Sunday, November 30, 2014
Friday, November 28, 2014
More Festival Follies At The Lake Okeechobee Pagan Summer Solstice Festival In Pahokee
First Ironic Festival Moment ~ Two local people talking in a restaurant. One asks the other, "Have you gotten any more business with the festival here?" The restaurant owner says, "Nah. I've only seen maybe one or two people, but not much difference at all." Here's the ironic part ~~ This was told to me by a group of six pagans sitting and eating in the restaurant overhearing the conversation.
Second Ironic Festival Moment ~ During Friday night's awesome fire service during which the Fahrenheit 360 troupe was performing followed the spoken wisdom of Fred around the huge bonfire, we all turn to see that the Fire Department was pulling up onto the levee behind us. (The site is in a long line bordering Lake Okeechobee on one side and an extreme high levee on the other side separating the lake from the Town of Pahokee.)
Everyone starts moaning and groaning thinking that now we are going to have big trouble with the Fire Department over our fire displays, which are an integral part of our religious worship at Summer Solstice. One of the festival promoters, Bruce Mullins, along with a few others, quickly ascended the levee to handle the situation while the festival goers were looking on and muttering about whether we would need to organize a formal protest against this same sort of thing we have had to occasionally encounter at other Florida festivals. Not fair. Wasn't an article just recently posted that Pahokee and the Pagans were BFF's?
Okay, here it comes. Bruce comes back down the hill and announces that the fire tender had been speaking previously with the Fire Department and that they were so impressed by how we handled bonfires and other fire workings, that they brought their firemen down to see how well it worked in action! Big sigh of relief from everyone and even more jubilation during the remainder of the evening with the firemen joining in for a few moments at our fire tender's birthday celebration. (By the way, we think firemen are very sexy and we would definitely buy their calendar if they sold it during the next festival. Just saying!)
As the firemen departed, they were greeted by whoops and hollers of appreciation ("Hail and be well, firemen. Hail and be well!) from festival goers for their understanding and support of the festival. This truly was one of those memorable moments of a memorable festival in our Florida Pagan history.
Now back to the festival follies, which is not going to be as detailed as usual as I have to head back to the festival early today for some interviews and, of course, to get lost in more festival fun this evening. (It is the last day of festival and not to be missed, you know.)
PAGAN FESTIVAL FASHION TREND ALERT ~ The Steampunk look is here. Actually, steampunk with a bit of Viking warrior blended in is hitting the festivals and EVERY fashion forward pagan simply MUST be sure to add a few pieces of steampunk.
PAGAN FESTIVAL FASHION TREND BLINK~ While I am the first to admit that platform high heels are extremely sexy, they are also extremely painful at a festival that requires a lot of walking. Just saying.
Wicked Revolution
On Thursday, the music line-up on-stage began with a performance by Mark & Holly including a very enjoyable composition by Mark entitled The Sister Song, which was dedicated, of course, to his sister. Later in the evening, another concert was held by the Whatwedo band. (Unfortunately, because of so many offerings at the festival, I was unable to catch this concert. Hugs and kisses to Whatwedo. I'll catch up with you later. Muwah!)
Friday's lineup began with Grassy Waters, a South Florida band, with a musical flavor we describe in the South as swamp music. Swamp music usually combines musical tones and rhythms found in Louisiana blues and Cajun stylings, merged with Southern rock, jazz, and blues. It's a unique Southern flavor which we adore.
Next came one of my favorite Florida performers (as well as good friend), Lord Alexian, who gave a wonderful performance (as usual) in which he engages his audience to become an actual part of the performance.
Performance Art at Wicked Revolution's Concert
The evening concluded with a performance by Wicked Revolution, which included performance art of shadowed dancers and fire dancers during the show. After enjoying Lord Alexian's concert and then Wicked Revolution, we can easily see that pagan music performances are beginning to evolve into more than just the musicians. We are beginning to reach into performance art along with musical presentation. More about pagan music trends later.
As for shopping, because we do love to shop, the vendors were able to regain their stride after Thursday's dousing and vendors' row was the place to be yesterday. Love the vendors. When looking for a particular item, I always try to go to our vendors first and their on-line pagan stores before going to other on-line shopping venues whenever possible. Supporting our Community is important!
I'm going to end this article by sharing several photos of the festival on our Website Facebook Page (just click here to find them) since I have to get ready and head back out to the festival, but I promise to continue sharing more of this memorable festival with everyone.
Brightest of Solstice Blessings. Muwah! Mead
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Let It Go Forth Into The World For The Benefit Of Those Who Can Discern Its Meaning
I have succeeded in elucidating the psychological phenomenology of the I Ching, I shall have carried out my purpose.
As to the thousands of questions, doubts, and criticisms that this singular book stirs up I cannot answer these.
The I Ching does not offer itself with proofs and results; it does not vaunt itself, nor is it easy to approach.
Like a part of nature, it waits until it is discovered.
It offers neither facts nor power, but for lovers of self-knowledge, of wisdom if there be such it seems to be the right book.
To one person its spirit appears as clear as day; to another, shadowy as twilight; to a third, dark as night.
He who is not pleased by it does not have to use it, and he who is against it is not obliged to find it true.
Let it go forth into the world for the benefit of those who can discern its meaning. ~Carl Jung, Psychology and Religion, Paragraph 1018.
Forward to The I Ching by Carl Jung
As to the thousands of questions, doubts, and criticisms that this singular book stirs up I cannot answer these.
The I Ching does not offer itself with proofs and results; it does not vaunt itself, nor is it easy to approach.
Like a part of nature, it waits until it is discovered.
It offers neither facts nor power, but for lovers of self-knowledge, of wisdom if there be such it seems to be the right book.
To one person its spirit appears as clear as day; to another, shadowy as twilight; to a third, dark as night.
He who is not pleased by it does not have to use it, and he who is against it is not obliged to find it true.
Let it go forth into the world for the benefit of those who can discern its meaning. ~Carl Jung, Psychology and Religion, Paragraph 1018.
