Wicca is not a cult. A cult presupposes blind faith in a central figure whose every word is regarded as ultimate truth, and the utter conviction that no other way or philosophy will lead to this truth. You would be very hard pressed to find a Wiccan anywhere who would blindly follow anyone else. Wiccans are historically very independent people who seek truth from within through rituals, meditation, magic, study and communion with nature. Wiccans respect the right of everyone to worship in their own way. We do not feel that Wicca is the only way -- only that it is our way.
Wicca is not synonymous with Satan worship. The very concept of a supreme evil spirit is alien to Wicca. In fact, most Wiccans do not even believe in Satan. The devil is a Judeo-Christian construct and as such, it has nothing to do with Wicca. The notion that witches worship Satan was propounded by the Roman Catholic Church as it made its way across Europe, in an effort to suppress the native earth-based religions prevalent at the time. They succeeded to the extent that they drove the practitioners of these religions underground where much of their knowledge and traditions were lost. Through the work of the Golden Dawn, as well as anthropological and archeological research, many of these traditions have been rediscovered and incorporated into Neo-Paganism, an umbrella term for most modern earth-based and shamanistic religions. Wicca is a positive journey to enlightment through Goddess worship and the mystical art of magick. Unlike many other religions, Wicca does not claim to be the one and only "religion" for everybody, nor does it campain against other beliefs. Wiccans believe that you can be of any "religion" and still be Wiccan and follow the Goddess and God. Wicca is not anti-Christian, Wiccans do not believe in an advenging God, sin or the devil. Wicca encourages free thought, creativity, individuality, personal, spiritual and psychic growth. It is a celebration of the cycles and seasons of the earth and life and believe in living in harmony with all living things.
The Rule of Threes - This lesson well, thou must learn, Thee only gets what thou doust earn! Ever mind the Rule of Threes, Three times what thou givest, returns to thee!
The Law - We are of the old ways, among those who walk with the Goddess & God and receive their love. Keep the Sabbats and the Esbats to the best of your ability. To do otherwise, is to lessen your connection with the Goddess and God. The Rede is the all important part of the life and is not to be broken. Harm non, this applies to all creatures of great and small. Misery is self-created, so is joy, so distain from misery and unhappiness. Do as ye will but harm none. Teach only what you know, to the best of your ability, to those students that you choose, but teach not to those who would use your instruction for destruction or control. Also teach not to boost your pride, forever remember: She who teaches out of love shall be enfolded in the arms of the Goddess and God. Ever remember, if you would be of our way, keep the law close to your heart, for it is the nature of the Wicca to keep the law.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Mabon
MabonMabon is the name of the Welsh God who represents fertility in Welsh lore. Mabon is a time when both day and night are equal, not only is day and night equal but everything is in balance at this time. Mabon is also the time Oak & Holly King. Throughout the year they have challenged each other and then mate with the Goddess. At Mabon, the Holly King challenges the Oak King and wins, the Holly King rules until the Spring Equinox where the opposite occurs.
Lore - A traditional practice is to walk in wild places and forests. Gather seed pods, and dried plants. These can be used to decorate the home and other saved for future herbal magick.
Celebrating the second harvest, balance, honoring the aging deities, honoring the spirit world, darkness overtaking light & celebration of wine.
Colors - Brown, Orange, Violet, Maroon, Russet, Deep Gold
Symbols - Grapes, Wine, Vines, Garland, Gourds, Burial Cairns, Rattles, Horn of Plenty, Indian Corn & Sun Wheels.
Deities - Wine Deities and Aging Deities
Stones - Amethyst & Yellow Topaz
Ritual Oils - Apple Blossom, Hay/straw, Black Pepper and Patchouly.
Food - The foods of Mabon include grains, fruits and vegetables, especially corn. Cornbread is the traditional food as are beans and baked squash.
Lore - A traditional practice is to walk in wild places and forests. Gather seed pods, and dried plants. These can be used to decorate the home and other saved for future herbal magick.
Celebrating the second harvest, balance, honoring the aging deities, honoring the spirit world, darkness overtaking light & celebration of wine.
Colors - Brown, Orange, Violet, Maroon, Russet, Deep Gold
Symbols - Grapes, Wine, Vines, Garland, Gourds, Burial Cairns, Rattles, Horn of Plenty, Indian Corn & Sun Wheels.
