Hello all! Wow. Again - I disappeared. Haha I tend to do that do I not?
So, this time around I'd LOVE to get into a few things. First of which, my recovery - then I'll move onto Witches Weekly and I'd like to end with a discussion on the new TV Series True Blood.
I'd like to think I have fully recovered from my Wisdom Teeth extraction. I still have two holes in the back of my mouth (the other two were stiched up - no holes left) - but I've been told that will fill within time... For the first few days I had a horribly hard time chewing anything! Which was beneficial for my finger nails. I have a horrible habit of biting my nails - impossible to do if you can't chew though. So, I've been babying my nails recently - trying with great struggle not to bite them now that I can chew again.
Moving on to Witches Weekly:
What is one of your own personal creative elements that you like to add to rituals? Something that is uniquely yours.
I don't think I have done enough of my own personal rituals or group rituals to fully answer this question. Any rituals I have taken part in - the only creative thing from me ever brought into a circle has been my own energy. Although we are all connected each persons energy is unique. That is about as creative as I get...
Have you all been keeping up with the new TV series popping up on television lately? I added a new show to my list called True Blood. At first I must mention I was a bit skeptical on this show - and sure I think I may still be... This show is a little cheesy. It brings to life the idea of Vampires living side by side with humans. I think one of the only things that keeps me interested is the ability to replace the word Vampire with pagan, witch, lesbian, etc and you are living in present day United States (as this show is set in the US). You have a culture doing all it can to survive in an uneducated, bias world.
I was extremely exited when I heard the follow dialogue between the two main characters of this TV Series. It's probably the best way I would every explain magic(k) to anyone. In fact, I have used something similar to this scenario to try an explain my idea of magic(k) - hence my excitement to see it in the show.
Bill Compton: I have no heart-beat. I have no need to breathe. There are no electrical impulses in my body. What animates you no longer animates me.
Sookie Stackhouse: What does animate you then? Blood? How do you digest it then if nothing works?
Bill Compton: Magic?
Sookie Stackhouse: Oh, come on Bill! I may look naive but I'm not, and you need to remember that.
Bill Compton: You think that it's not magic that keeps you alive? Just 'cause you understand the mechanics of how something works, doesn't make it any less of a miracle...which is just another word for magic. We're all kept alive by magic, Sookie. My magic's just a little different from yours, that's all.
Well, thats all the intelligent conversation I have to share for today. Until next time. Slán go fóill
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Whoo Hoo! Two blogs in the same week!
So, here I am laying in bed, an ice pack resting on my face and stitches in the back of my mouth. Yup. I got my wisdom teeth pulled. So, I suppose that may be why I'm so quick to post again.
Here is the latest question of Witches Weekly:
"What do you feel the purpose of Pagan Pride Day is?"
Well, witches weekly asked if I felt it was just a day to brag about being pagan, or if I felt there was something more behind the celebrations.
To be quite honest, unfortunately, many see it as a day to just brag about being pagan. Myself? I don't. I see a great opportunity to allow the world to get to know us better. To see how we work together as a community - as a family. I am actually going to attend a Pagan Pride Day Harvest Festival on the 20th of this month. I hope to come home with loads of information and reviews for you all and I hope to widen my small, but ever growing group of Pagan friends.
If anyone is confused about the purpose behind starting Pagan Pride check out the following website. Oodles of information at The Pagan Pride Project.
Stepping towards a different topic, as I've been laying in bed I have been listening to my man Pagan Podcasts. I've taken this opportunity to go back and listen to ones I've missed or go back and refresh myself on those I've listened too. The latest one I've been listening too is The Wigglian Way Podcast. I love listen to Sparrow and Mojo. They know how to make intelligent conversation very light hearted.
So if you are ever bored, or laying in bed quite like me. Check out some podcasts, they are intelligent and are excellent at killing time.
So, here I am laying in bed, an ice pack resting on my face and stitches in the back of my mouth. Yup. I got my wisdom teeth pulled. So, I suppose that may be why I'm so quick to post again.