Forward to The I Ching by Carl Jung
http://www.iging.com/intro/foreword.htm
Vistour Blog
good morning everyone its friday january 16 10:36am sorry to all if any that have read this and wondered why there was nothing new i have been very busy with my study,s so i didnt think much of my blog
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Revival And The Gospel Of Grace
Darryl Dash, in an interview with Tim Keller:
"DARRYL DASH:" You've said that we need to change significantly-beyond ordinary approaches like new programs or staff-in order to meet the challenges of a post-Christian culture. What are some of the deeper issues the Church needs to face?"TIM KELLER:" The first "deeper" issue is the one that Lloyd-Jones spoke of in his lectures on revivals. He heard people saying, in London in the 1950s, that the solution to the decreasing church attendance and Christian influence in society was better apologetics, more emphasis on church growth or, in the case of the mainline, adapting theology more to the modern mood.
But Lloyd-Jones, of course, believed the need was for spiritual revival. The trouble with naming this is that, unfortunately, in many evangelical circles, especially charismatic ones, "revival" is always said to be the cure-all for our ills. But Lloyd-Jones was thinking of the historic revivals and of a theology of revival of Jonathan Edwards. This means we must, as in all the revivals, recover the gospel of grace.
I agree with Lloyd-Jones on this, but this is a very unpopular view right now in much of the evangelical world. In parts of the Reformed world, Edwards' view of revival is under attack as individualistic and inimical to the importance of the Church. Oddly, in the emerging church Edwards' view of revival is unpopular for the same reasons, because of its emphasis on the "individualistic" views of substitutionary atonement, forensic justification and so on.
I think these attacks on (or indifference to) the importance of revival are very wrong. We live in a society in which revival is necessary. As Peter Berger shows in "The Heretical Imperative "in contemporary pluralistic societies, everyone who believes a faith has to make an individual choice to believe it. There are no longer inherited, authoritative faith traditions. Whether you raise a child Lutheran, Muslim or Baptist the child at some point will have to choose to make the faith of his parents his or her own. In other words, they will have to have a conversion experience.
When revival breaks out through a recovery of the gospel, three things happen:
* nominal church members realize they'd never been converted;
* sleepy, lethargic Christians are energized and renewed;
* outsider non-Christians are attracted into the beautified worship, community and lives of the converted and renewed church members.
That's how it works. We need it. [more]
Ministry in a Post-Christian Culture: An Interview with Tim Keller - Darryl's Blog
Amarres De Union Pactados
Amarres de amor efectivos caseros pactados
Amarres de amor hechiceros expertos en curaciones pactadosTu amarres de amor Como pactados
Hacer un amarre de amor angeles y arcangeles pactados
Nuevos amarres de amor pactados
Amarres de amor con fotos pactados
Amarres de efectivos gratis pactados
Amarres poderosos y efectivos pactados
Amarre mental mas fuerter del mundo pactados
Amarres efectivos de amor pactados
Poderoso amarre de amor pactados
Amarres de amor poderosos casero pactados
Amarres de amor caseros pactados
Amarres de amor la santa muerte pactados
Amarres de amor, Conjuro de amor pactados
Brujeria de amor pactados
Amarre de amor sin brujeria pactados
Amarres para el amor pactados
Amarres de amor rapidos pactados
Nuevos amarres de amor Amarres de amor Precio inigualable UD200 pactados
Amarres de amor eterno pactados
Amarres de pareja pactados
Servicios de amor pactados
Amarre amor Hechizos, rituales y mas pactados
Amarres de union pactados
hechizos de amor pactados
magia blanca pactados
Amarre de amor a distancia pactados
Amarres de amor pactados
Santeria Cubana pactados
Hechizos de amor pactados
Amarres de amor efectivos caseros Amarres de amor hechiceros expertos en curaciones Tu amarres de amor Como Hacer un amarre de amor angeles y arcangeles Nuevos amarres de amor, Amarres de amor con fotos, Amarres de efectivos gratis, Amarres poderosos y efectivos, Amarre mental mas fuerter del mundo, Amarres efectivos de amor, Poderoso amarre de amor, Amarres de amor poderosos casero, Amarres de amor caseros, Amarres de amor la santa muerte, Amarres de amor, Conjuro de amor, Brujeria de amor, Amarre de amor sin brujeria, Amarres para el amor, Amarres de amor rapidos, Nuevos amarres de amor, Amarres de amor Precio inigualable UD200, Amarres de amor eterno, Amarres de pareja, Servicios de amor, Amarre amor, Hechizos, rituales y mas, Amarres de union, hechizos de amor, magia blanca, Amarre de amor a distancia, Amarres de amor, Santeria Cubana
Hechizos de amor, Amarres de amor solo con fotos Amarres de amor con fotos gratis Amarres de amor con fotos y miel Amarres de amor con fotos caseros Amarres de amor con fotos efectivos Amarres de amor poderosos Amarres de amor casero Amarres amor magia negra Amarres de amor efectivos Amarres de amor solo con palabras Amarres de amor solo con el nombre como hacer un amarre de amor solo con fotos hechizos de amor por internet amarres con solo nombres amarres de amor para que solo piense en mi amarres de amor son de verdad amarres de amor son peligrosos amarres de amor son verdaderos amarres de amor solo con el nombre amarres de amor solo con las palabras amarres de amor son reales amarres de amor son ciertos amarres de amor son efectivos amarres de amor sintomas amarres de amor simples y efectivos amarres de amor sencillos amarres de amor santa muerte
amarres de amor sin materiales amarres de amor sencillos y efectivos amarres de amor sirvan amarres de amor santeria amarres de amor santa cruz bolivia amarres de amor Don Lino amarres de amor con fotos amarres de amor gratis amarres de amor efectivos y rapidos amarres de amor lima, amarres de amor lima peru amarres de amor casados amarres de amor con cabellos amarres de amor con magia blanca amarres mundo arcano amarres peru amarres mortal amarres eternos amarres de amor amarres eternos con fotos amarres eternos de amor amarres eternos vidente del sur amarres eternos lima amarres eternos caseros amarres eternos gratis amarres eternos lima peru amarres eternos de amor efectivos amarres eternos 100% seguro amarres de amor eternos amarres de amor de magia blanca amarres de amor definitivos amarres de amor santeria amarres de amor de por vida amarres de amor de san antonio amarres de amor de verdad amarres de amor definitivos gratis amarres de amor para que te ame amarres de amor para que me ame amarres de amor hechizos de amor amarres de amor eternos amarres de amor eternos y poderoso amarres de amor eternos gratis amarres de amor eternos efectivos gratis amarres de amor eternos y poderoso gratis amarres de amor eternos con fotos amarres de amor