Earth--can find personal meaning and relevance.

In doing this for one of the High Sabbats, Lammas, I found much of the resources, both on the internet and in print, to be rather encyclopedic in their treatment. Many books and websites provide correspondences, origins, and typical activities or foods associated with the holidays, e.g. corn dollies and baking bread. Some sources mention the theme of sacrifice and that Lammas is the first harvest. Others even discuss how the theme is related to the harvest, often mentioning how the God prepares to offer himself up for the good of the people in an off-hand, one-line type of way. But not much else is said on the matter even though one could write a whole liturgy on this holy day! But where to start?

The Goddess is the fertile Earth and fertility, itself. She is the womb and the essence of nurture. The Goddess is very much a part of the Visible World whereas the God is very much a part of the Invisible World. The God is the course of fertility, the seed and the cause of the womb to be full; beyond that, he is the force and spark of creation that causes males to create sperm and females to create eggs, as well as the wonder of the moment of union between the sperm and egg: the moment of Life. But on this occasion, the God prepares to relinquish His power.

On Lammas, we celebrate the first harvest of the year. We are thankful for the bounty the Earth provids and recognize the Earth has given of Herself so that we may live. We also realize that the first harvest is the beginning of the end of the land's generativity; it's the waning of the God's power and, indeed, the God, Himself. It is also the first Sabbat which sees waning daylight as Midsummer brought the brightest day.

Lammas also marks the point at which the God accepts and begins the journey of self-sacrifice. His generative powers withdraw from the world as He withdraws from the world. He accepts His imminent death at Samhain and knows that His sacrifice is for the good of the world and is necessary. He arrives at the point in His story, as every man does at some point, that He must set His own life down to His Love and His Children on Lammas. So it is on Lammas that we appropriately honor not only the Earth giving of Itself but also the God giving of Himself up for His people. We honor His sacrifice on this day and so I believe I should give of myself, too.

Lammas, being a day of sacrifice--a day of the Earth gives of Her bounty and the God agrees to give up His life--should be one for me as well. In sympathetic honor of Them, I feel it intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually appropriate and important to sacrifice something of myself or my life. So this is what I've decided to do: give of myself as He gives of Himself.I also think that to show that my sacrifice is done in earnest and not just as a token, I should endure it until the next Sabbat, I could liken this to "a Pagan Lent" but only on a superficial level.

So what will I sacrifice? I think food is appropriate so I will fast after sunset, which also feels apropos.

Of Gods and Men (and Human Sacrifice)

2010-07-01T23:22:00.001-04:00

I was reading one of the articles posted on our wall here that mentioned human sacrifice. And it got me thinking tangents.

Are Gods eternal? Are they static and unchanging?

Or, are they dynamic? Do they change, grow, learn, evolve?

There are a few cultures and religions which still practice human sacrifice and there were man more cultures and religions throughout human history which practiced it. Historically, people have ritualized murder in order to appease the forces of nature or bring blessings upon themselves so, ostensibly, the gods, especially in times of great peril (e.g. foreign invasions, natural disasters, etc).

Were these people out of touch with the Gods? Did they become so frightened they naturally reverted to more base impulses and became less in touch with the divine? Were they just plain wrong?

Or did they have real gods who did demand sacrifice? Were these malevolent gods (can gods be malevolent?) or were the gods a reflection of a primitive peoples? Have these god

Scientists Stumble Upon Sympathetic Magic

2010-06-27T13:08:00.000-04:00

I know I've been very quiet these last few months. I've retreated into introspective mode. Been growing back towards my roots and re-exploring paths I thought were long behind me. But, I suppose, one often has to circle back to regain your bearings. So what motivates me to write?

Being a follower of many wonderful and impressive blogs, I've always been a little shy of writing, especially when I don't have anything particularly wonderful and impressive to write! Well, the purpose of this blog was to help in my introspection along my path so I've decided to try and write no matter how lame or mundane I think it might be.

There is an interesting property of quantum mechanics that, when I first learned of it, I immediately thought of some of the basic magical principles those of us who are magically-inclined learn. I first learned of this property during one of my Philosophy of Religion classes' presentation of What the Bleep Do We Know?" and I remember being so awe-struck that something being researched by science was a property I had long ago learned from the magical arts!

Physicists were discussing a property of quantum mechanics called "quantum entanglement" or the "quantum non-local connection":

a property of the quantum mechanical state of a system containing two or more objects, where the objects that make up the system are linked in a way that one cannot adequately describe the quantum state of a constituent of the system without full mention of its counterparts, even if the individual objects are spatially separated.

... for example spin [of particles], is indeterminate until a measurement is made of that observable. At that instant, all of the possible values, that the observable might have had, "collapse" to the value that is measured. Consider, for now, just one of these created particles. In the singlet state of two spin, it is equally likely that this particle will be observed to be spin-up or spin-down. Meaning if you were to measure the spin of many like particles, the measurement will result in an unpredictable series of measurements that will tend to a 50% probability of the spin being up or down. However, the results are quite different if you examine both of the entangled particles in this experiment. When each of the particles in the entangled pair is measured in the same way, the results of their spin measurement will be correlated. Measuring one member of the pair tells you what spin of the other member is without actually measuring its spin.
via Wikipedia

So what does all of that dry science jargon mean? In essence, it means that two particles created together will always be correlated, that is, what you do to one particle will effect its twin, no matter the distance between the two. If one particle is one Mars and the other is in New York City, whatever is done the one in NYC, will cause a change in the particle on Mars.

Isn't that exactly the mechanics of sympathetic magic? We use blood, hair, bodily fluids, and nail clippings because they are inextricable, direct links to the person from whom they came. Today we know these things contain the person's DNA, i.e., the very assemblage of a person on a molecular, atomic, and subatomic level!

