A Journey Into Gothic Paganism

Spanish Paganism?

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:53:08 GMT

Afternoon, I have been trying to do research on my magical roots, but it has proven to be more difficult than I imagined. My mother's family came from Spain (specifically, Barcelona), and they were all Roman Catholics, with the exception of me. I thought I should learn about the pre-Christian and pre-Muslim traditions and beliefs that Spaniards may have, but it seems that the the church and Islam have destroyed every last shred of the old religion, since I cannot find anything from old Spain and Castille. I have found information on the Basques, but I am not sure if the Basques had similar beliefs and practices to the Castillians. Does anyone have any information on the old Spanish religion or sources I could use to discover it?

Decent shops in/around Eastern CT

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:11:29 GMT

Anyone know of any decent (read not full of Harry Potter and Fairy crap) shops anywhere near Eastern CT (I live on the shore)? I'm looking specifically for colored candles (unscented, especially the 7-day in glass), herbs, stones, etc. I'd be willing to drive as far away as Mass if I knew the sore had what I needed. I'd just save a few $$, buy everything I need in one shot and make their sales day! Thanks in advance if anyone can help--and my apologies if this is considered spamming, but going anywhere near witchvox.com these days gives me hives.

Event, my new book and Model search!

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 02:24:22 GMT

ParaCon 2008

A convention for the unconventional mind.

Guests feature The Vampire Don Henrie, Occult researcher and author Corvis Nocturnum, Actor/Gothic Illusionist/Host Ron Fitzgerald, Internationally known model and known contestant on the "The Search for the Next Elvira" Asia De Vinyl, Fetish Model & Performer Perish, Las Vegas Cyber Belly Dancer and fire eater Phoenix, and so many more!

Visit www.myspace.com/paracon

Come and see...

The Ninth Gate is a new location to get your goth, dark, occult, metal, Satanic products. T shirts, hooded sweatshirts, music, books, swords and ritual items and more.

www.the9thgate.com

Corvis Nocturnum will be releasing his latest work during the event!

Exploring the lineage of challengers of dogmatic thinking, from the Renaissance and our modern day, Promethean Flame delves deep into religion, philosophy, secret societies and the arts to explain the importance that challengers of the past still have on our future.

www.corvisnocturnum.com

For next fall I am beginning a new book of photography "Goth Girls Vampire Vixens and Satan's Seductress"!

If you or anyone (model or photographer)feel would be anyone interested please email me model bios, past work history (not required), age, and name they wish used if you want to be included, and minimal of 4 images per model at 300 dpi to : corvisnocturnum@yahoo.com.I will run a full page ad for you in the end of the book for your assistance.

Topless or nude with partial covering is my limitation, (but NOT required) due to the mixed reader target market....something like a Fetish to Gothic Beauty magazine crossed with a Taschen or Goliath style book, classy in black and white. If I get enough images I would love to do a hardbound coffee table edition.

This is an attempt to help talented models and photographers get an extra bit of publicity!
Thank you!

Corvis Nocturnum

Harvest of Life Force: Crafting a Bindrune

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:27:22 GMT

I have written a post here regarding the science of Esoteric Runology. I give an introduction to Runic mysticism and talisman construction, as well as showing how I designed a Bindrune for a nice lady in England, starting with Rune-meanings, going to a Rune-row, and the final construction of the Bindrune itself, in two different forms. I talk at length about Runic mythology and numerology, and show how it relates to the process. I hope you all get some use out of it.

http://cauldronborn.blogspot.com/2008/09/harvest-of-life-force-crafting-bindrune.html

RA

A Question About Shops

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 02:44:48 GMT

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for good pagan shops around the Cleveland, Baltimore and Virginia? I'm looking for good places to do presentations.

Thank you in advance.

General opinions Please

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 02:27:39 GMT

Hi everyone, a quick intro and then a desperate plea!

I'm 29, live in Birmingham, UK. Married and poly, owned by a cat and pagan for around 3 years now. I've very recently begun working with runes but I'm fascinated with their differing energies and strongly drawn to them.

Now for the plea:
Does anyone out there have opinions / ideas about tattoos of the runes? In my user pic, you'll see my as yet unfinshed tattoo on my back. I've had the idea of having Uruz tattooed at the bottom, and then wrapping the ivy vine around it.

The symbolism behind this is specific and intended - to cut a massive story into tiny chunks, I've been through the mill (hence the 'endurance' of the ivy and I feel like I am very recently being reborn hence the choice of Uruz) Now, I know that Uruz means replenishment after destruction, and that's very apt for me too, but is there a danger in having this rather potent rune tattooed onto the body?

