SECTION IV - THE CAULDRON - PART 2
Meagan and The Hospital Visits - Kathryn Dyer
Raven's Rants - ~Raven
A Whisper In The Darkness - Antigone
Should Psychics Be "Charmed?" - Rev. Gina M. Pace
Mewsings: What Is A Familiar? - Mystickally
The Owl - Alwyn
Witch : A Magickal Journey by Fiona Horne - Reviewed by ~Rain
Forest Thoughts - Alwyn
MEAGAN AND THE HOSPITAL VISITS
Copyright 2001 by Kathryn Dyer
Dedicated to William Blankenship
In Vanderbilt Hospital April, 2001
Once upon a time there was a little girl named Meagan. She lived with her mommy and daddy, her big brother Corwin and her beautiful cat named
Starweaver. Meagan had a courtesy 'aunt' named Sue who had been her mother's roommate in college. Sue lived too far away to visit often but she would come to see Meagan's family once or twice a year. Meagan looked forward to her visits. At least once during her visit, Sue would take Meagan and her mother Elizabeth out saying "Come on, it's time for the girls night out!" They would go eat at a restaurant and see a movie or go shopping.
One day, when Sue was visiting Meagan's family, she began having very bad headaches. None of the medicine that her doctor prescribed for her was helping. Nothing that Elizabeth or Meagan's father Michael could do helped her either. Sue's head hurt so badly that Elizabeth drove her to the local hospital's Emergency Department. Meagan played outside waiting for her mother & Sue to get back. It took them a long time. When they got back, Elizabeth looked worried. The doctors at the hospital had said it was just another migraine and given Sue more medicine but it wasn't helping her feel better.
Meagan went to hug her mother, "Mom? Why wasn't the doctor able to make Sue feel better?"
Elizabeth hugged her back, "We don't know sweetie, Sue has had migraines all her life but she says this one is worse than anything she's ever felt... we'll keep giving her healing energy but if it gets worse I'm going to take her back to the hospital." Meagan closed her eyes. She let her spine be the trunk of a tree. She let her feet be the start of roots like a tree and she thought of them going deep deep into the earth to pull up energy. She pictured the energy turning green and filling Sue up to make her feel better. She went to bed that night keeping a picture of Sue surrounded by green healing light in her mind.
The next morning, when Meagan got up, her mother and Sue were not there. Michael looked worried. He was giving her baby brother Jonathan a bottle of expressed breast milk. As she & Corwin went into the kitchen he looked up and smiled a tired smile.
"Hey you two", he said, "Your mom took Sue back to the emergency room just after Jonathan's 10:00 feeding. We're still waiting for some more test results, but it looks like Sue had an aneurysm rupture."
Corwin & Meagan sat down at the table. Meagan was confused but Corwin said, "An aneurysm is like a bubble in a blood vessel, right?"
Michael nodded, "Yes, and this one is in her brain... so it is very serious. When parts of the brain are not getting oxygen they die and it takes a long time to rewire them".
The house was very quiet that day. Later Elizabeth called to tell them that Sue was in the neuro intensive care unit. Meagan knew that meant she was very sick because she had seen a video about hospitals that talked about the different units. She asked her father to help her light a stick of incense for Sue so that she would get better. But Sue did not get better that day or the next. Elizabeth was staying at the hospital during the day and Michael would take Jonathan up on a regular basis so he could nurse. Meagan asked her father why Elizabeth had to stay there so long.
"Well sweetie, Sue doesn't have any other family, and she signed something called a 'power of attorney' a long time ago naming your mother as the person to make decisions for her if she were so sick as to not be able to make them herself. I'll tell you what, why don't you go with me the next time I take Jonathan to nurse? We are also going to a store to get a cell phone so that the hospital can get in touch with your mother at all times."
Meagan was surprised to see how tired her mother was, but nursing Jonathan seemed to actually make her feel better.
Elizabeth reached out to hug Meagan and looked up at Michael, "They're going to move Sue to the Athena teaching hospital. She needs an operation to have the aneurysm repaired before it ruptures again and the doctors here don't think they could do it as well because they don't have a lot of practice with where her aneurysm is located."
Michael squeezed her hand, "Whatever needs to be done, we'll manage".
Elizabeth stayed at the new hospital for many days with Sue. Because Sue's brain was swelling they had to wait to do the operation. The coven held a special ritual at the Dark Moon to help make the swelling go down. When Elizabeth came home, she was very tired and didn't want to do anything but eat, nurse Jonathan and sleep. Meagan missed her mother very much. Two weeks after Sue's aneurysm had ruptured they were able to do the operation. Elizabeth, Corwin, Meagan and Jonathan all went to the hospital. They sat in a special waiting area and every hour or so a special nurse would call from the operating room to let them know that things were going as expected. The operation took many hours. Meagan read all three of the books she had brought with her twice!
