The Cool Store/The Sacred Paths is now available for store-wide updates on Twitter at http://twitter.com/coolstoreboazal Store events, new shipments, new blog post notification, and much more will be available.

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The Cool Store / The Sacred Paths is pleased to announce its first community art show.

This art show will feature work from local artists, including drawings, paintings, handmade jewelry, homemade bath salts, unique gifts, and much more!

Saturday, May 16th from 10 AM to 7 PM.

The Cool Store is located at 10565 AL Hwy 168, Boaz, Alabama 35957.

For more information, please call 256-593-1311 and ask for Patti.

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On behalf of a dear friend from Neos Alexandria, I wanted to pass this information along to everyone to see if anyone could help with contributions to a project that temple is working on. Here’s the latest information Sannion had to offer on it:

Although we’ve received some great contributions for the Hekate devotional, we currently do not have enough for a full book. So we are going to extend the deadline until July 30, 2009.

We can use essays, poetry, accounts of personal experiences, and other forms of devotional writing. We would like this anthology to reflect the diversity of ways that the goddess has been understood and experienced both in antiquity and in contemporary times, so the more contributions we receive the better!

As with all of our devotional anthologies we cannot provide payment or contributor copies, since the proceeds will be used for charitable donations and to help bring out further volumes in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina line. For more information on our Guidelines and Policies, please visit this page:

http://neosalexandria.org/BAguidelines.pdf

If you have any further questions, you may contact the editor at sannion@gmail.com. This is also the address where submissions should be sent.

Please feel free to distribute this announcement to other lists, forums, and curious individuals. The more people who know about this the better chance we’ll have of producing a truly awesome book worthy of Hekate.

Here’s the original journal post: http://sannion.livejournal.com/784376.html

And as stated above, any questions and/or submissions should be emailed to sannion@gmail.com

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Where Have All the Gardners and Crowleys Gone? (An Answer)

Author: Juniper (from WitchVox)

In the last couple of weeks a question, or rather a few similar questions, have been coming across my radar, again and again. I do try to pay attention to such things, when they come my way. One or more of these times were in articles posted on Witchvox, while other times this question has been uttered to me by friends. Here are the questions:

“Why are there no more Gardners and Crowleys?”

“Where are the women like Doreen Valentine and Janet Farrar and Dion Fortune in younger generations?”

“Where have all the good Elders gone?”

“Why are there no impressive High Priest/ess any more?”

… And such similar ponderings.

Despite the fact the fact that I am no Crowley, nor Starhawk, nor Elder, I think I may have hit upon an answer. It’s an ugly answer, and I know that sharing it may only cause me problems. Yet, I feel compelled to share it. So folks, if you are easily offended, please … keep reading. Bear with me, let me sit upon a “high horse” for but a moment and allow me to say some things you may not want to hear.

Gardner and Crowley were trailblazers. They were bold and daring, they said and did outrageous things. People like Gardner, Crowley, Cochrane and Hutton (to name a few) were eclectics, they tried stuff out, and they mixed and matched. They mixed pantheons and traditions. Nowadays we pagans use the word “eclectic” like a dirty word, an insult to be slung at anyone who dares to mix traditions or practices.

Because our watered-down version of paganism and occultism does not breed such people, does not encourage them. In fact, we make them pariahs. We are not comfortable with controversial leaders. We don’t want teachers with a reputation for being eccentric. We don’t like it when someone walks through the mall wearing a giant pentagram, or purple hair or a black dress. We don’t want to rock the boat. We don’t like it when someone says or does something new or different or outside the box. We are uncomfortable with pagans who don’t fit neatly into some label.

There are no more good elders for two reasons.

One, we treat them horribly, you know it and I know it. We give them no reason to participate in the community. We are pleading and demanding and completely lacking in respect. We expect them to do all the work for us, with barely an introduction. We never finish what they work so hard to help us start.

Two, many of our elders and pagans who have been around for a while have become jaded and disenfranchised. They have decided to give up on us and are hiding away somewhere. Far too often now, when they do decide to show up, it is either for our adulation or to make fun of other less experienced pagans… which only leads to a lack of respect for our elders. And thus we create a vicious cycle.

We all understand cycles do we not?

Because we seem to think that High Priestess and other spiritual leaders and teachers of such caliber are “born”, not slowly grown over time. We think that once a pagans-are-nature-oriented/">pagan reaches 40, they should just magickally turn into a great leader, teacher or guru. We think we do not need to support our young leaders and teachers. We feel that we do not need to help them to grow into great elders.

