Inspiration

There are lots of things in this world that can be called inspirational, but everyone has a few certain things that are overwhelmingly inspirational.

Mine are volcanic storms and the sky at night:


What are yours?

Pagan Prompt-What If God Was One Of Us?

I was listening to this song, and I came up with a good blog prompt.

If God had a name, what would it be
And would you call it to his face
If you were faced with him in all his glory
What would you ask if you had just one question

And yeah yeah God is great yeah yeah God is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home

If God had a face what would it look like
And would you want to see
If seeing meant that you would have to believe
In things like heaven and in jesus and the saints and all the prophets

And yeah yeah god is great yeah yeah god is good
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home
He's trying to make his way home
Back up to heaven all alone
Nobody calling on the phone
Except for the Pope maybe in Rome

So, the question for you guys to answer is, What if God was one of us? (Or Goddess, or whoever you want to put in there)

Paganism and Fertility

Another late-ish post. Sorry everyone. I saw my cousin today. Thanks to everyone for sending your healing thoughts. She's doing great. You can't tell she was in the hospital only two days ago.

This is another prompt from LJ. I wrote it yesterday, but for some reason after visiting my cousin, as much as I love her to death, I feel like I need to share this post.

What do you think about (most forms of) Paganism including celebrations of fertility into it's scared year? Do you think that the Pagan celebration of fertility offers something positive to the culture? If so, what, and if not, why not?

We are, currently, a culture obsessed with sex and “sexiness” and sex appeal. There is a book by Ariel Levy that I think every woman should read called Female Chauvinist Pigs.
What was almost more surprising than the change itself were the responses I got when I started interviewing the men and -- often -- women who edit magazines like Maxim and make programs like The Man Show and Girls Gone Wild. This new raunch culture didn't mark the death of feminism, they told me; it was evidence that the feminist project had already been achieved. We'd earned the right to look at Playboy; we were empowered enough to get Brazilian bikini waxes. Women had come so far, I learned, we no longer needed to worry about objectification or misogyny. Instead, it was time for us to join the frat party of pop culture, where men had been enjoying themselves all along. If Male Chauvinist Pigs were men who regarded women as pieces of meat, we would outdo them and be Female Chauvinist Pigs: women who make sex objects of other women and of ourselves. (http://www.ariellevy.net/books.php?article=2)

Fit that in with conservative views on sex, especially teenage sex, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
These conservative views in the (sorry American friends) South, fed by the Christian Right Wing have made any religion that sees sex in a positive regard is, well, sinful. And God forbid the woman get any pleasure from sex; she’s not the important one here.

Pagan cultures offer a positive view on sex. Not the “Stupid Spoiled Whore” ideals that seem to be ingrained into the culture. Every time I turn on Spike TV to watch CSI, I get commercials filled with skinny, leggy, “sexy” woman who have breast implants, shaking their ta-tas to see some foul smelling shampoo (yes Axe, I’m talking about you!). Whereas these ads are telling you, a woman, to be next to naked ALL THE TIME and be thin enough that a child could break you, Pagan cultures are telling you, a woman, that you are a crucial part of the world, and that your sex appeal should not be flaunted. This isn’t to say that you have to wear a sack, but it says that you have to be careful about who you sleep with.

Sex is a powerful thing. Just like any powerful thing, if it’s used in the wrong way, the results are disastrous.

While fertility is a beautiful thing, we are a fully developed nation and there is no reason that you have to run the risk of getting pregnant, or getting someone else pregnant, each time you have sex. Sex ed, not just abstinence only, needs to be taught. They started us at grade six. Sure, I was grossed out, and when I was in grade ten I was glad to be done with it, but it has taught me so much. I even had a more risqué dream, and the only thing I could do in said dream was go buy condoms.

Fertility is just as powerful as sex, and with the lack of sex ed, fertility is being abused just like sex is being abused.

I think that most Pagans understand that sex and fertility are the things that keep, well, everything surviving, however we also know that not taking control of our own sexuality and fertility are dangerous things and can lead to unforeseen consequences.

It’s like breaking a horse. You get a wild horse and indulge it; you’re going to end up with a lot of problems. Sex and fertility is that horse. If you properly break that horse, you’re going to get the greatest animal you’ve ever had. Just like sex: if you understand sex and fertility, and know what you and your partner want—both long and short term—you’re going to have a wonderful ride.

Pagan Clothing

Today's prompt comes to us via LiveJournal.

Do you have any pagan-themed articles of clothing, that are not specifically for ritual, that you wear often? If so what are they?


To put it simply, no, I don’t have any Pagan-themed clothing. I do, however, have an ankh ring, a pentagram ring, and numerous Pagan themed necklaces.

What about you all? Do you have pagan-themed clothing?

Blog Prompt, Part Two!

In a commentary in the Times Online Michael Reiss argued that Darwinian thinking clarifies and deepens religious faith by decentering humanity so that we might better appreciate the Universe and our place it. Do you agree with his thoughts or not? Why? Also: What are your thoughts on the relationship of Science & Religion?
This prompt also comes to us via pagan_prompts on Livejournal.

