Some quick notes on today’s Full Moon in Leo and what it means for the month ahead. The chart cast for Washington DC is here, if you want to take a look. Leo loves the spotlight, and the spotlight is going to be on relationships this month here in the USA. Not just one-on-one relationships, but relationships between groups and countries as well. Women’s rights and issues will be front and center in the national consciousness, as will religion, foreign policy concerns and the justice system. With Venus and Pluto facing off across the Ascendant-Descendant axis, and Mars tightly squaring the Moon-Sun-Jupiter grouping, we will almost certainly be seeing some extremely intense encounters and interactions.
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, and is known in traditional astrology as the “greater benefic”. Like the god after which it is named, Jupiter often bestows the “best and greatest”, but...
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Continuing my story of my early experiences that led me to my heathen path, I encountered a heathen god in my childhood, but I did not know who he was. I’m not sure what age I was at the time, but in my dream, I saw the town outside my window as having almond orchards like Ripon, California, where I lived until age 9.
The following is a quote from my memoir, Greater Than the Sum of My Parts: My Triumph Over Dissociative Identity Disorder. DID is a defense mechanism developed by children who were sexually abused before age 7, according to the latest edition of the DSM. My memoir is about how I recovered from that. This is relevant because it’s the reason I was more afraid of my father and brother than the goblins of the dreamtime when I encountered the monsters.
“One night, I saw goblins, small dark shapes coming up through the heat vent in the floor. I saw their outlines distinctly, as if I were wearing my glasses, though of course I took them off to sleep. I spoke to them in my mind, thinking at them as I had thought at the boy at school.
“There’s no sport here. I glad you came, though. Let’s go out and have some fun. Let’s make some mischief.”
When She Creates Herself...that’s how I think of my latest Goddess art piece. I did not have a plan of what she would look like. I had an idea of colors I wanted to use but not her shape. As I prepared her humble home with white acrylics, I felt that calm come upon me. The calm I felt before when I know I am creating something special. I've experienced it before when I connect to my Goddess-self and everything is effortless.
I was so amazed by how quickly she was manifesting herself that I started taking pictures of my progress and sending them to my partner. Here’s an image showing my progression:
When I looked upon the white surface, I could see her coming up like she was emerging from primal waters. I took my charcoal pencil to trace her voluptuous lines oblivious to time. I know now, thanks to the text messages I sent my partner, that it took me about three hours to complete her. I lost my sense of time with her.
I am usually very critical of anything I create. It’s an unfortunate habit that I am still working on. Yet for this Water Goddess, it was love at first sight for me. She came to me like a dream, a waking dream where all is effortless. I loved her with her imperfections. I still love her.
I long to connect with this part of myself again. I want to see what other Goddesses and divine creatures are awaiting creation. My Water Goddess now sits above my main altar reminding me of love, relaxation and how easy it is when you connect with your breath and inner Goddess-self.
Blessings to you and yours sisters! ❤
For today's Faithful Friday we've got stories of real life shamanism and comic-book gods. Have a great weekend!
Thor is a .... girl? Heathen blogger Harrison K Hall decries the bastardization of the Norse pantheon -- but not the way you think.
Speaking of "comic god gods..." Graphic novel publishers in India are revisioning the gods in superhero guise to appeal to contemporary audiences. A "ripped" Vishnu?
In our last "comic books vs the gods" post today: the new movie Hercules gets the thumbs down for not getting Hercules even remotely right. Sigh.
Bolivia is full of shamans and witchdoctors. Meet them in an amazing photo essay at the HuffPo.
To a trained shaman, a mental health crisis can mark the birth of a healer. What would it mean if Western medicine could learn to integrate these insights?
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In some of the earlier posts we began an exploration of key questions like 'What is a Celt?' and 'How do we know what we think we know?' No doubt we will return to these themes as we go along, but for now, let's delve into some primal thinking about what it may have meant to 'be living as' a Pagan Celt, and how that world view is relevant in this day and age.
From the evidence of archaeology and native writing, it is clear that for many (if not all) of the ancient Celts, their religion was polytheistic (having many gods and goddesses) and probably also animistic (perceiving the living presence of the divine in the natural world). This cultural tradition is important to keep in mind if people are promoting divergent views, such as claiming the Celts worshipped 'The Goddess' (a resonant but quite modern path) or the Wiccan...
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Kerr Cuhulain is an influential Canadian Pagan author. The first openly-Pagan cop in North America, Kerr’s work with the Vancouver Police Department, and his regular column at Witchvox, “Witch Hunts,” along with his book, “The Law Enforcement’s Guide to Wicca,” probably did more to help eliminate the systematic persecution of Pagans from the Satanic Panic than any other source. Recently retired from his involvement with the law enforcement to the Sunshine Coast, Kerr has retreated into a quiet life of writing and contemplation. I caught up with Kerr when discussing Vancouver Pagan Pride Day:
Question: Thanks for agreeing to do this interview! Tell us a little about yourself. Who is the man behind the story?
Answer: I am a retired police officer/dispatcher who has been a Wiccan for 45 years who was involved in anti-defamation activism and hate crimes investigation for the Pagan community for decades. I was awarded the Shield...
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It's Earthy Thursday and today's feed features stories of our beautiful living planet, including amazing trees, free herbal education, an organic skyscraper, and Pagan responses to climate change.
Farming, Art, and the Preservation of Heirloom Fruits are just part of the awesomeness of this Tree of 40 Fruits.
Mountain Rose Herbs announces the latest in free herbalism education events.
The Consciousness of Trees: In this video, Professor Suzanne Simard shows that all trees in a forest ecosystem are interconnected.
This Organic Skyscraper would grow from the recycling from its residents.
Patheos Pagan editor Christine Hoff Kraemer's "Pagan Responses to Climate Change" launched yesterday. Huge number of Pagan thinkers weighing in on this critical issue.
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