Any ideas would be gratefully received and considered - after all, I don't want to find myself in an everlasting circle of destruction and renewal, I'd like to just grow nicely now lol!

Thanks to all in advance
dethas

x posted to a few places

EsoZone approaching

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:38:26 GMT

For those of you who haven't bought tickets yet, I suggest you do so. This year's event looks to be bigger and better than last, including luminaries like Dennis McKenna, Antero Alli, Paul Laffoley, musical performances, and a lot more.

If that wasn't enough, "famous on the Internet" James Curcio will be there. Presenting an audio installation, as well as possibly a workshop. I am also working on lining up a special late-night treat for all of you- I'll make an announcement if it goes through.

Speakers at Esozone.

http://www.esozone.com

Why so fluffy

Sun, 07 Sep 2008 04:16:23 GMT

Now, hello, darkpaganism, I know it's been a while since we last talked, but you know how those kinds of things tend to... uh... go.

I hope there hasn't been too much awkwardness since my last, uh, visit.

I just wanted to talk to you for a while because I think... I think our relationship really isn't, well... progressing. In fact, I am beginning to think that you... might have a problem. Or you are part of the problem. I can't quite remember which. Or. Uh. Wait, let me start over.

Look, I know that when it comes down to it, magic practice should have a little more... credence, than watching The Craft 200 times over and declaring yourself pagan. Now, I know there are some of you in the crowd who will say things like, "but I only learn from nature!" and "I'm a chaos magician!" but I think that maybe with a little persuasion, you can see the inherent faultiness of flagrantly... well, I don't want to be mean, but... fake spirituality.

Now, while we're on the topic, I think I should just mention that writing 5,000 word essays no one will ever read isn't a very productive route to go. Given the ailing and dying nature of paganism on Livejournal these days, perhaps you could do with a little less of the schemers. Maybe looking for hierarchy and... control... is an ultimately pointless goal.

Livejournal deserves a better class of pagan.

Now, if you have any... proactive ideas, feel free to voice them.

Goodnight, darkpaganism

A Wyrd Way of Seeing

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:19:27 GMT

A Wyrd Way of Seeing: The Worldview of Wyrd as Primordial Cybernetics

The Spinning of the Nornir and the Ancient Worldview of Wyrd
As Expressed in Terms of Modern Systems Theory

http://cauldronborn.blogspot.com/2008/09/wyrd-way-of-seeing-worldview-of-wyrd-as.html

What is 'worship'?

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:05:59 GMT

Now, afaic, I don't 'worship' any one, or any thing, however I've just been told that because of my love for Loki, "by giving him the worth you do, you absolutely worship him."

So now I'm wondering, what IS worship? Is it simply loving something/someone (in which case, do I 'worship' my friends and family because I love them), or is there more to it than that?

Xposted from my own journal to several places

The Giants in the Water

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 23:18:11 GMT

Of all the great natural bodies of power that our Ancestors dealt with on a daily basis, the seas and oceans inspired more awe than most. When we stare at the great waters, we see not just an endless reservoir of power, but the origins of our very lives- the primordial genetic material that was the foundation of all life on land was once in the ocean. There is a great awe and fear of the oceans and seas, because they are containers of immense and mysterious powers, not all of them friendly to mankind.

The elements in their primordial form (which includes the ground under your feet, the water in rivers and oceans, lightning flashing through the sky, forest fires, and winds, among others) are by nature "giantish"- untamed and occasionally dangerous to man. It's impossible to avoid the feeling of awe when you see these hurricanes on satellite imaging, swirling with their massive spiraling arms, moving relentlessly towards land.

There is no evil in them; they are simply expressions of the might of nature itself, so massive and powerful that they move along on their Fated courses, heedless of the tiny specks of life that they blast by. I always compared them to the most massive whales in the deep ocean: massive creatures plowing along through the water, steadily, consuming thousands of pounds of tiny life-forms in the ocean as they go- they don't viciously seek to destroy life; they are simply doing as they do, never thinking twice about it.

We humans are tiny compared to these rightly-called "Giantish" forces. The sheer difference in scale is one of the reasons why we fear them- we know that they are blind and heedless of our lives, in the same way you or I may be blind or heedless of the tiny insects we crush in the grass as we walk by, hiking in the forest or just spending a day in a park.