I know a lot of people of many different faiths take creation stories at face value. Now, I do like creation stories, even ones that aren’t of my religion. They are, indeed, nice stories.

I believe in evolution, and all sorts of the “scientific” or “atheist” answers to how things came into being. Now, saying that, I do believe in religion as well. I do firmly believe in both.

I do think that, as a pagan, a Darwinian approach to things, believing that humans are just other animals and that we share common ancestors with all sorts of animals, I do think that it does make people appreciate the universe as an entity onto itself, instead of a plaything for humans. A lot of religions preach that humans are the most important thing EVER. Now, while to some extent this can be seen as true, but in the grand scheme of things, everything is important from the smallest single-celled organism to the largest animals.

So, to put it simply, yes, I agree that Darwinian thinking de-centers humanity and gives us a more global perspective.

On the relationship of science and religion? I see it as a symbiotic relationship. I think that it is possible to balance them and believe both. The problem is so many fundamentalists, who are so vocal, say that science is wrong, and cannot be right because their religion is the only thing that is right. To quote Bill Maher, “Anyone who tells you that they know, they just know what happens when you die, I promise you, you don't. How can I be so sure? Because I don't know and you do not possess mental powers that I do not.” I firmly believe this. Yes, I can have faith in what I believe, but damned if I know for sure.

The problem lies in blurring the line between faith and fact. It is a pretty much fact that there were early hominids. It is my faith that the Egyptian gods are watching over us. Blurring these lines and spilling my faith into what I know as fact is when things get ugly.

Just a note: Tomorrow’s post might be a bit late, as I will be at the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum). We’re going to see the Dead Sea Scrolls, and all their new stuff. The ROM recently got a new wing, so it should be fun.
Places we are hitting for sure: the Dead Sea Scrolls, Dinosaurs (my dad wants to see them), Egypt (for me!), Vanity Fair Portraits, “Shreyas and Mina Ajmera Gallery of Africa, the Americas and Asia-Pacific” (I think this is new...I don’t remember it. Hopefully it has some stuff from Meso-America.) I’ll probably schedule a post for the afternoon, and depending on how tired I am, I’ll post about my ROM adventures and pictures!

Two-Parter Blog Prompt: Part One

What is your personal spiritual history? If you have changed religious traditions from the tradition in which you were raised in what prompted this change? Is there anything that you feel would make you consider changing to a different path in the future?
Today’s blog prompt comes to us via pagan_prompts on LiveJournal.

My spiritual history is a bit of a gong show. I don’t know if my parents went to church every Sunday before I was born, but after I was born, we sure did! I was baptized Presbyterian at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Kitchener. I don’t know how connected I really was to it, but I know when the movie Prince of Egypt came out, I was like “to Hell with Jesus! I wanna be Egyptian!” and thus I bought a few of those kids history books about Egypt and learned a little bit about some of the Gods. I firmly believed that the Egyptian Gods were real, because they were way cooler than Jesus. I was eight, what did you expect? (Picture is of my old church)

I still went to church until I was about ten, but by this time I had been exposed to Quetzalcoatl from the Animated Star Trek, and, being about nine at the time, happily included the long-lived space alien in my personal pantheon.

When I stopped going to church, I admitted to myself that I was probably agnostic, even if I didn’t know the word for it. Though I did believe fully in the evolution theory and all the science explanations for how the world came into being, I still believed there was a “God” figure. I always stuck pretty close to the Egyptians, but kind of forgot about Quetzalcoatl for the time being. I was a scientific agnostic, I guess

When I was in grade eleven, I met Crazy Pagan Girl, also known now as Lisey, and I longed to talk to her about the large silver Pentacle she wore, but I could never buck up the courage. However, the universe had other plans for us, and thus in the next semester, being the only person she knew, we became friends and I finally could learn about paganism and Wicca the way I had always longed to learn about it.

At the time, we both identified as Wiccans, and together we both grew into the eclectic paths we are on today. I don’t know where either of us would be spiritually without each other.

In summer of 2008, I branched out on my own, and really formed my own religion. Entirely customized from dozens of traditions. And, my religion is always changing. For a time, I thought my patron God was Thoth, and though he does enjoy my company and will gladly assist me, we now know that Quetzalcoatl is indeed my patron. I think that’s what really drew me to paganism: it’s always changing and you can really be your own person and express all sorts of individuality while still being connected to the whole.

Part two comes tomorrow!

The Coming Canadian Winter

If you know me, like, at all, you’ll know that I love the cold. Funnily enough, most of my traditions—Egyptian and Aztec—are not known for cold climates, but colder region traditions, like Celtic, don’t really appeal to me. There is something oddly calming about an icy cold evening. I find it possibly one of the most romantic images: an icy cold evening, watching a favourite movie with loved ones. Or, being on the computer while it’s icy cold, but you’re all snugly warm under a blanket.