So, when witches for centuries have been gathering 'round the cauldron in thunder, lightning, or in rain and cast charms or curses using contagions, have they been using a property of quantum mechanics long before Science even was?

Spiritual Growth

2010-06-12T19:23:00.003-04:00

I feel like I'm spiritually static.

I'm not sure what to do to keep growing, learning, expanding....

What do you do to keep yourself growing spiritually?

The Cursing Song

2010-03-19T00:56:00.014-04:00

This song is so beautiful, it's hypnotic. In fact, it's so entrancing it's almost ironic that it's a curse, no?

I, myself, find music to be extremely powerful. There is something just so magical about creating changes in your immediate environment with sound, the very essence of change in air created by nothing more than your own vocal chords. I would like to find a way to incorporate that mundane miracle into my magical practice, e.g., a spell wrapped into a song.

Though, as I write this, I wonder: am I already doing it? Every time I need to change mental states and use a song to accomplish this, is that magick at work? Is that not the use of a ritual to affect a physical change in the universe? So, I guess the next logical question is: can it go further? Can we get create job opportunities with a spelled song or generate money with a spelled song? Are we already doing that as well?

The Cursing Song
(It apparently cannot be embedded.)

St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T23:52:00.003-04:00

So, since this is a day that many Pagans get up in arms over the cultural significance and/or atrocity of Saint Patrick's Day and since I had a mid-term and a quiz today and very little energy, I would like to direct you to a piece on The Wild Hunt which suggests that this view of Saint Patrick's day is a neo-Pagan urban legend.

Is this the new Burning Times?

Names of Kemetic (Egyptian) Gods

2010-02-28T14:59:00.010-05:00

The World has had many Gods to whom mankind has laid down before in supplication and adoration. Many of these Gods still have people who follow, worship, and speak Their holy names in modern times. Some of these Gods, however, have names that have remained hidden and unspoken by human lips for hundreds of years. It is often hard to imagine how we can best approximate Their names.

Below I have begun a small playlist of names of popular Kemetic deities to whom many modern Pagans worship. Some of these Gods have names that are quite familiar, but others have names that would not come naturally to most native speakers of Western languages. Indeed, many of these names have been lost to us until fairly recently and have such become identified in the popular mind by their foreign, Greek names. (The ancient Egyptians, prior to the Greco-Roman Period, did not refer to any Goddess as Isis or any God as Thoth.) There is nothing wrong with using whatever name of the God you worship that (S)He has has not protested, however, for those who have always wanted to approximate the ancient native names of These Gods, I present this list.

I will probably append this list as time goes on, adding new names, and changing the date of the post to the date of the most current update so that I won't have to hunt through old posts for this.

Aset (known in Greek as Isis)

Bast (known in later times as Bastet)

Geb

Heru (known in Greek as Horus)

Hethert (known in Greek as Hathor)

Khonsu

Nebhet (known in Greek as Nephthys)

Ptah

Ra

Sekhmet (sometimes, Sakhmet)

Tefnut

Wesir (known in Greek as Osiris)

Yinepu (known in Greek as Anubis)

Dancing Inward

2010-02-23T00:54:00.004-05:00

Last night I had a dream. Having a dream in and of itself is not abnormal for me. In fact, to not have a dream would be aberrant. This, however, wasn't like any other dream. I think it was a mystical dream. I'm sure of this because I was "already awake" when I woke up. Does that make sense?

This is usually indicative that my brain was active and my mind conscious on a level not conducive for proper sleep. Usually, I'm aware of myself, my bed, my pillow, the sunlight (or lack thereof) in the room, the sounds of cars, and my partner's breaths. Most of all, I'm painfully aware of my circumstance: I can't fall asleep.

And yet, I was well-rested--refreshed even! And, I remember the dream! More accurately, I was aware of my actions as if I were awake when I should have been sleeping. It wasn't quite as if I were awake in this world; it was as if only part of me were "in the driver's seat" as it were. But still, leagues different than any state of consciousness during dream-time.

There was an overwhelming sense of anticipation like one might have before a large, important engagement. But it required me to go further than I was and so, from whatever conscious state I was in, I began to dance, shake, sing--violently, beautifully--and the world melted even further away. And there it was.

Not a person, not a beast, and not truly a thing. The only way to describe it is to say that it was ferocious, mean looking, it wielded weapons, and wore what I interpreted to be a colorful but terrifying mask. It only kind of existed and only because I existed. More importantly, I had to battle it. And I did.

The battling part is not as descript as the rest because I don't think it was an actual battle. I wasn't fighting the thing like I would monsters in my dreams nor did I become a hero like I usually do, modeling myself after some fictional character. I was me and it wasn't an epic battle of screenplay proportions; it simply had to be done.

The mundane world interrupted for a moment and I was briefly pulled from this other world beneath the worlds. But I must've been still been connected because it was much easier to return, performing an abridged version of the meditations and trance ritual. Back in the other world, I continued the spiritual battle and just as soon it was over and it was time for me to wake, which I did as previously stated.

So what was I fighting? I wasn't sure at first. From my impressions of it, I thought my doubt, my fears, or those things that eat at my self-esteem. I honestly didn't know what to make of it, so I decided to be more self-aware today and try to notice any changes. I did. A problem that had been plaguing me for the last six months was all but gone: my inability to control (food) cravings.

I've figured that it was my gluttony. Ultimately, I defeated that part of myself that I would constantly wrestle with every day, almost every hour of every day. Well, defeated for now anyway because, as I've come to learn: everything is a process; not a result.

Technical Question

2010-02-08T21:00:00.002-05:00

Here's one for you veteran bloggers:

Is there a way I can find blogs by keyword or topic? Like isn't there some kind of tool on Blogger where I can just type "witchcraft" and all the blogs about witchcraft will be evoked before me? Just Googling isn't narrow enough. :-(

The Jackal Returns

2010-02-07T17:26:00.002-05:00

Things have been hectic.

