SECTION IV - ASK AUNTIE AHN

It is a warm and bright Spring day. The dogs have just had their first bath of the season (and are still frowning … they thought they smelled just fine the way they were). I have taken a week of vacation from my job to Spring clean the house in anticipation of hours about to be spent in great part out of doors. It’s time to come out of the Caves of Winter and dance in the Sunshine!

We are receiving a steady flow of questions to Auntie … and in order to help you decide what you’d like to read, I’ll begin by listing the subjects addressed. If you have anything to send our way, remember it is AuntieAhn@aol.com.

With love and the brightest blessings of Springtime!

Ahneke Greystone

1. One of our readers is planning a celebration of May Day with a diverse group.

2.. A friend new to the Craft is on a search for a magickal name.

3. The subject of the Purple Moon is raised.

4. A Mother has some questions about her teenage daughter’s interest in Wicca.



Question

I am in preparation for a May Day celebration, but am having a few problems. I happen to be a solitary Witch, not following much of a tradition ... and I am in charge of holding a Beltane ritual. My problem is that the ritual cannot be set to one standard. Our group is composed of Druids, Celts, Wiccans, Daoists ... and so on. I would like to do something that involves everything. That way none feel left out or uncomfortable

Reply

I am sure you can all share in the celebration of May Day as it exists in nature. Life and vitality. Blooms bursting into flower, and the whole world witnessing the exuberance of life.

Set the scene with white to create the atmosphere of light. White flowers and candles. Perhaps ask all your participants to wear white or appropriate pastels to represent flowers. You might provide flower circlets for the heads of your guests. Tie white ribbon bows around the celebration area.

You could ask each person to bring some small token of the meaning of the holiday to place on the altar. If your group is not comfortable with an altar, provide ribbons for your celebrants to hang their tokens on a small bush or tree.

Gather your friends in Circle. Perhaps use a talking stick and pass it from person to person for each to describe the meaning of the day/season to them. You could use a small bouquet of flowers in place of the talking stick to really get into the “feel” of the holiday. No one should be put on the spot, so it’s a good idea to mention your plan to have a speaking Circle ahead of time.

Witches see Beltane as a Wishing TIme. You might explain the idea of a Wishing Moon and include a wishing ritual in the day. Have everyone bring a strip of brightly-colored cloth which represents a particular wish, and as part of the ritual tie them on a bush or small tree (perhaps with the tokens of the season which you may have asked the group to bring). They can even be tied to the speaking stick as it is passed, with each person verbalizing their wish if appropriate.

Jumping the cauldron or the balefire are Beltane good luck rituals. I know of a group that started by jumping over the broom (as the cauldron was a bit off-putting to those who were not Wiccan and the fire a bit too dangerous). Next thing they knew, the broom became a “limbo” stick, and the celebration gave way to an impromptu competition and “jumping over” became “bending under.”

Do consider a May Pole. The symbolism may not exist for all in attendance, but laughter is always the result and reflects the uninhibited joy of the season.

As Witches associate dairy products with Beltane, at your social gathering in Circle or after, consider making ice cream. Or having your celebrants contribute to an ice cream buffet with different flavors and kinds of toppings. No one can stay serious with a mouth full of ice cream! Not to mention what can happen with whipped cream when we let go of the Inner Child in us. Speaking of the Inner Child, I know of one group who celebrates Beltane with children’s games. Jacks, hopscotch, skipping rope, tug-of-war, finger-painting, 50-yard dashes, tag, hide-and-seek … and more.

Consider a bonfire as the evening passes. Beltane, Midsummer, Lughnasadh and Mabon are traditionally celebrated as Fire Festivals. Perhaps have everyone bring a small, symbolic bundle of wood with them to contribute to the balefire.

As Beltane is traditionally a time of dancing, all could bring music they enjoy. Dancing reflects the glee and lightheartedness of the holiday. I remember quite fondly learning to waltz to the glow of a bonfire on the beach in May. And recall the shadows of the graceful (and not so!) dancers in the firelight. That fire was not shared with pagan friends, and yet the moment of personal bliss and communal celebration of life was a strong one. If your group aren’t dancers, if they play instruments or sing, that could be shared around the fire. If a balefire is not practical, how about colored lights strung across your area of celebration (like electrical fireflies!). Or torches aflame to light the night.

Your guests should leave with soft smiles of a day spent in almost childish abandon. Their bodies a bit tired from playing. But their souls still dancing.