Canadian winters are divided into two parts: End-Of-Year Winter and New-Year Winter.
End of Year Winter is when everyone is talking about the upcoming holiday season (more on that later). This part of winter starts as early as mid-October, but usually goes into full swing the day after Halloween. This shows off the romantic side of winter, with the snowmen and twinkly Christmas lights.
New Year Winter starts right after Christmas, usually on the 28th of December. This is the time where winter is in full-swing, and everyone (except for people like my friend Kristine) are like “Ugh! Winter, go away!”
Of course, End-Of-Year Winter is much shorter.

I think this is hypocritical. Winter is winter, and just because Christmas, Yule, Kwanza, Hanukah and a whole host of other holidays are in December, doesn’t mean we should hate on the rest of winter. I say, if you don’t like winter, you shouldn’t like pre-Christmas winter.

Now, I like winter. I like the cold, I think that snow is quite romantic (unless it’s that gross, muddy snow), and I love watching snow storms with those big giant flakes of snow. I don’t like ice, it scares me because I’m petrified of falling.

Anyway, with winter fast approaching, what do you all think about winter?

Blog Prompt

From my own blog prompt collection: If you found out your God/Gods were just super advanced aliens, how would you react? Would you still treat them as deities? Would you change religions, or abandon religion altogether?--Link

A lot of conspiracy theorists on Above Top Secret’s Alien and UFO forum bring up a lot of questions and discussions about ancient space visitors posing as Gods, and the conversation seems to instantly go to Egypt of the Aztecs. Of course, this makes me nuts.

Being a nerd, however, I do think about the possibility that, for sake of argument I’m going to use Quetzalcoatl, is in fact a super advanced, long-lived alien. If he were to the return to earth in some hard-core space ship, I think I would be thrilled. Not only would humans know they aren’t alone in the universe, but also the personal connection I have with Quetzalcoatl would probably be more cemented now that I can physically see him. I may not revere him as a deity anymore, if this was the case, but I would probably see him as some sort of saviour of humanity. As to if I could change or abandon religion, I probably wouldn’t, but I don’t think I would see Quetzalcoatl as a God anymore, but I’d see him more-or-less as a prophet or Jesus-like figure, like I said before, being a saviour of humanity to help us evolve into more cosmic citizens.

I think a lot of people would, however, have their world’s shattered if anything like this happened. Me? I’d be so excited.

My First Blog Prompt!

Today, because I can, I’m writing to you...the people who read this blog. If you don’t know what a blog prompt is, it’s a question or phrase designed to get you inspired/motivated to write a blog entry.

Last night, being the nerd that I am, I watched the finale of Star Trek, Deep Space Nine. Throughout the series, there is a very religious subtext, which I will summarize for you, and trust me, it’s at least semi-relevant.

The Bajorans are an alien race who, during the first season of DS9, are recovering from a brutal Cardassian occupation. The only real thing that keeps the Bajoran people going are what they call Prophets, or their gods. The Prophets are said to live in the Celestial Temple, somewhere in space.

The human Federation, namely Commander Benjamin Sisko, then discovers this Celestial Temple, which is a stable wormhole from one end of the galaxy to the other, meaning ships can pass through it without the wormhole then disappearing and the ships being stranded. Inside the stable wormhole live beings that become known as “Wormhole Aliens”, though the Bajoran people still believe them to be Gods, and the stable wormhole is a sort of showpiece of their greatness.

Okay, so, my question is: If you found out your God/Gods were just super advanced aliens, how would you react? Would you still treat them as deities? Would you change religions, or abandon religion altogether?
Feel free to leave a comment here with your answer, or a link to your blog. My response will come either later today or tomorrow

Pictures:
1) The stable wormhole/Bajoran wormhole/Celestial Temple
2)Kira Nerys, a Bajoran

Animal Totems Prompt

Today’s pagan blog prompt comes to us from the LiveJournal community pagan_prompt.

Do you include animal totems in your pagan practice? If so, how?
I sometimes include animals in my pagan practise. I believe that harnessing the power of animals is one of the first things humans really learned how to do, be it through domestication or through religion. When I use the power of the animals, I tend to treat them like a deity and pray or petition to the animal spirit to grace me with whatever trait I’m after.

1. Since we are drawn to that which resonates with us, what animal, bird, or insect are you drawn to?
I’m really drawn to cats, particularly the small wild cats like ocelots and jaguarundis. Of the big cats, I really like jaguars and panthers. I’m not a big “fan” of the more well-known big cats like lions, tigers, and cheetahs.
Animals that aren’t cats that I like include coatis, which are like aardvarks.
Funny thing happened last night. It was dark and we were at Costco, it was about seven. I’m getting in the car, and out of the corner of my eye I could have sworn I saw a yellow jaguar or leopard.

2. When you go to the park, forest, or zoo what animal are you most interested in seeing?
At the zoo, I like seeing the jaguars. Our zoo in Toronto has a pair of them, a black one and a yellow one, and I swear to God, all they do is lay on their big Toltec reproduction head, sleeping. I think only once I’ve seen them awake. They are so cute!