Here is the latest question of Witches Weekly:
"What do you feel the purpose of Pagan Pride Day is?"
Well, witches weekly asked if I felt it was just a day to brag about being pagan, or if I felt there was something more behind the celebrations.
To be quite honest, unfortunately, many see it as a day to just brag about being pagan. Myself? I don't. I see a great opportunity to allow the world to get to know us better. To see how we work together as a community - as a family. I am actually going to attend a Pagan Pride Day Harvest Festival on the 20th of this month. I hope to come home with loads of information and reviews for you all and I hope to widen my small, but ever growing group of Pagan friends.
If anyone is confused about the purpose behind starting Pagan Pride check out the following website. Oodles of information at The Pagan Pride Project.
Stepping towards a different topic, as I've been laying in bed I have been listening to my man Pagan Podcasts. I've taken this opportunity to go back and listen to ones I've missed or go back and refresh myself on those I've listened too. The latest one I've been listening too is The Wigglian Way Podcast. I love listen to Sparrow and Mojo. They know how to make intelligent conversation very light hearted.
So if you are ever bored, or laying in bed quite like me. Check out some podcasts, they are intelligent and are excellent at killing time.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Updates, and Positive Thinking
Whew! I'm working hard to make this a once a week thing... Gosh, how hard could it be?
Well, for some updates - I've added some groups/listings etc. Just to give me a bit of a boost. My plan is to add a few more topics of discussion every time I post a blog. You know, book reviews, recipes, pagan news, a god/dess or the week (maybe), etc. I added Witches Weekly - which I'm kind of exited about I must say. So I may also add something of the like to my blog. I answer a question from them, and then maybe ask a question of my readers (to answer in the comments).
As you can see, lots to think about! However, whats been going on in my life? Well, I started my business class two weeks ago. Its a one day a week class - so you haven't really missed much of anything. The intention of the class is to help me learn how to run my very own small business. So far, we've learned nothing about opening a business. My teacher, however, has still seemed to keep my wandering attention due to his ability to be exceptionally intelligent and to be on the same wavelength as me! I'll let you in on what I mean. I think a few weeks ago I posted a blog on the movie The Secret (or at least touched on it). If you haven't seen the movie I highly recommend it. The movie is all about the ability to bring anything you want into your life based on your thoughts and emotions. What I mean by my teacher amazing me is that he is a very old man (no offense intended) and so he shows very old movies. The other day we watched a movie whose intention was to show us the basics of bringing the positive into our lives so we can successfully run a business. This movie was obviously made in the seventies or eighties (mind you, I was born at the end of the eighties - so that's a very long time ago for me) yet what it had to say was not very far off from the movie "The Secret". I almost wanted to raise my hand and ask why he doesn't just show "The Secret" instead as it is a new and better quality movie. However, it was not just the movie that he showed that amazed me. This teacher is all about thinking positively to better your life. His first question to us was "How many of you know you will get an A in this class?" A few of us raised our hands (myself included) and he said "and as long as you keep that positive thought, you will."
His point when asking that question was to see how many of us were thinking positively about the class. How many of us wanted to be there to learn. He then went into explaining this to the class and asked the question again. More than half the class raised their hands the second time around.
I do believe his thoughts on the law of attraction (even though he may not call it that) is what keeps me going to his class every week (despite the fact that it takes a lot of my gas and a good portion of my night.)
Well, now we shall get on to Witch Weekly:
"Where in your list of roles do you place your role of a pagan? By roles I mean, mother, brother, daughter, son, worker, democrat, American, lover, caretaker, etc. We all have a lot of different roles we play and usually they all fall into an order of importance. Is being a “pagan” at the top, or is it somewhere in the middle?"
The question itself is simple, but I tend to bring the complicated into the extremely simple quite often.. I am a pagan, daughter, sister, friend, worker, American, lover of all things celtic, lover of music, writer, reader, lover of turtles, closeted hippie, etc. Of all those I would rate them in the following order.
