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Celebrating Samhain

As Samhain is getting close, I gave a lot of thought about how will I celebrate the Celtic New Year. Since my knowledge in pagan or wiccan traditions is scarce, I searched for helpful ideas and I found this beautiful and simple way how to celebrate Samhain. But first I wanna say something  about Samhain itself.


Samhain marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year, for the Celts divided the year into two seasons: the light and the dark, at Beltane on May 1st and Samhain on November 1st. Some believe that Samhain was the more important festival, marking the beginning of a whole new cycle, just as the Celtic day began at night. For it was understood that in dark silence comes whisperings of new beginnings, the stirring of the seed below the ground. Whereas Beltane welcomes in the summer with joyous celebrations at dawn, the most magically potent time of this festival is November Eve, the night of October 31st, known today of course, as Halloween. 
Samhain (Scots Gaelic: Samhuinn) literally means “summer's end.” In Scotland and Ireland, Halloween is known as O�che Shamhna, while in Wales it is Nos Calan Gaeaf, the eve of the winter's calend, or first. With the rise of Christianity, Samhain was changed to Hallowmas, or All Saints' Day, to commemorate the souls of the blessed dead who had been canonized that year, so the night before became popularly known as Halloween, All Hallows Eve, or Hollantide. November 2nd became All Souls Day, when prayers were to be offered to the souls of all who the departed and those who were waiting in Purgatory for entry into Heaven. Throughout the centuries, pagan and Christian beliefs intertwine in a gallimaufry of celebrations from Oct 31st through November 5th, all of which appear both to challenge the ascendancy of the dark and to revel in its mystery.
In the country year, Samhain marked the first day of winter, when the herders led the cattle and sheep down from their summer hillside pastures to the shelter of stable and byre. The hay that would feed them during the winter must be stored in sturdy thatched ricks, tied down securely against storms. Those destined for the table were slaughtered, after being ritually devoted to the gods in pagan times. All the harvest must be gathered in -- barley, oats, wheat, turnips, and apples -- for come November, the faeries would blast every growing plant with their breath, blighting any nuts and berries remaining on the hedgerows. Peat and wood for winter fires were stacked high by the hearth. It was a joyous time of family reunion, when all members of the household worked together baking, salting meat, and making preserves for the winter feasts to come. The endless horizons of summer gave way to a warm, dim and often smoky room; the symphony of summer sounds was replaced by a counterpoint of voices, young and old, human and animal. 
In early Ireland, people gathered at the ritual centers of the tribes, for Samhain was the principal calendar feast of the year.   The greatest assembly was the 'Feast of Tara,' focusing on the royal seat of the High King as the heart of the sacred land, the point of conception for the new year. In every household throughout the country, hearth-fires were extinguished. All waited for the Druids to light the new fire of the year -- not at Tara, but at Tlachtga, a hill twelve miles to the north-west. It marked the burial-place of Tlachtga, daughter of the great druid Mogh Ruith, who may once have been a goddess in her own right in a former age. 
At at all the turning points of the Celtic year, the gods drew near to Earth at Samhain, so many sacrifices and gifts were offered up in thanksgiving for the harvest. Personal prayers in the form of objects symbolizing the wishes of supplicants or ailments to be healed were cast into the fire,  and at the end of the ceremonies, brands were lit from the great fire of Tara to re-kindle all the home fires of the tribe, as at Beltane. As they received the flame that marked this time of beginnings, people surely felt a sense of the kindling of new dreams, projects and hopes for the year to come. 
The Samhain fires continued to blaze down the centuries.  In the 1860s the Halloween bonfires were still so popular in Scotland that one traveler reported seeing thirty fires lighting up the hillsides all on one night, each surrounded by rings of dancing figures, a practice which continued up to the first World War. Young people and servants lit brands from the fire and ran around the fields and hedges of house and farm, while community leaders surrounded parish boundaries with a magic circle of light. Afterwards, ashes from the fires were sprinkled over the fields to protect them during the winter months -- and of course, they also improved the soil. The bonfire provided an island of light within the oncoming tide of winter darkness, keeping away cold, discomfort, and evil spirits long before electricity illumined our nights. When the last flame sank down, it was time to run as fast as you could for home, raising the cry, “The black sow without a tail take the hindmost!”