3. What animal do you most frequently see when you're out in nature or in the city?
We have a lot of squirrels around here, so that’s mostly what I see. We have a chipmunk that lives in one of our flower beds as well, which Leiko (a purple flower fairy who has taken a liking to me) insists should become a totem for me.

4. What animals are you currently interested in learning about?
Right now I’m learning about coatis, jaguars, and ocelots for a story I’m working on.

5. Which animal do you find most frightening or intriguing?
I really am a little afraid of dogs, but I’m not really sure why. I find most insects to be frightening, so the less that I know about, the better.

6. Have you ever been bitten or attacked by an animal?
No

7. Is there a recurring animal in your dreams or do you have one you have never forgotten?
Most of my dreams don’t involve animals, but the one that did included two little black kittens.

Pictures in order
Ocelot, Coati, Jaguar, Jaguarundi

October

The seasons are changing, the Wheel of the Year is turning, and while life is rejoicing in the last of the Harvests, we are preparing for our 'hibernation'.
Welcome to October! For many Pagans, the end of this month marks the beginning of a New Year. Samhain, All Hallows Eve, Halloween, whatever you call it - this time of mystery and spiritual connection is just around the corner.
Today's prompt is How is this season expressed/reflected in your life? Do you change your altar around, or put out new decorations around your home (feel free to show pictures!)? What kinds of harvesting are you doing in your life? What preparations are you making for the coming winter?
I would have asked specifically about Samhain rituals, but I will save that for the week of Samhain instead.
--Pagan Blog Prompts

Well, October for me always meant the coming of snow, which I hate. I do love the cooler nights, however. I love the cold, but hate the snow and ice.
My mom loves all sorts of seasonal decorating, so already we have some autumnal accents, like a maple scented candle, some mini pumpkins, and tomorrow, she wants to set up the rest of our Halloween decorations.
Halloween/Samhain is probably my favourite holiday: has been since I was little. I know understand the religious aspect of the new year, but even before I was a pagan, I would like it because I got to dress up. I’ve always been fascinated in dressing up, and being someone else. Even now, at 19, I put a lot of thought into a costume. This year I’m going as a harem girl (No, not a belly dancer. A harem girl is different and yes, more modest).
My family has “move nights” on Saturdays. For October, we’re going to watch horror flicks we all like or want to see, like The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, A Haunting in Connecticut, and even funny ones like Shawn of the Dead. So, we’re starting tomorrow, and until the end of October, we’re going to get into the “haunting” mood.
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, and I don’t really know what I’m going to do. I’m having my Halloween party the Saturday before, so I might just have an open invitation to anyone who wants to hang out that day with us; for cake, tarot readings, and general good natured holiday fun.
Samhain is the second New Year’s I celebrate. New Years parties never meant much to me; they all seemed so arbitrary. But, as a celebration of the end of the harvest and of the dead, I don’t mind it as much.

Dream Home

If you could design your dream house, what would it be like? What sorts of colours would you use for certain rooms? Would you design a room for your personal sacred space? Would you design an entire chapel for your altar, or design a beautiful garden for it? Would you perhaps include a barn on your property to have your eggs or other animals? How would you make this house more Pagan-centric? How would you make it more "green" and Eco-friendly? from Being Pagan

My mother likes decorating shows. I have watched enough of them, despite my hating them, to practically become an interior designer.
My dream house would be a penthouse apartment, probably a two-storey one. Yes, they exist, and yes, they are expensive. If my significant other and I can’t afford a Toronto penthouse, then I’d like to stay in the town where I was born, Waterloo, in your typical suburban house. Three bedrooms, even if only two will be used as such (I’ll explain that later), laundry room upstairs, LARGE en-suite master bathroom upstairs. The downstairs would have a small hallway at the front door, which leads into a nice-sized living room. Through another doorframe would be the kitchen and dining room. I live in an open concept house right now and I hate it, so this house wouldn’t be open concept. There would also be a nice sized bathroom on the main floor. The basement would be finished with an open concept space. There would be a bar, and a large space for just hanging out, watching movies, and having parties, similar to what I have now. The basement space would also convert into some more beds in case I had more people sleeping over.

Alright, now the actual decorating! I’m a huge fan of the ‘men’s club’ look. This means dark, muted colours with lights highlighting certain things. Yes, everyone will probably think it’s super dark. Yes, that is what I want, but I would put all my lights on a dimmer. Then, if my mother was over and though it was too dark at the dining room table, I can use the dimmer switch to brighten it up. My walls would be wallpapered in a solid colour of dark blue, and my floors would be VERY dark hardwood. I would have lots of area rugs, and they would be in bold geometric patterns in dark colours with a pop of a bright colour. The kitchen and the bathrooms would probably have the brightest lights without dimmer switches. The kitchen and bathrooms would have large floor tiles in a dark colour as well. Hardwood is too hard to clean in these kinds of rooms. I would either match the colour of the hardwood, or stick to a dark blue. The backsplash and counters would be in white subway tile. The appliances would be stainless steel.
Upstairs, the master bedroom would have one feature wall of red paint, and the remaining three would be in burgundy. The bed would be a dark wood four poster if I can get away with it. The floor would be carpeted with a very plain carpet. The other furniture would, of course, match. The bathroom would be tiled in white subway tile going up the wall about five feet, then the blue above the top. Everything would be white, with a large sink. The shower would NOT be tiled. I hate how tiles feel on my feet.
There would be a guest bedroom, which would not be in the style of the rest of the house. It would be another bright room, with maple coloured furniture, and painted a light green colour. It would have a queen-sized bed. The floor would be carpeted with the same colour as the rest of the upstairs hallway and master bedroom, just for a bit of continuity.