The Ancestors firmly believed that the Gods- aided spectacularly by the Thunder-God, the greatest enemy of Giants- kept this world, this Middle-Earth, safe from Giantish powers. In light of what is going on right now, the implications of this belief are profound. The Ancestors dealt with disastrous weather-patterns and natural disasters just like we do, and one could say that they suffered worse from them (in a way) because they didn't have the networks of preparedness and response that we have.

So why were they so happy to point out how "safe" the Gods made the world? Because without the Gods, the elements and the other Giantish forces- deeper and more destructive than we could imagine- would overwhelm this world. Old Redbeard is a skilled killer of Giants, but even he can't destroy them all- there has to be a 1% that make it through, and have time to wreak havoc before their Fated course ends.

I think the Ancestors were aware of the fact that it could always be worse. And one of the reasons why it wasn't as bad as it could be is because powerful sentient forces, who care for mankind as their kin, were faithfully performing a Fated task of preservation.

There is one more element to this equation: the fact that we are literally in what the Ancestors described as "A wind age, a wolf age"- the final age of the world in which the decline of things was higher than it ever had been, and even the elements were possibly more destructive. "The wind age" refers to the destructive force of the winds, and in a way, the elements, but the "wolf age" refers to the destructive force of greed in human beings.

As I have said countless times, and as I believe the prophecy in Voluspa makes clear, the world is not destined to get better, in these last millenia. This makes our current age a time when the greatest heroes can (ironically) be produced. We need not just the support of the Hammer-God and his family; we need human heroes who are ready to perform what seems to be a lost cause: the cause of preserving as much as they can in the face of blind, naked natural fury.

The Gods and the Heroes go to the final battle of this world in full knowledge that they will be meeting their doom. Who does that? Beings that know that the ends are not the important part. The important part is that they will make a stand, come what may.

Help the soon-to-be victims of this storm in whatever way you can; even tiny help, help that seems pointless in the face of so much misery, is heroic. You can join me in sacrificing to the Gods for final aid and rescue for as many people as can be helped, but in this case, in this age, what we need are strong people, not just strong Gods.

I work in the Therapy field, and I face a lot of misery in my clients every day. I see cases that anyone would describe as hopeless and unthinkably depressing. When I first started, I (like most people) had the odd "savior" complex that led me to get overly concerned for my clients- but in the end, you have to realize that we don't write the story of other people's lives.

I talked to a friend and colleague of mine about my concerns regarding getting too attached to clients, and he told me one of the most amazing things anyone has ever told me. What he told me was a quote (horridly enough) drawn from a recent movie starring Kevin Costner, called "The Guardian" or something like that. But the quote was very relevant. What do you do when you see so much trauma, and you know you can't help everyone?

My friend said that in one scene of this movie, a young Coast Guard member asked Kevin Costner's character (who apparently plays a more experienced Coast Guard life saver) what he does when he faces a situation where many people are drowning, and in need of help. How do you know who to help or save?

Kevin Costner's character said this:

"I swim as hard as I can, I swim as fast as I can, I save as many people as I can, and the sea takes the rest."

At first I hadn't realized the full impact of what my young colleague had told me. Then it hit me: Fate had spoken here. Fate was the final answer. In the disguise of a pop-culture movie reference, I believe that an ancient and important wisdom was transmitted, then and there.

In our lives, however we help people, we do the best we can, and Fate takes the rest. The nobility in us- that nobility that does not die, and will survive to be reborn in the regenerated universe- does the best it can, regardless of the darkness of the situation.

Thoughts on the Future of Revived Paganism

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:45:07 GMT

Okay, I've decided to write a series of letters to discuss the future of revived Paganism. Understand that I have to make a distinction here between "Witchcraft" in the traditional sense- which is really a wide-ranging term including many forms of sorcery, all of which can (and do) exist despite the culture that surrounds them. Some cultures make it hard to be a sorcerer or practice occult/sorcerous arts, but still, they persist. Traditional Witchcraft, in the true modern sense, is a phenomenon that existed during Christian times, and now exists in the skeptical/scientific post-Christian era.

I don't worry too much about the "future" of Witchcraft; it will always remain, no matter how small or diffuse it is, because people will always seek out fringe elements of spirituality or the occult, regardless of society or culture's mainstream beliefs.

But what of "revived" Paganism, such as Asatru, Celtic Reconstructionism, Hellenism, Romuva, and the other revived Indo-European Pagan models? They have adherents, good lore and sources, reasonably strong structure as far as rituals and notions of sacred days and seasons: they have all they need to induct newborns and converts into their communities, and all they need to marry people and bury them, with rites. These revived faiths are pretty much complete faiths, with one exception: they all have pretty small populations of adherents.