The doctors said that the operation had gone well, but Sue did not wake up. The doctors put her on a ventilator, which breathed for her, so that her brain could work on healing instead of breathing. A few days after the operation, the doctors found out that there were some areas of Sue's brain that needed fixing again. Meagan and her family went to the surgery waiting room again. Elizabeth rocked Jonathan back and forth a lot. She would reach out and hug Meagan whenever Meagan was near her. When the operation was over, the doctors said that things looked good but that Sue's brain needed to rest some more. The next day Meagan went back with her mother for a minute to see Sue.
It was kind of scary seeing Sue with many tubes running into her body. Her face was swollen so much that you could not see her chin. The ventilator made her chest rise & fall and she had a tube going up her nose.
Meagan stared, "Mommy? What is that tube? The stuff in it is *green*!"
Elizabeth put her arm around Meagan, "That's a feeding tube. It puts special food directly into Sue's stomach. I hope you're not mad at me Sue, but they put that in without telling me."
Elizabeth held Sue's hand, "Don't worry though, the doctors have given you some special medicine to make you sleep really deep so that your brain can heal. When you wake up they will take out the ventilator and feeding tube."
Meagan hoped it would not take long. She wanted her mother to be home when she got home from school. She wanted to snuggle with her mother on weekend mornings. She knew that Sue needed her mother, but she kept asking the Gods to make Sue get well fast so she could have her mother back!
A few days later, Elizabeth came dancing into the kitchen after visiting Sue.
"She's awake!" Elizabeth laughed, grabbing Meagan by the hands and swirling around, "The doctors are amazed. They're weaning her off the ventilator and if she keeps doing as well as she is right now, they will let her go into a lower level unit."
Everyone smiled. From what Meagan's mother had told her, it would still take a very long time for Sue's brain to relearn anything it had lost while she was sick. That night as she went to sleep, she felt Starweaver purring beside her. She put her hand on his fur and stroked him while making a picture in her mind of Sue having a picnic with the entire family. Because Sue was getting better, Elizabeth did not need to be at the hospital so much. All the coven members were taking turns visiting Sue. Meagan sighed and felt herself slipping into a deep sleep. It was hard having Sue being in the hospital and sick, but knowing that she was getting better had made it a good day.
A Whisper In The Darkness
By Antigone
Aria spent several weeks reverting back to her silent state. She barely ate, she barely looked at anyone directly, and she stared out the window, stroking a sympathetic and purring Whisper for hours on end. Her interactions with both her mother and Jakob had abruptly stopped.
Brynn plunged into a deep depression; Whether or not it was due to her pregnancy or the present situation would remain a mystery - she had refused to see her therapist since before the incident. Jakob became the child's caretaker while Brynn suffered from the usual sicknesses associated with pregnancy.
The house remained eerily silent for over a month.
Then one morning, Whisper started running around the house, howling and scratching at every door and cabinet around the house. Whisper's attempts to lure Brynn out of her closed bedroom went ignored, and Jakob was away at work.
It wasn't until Whisper started scratching at Brynn's door, that Aria decided to investigate. Whisper refused to leave Brynn's door and struggled to break free of Aria's hands when she tried to lift him up.
Aria knocked on her mother's door.
Knock, knock.
No answer.
Knock, knock, knock.
Still nothing.
Aria slowly opened the door. The room remained dark and still, and not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
Aria stepped into the room and closed the door behind her, with Whisper one step ahead of her and in the room.
Aria tiptoed through the room, cautiously searching for her mother's expanding body.
Aria tried to speak, but instead started to choke on her attempts.
As Arianne edged deeper and deeper into the room, she started to get a really tight feeling in the pit of her stomach. She started trembling and her breathing became labored.
Finally, Aria reached the light switch and turned it on. She looked around the room, and then let out a shrill scream.
There, in a corner of the room, lay a basket with a pillow and blanket, and 3 or 4 small little hairless, pink wiggly things.
Brynn came running into the room and suddenly smiled, for the very first time in over a month.
"It's OK, Arianne. Those are babies!"
Jakob came running up the stairs to join the ladies. After catching his breath and asking what happened, Brynn explained that Aria discovered the newborns. Jakob released a sigh of relief then sat on the bed to remove his shoes.
Aria was puzzled; Whisper was not only fixed, but also had absolutely no contact with other cats.