Okay, the basic design! But wait, we’re missing one of the bedrooms! This is where the fun comes in. I would hope that I marry a pagan, but knowing my luck I won’t. Anyway, this other bedroom would be my ritual room. See, I like my stuff. In fact, I really like my stuff. And, of course, I really like my pagan stuff as well. Now once I move out, I can start to buy things online, such as herbs or oils, and my father won’t be like “NO! Someone will steal my identity!” So, this room would just be for spiritual things. I would paint the walls in a sandy colour, and the carpet would also be a sandy colour. You know, for Egypt! I’d get shelves in gem tones, especially blue for lapis lazuli. There would be no furniture except for shelves. All my items that were not displayed (oil vials, herbs, candles) would be in the closet, which would be organized for easy storage and access. My items like statues, big fancy candles, and other things I want to display would be on the shelves. The walls would also have my wall reliefs and other hanging artwork. The room would be big enough for a small group of people (maybe about eight), but it would be mostly me (and maybe my husband). The overhead light would be bright, but it would be on a dimmer as well in case candle light wasn’t enough.

Lisey, I know you like the idea of having a barn and living off the grid (you god damn hippie) but I’m a city girl. No barns, no farm animals, minimal eco-friendly...
It’s my dream house damnit!

Divination

There are many forms... probably way more than I even know of yet.
-- Do you use any form? If so, which do you use, and which do you prefer (if you use more than one form)?
-- Who/What do you get your answers and guidance from? Angels? Ancestors? Your Higher Self? Universal Spirit? etc
-- What kinds of limitations are there in divination? Do these hinder or help you on your spiritual journey?
--From Pagan Blog Prompts

Everyone is born with a unique gift. The problem, or rather lack of motivation, lies in the fact that ‘divination’ in today’s world is considered a fraud, or a fictional class in Harry Potter. Even just talking about divination conjures up ideas of the bug-eyed Professor Trelawney telling Harry he’s going to drop dead.
People think that the tarot reader is the old woman who scams you for money. People think that Ouija boards are for teenage séances. People think pendulums are made with wedding rings and held over pregnant ladies bellies. Though divination is commonly considered as a “future telling” practise, it can be a lot more than that. You can use it for dream interpretation, or finding lost objects.
But enough about the ignorance of society. Onto the prompt!

I use tarot pretty much predominantly. I’ve always like tarot, and even though I suck at memorizing things, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be “weaned” off the books. Of the few really hard-core readings I’ve done, I’ve made out pretty well, you know. I read a small definition in the book, and then the cards start to speak to me. I have a pendulum that spoke to me when I saw it, but I don’t use it much. I prefer the Tarot.

You hold the answers deep within your own mind. Consciously, you've forgotten it. That's the way the human mind works. Whenever something is too unpleasant, to shameful for us to entertain, we reject it. We erase it from our memories. But the imprint is always there.—Evanescence
I think that we hold the answers within our minds, and the cards bring the answer to the forefront. The cards speak to us, and we remember answer. Anyone who knows me knows I suck at rambling about things I don’t know, but if you’ve heard me do a tarot reading, I ramble like there is no tomorrow.
This doesn’t mean that spirits or deities can’t or won’t contact you through the cards, if you ask them.

If you don’t believe in yourself, then divination is never going to work.

Sacred Space

Do you have sacred space designated? Or is it something you only create when you need it? What kind of space do you like to use (indoor, outdoor, etc)? --Pagan Blog Prompts

Sacred spaces are interesting, to me at least. Anywhere can be “sacred”, if you prepare it properly. I had my New Year’s celebration in a hotel, and it worked quite well. When I was really feeling nervous and out of it, I was outside and felt pretty good about it. If I need a big concentration of energy, I sit at my altar.
Usually, I sit on my bedroom floor with a cloth over top of my rug. So, I suppose I create my sacred space. I mean, I do have a permanent altar set up, and I use it as a desk as well. However, I don’t think it’s necessarily suited for actual ritual work. So, I create a space to work on.

The area I use depends greatly on what I’m doing. For my own rituals and spells, I would try to stay in my own bedroom, or go outside if the weather was nice, or I really needed massive amounts of sunlight/rain/snow/whatever. For the more “family” celebrations, my mom and I will probably make some place either outside (she’s a hippie), or at the kitchen table.