So where do they go from here? A small population is bad news, for many reasons, but chiefly because small numbers means "little known", even in this day and age of the internet. "Little known" means "little or no political and legal recognition", and that means no support from anyone or anything else other than whatever few people (if any) you have near you that also practice your faith or believe as you do.

The Individual's Hard Road

Revived Pagan faiths are strongly distinct from "mainstream" Pagan faiths- they cannot enjoy the same sort of "recognition" given to Wiccans, for instance, because most (rightly) don't want to be associated in the public mind with Wicca or New-Age religious movements. They tend to be more insular and even ornery about their beliefs. Couple these things with the fact that they are all strongly individualistic, on the level of person and their right to believe as they will, and quite defensive at the level of community (assuming that they are lucky enough to have communities) and not willing to even entertain changing their beliefs or ways, even if it means making them closer or stronger with other members of their own revived cultural movement. I'm not saying people should need to change religiously, but an attitude change towards cooperation with others would certainly be a powerfully good thing.

Two Asatruar groups will like one another well enough (sometimes) but will become very annoyed with one another if either side imagines that the other is criticizing how they do things or believe or worship. Within umbrella movements (like say, the Troth) you get certain points that all Troth Hearths agree on- such as their universalist policy towards membership- but beyond that, very little. I'm not saying that such stances as this "radical independence" is bad, but it does expose the Asatru movement as a whole to a special weakness. It makes the Asatru movement unable to spread fast or far, unable to advertise itself or present itself as a cohesive and attractive alternative faith for people.

Individual groups or people may try, in some ways, to display their beliefs, in the hopes that "like minded" others will be attracted to them, but the nature of cultural Pagan revivalism is such that it does not have much of an "evangelical" spirit. They don't produce missionaries. There is no sense- or very little sense- that the Revivalist Pagan movement as a whole has a greater role to play in the world, or that it could make the world a better place: to be clear, most revivalists/reconstructionists have a more selfish stance on their faith, defensively viewing it as "their own thing" or "their subculture", and once they have gained some standing within it, they scorn to share it with others.

If they have communities, they either attempt to keep communities small, or watch them break up with selfish in-fighting if they get too large. Even the umbrella organizations have a history of constant fracturing through growth and bad blood. It seems that the egos of the luminary members of all these movements have caused a great deal of trouble- and all the while, the idea that Asatru or Hellenism or any of these reconstructions could provide a very wide audience of people with a positive, life-affirming, nature-reverent, and philosophically sound polytheistic life-path was lost.

The Paradox

There was an interesting occurrence back in the 1800's, in the United States: man named Joseph Smith claimed that he saw Angels and had the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven given to him and two close friends. He made a lot of claims, and a rather devoted cult following sprung up around him. They created their own community- the first Mormons- and after a lot of persecution, fled the settled east of the country, crossed the Great Plains en masse, and settled in Utah. They built a city, and prospered. Today they are well known, and while they are reviled by most mainstream Christians, that doesn't matter: They have millions upon millions of members, massive stone Temples all over the world, billions of dollars in the bank, and legal protection everywhere in the civilized world.

I don't like cults, and I especially don't like Christian cults, but these people set out to live on their terms- they created a community by giving up on their old lives, believing in a shared vision, and striking out to find a new life, just like the Norse settlers of Iceland did.

Where have the days gone wherein people were willing to make radical changes in their lives, in the name of their beliefs? Revived Pagan movements won't have much of a future until they decide to truly ante up, and do something as radical as say, create a community- a physical community somewhere- for their families. Failing that, the countless splinter groups of people calling themselves "Asatru" or "Hellenist" or what have you can realize that they have a chance to gain the sort of social stability and recognition that will win their children and their grandchildren many freedoms and a better ease in social living than they had, if they could put aside petty squabbles in the name of working together better, wherever they happen to be.

The painful paradox here is evident: only brave, strong, self-willed individuals are going to be attracted to faiths like Asatru or Hellenism or CR, the sorts of people who have the guts to make a clean break from the previous religious or social conditioning they've undergone, to take such a radical new stance in life. And those very same people don't tend to play well with others, suffer fools much, or deal well with seeing the high-quality religious reconstructions they've worked so hard on being "diluted" or defamed by lesser individuals.