I've been extremely distracted by the mundanity of everyday life. Between the all-encompassing hunt for better pay and the time-consuming requirements of school, I've let my spiritual and magical studies slack. That, turns out, is not a good thing and has been wreaking more havoc in my life than anything else; I'm unbalanced, unfocused, and disconnected.

I used to be able to feel everything. I used to be able to feel the magic and power in the wind and the ambient air, see the sentience in the sky, and know the spirit of the Earth by touch.

Now, I feel disconnected from all of that. I feel like I've been cutoff from the magic and power of the Universe... or that it's all been stuffed deep down inside of me.

So, to solve this, I've decided it's time to return to basics, back to where it all started: the beginning. So this blog, hopefully, will become a reflection of this journey and the blog, itself, might change as I do.

We'll see.

Unforgivable Absence

2009-11-02T22:02:00.002-05:00

Sorry for my lack of postage. Hope to get back to it soon.

New job has been keeping me running.

The Impossible Spell

2009-10-17T05:12:00.002-04:00

Those of you who have read my hypothesis of magick know that I believe the only limitation of magick is the imagination of the Witch. However, there is one caveat: love spells.

While you can use magick to create conditions that approximate love, such as preoccupation, lust, passion, warmth, kindness, etc., it will always pale in comparison to the real thing. You might be able to affect it so that anyone who might come across the two of you would think of you as a couple truly, madly, deeply in love. But would it really be love?

Love is a fickle phenomenon. It can be beautiful, warm, passionate, calming, sweet, encompassing, fulfilling, and, as my favorite heroine once said, "love makes you do the wacky." But, most of all and without fail, it must be given to another of one's own free will. Otherwise, it will be many things: a lie, a manipulation, a trick, a poor facsimile; it won't be love.

Mayans 'Fed Up' with 2012

2009-10-14T20:18:00.002-04:00

My new job has been keeping me really busy these last two weeks, but I promise a real blog post this weekend! For now, here's an interesting article!

2012 isn't the end of the world, Mayans insist
By MARK STEVENSON

MEXICO CITY – Apolinario Chile Pixtun is tired of being bombarded with frantic questions about the Mayan calendar supposedly "running out" on Dec. 21, 2012. After all, it's not the end of the world.

Or is it?

Definitely not, the Mayan Indian elder insists. "I came back from England last year and, man, they had me fed up with this stuff."

It can only get worse for him. Next month Hollywood's "2012" opens in cinemas, featuring earthquakes, meteor showers and a tsunami dumping an aircraft carrier on the White House.

At Cornell University, Ann Martin, who runs the "Curious? Ask an Astronomer" Web site, says people are scared.

"It's too bad that we're getting e-mails from fourth-graders who are saying that they're too young to die," Martin said. "We had a mother of two young children who was afraid she wouldn't live to see them grow up."

Chile Pixtun, a Guatemalan, says the doomsday theories spring from Western, not Mayan ideas.

A significant time period for the Mayas does end on the date, and enthusiasts have found a series of astronomical alignments they say coincide in 2012, including one that happens roughly only once every 25,800 years.

But most archaeologists, astronomers and Maya say the only thing likely to hit Earth is a meteor shower of New Age philosophy, pop astronomy, Internet doomsday rumors and TV specials such as one on the History Channel which mixes "predictions" from Nostradamus and the Mayas and asks: "Is 2012 the year the cosmic clock finally winds down to zero days, zero hope?"

It may sound all too much like other doomsday scenarios of recent decades — the 1987 Harmonic Convergence, the Jupiter Effect or "Planet X." But this one has some grains of archaeological basis.

One of them is Monument Six.

Found at an obscure ruin in southern Mexico during highway construction in the 1960s, the stone tablet almost didn't survive; the site was largely paved over and parts of the tablet were looted.

It's unique in that the remaining parts contain the equivalent of the date 2012. The inscription describes something that is supposed to occur in 2012 involving Bolon Yokte, a mysterious Mayan god associated with both war and creation.

However — shades of Indiana Jones — erosion and a crack in the stone make the end of the passage almost illegible.

Archaeologist Guillermo Bernal of Mexico's National Autonomous University interprets the last eroded glyphs as maybe saying, "He will descend from the sky."

Spooky, perhaps, but Bernal notes there are other inscriptions at Mayan sites for dates far beyond 2012 — including one that roughly translates into the year 4772.

And anyway, Mayas in the drought-stricken Yucatan peninsula have bigger worries than 2012.

"If I went to some Mayan-speaking communities and asked people what is going to happen in 2012, they wouldn't have any idea," said Jose Huchim, a Yucatan Mayan archaeologist. "That the world is going to end? They wouldn't believe you. We have real concerns these days, like rain."

The Mayan civilization, which reached its height from 300 A.D. to 900 A.D., had a talent for astronomy

Its Long Count calendar begins in 3,114 B.C., marking time in roughly 394-year periods known as Baktuns. Thirteen was a significant, sacred number for the Mayas, and the 13th Baktun ends around Dec. 21, 2012.

"It's a special anniversary of creation," said David Stuart, a specialist in Mayan epigraphy at the University of Texas at Austin. "The Maya never said the world is going to end, they never said anything bad would happen necessarily, they're just recording this future anniversary on Monument Six."

Bernal suggests that apocalypse is "a very Western, Christian" concept projected onto the Maya, perhaps because Western myths are "exhausted."

If it were all mythology, perhaps it could be written off.

But some say the Maya knew another secret: the Earth's axis wobbles, slightly changing the alignment of the stars every year. Once every 25,800 years, the sun lines up with the center of our Milky Way galaxy on a winter solstice, the sun's lowest point in the horizon.