No, instead we pick and snipe at them and demand to see credentials and examine their birth certificate as if age is what matters. Because we forget that people like Janet Farrar, Doreen Valentine, and Starhawk were in their twenties when they first made their claim to fame. We forget, and we treat our young witches and priestesses like idiot children.

Because we buy white-lighter, easy-to-read, fluffy little books when we should be buying the books Chapters and Barnes and Noble refuse to sell. How many of you actually have books written by Gardner, Valentine, Farrar, and Crowley? How many of you have more books written by the likes of Sylvia Browne than books by our great old Elders?

There are no more Gardners and Crowleys because we are afraid. Afraid of controversy, afraid of not being politically correct, afraid of being judged, afraid of ourselves, afraid of what the neighbors might think. Afraid of what the rest of the pagans-are-nature-oriented/">pagan community might think or do.

Because we are afraid to try something that no one has done before, we need to read three instructional books on how to do it first. We need an author, teacher, or Internet friend to assure us that nothing bad might happen, that it will be fun and safe … and boring. Because we panic when a hedgewitch posts Flying Ointment recipes on her blog.

And we are lazy. We have become a community whose majority are little more than armchair pagans. We study more than we practice and we think that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Paganism, witchcraft, magick … these are PRACTICES. You have to practice them! These pissing contests about what you know are meaningless. We need to focus on ourselves and our practices, not on what someone else has memorized.

Because we have made paganism too commercial, too user friendly, too easy, too accessible. We are more comfortable with a clean, neat, organized, sterilized version of spirituality. We don’t want something messy, sexy, nitty and gritty. We want something that matches the row upon row of identical pink stucco houses that litter suburbia.

Because we don’t want to have to work hard to find wisdom. We want it handed to us in a textbook format.

There are no more Gardners and Crowleys and the like because you’re supposed to be one.

That’s right. YOU.

Who else is going to do it? So what’s stopping ya?

You want more visionaries, teachers, and leaders? You want to see the next generation of Gardners and Crowleys crop up? Then go and do it yourself. Because chances are everyone else is too yellowbelly to do it for you. And why should anyone do it for you anyway?

Think about it.

*climbs off high-horse and raises shield*

Copyright: Juniper 2008

This article is originally from WitchVox, found here: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=cabc&c=words&id=12919

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As it’s been a while since either Loki or myself has updated (sorry about that, by the way), I’d like to remind everyone of the events that occur on Wednesdays at The Cool Store/The Sacred Paths.

On the first Wednesday of every month, we currently have the God Class. Each month, we will discuss a different God.

On the second Wednesday of every month is the meet-up. Lately, Loki has been doing mini-workshops for us. The last one was on poppets.

On the third Wednesday of every month is the paranormal night. Local paranormal groups come and discuss the methods used in ghost hunting.

On the forth Wednesday of every month is the drum circles. These are highly recommended for anyone who just wants to come and have a good time. Don’t worry if you don’t have a drum of your own. There are always plenty to go around!

And since I don’t believe I’ve ever really explained much about my personal beliefs to anyone, here’s a cross-post from my personal journal, Lotus Touch, concerning Modern Kemeticism:

Modern Kemeticism, as defined by Het en Neferma’atu, is a modern reformation of the religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians. Followers of Modern Kemeticism often call themselves Modern Kemetic or simply Kemetic. These Modern Kemetics worship the Neteru, the Gods of ancient Egypt. The most notable difference between Modern Kemeticism and many other Kemetic faiths within Kemeticism on a whole is that Modern Kemeticism is both polytheistic and kathenotheistic in its beliefs.

I myself am Modern Kemetic, and a priest of Het en Neferma’atu. I have worshiped the Neteru for over ten years, and have served as Their priest for over five of those years. It has not been an easy journey, but it is one I am happy to have made.

As a Modern Kemetic, I tend to have a more…unique view on the concept of things, especially compared to my brethren of faiths similar to my own. Whereas many other Kemetic faiths claim to be monolatrous or henotheistic, Modern Kemeticism is best described as kathenotheistic polytheism.

All Gods from all cultures are known to exist, each in Their own right as Their own individual entity, unless He or She says otherwise. Some Gods hint that They are indeed the same as another, just with a different name and face, but until a strait answer is given, I’ll be leaving it as They are all separate. This is the principle behind what is known as “hard” or “strict” polytheism.