The very sorts of people you'd want in a Pagan organization are also the sorts of people that don't do "organization" well! This same population also (lamentably) tends to give us people who are excellent leaders, people of vision, but then, the inevitable happens: good quality followers emerge to follow them, and these "leaders" don't want to share power or abandon their little fiefs to work with others.

SPQR

Radical individuality is, as I have pointed out in many writings, not even a perspective of the Ancestral faiths, which were based foremost on the bonds of community, the well-being of city-states and settlements, the honor of families and clans, and the like.

Not everyone in ancient days was a "hero", a famous "known name" in the bard's tales, and even heroes had family matters to deal with. A strong sense of "clan ties" or family obligations was first and foremost on the minds of all people of honor. With peoples like the Greeks and Romans, even a sort of "National identity" began to form, as they began to compare the merits of their larger culture-patterns with those of foreign people they came into contact with. Some of the greatest men in the standard canons of western literature and history were honored for what? For sacrificing much in service to Rome- to Rome- the Republic or Empire as a whole, with all its variety and massive population. They were honored for being loyal, in their own ways, to an idea that was much larger than any one person or small community.

And Rome flourished with men like this, driven in this way. Another group that arose in Rome flourished likewise and for similar reasons- the fledgling Christian church had a sense of a goal and a spirit larger than any individual. For the settlers of Iceland, the goal they all bonded together to achieve was freedom from political compulsion and the tyranny of kings that were growing too powerful for the good of the people of their homelands.

It's certainly noble to honor the Ancestors' notion that "orthodoxy" should never be forced onto people: I myself couldn't agree more. The Ancestors, within their communities, were orthorpraxic and very much against "invading the heads" of other people, so long as those people held themselves up to whatever social standard was needed for the good of the community. I think this is a great model for us now- but the implications of the model have changed in our modern day.

You Must Be Worthy To Win

Whether or not many people will see it, we have threats and problems that the world has never seen before. What passes for "spirituality" in the mainstream has become shallow and materialistic, and in response, fringe lunacy has arisen- the politics of fundamentalism- which is just a manifestation of the hysteria one can expect when a movement comes crashing down, or begins to change so much that it is no longer what it was. This is happening to mainstream Christianity, though the process will not be done tomorrow. It will take another few centuries.

Islam will take longer, Gods help us- but all religious movements that are in violation of the basic truths of life cannot last forever. What are those truths? I list them as follows:

-The truth of animism and the need to live in this world of natural resources with wisdom and moderation;

-The truth of sacred reciprocity with self and community and world;

-The truth of qualified struggle between opposites,

-The truth of the natural sacredness and diversity of the spiritual world;

-The truth of the dignity of human life above and beyond what people may believe or what culture they may be born into.

If any religion or movement denies even one of these points, it cannot last. It will not last. It is not enough for an entity to win a culture war and set itself up as a dominant faith in an area of the world; it must be worthy to win, if the victory is to be lasting. How will we know who was worthy? We can see the organic spiritual beliefs of primal peoples all over the world that were NOT washed away in the crimson tide of revealed religions, and see that their beliefs were good and strong from the dawn of history, up till either this very day, or until the time came that they were destroyed. We will know worth in how they last, in how they endure.

And our Ancestral faiths have endured- through a firestorm of radical social change, and historical pogroms of annihilation. Why should we be drawn to them now? Because something of worth still exists, and has been passed down to us, something that was never defeated or forgotten.

We Don't Inherit the World From Our Parents: We Borrow It From Our Grandchildren

And what is the future of revived Paganism? Its future will be precisely what you see now, if we do not change in some manner- and when I say "change", I don't mean a minor change that is washed away in a few days. Something- I myself don't know quite what- has to change, a "second order" change as cyberneticians say- for our revived Pagan movements to be healthier and larger in the future.

No, an "evangelical" spirit isn't required, though some Asatruar- one famous umbrella organization- has actually embraced just that. But they are alone; and despite the fact that I am still skeptical of their route to the future, I do agree with them on a few important points- we- all of us modern Pagans- need land and resources at our disposal, social and legal recognition, and education for the public.

If that means appointing boards of people to handle matters, so be it. These sorts of "panels" or "boards" can be non-sectarian; but someone has to break us out of the dark ages of our living rooms and campsites and get us all into phone books, into minutes at town hall meetings and sessions of legislation, and someone has to represent us to the public.