That will happen on Dec. 21, 2012, when the sun appears to rise in the same spot where the bright center of galaxy sets.

Another spooky coincidence?

"The question I would ask these guys is, so what?" says Phil Plait, an astronomer who runs the "Bad Astronomy" blog. He says the alignment doesn't fall precisely in 2012, and distant stars exert no force that could harm Earth.

"They're really super-duper trying to find anything astronomical they can to fit that date of 2012," Plait said.

But author John Major Jenkins says his two-decade study of Mayan ruins indicate the Maya were aware of the alignment and attached great importance to it.

"If we want to honor and respect how the Maya think about this, then we would say that the Maya viewed 2012, as all cycle endings, as a time of transformation and renewal," said Jenkins.

As the Internet gained popularity in the 1990s, so did word of the "fateful" date, and some began worrying about 2012 disasters the Mayas never dreamed of.

Author Lawrence Joseph says a peak in explosive storms on the surface of the sun could knock out North America's power grid for years, triggering food shortages, water scarcity — a collapse of civilization. Solar peaks occur about every 11 years, but Joseph says there's evidence the 2012 peak could be "a lulu."

While pressing governments to install protection for power grids, Joseph counsels readers not to "use 2012 as an excuse to not live in a healthy, responsible fashion. I mean, don't let the credit cards go up."

Another History Channel program titled "Decoding the Past: Doomsday 2012: End of Days" says a galactic alignment or magnetic disturbances could somehow trigger a "pole shift."

"The entire mantle of the earth would shift in a matter of days, perhaps hours, changing the position of the north and south poles, causing worldwide disaster," a narrator proclaims. "Earthquakes would rock every continent, massive tsunamis would inundate coastal cities. It would be the ultimate planetary catastrophe."

The idea apparently originates with a 19th century Frenchman, Charles Etienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, a priest-turned-archaeologist who got it from his study of ancient Mayan and Aztec texts.

Scientists say that, at best, the poles might change location by one degree over a million years, with no sign that it would start in 2012.

While long discredited, Brasseur de Bourbourg proves one thing: Westerners have been trying for more than a century to pin doomsday scenarios on the Maya. And while fascinated by ancient lore, advocates seldom examine more recent experiences with apocalypse predictions.

"No one who's writing in now seems to remember that the last time we thought the world was going to end, it didn't," says Martin, the astronomy webmaster. "There doesn't seem to be a lot of memory that things were fine the last time around."

Not Dead!

2009-10-10T04:15:00.001-04:00

Don't worry! I'm not dead.

I've just started a new job so I haven't had a lot of free time lately.

But I'll be back soon!

A Hypothesis of Magick

2009-10-03T02:11:00.003-04:00

The belief in magic has been present in every culture that has ever existed on our planet. It seems to be a basic belief that is somehow ingrained into our biology either as a natural tendency like tool-making or a natural reaction to the world around us like fear. To me, it's pretty obvious that magic, the belief that humans have within their ability the power to alter the material world or manipulate beings who can alter the material world, is integral to our species. Since the dawn of time, people every where have believed that they can either affect changes in the world or affect changes through interactions with other beings (animals, plants, spirits, gods, etc). Magic has been studied and practiced for as long as we've existed and throughout such a long period, we've come up with many different perceptions and definitions of magic.

Today, the most common understanding of magic within the Western communities of the so-called `magically-inclined` have been epitomized by a famous Ceremonial magician. Magic, Aleister Crowley writes, "is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will." This is well understood and discussed by many, but what I have found to be less discussed is the mechanics behind that definition. If magick is the science and art, what are the natural laws that govern its use? If magic is the ability to cause change that reflects our Will, what is the process by which one's science and art affect that change in the manifest universe? Furthermore, what are the limits of magic? What is the scope and range of magick? Is there anything that magick cannot do?

I've been wondering about this for quite some time. I know what magic is as per Crowley's definition, but how does it work? I know what I do ritually, symbolically, microcosmically is causative action in the aether to effect a result in the literal, the macrocosm. But how and why? Why should anything I do symbolically effect a change literally?

I think it's because, in reality, there are no symbols. You may use a poppet of your stalker to banish him and you might think it a symbol of your target, but is it really? What is the difference between your poppet and your human stalker? Is it the special combination of cells? But cells are nothing more than molecules, so is it the special combination of molecules? Molecules are constructs of atoms, so is it the unique and distinguished aggregation of atoms? Well, atoms, themselves, consist of protons, electrons, and neutrons, which are, in turn, subatomic particles, and so on and so on until we arrive to the point of no further reduction where matter is nothing more than highly organized systems of energy. Everything in the Universe--all that was, all that is, and all that will be--is composed of energy and that energy started as a single "thing": the singular point in space and time before the Big Bang.

And that's the most important fact: everything was one.

So, if your poppet and your stalker are made of the same exact thing and were actually, indeed, one whole "body", what's the difference now? Physical space? Your stalker's energy does not exist where the poppet's does? So what? Being whole, that is, the perception that a thing occupies a specifically solid and wholly integrated space in the Universe is an err. The atoms of your stalker's cells do not even touch one another. Indeed, the atoms of his cells are separated by some distance because of the repellent charges of his electrons. The problem of seeing ourselves as solid, unified structures of space is even more complicated when we consider the vast distances between the nuclei of atoms and their electrons. If a proton of an atom were the size of a baseball, its electron would be ten miles away. Relatively, there's probably less space between you and your stalker than there is between the protons and electrons in his body. So, then, we are left with the inevitable conclusion to the question of the difference between a poppet and its intended target:

Nothing but your own perception.

Therefore, if there is no difference between a poppet--a symbol--and that which you perceive to be the actual thing you want to influence, what you do to one can be done to the other.

