SECTION IV - THE CAULDRON - PART 2
Meagan And The Puppies - Kathryn Dyer
Raven's Rants - ~Raven
A Whisper In The Darkness - Antigone
What Witches Do - DreamDancer
Wicce's Tarot Corner - Rev. Gina M. Pace
MEAGAN AND THE PUPPIES
By Kathryn Dyer
Copyright 1997
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 and her friend Cindy were visiting one of Meagan's friends from Circle named Kern. Kern had a dog named Lady. Lady was going to have puppies. Meagan and Cindy were excited because their parents had told them they each could have one of the puppies.
One day Meagan got a phone call from Kern. The puppies were being born! Meagan called Cindy to let her know. They asked their parents if they could go see the puppies being born. But it was too late at night and they had to stay home. Meagan asked her mother Elizabeth how long it would be before they could bring the puppy she choose home.
"Well honey," said Elizabeth, "Puppies and kittens both need to nurse from their mothers for about six to eight weeks before they do well on just solid food."
Meagan looked surprised, "Is that the same as two or three in animal years?"
"Yes," said Elizabeth, "All animals do better with the nutrients from their mother's milk to start their lives out right."
"Oh," said Meagan, "But what if the mommy doesn't have any milk?"
Elizabeth shifted the baby sleeping in her arms, "Well, in that case the people taking care of the animals would give them bottles just like humans do...in the wild the litter would just go on to the Summerland."
"That would be sad," said Meagan.
"What would be sad?" asked her brother Corwin, coming into the room.
"If a baby animal's mommy didn't have any milk and they didn't have any humans to take care of them and they went to the Summerland," responded Meagan in a rush.
"But they would come back to Earth again sometime wouldn't they?" he asked.
"Oh!" exclaimed Meagan, "I hadn't thought of that."
Elizabeth nodded, "And sometimes animals die and go to the Summerland for other reasons. Remember when Cindy's dog Bud-Boy had cancer? The vet tried to make him well but eventually there wasn't anything anyone could do and he went on to the Summerland."
"I hope nothing like that happens to my puppy!" exclaimed Meagan.
"So do I," said her mother, "It's not very likely, Lady has already raised several litters of healthy puppies, but sometimes puppies are born that aren't really ready to be in this world."
When the puppies were two days old, Meagan and her mother and Cindy and her mother went to the farm where Kern and his family lived. It was a long drive and Meagan and Cindy were very excited. When they got there, Kern came out to the car crying. Meagan and Cindy jumped out.
"What's wrong?" asked Meagan, patting him on the shoulder.
Kern sniffed, "I didn't catch you before you left. We found Lady's puppies dead this morning!"
Meagan and Cindy were shocked. They both stared at Kern for a minute before giving him a big hug. Elizabeth had gotten out of the car and turned to Kern's father Liam who had just come out of the barn.
"What happened?" she asked.
Liam shook his head, "We're not sure. The puppies looked fine last night but it looks like she just abandoned them so there must have been something wrong that we couldn't see."
Meagan looked up at him, "You mean that Lady can tell if something is wrong when we can't?"
Liam nodded, "Yes, animals have instincts that help them know when a litter will be able to survive. Since Lady has already had several litters we know it wasn't just because she didn't know how to take care of them. Some animals have to be taught how to take care of their babies, especially if they were orphaned early."
Cindy's mother Anna looked pale, "What should we do now?" she asked
Elizabeth.
Elizabeth looked at Liam, "Well, the girls had their hearts set on having one of those puppies...I think we should give them a chance to say good-bye."
Kern cried louder now, "We can't! Mommy threw them away!"
Now Liam looked shocked, "What? Honey, Mommy didn't throw them away. Their bodies are in a stall in the barn until we can give them back to the Earth properly."
Kern stopped crying for a minute, "They are? I looked in the basket after Mommy told me they were dead and they were gone!" he sniffed a little more, "Can we have a Passing Over ritual?"