Who is the "us"? It isn't any one community or another, but a new idea that we will have to embrace if we will have a future of greater religious fulfillment, and life fulfillment. It is the idea (to use an example) of "Asatru" or "Heathenry" which stands above all sects or "types" or communities or Kindreds. The same can be said for the idea of "Hellenism" which stands above this or that church or temple or deme. This idea doesn't ask for obedience to any doctrine, or for people to do blots or sacrifices one way or another. It doesn't ask for the worship of any God. It just asks that we work to display, protect, and solidify an identity to the world that can have the recognition and legal protection it deserves, and which our grandchildren will need.

And honestly, I believe the world needs Revived Paganism. It needs alternative spiritualities that can fan the flames of spiritual life higher in people, and which can bring people into a new paradigm of living in this world which is better for the world and all of the living beings in it.

Meeting and greeting

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:25:15 GMT

My husband and I will be attending this event next month:

http://www.thefallfrolic.com/

If anyone else is planning to attend, or looks at the site and thinks "gee, that might be fun!" please feel free to find me. I should be on site for the whole event and would like a chance to meet some 'kindred spirits' .

Yes, this is cross-posted, so for those of you on more than one of the same lists please forgive the duplication.

Bright Blessings!!

Gods and Monsters-an art book by David Gough

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 03:32:50 GMT

A collection of works spanning the last five years-reproduced in 33 stunning plates now available...

http://www.davidgoughart.com/David_Gough_Art_Book

We are so very proud to introduce the first official book featuring my art, printed under my own Darq Matter publishing imprint.
Comprising Artwork spanning 2003 to present day-Gods and Monsters, is a chimerical odyssey through the nether worlds and personal demons of my subterranean imaginings.

This 40 page full color, soft cover 7" x 7" book, consists of 33 plates of my best works, including both my most recognizable and some more obscure art. A limited edition of 500 has been individually signed by myself, and is available to order now from my website only, for just $25 including shipping and handling within the US...Order your copy now!

Please spread the word wherever you can. The more successful this book becomes, the quicker I can start working on Volume Two! Also, please have a look at my new and improved website.

http://www.davidgoughart.com

Thanks and I hope you enjoy my art.

Descent: Dances of the Dark Goddess...Nov 16

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:55:25 GMT

Exquisite Corpse Productions is pleased to present...

Descent: Dances of the Dark Goddess

Sunday Nov 16, 2008

At the Julie Ince Thompson Theater at
The Dance Complex
536 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA
http://www.aeprilschaile.com/descent.htm

a day of creation and destruction in motion...a night of theatrical, ritual, experimental and dark fusion bellydance

Workshop:
"Creating and Destroying the Rules of Dance"
An introduction to Desert Sin's fearless approach to dance theater with Djahari, director of Desert Sin.
http://www.desertsin.com
12-4pm
$65 before Nov 9, $75 after

The Show:
In the season ruled by Pluto, in the darkening of the Moon and the death throws of the Sun: Serpent haired Medusas and mad Maenads, American colonial era Witches and ancestral Stregas, the divine Light within the darkest Night...behold some of the dark feminine themes explored by the artists of Descent...
performances by Desert Sin, Jeniviva, Naraya and Vadalna Tribal Co, ChoveXani, Aepril Schaile, and more...
7pm
$21 before, $25 after

To but tickets and to register for workshops:
http://www.aeprilschaile.com/descent.htm

(Descent n. 1. the act or instance of descending 2. a downward incline 3. to come from an ancestor 4. a sudden attack)

Fairly new here

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:53:22 GMT

Just joined about a week ago.

A little about myself:

I'm 43 and live in St. Paul, MN. I've "officially" been a witch for over a year now, and working on my second degree. Even though I'm fairly new to Wicca, I've been fascinated with it since I was a child. My parents thought I was living in a fantasy world,

I was raised Baptist, but never found that was my spiritual path.

I am starting my second degree in Reiki in October, I play violin and have been for about 14 years now, on and off. lol.

I have two great kids, and I'm a grandma to a baby girl that is having her Wiccaning done in September.

I wanted to join a group that was open-minded, where I could express my thoughts without hositlity, and feel welcome.

Thanks!

Greetings~

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:11:20 GMT

I was given a link to this group by a friend on the list. I am joining because I like the idea of a "drama-free" Pagan discussion board. :)

Borrowing and slightly tweaking a form from one of the earlier posters---

Name: Lorelei Skye used for both LJ & SCA Persona
Craft Name (Optional): Lorelei Amber Skyhawke
Age/Zodiac 32, Sagittarius/Scorpio Cusp
The World You Live in: I-380 Corridor, IA

Specific Path: Generic Wiccan with a slight ceremonial bent, a strong side-study of Celtic Shamanism, & an umbrella of Unitarianism.

