SECTION III - THE CAULDRON
Northern Edition
The Meant-to-Be Meeting - Isha Arrowhawk
I was Cleopatra in a previous life... - Kim Robertson
Spring - Lorelei
Mythical Musings - Laurel Reufner
The Nature of the Universe - Kim Robertson
The Golden Age - William Bond
The Storm - Lorelei
Mystic Moon - G. Rain
Beating A Not-So-Hasty Retreat - Wren Walker
The Meant-to-Be Meeting
By Isha Arrowhawk
Well, where was I? Oh yes, the twists and turns that set my feet on the Path I now trod. Ok, so, let's get back to it, shall we? :)
My studies continued for many years, often taking a back burner to other more important things in my life...like a botched suicide attempt due to overwhelming self-doubt and lack of self-esteem...a battle I fight continually to this day; my mother's stroke, when I quit school to care for her (no smart college grad here folks .. just a GED holder); and finally, a marriage to the one I thought was my soulmate (took two failed marriages to find the one I now have!). And through all of this, my doubt, that my chosen Path was wrong, bad, yes...there's that word again...*evil*. I had no faith in me, or my beliefs. I had no one to turn to...there's that 'like mind' thing again .. and it is so very true! Solitary practice works well for many, but not for me. I *need* to share my gifts with other people, I *have* to share my energies, my talents, and when I can't I stagnate.
My hubby at the time was active duty military, and we moved first to Alaska. Talk about a Craft wasteland! And this was way before I ever touched a computer! So, I was stuck with doing little things in my bedroom, and re-reading the precious one or two books I would find in the local library. And believe you me, Kodiak Island hasn't got a very big one! :P But, I still held onto the hope that I would find someone to help me.
Our tour ended in Alaska, and we were shipped off to New York, another island, Governors Island. And there, my dear readers, is where the major turn in my life took place. My hubby drove buses for the Wives Clubs on tours of New York at Xmas time, to show off the lights, and such. Well .. I got to go, even though I was only an Enlisted wife, because he was driving the bus. Lots of perks there .. :) On one of those tours, in 1981, I was chatting with him about needing to find somewhere to purchase books and stuff, not thinking I was being overheard. Next thing I knew, someone was tapping me on the shoulder, whispering 'Blessed Be' in my ear. Ok, well .. blessings are cool, so I said thanks, and dropped the subject. I'd never heard the phrase before, had no idea what it signified, even.
But, after the tour was over with, and we were all getting off of the buses back at our quarters, this woman gets off with me, and smiles. 'If you want to learn, come see me, I live there,' she said, and pointed to the other side of the building we lived in. She gave me her apartment number, and walked off. Curious, I went to see her the next afternoon. Well, that meeting was quite eventful, as I not only met her, but her husband as well .. both Initiates of Pagan Way, the group that used to meet in Herman Slater's old shop, The Magickal
Chiilde...but got my first addiction .. General Foods International Coffees! She and I talked many times over large mugs of that stuff!
From her, I got my very first book, The Spiral Dance. And from that point, it was one spiral bound notebook after another, filled with notes, lessons, spells, correspondences, you name it, they taught it to me. Finally, I felt needed, wanted, like I belonged somewhere, I had found 'like minds'! But, it was always just us three, and I always wondered, if they were members of a coven, how come I never got to meet any of the others? I was to get my chance, in a most unexpected and most enjoyable manner!
Samhain.1982. The major turning point. I'd gone to their apartment to get some homework checked. I'd already Dedicated to the Craft, and was working towards a degree. They'd taken me on as a student with the approval of the group. Anyhow, her hubby walks in, and asks me if I want to go out later that night. Ok, I said, sure. Dress nice, he said, you'll be outside. Happily, the weather was nice and didn't require more than a jeans jacket. So, after rushing home, grabbing a fast bite to eat, and kissing the bubby, off I went. Now, by this time, there was some major strife going on in the Childe group, and several of them had left to form their own group .. still a Pagan Way one, as well as a new shop, Enchantments. After stopping by the Childe, we headed to Enchantments ... which was the plan all along.
We went in, and I fell in love with the place. And, it had a grove outside in the back! It was so peaceful. Turns out, I was about to participate in my very first Samhain ritual, though I didn't know it at the time. I met some wonderful people, chatted with many of them, shared some fruit and cheese and snacks, and waited to see what was going on. The Circle was nicely set up, with stumps for seats, and a huge tree just behind the altar. I found a stump off to the side and sat down. I wasn't a member of the group, and didn't feel right (there's that self-doubt again!) joining in things .. I was still learning, after all, and *only* a
Dedicant. Needless to say, that thinking didn't hold water.