However, just because I know all the Gods to exist, it doesn’t mean that I worship Them all. Now, do I believe someone else can worship any of these other Gods with equal truth as those whom I worship? Most definitely. But this is where the kathenotheism comes in to play.

While I respect Gods of other cultures, and have built relationships with some of Them, I do not worship Them. My worship is exclusively of the Neteru, the Kemetic Gods. Even there, though, the while thanks is given to all of the Neteru on a whole, worship is of one individual Neter, or God, at a time.

There are some Neteru who receive a greater amount of personal attention to worship than others. Anpu, known to the Greeks as Anubis, is the primary focus of all of my worship. He is my personal God, and our relationship is closely akin to that of parent and child. Djehuty, or Thoth as the Greeks called Him, is a Neter whom I hold a great deal of respect and love for, and I see Him as my teacher.

Within my personal beliefs, I follow the Heliopolitan view of Kemeticism, in which the Psedjet, consisting of Ra and His descendants, are foremost supreme among the Neteru. The way this effects my methods of worship often depends most on the observance of festival days, in which the Neter to whom the festival is devoted is considered supreme during the rituals of that festival. On a day-by-day basis, Anpu is the supreme Neter within my life, and I worship Him as such.

Of course, other Neteru are shown worship throughout the day within my daily life as well. Each morning, I greet the new day and the rebirth of the sun with a heartfelt song to Ra. I feel the wind blow through my hair or brush against my skin and I know Shu is there. I taste water in the air or feel the rain on my skin, and I know Tefnut is there. I pause when I have the chance to feel the pure vastness of the earth and know that Geb is with me. I look up at the sky, day or night, and know that Nut smiles upon me.

Each day, I am aware of the Neteru around me, as well as many other Gods. While I may not sit before a shrine or altar every day, while I may not look as though I am in prayer at any given time, I live my life for my Gods. I know that I do not have to be on my knees before Them to be heard. I know that I do not have to burn candles and incense to attract Their attention, though these are favorable offerings to pretty much any of Them. But as each breath that I take is an offering to Them, each action I make, each minute I sacrifice standing in the candy aisle trying to determine which chocolate one of Them would like…

It brings me closer to Them. And that’s all that I seek as a Modern Kemetic, is to live each day closer to Them.

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You know what really scares me? Not the right-winged uber conservative Christians followers. Not the late night television evangelist, crunching biblical numbers, and bellowing all fire and brimstone that “You are all going to HELL!” Not the intolerant attitudes I face everyday when I arrive at work and the proverbial “Jesus loves you” nonsense stated in every matter of dire need…No friends, none of this scares me as much as the matter I’m about to place before you.

What scares me the most? My fellow pagans scare me.

The death and aging of every elder pagans-are-nature-oriented/">pagan who paved the way for us to be at the point we are now scare me. Is religious freedom perfect? Hell no. Are we perfect? Certainly not. What bothers me is there are no more Scott Cunninghams or there will be no more Raymond Bucklands. There are no more Aleister Crowleys or Doreen Valientes.

We are too damn busy fighting each other on myspace and blogging over which person stole our “Esbat graphic” to even notice that what we should be doing is taking care of each other, not fighting over such petty differences.

A news story surfaced about some scientists in Switzerland splicing atoms underground at the speed of light. By the time you read this we will probably all still be here, but what scared me about it most was the fact that the human animal in an attempt to tame nature, is now taking it to a dangerous level. Man has always attempted to know the unknown in order to control a tiny portion of a life that at times can feel as if it doesn’t belong to us.

We are not Gods and Goddess. If ignorance is bliss friends, then I want to be the most idiotic person on the planet when it comes to knowing that if one fraction of a decimal was off, we’d all be sucked into an abyss of black matter…but I digress… I posted said story on my myspace blog…partly because I’m a nerd, but also to see how others viewed the news.

My blog was in no way persuasive by nature and was meant for informational purposes only. There was another myspace community member who disagreed with my blogs contents and was intent on telling everyone how stupid we all were. This person was within every right to express an opposite opinion. What this person had NO right to do was respond the way they did. This person called everyone who disagreed
with them idiots. This person alluded that everyone should know how physics worked and anyone who didn’t needed to go back to school because we were all “wasting our minds”.

I politely responded how that was unfair. I went on to state that just because people aren’t educated in a certain area of life does by no means makes them idiots. If I asked this person about what Section 67 of South Carolina Workers’
Compensation law had to say and she couldn’t answer, does that make this person an idiot? Of coarse not! To which I was answered by this person that everyone who was idiots could get the f- off of their page.