Patron Deity (if any): Over the past 15 years I've mostly worked with the Greek and Welsh-Celtic deities: Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Aescapulus, Hermes, Hestia, Hecate, The Dagda, Cernunnos, The Morrigan, Epona, and Rhiannon

Religious/Spiritual Background: Raised Roman Catholic. I first self-dedicated to paganism around 1991 after finding DJ Conway’s book "Celtic Magic" and reading Starhawk's "Spiral Dance". I was about 15 at the time-and unlike many, I was attracted to the religious and spiritual aspects of 'The Craft' rather then the spells and mystical whatnot. Over the past 17 years I have studied; written and led a variety of seasonal and life-transition rituals; taught a variety of workshops and given talks in my local groups on topics including: Paganism101, Wiccan101, Wiccan102, 'The Burning Times- a second look at the "witch trials"', ‘Tools of the Trade’, Chakras, ‘Dangerous Distractions to Spirituality’, Ritual Writing, and Priest/Priestess Workshops.
A few years ago I was introduced to CUUPs. Though I'm not active- I really like the philosophy of religious tolerance the Unitarians seem to have.

At this point in my life and studies, I think I'm probably considered a "Middler"(?).
Addendum 8-25; I have crossed the brooms of both first and second degree studies, as a third degree I think its like when you get your black-belt in Karate (which I don't have, but been to ceremonies for friends who do) "Now you can start learning". There is also a responsibility to use the knowledge wisely and be open to wisdom from odd places. :)

Type of Pagan Practice: Semi-closeted. I don't hide that I'm Pagan, but I don't advertise it either. I'm also a mostly-retired Teacher & Priestess. Over the years I've just had one too many drama-llamas follow me home from being "out of the broom-closet" and group pagan practice.

Types of Divination Practiced: tarot, stone, rune (though not so much with runes anymore).
I am working on designing/making a traditional based tarot deck (11 cards left to design), and just beginning the drafting of a fully non-traditional deck.

Element: Spirit
Sacred Tree(s): NA
Sacred Stone(s): NA

Spirit Animal(s)/Familiar(s):
Spirit Animals: Fox, Raven, Owl, Horse, Koi
Familiars: Not sure, but I am owned by a very nice cat and 2 large fancy goldfish. ;)

Other info that might be interesting: I work with non-Reiki Chakra studies and energy work. I used to make dream-catchers and a variety of wands.

What else would anyone want to know?

Greetings!

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:21:46 GMT

Hello! I go by Shiva, and I turned 23 today ^.^ I am an eclectic solitary with heavy Greek leanings in my practice. My patron god is Hades, and my goddess I have not yet found. I have been practicing for almost five years now, and I enjoy learning about other faiths and practices. I have lurked here for some time, and I felt I might as well jump into the fray now. It's a pleasure to meet all of you. ^^

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:12:52 GMT

Hello there everybody how are all of you? My name is Tiana Skye and I am a practicing Pagan for about close to three years now. However I am not quite as far along or well off in the practice as I had certainly hoped to be but, then again that's life isn't it? I follow Loki as my main patron, and though I have been told that is dangerous I still feel a connection none the less. However, in order to balance everything out I took Sigyn as my matron. Also, I do worship Odin and Thor on that same token. Norse Mythology has always struck deeper in me than many of the other more popular mythologies. I really hope to make good friends with the lot of you here, and you are more than welcomed to check out my LJ ^_^.

An Intro and Questions

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:41:17 GMT

Real/Given Name: Tannen Van Horn
Craft Name (Optional): Much of the same as above
The World You Live in: Memphis, TN
Specific Path: Norse Heathen, with a smattering of eclectic practices
Patron Deity (if any): Freyja, though I have close ties to Eris, Dionysus, Tyr, Thor, Odin, and the Morrigan
Religious/Spiritual Background: Raised in an agnostic household. Sent off to church with evangelical Pentecostals in the family. Stopped that when I moved in 1991. Been very respectful of nature since early childhood, though, since I was raised on a farm. Been "out" as a pagan since 1993. Been Heathen since just this year, though I've always had an affinity to the Norse pantheon.
Type of Pagan Practice: The majority of my eclectic practices are performed solitarily. I recently formed a Heathen kindred with my oath-brother and some of my friends who are Heathen and/or Heathen friendly. I am also active in the local pagan church.
Types of Divination Practiced: Water, moon, and fire scrying, limited tarot (small, 3 to 5 card spreads, generally for myself only), learning divination with runes.
Element: I'm strongest with Air and Water. I'm weakest with Fire. I'm midlin' with Earth.
Sacred Tree(s): Wherever the local bees are swarming in any given year; apple, oak, and ash.
Sacred Stone(s): Amber, gold, hematite, tiger's eye, and agates in general
Spirit Animal(s)/Familiar(s): House cats, cougars, wolf, raven, and serpent