A lovely young woman came over to me, accompanied by a nice looking man. The Priest and Priestess of the group, I learned. They asked me why I was sitting alone, and I told them. Wrong answer! They took my hands, and led me over to the others telling me that I would never learn if I didn't get involved, and that the Lord and Lady understood mistakes. I learned my first spiral dance that night, and got so super charged! It was wonderful! I also learned how to ground! I knew that tree was going to come in handy! LOL! By the time everything was over with, I didn't *need* to take the subway home...I could very easily have floated there!
They gifted me with my first pent necklace that night. I still have it, and wear it on very special occasions. My studies increased, and I all but lived between the Childe and Enchantments, buying any books I could find, all my supplies, everything I could afford. And at times, I was gifted with things if I couldn't afford them. It was like a dream come true for me. And things were only going to get better.
Next Part: Solitary once again
I was Cleopatra in a previous life....
By Kim Robertson
I hear some pretty far out stories from people from time to time and I used to disregard some of them as straight lies and self-aggrandizement but I got to thinking. What exactly is a truth?
Modern thinking would have us believe that reality is solid, unchanging and totally cause and effect driven. If a tree falls in the forest it does definitely make sound.
The more I look at life the more I get the feeling that reality is more like a stage play. Sometimes you open your eyes and catch stagehands moving scenery around or you find an inconsistency in the plot. Like you see your new neighbor's car and it is green but the next day it is red and you tell yourself that you must have remembered wrong.
These inconsistencies occur all the time and our brains have evolved over time to make automatic correction to what we perceive so that our view of reality doesn't get too challenged. Any optometrist will tell you that the image you see in your head has been very 'optimized' by your brain before it hits you cognizance.
I think that reality is like a collage of everyone's and everything's perceptions. There are bound to be holes and faults and problems in it. Some of you might know a feeling that you get when extremely depressed/panicked where you start disassociating from your body and your perception of the world alters.
Things look, feel and seem totally weird and disjointed and full of scary energy and powerful half-meanings and unformed threats etc. This state of consciousness, in becoming partially divorced from the 'consensus reality' shows you that being out of the stream threatens you with getting lost; really really badly lost, is the feeling. Like you are sticking your head out of an air craft and the wind is trying to suck you out of the cabin, and at the same time trying to listen to what auntie Joan (from the other side of the air craft) is telling you about baking her banana cakes.
Is there any wonder why newborn babies take so long to come to consciousness in this confusing world? It must seem like an eternity to them, and probably is.
OK, having convinced you (at the subjective level) that reality is totally a result of consensus thought streams and not at all of matter and solid facts, it becomes easier to accept other people's explanations of their experiences with the occult. Yes, perhaps they are embellishing the 'truth' or out and out story telling but is that really important?
Aeosop's fables did not have to be about a true event to contain truth.
Blessed be
Kim Robertson
Mythical Musings
By Laurel Reufner
Welcome to my new column, thanks to Midnight Grey Wolfpup. Each issue, hopefully, I'll be bringing you an essay on a different deity. If there's someone you'd like to hear about in particular, let me know. This time around, it's the Roman goddess Flora, who had more than a few surprises in store for me as I went about my research.
Flirtatious Flora
Roman goddess of the Spring, flowers, fertility Mention Flora and a person tends to immediately conjure images of nymphs dancing in the wooded clearings and heads wreathed in Spring-time blooms. Goddess of springtime beauty and innocence. The May Day scene from Camelot comes easily to mind. So who was Flora really?
Harbinger of Spring and the personification of flowers, Flora possessed one of the oldest cults in Rome. She was even one of the few deities to have her own major priest, or
flamen, plus a minor temple in the northwest corner of the Quirinalis, near the Circus
Maximus. There were two festivals to our goddess: the Floralia, discussed below, and another on 13 August, probably connected to some late flowering harvest produce.
However, there was more to our goddess than just Nature's beauty, for without that beauty there could be no harvest. Trees must flower to produce fruit. Wheat must flower. Flora is more than just a flower blooming; she also represents the reproductive, or fertile, potential that the flower's bloom represents. She is the awakening sexuality found in every adolescent. And she was vital to the continuation of the Roman Empire. Without Flora there would be no new citizens, or no food.