eternos lima amarres de amor eternos santa muerte amarres de amor efectivos casero amarres de amor efectivos gratis amarres de amor efectivos eternos amarres de amor efectivos gratis amarres de amor efectivos en chile amarres de amor efectivos en monterrey amarres de amor efectivos energeticos amarres de amor efectivos luna llena amarres de amor efectivos con orina amarres de amor con cabellos amarres de parejas amarres pactados amarres de amor pactados amarres pactados vudu amarres pactados con muertos amarres pactados con el diablo amarres pachuca amarres con pachuli amrres de amor matrimonoio amarres de amor material amarres de amor sin material amarres de amor para matrimonio amarres de amor con materiales simples materiales para amarres de amor amarres de amor para que te pida matrimonio amarres de amor para que me pida matrimonio como hacer amarres de amor sin materiales materiales para hacer amarres de amor amarres para enamorar amarres para el amor amarres para el hombre amarres para una mujer amarres para casarse amarres para atrapar al ser amado amarres para matrimonio amarres para atraer al amor amarres para siempre amarres peru amarres poderosos de amor amarrews de amor para una mujer amarres de amor para que regrese amarres de amor para toda la vida amarres de amor para que regrese el ser amado amarres de amor que se enamore de mi amarres de amor para mujeres amarres de amor para amantes amarres de amor para mi esposo amarres de amor para que te llame amarres de amor por internet amarres de amor piura amarres de amor mas fuertes del mundo amarres de amor mas poderoso del mundo el amarre de amor mas fuerte casero los amarres de amor mas fuertes casero el amarre de amor poderoso gratis amarres poderosos y efectivos cual es el amarre de amor mas fuerte cual es el amarre de amor mas fuerte que existe
Origin: asatru-religion.blogspot.com
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Kindly Awareness
IF YOUR LIFE FEELS LIKE A STRUGGLE WITH THE WORLD, IT MAY BE THAT YOUR REAL STRUGGLE IS WITH YOURSELF. BUT IF WE TURN TOWARDS OUR EXPERIENCE WITH KINDLY AWARENESS WE CAN FIND THE DEEPEST KIND OF PEACE AND HAPPINESS THAT COMES FROM WITHIN
Mindfulness means paying attention. Simply paying more attention to our surroundings brings many benefits, but something interesting also happens when we also pay attention to the thoughts in our heads and the feelings that go with them.
Many people notice how hard we on ourselves we can be. There's a constant commentary on everything we do, often including self-criticism, harsh judgments, chivvying and berating. That has an effect and those thoughts turn out to be closely related to stress, anxiety and depression. It's hard to relax if you feel that what you do isn't good enough.
That's where kindness comes in. Noticing our thoughts helps us let unhelpful ones go rather than dwelling on them and that's a way of being kind to ourselves. But feelings are important as well, and it's very helpful to find techniques that help us respond to our experience with a sense of kindness.
THE KINDLY BREATH
One way to do this is through using the breath. As we breath in we can imagine that the breath expresses a sense of kindness that enters and fills the body. Words or phrases can encourage that, so we can quietly repeat to ourselves 'May I be well; may I be happy', letting the words express a heartfelt wish.
In this way, kindness can be a part of a breathing meditation and it can help us to face whatever difficult situations, thoughts, feelings or sensations (like pain) may confront us.
COMPASSION FOR OTHERS
Kindness for ourselves can open into kindness or compassion for others. Our own suffering can cut us off from others, and experiences like stress, pain or depression can make us preoccupied with our difficulties. Connecting with others can be a way out of that, and the kindness we develop for ourselves can grow into kindness or compassion for others.
In fact, one of the most popular Buddhist meditation, taught by the Buddha himself, practices is called 'development or loving-kindness' or "mettabhavana". In this practice you develop feelings of kindness for yourself, a good friend, someone to whom you feel neutral, and someone you find difficult. Then you spread the kindly feelings to everyone in the world.
if you are interested in learning more about this practice, you can use this guide.
Source: spellscasting.blogspot.com
Fulgur Esoterica Warehouse Sale
What a year!
2014 has been our most successful year. We have published no less than seven projects, including the critically acclaimed Cameron-Parsons collaboration SONGS FOR THE WITCH WOMAN and Rik Garrett's evocative EARTH MAGIC. Together with the Arts University Bournemouth we have initiated an ambitious programme of publications exploring esotericism and contemporary art under the banner of BLACK MIRROR. In March we were key participants in the University of Cambridge conference Charming Intentions which sought to explore the relationship between arts and the occult. In October we hosted I:MAGE 2014, a two week programme that included an exhibition, artist's talks, workshops, book launches and a special conference at the Warburg Institute. Amongst all this, we have also found time to publish three new issues of our Abraxas journal. In short, it's been a very busy year and we are grateful to everyone who has been so supportive of our wider aims.
Our Warehouse Sale, and why...
After all this, you might think 2015 will be quieter... but we have some major (and long-awaited) publications due for release over the next few months, including Michael Bertiaux's ONTOLOGICAL GRAFFITTI, and FULGUR: A BIBLIOGRAPHY, to name but two. All this new stock means that even our larger warehouse is looking full, so to make space we will be offering some of our past and present titles at vastly reduced prices. These are copies which we considered 'seconds', ie. they have small blemishes on the covers, etc., but we will be offering some of them with a discount of over 70% off the published price. The sale begins on December 30th at 4PM Greenwich Mean Time and regular buyers will receive an email notification, as usual.
Reference: i-love-witchcraft.blogspot.com
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Hail Maine
As always my facts come from 50states.com.
Now let's get rolling...
Hail Maine!
Maine is the only state that shares its border with only one other state. Maine is the only state in the United States whose name has one syllable.
The White Mountain National Forest covers nearly 800,000 acres, the forest covers a landscape ranging from hardwood forests to the largest alpine area east of the Rocky Mountains. Maine lies farther northeast than any other state. Maine contains 542,629 acres of state and national parks.
Approximately 40 millions pounds (nearly 90 percent) of the nation's lobster supply is caught off the coast of Maine. Maine produces 99% of all the blueberries in the country making it the single largest producer of blueberries in the United States.