Liam nodded, "Of course you can."
Anna turned to Elizabeth, "What does that involve?"
"Well," said Elizabeth, "In this case we would put up a small circle around the area where the puppies will be buried and ask the God and Goddess to watch over them in the Summerland until they are ready to come back to Earth."
"They'll be covered won't they?" Anna asked.
Elizabeth shook her head, "That would be like a closed casket funeral
Anna. It's usually easier for everyone if they get to see that there's not a spirit left in the bodies we give back to the Earth."
"Oh," said Anna, "I don't think I can deal with that...Cindy?"
"Yes, Momma?" said Cindy.
"Do you want to take part in this Passing Over ritual? You don't have to, but if you think it would make you feel better," said Anna, "I don't want to see the puppies but you were expecting to have one of them."
"I want to say good-bye to them, even if I didn't ever get to see them alive," said Cindy, "But now I'm never going to get a puppy!"
Liam smiled at her, "There's always tomorrow. Lady is very likely to have another litter in a few months."
Anna decided to stay at the house while everyone else went down to the barn to get the puppies. They carried them in an old blanket to a small grove of trees. Lady came along for a little bit and barked before running off.
"I guess Lady just said good-bye too," said Meagan.
Kern and Cindy nodded. Liam and Elizabeth dug a hole to bury the puppies in.
"Why don't you all go look for some rocks to build a cairn?" suggested
Liam.
"What's a cairn?" asked Cindy.
"Oh!" said Kern, "that's when you put a bunch of rocks over where you buried someone so that it marks the spot and keeps out the wild animals while the body turns into earth."
Cindy picked up a little pebble, "I don't see how this would keep out wild animals!"
Kern and Meagan laughed, "You've never seen a cairn before, Cindy. We use the biggest rocks we can carry over there."
The children collected a lot of rocks while the burial spot was being dug. Liam's mother Elsa helped get some of the bigger rocks that were around.
After they had gotten plenty of rocks for the cairn, everyone got a chance to touch the puppies and tell them good-bye. Cindy wasn't sure if she wanted to touch them but Elizabeth told her she didn't have to.
Cindy put one finger on a black and white puppy, "It's so soft!" she exclaimed, "It's hard to believe that it's not alive."
Liam nodded, "Yes, some people tell their children that dead things are just sleeping but that's not true. When you die your spirit goes out of your body. But we believe that our spirits will go live with the Gods in the Summerland for a bit and then come back in brand-new bodies."
Cindy nodded, "We think that our souls go to heaven. That's kinda the same thing isn't it?"
The grown-ups nodded. Then everyone held hands while Elizabeth put up a Circle. They asked the Gods to come be with them and help everyone deal with feeling so sad.
Elsa told the children, "It's only natural to feel sad when someone dies, even if you didn't know them very well. But we will see them again someday, if not on the Earth than we will meet them in the Summerland...or heaven" she added as she smiled at Cindy.
They buried the puppies to give their empty bodies back to the Earth. The children helped build the cairn that would mark the spot. Everyone went back to the house for lunch but no one was very hungry. Over the next few weeks Meagan, Cindy and Kern talked a lot about the puppies and how they missed them. But each day they found that they felt better and less sad about it. Their parents all told them to talk about the puppies as much as they wanted but that if someone didn't want to talk about it to come to them instead.
"Some people are scared of death," said Elizabeth, "And it's not polite to make them feel uncomfortable by talking about it with them."
Meagan hoped that someday she would have another chance to have a puppy. One day she went to bed and realized that she didn't feel sad about the puppies dying anymore.
"I hope one of those puppies comes back to be my friend," she told her father as he tucked her into bed. Starweaver jumped up onto her pillow.
"You never know!" replied her father, kissing her.
Meagan snuggled into the covers and fell asleep dreaming of fields of puppies all playing with her. It had been a good day.