My only response: Gladly. I later found out that this person is a HP and an author of a few pagans-are-nature-oriented/">pagan books. This person boosts himself or herself to be a reiki master, expert tarot reader and self-proclaimed spiritual leader. What is wrong with this picture?

Maybe it’s just me, but they don’t make pagans-are-nature-oriented/">pagan leaders like they used to. Have we
all become so absorbed with ourselves, our religious paths and the affection of others that we’ve forgotten the core basics that make us all human? I remember opening my first metaphysical book and the rush I felt of knowledge and excitement about the journey I was about to partake. I remember the lessons I learned about tolerance, respect and serenity.

Then I thought…ok, maybe it’s just myspace. Would Scott Cunningham have turned out to be a complete phony and arrogant a** is given a technological voice?

It’s so disheartening to think that the new leaders in our tiny community don’t appreciate us and aren’t capable of diplomatically stating their opinions when faced with adversity. I’m just a huge advocate for religious freedom but when approached in the street I don’t flash a huge pentacle and cram it down someone throat as I once read on a new age authors blog the other day.

I’m sorry, but when you place yourself on a public medium, such as myspace, you unleash a floodgate that is just as potent as a spell…and maybe the craft has no place online. It has become no more than a popularity contest, and frankly I’m going a-wall from the team. There is no more passion, eagerness to teach, togetherness and unity in the community anymore…it’s more like “I’m a witch, not a Wiccan” and if you want my help please send $19.95 for the first ten minutes….blah, blah, blah.

Now I am very aware, we all have to work hard for the money, but think about this. You go to a spiritual leader asking for guidance. No matter the religion. Imagine being one of many churchgoers leaving Sunday Mass and you ask Father O’ Malley for advice on a problem you’ve been having? He listens intently, answers and then pulls out a credit card machine and asks you “debit or credit?” How unimportant and obsolete would that make one feel?

Maybe that’s religious doctrine Pagans should take away from Christians…willing spiritual guidance from those who claim and make themselves leaders. Remember the stories about Marie Laveau and how she would make frequent visits to the prisoners in jail taking solace and a warm meal.

And it’s not only happening on a literally or internet level, it’s happening more and more in our local new age stores, and “study groups”. I was invited by
a local new age storeowner to attend a circle meeting she holds at her home the last Sunday of every month. No it is not a coven, but an opportunity for like minds to come together and discuss the craft. The storeowner decided that we were going to cast circle that night to see how we all would mesh.

Everything went pretty much routine until we were attempting to raise energy and libation to the Goddess Kali. I stood there in the circle, serious, with my eyes closed attempting to focus and I started hearing giggling. With a look of broken concentration and complete shock I opened my eyes, look over and there were girls talking, chatting, and some were even making fun of the other women in the circle. I swear to you, it was enough to throw someone right off of their religion. Is there nothing sacred anymore?

Maybe it’s supercritical but I have to ask “Why are you here if this isn’t an important matter to you?”

Now I’m not saying all my pagans-are-nature-oriented/">pagan experiences with others have been bad and there are a few good leaders and authors left. Most of them are totally anti-social and it begs the question, why? Take pagans-are-nature-oriented/">pagan author D.J. Conway for example. She has no affiliation a coven (as her website says) and for the most part prefers to be a solitary practitioner who “leads a rather quite life”. What about Ms. Elizabeth Pepper? Same story with her as you can read in The Witches Almanac. They may be or
have been anti-social but I bet you their books and words will stand the test of time. Their stories will not fade and future pagans will one day look to them, just as we looked to Scott Cunningham for guidance through our journeys.

Very un-like the pagans-are-nature-oriented/">pagan fluff that is turned out today and massed produced for the in-experienced “Wiccan” neophyte to exploit. Give a man a little knowledge, right? I mean, maybe our pagans-are-nature-oriented/">pagan forefathers and mothers had it right…Maybe hiding out in a remote island and building a grass-roots religion like Mr. Gardner did is what we should be doing? Maybe magic is better kept in the shadows and not on the cyber pages of myspace.

It would seem that our so-called pagans-are-nature-oriented/">pagan leaders today are more concerned about blogging about their next big event, copyrighting witchy graphics and racking up friends than finding enlightenment and being there for their followers. Has paganism evolved or am I just a left behind “old school pagans-are-nature-oriented/">pagan” shaking my judgmental stick screaming, “Damn you pagans-are-nature-oriented/">pagan whippersnappers”! I’m sure some may think so after this article, but this is one pagans-are-nature-oriented/">pagan who has had enough.