Question

I'm new to the Arts and I want to know how I can get my Craft name.

Reply

A first step many of us take while we await inspiration for our magickal name is we assume a pseudonym. It begins to establish a persona … a step outside the name we have previously lived with. This name can be useful until the perfect magickal name “comes” to you. It can be totally for the "fun" of it.

Magickal names are different. They are not frivolous. They “mean” something … they represent the best aspects of ourselves in some way. They shouldn’t be something that is “above” us … something we have to strive for. They should be as we are now. A reflection of our inner being. If we outgrow them, we can chose to rename ourselves at some future point. We should never feel shadowed by our name. Our name should not be something which is fanciful and without meaning (although fanciful and "with" meaning makes for a powerful name).

Some people have two magickal names. A public one which they may have chosen for themselves, and a private one which may have been given as part of their initiation into a coven. That name will be known only to their covenmates and will be used only within Circle.

So … you’re on a search for your new name. Here is how it might go:

Your given name is “Sally.” You select “Moonbeam" for the fun of it. Then one day you announce you have taken the name “Shooting Star.” You explain you witnessed a star flaming through the night. Your heart was filled with the wonder and beauty of it, and your soul reacted. For the first time you felt totally connected to the universe; therefore you “became” Shooting Star, and the name is the symbol of your rebirth. From now and into the future you will be known as Shooting Star. It is guaranteed, though, that your pagan friends will shorten it to Star. Don’t worry – think of shortened names as endearments. Compliments. (Not long after I went online, my Ahneke turned into Anni – and it still warms my heart to be called that.)

You may or may not be Shooting Star in your private circle; you may have a coven name. You may or may not be Shooting Star in your public life; more than likely you will still be “Sally” there. But amongst your pagan friends, Sally and Moonbeam are your past lives, and you have been reborn as Shooting Star.

Now … where to seek inspiration for your name.

- Your favorite mythical characters – those which have personal meaning
- The name of a Deity which has intimate significance to you
- An animal which appears to you as a totem
- A gem or mineral that has provided you with certain “feelings”
- A name from your family’s ethnic/cultural history (that’s where my “Ahneke” came from)
Flowers and plants
Inspirations and images from dreams
A craft or skill at which you excel

Somewhere I read a great way to decide amongst possible names. On a piece of paper write down every name that seems to speak to you. It could be a short or a long list. Put the paper under your pillow, and the first name that comes to your mind upon awakening the next day is "your" name.

Once you have selected a name (or it has selected you), use it so that it takes on life. Singing gives life to a song; speaking gives life to a name. Say it out loud, and delight in it when you hear it from others. You should use it in ritual, and identify yourself to the Gods by it. After choosing, perform a ritual to ask your Gods to recognize your new name. Or if it was received in meditation, to thank them for providing it.

Magickal names often come to us in moments of inspiration or in Dreamtime. Those are not moments that we can predict or rush. It is a matter of time.

We can feel so comfortable with our magickal name that we begin to feel disassociated from our “mundane” one. Like one Silly Ahneke who introduced herself in a business meeting as “Hi, I’m Anni,” and all her coworkers, who knew her as Debra (the name her parents gave her!), thought she was having an identity crisis. That rated a 10 on the “Awkward Moments” scale!

Good luck in your search … and drop us an e-mail when you have your new name!



Question

I heard that the second Blue Moon in the same calendar year was called a Purple Moon, and because of its rare occurrence it was considered very powerful and a very special time for magick and the Goddess. Do you have any information you can share with me about the Purple Moon?

Reply

This one just about stumped Auntie Ahn!

I couldn’t find a definitive answer … but I found a “maybe” answer. With at least some interesting trivia attached to it.

In my tradition, which uses lunar months, a Blue Moon is the 13th moon in a year. And that moon is also sometimes called a Purple Moon. I truly did not know why.

So I started wandering through my books … and found an interesting tidbit which might explain it. And perhaps this would also be a possibility for the second Full Moon in a month being called a Purple Moon.

The Blue or Purple Moon (the 13th Full Moon in a calendar year) is also called a Wine Moon. The mythology behind this is romantic and intriguing. The thought is that wine was the first luxury that we humanfolk afforded ourselves. The first thing that we made which was not necessary. A gift to ourselves when each moment of the day did not have to be given over to the fight for survival.

The Wine Moon was so named, as the 13th Full Moon in a year is a little extra time … a luxury. Something gifted to us that we can chose to spend in our own fashion.