Maine has a long list of notable residents. For example the King family, Stephen, Tabitha and their son Owen are all residents of Bangor.
Of course what comment about Stephen King would be complete with out a picture of the house!
The original inhabitants of Maine are:
The Maliseet tribe
The Passamaquoddy/Wabanaki tribe
The Abenaki tribe
The Penobscot Indians
I found a great website with a time line of Native American history here.
I also found this video about the Wabanaki people of Maine. For more information on the Wabanaki People visit their website.
Wabanaki: A New Dawn from Maine Indian Tribal-State Comm. on Vimeo.
Learning from the mistakes of the past, will help us avoid those in the future. Taking away the freedoms and cultures of others is something that destroys both cultures. Each group should be allowed to live and worship as they believe. I don't want more rights than you, I just want the same rights as you.
Sending love and protection to the great state of Maine!
Namaste & Blessed Be
Sosanna
)O(Read Confessions of a Modern Witch
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Jayber Crow And The Call
Warning
Frequent attempting to find a "REPRODUCTION" in this book will be prosecuted; public attempting to find a "IMPLICITNESS" in it will be banished; public attempting to program, interpret, reveal, appraise, deconstruct, or or else "UNDERSTAND" it will be exiled to a wilderness desert island in the party just of other explainers.BY Control OF THE Paddock
The choice is the "RECORD" posted in Wendell Berry's unproven Jayber Laugh. This is noticeably exact to the "RECORD" which precedes Keep score Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn:
Warning
Frequent attempting to find a rationale in this record will be prosecuted; public attempting to find a proficient in it will be banished; public attempting to find a share in it will be bang into.
BY Control OF THE Paddock
"per" G. G., Zenith OF Weapons
Do you hope Wendell Berry will quit to exile me for precisely identifying his thinly obscure college allusion?
Ahem.
I hope it was back in college that Si and I first started discussing the sacred/secular tension. I hope we've all attentive this sort of station, in one national or new-found. For slice, "THE MINISTRY" is sacred seeing as person a execute is mundane. For instance a proponent is sacred seeing as person a businessman is mundane.
This tension has a hindrance gear. Uppermost, it elevates "THE MINISTRY" to the site wherever its members stand somehow expert than the laity. On the one hand, person a instructor or adult "IS" a give the right, and it is a important workforce to fastidiously and meticulously lead God's run. On the other hand, seeing that not many men are even to point to such a calibrate, inclination everything exceedingly "MUNDANE" seems to fall back run of the mill life.
And yet run of the mill life is emphatically what utmost of us will lead. And this is part of the natural order. God, when all, did not foremost twist a pastor and instructor, but a gardener. God's top assembly, in whom lay His own image, worked the discoloration with his hands, managed unanimous ecosystems with his wisdom.
And yet we be revolted by calendar plod.
When, as comradeship had sink, God romantic artisans and musicians. If these everyday jobs are so mundane, why is it that God had a hand in bringing them forth stylish the world?
Which brings to incentive the inspiration that dividing life stylish sacred and mundane categories could trade fair attract us to assume that just the sacred ought be submitted to Him, seeing as the mundane could in all probability be located under our own decree, to do with as we happy.
Jayber Laugh encountered this tension in his own experience:
But for as yearn as I can hoist, I had been tryout preachers tip off in sermons how they had standard "THE GIVE THE RIGHT"; this was normally the image of Brother Whitespade and the many visiting preachers who tease at The Mop Assemble. Not one of live in men had ever optional that a suppose can be "CALLED" to suchlike but "FULL-TIME CHRISTIAN SERVICE," by which they meant either the ministry or "THE CUT DEPARTMENT." The finest thing they can image was that an waifs and strays boy, having been rescued by the benevolence of the church, must refund his demand for payment by knowledge "the give the right."
Engaged to its logical concentrated, this tension has many disastrous charge. It permits missionaries to break their lives to unreached run groups seeing as manner their own children off to boarding school. {As the church appropriated the family's everyday jobs of training children and terse the rely on from generation to generation, links lost its calibrate as a "SACRED" organization and so was after that cast off as a mundane incapacity.} It allows women name spiritual seeing as attending compound Bible studies, but wealthy by the acquit yourself of dishware, the washing of laundry, and the many other everyday jobs that, in imitation of upon a time, Thomas Even more affirmed to be "SACRED".
What time, the world was seen as a very good whole. In each other's pocket, it stood in triumph, infused with radically meaning. Laundry wasn't trade fair laundry. It was a sacred rite, an air of love, attempt, service. Cooking provisions wasn't trade fair cooking provisions. It, too, was love, and in the same way encourage, pleasant, clemency, and glare.
Declaring utmost of the world to be mundane has emptied it of radically of its meaning. And in the same way as it is take home we investigate resuscitation not trade fair regulate leisure activity, but the unremitting string of church engagements that get as far as to name that our lives storage space spiritual result.
But they in the past "DO" storage space spiritual result, for the run in our lives are spiritual beings. We ourselves are spiritual beings. And our document engagements are, trade fair as they were in days of old, infused with meaning. In the wake of all, it wasn't women's Bible studies that were affirmed to be spiritual revere. It was presenting our bodies as a living expense. A living, animate, "EXPENSE".
As Jayber Laugh revealed, we really can be called to a superficially mundane task:
By All Means I Was Called To Be, For One Thing, A Barber.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Hatred For The Crucifix And Those Who Revere It Preparation For The Reign Of Antichrist
It was Jeanne Le Royer (d. 1798), also known as Sister Mary of the Nativity, who prophesied that, "Many precursors, false prophets, and members of infernal secret societies, worshippers of Satan, shall impugn the most sacred dogmas and doctrines of our holy religion, "shall persecute the faithful", shall commit abominable actions; but the real and extreme abomination and desolation shall more fully be accomplished during the reign of Antichrist, which shall last about three years and a half. Woe, woe, woe to the last century which is descending! What tribulations precede its commencements. Out of this mighty voice I recognized that these woeful tribulations will make their appearance in the age before the judgment...When the time of the reign of Antichrist is near, a false religion will appear which will be opposed to the unity of God and His Church. This will cause the greatest schism the world has ever known. The nearer the time of the end, the more the darkness of Satan will spread on earth, the greater will be the number of the children of corruption, and the number of the just will correspondingly diminish.."