Disagreeing with what I am saying here is ok. I don’t think my opinion to be the correct one, but take a moment, go to your local new age store or new age section of your local bookstore…Open two or three of the best pagans-are-nature-oriented/">pagan sellers, scan them over and think about it.

Think about how it’s all becoming the same, how we are all stuck in the proverbial mud of the same ole and please friends, compare it to what Mr. Crowley or Alex Sanders were doing in their hay days. Our forefathers and mothers may have been controversial and we may not agree with everything they had to say, but darn it they explored and endured. And if it weren’t for them we wouldn’t be even half way out of our “broom closets” as we are today.

Then… think about the ways we choose to re-pay the debts we owe them. Then decide how you feel about this article.

—

Source: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=ussc&c=words&id=12837
Author: Heather S. Douglas (ladyheather_01@yahoo.com)
Used with permission from author.

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I have not posted much lately.

Times are tough. Things are tight and I am trying to find different ways to keep money coming in.  I have slacked on the group and my blog.

Drum Circle was great Thursday.  We had six.  We drummed and chanted our asses off.  We got some participation from some folks that have been a little scared.  We drum to let  go and communicate with ourselves, others and spirit.  We don’t have to be perfect.  Come listen to me chant…. I suck.  Good stuff!

Loki

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I am Grateful to Live in a Civilized Nation

Last night, The Local Tattoo shop, Artistic Ink, had a fund raiser for Kathy Keeton. This was a great show of community spirit. Kathy has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately Kathy is one of tens of thousands in Alabama that has no health insurance. Without payment for her transplant the medical industry would rather send Kathy home to die. Sorry, no help for you.

I find this tragic in a country that boasts at being civilized. We want to save the world and refuse to save our own citizens. Our country has people trying to save the lives of stem cells and of the unborn (which I have no problem with) while lives of people that are walking and talking are ignored every day. What about these people? Are their lives less important than our stem cells and our unborn?

And the thing is, even if Kathy would have had insurance that might not have helped. Our so called insurance system tries every day to not pay for procedures that are life saving but very costly. Bottom line, they have to show a profit for their shareholders and don’t forget the CEO making 15 million a year. Insurance companies tell us how much they care until the bill comes then they seem to forget about all that wonderful caring. There are thousands and thousands of people sent home to die because their insurance won’t pay for the procedures. And let’s not forget about preexisting. Why give someone heath care insurance to a previous problem? I accepted it years ago, insurance is a legal scam. These guys are flim flam men in disguise.

My point to this rant? Don’t tell me how civilized we are when good people are dying because we refuse to pay the bill. Civilized countries understand that human beings have rights. Food and health care for all people not just the ones that have the cash.

Loki

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I found this article a while back (or, according to OneNote, “a long time ago”), and had been meaning to share it. The author of this article is a Kemetic Reconstructionist, a follower of the reconstructed religion of Kemet as it was practiced thousands of years ago in what is now known widely as ancient Egypt.

It is a common misconception that all Pagans are of a “nature-oriented” religion. This simply is not the case. While yes, most of those who are pagans-are-nature-oriented/">Pagan, in our area especially, are Wiccan, which is a heavily nature-oriented path, there are those of us in the community who simply do not fit that bill.

Being a Modern Kemetic, I worship the Neteru, the Gods and Goddesses of Kemet, now so well known as ancient Egypt. My beliefs, methods of worship, of prayer, of rites and rituals vary so much from what most concider “the norm.” The religion itself varies so much from what most people percieve Paganism as, and even from the more well-known Kemetic faiths such as the Kemetic Orthodox and Kemetic Reconstructionism.

I did have my start in my studies with wiccan-or-witch/">Wicca, but it never truly sat well with me. As I walked my path, I eventually found what was right for me, and watched it unfold before me. It’s been an adventure, as anyone’s path should be, and the knowledge I’ve gained from my first stumbling years has granted me an understanding of how different our perceptions can really be.

*************************************************

On Reconstruction and “Nature-Orientation”

I’ve finally managed to pin down one of the reasons that “well, the reconstructions are nature-oriented too, the Gods are personifications of natural phenomena” or “tied to natural phenomena” bothers me.