Thoughtless Thursday (on Friday)

2009-10-02T02:50:00.007-04:00

Sorry it's late, but I haven't been to bed yet so it's still Thursday for me regardless of what the time-stamp says.

For our next installment of Thoughtless Thursday, I'm going to showcase a particular gem related to everyone's favorite Sabbat (and secular holiday for most). Sadly, this excerpt is from Archaeology.org, a publication of the Archaeological Institute of America. It's a guest article, Halloween's Celtic Roots, by Jenny Butler, a Ph.D. student of Folklore at the University College Cork in Ireland, intended "to explain the Celtic roots of Halloween and how relics of the past are understood today." It's a good article overall, I think, except for one glaring annoyance that makes it worthy of Thoughtless Thursday:

Traditionally, Samhain was celebrated with feasting and guising. It was customary to eat certain meals at this time, such as colcannon (a mixture of mashed potato, cabbage, and red onion).

The ancient Celts had potatoes? I mean, I know the Irish are known for potatoes, especially after the discovery of the potato in the Americas. But why do people insist on ret-conning the potato into ancient Eire's history?

Eyes Upon Me

2009-10-01T01:24:00.004-04:00

I'm not sure where to start with this. It's complicated. But aren't all things?

I have been following a religious path since I was 15, and, since then, I have worshiped and formed a relationship with one divinity in particular. I see Him as my Father, my Creator, and the Source of my Soul. I have no doubt in my mind that He created me. His worship is first and foremost in my life, although, if I am honest with myself, I have let my attendance at His altar wane over the last few months due only to the hectic schedule by which I'm currently possessed and not due to any lack of faith.

Yet, I feel Others calling me from the periphery of my consciousness. Specifically, there are two names who have been the focus of inordinate preoccupation: Hekate and Dionysus. Usually, I find reading about various traditions and the numerous numinous divinities of the world to be quite fascinating and I absorb all the information I can about them as quickly as I can because of my natural ~~thirst~~ ~~craving~~ addiction for knowledge. But never am I so preoccupied and fixated on the many gods and goddesses I've researched.

I have not been studying either of Them for very long, but I have read enough to be knowledgeable of Their myths and historical importance. That is to say, I am not only aware of Hekate's reputation as "Queen of the Witches" and Dionysus' reputation as "Lord of Ecstasy", but yet, there is still something--an impression of Them as particularly relevant to my current path studying Wica and Witchcraft. I'm not sure how, though.

What can I learn from Them? Are They calling me? For what? If it's possible, how can I build a relationship with Them while honoring (first and foremost) my Father? What has caused this mutual interest, if it is indeed mutual? Has my recent decision to dedicate myself to the study of Witchcraft and the Mysteries prompted it? Or is it more internal, am I reaching out to Them because of my recent dedication to a new, separate-but-equal path?

Has this ever happened to you? Do you have your own story about two callings? Do you honor two or more deities from different paradigms? What did you do?

Thoughtless Thursday

2009-09-24T05:18:00.006-04:00

So, I've come up with my own weekly segment, complete with catchy alliterative title. In the segments entitled "Thoughtless Thursday" which will be posted every week on Thursday, I will highlight an interesting find--hopefully always magically related--that is nothing short of so blundering and idiotic that it'll make your head hurt.

For the pilot post of the segment of THOUGHTLESS THURSDAY, I present to you this little excerpt of a gem I found on a spell repository (following emphasis mine):

Tools

* 1 piece of paper: large enough for you to print the full name of your enemy
* A refrigerator: 1 ice-cube tray or small plastic bottle

Instructions

The following spell is to freeze the negativity sent by an enemy. It is an ancient spell that is very potent. If you cast it you can rest assured you will certainly stop the antics of your enemy, Without Harming Them!

Now, yes, I know. The spell, itself, is sound and it is a classic, if not ancient. However, the fault is with the writing and presentation of the spell, not the magic, itself.

Journal... like... on paper... you remember.

2009-09-22T16:29:00.006-04:00

I decided the other day that I'd like to keep a journal, wherein I can write about my most personal thoughts, ideas, and concerns and express sides of myself I'd rather not share with anyone. So, off to Barnes & Nobles I went to find a little black book. It's a simple book with black leather and a thong that ties it closed. I had one just like it in high school as a "traveling Book of Shadows" but someone had stolen it from my locker--weird, I know.

But another journal (above) for sale took my eye and wouldn't let it go. It was the only one left of its kind on the shelf. And even though I had already decided that I wanted to buy the little black one and this one had nothing I wanted in a journal (it had no tie to keep it closed, it was lined, and was $30), I just had to buy it. Not sure what I'm going to use it for, though. Luckily, the leather, itself, is a book cover and the journal inside can be removed. When the cashier rung it up, the product description was "Three Graces."

Back to Zero

2009-09-22T02:51:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to share a serendipitous observation.

Sunday night into Monday morning I had been feeling extremely ansy and restless. There was a nearly-overwhelming need to move, to do, to act, to engage in some kind of activity. Usually, I'll settle down with a book and read a few chapters or I'll go for a bit of a run, but I felt as though that would not be enough. It was if there was something that needed to be completed and not an on-going or non-finite task, but there was nothing to do! It was frustrating to say the least. I spent hours researching some things I had been considering working on, contemplating personal issues I had been avoiding, and modifying things that only-slightly bothered me until they were perfect. Essentially, I had been "finishing" or "rounding out" various projects I put off for different reasons.

It's only now that I realize why: today, with all of my projects and "tidbits" finished, I have nothing to finish on the Autumnal Equinox. On the Eve of the equinox, I finished all the projects that could have been finished and restored some balance to my life by bringing my "to do" and "things in the air/unresolved" pile down to zero. It seems fitting that I would need to do this before the "Second Harvest". It also seems quite appropriate that I would be filled with such projective and active energy--the need to do--just before the last remnants of light wanes and it's brought back into equilibrium with the dark for the light is often associated with projective, aggressive, and active energy while the dark is often associated with receptive, passive, and stillness.