At St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Baldwinville, Massachusetts, a Roman Catholic priest has spoken of a New World Order which is approaching. He appears to favor this New Order which intends to destroy the Catholic Church by subverting it from within. See here.
Credit: way-of-witch.blogspot.com
At St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Baldwinville, Massachusetts, a Roman Catholic priest has spoken of a New World Order which is approaching. He appears to favor this New Order which intends to destroy the Catholic Church by subverting it from within. See here.
Credit: way-of-witch.blogspot.com
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Big Time
Date: 06-May-89 15:01
From: George Burnett
To: All
Subj: Big Time Religion
Oh, am I disillusioned!. I had supposed that the Neo-Pagan movement was immune to Big Time Religion. Pagan friends of mind like to say, "I don't belong to an organize d religion; I'm a Pagan." I've had experience with several Northern Californian grou ps, which served to confirm my view. Granted, some of the groups are very organized, on paper, but still in the low rent district.
Now I see that "we" are not immune to the lure of Big Time Religion. A few days ago I received the Spring 1989 "Circle N etwork Bulletin".
A full half page of this 8-page, tabloid size, bulletin, was devoted to MONEY!--
one o f the biggest symptoms of Big Time Religion. Items included, "a special fund-rasing drive to raise money for the Circle Sanctuary Development Fund." A disclaimer follo ws, "Money raised will go to meet several critical needs.
These include the followin g:..." Anyone using a bit of logic, can see that the money may also go to other, un specified, "critical needs", in addition to those listed.
The list enumerates: "Publishing...to cover the costs of the computer desktop publis hing system...", "Networking...to replace our antiquated mailing list computer system...", "Facilities...to improve our facilities for [those] who visit our center [including] at least one indoor bathroom...", "Nature Preservation...to plant more trees, p reserve our wetlands...and develop Circle Sanctuary as a spiritual environmental educ ation center, "Land...to refinance our center's Land as well as to cover land payment s themselves...Our center still has more than $100,000 to pay and the balloon payment comes due in 1990."
[ Where is Jim Bakker when there is a need for ridiculous sums of money to be raised? ]
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
Message #6815 "MagickNet Echo"
Date: 06-May-89 15:02
From: George Burnett
To: All
Subj: Big Time Religion
Now, about the "Sanctuary" these folks are attempting to finance [ I wonder if the G oddess will "call these folks home" if they don't get their hundred thousand dollars?]. Why am I so bitter in these two messages? Further reading led me to ask myself if these folks are running a private reserve, under the guise of a religious "Sanctuary"? To wit:
Under the heading, "Visiting Circle Sanctuary", "Circle Sanctuary, Circle's headquarters, is a 200 acre sacred Nature preserve...If you would like to visit Circle Sanctuary, [-- they have printed the following in bold italic letters -
-] you must make arrangements with us in advance. [end of bold italic letters
]. Drop-in visitation is not permitted." [Huh?] They want heaven-knows how much money from us and they don't want us making any "drop-in visitation"?
What's going on here? "The best time s for Nature Religions practitioners (Pagans) to visit us are at our events." I interpret this to mean, that these folks want all the money we can throw at them, but don't want us to interrupt their cozy living situation by just dropping in. Unlike your neighborhood church, synagogue or mosque, this facility is open only at the convenience of its live-in clergy.
Why are other fairly large organizations able to carry on teaching and public ritual s and all sorts of Pagan spiritual development without an envious eye on your wallet?
--They are not large property owners and they are not in over their heads with wild eyed fantasies about 200 acre "Sanctuaries" and they don't have clergy who view the religion's property as their own private reserve. The only remaining question: Is this situation unique to Circle?
Blessed Be to All! George B.
* Origin: ThelemaNet - Hail Eris! * (415) 548-0163 (Opus 1:161/93)
Source: wiccalessons.blogspot.com
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Vodou Initiations Outside Haiti The Great Controversy Revisited
Saturday, November 8, 2014
Faerie Tyagi
Friday, November 7, 2014
A Catholic Guide To The 6 Myths Of Atheism It Showdown Time
Myth: Science makes God obsolete.
There is a widespread assumption that somehow the progress of science has challenged, or will challenge, the reasons that previous generations had for believing in God. But why should it? Imagine if human beings were the size of microbes and lived on a tuna noodle casserole instead of our current size on the earth. Imagine we became so scientifically advanced, we identified all the different constituent parts of the casserole we lived on, and even started to explore the vast kitchen outside the casserole. It would be ridiculous for us to claim that, since we know the ingredients so well, there must not have been a cook.
This is your vanilla 'designer' argument (nothing exists without a designer, we exist, therefore...). So let's be clear here. Science does not and cannot prove that god(s) does not exist - a god (being invisible, omnipotent, and willing to hide) is the ultimate in untestable hypotheses. But what the scientific method shows us is that god is, indeed, redundant. Of all the many and varied scientific theories that have been developed, not one can be improved by adding a god to the mix. God does not help us understand anything, and this isn't coincidental. It's a direct consequence of the fact that the 'God Hypothesis' untestable.
Why? Because for a hypothesis to be testable, it must make predictions about consequences (i.e. if A then B), and those consequences must be observable. In order to hide from science, god has been defined by believers in such a way that it's impossible to tell the difference between a universe in which god exists, and a universe in which god does not exist.
Myth: Science is a reliable guide for us.
In fact, if you look at the history of science, you don't see the history of an infallible learning method slowly but surely widening our understanding of the universe. Science is an excellent instrument for fact-finding, but one that has been wrong about fundamental things at every point in its history. Theories of spontaneous generation seemed entirely reasonable at the dawn of science. Paul Ehrlich's theories expecting mass famine due to overpopulation seemed plausible at the beginning of the 1970s. What theories of today will prove just as false? Scientific knowledge at any stage of its history is merely tentative, and new discoveries are continually refining or discarding previous theories.
No atheist claims that science is infallible. In fact, the attraction of science is that it is fallible. When you get better evidence, you change your mind. That's why science is the best guide for us - in fact, in terms of understanding the world around us, it's the only guide.