I think sacred space is less about the physical area you’re in, but more about the mental space you are in. Sure, there are places that have huge concentrations of energy and are “sacred”, but any place can be made sacred if YOU want it to be sacred. Like with the hotel room. It was a hotel room at a Howard Johnson, which is practically the antithesis of sacred, and managed to make a sacred space for my use. It had to do with my intention, not my location.

Losing Touch

What do you do to recharge and re-energize? How do you get back in touch with yourself after being so caught up in the mundane of every-day life, work and bills?
Also, I'm curious how you recognize that you've lost touch. Is there some sort of signal, some sign that you notice, that tells you it's time to take a break?
--Pagan Blog Prompts

Because I’m still working on processing my books, I can really tell when I’m drained. When I’m really in-touch with what I’m doing, I’m literally on a roll. I can finish huge books in a day or two. But when I’m really drained, I work at a snail’s pace and end up doing almost nothing.

I usually push through it, or negotiate with myself. Right now, I should be working on processing, but I’m typing up this blog post, so I’m not doing something totally pointless. Sometimes I just give up, but that’s usually for things that are less important. When I feel out of touch, I usually get really upset with myself, because I feel bad for not doing anything.

If I really need to recharge, I usually just do whatever I want. I ignore what I “have” to do, and focus on what I “want” to do. And if what I “want” to do is read comments on FSTDT, then I do it. Eventually, what I want to do will become what I need to do, and the cycle repeats.

Pagan Blog Prompt: Mundane Beauty

As I leave my home for a week tomorrow, I thought it would be fitting to post something about my house. So, I wrote up another Pagan Blog Prompt about Mundane Beauty.

Make your blog post today about the beauty surrounding you, hidden within the mundane. It could be something you see or do every day, that suddenly feels magical. Tells us a story, and help us to feel that magic too.
Beauty is everywhere, we just have to take the time to notice it, and recognize it as such.

Beauty is indeed everywhere, and people tend to forget that. We are a culture obsessed with movie stars and fake boobs, and we don’t notice the beauty in clouds or animals.
Today, the mundane beauty I’ve found is in my dream catcher.

Now, compared to the more professional ones you can buy, this thing is ugly. It’s made of a wreath ring, with black leather cording wrapped around. The netting is off-centre. The beads are nice Sworski crystal in pink, red, and blue. The metal feathers came with the cheap kit. There is a Tibetan prayer bead hanging from it on a piece of clear wire. It smells like bergamot, and I think I burnt some of the sinew netting when I cleared it with sage.
Yes, this thing is clearly hand-made.
And that’s why it’s beautiful.
See, you can tell it’s handmade. You can tell that someone (meaning me) put the time and effort into making it, instead of buying a more “factory” looking one from a store.
I think that's where mundane beauty comes from. I took the time to handmake something, and though it is no where near professional quality, the energy that flows through this is so much better than any one purchased at a store. Sure, the materials used were very ordinary (and cheap), but together they combined into something extraordinary.

Altar, Part Two

Another Pagan Blog Prompt!

What does your altar look like?
What kinds of items do you include, and why?
What does each item symbolize, or what purpose does it serve?

I got this print of the Aztec god Tonatiuh at the Mexican pavilion in Walt Disney World. I got it framed, so I could keep it out.
Beside this is a postcard size print of Quetzalcoatl, a deity who I’ve recently become very attached to.
Though I’m not Aztec in tradition, I found the prints too pretty to pass up, and they were inexpensive and easy to pack...as they were flat. I’m actually really happy I got the Quetzalcoatl print especially, considering he has recently made contact with me. You can read about that in my dream journal.

Okay, next is my stone collection and my deity candles.

My deity candles are my candles that I have dedicated to certain gods. I burn these the most.
The tall green and black striped one is my Thoth candle, the red one is Quetzalcoatl’s, the blue is Ptah and the white is Bast.
I don’t really know why I keep these out, I just kind of started doing it, and I found I liked the arrangement.

These are my miscellaneous stones.
Back row, right to left: Peacock ore, moonstone, dark sunstone, jade
Middle row: Hematite, Smokey quartz, clear quartz
Front row: Howlite, green apatite, snowflake obsidian

These are my two carved wands: Smokey quartz and mookite

My large-ish stones
Back row: Lapis Lazuli, petrified wood
Front row: Sodalite, zebra agate

This is my ammonite

Possibly my pride and joy: my rather large obsidian crystal ball.

My rose quartz, which is “my” stone.

These are the stones of Leiko, my little flower faerie. She likes purple. The stone in the front left hand side is amethyst, and the other three are just dyed that I found in Disney.

Finally, this is a piece of malachite I purchased for Quetzalcoatl. This is the same colour and pattern the god had when he revealed himself to me.

I keep all my stones together on my altar because I play with them when I’m working, and I like having them nearby. I really like using stones every day, so having them nearby and being able to touch them, they will really absorb my own energy so that when the day comes when I really have to use them, I don’t have to really worry about having to recharge my stones.