Deities - Wine Deities and Aging Deities
Stones - Amethyst & Yellow Topaz
Ritual Oils - Apple Blossom, Hay/straw, Black Pepper and Patchouly.
Food - The foods of Mabon include grains, fruits and vegetables, especially corn. Cornbread is the traditional food as are beans and baked squash.
Colors of the Wind
In every land, the winds have a different folklore associated with them; even within the same land mass, winds bring different gifts and messages. In inland areas, for example, the wind has a different quality to that which blows along the coast. Certain winds are thought of as bringing luck, health, sickness, disquiet, and so on, because they blow from a certain direction associated with those qualities. But there is no fixed lore on this matter. We can discover the qualities and gifts of the winds wherever we live in the world, seeking out their regional meanings form our own observation rather than relying upon findings and traditions from other lands and cultures--findings that have little relevance to out own situation.
The weather vane of our own emotions and moods is very much attuned to the winds. Even in places where seasonal variation is less differentiated, the subtle changes in the wind speed and direction , the changes of tides and other subtle indicators of weather have an effect upon us, Our living breath is seen as pertaining to the nature of the winds that prevailed when we were born: our first breath gave our bodies their initial contact with the greater world around us when we emerged from the womb, No matter how the winds blow thereafter, out bodies will have a memory of that moment and carry certain predispositions of character.
*make a point of checking the direction of the wind against your own prevailing mood each day. Stand where you can feel the breeze flow. Note your findings and record the weather that each wind brings with it. Use this as a compass of your own behavioral swings.
The weather vane of our own emotions and moods is very much attuned to the winds. Even in places where seasonal variation is less differentiated, the subtle changes in the wind speed and direction , the changes of tides and other subtle indicators of weather have an effect upon us, Our living breath is seen as pertaining to the nature of the winds that prevailed when we were born: our first breath gave our bodies their initial contact with the greater world around us when we emerged from the womb, No matter how the winds blow thereafter, out bodies will have a memory of that moment and carry certain predispositions of character.
*make a point of checking the direction of the wind against your own prevailing mood each day. Stand where you can feel the breeze flow. Note your findings and record the weather that each wind brings with it. Use this as a compass of your own behavioral swings.
Basic Mediation for Pammy
Every religion, faith and sect has a form or variant of meditation. This is the simplest form of meditation. Anyone, pagan or not, can do this.
With the hectic pace and demands of modern life, many people feel stressed and over-worked. It often feels like there is just not enough time in the day to get everything done. Our stress and tiredness make us unhappy, impatient and frustrated. It can even affect our health. We are often so busy we feel there is no time to stop and meditate! But meditation actually gives you more time by making your mind calmer and more focused. A simple ten or fifteen minute breathing meditation as explained below can help you to overcome your stress and find some inner peace and balance.
Meditation can also help us to understand our own mind. We can learn how to transform our mind from negative to positive, from disturbed to peaceful, from unhappy to happy. Overcoming negative minds and cultivating constructive thoughts is the purpose of the transforming meditations found in the Buddhist tradition. This is a profound spiritual practice you can enjoy throughout the day, not just while seated in meditation The first stage of meditation is to stop distractions and make our mind clearer and more lucid. This can be accomplished by practising a simple breathing meditation. We choose a quiet place to meditate and sit in a comfortable position. We can sit in the traditional cross-legged posture or in any other position that is comfortable. If we wish, we can sit in a chair. The most important thing is to keep our back straight to prevent our mind from becoming sluggish or sleepy.
We sit with our eyes partially closed and turn our attention to our breathing. We breathe naturally, preferably through the nostrils, without attempting to control our breath, and we try to become aware of the sensation of the breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils. This sensation is our object of meditation. We should try to concentrate on it to the exclusion of everything else.
At first, our mind will be very busy, and we might even feel that the meditation is making our mind busier; but in reality we are just becoming more aware of how busy our mind actually is. There will be a great temptation to follow the different thoughts as they arise, but we should resist this and remain focused single-pointedly on the sensation of the breath. If we discover that our mind has wandered and is following our thoughts, we should immediately return it to the breath. We should repeat this as many times as necessary until the mind settles on the breath.