     A simple way to celebrate Samhain
                                                                        ( By Labgrrl )
October 31st, or November Eve, which is also called Samhain, is the cusp of the liturgical year for Wiccans and Pagans who choose to follow the Wiccan liturgical year. It marks the time when the old religious year passes, and the new religious year begins.

Like other such "Year's end" holidays, in other faiths, it is a good time to reevaluate how far we've come in our personal goals and how far we have to go.

New Wiccans, who've just started in the religion, even ones who will begin on October 31st, often want to do some activities that make them feel connected to the day. This list contains some ideas that newcomers to Wicca, and even old hands, can try with little or no background information.

#1. Honor the dead of the year. Pick people you know of who passed on this past year, and even those who you didn't know but who you felt affected by, and light a stick of incense for each one. Say their name, then light the incense, then say "May you pass freely from this world into the next, and find happiness." Then stick the incense in a pot of dirt or other holder. This should be done outside. You could also light tea candles in their names, etc, but the idea is to have a votive sacrifice, something of at least small value you consume in their honor, so don't reuse the candles.

#2. Make a list of things you have done wrong in the year, and how they can be rectified. Those things that you can make amends for either make amends for (For example, if you broke a window, fix it or pay for it to be fixed.) Those things you cannot fix, find a way that you might still make it better or right. Maybe you need to tell someone you're sorry?

#3. Write a list of all the people who have influenced you, either in your life or just this past year, and why they have influenced you. What people should you cultivate in your life (people you should get closer to) and what people are bringing you down (people you should reduce contact with.) How can you improve your influences over the next year?

#4. Come up with three goals for the next 12 months- a hard one, a not-that-hard one, and a fairly easy one. Break the goals down into three sections-what you will do immediately to further them, when you will be half-way there, and what you'll want to be like just before you're finished. Revisit the goals you made last year, if any.

#5. Let "The Dead" become untrapped from your property. Open your front door and your back door simultaneously (You may have to lock pets in another room.) Say "Let those who need pass this space pass freely." After a few minutes, close the doors.

#6. Give something that is not good for you up. Write it on a piece of paper and burn, bury or tear the paper into shreds.

#7. Put on a costume and wander around, with your cell phone handy, and 'police' your neighborhood for injured kids, crime, etc. Become a force for good on a night that some ignorant people will use for pranks and vandalism.

#8. Call up a relative you have not spoken to in a long time and say hi. Relatives become ancestors faster than you realize.

#9. Visit a grave of a lost one and tell them what you need to tell them to move on with your life.

#10. Dedicate yourself to your future, and the future of our people and our planet. Make plans, set goals, and take steps.

All of the above tasks require no special rituals or training, and represent very real things Wiccans do on this holy night. Each can help you "get the meaning" of the holiday, even if it's your first one as a Wiccan.
This is borrowed from www.labgrrl.com/2009/10/activities-for-new-wiccans-who-are.html

Saturday 2 October 2010 at 00:00 , 0 Comments

Wiccan Together

I found this site today, it's an online community for Pagans and Wiccans.This is what they say:

This site is devoted to the practice of Wicca. It is an excellent resource for those looking to gain a better understanding of the religion of Wicca as a whole. Through chat, discussions on our post boards, our many Wiccan groups, and links to many other sites with a Wicca connection. Wicca is an open religion devoted to the worship of the goddess, or god and goddess, The Horned God, and the Triple Goddess respectively. Traditional Wicca includes many paths, Gardnerian, Alexandrian, oftentimes referred to as British Traditional Wicca. Osian, Gaian, Cochranianism, Feri, and the Dianic. And the list goes on. Some new age covens, followings, and groups are emerging all the time.

One thing all traditions hold in common is the Wiccan Rede. Though there are many forms of it, and changes to the wording, the meaning stays clear; "And thou harm none, do as thou will" It is not necessary to belong to a coven to be Wiccan. The solitary practitioner has as much a place as any coven member. Oftentimes , the solitary Wiccan will refer to themselves as an eclectic. Devoted to the idealism's and teachings. While most Wiccan covens have some sort of initiation process. Accompanied by a more strict guideline to follow, including feast days, appropriate ritual, and a variety of others. Wicca is a religion dating back to only the 1950s and was founded by Gerald Gardener. But its roots go back to generations before. Regardless of your personal religion, or whether you would call yourself Wiccan or simply just Pagan.