Incidentally, the NCR has confused untested hypotheses with scientific fact. Spontaneous generation was hypothesized, then Pasteur tested the hypothesis and proved it wrong. Ehrlich hypothesized a resource crunch. That hypothesis was tested, and found to be wanting (in some regards). The sum total of human knowledge increased (even though these hypotheses never became scientific fact)
Myth: Religion and science are incompatible.
Often, fans of this myth will cite Galileo as proof that religion and science are opponents in a contest that often appears to be a death match. The Galileo incident is actually a good example of the real relationship between science and religion. Search for Galileo at Catholic.com, to learn how the incident is widely misunderstood. Galileo's theory that the earth travels around the sun and not vice versa was not unique to Galileo. Others held it, and the Church didn't suppress the idea. Instead, Galileo's personal animus toward the Pope forced the two into a showdown. The moral of the story? Real religion and honest science are certainly compatible: Religious people and scientists, however, sometimes fail to be.
Religion and science represent fundamentally different world views. Religion relies on revelation and supernatural explanations. Science relies on theory testing and assumes naturalism. They don't necessarily come into conflict. But they do every time religion tries to claim it helps us understand the real world - rather than the make believe one.
Weekly Lunar Reading And Magical Attributes January 6Th 13Th 2010
Moon Phase:
Waning GibbousMoon's Place
Libra
(moon enters Scorpio on Friday, Jan. 8th then Sagittarius on Sunday afternoon)
Lunar Reading:
Your hopes are being given new light with the beginning of the new calendar year. We must learn how to let go of the issues we faced or demons we battled. Things can only get better, if you choose to see it that way. The law of attraction and power of manifestation will play a vital role this year and the rest of your life. What you resist will continue to persist. Let go of the troubles and problems that seemed to once consume you. This is now who you are. Allow yourself to be free of those chains. Release it to what ever entity or force you believe in. Visualize the issues in a bag or on a plate and hand them over to God/Goddess. Ask the fairies to carry them away or a river to watch them down stream. Know when you let go of them that these issues or matters are gone forever, no longer your concern. They require no thought, as thought would only bring them back. Remeber, you have released them and God or the Universe has already taken care of it.
This week and month may pose for some communication issues. With both Mercury and Mars in retrograde, common miss-communications can happen easily. Often we experience dropped phone calls, internet connection issues, malfunctioning computers and other devices that allow us to psychically connect to each other for communication purposes. Sometimes this is the universe pushing you to physically see the person or attempt to to connect with them on some level telepathically. After all, a new era is coming and we have to start opening up somewhere. Why not start with the third eye and our spiritual and elemental instincts.
For the Magic Doers ">It is highly suggested that you take the time to cleanse all of your crystals and magical working devices in water. Bless them with the unconditional love the universe offers. Visualize particles of dust or energy floating down from the heavens and absorbing into your magical devices. Allow the energy to be absorbed into your body and soul as well. Be sure to search my archives for different cleansing and renewal rituals and meditations. One of my favorites is the body and bath cleansing meditation.
Any magic done now for such things as court cases and ridding ones self of a negative habit or issue is in perfect timing. Things will flow in your favor at this time with the current moon phase and astrological positioning. Rest easy and know the universe is playing out the best scenario for you, even if it may not feel like it at the moment.
Your Mission for this week:
Show patience with others and yourself. Give close ones the benefit of the doubt. Most likely they are just trying to help you, even if you don't agree with their way of showing it. Respect your elders, no matter the situation. They have still lived here more years physically than you and they are closer to their transition than you are. Keep in mind that those who are many years older than you have experinced different aspects of life and understand and have lived through many eras and changes. Even if you are the adult or grandmother yourself, head the advice of your elders, regardless of circumstances or personal differences. No, they don't always know best, but they have more life experience in years than you and that deserves a little bit of respect.
I have decided to give you a physical and emotional mission, should you choose to except it:
Choose one person in your life that you deeply care about and are extremely thankful for. Make sure this person is of the same sex and not your life partner or spouse. If you are a woman, then pick another woman that you are thankful is a part of your life. Write a physical letter to them, not an email or a short text message. Get out your pen and paper and let them know from the heart why you are grateful they are part of your life. Keep the letter purely positive, maybe even make a gratitude list of why you care about them. It's not about what they've done for you, it's simply why you are thankful for that particular person. Why wouldn't life be the same without them? Share your heart and allow that special someone to know why they mean so very much to you and play an important role in your life.
Feel free to come back to the blog and post how you spent your day. Share your happenings with fellow readers. :-)
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Isnt It True That Christians Must Obey The Kosher Food Laws This Is What Acts 10 And 15 Teaches
I am by no means a scholar. But then Jesus did not pick from the educated in regard to the first Disciples. He picked the common laborer like me. Given the above, I will do my best to answer your questions; however, I would encourage you to return to the document I provide and do a thorough reading instead of a quick read. My experience with people who do a quick read is that they miss the main qualifiers (no disrespect to you intended). Personally, I find the conclusion solid. Take the two different Greek words for unclean and apply them to the other controversial Scriptures and tell me if the proposition holds or not. Mark 7:19: If the parenthetical statement was actually made by Jesus, then why doesn't Matthew, who clearly presents a more thorough witness, note it in his testimony about the same incident reported in Matthew 15:1-20? In Matthew, the key complementary verses would be 15:17-18.
I would suggest the following: Jesus himself, being God, gave the kosher commandments at Sinai. Never ever was pork, crab, shrimp or other items specifically mentioned starting in Leviticus 11 intended for food. It is only man, in his rebellion against God, who took it upon himself to "decide" that pork and other unclean animals were now clean and suitable for food. Didn't Jesus himself say that he did not come to abolish the Law? And, then he went on to declare the consequences, both good and bad, for those who did change the Law given at Sinai (Matthew 5:19). Matthew 15:1-20 and Mark 14:7 are dealing with hand washing not food. Starting at verse one it is very clear what the topic of discussion is: Rabbinical Oral Law in regard to ceremonial hand washing. Hand washing before eating, to the best of my knowledge, is something that God never prescribed. Jesus, in Matthew 15:3-9, immediatly takes them to task about their own traditions instead of holding to Gods commandments. In verses 10-11, Jesus calls to the people and tells them that it is not what enters into the mouth (food by unwashed hands) that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth. This is the start of the hangup for most people who argue that Jesus did away with kosher. Jesus held to the Law because he gave the Law, and he would have never suggested that unclean meat would have been part of "what enters into a man." Pork, crab, shrimp, and other unclean items were never intended to enter into a man and were not considered food by Jesus or anyone who held to the Law given by God. Then, Jesus went on to explain that the things out of the heart are those that defile the man, not unclean hands.