I am my mother and fathers Daughter
I am a sister to my brother and two sisters
I am a Pagan
I am a friend
I am a worker
I am a lover of all things celtic
I am an American
I am a reader
And a writer
I am a lover of turtles
and of music
I am a very closeted hippie
Etc.
Well, thats a wrap for today. Hopefully I will post again very soon, until next time!
Slán go fóill (something I learned from one of my new favorite podcasts!)
Well, for some updates - I've added some groups/listings etc. Just to give me a bit of a boost. My plan is to add a few more topics of discussion every time I post a blog. You know, book reviews, recipes, pagan news, a god/dess or the week (maybe), etc. I added Witches Weekly - which I'm kind of exited about I must say. So I may also add something of the like to my blog. I answer a question from them, and then maybe ask a question of my readers (to answer in the comments).
As you can see, lots to think about! However, whats been going on in my life? Well, I started my business class two weeks ago. Its a one day a week class - so you haven't really missed much of anything. The intention of the class is to help me learn how to run my very own small business. So far, we've learned nothing about opening a business. My teacher, however, has still seemed to keep my wandering attention due to his ability to be exceptionally intelligent and to be on the same wavelength as me! I'll let you in on what I mean. I think a few weeks ago I posted a blog on the movie The Secret (or at least touched on it). If you haven't seen the movie I highly recommend it. The movie is all about the ability to bring anything you want into your life based on your thoughts and emotions. What I mean by my teacher amazing me is that he is a very old man (no offense intended) and so he shows very old movies. The other day we watched a movie whose intention was to show us the basics of bringing the positive into our lives so we can successfully run a business. This movie was obviously made in the seventies or eighties (mind you, I was born at the end of the eighties - so that's a very long time ago for me) yet what it had to say was not very far off from the movie "The Secret". I almost wanted to raise my hand and ask why he doesn't just show "The Secret" instead as it is a new and better quality movie. However, it was not just the movie that he showed that amazed me. This teacher is all about thinking positively to better your life. His first question to us was "How many of you know you will get an A in this class?" A few of us raised our hands (myself included) and he said "and as long as you keep that positive thought, you will."
His point when asking that question was to see how many of us were thinking positively about the class. How many of us wanted to be there to learn. He then went into explaining this to the class and asked the question again. More than half the class raised their hands the second time around.
I do believe his thoughts on the law of attraction (even though he may not call it that) is what keeps me going to his class every week (despite the fact that it takes a lot of my gas and a good portion of my night.)
Well, now we shall get on to Witch Weekly:
"Where in your list of roles do you place your role of a pagan? By roles I mean, mother, brother, daughter, son, worker, democrat, American, lover, caretaker, etc. We all have a lot of different roles we play and usually they all fall into an order of importance. Is being a “pagan” at the top, or is it somewhere in the middle?"
The question itself is simple, but I tend to bring the complicated into the extremely simple quite often.. I am a pagan, daughter, sister, friend, worker, American, lover of all things celtic, lover of music, writer, reader, lover of turtles, closeted hippie, etc. Of all those I would rate them in the following order.
I am my mother and fathers Daughter
I am a sister to my brother and two sisters
I am a Pagan
I am a friend
I am a worker
I am a lover of all things celtic
I am an American
I am a reader
And a writer
I am a lover of turtles
and of music
I am a very closeted hippie
Etc.
Well, thats a wrap for today. Hopefully I will post again very soon, until next time!
Slán go fóill (something I learned from one of my new favorite podcasts!)
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Spiritwalker
I know, its been a while since my last post, but here we are.
A shaman according to Hank Wesselman's Spiritwalker: Messages from the Future:
Wesselman's book Spiritwalker was a fantastic story - and a very informative read. I learned more about shamanism from his book than I think I ever have with any other shaman centered book. Most of the books I have read are dry. Very text book-y. Wesselmans' was so wonderful based on the mere fact that when you read his book, you are reading a story. When I can visualize something in my mind while I'm reading it - I can retain that much more. Its almost like experiencing it all myself.