Well, that’s my altar. It’s a little strange, like me, but it changes almost daily, even just by brushing along the stones.

Altar

Another Pagan Blog Prompt!

What does your altar look like?
What kinds of items do you include, and why?
What does each item symbolize, or what purpose does it serve?

Well, let me show you some pictures!

This is my desk. Yes, it is a desk. From Ikea, which is my favourite store EVER. This desk is, I believe, ALVE desk. In the drawers, we’ve got random junk, my train-case, safety pins, and all sorts of electronic cords.
I do most of my work on this desk. When I’m practising makeup, or watching TV before bed, or working on my USBoS, I sit here.

Over here is my little faerie corner. I bought these for my mom one year for mother’s day, but when we moved, I hijacked them. They don’t balance very well, so they are more often than not laying down. I have a rather close connection to the faeries, or rather...faeries have a close connection to me. I keep them here, and I’m not really sure why...
I mean, they are really cute.

Okay, this is my jewellery spot. I keep all the jewellery that I usually wear here. This is my Isis jewellery box. In here I keep some important papers, and some more of my dressier jewellery like my blue topaz necklace I got for my 16th birthday, and my garnet necklace I got for Christmas one year. Just sitting there, in front, are my 5 rings: a plain black one on my thumb, a tear-drop amethyst and diamond on my index, an ankh on my middle, a pentacle on my third, and a replica of the One Ring from Lord of the Rings on my pinkie. I’m on the hunt for a new pinkie ring. There is also my good ankh necklace (in the box), my plastic Hieroglyph of Ra on a chain, my Egyptian charm necklace with an ankh and the Eye of Horus, my two watches, one has Eeyore on it, and that weird silver thing? That’s a spoon that was made into a bracelet.
I keep all my jewellery on my altar so that it not only has a “spot” where I am sure not to lose them, but also so that there can be an energy exchange. I wear most of these things every day, so at the end of the day when I take them off, my energy can permeate my altar, and my altar’s energy can recharge my jewellery.

Next is collection of Egyptian statues. I have four at the moment, but when I get more, things will be moved around.
First up is Anubis; on his base I keep tiger’s eye, citrine and hematite, because I didn’t have any of the stones that are usually associated with Anubis. Also, I keep a mini plastic statue of Anubis on his base.

Second is Isis. On her base, I keep three pieces of carnelian, which is called the “Blood of Isis”, and a piece of moonstone. Also, she has a miniature plastic version of herself.

Third is my statue of Thoth, who is one of my patron deities. He looks better from the side! Anyway, on his base I keep a malachite obelisk and a piece of uncut and unpolished emerald. He also has a miniature plastic statue of himself.

My fourth and final statue is of Sobek. I love his headdress! On his base are also tiger’s eye, citrine and hematite, because I didn’t have any of the stones that are usually associated with Sobek. On his base, as well, is a miniature plastic statue of Bast, because the tube I got the other plastic statues in didn’t have Sobek.

Here are all four together

Stay tuned for Part Two, coming up right ahead of this post!

Separate Ceremonies

Taken from Pagan Blog Prompts:
If you were to plan your own Wedding or Funeral ceremony, would you create two separate ceremonies for pagan and non-pagan folk, or would you just plan a ceremony around your own personal beliefs? How would you feel if any non-pagan friends or family did not wish to attend such a ceremony?

My cousin got married on August first, which is also the day I’m writing this. Her husband’s parents are both Christian ministers, and thus the ceremony was obviously Christian.
The church, funny enough, was the same church my parents got married in. It is a nice enough church, but very old fashioned. On the main altar, there was the triple moon symbol, which made me laugh, because it’s a symbol of the Triple Goddess. What really freaked me out was the “Flag of a Christian Nation” they had right beside the Canadian flag. I didn’t expect it.

So, this begs the question, what would I do for my wedding?
I actually have a couple of scenarios.