We hope you enjoy your time here on Wiccan Together.

So, if you think this is a place for you, visit them at www.wiccantogether.com/

Friday 1 October 2010 at 13:26 , 1 Comment

The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth Of The Ancient Religion Of The Goddess By Starhawk

This brilliant overview of the growth, supression, and modern-day reemergence of Wicca as a Goddess-worshipping religion has left an indelible mark on the feminist spiritual consciousness. In this beautiful 20th-anniversary edition, Starhawk now reveals the ways in which the practice of ritual and Goddess religion have, in the face of a changing world, developed over the last 20 years – and the ways in which these changes have influenced and enhanced her original ideas. This important spiritual guidebook provides both the tools of ancient practice and the means to adapt them to our lives today – for, according to Starhawk, ‘a living tradition is not static or fixed; it changes and responds to changing needs and changing times.’

If anyone wants to read let me know :)

at 07:31 , 0 Comments

Pearls Of Wisdom By Kahlil Gibran


A friend who is far away is sometimes much nearer than one who is at hand. Is not the mountain far more awe-inspiring and more clearly visible to one passing through the valley than to those who inhabit the mountain?

A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle.

Advance, and never halt, for advancing is perfection. Advance and do not fear the thorns in the path, for they draw only corrupt blood.

All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind.

All that spirits desire, spirits attain.

And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof.

I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.

I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit.

If my survival caused another to perish, then death would be sweeter and more beloved.

In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.

Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children.

Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.

Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.

March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life's path.

Of life's two chief prizes, beauty and truth, I found the first in a loving heart and the second in a laborer's hand.

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.

What difference is there between us, save a restless dream that follows my soul but fears to come near you?

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

Yesterday is but today's memory, and tomorrow is today's dream.

You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.

at 06:47 , 0 Comments

A Story Of Soulmates Reunited, Only Love Is Real By Brian Weiss



"A gripping love story that transcends time as we know it....This book makes you truly believe that we all really do have soulmates and that Only Love is real."
-Raymond A. Moody, M.D., Ph.D., author of Life After Life

Here is the glimpse of Chapter 1...

Chapter 1
Know, therefore, that from the greater silence I shall return.... Forget not that I shall come back to you.... A little while, a moment of rest upon the wind, and another woman shall bear me.
KAHLIL GIBRAN
There is someone special for everyone. Often there are two or three or even four. They come from different generations. They travel across oceans of time and the depths of heavenly dimensions to be with you again. They come from the other side, from heaven. They look different, but your heart knows them. Your heart has held them in arms like yours in the moon-filled deserts of Egypt and the ancient plains of Mongolia. You have ridden together in the armies of forgotten warrior-generals, and you have lived together in the sand-covered caves of the Ancient Ones. You are bonded together throughout eternity, and you will never be alone.
Your head may interfere: "I do not know you." Your heart knows.
He takes your hand for the first time, and the memory of his touch transcends time and sends a jolt through every atom of your being. She looks into your eyes, and you see a soul companion across centuries. Your stomach turns upside down. Your arms are gooseflesh. Everything outside this moment loses its importance.
He may not recognize you, even though you have finally met again, even though you know him. You can feel the bond. You can see the potential, the future. But he does not. His fears, his intellect, his problems keep a veil over his heart's eyes. He does not let you help him sweep the veil aside. You mourn and grieve, and he moves on. Destiny can be so delicate.
When both recognize each other, no volcano could erupt with more passion. The energy released is tremendous.
Soul recognition may be immediate. A sudden feeling of familiarity, of knowing this new person at depths far beyond what the conscious mind could know. At depths usually reserved for the most intimate family members. Or even deeper than that. Intuitively knowing what to say, how they will react. A feeling of safety and a trust far greater than could be earned in only one day or one week or one month.
Soul recognition may be subtle and slow. A dawning of awareness as the veil is gently lifted. Not everyone is ready to see right away. There is a timing at work, and patience may be necessary for the one who sees first.
You may be awakened to the presence of your soul companion by a look, a dream, a memory, a feeling. You may be awakened by the touch of his hands or the kiss of her lips, and your soul is jolted back to life.
The touch that awakens may be that of your child, of a parent, of a sibling, or of a true friend. Or it may be your beloved, reaching across the centuries, to kiss you of her lips, and your soul is jolted back to life.