Wesselman's teachings lie within the Hawaiian culture mostly, but he never restricts his form of Shamanism to be completely Hawaiian.
First published in 1995, his experiences date back to the 1980's; however, his story is very relevant to today's times. Thirteen years later, many of the things he writes about are currently becoming more of a factor in the fall of western civilization as we know it.
If anyone is interested in learning more about shamanism, or is practicing to be a shaman themselves I highly recommend this book. It is very eye opening and a great read at the same time.
A shaman according to Hank Wesselman's Spiritwalker: Messages from the Future:
The individual shaman - apart from his cultural shell of mask, costume, and ritual - possesses a very real skill, one that distinguishes him from other kinds of religious practitioners... Able to achieve expanded stats of awareness, visionary perceptions of what tribal people often call the spirit world. They usually exercise this unusual ability to heal members of their communities - spiritually, psychologically, and physically. Directed by strong, altruistic motivations, the traditional shaman is a master of trance.Hank Wesselman's book was more than I could have ever expected. In fear of reading "just another text book" I bought the book, but immediately shoved it into my bookshelf. I picked it up the other day after watching the movie "The Secret." I felt the urge to drown myself in a sea of leaning once again. I'm glad I did.
Wesselman's book Spiritwalker was a fantastic story - and a very informative read. I learned more about shamanism from his book than I think I ever have with any other shaman centered book. Most of the books I have read are dry. Very text book-y. Wesselmans' was so wonderful based on the mere fact that when you read his book, you are reading a story. When I can visualize something in my mind while I'm reading it - I can retain that much more. Its almost like experiencing it all myself.
Wesselman's teachings lie within the Hawaiian culture mostly, but he never restricts his form of Shamanism to be completely Hawaiian.
First published in 1995, his experiences date back to the 1980's; however, his story is very relevant to today's times. Thirteen years later, many of the things he writes about are currently becoming more of a factor in the fall of western civilization as we know it.
If anyone is interested in learning more about shamanism, or is practicing to be a shaman themselves I highly recommend this book. It is very eye opening and a great read at the same time.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Philosophy: Knowledge & Reality
My first post. Wow. I'm kind of exited! This may be extensive, as I've been up to a lot since I first opened this blog - but we'll see how it all goes.
I started an online class in July on the topic of Philosophy. The class itself is called "Introduction to Philosophy: Knowledge & Reality" and I must admit - It's a pretty intense class (even for an online class). The discussion board is always full of threads from many different students stating many different theories and thesis's. Its wonderful being able to open your thoughts and ideas to so many different people with different beliefs and not be shot down for something you say! It's more along the lines of people adding to your idea (not dragging you down).
The class itself is almost over. It ends on the 16th of August. This is the last week for discussion and quizzes - so it was a pretty short class.
Some of the topics of discussion included the idea of knowledge, and the difference between it and belief. We debated on many different ideas of religion, and the concept of God. Then we were introduced a bit to the concept of morality (for humans and non-human primates).
We were asked to read a book a week, and my favorite of them all was Ethics of Belief by WK Clifford. I love how he goes into talking about the idea of belief and when it is alright to believe. One of his most famous quotes is, "It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." Think about that for a moment, if you will.
Clifford goes into talking about how every belief and action we have/take has an effect on everyone around us. As a society - were are whole! The choices we make based on our beliefs affect everyone. This is why he talks so highly about only accepting and believing in those things you can prove. If you go out and starting telling the world you are the Christ reincarnated and people start to believe you (whether or not you really believe you are) you have now affected anyone they come in contact with - and anyone those people come into contact with.
Envision a domino effect, if you will. All it takes is for one domino to fall and the rest fall with it.
How can we believe so blindly when in the end all we believe - whether or not others believe it too is going to affect the rest of the world.