It’s disrespectful of the Gods. It diminishes Them, it reduces them to less than They are.

Most of the Gods have theophanies or symbols that are natural forms, yes, but that does not distinguish their forms and symbols strongly. Stars, doves, beasts of burden such as Burak, flaming vegetation — similar things from more mainstream religions. And if the point of more abstract symbols or those derived from manmade objects is raised, remember that the ankh, symbol of life and frequently prated about as some sort of unification of male and female principles or some similar hogwash, is a slightly abstracted representation of a sandal strap. Prosaic, manufactured, and pretty damn boring.

But back to the main thing: The myths that are bound up with the natural world and natural cycles are, for the most part, merely parts of the nature of the Gods, manifestations of portions of Their domains. When I see someone point at Proserpine and Her cycle as evidence of the nature focus of reconstructionist religions, I wonder how She feels about being treated as just a calendar.

Merely knowing the natural affiliations or associations of a God is not sufficient to know the God; they often derive from the God’s core nature rather than being that nature. If I say that Set is God of storms, of the desert, of the darkness, that is not sufficient to understand His domain unless one is exceptionally good at riddles. If I add to that that He governs the queer, unusual, and deviant; that He protects the left-handed and favors the redhead, that He is considered to be God of foreigners, then the picture becomes more complicated, less tied to hostile forces of the natural world. If I give chaos, destruction, the role of tester and challenger, the One who makes certain that the king is strong enough to face the job of kingship, still greater complexity. If He is named as the one who is ultimately responsible for the protection of that which is, the one who is capable of facing the forces of annihilation and unmaking and defeating them, one is left entirely in the realms of the philosophical and mystical, without natural referents at all.

Somewhere in there one can find the mysteries that are the core of this God, can come to know Him as fully Himself. If one stays stuck on just the projections of that core into the world of nature, the playing field has been limited too much to meet Him face to face. Yes, Set storms; it is His nature to do so, and one can meet Him there, but not if He is just the storm, if that is the sole, central most, or essentially defining thing. He is not a “God of nature”; His manifestations include portions of the natural world, but then again, Whose don’t?

Of course, at the same time as this, I find myself baffled by the Gods who are cut off from their manifestations in the natural world in the way many people look at them. When people speak of Wesir, I hear a lot of “God of the dead” and very little of His angry declaration to the Gods that it is by His will and nature that the grain that feeds Them grows — so They had better do right by His son. The regenerative power, the nature of the sown grain, His mysteries of the hidden green, those I rarely hear people mention. Baffles me no end.

Many of the ancient Gods were city Gods, dealing with the concerns of settled people. The Gods of Greece came into conflict over patronage of cities; They had territories, shrines, personal quirks that depended on the particular histories of Their time in those places.

Yes, there were agricultural festivals and the passage of the natural year, but that is a human trait, not something particular to paganisms, ancient or modern. I know that there are rituals and prayers for the planting in the Catholic Church, because I looked the bloody things up a while back. That this is not common knowledge and common concern is mostly a sign that much of the population is not strongly involved in agricultural cycles these days, not a distinguishing mark between religious categories.

And there are festivals of heroes or military victories, the accessions of leaders, and similar things. Human things, things that are the byproducts of human culture and human decisions and human institutions. Nothing in the natural world demands the celebration of the sed festival or the commemoration of Marathon.

Source: Unknown

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Anu - Celtic Goddess of Fertility

Anu, pronounced an-oo, (aka Anann, Dana, Dana-Ana) is the Irish Goddess of
plenty and is the maiden aspect of the Morrigu. She is the Mother-Earth
Goddess and the flowering fertility Goddess. Ireland - Mother Earth; Goddess
of plenty, another aspect of the Morrigu; Great Goddess; greatest of all
goddesses. The flowering fertility goddess, sometimes she formed a trinity
with Badb and Macha. Her priestesses comforted and taught the dying. Fires
were lit for her at Midsummer. Two hills in Kerry are called the Paps of Anu
Maiden aspect of the Triple Goddess in Ireland. Guardian of cattle and
health. Goddess of fertility, prosperity, and comfort. Anu is associated
with the Celts as the mother Goddess of the ancestors, reaching so far back
into time there is very little record of her… externally at least. She is
identified with the Goddess Danu and the Children of Danu (Tuatha De Danaan)
and the four great cities Falias, Gorias, Finias and Murias. In the
beginning it was Anu who watered the first Oak tree Bile from the heavens
and granted life to the earth, from the tree fell two acorns which Anu
nurtured as her own and in turn they became the God Dagda and the Goddess
Brighid. Anu has been known to appear in the form of a swan, representing
the purity of the female and gracefulness in motherhood.