A famine hit Rome in 283 BC, prompting the city's leaders to consult with the Sibylline Books. As a result a temple was built on the Aventine Hill, near the Circus Maximus and on 27 (or 28, depending on the calendar) April the temple was dedicated to Flora.
Originally a moveable festival, the Floralia now became associated with the date of the new temple's dedication. However, its observance was intermittent until 173 BC, when it became a yearly celebration.
By the time of Rome's empire period the Floralia lasted from 27 April until 3 May. It was a wild time, with performances in the theater, circus games, and finally ending with a sacrifice to Flora. Those little machines of reproduction, bunnies and goats were let loose as part of the circus games. Vetches, a relative of the common garden pea, as well as beans and lupins were tossed at the crowds in an effort to make their springtime desire flower.
Our dear, beautiful Flora also came to be considered the patron goddess of prostitutes, who came to view the Floralia as their own special festival. Many of the celebration's events ran late into the night, so it is not really difficult to see how the association came about. Stripteases were quite common, especially on the last day, when almost any woman in attendance would be harassed to _take it off_. You know, reading back over this all, it sounds a bit like Mardi Gras celebrations the world over. There really is little that's new under the sun!
So how does one bring the beauty, fertile potential of Flora, into their own lives? Flowers, flower, flowers. Planting flowers that are also edible would be appropriate, as would planting flowering vegetables. Dishes containing beans or peas could be served at a special meal. Perhaps wearing bright colors, which participants in the ancient Floralia wore, would be enough to commemorate the day. And of course, talking a walk, or simply sitting, and contemplating the flowers is a wonderful day to think of, and thank, Flora.
Bibliography:
Ogilvie, R. M. The Romans and Their Gods: In the Age of Augustus. London: Chatto and
Windus, 1969.
Turcan, Robert. The Gods of Ancient Rome: Religion in Everyday Life from Archaic to Imperial Times. New York:
Routledge, 2000. (Translated by Antonia Nevill.)
Adkins, Leslie, and Roy A. Adkins. Dictionary of Roman Religion. New York: Facts On File, Inc. 1996.
The Nature of the Universe
By Kim Robertson
Beware: the following is an exercise in supposition *grin*
I think that the Universe or just came to be over time. I like the idea that it is just energy and just therefore 'is'. Well, this is a variation in that the 'is' is changing. Maybe if we use the concepts that brought about the existence of humans as an example. To get the first human to exist on this planet took incomprehensible time and enormous effort on the part of the universe.
Let us step back to basic physics. It is no accident that we (or for that matter other planets/peoples) came about. The design of matter/energy in the physical universe is such that situations can arise giving us a planet like earth, which has so much enormous potential for life. It is near infinitely impossible that such a conglomeration of atoms (that atoms even exist is amazing) of the right sort occurs. This fact (natural order) is evidence of a design in the nature of the universe. I'll leave that thought here for the moment without proof... you can go find that for yourself if you like. The main point is that life exists by design.
Now, consider a universe that only has energy and does not have matter. In fact a universe where there are very few laws of physics. For change to occur there by random occurrence would take supremely long. For thought or consciousness to occur would be the result of random changes over near-infinite eternity. If this 'being' that resulted, unimaginable to us, thought long enough (no lack of 'time' for them...in fact nothing to measure it against apart from themselves) perhaps it would realize that, for another to come along it would take another near-infinite eternity. Perhaps this being dreamed of a better universe where it could create the arrangement of energy that is a spirit in a much faster way. Where the universe was designed to bring about the changes that, to it, would be as a blinking of an eye. In fact the whole evolution of this universe from creation to dissipation might merely be a single breath of this being.
The Golden Age
By William Bond
In Greek Legend there is a story of an ancient Golden Age where people lived in peace and prosperity. To quote: "The first age was an age of innocence and happiness. Truth and right prevailed, though not enforced by law, nor was there any magistrate to threaten or punish. The forest had not yet been robbed of its trees to furnish timbers for vessels, nor had men built fortifications around their towns. There were no such things as swords, spears, or helmets. The earth brought forth all things necessary for man, without his labor in ploughing or sowing. Perpetual spring reigned, flower sprang up without seed, the rivers flowed with milk and wine, and yellow honey distilled from the oaks."
After that came the Silver age, where everything wasn't so good then the Brazen age and finally the Iron age, which is really our present age of warfare and violence. The whole concept of this myth is that everything has become slowly worse and worse for human kind since the Golden Age.