I know that I can never do Clifford's saying justice in my own poetic (or not so poetic) words, however, the concept is never the less the same.
One more quote that I love from Clifford is this, "'But,' says one, 'I am a busy man; I have no time for the long course of study which would be necessary to make me in any degree a competent judge of certain questions, or even able to understand the nature of the arguments.' Then he should have no time to believe." If you are unwilling to take the time to understand your own faith - or even to spend your life studying it then you should have no right believing at all. You cannot blindly accept something and chose to make judgments off of that belief - you do not know enough to make the right judgments and effect people properly. You could be spreading lies and deceit - even if that was not your intention.
I suppose this is why I chose the path of a pagan overall. I may not, at the moment retain the specific amounts of evidence required to believe, however, this faith is one of continuous learning - and I am dedicated enough to spend my life learning to obtain as much knowledge as the world will let me.
In the near future I am taking a class on the Psychology of Death and Dying due to the extensive amounts of knowledge I don't have on the subject (personal family reasons included as well). And I will also be attempting to learn the Gaelic Irish language as I have been interested for some time now. I hope to be able to share all my incites and learnings with you and I hope you enjoy what I have to offer.
Blessed Be,
CelticFae
I started an online class in July on the topic of Philosophy. The class itself is called "Introduction to Philosophy: Knowledge & Reality" and I must admit - It's a pretty intense class (even for an online class). The discussion board is always full of threads from many different students stating many different theories and thesis's. Its wonderful being able to open your thoughts and ideas to so many different people with different beliefs and not be shot down for something you say! It's more along the lines of people adding to your idea (not dragging you down).
The class itself is almost over. It ends on the 16th of August. This is the last week for discussion and quizzes - so it was a pretty short class.
Some of the topics of discussion included the idea of knowledge, and the difference between it and belief. We debated on many different ideas of religion, and the concept of God. Then we were introduced a bit to the concept of morality (for humans and non-human primates).
We were asked to read a book a week, and my favorite of them all was Ethics of Belief by WK Clifford. I love how he goes into talking about the idea of belief and when it is alright to believe. One of his most famous quotes is, "It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." Think about that for a moment, if you will.
Clifford goes into talking about how every belief and action we have/take has an effect on everyone around us. As a society - were are whole! The choices we make based on our beliefs affect everyone. This is why he talks so highly about only accepting and believing in those things you can prove. If you go out and starting telling the world you are the Christ reincarnated and people start to believe you (whether or not you really believe you are) you have now affected anyone they come in contact with - and anyone those people come into contact with.
Envision a domino effect, if you will. All it takes is for one domino to fall and the rest fall with it.
How can we believe so blindly when in the end all we believe - whether or not others believe it too is going to affect the rest of the world.
I know that I can never do Clifford's saying justice in my own poetic (or not so poetic) words, however, the concept is never the less the same.
One more quote that I love from Clifford is this, "'But,' says one, 'I am a busy man; I have no time for the long course of study which would be necessary to make me in any degree a competent judge of certain questions, or even able to understand the nature of the arguments.' Then he should have no time to believe." If you are unwilling to take the time to understand your own faith - or even to spend your life studying it then you should have no right believing at all. You cannot blindly accept something and chose to make judgments off of that belief - you do not know enough to make the right judgments and effect people properly. You could be spreading lies and deceit - even if that was not your intention.
I suppose this is why I chose the path of a pagan overall. I may not, at the moment retain the specific amounts of evidence required to believe, however, this faith is one of continuous learning - and I am dedicated enough to spend my life learning to obtain as much knowledge as the world will let me.
In the near future I am taking a class on the Psychology of Death and Dying due to the extensive amounts of knowledge I don't have on the subject (personal family reasons included as well). And I will also be attempting to learn the Gaelic Irish language as I have been interested for some time now. I hope to be able to share all my incites and learnings with you and I hope you enjoy what I have to offer.
Blessed Be,
CelticFae
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