Anu is considered to be the ancestor of all the Gods, the Tuatha dí-anann,
who found themselves obliged to reside in the Otherworld when Miled brought
the Celts to the British Isles. She still looks down on us from the night’s
sky where she appears as Llys Don, better known as the constellation of
Casseopeia. Anu was especially popular in Munster, though her most lasting
memorial is a mountain in County Kerry called the Dá ƒhí£¨ Anann or “Breast of
Anu”. The Dane Hills in Leicestershire are also named after her and this
area, perhaps a major centre for her cult, is where her memory lives on as
Black Annis. This hideous old crone’s habit of eating young children was, no
doubt, invented by incoming Christians to blacken the name of the Celtic
Goddess. In Christendom, the lady usually took on the guise of St. Anne,
however, in order to smooth the path of conversion. This saint’s popularity
in Brittany probably stems from the previous worship of the Celtic Goddess
there. Anu was also the patroness of springs and fountains, hence the
numerous St. Anne’s Wells throughout Britain today. Symbols: Emeralds, Blood
Moonstones

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It looks like we will be changing Thursday nights to Weds starting in April.

I have had the idea of changing on the group for a week and I have gotten no negative responses.

I hope this does not mess with anyone, if it does it is not intentional.  I have a personal obligation that has come up on Thursdays.

I apologize for any problems this may have caused.

Thank you Everyone for your support.

Loki

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I found an interesting article.

Wisdom of Ages closing it’s doors

Another pagans-are-nature-oriented/">pagan store closing. It is happening all over the country. pagans-are-nature-oriented/">Pagan stores are hurting all over. Between Gas prices and food prices no one has any money. Ebay hurts us some also. It is important to buy local when we can or our choices are going to be wallmart and ebay.

The Cool Store Sales were down last year and so far for 2008 the trend has continued. We are continuing to look at ways to change this trend and bring business in but the bottom line is that people have less and less disposable income.

I am not asking for anything more from our community. I am not writing this article asking for more sales. I am very grateful for our community. We have a great community and I know that every one is doing what they can. It is hard for us all. Life is tough right now.

The reason I wrote this is because I read this article about this store closing in Michigan and I felt fear and not just for the store, but for a way of life. Don’t get me wrong, I love the store, I love what I do. But I do know that there is life after the store if that is the path Spirit directs me to take.

This store closed in Michigan, not Alabama. I get stuck in my life and the place I live. But this article woke me up to what I already knew: people are suffering all over our country. Middle class Americans are loosing their disposable income. Much of the disposable is now going to gas, food and medical bills.

My fear, after reading this article, centered around, Gas prices and food prices becoming outrageous and wages staying where they are and not keeping up with the rising costs. It seems to me that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The gap between the poor and the wealthy seems to be growing every day.

Personally I think our politicians are blowing smoke and red herrings. I am not feeling the love. I see them band aiding the problems rather than actually addressing the issues. To address much of the problems would constitute change that they are not willing or able to make.

Then again, maybe I am just a pessimist and everything is ok.

L

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The recent hurricanes and gasoline issues are proof of the existence of a new chemical element. A major research institution has recently announced the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element has been named Governmentium (Gv)- it has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes every action with which it comes into contact. A minute amount of Governmentium can cause an action that would normally take less than a second to take over four days to complete.

Governmentium has a normal half-life of 4 years. It does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium’s mass will actually increase over time, since each re-organization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.

This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass. When catalyzed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium - an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.

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Feather Correspondences

In natural magic feathers are used in spells and ceremonies to promote
change. They are used as catalysts to help focus concentration while
carrying out spells and wishes.

The medicine bag, also called power pouch or sachet, often includes special
feathers which have meaning to the wearer and help attracting good luck as
well as driving away bad things.

Feathers are often used to focus concentration in spells.

Feathers are magically ruled by the element of air. This makes them good
communication helpers. But each feather also can hold other special powers;
depending on the bird it came from, its color and place of discovery and
other factors.

The knowledge what kind of feather is best used for what kind of indent can
only be found out for oneself by trial and error. A pigeon feather is not as
helpful for creating a defense strategy than a feather taken from a bird of
prey.

The general rule for future feather magicians is always to use self found
feathers rather than bought ones. A shop cannot substitute a walk in nature,
nor the joy when the wanted feather is finally found.