Yet the myth of the Golden age doesn't only come from Ancient Greece.
Probably the most ancient religion that survives today is Taoism in China. Again this religion talks about a Golden age in the past. As explained repetitively in the
Tao-Te-Ching written by Lao Tzu.
The concept of the Golden Age is also in the story of the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve sinned they were banished into the wasteland and Adam had to work "by the sweat of his brow". The story of the Garden of Eden comes from a Golden age story from ancient Mesopotamia. Also in the few Aztec and Maya writing that have survived again there is a myth of a very ancient Golden Age ruled by a compassionate Mother Goddess. Which is shown in contrast to the later age of warfare and human sacrifice. In fact most ancient cultures of the world have some myth of a golden age of the ancient past.
Up until recently modern academics have rejected these legends as pure myth. Not only do they sound too good to be true. Recorded history shows a different story. It seems that the further you go back in history the more brutal and violent men seem to behave. After all we do not have human sacrifice anymore. Though it has to be admitted we still have genocide and wars as we have seen with the Nazi and Po-Pot regimes. So it has been assumed by archeologists that people in pre-historic times were even more brutal than people in historic times. But recent archeology discoveries have challenged this assumption.
In the 1960s an archeologists called Mellaart lead a team to excavate a site in Anatolia in Turkey. This site turned out to be the oldest city ever discovered. Called Catal Huyuk it goes back over 9,000 years. What was discovered goes against all assumptions archeologist have about people living in Neolithic times. They couldn't find any fortifications to defend the city or any weapons of war. Neither could they find signs of violence committed on people buried in graves. It as also a city full of feminine imagery to the degree that Mellaart was force to say that the people worshipped the Ancient Great Mother.
So unsettling was these discoveries that the site was closed down for thirty years and the academic world ignored the implications of this find. But there was on archeologist who was brave enough to challenge the accepted wisdom of the academic world.
The late Mariji Gimbutas went digging in other Neolithic sites and found similar findings. She also highlight the Neolithic findings that Soviet scientists had made in Transylvania. As well as Goddess civilizations found in Crete and Malta. All showing peaceful societies that worshipped the Great Mother. Gimbutas became a very controversial figure and her books and work was rejected by the academic world. But other archeologists were also finding similar finds. The Indus Valley civilization in Pakistan was again an Ancient society that archeologists could find no signs violence or weapons of war. Even more recently in Caral in Peru the oldest city ever discovered in South America, going back to 5,000 years, the same thing was discovered. Given the violent history of later South American civilizations with mass human sacrifice archeologists expected to find the same thing. But no matter how hard they looked they couldn't find any evidence of human sacrifice, warfare or any other indication of violence. And they had to conclude that this civilization existed in peace for thousands of years.
The overwhelming evidence of these finding have made more modern academic wonder if Mariji Gimutas might be right after all. Some are coming out of the woodwork and supporting her like Richard Rudgley in his book "Lost Civilizations Of The Stone Age".
So what is the implication of these findings?
No longer can it be claimed that we lived in the Stone Age as savage brutes. As it seems that violence started thousands of years after the first civilizations got started. It also brings into question if we are ourselves naturally violence.
After the Second World War the American military done a study on how well their troops done in the war. They interviewed a large number of ex-servicemen and found that only a small minority admitted to killing the enemy. Most claimed that they only shot above the heads of the opposing side and didn't want the deaths of the enemy on their conscience.
In contrast in the same war the Japanese troops had a reputation of brutality and ruthlessness. But the Japanese military training was very harsh. The new recruits were beaten up by older soldiers and then after the first years training they were encouraged to do the same to the newer recruits. Later on in their training they were taught to kill by killing prisoners of war. So it seems that the Japanese military knew that to turn a ordinary Japanese male into a effective killing machine they had to completely brutalize him.
The same is true of the German soldiers under the Nazis, where again the ordinary soldier was again brutalized. Yet in spite of this, when the Nazis started their genocide against the Jews they at first just took groups of Jews into the forest and had them shot by ordinary soldiers. But the effect of shooting defenseless civilians had a devastating effect on many of the soldiers ordered to do this and some were committing suicide. This became such a problem for the Nazis that other methods had to be used to conduct mass murder that didn't involve ordinary servicemen.
During the Falklands war 250 British servicemen lost their lives. 20 years after the war 265 men who saw action during the war have since committed suicide. Even worse figure are shown for the American troops that fought in the Vietnam War. Though this is a controversial subject in USA and it is hard to get exact figures.