at 01:13 , 0 Comments

Wiccan Goddess Chant By Inkubus Sukkubus

Tuesday 28 September 2010 at 05:20 , 0 Comments

Earth, Air, Fire, Water & Spirit







EARTH ( North, Winter's Slumber )

 “I look to the North, to the mountains, the caves and the
ravines hidden in darkness. The Earth is solid beneath my
feet, I am filled with the energy of growth, of fulfillment, of
permanence.” - Ariendel

Rules over: physical body, growth, the natural world, the earth, stability,
foundations, material wealth, silence, introspection, self-perception, rest,
renewal, (re)storing energy, creativity, metals.

Time of day: Midnight
Season: Winter
Time of Life: Advanced Age
Astrological Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Tarot Correspondence: Pentacles
Type of Energy: Receptive
Basic Nature: Fertile, moist, nurturing, stabilizing, grounding, protective
Colors: Black, brown, green, earth tones
Tools: Pentacle
Spirits: Gnomes, ruled by King Ghob
Archangel: Gabriel
Wind: Boreas
Sense: Touch
Stones: Moss agate, emerald, jet, olivine, salt, black tourmaline, onyx, rock salt
Natural Symbols: Salt, clay dish of fresh soil, rocks, sheaves of wheat, acorns
Tree: Oak, pine, elm, earth mother - birch
Plants: Comfrey, ivy, grains, barley, oats, corn, rice, rye, wheat
Animals: Stag, cow or bull, snakes, bison, dogs, horses, earthworms, unicorns in
their groves
Places: Caves, canyons, chasms, forests, groves, valleys, fields, farms, gardens,
parks, plant nurseries, farmer’s markets, kitchens, baby nurseries, basements,
mines, holes.
Goddesses: Ceres, Demeter, Gaea, Mah, Nephthys, Persephone, Prithivi, Rhea,
Rhiannon
Gods; Adonis, Athos, Arawn, Cernunnos, Dionysus, Marduk, Pan, Tammuz
Rituals: Money, prosperity, fertility, stability, ground-breaking, employment,
introspection, divination, gethering of personal strength.
Ritual Forms: Burying, planting, making images in soil or sand, energizing crystals,
feeling the stillness in stone.
Earth Represents Law, solidity, reliability, recognition of the
inescapable order of things, Nature in its permanence aspect.

AIR ( East, Spring's Rebirth )

“I look to the East where the rising sun peeks through the clouds, over
the treetops, and on high plains. The winds caress me, bringing inspiration,
wisdom and clear thought on a breath of Air.” -Ariendel

Rules over: logic, intuition, wisdom, learning, theory, fertility, the breath of the
body, new beginnings, starting over, planting for the future, making plans.

Time of day: Dawn
Season: Spring
Time of Life: Infancy
Astrological Signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Tarot Correspondence: Swords
Type of Energy: Projective
Basic Nature: Flying, moving, fresh, intelligent, suspending, Sound is a manifestation
of this element.
Colors: Yellow, white, chartreuse, purple/lilac, sky blue, pastels
Tools: Wand, athame, sword, censer
Spirits: Slyphs, ruled by King Paralda
Archangel: Micheal
Wind: Eurus
Sense: Smell, hearing
Stones: Imperial topaz, citrine, mica, opal, pumice
Natural Symbols: Feathers, incense smoke, fragrant flowers, eggs, seeds
Tree: Aspen, pine, maple, eucalyptus
Plants: Frankincense, myrrh, pansy, primrose, vervain, voilet, yarrow, dill &
other culinary herbs
Animals: Birds and insects, spiders, hawk and eagle in particular, butterflies,
dragonflies, griffons
Places: Mountaintops, windswept plains, cloudy skies, high towers, airports,
schools, libraries, offices, travel agencies, psychiatrists offices.
Goddesses: Aradia, Arianrhod, Cardea, Nuit, Urania
Gods: Enlil, Khephere, Mercury, Shu, Thoth
Rituals: Travel, instruction, study, freedom, knowledge, recovering lost items,
beginnings, setting things in motion, starting a journey.
Ritual Forms: Tossing objects in the air, suspending tools in high places, falling
light objects, visualization, positive thinking, planting seeds, blessing the earth