A Whisper In The Darkness
By Antigone
The conversation came about completely by accident. Brynn, Arianne and Jakob sat down to eat lunch, while Whisper began her ritual of weaving in and out between everyone's legs. Somehow, she managed to keep herself form tripping anybody, especially Aria.
They were eating in silence, but Brynn's discomfort began when she realized that Aria was glancing back and forth between her and
Jakob, and she had a rather confused expression on her face.
Jakob must have picked up on the nervous energy because he finally asked Aria if there was anything on her mind?
Aria quickly turned her gaze down at her food and shook her head no.
"Aria, if you have any questions to ask us, please go ahead and ask. You can say anything you want."
Aria lifted her head up and looked into Jakob's eyes. For a few seconds, Brynn imagined Aria actually speaking an entire sentence. Instead, she whispered,
"Ice cream."
Leave it up to a child to think of sweets during an awkward situation! Brynn quickly rose and brought back to the table a carton of ice cream. Again, they sat in silence as they ate their dessert.
Jakob and Brynn exchanged knowing glances, but neither had the nerve to speak up.
Finally, Jakob stood to drag his chair closer to Aria's. After clearing his throat nervously, he began what felt like an hour-long speech.
"Arianne, your mom and I want to talk to you about something."
Aria's piercing blue eyes looked deeply into Jakob's.
"Have you noticed that I have been spending a lot more time over here?"
Aria shook her head yes.
"Sleeping."
"Yes honey, I have been sleeping here too. In a couple of days, I will be bringing in some new furniture and a bunch of my clothes. The reason is because I will be moving in. I'm going to live here with you and your mom."
Each sentence made Aria's eyes grow bigger and bigger.
"But I'll only do that if you want me to. If it were OK with you, I'd love to live with you and take care of you and your mom. Would you like that?"
Aria waited a few seconds before smiling and nodding yes.
Jakob smiled and responded, "Yea? I am so glad you said that!"
Then unexpectedly, Aria jumped out of her chair and wrapped her arms around Jakob's neck. Both he and Brynn were completely surprised by Aria's show of affection, that they were left speechless.
Brynn knelt down beside Aria's chair.
"Aria, there is something else that we need to tell you."
Aria let go of Jakob and turned to face her mother. Just like with Jakob, she looked deep into Brynn's eyes. It was amazing how intense the gaze of a little girl could be, and it was very intimidating.
"There are going to be a lot of changes around here. Jakob and I plan to make us a family. The three of us will be a for real family, Aria. And along with that... well, Aria honey, you're going to have a little brother or sister."
Aria's jaw dropped in disbelief. Her expression remained fixed; she was in shock.
"This will never change our love for you Aria. But, we need you to understand what is going on. You need to realize that life will be different, there will be 4 of us, but the 4 of us will love each other just as equally as if there were only the three of us, or just you and me, like old times."
"Four." Aria interrupted, and then turned to point at the cat. "Four."
"And Whisper, of course!" Brynn responded.
"Aria, does this mean that you're OK with this?" Jakob asked.
Aria nodded yes, then reached over to touch her mother's belly. "Baby?"
Brynn laughed and answered, "Yes, sweetie. The baby is in my belly."
Everything seemed to be fine after their little talk. Aria indicated that she understood what was happening, and she also seemed quite pleased to be getting a sibling and to having Jakob come to live with them. The house would finally not feel so empty, like it did with just her and Brynn in it.
The day that Jakob began to move in was very hectic. The cat was into everything, inspecting everything to make sure that it was safe and to show her approval (or disdain!) The house contained an unused basement. Brynn had left it alone after her husband died; it had once contained all of his little hobbies. After his passing, she packed them all into boxes and stored them neatly in the attic. She couldn't bring herself to putting the area to good use. Now, she felt it was the best time to make it home-like again, this time with Jakob decorating it with his things.