Let’s say I marry someone with a very open mind, and is willing to have a pagan ceremony. First off, I’d work on finding a pagan priest or priestess who was legally recognized by the province of Ontario. I know there are some, probably in Toronto. If I was unable to find a priest or priestess who is officially licensed by the country, I would have a small civil ceremony at a courthouse with the immediate family, and the witnesses (if they weren’t a sibling), and have a religious ceremony after the fact.
I would like to get married in the early fall, dead winter, or late spring, so mid-October, January, or the end of March. For the legal pagan ceremony, I would opt for late spring or early fall, so we can have the wedding outdoors.
I would rent a good hall (I’ll let my mom handle that one!), and make sure it would have a nice set of grounds attached or right near there, so we would have the actual ceremony outside. Then, we would have some photography there, or some at a studio. Dinner would then be served in the hall which would be decorated in Egyptian fashion using Egyptian colours like gold and lapis blue. We would have good food (Italian if we can get it). On the table, there would be plates as centerpieces with little glass votive holders for lit candles, and instead of a mirror, or glass beads, I would have Jordan almonds as decoration around the candles for people to munch on throughout the night. As a take-away, I would give everyone a votive candle in one of my “colours”. Wrapped around each candle would be a piece of paper with a general wellness candle spell. If people don’t want the spell, they can just toss the paper and keep the candle.
I wouldn’t have traditional “pagan” music, because I don’t like that sort of thing, but I would probably have Egyptian/Arabic belly dance music because I love it!
Also, instead of clinking glasses or something like that to get us to kiss, I would suggest naming a deity from the Egyptian pantheon. People know the main ones, and if people know ahead of time, they can just Google “Egyptian pantheon” and write a few down.
I would probably be a little disappointed if my non-pagan family chose not to come to my wedding, because they are my family and I have respected their beliefs for ceremonies like weddings and funerals, no matter how insulting I find them. So, if I respect them, I would hope that for my wedding, they would respect me.
I’ve mentioned before that I’m very lucky in the fact that my family is generally open minded, and for something like this they would let me have 100 percent say because it’s my wedding, and I could have a pirate, or a superhero wedding, and they would respect it.
My mother has mentioned before: as long as my marriage is legal, either through the religious ceremony, or a small legal “signing of documents” in the courthouse, it doesn’t matter what I do. As long as it’s legal.

Of course, knowing my luck, I’ll marry someone with
A) Religious parents
B) Is rather religious himself
C) A combination of both
Okay, so, I don’t mind that much. In this case, I would do one of two things.
In the first case, we still have the more Egyptian pagan reception, and I would agree to be married in the religious ceremony of my future husband. I would make the request to change “God” to “Spirit”, and maybe ask if they could say “in the name of the Father, Son, and Sage or Spirit” instead of “Holy Ghost”, if the religious leader would agree to that. I know that my childhood ministers would agree to adapt a marriage ceremony to fit my needs, so I would hope that the groom’s religious leaders would be willing to have a more blended ceremony. I would still be okay if they did not want to d a blended ceremony. I would, however, request something along these lines, with just a rough guide for times
1pm-groom’s religious ceremony, probably the “legal” ceremony as well.
2pm-pagan ceremony
6pm-dinner and reception
In this case, if non-pagans did not want to go to the pagan ceremony, or non-(insert groom’s religion) did not want to go to that ceremony, I don’t think I would be as upset, because they would at least go to one wedding, and of course to the reception which would be Egypt themed, not really pagan themed (except the candle take-away).

In the best case, I would assume and hope that my fiancée and his family would at least respect my wishes to have my religious beliefs at least honoured in a wedding ceremony, either by combining beliefs, or having two ceremonies.

I suppose we’ll deal with that hurdle when we get there.

Pagan Blog Prompt: Creativity

Taken from Pagan Blog Prompts:
“How does your creativity level relate to your spiritual path? Have you gotten more in touch with your creative side because of your journey (perhaps out of necessity for ritual items)?
Or, if you've always been the creative type, has your 'portfolio' of creations changed a lot since you started your pagan journey?”

I have never been the most creative. I enjoy writing, and I would always mindlessly doodle on paper during classes, but when it comes to real arts and crafts, I downright failed. Literally.
I would always try though, and be dismally disappointed.
Luckily, in the digital age, I’ve managed to learn a couple of things on my favourite medium: Photoshop

My graphic designs are fairly basic and fan-oriented and are in fact gathered in a folder called “The Boy Collection”.

However, I enjoy photo-manipulation; cutting and pasting of various elements of stock photos to create a new image. I work primarily with fantasy images, in a gothic/romantic setting. So, think pretty princesses mournfully locked in towers overlooking dark waters with nebulae hanging in the sky.
Okay, so, my early pieces were terrible; this isn’t even an understatement. They were so bad...
I gave up on them for a while, but got into them again recently. My newer works were simplistic in nature; copying from “The Masters” on deviantArt.
Recently, I’ve started considering works of art based on different things in my USBoS folder, from Gods and Goddesses, to Gemstones.
Though I’m not sure if this idea will ever come to fruition, they are still a source of ever growing and continuing inspiration.

The best artwork is layered with symbolism. Now that I study symbols, including meanings behind planets, metals and colours, I’ve learned how to incorporate all this into my art. This gives more layers to the pieces. You not only have your basic image, for example a princess in a tower dreaming of her prince, but you can incorporate bright oranges into the nebula, as a promise of hope, or digitally carve ankhs into the castle walls to show life. These little details will bring the image from a standard photo-manipulation to something that makes the viewer say “wow”.

I guess you can say that all this learning has helped me immensely in my art work. Because every say I learn something new, each lesson is a new photo-manip waiting to come out. Not only am I learning about my spiritual path, I can share these feelings with the world through art. Though I may not be the best at photo-manipulation (yet), the wanting to honour the gemstone I turn into a beautiful woman, I’ll strive and push myself to the very limits of what I can do, and try new things, because I will want the spirits to be proud of me, and I want them to love the piece as much as I do.

I hope this made sense!

PS: I finished my dream catcher; I'll let you know how it works sometime next week!