Air represents Life, the principle of mind, intelligence, the
left-brain, linear-logical faculty, creativity and the
healing of functional disorders

FIRE ( South, Summer's Bright Energy )

“I look to the South, the noonday sun bakes down upon the deserts, the
plateaus, and the volcano’s mouth. In the heat I am consumed by
passion, filled with energy, healed and reborn by Fire.” -Ariendel

Rules Over: Heat, Passion, Energy, Healing, Purification, Joy, the spirit within us, destruction,
spirit, sexual tension/sexual attraction, fertility, growing into one’s potential

Time of day: Noon
Season: Summer
Time of Life: Youth
Astrological Signs: Aries, Leo, Saggitarius
Tarot Correspondence: Wands
Type of Energy: Projective
Basic Nature: Purifying, destructive, cleansing, energetic, sexual, forceful,
healing
Colors: Red, orange, gold, white(pure heat), hot pink
Tools: Censer, sword, knife, wand
Spirits: Salamanders, ruled by their king Djin
Archangel: Ariel
Wind: Notus
Sense: Sight
Stones: Amber, obsidian, rhodochrosite, ruby, lava, garnet, fire opal
Natural Symbols: Flame, lava, heated objects, cauldron, forged metals
Tree: oak, holly, chestnut, cedar, walnut
Plants: Garlic, hibiscus, mustard, nettle, onion, red peppers, red poppies, cacti,
coffee beans (stimulant)
Animals: Snakes, lions, horses whose hooves strike sparks, crickets, scorpions,
ladybugs, bees, sharks, dragons, the phoenix
Places: Deserts, hot springs, volcanoes, ovens, fireplaces, bedrooms (sex),
weight rooms, locker rooms, saunas, athletic fields
Goddesses: Brigit, Hestia, Pele, Vesta
Gods: Agni, Hephaetus, Horus, Prometheus, Vulcan
Rituals: Protection, courage, sex, energy, healing, strength, authority, banishing
negativity
Ritual Forms: Burning or smouldering, heating, jumping a flame, candle magic

Fire represents Light, energy, drive, potency, fertilization in
the organic and energizing sense, desire, the healing of organic
disorders, the destruction of outworn or negative

WATER ( West, Autumn's Harvest )

“I look to the West, I see the reflection of the setting sun on the
lakes, the rivers and the seas. The Waters swirl around me,
shifting emotions, perceptions, ever changing and and renewing.” - Ariendel

Rules over: Emotion, Intuition, Love, Feelings, the Womb, the blood in our veins,
sorrow as healing, divination, tapping into the unconscious mind, allowing ourselves
to fully feel.

Time of day: Twilight
Season: Autumn
Time of Life: Maturity
Astrological Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Tarot Correspondence: Cups
Type of Energy: Receptive
Basic Nature: Flowing, purifying, healing, soothing, loving
Colors: Blues and greens of the sea, gray, indigo, black
Tools: Cup, cauldron
Spirits: Undines, ruled by King Niksa
Arc Angel: Raphael
Wind: Zephyrus
Sense: Taste
Stones: Aquamarine, chalcedony, coral, jade, lapis lazuli, moonstone, sugilite
Natural Symbols: Cup of water, seashells, sea stars, ice, scrying tools.
Tree: Ash, willow, apple, poplar, elder, hazel
Plants: Ferns, lotus, mosses, rushes, seaweeds, water lilies
Animals: Dolphins, fish, seals, whales, octopi, water creatures and sea birds,
sea serpents, Nessie
Places: Lakes, springs, streams, rivers, beaches, oceans, wells, swimming
pools, bathtubs, showers, bedrooms (for sleep), health spas, steam rooms,
fountains
Goddesses: Aphrodite, Isis, Mariamne, Mari, Tiamat, Yemaya
Gods: Dylan, Ea, Llyr, Manannan, Osiris, Neptune, Poseidon
Rituals: Purification, love, psychic awareness, dreams, sleep, peace, marriage,
friendships.
Ritual Forms: Dilution, placing into water, washing away, bathing, messages in a
bottle, setting leaf boats afloat, freezing.