Jakob and Brynn spent most of the time, after the initial moving of boxes from the moving truck to the basement, trying to organize the basement, placing certain pieces of furniture at specific spots, basically deciding what went where. Aria sat at the top of the stairs and watched them. The 3 of them smiled and laughed a lot, and Aria was perfectly content sitting with Whisper and listening to Brynn and Jakob talk.
Brynn asked Jakob to run upstairs to bring down a pitcher of punch. Aria followed Jakob up the stairs and helped him to make the punch. The doorbell rang just as they were about to go back downstairs, so Jakob told Aria to wait for him in the kitchen with the punch while he went to answer the door. Aria waited for him to leave the room before trying to lift the heavy pitcher herself. She managed to make it to the door, where she could see Jakob standing at the front door talking to another man. Aria looked down to see the pitcher in her arms for a second. Suddenly, she heard a loud BANG!
Aria screamed at the top of her lungs and dropped the pitcher of punch. She dropped to the floor, covered her ears and tightly closed her eyes as she continued to scream.
Brynn, panicked, came running up the stairs. She found her daughter on the floor crying and screaming as Jakob tried to comfort her. She didn't seem to know that anybody was near her.
"What happened?" Brynn asked.
Standing at the front door was a man dressed in a UPS delivery uniform.
"I-I'm sorry ma'am. I dropped the box on the floor. I didn't mean to scare your little girl."
Jakob assured the deliveryman that it wasn't his fault and that everything would be fine.
"He was only dropping off the package I had delivered here. I told him to drop it on the ground in front of me...I didn't think it would freak her out!"
By now, Brynn had Aria in her arms as she continued screaming and crying, her eyes tightly shut. She and Jakob didn't know what to do. Suddenly Aria started to speak, first
jibberish, then clearer and clearer.
"Pleasedon'tdie Pleasedon'tdie Pleasedon't die Please don'tdie... Please don't die!!!"
Brynn and Jakob looked at each other.
"Nobody is going to die sweetie."
"Daddy don't die! Daddy don't die!"
Brynn and Jakob sat beside each other and helplessly watched Aria. Finally, she opened her eyes and fought to focus in on
Jakob. She flew out of her mother's arms and into Jakob's, crying hysterically and chanting "Please don't go, please don't go!"
"Oh my god, Jakob..."
The loud bang brought back such memories for Arianne. The happy and peaceful day with her Mom and Dad was abruptly interrupted by a knock on the door...the loud bang had been a gunshot...her Daddy lay dying on the floor...
Tears of relief stained Aria's face and Jakob neck. She wouldn't let go of him.
That night, Aria lay in Jakob's arms, tears still streaming down her face as she slept in her newfound Daddy's arms, painfully remembering losing her first one.
What Witches Do
By DreamDancer
My little girl came home from school the other day, and right away I could see that something was wrong. Her eyes were red rimmed, and her cheeks were wet with tears. She was sniffing, and trying to hold it all in.
I took her into my arms, and sat her down on my lap on our couch, holding her close and comforting her.
When she had settled a bit, I asked her to tell mommy what was wrong.
Well, it seemed that the kids in her school had been teasing her. They'd been telling her that her mommy was a witch, and that she was evil for being born from a witch, her soul destined for hell.
"Mommy, tell me it's not true. You're not really a mean old witch, are you? You don't do bad, evil things, right? You don't really do magic?"
Now, I could have told her something just to comfort her, but I believe in truth, and this precious little soul deserved to know what was real and true about her mommy.
"Well honey," I told her, "it is partly true. Mommy is a Witch, but I would only do things some folks might say are bad if I had to do it to protect you, or daddy, or anyone else that I care about from people harming them."
She tensed up on me a bit at this point. Mommy was really a witch? How could this be? Mommy was so nice? I knew that I had to tell her a bit more.
"Sweetie, witches aren't bad people. They are just people that do things that some other folks don't do or know about. Now, there are some bad people who are witches, but they are few and far between. Just like people in any religion".
I could see the confusion on her face at this. I knew that I'd have a lot of talking to do this day.
"Being a witch is a religion mommy? I don't understand."