Seeing her daughter's confusion, Brynn went on to explain that the newborn kittens were found hidden in the garden, under some shrubs, and it wasn't likely that they were related in any way to Whisper.
"I thought Whisper was a boy..." Jakob whispered, but Brynn nudged him away.
Aria watched as her mother prepared the milk replacement formula, bottle fed the newborns one by one, and then took a warm wet rag to stimulate the babies into having a bowel movement.
"Now, we're just taking care of them for now, Aria. I don't know if we can keep them permanently, especially once I start to get bigger and bigger with this new baby."
Aria frowned a bit, but did not react.
Jakob went over to rub Brynn's shoulders. Since her garden discovery, Jakob noticed a more upbeat attitude from
Brynn, although she did still seem to be a bit down. He hoped the newborns would help cheer her up, as well as
Arianne.
Whisper went over to the basket to sniff at the kittens and sat beside Aria, who spent several hours just sitting on the floor in front of the basket and staring.
Brynn left the room to make some coffee then fell asleep on the couch. Jakob tried to get her to wake up long enough to go up to the bedroom, but she refused, and when he tried to carry her there, she yelled at him to out her back down. 15 minutes later, he gave up and went upstairs to check on the kittens.
He found Aria fast asleep on the floor, her hand dangling over the top of the basket and the remote control for the heating pad in the bedding in her other hand. Whisper was asleep at Aria's feet but quickly sprang to life when Jakob entered the room.
Jakob carried Aria to her bed and tucked her in with Whisper tucked in beside her. He fed the newborns again and then settled down into bed, alone.
Sometime in the middle of the night, Jakob awoke to a muffled whimper. Fearing that it was Aria, he headed down the hallway and toward the lit guest bedroom. Pushing the door a crack open, Jakob spied
Brynn, hovering over a pile of baby paraphernalia and crying.
Jakob couldn't help but feel like his presence was somehow responsible for the onset of depression within the walls of the house. As soon as he joined the family, both Brynn and Arianne were suddenly filled with grief!
Jakob decided to leave Aria alone and returned to the bedroom. In the morning, he would confront his fianc‚ and ask what he could do to make them happy again. He secretly feared the answer.
Should Psychics Be "Charmed?"
By Rev. Gina M. Pace
This is a slightly different direction for my column this month than usual, but it is a related topic because tarot and psychism are closely linked. Today I'd like to address a specific concept that I have encountered on many occasions, both with tarot students as well as Wiccan ones.
What exactly is our expectation when we think of having a "psychic" vision? Most people today have a simple yet incorrect concept of what this means. I find this is due in large part to television shows such as "Charmed." (is anyone here not familiar with the precept of this show? Three sisters who find out they are witches, and one has the gift of psychic visions). We are given to believe that people who are really psychic are gifted with sudden, photo realistic flashes of vision where they see entire scenes of things that are going to happen, flashes which even the most inept psychic couldn't ignore...
But is this the reality?
We see infomercials where they show one, or many, psychics gathered together to receive phone calls from people wanting readings. And the psychics are able to "see" what is going on so clearly in the caller's life that most of the time the caller is astounded. Many times the caller actually begins to weep. They are always completely impressed with the psychic's extremely clear look into their lives.
But is this the reality?
Truth is, most people don't even know what a psychic episode is supposed to entail. All they know is what they see on TV. And this includes many people who want to learn tarot. There is an expectation that if you learn to read tarot cards, you will get the same kind of psychic visions that Phoebe gets on "Charmed." And then, once that doesn't occur, they feel as though they are failures, or that they are simply not psychic.
Every person has the ability to be psychic hidden away somewhere within their mind. Let's face it, modern science still has not identified the vast majority of what our brains are actually capable of. Much of the measurable brain structure may be made up of redundant systems, but it still remains that we all have gifts we are unaware of or do not know how to access. Most people have had some sort of psychic episode occur somewhere in their lives. When you hear a song in your head, and then you turn on the car radio and that very song is playing on the stereo that is a psychic episode. When you think of a person and the phone suddenly rings and they are on the other end of the line that is a psychic episode. So why is it that when it comes to tarot and spell craft, we expect to suddenly develop photo realistic visions?