If the Japanese military had to brutalize their troops to make them kill. While soldiers in Britain and America as so upset by the experience of war that many have since committed suicide. It calls into question whether men are naturally violent. Yet recorded history is a history of war, genocide and cruelty. So if it is not natural for men to be violent, why is it still going on?
In all the Golden age legends they do not explain why things started to go wrong. But Gimbutas claims that the downfall of many of the peaceful Goddess civilizations as caused by violent patriarchal tribes invading them from the north. So it suggests that it was the invention of war that ended the last Golden Age. Where the early patriarchal rulers behaved like Mafia bosses in imposing a reign of terror on the people and started a protection racket that was in effect the first taxation.
So the good news is that a Golden age did exist in the past, and we are not naturally violent. Most men have to be brainwashed into being like this through
brutalization. The bad news is that the Pandora's Box has been opened in that violent men have found they can rule countries and even empires by fear and violence.
But this is not what the majority of us want. Most of us do not want to live in a world of war and violence and it is up to us to not allow a minority of violent men spoilt it for us all. We have to learn how to stop our young people being brutalized by school bullies, street gangs, prisons, poverty, unemployment, violent films and video games, violent parents and the military. Then we can perhaps get back to living once again in a new Golden Age of peace and prosperity.
This article was published with permission.
More of my articles can be read at
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/creatrix
The Storm
By Lorelei
A bright flash of lightning
fills the darkened sky.
The clock ticks off a few seconds
that last an eternity.
A resounding crack of thunder
shatters the silence.
The hidden memory rises unbidden
causing a hint of trembling.
Alone, she turns on all the lights,
pretending to be calm.
A thumping beat blares out
from a stereo turned up loud.
The shades are pulled tightly shut,
mimicking her emotions.
She attempts to read a book,
unable to concentrate.
The door flies open wide,
crashing against the wall.
Her nerves strung tight,
she tenses and gasps.
A brief moment of fear,
then sudden relaxation.
Her family is home safe and sound,
and she smiles and hugs them tight.
Mystic Moon
Chapter 14: In the darkness, there be vampires roaming
Written by ~ G. Rain
As I think back to that long dark night, I remember mostly the sound of the rain. First it drizzled, than it poured. Non-stop for hours straight. Perhaps the Gods were releasing their power our way, giving us the strength to do what we needed to do. It was a little before three o'clock in the morning, right on the cusp of the witching hour. As any witch would tell you the most powerful magick could be caste between midnight and 3 am to achieve the best desired results.
We didn't have much time left to tap into that magical time space, so each of us moved quickly in the dark living room. Except Belinda who laid in extreme pain on the large purple couch.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing? Jane asked trying her best to be strong.
"We are going to caste out the evil, bind the psychic vampire from doing more harm, than, heal Belinda." I replied, as I set up the pillar candles in a circular pattern on the hard wooden floor.
"You must not worry dear, everything will be alright in good time." Shara said grasping Jane's Shoulders in passing. Her motherly tone soothed Jane's worries but I knew Shara and she couldn't mask her doubt from me. Shara and I exchanged a look in the darkness. We were both scared and worst of all uncertain of the sick girl's fate. Belinda moaned out in pain. Mona gave her yet another cup of tea. She used ginger and other spices to zap out whatever influences the psychic vampire had on Belinda.
"Almost ready." I said as I went into my bedroom in search of my wand. As I came back to the front room I remember almost colliding with Mona. The near miss almost sent me tumbling to the ground, but Mona's strong arm caught me before I could fall. Mona was probably the only calm one out of all of us. She was wise beyond her years. At nine months pregnant I started to wonder if she should be a part of the ritual.
I didn't want to alarm Mona so I turned to Shara, her croned mother for answers. Aside in the corner by the rain tattered window I pulled Shara away from the magical task of sweeping the sacred circle.
"What about Mona's Baby, could it be affected in anyway by this ritual?" I asked in a whisper.
"I wondered that myself a little while ago. Any suggestions?" Shara said in an equally soft tone.
"How about we work a protection sphere around the little one?" Mona said as she sneaked up on us. Shara and I laughed, of course the mother to be would know best.
A flash of lightening illuminated the living room, not once but twice. One right after the other. Thunder rumbled and sent energy waves and trembles throughout the whole building.
