New book waves wand at witchcraft
Another article that was linked to from Mrs. B is this one New book waves wand at witchcraft.
Author Diana Gerdenits says its “not an easy read”, but one that will tell of the shocking world of witchcraft with a Lower Mainland setting.
“The story is loosely based on me growing up in Vancouver,” said Gerdenits.
“As a young teenager I was part of a group that studied the stuff like witches and covens.
“It was in the early 1980s when most teens were into drugs, sex and rock ‘n’ roll, but this group– a couple guys and a couple of girls spiraled out of control and found their own thing.”
“I won’t say what is truth and what is fiction, but I can say a lot of things were tested and tried during this time of our lives.”
I’m trying to find this to buy in ebook format for my Sony Reader, but so far I’m not having any luck. If anyone else does, please let me know. It sounds like an interesting read. Diane’s official blog for the book can be found here.
AVATAR, the Vatican and Neo Paganism
I saw a post about this on Mrs. B’s facebook page that the Pope was coming out against the movie Avatar. Of course, I haven’t seen the movie yet, and this just makes me want to see it even more. You can read the entire article here.
The pope also denounced the “supposedly egalitarian vision” that human beings and other living creatures should be placed on the same plane of existence, adding that such a worldview would “open the way to a new pantheism tinged with neo-paganism, which would see the source of man’s salvation in nature alone, understood in purely naturalistic terms.
What is wrong with putting people and animals on the same plane of existence? I personally believe that ALL life is sacred. Animals and humans are included in that. None should be devalued.
Oh wait, he is talking about worship. That man’s salvation in nature alone. Hmmm. I believe that the spirit of the Goddess and God flows through all living things…plants, people, animals. But I believe that the Goddess and God are the same divinity that other faiths worship, I just see a different facet of the whole than they see. So I feel the power flows from divinity, not just from nature alone. So…I’m losing where he thinks that is neo-paganism. But then again, I’m also not familiar with the many flavors of faith either.
The article is an interesting read, and I agree with the author, when the movie releases in Italy after that proclamation, it will probably be mobbed.
I have not been blogging lately
When I saw my last blog was Happy Thanks giving, I realized it had been too long since I blogged here. The holidays are always a tough time for me. I miss my parents. My husband and I were so broke this year, all we could afford as presents to one another was trip out to eat at the local buffet on Christmas.
But the holidays are past, and it is a bright and shiny new year, so I plan on blogging a bit more often now. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with their family and friends and the new year is going well for them.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone
Today is a day to say Thanks to the Goddess and God for all of the blessings in your life. Spend times with friend and family. And try not to get too stuffed on food. 
I have many, many things to be thankful for, but these are at the top of my list.
- A loving husband who supports me, has a great sense of humor, is sexy, and is my best friend.
- The unconditional love of two cats, and being a hero for a tribe of feral cats we feed on our porch.
- Several friends that I would trust with my life. I feel you are blessed with one, and in addition to my husband I have three, which makes me triply blessed.
- A brother and sister that I love very much.
- A son that walks my path, and has found happiness with a girlfriend.
- A comfortable home that is warm and safe.
- Plenty to eat.
- Clothes on my back.
- Good health. Going through a few tests, but even those are for things that are correctable thankfully!
- That I found the Wiccan path to walk. I never fit quite in with any other path, and I’m glad to find where I belong.
- For being sober today and continually for the last 8 1/2 years.
- To be able to spend Thanksgiving with a group of friends.
- And finally for all the wonderful people I’ve met online. For the laughs until I cry, for the wonderful sayings, tips, tricks and help that I’ve found over the years. Thanks everyone!
Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone! And don’t forget to take some time to really think about all you are thankful for today.
How can you not believe?
I have a facebook account that is personal (aside from my Spyrit Dancer persona) and a lot of fellow webmasters and webmistresses are my friends. One of them made a comment on his status that, oh joy the religious fundamentalists were coming over for Thanksgiving, and he hoped he didn’t make them cry this year as he started eating before they prayed.
I told him why don’t you pray to someone like Demeter, Goddess of harvest, and really shake them up?
He responded that he would only pray (and I’m paraphrasing) to a God or Goddess who bought or cooked the food. If he was going to pray, it would be to a grocery store, as he has never found one he believed in enough to pray to. Through a private message, I then found out he is an atheist.
How can you not believe in a higher power? Where it is Jesus, Demeter, Epona, Budda, or Jehovah, how can you think the universe is just a random series of coincidences, we evolved to our point, and there are not deities that watch over us?
I have never understood this point of view. Of course, it also comes from the fact that I’ve seen magick work, and I’ve stayed alive, or had things happen that I believe absolutely could not have without divine intervention. That is more than enough proof for me.
What a lonely universe to live in!
Right now I’m going through a series of tests, to rule out some medical conditions. It is always scary, and my brain automatically goes to the worst case scenario. But I’ve been praying to my Goddess every day. I made myself an amethyst and rose quartz bracelet to wear to help with healing. And I’ve done some healing candle rituals. Even if my problem isn’t cured, I know that between my husband and my Goddess and God, I have someone to walk through all this with. I just couldn’t do it without that faith and belief.
Protection from Strange Energy
I read my Witches Spell a day each day, and I like today’s spell. Ever been somewhere and it feels like something strange is about? Maybe not evil, maybe only residual feelings that have been imprinted in the area from past pain. Here is a spell by Raven Digitalis you can do to help banish that energy.
With the pointer finger of your projecting hand (the hand you write with) trace a large banishing pentagram. See it glowing in blue flame between you and the adverse energy and say, “Harm not me, this energy I see. As I will it, so mote it be.”
The kittens are back and now there are four!
Mom moved the kitties about two days after we saw them last. I was worried about them, visions of hawks or crows attacking them.