It would seem that for all my pining and fussing over trying to figure out the significance and meaning of the Sabbats and my inability to comprehend and witness their significance and importance in my life, I was just being blind.

Neat.

Blessed Be on this Equinox.

Blog Note

2009-09-21T03:53:00.002-04:00

Just a blog note.

If you notice a few changes like name and URL, fret not. My whole life is a learning process, apparently.

The new URL is http://jackalspath.blogspot.com

And you'll notice I'm not shortening the name to "Ben" anymore.

The Mystery of the Pentagram

2009-09-18T21:50:00.000-04:00

I've been reading Doreen Valiente's "Witchcraft for Tomorrow" as part of my studies into British Traditional Witchcraft and as I read, I've been reflecting on my own perception and comprehension of the Lite Mysteries (i.e., the Mysteries that can be understood to the non-initiate). Last night I read a passage about the pentacle:

The meaning ascribe to [the pentagram] by witches, however, is a simpler one. They see in it the emblem of magic, the four elements of the material world being ruled over by the power of the mind, represented by the topmost point of the star. Reversed, that is with the point downwards, the pentagram shows the face of the goat-god, which Satanists take as a symbol of the devil, though actually it only means spirit hidden in matter.

I wonder, if the inverted pentagram, that is, spirit hidden within matter, is the God, then, does it mean that spirit above matter is the Goddess? If so, then does the God represent the physical--animal and human--components of Creation while the Goddess represents the forum, the plane, the foundation upon which the God (and therefore the Created) exist? Perhaps that is why the Goddess is often represented as (Mother) Nature, especially in the abstract, while the God is portrayed as flora and fauna, the Green Man and the Horned God. Are we--those who live, breathe, eat--the God? Do we, the God, live upon Her Creation until we pass and rejoin Her within Her womb to be reborn again?

I wonder how I might connect this mystery to that of the Wheel?

The Autumnal Equinox/Mabon

2009-09-14T16:13:00.003-04:00

So, the Autumnal Equinox, which has relatively recently, become known as Mabon, is fast approaching and it has got me wondering about the Wheel of the Year and other festivals Witches might celebrate.

The Wheel celebrates the cyclic nature of the Universe through celebratory markings of the seasons. It recognizes the human need not only for celebrating the passage of time, but for the power and glory of Nature and the gifts and lessons it bestows throughout the year. However, the Wheel seems to be inextricably keyed to agricultural and pastoral life and, while our civilizations still depend on agriculture and animal husbandry, many of us have lives that are far removed from those lifestyles that are apparently and immediately dependent upon Nature.

Often times, the lesson taught is that of interconnectivity, that is, the Wheel should teach us that no matter how far removed our lifestyles may be from their close-to-nature beginnings, we are still affected by the cycles and powers of Nature. But that's a hard lesson to actually conceptualize, let alone learn, especially for those of us who's "harvest" is an bi-weekly shopping trip at the local grocery. I know I do.

So, instead of my usual narrative-type entry, I'd rather have an interactive one. I'm interested in hearing from those of you who do not directly live off the land, particularly urban witches. I'd like to hear how you celebrate the Wheel (or attune yourself to the natural cycles of your locus), what you do in terms of ritual action, what you do in terms of meditative or spiritually reflective thought, and how you, personally, relate the Wheel (and its cycles/changes) to your life.

In memorium infinitum.

2009-09-11T07:03:00.006-04:00

Just a simple post without eloquence or poetry because I'm good at neither.

Something small to let Them know that eight years ago we decided we would never forget Them.

And we haven't.

Symbols

2009-09-10T23:59:00.003-04:00

Symbols are the most powerful and basic of the witch's tools. In fact, every tool the witch uses is a symbol, and every spell a symbolic interaction. Symbols are the tools that inform the conscious that something beyond the ordinary is being done and informs the subconscious what is to be done. Symbols, in this way, are the method by which the witch's Will is focused and directed.

Indeed, every component of a ritual or spell should be a symbol. These preliminary symbols serve to build the energy and reinforce the Will. When one burns Patchouli, it enforces the Will's intent to evoke financial mindsets from the psyche.

One of the most powerful of all symbols are contagions. They serve as symbolic links to your subject and are most effective as they retain the energies of your subject. Either being made of their person or having been imprinted upon by the person's essence, they are direct links. The choicest among the contagions are blood, hair, nail, sexual fluids, and saliva as nothing more potent and particular to a person than something made of them and containing their DNA.

Why are these contagions the most effective? What is the nature of the connection between someone's discarded nail clippings and their person? How is it possible that a witch can affect a human being by performing rituals on hair strands hundreds of miles away? Science might already have the answer.

There's a property of quantum mechanics called entanglement. Entanglement describes a phenomenon in which two or more objects that have been created simultaneously from the same source are linked in such a way that when something happens to one, it will happen to the others regardless of the distance between the two objects. Quantum entanglement means that if object-A and object-B were created from object-Z at the same instant, then whatever happens to object-A will happen to object-B even if object-A is on Earth and object-B is on (the former planet) Pluto.

How does any of that relate to magick and contagions, you might ask? Your hair is made of you, is it not? True, you may have been born forty years ago and your hair is only as old as last month's haircut, , but your hair is made of you, and you were once a single cell. In fact, you are a collection of 10 trillion cells (at least) that were all created from one cell. But take it another huge step further:

prior to the Big Bang, everything in the Universe started as one thing.

Special thanks to AutumnForest for her post Paranormal Today; Science Tomorrow over at Ghost Hunting Theories for making me think about the possible connection between science and magick.