The four of us, Jane, myself, Shara and Mona grasped hands. We wanted to go into this together, as a coven. We were not individuals but one magical group with a lot of determination and faith. The circle was caste and energy raised. Belinda was placed in the center, the altar at north, and elements at each corner. With one final prayer to the Goddess and God we got down and dirty weaving our mystical magick upon that dark stormy night.
The lightening crackled a call to the thunder with fierce power and the thunder answered back with roaring passion. A poppet was passed to me from
Shara, I grasped it in my hands and wove a black ribbon around its body. I passed it on to Jane. Suddenly an image came before me within the sacred circle. It was the dark haired man in my dreams. Just as in my night visions he reached out for me. I touched his hand, it felt real. If at anytime before then I was worried about the spell we'd caste that night, with his touch my heart and soul eased. At that very moment I realized who he was: my spirit guide. An angel of sorts who helped me, guiding me along the path. I blinked and he was gone.
I was chanting. For how long was I using the repetition? I did not know. Everything seemed like a blur, even time. A vortex of energy from the coven was being feed into Belinda. Then silence, no rain, no voices, no chanting.
The magick was caste then circle banished, and I, in a fit of exhaustion, fell to the ground depleted. I heard the rain start again, and it cleansed the earth.
__________________________________________________________________
When the rain finally stopped, the city was almost silent. The sun rising made the drops on the window twinkle like crystals. Shara and I sat alone at the kitchen table. Jane phoned her boyfriend in her room, Mona and Belinda were a sleep on the couch.
"Gwen, you look like you could use a cup of freshly brewed coffee." Shara said as she walked slowly to the table with two cups in hand.
"Most definitely." I said with a sigh. "Binding spells, psychic vampires, spirit guides, you name it, in one night I've encountered it." I added as my hands instinctively clenched the coffee mug for warmth. Shara simply smiled in reply. "You knew all along that something like this would happen didn't you?" I said softly gazing out the window. It wasn't so much a question but instead an affirmation.
"My dreams foretold certian events, yes, and my guides gave me some clues." She stopped and turned, looking me right in the eyes. " I didn't know the extent of the challenge, or when it would come. I did my best to prepare you, Mona and Jane." I shook my head in response. She did indeed prepare us well, as well as one could be prepared for that night's fiasco.
"Belinda." I said as I turned to look at her sleeping on the couch. " She'll be alright won't she?"
Shara tapped my shoulder and smiled. "She's strong like you, Gwen, she'll be just fine."
__________________________________________________________________
That afternoon we gather together at Mystic Moon. As we stood around the counter I revered at my friends greatness. We were, each one of us, survivors. On some stormy night, towards the end of winter we didn't fear the fearful, back down or go into the task of fighting evil half-heartedly. Instead we walked into the circle together. From that point foreword it was a new beginning for us, because only until one realizes how precious life really is, can one fully enjoy it.
"Thank you all for coming." Shara said as she looked at each one of us with a new light in her eyes.
"So why did you want us to come to the store?" Jane asked
"Well, I have a small announcement to make." Shara replied
"Actually, so do I." Jane chimed in. Mona and I looked at each other and laughed.
"So, who wants to go first?" I asked eager to hear what looked like exciting news.
"I am engaged!" Jane yelled not able to hold in her secrete any longer. Shara, Mona, and myself looked at each other and instantly started shouting questions in Jane's direction: How did he propose? When's the wedding? Did he give you a ring?
"Ok, alright, hold on!" Jane yelled in all the commotion.
"Today at lunch he took my out to a restaurant, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I don't know when well get married, and hold on let me get the ring." Jane said fumbling through her purse. She took out a small ring box and handed it clockwise to Mona.
After a good five minutes the commotion stopped and all eyes fell on Shara.
"Well my news isn't as exciting but it does involve a serious commitment." Shara said in a warm soft voice. The rest of us waited patiently for her to continue. "As you know I am an old witch and I've had this store for a good part of my life. But, even the magical need a little vacation. In other words, I am giving the store to you Mona and Gwen, as an equal partnership. I expect that you'll have no problem figuring out the details." I remember glancing in Mona's's Direction. She seemed delighted by the news; I on the other hand, was in shock.
"Oh Shara, I don't deserve this" I said instantly.
"As of this moment the store is under your rule and domain. I take it that Mona's baby will attract most of her attention so for a while Gwen, your own your own." Shara said to me with a bright smiled. "You may not be my daughter by blood but your my daughter by heart and in the Goddesses eye's that's what really matters." The shock wore off and excitement kicked in, Mystic Moon, the very store I'd first stepped into all those years ago was now, mine.