"Well, not for everyone sweetie" I told her. "But it is for your daddy and me."
This brought yet another look of confusion to her face. "But daddy's a boy. Witches aren't boys, they're girls. Does that mean that daddy is a Warlock?"
I couldn't help but laugh a little at the sincerity of her statement. "No sweetie. Most of us don't use the term Warlock. And witches are only girls on TV and in the movies and some books. In real life, a boy can be a witch too, if it's right for his spirit."
"Alot of what you think you know from what you see, what you hear, and what you read about witches came from a long time ago. Certain people thought that witches were bad and no one should be allowed to be one, and they were very powerful people, so other people listened to them. Do you remember when you learned in school about how they used to think that black people were bad and stupid? Well, alot of people over alot of years had to work very hard to change that view of them. While the circumstances are different for us, it's kind of the same".
"Am I a witch too mommy?" she asked in all seriousness.
I had to chuckle. "Sweet one, you might become a witch one day, you have the spirit for it, but that will be by your choice. You can follow any path you choose. The only thing that your daddy and I care about is that you grow into a good person."
"Do you fly around on a broom mommy?"
This one really made me laugh, although I should have been expecting it. "No sweetie, mommy doesn't fly around on a broom. Mommy drives a Pontiac. The broom flying is another myth that people believe, maybe based on what some people thought many years ago. Mommy has a witches broom, that's my broom right there by the front door. It's called my besom. Mommy's witches broom is
magickal, but it's used to magickly cleanse our house, and it magickly helps to protect us and keep us safe. That's why it always sits by the front door."
"But mommy, if you're a witch, what do witches do?"
"Well honey, for your daddy and me, it's our religion. You know a lot about God from school and your friends, right? Well, we have God too, but He looks different to us than he does to most people. We also know that in nature, most things have two sides, a male and a female, and along with God, we have his other half, the Goddess. Two halves that make a whole. Since God is nature, that just makes sense to us. We also honor nature, the Earth, and the life of all things around us. We follow the seasons as they change, draw from the energy of the world around us, and add our energy to the world. It's like we're all a part of one big whole."
"I think I understand mommy, but I still don't know what witches do."
"Well baby, at each full moon, we honor the Earth as our Mother, and at 8 points through the year, we honor the different changes in the world around us. These are our big times, but we can also do little things each and every day to get in touch with what we call the Lord and Lady, around us, and inside of us as well. Talk to them, ask their help, or just feel them with us."
"Like going to church and like praying mommy? Just in a different way?"
"Exactly sweetie. You are a very smart little girl."
"But I still don't understand. What do you and daddy do that makes you different from other people, I mean beside the way you go to church?"
"Well sweetie, we care about nature. We care about the spirits of the plants and animals. We recycle, we clean up trash, we don't use things that will hurt others or the planet around us. That's why, when you see mommy in her garden, I always ask the plants if I can take them, and thank them for giving us life and beauty."
"Mommy, that's silly. How does that make you a witch? Lots of people recycle and clean up trash. And old Mrs. Findley always talks to her plants. Lots of people worry about the planet. That doesn't make you any different."
"I guess you're right sweetie. Well, we also work our magick. Sometimes when we really need something, and that's need sweetie, not just wanting something. It has to be very very important; something needed to live for us to use
magick. Most of the time, your daddy and I just use our magick to make us safe, and to help other people in need, like those who are sick, sad, or hurt. We think about it really hard, see what we want done in our minds, and send our energy out to help make it happen."
"Mommy, that sounds like what alot of people do. They pray for things to happen, or to help other people. Are other people working magick too?"
"I guess they are at that. Sometimes I forget that sweetie. They just think of it differently than we do. Thank you for reminding me sweet one."
"Mommy, it doesn't sound like witches are any different from anyone else. They just do some things different. I think they are just regular people."
"Yes they are honey. Regular people who do special things."
"Mommy, I think I want to be a Witch when I grow up. Can you teach me how?"