If we practise patiently in this way, gradually our distracting thoughts will subside and we will experience a sense of inner peace and relaxation. Our mind will feel lucid and spacious and we will feel refreshed. When the sea is rough, sediment is churned up and the water becomes murky, but when the wind dies down the mud gradually settles and the water becomes clear. In a similar way, when the otherwise incessant flow of our distracting thoughts is calmed through concentrating on the breath, our mind becomes unusually lucid and clear. We should stay with this state of mental calm for a while.
Even though breathing meditation is only a preliminary stage of meditation, it can be quite powerful. We can see from this practice that it is possible to experience inner peace and contentment just by controlling the mind, without having to depend at all upon external conditions. When the turbulence of distracting thoughts subsides and our mind becomes still, a deep happiness and contentment naturally arises from within. This feeling of contentment and well-being helps us to cope with the busyness and difficulties of daily life. So much of the stress and tension we normally experience comes from our mind, and many of the problems we experience, including ill health, are caused or aggravated by this stress. Just by doing breathing meditation for ten or fifteen minutes each day, we will be able to reduce this stress. We will experience a calm, spacious feeling in the mind, and many of our usual problems will fall away. Difficult situations will become easier to deal with, we will naturally feel warm and well disposed towards other people, and our relationships with others will gradually improve.
With the hectic pace and demands of modern life, many people feel stressed and over-worked. It often feels like there is just not enough time in the day to get everything done. Our stress and tiredness make us unhappy, impatient and frustrated. It can even affect our health. We are often so busy we feel there is no time to stop and meditate! But meditation actually gives you more time by making your mind calmer and more focused. A simple ten or fifteen minute breathing meditation as explained below can help you to overcome your stress and find some inner peace and balance.
Meditation can also help us to understand our own mind. We can learn how to transform our mind from negative to positive, from disturbed to peaceful, from unhappy to happy. Overcoming negative minds and cultivating constructive thoughts is the purpose of the transforming meditations found in the Buddhist tradition. This is a profound spiritual practice you can enjoy throughout the day, not just while seated in meditation The first stage of meditation is to stop distractions and make our mind clearer and more lucid. This can be accomplished by practising a simple breathing meditation. We choose a quiet place to meditate and sit in a comfortable position. We can sit in the traditional cross-legged posture or in any other position that is comfortable. If we wish, we can sit in a chair. The most important thing is to keep our back straight to prevent our mind from becoming sluggish or sleepy.
We sit with our eyes partially closed and turn our attention to our breathing. We breathe naturally, preferably through the nostrils, without attempting to control our breath, and we try to become aware of the sensation of the breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils. This sensation is our object of meditation. We should try to concentrate on it to the exclusion of everything else.
At first, our mind will be very busy, and we might even feel that the meditation is making our mind busier; but in reality we are just becoming more aware of how busy our mind actually is. There will be a great temptation to follow the different thoughts as they arise, but we should resist this and remain focused single-pointedly on the sensation of the breath. If we discover that our mind has wandered and is following our thoughts, we should immediately return it to the breath. We should repeat this as many times as necessary until the mind settles on the breath.
If we practise patiently in this way, gradually our distracting thoughts will subside and we will experience a sense of inner peace and relaxation. Our mind will feel lucid and spacious and we will feel refreshed. When the sea is rough, sediment is churned up and the water becomes murky, but when the wind dies down the mud gradually settles and the water becomes clear. In a similar way, when the otherwise incessant flow of our distracting thoughts is calmed through concentrating on the breath, our mind becomes unusually lucid and clear. We should stay with this state of mental calm for a while.
Even though breathing meditation is only a preliminary stage of meditation, it can be quite powerful. We can see from this practice that it is possible to experience inner peace and contentment just by controlling the mind, without having to depend at all upon external conditions. When the turbulence of distracting thoughts subsides and our mind becomes still, a deep happiness and contentment naturally arises from within. This feeling of contentment and well-being helps us to cope with the busyness and difficulties of daily life. So much of the stress and tension we normally experience comes from our mind, and many of the problems we experience, including ill health, are caused or aggravated by this stress. Just by doing breathing meditation for ten or fifteen minutes each day, we will be able to reduce this stress. We will experience a calm, spacious feeling in the mind, and many of our usual problems will fall away. Difficult situations will become easier to deal with, we will naturally feel warm and well disposed towards other people, and our relationships with others will gradually improve.
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