Jesus himself defines what the argument and topic at hand was in verse 20: These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man(Emphasis added). People for centuries have automatically assumed that the above mentioned unclean food items are what was in questions. There is no proof from Scripture that that would be the case. Someone who translated Mark added the parenthetical statement without grounds. I know this is simplistic, but I told you I am not a scholar.
Response:
I looked at your friend's interpretation of Acts 10 and I find it very credible. I would not say that it is definitely correct. To be honest, I think it could go either way, but his interpretation definitely makes sense-that God is telling Peter that he can join together in fellowship with a Gentile.
Also, I agree with you that in Matthew 15:1-20 and Mark 14:7, Jesus is talking, not about obeying the kosher laws, but about obeying the additions to the Law which were created by the Pharisees. This passage does not deal with food laws either way. Jesus is not saying here whether Christians ought or ought not to eat non-kosher foods. We know that Jesus obeyed the Mosaic Law while he was on the earth. This fact neither proves nor disproves whether a Christian can eat non-kosher foods, however.
Having said that, I do not agree with your overall conclusion. I believe that what you are doing is known as eisegesis, which means reading an interpretation into the Bible rather than getting it out of the Bible. Here is what we can be sure of as fact: the very early church interpreted the sayings of Jesus and the apostles as allowing the eating of foods which would be "unclean" to the Jews. The reason we know this is that it is a historical fact that the early church ate non-kosher foods. I am talking about the early second century.
About Mark 7, you say that Matthew is always a more complete story and that, therefore, we can simply ignore what Mark said. I am definitely not going to go there. I believe that the entire Bible is inspired by God. Mark quite often has a version with more details than Matthew. Will we simply throw out all the material in Mark which is not also in Matthew? Why not just throw out all of Mark if we only accept things in Mark that are also in Matthew. This is not an acceptable approach to the Bible. You said that the aside in Mark that Jesus declare all foods clean is not in the earliest manuscripts. This simply is NOT TRUE. I have looked around and the evidence does not support this conclusion. I think that this is wishful thinking on your part.
Another point. If Jesus said that Christians are not required to obey the restrictions of the Jewish/Mosaic Law, this does NOT nullify Leviticus 17 and 18. Jesus said that he would not take away a single word of the Law. Instead, he fulfilled the Law. Obviously, Jesus did not eat unclean food, as he was a Jew, but the question is whether Christians who are not Jews have to obey the Law in Leviticus. Are Christians required to obey the Sabbath? The answer, clearly, is no. Does that mean that Jesus nullified the Sabbath teaching in Leviticus? No. He fulfilled it. Do Christians have to obey the command about skin diseases, about Jubilee years, about daily sacrifices? Are Christians allowed to divorce their wives? Your argument simply does not hold up. The very purpose of the book of Galatians is to tell Christians that they are not bound by the Mosaic Law and that people who say they are have denied the faith. They are to be "eternally condemned." This is strong language. Colossians 2:16 says, "Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come. The reality, however, is found in Christ. From the context there is no doubt that he is talking about Jewish restrictions and laws. Paul calls these things (fore)shadows. In Galatians Paul makes it clear that the law about circumcision does not apply to Christians. Does this nullify Genesis? The answer is no. because these laws were a training ground, a preparation for the Jews. Paul says: "You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ: you have fallen away from grace." Given that we know he is talking about circumcision, then clearly this very strong statement applies to a command in the Old Testament.
So, although I agree with the interesting interpretation of Acts 10-I am prepared to conclude that it is very likely the correct interpretation and that God is not talking about eating food, I definitely cannot accept your interpretation that Christians are under the Old Testament laws. Paul made it abundantly clear that we are NOT under such laws. Jesus did not abolish these laws, but instead he fulfilled them so that we do not have to. Unless you can show me a passage where a Gentile Christian is told to obey the Jewish food laws, I have to believe that they are not, as Paul is so clear on this and, besides, we know from history as a fact, that this is how the very early church interpreted what the apostles said.
In fact, given the extremely strong wording in Galatians, such as Gal 1:6-9, I feel obligated to tell you that you are on very dangerous ground to tell Christians that they are under the Mosaic law.
About Acts 15, here Peter and the other apostles gave a very short list of things the Gentile Christians ought to do, not because they are requirements of Christians in general, but out of sensitivity to the Jewish Christians who were fellowshipping with the. Specifically, they were told to not eat meat sacrificed to Idols (later, in Romans and 1 Corinthians, Paul said to the church that eating meat sacrificed to an idol is not inherently sinful, by the way), to eat the meat of animals that were strangled or to eat blood. The latter two items are part of the kosher laws for the Jews, but the Gentiles are being asked to do this out of sensitivity, not because they are sinful, per se. Besides, they are quite specific in saying that the Gentile Christians would not be "burdened with anything beyond the following requirement." I am sorry but your interpretation is DEFINITELY wrong. The apostles were quite specific in saying these three requirements were the only thing requested of the Gentiles. Therefore, obviously eating certain kinds of meat were not part of the request of the apostles at this time. Neither were they required to be circumcised, to observe the Sabbath, to avoid wearing clothes with two or more materials or any of many dozens of other Mosaic laws.
John Oakes
The Four Powers By Nicholas Graham
"LINK :"
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Nick Farrell Latest Attack On S L Macgregor Mathers And The Secret Chiefs Of The Golden Dawn
BY DAVID GRIFFIN
Is the Golden Dawn a Living Tradition or a Headless Cadaver?Golden Dawn reconstructionist Nick Farrell argues the Golden Dawn died when Whare Ra temple closed its doors in 1978. Farrell further argues the Golden Dawn was from the outset a fraud perpetrated by Golden Dawn founders, W. Wynn Wescott and S.L. MacGregor Mathers.