"I really am excited by this news."Mona said as she touched her stomach. "Well, I have to get to the hospital."
"Do you have an appointment dear?" Shara asked her daughter.
"Yes, in a way, I do." Mona said as she walked towards the front of the store. "Oh, and could one of you give a call to my midwife?" Mona said as she turned back in our direction.
"Oh my goddess the baby's is coming!" Jane said and ran to help Mona out the door. Quickly, Shara and I followed.
"Gwen dear, don't you think someone should stay at the store?" Shara said to me as I ran out the door.
"Oh yes, of course." I replied and turned back.
"Will you call me from the hospital?" I said semi-pleading with Shara.
"Of course dear." Shara said taping me on the shoulder.
_______________________________________________________________
Darkness fell quickly. I counted the money that the store made that day, locked up the back few rooms and turned off the lights. I used the main key to close up mystic moon and realized that; it was my first day as co-owner. I glanced up at the small enchanted store front, and the memories flooded back. What a chaotic year! I remember mostly the bond that I found with my closet friends. No, that year wasn't easy but we survived, and made our lives better for the things we went through.
Later on Jane got married, Shara adopted several more cats, and Mona, well, Mona had a beautiful, healthy baby girl. As for me, you can find me any day at the Mystic Moon store, somewhere in the hustle and bustle of the city life. Perhaps if you're in the neighborhood, you'd stop by for a tarot reading or a spell. Blessed Be my friends, and thank you for allowing me to ponder back to years ago.
Beating A Not-So-Hasty Retreat...
By Wren Walker
Co-Founder - The Witches' Voice (http://www.witchvox.com/)
Those of you who believe in or follow astrology probably already know that Saturn and Pluto are currently engaged in a bit of a tussle. Looking around our very small apartment last week, one might surmise that those planets had been mixing it up right there in my kitchen. We have limited counter space as it is and much of that had disappeared under rags and salvaged cream cheese containers and baskets. Fritz, patient man that he is, never complained even as he had to excavate the coffee pot out from under the rubble. As a Capricorn, I usually don't deal well with clutter. I like things lined up, visually symmetrical and neat. Not necessarily antiseptically clean, mind you, (where would I leave a message if it weren't for the dust on the table?) but a chaotic jumble of stuff strewn about just grates on my nerves. I suppose that is why I have developed such a pragmatic personality. If one doesn't care for all things messy, one has to develop tools and skills in order to
'unmessify' wherever one can. For all of those other things that lie beyond one's personal control, one simply has to learn to shrug them off and go on. Or you can just do what I did: You can call it art.
For those of you who don't necessarily follow planetary shenanigans on a regular basis-but who may be wondering just why everything really sucks of late- here is a little update. The Saturn-Pluto opposition cycles take place every thirty-five/thirty-six years. This present cycle started with Saturn-Pluto in opposition on August 5, 2001 and again on November 2, 2001. Everyone reading this is certainly aware of the events that happened in the world between those two dates. Pluto, named after an underworld God, rules those things that lie beneath the surface. That sounds safe enough and it would be if those underground things were really and truly dead and were content to remain really and truly dead. But Pluto also rules over such things like explosions, secret plots, mass movements and dramatic
transformation. Pluto happens to be completely amoral in those regards. It will change things that need to be changed no matter the cost. Pluto is what must become.
Saturn on the other hand is the planet of what is. Saturn's energy will fight just as hard to maintain existing structures as Pluto's is determined to strike them down. Saturn is preservation. Pluto is transformation. You can see the root of the current world problems right there. You might also see some of the reasons why various factions of the
Pagan/Heathen/Wiccan communities are dueling over definitions, historical truths (or the lack thereof) and validations of all kinds. It's shake up time. And some people and some things don't like being shaken up. Anything that has not been built upon a solid foundation is in danger of collapse. But before you start pointing fingers, let me remind you that even the most firm of structures might also get a good rocking when Pluto comes to town. Just to keep things from falling into stasis, you understand. Saturn's influence might keep your religion or belief or system from utter devastation, but even here Pluto will force you to either take a few steps back or even a step forward into new territory. Nothing can remain exactly as it is. To say that this opposition could also shake out a few personal relationships as well is more than an afterthought here if yours just happens to be one of them. Well, maybe it's time to take your lumps, cut your losses and move on anyway. And don't be surprised if you see a lot more political and religious dirty laundry flapping in the breeze out there on the public clothesline. The effects of this Saturn-Pluto opposition will be with us for quite a while to come. And it won't over until they say that it's over.