As the 13th Full Moon in my tradition is a “found” time … a time set separate … perhaps this name could also apply to the second Blue Moon in a month in a tradition that follows a solar calendar?

In either case, the Blue/Purple Moon is indeed a time of powerful magic. Or, for some, as it is a time separate from all other times, a time of reflection and inner focus.

If anyone “out there” has a Purple Moon in their tradition and could provide us with more information, please e-mail us at AuntieAhn@hotmail.com, and we’ll post your response in the future for the enlightenment of all.



Question

My daughter is nearly 16 and is interested in Wicca, along with a couple of her friends at school. We have a good relationship and can talk about most things, and I would like to be able to guide her if she is to explore this route for herself. I guess my real fear is that unless she is directed carefully she could be exploited emotionally or led into the shadows. I guess I am doubly cautious as I have begun to look for my own interpretations, and I think I'm just a bit too cynical (even for myself ) to go too far too fast. I would appreciate any advice you may have to offer.

Reply

A. I would not automatically assume your daughter is celebrating Wicca as a religion. Your daughter may be having a fantasy and role-playing experience with her friends where there is no realization of spirituality … just the enjoyment of “stepping outside themselves” and assuming a new and exciting role. If this is so, my guess would be that Mother's input might be unwelcome. But this serves as the basis for discussion. Ask her what it means to her. Is this a sophisticated form of "play" or is she expanding her spiritual horizons? Or is it a wonderful combination of the two?

In either event, it is a great opportunity for you to discuss Wicca as a religion, especially if you have been studying it yourself. She may be responding to the media-driven image of Witches weaving spells and enchantments. She could be seriously investigating women’s spirituality, eco-spirituality and the Old Ways. Is it religion? Is it role-playing? Or is it a bit of both?

If your daughter is interested in the spirituality, I would suggest you both read the same book and discuss it. Perhaps one of the Cunningham or Ravenwolf books (I hear the new one from Silver for teenagers is fantastic). This way, you are sharing as you learn, but your daughter always has the opportunity to form her own opinions. No one has to tell the Mother of a teenager that “direction” is not always wanted. She may benefit from seeing this as something you are doing together, side by side, more than she would if you were guiding her as a spiritual mentor.

You mention emotional exploitation and shadows. I could warn of a couple of things. Not to be an alarmist ... just to be pragmatic. Covening is often a young person's first experience with group dynamics, and it is not always an environment within which they can unfold their wings. It is unfortunate when someone's first experience with group spirituality involves a Queen Bee surrounded by drones. You might want to speak with your daughter about the nature of the group she is with to determine she is comfortable with her relationship with the other young women. This should not be a situation where the group leader(s) are holding "power over" the junior members.

The other warning I would make is to watch and be sure that your daughter is participating fully in her daily life. Sometimes when young people are involved in coven-like activities without older mentors they misunderstand and see the creativity and visualization that is part of the spirituality as an “escape” from the world. When, quite the opposite, the spirituality is meant to use myth, archetype and visualization as a way to more completely live “in” our lives. Fantasy without focus can be dangerous for a young person who is searching for their roots in this world. Pagan spirituality puts our feet solidly on the ground, and the fertility of our imaginations should not be used to avoid celebration of the mundane. Rather it should enhance it.

Regarding your concern about the “shadows” … if there is reason for you to think there is negative influence, most definitely have a sit-down and speak to your daughter about the religion of Wicca. Open discussion should allay any fears you have regarding the nature of her involvement. And provide the opportunity to address her focus if there is indeed reason for concern. Perhaps the “shadows” are just Mother’s natural, instinctual concerns for her daughter experiencing something a bit unknown out of the nest. Or it could be Motherly Wisdom intuiting that there is an influence which is not healthy.

Just as you mention you are looking for your own interpretations, so is your daughter. Cynicism is the practice of we older ones. It is normal for your daughter to fly enthusiastically into her new experiences. Just as it is normal for Mother, with all her years of experience, not to go quickly into the unknown. Your daughter is the Maiden … full of confidence and action. It may be difficult to get that Beloved Young Lady to sit down long enough to have a nice chat. Try and remember that you will, by nature, gather information and then decide how proceed. Your daughter, as daughters of all time, will skip the information gathering. She will dance right into the experience. Unlike we who are more staid, she will make her decisions from the midst of the activity.

I wonder which of you two will learn more from the other. When I sponsor young women, I almost always come away wondering whether I was more the teacher or the student.