HELP! I've been cursed!

2009-09-09T22:35:00.005-04:00

So, here you are. Three weeks ago, some old neighbor lady gave you the stink eye and now your car's been towed, you lost your keys, you gained 5 lbs, and your bank account is over-drawn. Now, your student loans are in default, you have no means to get to your job, and it'll cost you at least $50 to get a locksmith to open your door. You've been cursed, right?

It's not impossible. But it is improbable.

I think the most important lesson for any witch is one that is often over-looked when discussing metaphysics, especially magic. In fact, I think the lesson is so important that it should be imparted to every student as one of those cherished-few "Laws of the Witch" that people so often teach because it not only has application to the Craft, but to Nature as well. Well, what's the big, secret lesson? Occham's Razor: entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem, which translates into English more-or-less as “entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity”.¹ In short, "the simplest explanation is the most likely."

Humans are graced and gifted by our intellect yet we are also cursed by it (no pun intended). We are imaginitive and creative (and thankful we are or else we would have never had the thought to create tools or master fire). But this inclination towards fanciful and creative interpretations may fool one's reason. Keeping the razor in mind will prevent a witch from wasting precious energy and time as well as preventing him from making a fool of himself. Curses, while dangerous and powerful, are less likely to be encountered than the Cruel Mistress we call coincidence.

Rule out the mundane before you assume a neighbor an enemy for supposedly magically poisioning your lawn. Point in case, your old neighbor lady was probably giving you the stink eye because your car is blocking her drive-way and your car was towed because you parked it illegally. And, because your car was towed, you weren't able to make it to your job or weren't paying attention to your account and it was over-drawn and, because of all those frustrations, you were extremely frazzled, absent-minded and lost your keys.

Now, if you're experiencing a calamity for which no possible earthly explanation satifies the phenomenon you're experiencing, then just maybe, you might be dealing with some serious mojo.

¹ Newall, Paul. (2009). Ockham's Razor. The Galilean Library. Retrieved from
http://www.galilean-library.org/manuscript.php?postid=43832

Three Day Weekend

2009-09-07T14:45:00.000-04:00

Enjoying my three day weekend. Back Tuesday or Wednesday

That Old Black Magic

2009-09-04T14:00:00.005-04:00

"Black magick."

I remember when I first started practicing magick, people would whisper this as if it were the plague. It was taboo, forbidden, and not considered the work of respectable witches. But everyone was doing it--whether they knew it or not.

The words are ambiguous at best. It has come to mean, by many witches, any magick that is aimed to harm or cause destruction. This is a misunderstanding of the phrase because of its color association in the general mind. Many people associate the color black with darkness, shadows, negativity, destruction, and ending. However, those associations don't really have much value when speaking of types of magick in the traditional sense.

Black magick is any magick that does not seek to unify the witch with the Higher-Self or God. It includes magick of money, love, and healing. Black magick is magick with a result exclusive from the spiritual realm and manifesting only to the physical or non-divine planes. It is any magick that does not seek to bring the magician closer to his divine self. Black magick is, quite simply, practical magick.

Likewise, White magick has been misunderstood to mean any beneficial or, at least, harmless magick. But this is not true, either. White magick is any magick that seeks Union with the Higher-Self or with the Divine. It is the work--the Great Work--Ceremonial Magicians seek.

The Soul Eating Curse

2009-09-03T13:58:00.003-04:00

There's a saying within the communities of the Craft that do not subscribe to the Ever-Shining-Light ideologies: a witch who cannot hex cannot heal. The maxim indicates a belief that one must be just as familiar with the dark as one is with the light; the witch must be knowledgeable about that which poisons, harms, and causes suffering as well as the remedies for such things. On a magical level, how can you break a hex that has been laid on a friend if you do not know what makes a hex in the first place? How can you advise a friend on ways to prevent the enemy from regaining the necessities to laying another hex? More seriously, how can you defend yourself or those you love without knowing how to take action through magic? While it's true that if you are being harmed, you can take the necessary steps (magical and mundane) to heal yourself, but you cannot begin the healing processes if the perpetrator possesses the means and power to cause harm again, can you? The perpetrator must be stopped. One might also reason that it would be wise to prevent the individual from harming others, too. A hex is in order.

But here's the rub: hexes are dangerous; not just for subject, but the witch as well. No, not because of the All-Powerful Threefold Law, but because of what is needed to place a hex, what it means, and what it will do to the witch. It is for this reason that hexes and curses are best reserved for the most heinous of offenses and as the last or best-possible solution. Indeed, to hex without just cause (and a belief in your cause) is dangerous for the spell-caster as well as those around him.

To place a hex, it is required to have not only an absolute belief in your cause, but an absolute willingness to manipulate--if not cause direct harm--to another human being. How many times have you wished someone who pissed you off would die or "get hit by a bus"? And how many times have you, after cooling down, recanted and hoped that no misfortune befall him?

Humans, via our higher-nature, are largely social and empathetic creatures. We, by this nature, do not really want to see others suffer. And so, to hex another requires us to reach deep-down into ourselves, past our higher-nature, and find that dark, deep-seated reptilian part of ourselves that would just as soon commit tear the flesh from a relative as easily as it would eat, drink, or breathe. We must reach and harness this often never explored area of our psyches and to be in touch with that is to, by definition, be out of control; to be acting on primal urge and instinct. To place a hex, requires you to, in effect, become the darkest part of yourself.

Having the need, desire, and ability to throw a curse also has a certain significance. It means that not only can the witch harm another living human being, it means that he is comfortable doing so. It means the witch is willing to "go the distance" with his work and see it through the end. It's not an issue of motivation or fortitude; it's an issue of willfully acting against another human being in the most violent way--to rape him/her of his/her will. Throwing a curse means you are a different person than you were before you had; it means you are willing to "do more" and "go further" than most other human beings.