Golden Dawn Reconstructionist: Nick Farrell
In a bizarre twist, Mr. Farrell fully depends on these arguments to justify his reconstructionist approach upon which he has built a Golden Dawn order according to his personal fancy. Unlike successful Neo-Pagan reconstructionists, sloppy G.D. reconstructionists like Mr. Farrell view the Golden Dawn as a juicy cadaver, from which they happily saw off the bits they like, discard the rest of the rotting carcass, and use the pieces they like to reconstruct a modern, distorted version of the Golden Dawn, much like Dr. Frankenstein did when he likewise created his monster out of bits and pieces of cadavers.
For years, I have been a primary advocate of diversity in our Golden Dawn community. I fully support the existence of a diverse plethora of Golden Dawn orders. Mr. Farrell's reconstructionist vision of the Golden Dawn, much like Pat Zalewlski's New Age alchemy, clearly adds to the overall diversity of our Golden Dawn community. I nonetheless also defend the right of traditionalist Golden Dawn orders, like the August Order of the Mystic Rose and the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega, likewise to exist unmolested, so that individuals continue to have somewhere they can receive classical, traditional Golden Dawn initiation and training.
One thing I do object to, however, is how certain sloppy Golden Dawn reconstructionists, unlike their excellent Neo-Pagan reconstructionist contemporaries, abandon academic rigor and protocol trying to rewrite history by attacking even the most fundamental aspects of the traditional Golden Dawn.
I was not surprised at all when Nick Farrell recently published yet another article, entitled "Secret Chiefs and the Golden Dawn," attacking Golden Dawn founder, S.L. MacGregor Mathers as well as the Secret Chiefs of the Golden Dawn's Third Order. In this latest attack article, Farrell, who has previously argued that Mathers was nutty as a loon, now argues that the Secret Chiefs of the Third Order were but figments of Mathers imagination (rather than real people like Mathers specifically claimed on numerous occasions).
I will not go into a detailed refutation of Mr. Farrell's arguments, as that has already been done in a fine manner by G.H. Frater Sincerus Renatus, Imperator of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn(R) and of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega(R) in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, in a new blog you can read here.
It is significant to note that Mr. Farrell's latest article appears in an on-line journal whose stated purpose is to raise money for a legal fund that finances litigation that unsuccessfully attempted to destroy our order. Thus, Farrell's article may be seen as just another machination in the decade old, Golden Dawn conflict, which covertly continues to be waged against our order, despite our long and incessant efforts to promote peace and harmony in the Golden Dawn community. (Note that, despite ongoing misrepresentation around the internet, our order remains the sole and exclusive owner of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn(R) trademark in the UK as well as in the entire European Community - EU trademark registration 000063925).
Mr. Farrell's recent, senseless profanation through publication of the Mathers recension of the initiatioin rituals of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega is, of course, also best understood in the same light, as Farrell mistakenly believed these the secret rituals were still in use today in traditionalist Golden Dawn orders like the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha et Omega and the August Order of the Mystic Rose. He failed to realize that we revised the rituals in anticipation of precisely such an attack on traditionalist Golden Dawn orders.
GH Frater: Sincerus Renatus
Here are a few excerpts from Sincerus Renatus' refutation of Mr. Farrell's latest attack article:"Mr. Farrell accuses Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers of using lies and deception in trying to uphold the idea of a physical and incarnated Secret Chiefs while at the same time resorting to channeled sources"Yet Farrell presents absolutely no sources or references to corroborate his story, in a manner that I have seen with other journalists posing as historians. Thus we must conclude that they are based upon Mr. Farrell's own fabrications and fantasies, or embellishings, rather than anything solid and historically proven, other than whatever he may have read into Ellic Howe's The Magicians of the Golden Dawn."I won't go into any greater details regarding Mr. Farrell's personal opinions on this matter of Secret Chiefs in the flesh or the "mental condition" of MacGregor Mathers, other than making the readers aware that he himself has an interest in refuting physical Secret Chiefs to be anything but a myth and MacGregor Mathers to be a loony. He uses his usual talking points to further his own post-modern reconstruction of a Golden Dawn Order. Mr. Farrell clearly isn't dealing with this subject from the perspective of a dispassionate and objective historical researcher, but obviously has his own agenda in furthering his opinionated and highly biased position, as any journalist would with an historical revisionist agenda. But I must react when he claims any historical veracity to his speculations."One can perhaps understand attacks on S.L. MacGregor Mathers and other Golden Dawn founders coming from someone like Ellic Howe, a dubious "historian" with a clear agenda to destroy the Golden Dawn. What is bizarre, however, is to hear the same arguments being parroted by Nick Farrell, who purports to lead a Golden Dawn order he has reconstructed. Why on Earth would anyone in their right mind want to lead an order, or even initiate or teach others a spiritual tradition they believe a fraud founded by liars and forgers?
Pagan Elder: Frater Barrabbas
I am certainly not the only one who has noted this inconsistency in the reconstruction efforts of Nick Farrell. For example, respected Pagan Elder and magickal author, Frater Barrabbas Tireseus, recently wrote here on his Talking About Ritual Magic blog:"What we have here is an never ending argument between traditionalists and reconstructionists in the Golden Dawn... Reconstructionism, as I defined it in my previous article, builds a modern tradition using properly vetted historical information. The basic premise is to build an antique system as if it had survived into the modern times... In order to give life to a reconstructed tradition, you must believe in it as a thing unto itself, thus generating a kind of egregore...if reconstructionists don't believe in the tradition that they have built, then it is still a dead tradition consisting of various assembled parts (with some missing), like some half finished Frankenstein monster laying on the operating table.A reconstructionist never says that his or her tradition is fake, but that it exists in a kind of metaphysical sense, "as if" it had never disappeared.Nick's role of nay-sayer and myth-busting iconoclast doesn't help his cause of reconstructing a Golden Dawn tradition, since in order to give life to a reconstruction, one must emphatically believe in it... I have a problem with someone who is the supposed head of his order and who claims that the tradition he represents is fake and based on lies and deceit...According to what Nick has declared in his recent blog, and what other leaders and members of the other reconstructionist factions have said, it would appear that what they are offering to the occult community is a sad testimonial to the Golden Dawn tradition - a headless corpse being passed off as a living thing... Curiously enough, a reconstructionist must also fashion a "head" for his or her tradition...I think that we can easily see that choosing a living tradition over one that is a headless corpse is a wise decision."