Water represents Love, relatedness, the right-brain, intuitive
function, the cycle of death and rebirth (and therefore initiation),
Nature in its cyclical-growth aspect, the formative womb and
the nourishing breast

SPIRIT ( Centre, Transcending Balance )

“I look within myself and I see power, mystery, and potential.
To find my Center is all that I need to know deity and live my
life to the fullest.” -Ariendel

Rules over: Transendence, transformation, the deity within us all, all other elements in
balance, seeking the mystery, the spirit that moves us, that calm space where we can
renew our spirit when it is worn.

Also known as Akasha the immutable, changeless source of all energy.
Time of day: Beyond all time, all time is one
Season: The turning wheel
Time of Life: The cycle of life and rebirth
Tarot Correspondence: Major Arcana
Type of Energy: All
Basic Nature: Mystery, the unknown, deity within and without, the force of change
Colors: White, Silver, Purple
Tools: Cauldron
Sense: Hearing, Intuition
Stones: Quartz crystals, pearl, opal, agate, magnetite
Natural Symbols: Humanity
Tree: spirit, to hear - poplar, spiritual focus - oak, spiritual struggle - chestnut
Plants: Mistletoe
Animals: All and none; Sphinx
Places: The void, vacuums, outer space, inner mind
Goddesses: Isis, the Secret Name of the Goddess, Shekinah
Gods: Akasha, Iao, JHVH
Rituals: Self-knowledge, self-affirmation, communing with deity, seeking religious
direction
Ritual Forms: Meditation, communion with nature/deity, divination

Air is the wind, the breath of creation;
Fire is the sun, the spark of creation;
Water is the oceans and rains, the blood and tears of creation;
Earth is the mountains and soil; the body of creation.
These combined with Spirit are the elements of life and magic

Monday 27 September 2010 at 10:03 , 0 Comments

The Way Of The Wizard By Deepak Chopra

I read this book few years ago, it encouraged me to go further on my spiritual journey, I gain new perspective and knowledge that guide me in my life even today.

Here are some quotes/lessons from the book :
Lesson 1. A wizard exists in all of us. This wizard sees and knows everything. The wizard is beyond opposites of light and dark, good and evil, pleasure and pain. Everything a wizard sees has its roots in the unseen world. Nature reflects the moods of the wizard. The body and mind may sleep, but the wizard is always awake. The wizard possesses the secret of immortality.

Lesson 2. The return of the magical can only happen with the return of innocence. The essence of the wizard is transformation.

Lesson 3. The wizard watches the world come and go, but his soul dwells in realms of light. The scenery changes, the seer remains the same. Your body is just the place your memories call home.

Lesson 4. Who am I? is the only question worth asking and the only one never answered. It is your destiny to play an infinity of roles, but these roles are not yourself. The spirit is nonlocal, but it leaves behind a fingerprint, which we call the body. A wizard does not believe himself to be a local event dreaming of a larger world. A wizard is a world dreaming of local events.

Lesson 5. Wizards don't believe in death. In the light of awareness, everything is alive. There are no beginnings or endings. To the wizard these are only mental constructs. To be most fully alive, you have to be dead to the past. Molecules dissolve and pass away, but consciousness survives the death of the matter on which it rides

Lesson 6. The wizard's consciousness is a field that exists everywhere. The streams of knowledge are compressed in revelatory moments. We live as ripples of energy in the vast ocean of energy. When the ego is set aside, you have access to the totality of memory.

Lesson 7. When the doors of perception are cleansed, you will begin to see the unseen world - the wizard's world. There is a wellspring of life within you where you can go for cleansing and transformation. Purification consists of getting rid of toxins in your life: toxic emotions, toxic thoughts, toxic relationships. All living bodies, physical and subtle, are bundles of energy that can be perceived directly.