Finally, casting a hex upon another person also possess certain ramifications for the witch, himself. To cast a hex, the witch must completely surrender to the possibility--nay--the probability of nasty consequences and the inevitable fallout. I don't mean any kind of backlash for a spell gone awry or any kind of "karmic punishment" but the natural consequences and fallout because, often, situations that require curses are necessarily entangled messes that never end cleanly.

The witch must be willing to and comfortable with accepting these consequences and results. And not only for himself, either, but for the others involved and maybe even people who simply are figuratively-nearby the curse. (For example, if you curse someone to be miserable and unhappy for the rest of his life, you are also affecting those individuals with whom the cursed ever comes into contact with or the lives of which the cursed ever enters.) Accepting responsibility for the consequences and fallout and living with them can often be heavy burdens to rest upon one's heart.

In the end and after all of that, hexing reflects and marks the witch just as much as it does the cursed, but do not read this entry as a call for the prohibition of curses; it's not. Curses are as old as magick, itself. Just make sure it's worth it. Think it through. Consider the consequences and not just those that might affect you, but the ones that might affect anyone "figuratively-nearby." And, after you hex, let there be no remorse.

The Threefold Problem

2009-09-02T13:54:00.005-04:00

`Ever mind the Rule of Three,
Thrice shall acts return to thee.`

Neopagans, particularly eclectic Witches and Wiccans, across the world are familiar with the concept expressed by this rhyme and others like it. It's often presented as a universal moral precept. It claims that whatever one does, especially magically, will return to the source of action, i.e. the caster, three times as beneficial or harmful. It is taught and often spoken of as a moral code by which all witches should abide because if a witch were to misbehave, her negativity will return to her three times as worse than she had sent out.

No information is given as to whom or what is dispensing the amplified justice. Perhaps the Gods, but then, the question is begged: why three? Why should anything one does return to him or her three times over? Is that even fair? Is it just to deliver a punishment three times worse than the crime? And, what of all those do-gooders who live in dire straits who have yet to reap this threefold reward? Not to mention all the questions about the mechanisms by which this threefold return occurs: is it a natural occurrence in the universe? If so, why is it not seen in the natural universe? Why does the universe (and many neopagan religions) tend towards balance and not threefold?

Nevermind all that. It's really irrelevant because the real problem is that the Threefold Law doesn't really teach morality or ethics. It doesn't provide insight on how a witch might come to a moral course of action nor does it provide the witch with an authortative framework upon which he can judge what is right and wrong or good and evil. According to the Cambridge Dictionary morality is "a personal or social set of standards for good or bad behaviour and character, or the quality of being right, honest or acceptable."† Many of us would agree with this definition or offer another that would closely approximate the meaning of the word. We might even all agree that morality is the concern for the propriety and justness of our actions as well as how those actions may affect our lives and the lives of others. Indeed, for many--if not all--pagans, a moral decision must necessarily consider the welfare of others--human, animal, or planet. And yet, there is no hint of what is right and wrong or good and evil within the warning of the Law.

In fact, the Threefold Law addresses only one concern: whether the action may benefit or harm the witch. It speaks only to the happiness and benefit of the witch without any concern to the effects his actions may have upon those around him. Furthermore, being that the Threefold Law offers no statements about the nature of good and evil or right and wrong, it, unintentionally but necessarily, implies that an action is only inadvisable because of the harm it will reap for the witch, himself.

The entire crux of the lesson the Threefold Law gives its believers is that one should behave, otherwise, one will be punished exponentially. It doesn't even say that unjust or heinous actions are wrong on their own merits, but, simply, that you shouldn't do them because some-one/thing will wrong you thrice as bad. It reveals nothing about the importance of a single person and his actions within a macro-cosmic dynamic; it speaks nothing about our responsibilities to each other and the universe, itself; and it teaches nothing about sympathetic relationships.

I could even argue without much stretch of the imagination that the Threefold Law is hedonisitc in nature, being concerned only with the happiness and well-being of the self. But, that's an argument for another day, perhaps.

Personally, I prefer a tiny excerpt from the beautiful "Charge of the Goddess" by Doreen Valiente:

For mine is the ecstasy of the Spirit,
and Mine also is joy on Earth;
for My law is love unto all beings.

† Morality. In Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Retrieved September 2009 from

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=51857&dict=CALD

The Obligatory Introduction

2009-09-01T11:10:00.001-04:00

I'm entirely new to blogging. I've participated on online discussion forums, bulletin boards, and chat room groups for more years than I particularly care to admit to, but I've never gotten into blogging. In fact, I'm not even a regular reader of blogs, either. But in recent years, I've had a growing desire to change these facts. That being said, I think it's customary for every blog to have an obligatory introductory post, right?

I'm not entirely sure I really want to discuss specifics about my identity. Not that I'm "in the broom closet" or require anonymity; I just don't think it all that pertinent to (and maybe even distracting from) the purpose and function of this blog, which I'll describe later. That which is relevant about myself is pretty simple and straight-forward.

I'm a Pagan and have been since I was in 8th grade. I've studied eclectic witchcraft, chaos magick, some ceremonial magick, and am now studying British Traditional Wicca. I have also been practicing a traditional African religion since I was 15. I tend to keep my religion--that which binds me to the Gods--and my magical practice--that which affords me influence and harmony with the physical universe--relatively separate.

This blog, which I suspect will go through various changes according to my personal gnosis and eccentric whims, is intended to serve as a reflection of the madness within. Least of all, it will be a record of my journey from this point on, but, most of all, it will serve as an easily accessible, easily navigable format by which to jot down wayrward thoughts, record and work out ideas that linger, and articulate the general craziness that whirls inside my pretty little head. Maybe even discuss ideas and thoughts with those of similar interests.