Well this morning, it is only 37 degrees out, and the babies are back! They were out drinking water there wasn’t one speck of dry food left in the feeder for them to eat. So I put a can on two plates and I no sooner got in the door and all four babies were eating, and mom was guarding them. I got this pic.
I have no idea where the fourth one was before, although since two look so much alike, one may have been hiding while the other ate and vice versa. At least we cleaned the windows so the picture came out better.
The babies ate every scrap of food. I carried out another can spread on two plates, plus their dry food feeder I had taken in to fill up, and now mom is chowing down when I looked last. It feels so good to be able to help a family in need out.
Do you know someone who could use some food at a discount?
I saw a tweet about this wonderful company called Angel Food Ministries. They have boxes of food you can purchase from them that they say you can save about $35 on average over the store cost of the same food. Plus free recipes for cooking the food. There is no income requirement needed, you just order and pick up what you want, and go and pick it up.
Each month they have a monthly signature box, a senior/convenience box (with frozen foods), a grill box, a veggie and fruit box, and an allergen free box. This month they also have a Thanksgiving Dinner box. What a great way to save money for any family! Or a great gift to buy and donate to a family in need.
Its good to be home
I had to go into Vegas for three days this week to work my part-time job. I got home on Thursday, and spent Friday recovering from the 25+ miles we walked in the three days. It is great to be back home, in my own space again.
I noticed when I went out this morning our Mesquite trees are just starting to turn yellow. Fall in the desert isn’t as spectulacar as the falls of my youth in Michigan, but still there none the less. It reminds me that this is the time of the Goddess going to sleep, slumbering during the stillness of winter to arise in the spring with the new crops. The wheel is turning, either it is the beginning of the year (for those that celebrate the year starting on Nov 1st) or getting closer to the end of the year for the rest of the world.
I’m so blessed. I have a warm home, and a place to sleep. A man in my life that treats me like a Goddess. A job I get to do out of my home. Two cats that love me unconditionally, and several skittish wild cats that appreciate the food I give them. And I have great friends that accept me the way I am. It just doesn’t get any better than this.
Goddess, help me never to forget all the wonderful blessings in my life you provide every day.
We have baby kittens!
For a few months now, we have been feeding a wild cat that lives under the empty trailer next door to us. We started feeding her when we noticed she had two kittens she was caring for. We left dry food and water under a small tree in our backyard. Poor thing is very skittish, and we can’t get near her.
Well the temperature has really dropped at night lately, so we bought a dog house for her, and put it on our front porch outside our big bay windows. We put some blankets in it, and moved her dishes to the front porch.
When I got up this morning, Loki was making wild noises out the window so when I looked out I saw three baby kittens trying to eat out of the big bowl of dry food we had out there. They were so cute!
I went and got a can of wet food, and put it on a plate and took it out. The mom was in the yard by then, scared, and the kittens were in the dog house. Poor things, when I showed them the food, they tried to get out the back of the dog house.
I got back in the house and got the camera, by then Mom and the one kitten that looks the most like her, were chowing down. I worry because the kitten looks like he/she has blood on her neck, but seems to be moving ok.
Soon the other two came out. The calico was just shaking (it is only 47 outside), but eating good. I really need to clean my windows, you can see the water spots.
Mom was yelling at me through the window, defending the dog house when I snapped this last picture. We have to go to a convention next week for 3 days, but when we get back, I’m going to ask the local shelter the cost of getting her and her kittens neutered.
I’m also going to save up to try and get them all to the vet and get shots for them. If anyone would like to donate towards a “shots for my wild kittens” fund, just comment back. Money is very tight for us, and I know its going to cost us 300 – 400$ to get shots Mom and the babies…money we just don’t have right now. 
It makes you feel good though to be able to take care of them. I’d love to bring them inside, but since they don’t have shots, and feline lukemia is so prelevant…and we haven’t been able to get our indoor cats shots up to date, I worry about making them sick. It just tears my heart out to see them so tiny and outside. Not sure what happened to her other two kittens…they would be about 6 months or so old now. I haven’t seen them around.
Happy Samhain to Everyone!
Today is Samhain to the Witches. To the rest of the US, it is commonly referred to as Halloween.
Did you know that the term Halloween, originally spelled Hallowe’en, is shortened from All Hallows’ Even – e’en is a shortening of even, which is a shortening of evening? It was called this because November 1st was All Saints Day, so this was the “Eve” of that day.
Regardless of what you call it, it is a day to honor your ancestors. The veil between the worlds of the living and dead are the thinnest on this night, so contacting the dead is routinely done on Samhain. Rituals can be simple (prayers to your loved ones who have passed on) or very complex involving suppers cooked for deceased relatives where they are invited to partake.
On this Samhain, I find myself incredibly low on energy. I got almost no sleep last night, so my thoughts are a bit blurry as I type this. Although I had planned on performing a complex ritual tonight, I might have to settle for the simple. (Unless I can manage a nap, a skill that usually eludes me) One of the things about being a Wiccan is know your energy levels. It won’t help you, or your ancestors if you expend so much energy that you don’t have you end up ill.
So my ritual may just be a lighting of a candle in the window. This was done so the spirits could find you. A setting of three extra plates on my table to honor my Mother, My Father, and My Grandmother who have passed on. If I cook them food, it will be potatoes…a food we all loved. An asking of the Lord and Lady to bless the food and give my loved ones what they need for the next year. Then having a meal with them all, including my husband.
I am fortunate, one of the gifts of my name, Spyrit Dancer, is that I’m close to my loved ones who have passed on throughout the year, not just on Samhain. So they will understand if I don’t do an elaborate ritual for them tonight.
Blessings to all of you, and may the New Year find warm, safe, happy, and healthy.
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