The truth is, psychic intuition occurs in a reading more or less the same way it occurs in everyday life. A perfect example of this is a reading I did just recently. The client for whom I was doing the reading sat across from me quietly while I was shuffling the cards. I had not yet begun the reading. As I shuffled, suddenly this idea came into my head that I should ask her if she had a sister. I felt as though I were going to ask her if she had a sister because I knew she looked like someone else and perhaps I had seen the sister around. However, I thought that it sounded clich‚ so I didn't mention it. Less than a minute later, I asked her if she had a specific question in mind for her reading, and she said, "Yes, my SISTER went to a psychic the other day and the psychic told her that my husband is cheating on me. So I wanna ask about that." Now, obviously she had her sister on her mind at the time, and that is probably what I was picking up on. I told her about my thought that I should ask her about her sister. I said that I hadn't wanted to sound clich‚. Then I ended by saying, "But your sister doesn't look anything like you anyhow, does she?" And she smiled and said, "You're right, we don't look a thing alike." How did I know that?
Most of what is presented in a psychic episode comes in the form of an idea, which feels like your own idea, or like a song in your head, or a thought of a person who then calls on the phone. The point is that your own intuition opens up subconsciously the more you practice doing readings, and you must learn to trust those instincts that make you think "Sister" or "pink rose" or whatever else pops into your head. The first thing you think of is usually right, whether it's logical or not. Learning to trust those thoughts is the key to finding your own psychic ability.
Another thing to remember is that psychism is a blanket concept, which covers several different types of psychic gift: Clairvoyance (the gift of intuitive seeing), Clairaudience (the gift of intuitive sound recognition), and Clairsentience (the gift of intuitive feeling). The television shows always portray clairvoyance as if it were the only form of psychic ability, yet many people hear things without seeing anything visually. I personally have never experienced a true clairvoyant episode, possibly because I'm not a tremendously visually oriented person. I have heard things, but my favorite is clairsentience. This is where you simply "know" something without any real reason; you "feel" it intuitively. Like when you walk into a room where two people are sitting who have just had a fight, and you can tell they have been fighting without hearing a single word or even looking at their faces. You can feel it in the air. Clairsentience has among its features an ability to literally sense the atmosphere in a room or place and read that atmosphere. Once I was walking around on a beach in Cape Cod and I could literally feel the air, as it might have been two hundred years earlier when the ships and sailors were whaling. I could feel what it would have felt like to stand there and watch them cut up the captured whale, even though I had never seen such a thing. I later discovered that whales had indeed been slaughtered on that very beach, but I had no reason for knowing that at the time. Yet I could feel it happening all around me.
All of this is meant to encourage you to open your hearts, and your minds, to the very nature of the psychic gifts within you. We do all have them, and once we learn how to accept and welcome them into our lives, and not look with preconceived notions at what they are not, they can guide us to a better future.
Blessed Be!
Rev. Gina M. Pace
Wicce's Tarot Collection
http://www.wicce.com
Mewsings: What Is A Familiar?
By Mystickally
What exactly is a familiar? Most pagans regard a treasured pet as a familiar - that special companion animal that not only holds a special place in your heart, but also places a very important role in your magical workings, and serves as the one true friend that gives you unconditional love (well, in exchange for some attention, a few good meals a day and a warm shelter - not a bad trade off at all!)
I come from a place where a "familiar" is something more. Then again, I am a certified crazy cat lady. Of course I'd believe that! I just hate the thought of any pet being considered a wonderful tool. And that is exactly what a familiar is, right? A tool, to aid in your "spells" and "rituals". You may feel a great closeness with your animal, and sure, they may be drawn to you when you are performing some kind of magical work, but think about it - what do you expect? You're playing with fire. Candles are lit. Smoke is coming from the incense you are burning. You're speaking, probably in a rhythm that your animal is rather drawn to, because you probably don't speak that same way any other time. And then there is also the plain and simple fact that your animal is drawn to you anyway. Why? Because you provide good food, clean water, loving attention and a warm, clean blanket! Hey, it a fact. And for the most part, cats are the predominant holder of the title. There are also dogs, hamsters and pythons kept as pets that are also considered familiars.
But wait ... cats are mystical creatures. When you look into cat's eyes, you see a sort of aged wisdom. They know things that we humans probably could never comprehend. No wonder the feline was a worshipped God to the Egyptians. A dog is "man's best friend". They live only to please you and to receive the highest of praise from their master. Small animals, reptiles and other animals show their love and affection to you in many different ways, but no matter what animal it is, you can't help but love it.
Ritual is a very special event and is something that should be cherished. What a wonderful thing it is to be able to include your animals. I am sure I don't need to warn you against the dangers of an animal being too close to fire! What I am trying to point out is this: Your familiar IS a wonder. Have you ever taken the time to closely observe your animal? Given a little time to really listen to your pet, you might be able to communicate better - you'll learn to speak without words and to see without looking. You'll be able to tell when your pet is sick long before the situation gets very dangerous.