Tears came to my eyes as I hugged this special little soul close to me.
DreamDancer
2-11-01
Wicce's Tarot Corner
Creating a Tarot Altar
By Rev. Gina M. Pace
Ostara is a time for many things, not the least of which is a renewed sense of sacredness in our lives as we welcome the spring and nature's strength grows. One of our most well known themes for this time of the year is "spring cleaning" and I know I find this to be a time when I am most motivated to clean off my altar and really spend some time with the Goddess. I spend some time contemplating the things that have accumulated on my altar during the past year. I sit with each one and remember what its goal was, why it was brought there, and think about whether its job is finished or not. Many cherished things are ready to be put away; others remain out for some time to come. Whether they stay or go, the point is the time spent considering each one, and the renewal of the energy involved in its magic.
One corner of my altar has always been dedicated to the tarot. Since I am a spiritual person, and the tarot is (for me) a spiritual tool, it has, of course, its place in my spiritual practice. I have a terrific little space where I display different tarot cards that I have accumulated over time which have special magickal significance for me. I simply took a small cardboard box (I think it was used to ship a mug to our store or something, just so you get an idea of the size of it) and covered it with a
large-ish piece of satin fabric, draped over the box like a miniature tablecloth so the box acts like a little stage or perhaps like an altar-within-an-altar. On this box, I keep the several different tarot cards. I also have several sterling silver place card holders, in the shape of a little snail who can hold the cards upright on the box so they don't fall over and don't get in a lump. This is an easy and yet attractive way to dress up the altar and make the altar special.
In general, I like to draw a different tarot card every day to see what the "theme" is going to be for the day. The card often points out some difficulty I will have to deal with, such as the time I got the 7 of Pentacles, and for the rest of the day I kept finding myself in situations where I needed to step back and look at how various situations were unfolding in my life, and appreciate their growth rather than compare them to my own preconceived expectations. The 7 of Pentacles is the "Watched Pot Don't Boil" card, and that day, I certainly saw that lesson come through in a variety of ways.
Other days I will see a card that tends to have a more universal spiritual theme for not just that day, but also a larger picture of my life. Mostly this will occur with Court Cards and Major Arcana cards. I find that getting a card like the Magician, for example, usually signifies a lesson that I will need for longer than just that day. In truth, the Magician has become sort of a mascot for me, because his lessons are ones I am always being reminded of; I have incorporated his card permanently into the altar with a transparent sticker of the card placed right on the mirror above the little tarot altar. I also have him on my business cards. He's definitely my mascot.
Whichever card I draw and focus on for the day, I place in a prominent spot in the center of my little tarot altar, and spend some time meditating upon the greater meaning of the card before beginning my daily routines. Usually I am accustomed to looking at the cards in terms of how they might relate within a reading; in this context, however, I must look for the more generalized, and yet more applicable, larger meaning to the card. How it might guide me along my path. A great example of this is the Star; when it comes up in a reading, I am usually focused on how it inspires and guides the person getting the reading, and whom in their lives it might refer to, someone who is really helping them "get the job done." However, in meditation, I am more likely to focus on the image itself: a young woman, whom I see as a metaphor for the divine energy of the universe, holding two jars of water. One jar is being poured onto the ground, which has grass and flowers on it; the other is being poured into a moonlit pool of water. I am reminded of the fact that the divine energy of the universe pours inspiration into all lives, for everyone to partake of, but some of that inspiration falls upon fertile ground, and is cherished, and some is wasted and goes back into the source to be recycled and later poured out again that it might be absorbed.
A tarot altar is a great way to get in touch with your own higher self, which is a path to the God and Goddess through the soul. Remember that if they are not found within you, they will never be found without; seek the divine through understanding and loving yourself, and cherish the lessons we are given... become the fertile ground that the inspiration is poured out upon, and nothing sacred in our lives will ever be wasted.
Ostara blessings,
Gina