Lesson 8. Power is a double edged sword. Ego power seeks to control and dominate. The wizard's power is the power of love. The seat of power is the inner self. The ego follows us like a dark shadow. Its power is intoxicating and addicting but ultimately destructive. The eternal clash of power ends in unity.

Lesson 9. The wizard lives in a state of knowingness. This knowingness orchestrates its own fulfillment. The field of awareness organizes itself around our intentions. Knowledge and intention are forces. What you intend changes the field in your favor. Intentions compressed into words enfold magical power. The wizard does not try to solve the mystery of life. He is here to live it.

Lesson 10. We all have a shadow self that is part of our total reality. The shadow is not here to hurt you but to point out where you are incomplete. When the shadow is embraced, it can be healed. When it is healed, it turns to love. When you can live with all your opposite qualities, you will be living your total self as the wizard.

Sunday 26 September 2010 at 07:39 , 0 Comments

Celtic Mystique By Howard Baer

Join Howard Baer on a stirring musical journey to ancient Eire and discover a landscape of tradition, romance and Celtic Mystique. Featuring Cliffs of Doneen and Planxty Lady Wrixon. Instrumentation includes pipes, Irish flutes and whistles, fiddle, Celtic harp, guitar, mandolin & percussion.

I'm listening to this everyday and I'm enjoying every moment of it..

at 07:06 , 0 Comments

Greeting The Day, Greeting The Night By Silvia Hartmann

This is a beautiful and very moving exercise that benefits you in many more ways than you might suspect just yet. Do the exercise for a week and you will begin to know just how much support and sustenance there is for us - simply by virtue of being here.

1. Step outside as soon as you have risen and open yourself to the World. Take a moment to breathe deeply and then say, "Day, I greet you."
Allow this day - rainy or bright, cold or hot, no matter what - to come to you, to bring you it's totally unique properties (for not one day is ever quite the same as the day before, nor all the days to follow).

State your intention to receive this unique energy into all your systems, and now pay attention to any physical responses you might be having to this enterprise. Any emotions, where they localised? Place your hand there and soften the sensation, until the energy there runs clearly in all ways. Any sensations of pressure, discomfort, nervousness, any sensations of rejecting this day at all, localise them and make them run smoothly.
One more time, re-state the words, "Day, I greet you." Remain with this for just a few moments, then thank the day for it's unique lessons on this occasion and step back inside and into your ordinary life.

2. When the night has fallen, step outside. 
Take a moment to look around, to get into rapport with the night and become a little more still and a little more observant, and then say, "Night, I greet you."
As before, check yourself for any physiological sensations or emotions which might denote an underlying energy blockage that stops a true exchange of energies between you and the night on this occasion.
Especially, look for any "stuck" energy that might have accumulated during the day in your dealings in The Hard and soften this, allowing the night to take away whatever is no longer needed, drawing all this up and into its endless self.
Allow this process to complete - it can be as swift as a thought, that is entirely up to you.
Give a sincere "Thank You" to the night for its assistance and its lessons and then return to your normal activities at this time.

These exercises take just a few moments of your time each day but in energetic terms, they are truly profound and most balancing, soothing, healing and energising.
You will notice that with even two or three repetitions, your ability to channel energy from the day and night increases dramatically as your systems and their pathways are becoming clearer and more efficient.
To begin with, you might strongly "take from the day" and "release to the night" but as time goes by you will find that indeed, for both the day and the night what is happening is a true circular exchange for you as each have their own unique lessons and energies to give, as well as assisting you in taking what is no longer needed.
It is a beautiful and very moving exercise that benefits you in many more ways than you might suspect just yet. 
Do the exercise for a week and you will begin to know just how much support and sustenance there is for us - simply by virtue of being here.

This is written by Silvia Hartmann, and I borrowed it from the www.magic-spells-and-potions.com/greeting_the_day_greeting_the_night_1.htm site

at 06:04 , 0 Comments

Celtic Mythology A - Z By Gienna Matson

Yesterday a friend of mine sent me this e-book, since he knows I am a big devotee to anything that has to do with the celts...I haven't started to read it yet, but I am planning to do it any time soon, if anyone is interested in reading it, e-mail me at offeringsofthespirit@gmail.com


at 02:24 , 0 Comments