Feathers are often used to focus concentration in spells

Feathers used for magical undertakings are mainly determined by the energy
which is brought into the feather by the magician him/herself through
concentration and thought. Beside from the energy the magician brings into
the object, feathers hold certain natural abilities.

PEACOCK
Peacock Feathers were thought to be very unlucky, because they resemble an
eye. The eye shape represented the evil eye which people were afraid of.
Today the beauty and natural strength of the peacock feathers are again
recognized. They are specially valued for their multicolored eyes.

BLUE JAY BIRD
Blue Jay feathers are valued as bringer of light and joy and are said to
have the ability to brighten up even the darkest places.

CROW
The Crow is one of the animals humans have always been afraid of. A crow at
the window is said to represent the soul of a dead person. Crow feathers are
used for mourning and letting go of unwanted feelings or situations.

ROBIN
Robin feathers can help to bring new things into ones life. They can also be
used to induce fertility.

SWAN
The pure white feathers of swans are used to purify and cleanse by
attracting new energy. They represent beauty, grace and goodness. Black swan
feathers can be used to purify of unwanted energy.

NIGHTINGALE
This birds feathers are good communication feathers. They help to tap into
the deeper consciousness and can teach sacred wisdom.

HAWK
The feathers of hawks not only hold the active energy of those artful
hunters, but can also be used to identify diseases at skilled hands.

EAGLE
Eagle feathers are thought to be great energy bringers and remind us of the
basic sacredness of all birds . They represent peace and happiness and can
also drive away harmful energy.

Basically all feathers can be used for any spell, they can either attract or
repel energy. But their color gives them a specify energy which should be
chosen in accordance to the wished outcome of the spell. Naturally colored
feathers are more powerful than chemically died ones. Often colored candles
are used in conjunction with feathers to give additional strength to the
spell.

COLOR, BASIC ENERGY, ABILITY, BRINGS ABOUT, HELPS WITH:

RED
Courage, good fortune, life, energy, lust, courage, enjoyment, vitality,
overactivity

ORANGE
Attraction, energy, success, creativity, physical love, new ideas, will
power, love, loneliness

YELLOW
Intelligence, blessings of the Sun, thinking, reasoning, playfulness,
pondering, reasoning

GREEN
Harmony, unity, fertility, growth, finances, nature, nature spirits, animal
and plant spirits, forgiveness, selfishness

BLUE
Psychic awareness, peace, health, connection with spirits, protection,
believe, faith, knowledge, communication

VIOLET
Spiritual awakening, deep spirituality, knowing of ones, faith, devotion,
intuition, idealism

PINK
Love, romance, caring, feelings, empathy, kindness, love, tenderness,
loneliness, longing

WHITE
Purification, spirituality, hope, protection, peace, blessings of the Moon,
balance, finding peace, absorbing energy

GRAY
Peace, neutrality, being invisible, doubting, neutrality, static

BLACK
Protection, driving away, slow energy, grief, loss, repelling energy

An excerpt from Feather and Shell Magick
by Maxpages

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BURNING TIMES CHANT
by Charles Murphy

In the cool of the evening, they used to gather, ‘neath stars in the meadow,
circled near an old oak tree.

At the times appointed by the seasons of the Earth, and the phases of the
moon.
In the center of them stood a woman, equal with the others, and respected for
her worth.
One of the many we call the Witches,
the teachers and the keepers of the wisdom of the Earth
The people grew through the knowledge she gave them,
herbs to heal their bodies,
spells to make their spirits whole.
Hear them chanting healing incantations, calling forth the Wise Ones,
celebrating in dance and song.

Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna

There were those who came to power through domination,
and they bonded in the worship of a dead man on a cross.
They sought control of the common people by demanding allegiance to the
church of Rome.
And the Pope declared the Inquisition, it was a war against the women whose
power they feared.
In this Holocaust against the nature peoples, a million European women died.

And the tales are told of those who, by the hundreds, holding together, chose
their deaths in the sea.
Chanting the praises of the Mother Goddess, a refusal of betrayal, women were
dying to be free.

Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna
Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna

Now the Earth is a witch, and the men still burn her! Stripping her down with
mining and the poisons of their wars.
While to us the Earth is a healer, a teacher, a mother.
She’s the weaver of the web of life that keeps us all alive.

She gives us the vision to see through the chaos.
She gives us the courage, it is our will to survive!

Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna…

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