The everyday routine of your animal is an amazing spectacle. How they live day to day is magical in and of itself. Take cats for instance! What is your cat doing right now - sleeping? LOL Yeah, it may seem like that's all they do. But it's what they do in between their sleep that is really amazing.
My household consists of 30 cats at the moment. (Kitten season started early here!) Gustav, my Maine Coon, is the alpha. He watches over the entire household, surveys the area to make sure all is safe, and acts as mediator when a scuffle ensues among the others. Gustav is usually dead asleep when I go looking for him, but the simple reason for that is because when I am in the area, there is no need for him to be "on duty". Thus why your cat seems to sleep 24/7.
Tabitha is the alpha female. She is the hunter of food and the look out for danger. When it is feeding time, I fill the trough (yep, I actually do have a makeshift trough for the cat food!) and Tabitha calls out to every cat and orders them to eat. She waits until everybody has had his or her share of the food before she strolls over to have her share. At night, she is up all night watching over the area, making sure all is well and safe, and if there is something wrong, she goes to Gustav. From there they assess the situation and decide if it's vital enough to warrant waking the humans up. Tabitha also trains other females to be her back up, so that she takes turns for the night shift. Right now, she's got 2 lieutenants and 1 kitten in training.
Sebastian serves as the priest. He's the peacemaker, the negotiator, and the glue that brings everybody together. He senses when you're feeling down and gets everyone to be on their best behavior. He's a total sweetheart, but can sometimes smother you way too much with the loving. LOL
Those are the three main "officers". Every cat has a role. Some are bodyguards, others are the jokesters, etc. but no matter what their role, they each have a function and a set schedule for the day.
LOL ... again it is quite spectacular when you figure out your animal's routine.
So you are wondering what this has to do with animals as familiars? OK, well I will admit that familiars play a significant role in magic. It's your job to figure out what those roles are and how to make the best use of it, but it won't happen until you get to truly understand your animal.
Witch : A Magickal Journey by Fiona Horne
Reviewed by ~Rain
Witch : A Magickal Journey is a fun, upbeat book, and great for the twenty something Witch ! This hardcover, 358-page book is filled with unique ideas, helpful information, and lots of spells!
For the most part the author tells of her Witchy life, how she got started, issues she went through, and things she's learned on this magical path. Fiona Horne has a unique style of writing. Overall the book contains her fun & lighthearted comments throughout, but she has some really serious & pertinent things to say too. Two of my favorite quotes;
"The most magical thought you can achieve is the unshakeable, unconditional faith in your own infinite abilities." (Pg 33)
"Remember, all the Magick you will ever need is within you. A Witch's greatest power is her/his ability to unleash that Magick and the best way to do this is to be creative, intuitive, and uninhibited with your ideas." (pg 94)
Sexuality is rarely covered in Witchy books, but Ms. Horne included a full chapter dedicated to the topic called, "Bed knobs & Broomsticks." Fiona includes a small essay on homosexuality and the craft. She says, "In Witchcraft, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered humans can find a sense of spiritual peace and integration." (Pg 241)
Witch: A Magickal Journey is mainly focused on Magick. Sadly, she only dedicated a few short pages to the Gods. The spells she gives are really helpful and well written. Everything from a "Money Spell" to a "Can't help myself Spell" (breaking bad habits). Not to mention, " A Spell for Personal healing, Confidence or Self-esteem," and a whole section dedicated to
"Bitchcraft: Hexing, Psychic Attack and Protection"
"Cosmetic Conjurings: making your own Witchy cosmetics" and "Seven Days to a Magical New You: a magical makeover," show the true uplifting spirit of the author. She shows us to have fun and enjoy life!
Although Witch is a great book, it doesn't cover all of Wicca, its mainly Magick Spells, and Recipes. I must mention that she uses a lot of ingredients, some of which are hard to find or are a bit expensive!
The book and layout initially lead me to believe it would be great for teens, but because she includes a chapter on Bitchcraft & Sex Magick it isn't something I'd highly recommend to you beginners on this magical path. But it is great for the twenty something Witch's.
On a more negative note, she did seem to ramble a bit or include info that isn't pertinent to Wicca such as, endless comments about her familiar Lulu (her snake), her third nipple (Pg 78), and two different sections on sacred space (confusing!).
Overall Witch: A Magical Journey by Fiona Horne has valuable insight into Magick and spell casting! I recommend this book to the semi-beginner twenty something Witch!
Rating: 4 out of 5 Broomsticks!