Feel better now that you know what is going on? Me neither. The final Saturn-Pluto opposition of this cycle will occur on May 25, 2002 at 10:34 AM EDT. But it's not all 'bad' news. The Saturn-Pluto effect can also be channeled into learning new skills and thinking innovative thoughts. It can mean breathing new life into old systems (The 'Three Little Pigs' was probably birthed during a Saturn-Pluto opposition.) or even resurrecting old ones. This can be in the form of investigating new belief systems, returning to a religion that you once left behind or realigning the new with the old where you are right now. Since both Saturn and Pluto ask the same question, "What is real?"-One to question for usefulness and the other to test for worthiness- this can be an excellent opportunity to haul oneself out of that previously comfortable rut and to try something different.
My kitchen certainly looked different and very un-Capricorn-esque this week. But it's all part of the cycle. I went back and rediscovered/ resurrected an old skill that I had forgotten that I had even once possessed: painting. I found that I needed to take a break from all of the shaking of the systems and the rantings of the shook. So I got out my acrylics and my brushes and started to paint. But, of course, under the Saturn-Pluto influences, my paintings- although based upon something quite ancient- were not like any of the artwork that I had ever done before. It was both very old and very new (to me anyway) at the same time. And I have found that this blending of an old system and a new medium has worked very well in getting me back into emotional and spiritual balance. Let me share with you some of the pictures that got me started. You'll recognize the art form right away. But take a few minutes to notice how the artists placed certain colors next to each other and the symmetry of the designs. This type of art is both decorative and spiritual and while this particular combination or style might not 'rock your boat', there are all sorts of different art forms that you can explore on your own. This is just my own mini-tour and I hope that you enjoy it:
This is the picture (http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/view1zoom.asp?dep=10&full=0&mark=1&item=15%2E2%2E2) that started it all. I saw a case like this one in the Boston Museum and fell in love with it. From there, I went exploring and found this
(http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/view1.asp?dep=10&full=0&item=30%2E8%2E57). Another simple and clean design. (You can zoom in on the pictures for more detail. The home pages of sites referenced will be listed below.) And I began to muse, "You know, I think that I can do something like that!" Some of the most beautiful and awe inspiring pictures come from Osirisnet
(http://www.osirisnet.net/) such as this one (http://www.osirisnet.net/tombes/pharaons/nofr/nofr2/nfrt2194.jpg) and this curved towering figure
(http://www.osirisnet.net/tombes/artisans/nakht335/photo/nak335_22.jpg) has to be one of my favorites. The colors in this one
(http://ragz-international.com/egypt007.jpg) from the International History Project site are still vibrant after all these many centuries and are the basis of my new color palette. Okay, most of these designs are still beyond my budding capabilities, but I did find this site
(http://members.aol.com/FyreWyngz/cbook/cbook.html )(a coloring book) with many good designs to print and color or to help guide your own 'ancient' Egyptian creations. I adapted the
Nut/Geb print onto an old stool and embellished it with a multi-colored border. Sanding down the edges heavily and over the design lightly gave it this nice well-worn look and feel and I'm pretty satisfied with the results.
So if things have been a bit wild of late in your neck of the universe, just take a little break during the window of 'opportunity' presented by the Saturn-Pluto opposition and create your own mini-retreat area. Whether it is through art, music or poetry- or by simply sitting under the shade of a big tree- give yourself some creative or quiet time in which to reflect upon the question, "What is real?" Wait for the answers to come. They will. And then go out and design something worthy -- create something beautiful -- and treasure that which survives the test.
Become an artist. Dare to paint your own life.
Walk in Love and Light,
Wren Walker
Co-Founder - The Witches' Voice
Monday, April 15th., 2002
References and credits:
1. The Metropolitain Museum of Art - http://www.metmuseum.org/home.asp
2. The Egyptian Museum (Cairo) - http://www.egyptianmuseum.gov.eg/home.html
3. Osirisnet - http://www.osirisnet.net/
4. The International History Project - http://ragz-international.com/
5. Ancient Egyptian Coloring Book - http://members.aol.com/FyreWyngz/cbook/cbook.html
Above article used with permission. This article can be viewed at http://www.witchvox.com/wvoxhome.html. I highly encourage you to visit the Witches' Voice if you haven't already. They are fabulous in their information.
The Wolfpup