On the yahoo!group for the church I belong to, there's been quite a discussion about what makes someone a warrior, as well as any other title one may claim (such as elder). I thought that would make an excellent discussion here as well.
So, questions:
What exactly are the qualifications for a warrior, in your opinion?
What are the qualifications for a leader of the community?
What are the qaulifications of an "elder of the community?"
Why do you think it's important that some folks bear one of these (or other) titles?
How can you tell if a person is just claiming a title or has earned it?

I'll be happy to post my thoughts if anyone would like to know. ^_^

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:36:37 GMT

I feel the need (finally - it has been years!) to concoct something to protect my home. I have been robbed 3 times - by friends who have serious problems.
i don't follow recipes. i use what i have or can get easily. so does anyone know of any herbs, spices, leaves, etc. that would work to protect my house from intrusions and also help heal my friends?

The following is what i have come up with so far.
Cinnamon - purification
Clover Flowers - personal
Eucalyptus- personal, after contact with evil
Possibly steeped in a white vinegar "tea" so i can anoint various parts of my house.

Any suggestions, ingredients etc. are extremely appreciated.

This will be cross-posted. So, sorry if you see it again somewhere.

Vampires

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 04:26:48 GMT

For one's "highest good"

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:29:34 GMT

In my meagre four years of practicing paganism/spirituality, 99% of the time, my circle of friends (whether online or in real life) have told me that as long as a spirit/entity/whatever doesn't put my good as their first and highest priority, it means that the thing isn't good for me.

Now, I know that I can compare and say that those who don't care for me at all are entities I shouldn't work with. That's kind of logical, I guess. But say, if me as a person working with them is perhaps a second prioirty, does that make much difference?

If they're helping me with good stuff, but it isn't their highest prioirty, or not for my "highest good," what should I think?

It's just that I've been having people tell that to me for all these years that I'm confused and would like your opinions on it.

_+ Greetings

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:35:59 GMT

My name is Heather.

I am new to this community and hope to learn and gain new knowledge , and hopefully contribute myself.
A bit about myself if I may:
I'm female and bisexual. Not that it matters dearly but I find that both help serve me in my spirituality.
I was born into a rather lazy Protestant household so I was not exposed to Church or God very often but He did indeed was in my exposure growing up. I never really held any value to my Protestant upbringing, it was just there. My father has studied religion in University and formed his own thoughts and opinions on his Deity but never discussed it with me so therefore all ideas of religion were formed from my mother. When I was twelve years of age, my mother started questioning her beliefs in God and started to read up on Paganism and Wicca as introduced to her by a friend at work. She never spoke to me about it, rather she just read up and never really advanced from there. She is now a born again Christian.
During this transitional time for my mother renouncing her faith in God, I found one of her books. Now for the life of me I am unable to tell you the name of this book. All I know is that I read it and was instantly curious. I began reading everything I could possibly get my twelve year old hands on.
From the time I was twelve years old to about eighteen years old I read everything I possibly could. Now, I won't go into specifics of my beliefs but I hold them in the highest regard.
I would just like to introduce myself and hope that together, as a community, we could grow in knowledge and share what we have. I appreciate the thoughts of like minded people, and the imput that other people put forward. I have had enough with groups, discussion boards, and communities that are littered with 'fluffiness'.

Know thyself,
Heather

[edit: I would like to say that this intro will perhaps be cross posted, I'm sorry for any inconvenience].

Pleased To Meet You, Hope You Guess My Name

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:33:09 GMT

So I'm sure many of us have read American Gods, and probably most are familiar with mythological stories of Gods interacting with (even impregnating) people.

So a question that has been on my mind of late; Have any of you ever met with one of the gods "in the flesh"? For the purposes of this question I will not accept cases of possession or being ridden by a spirit.

If you have, please tell me about it, what happened and how, if it was needed, that you discovered that it was a deity you were interacting with.