tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159829532024-03-13T17:09:42.237-05:00The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum Site NewsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2421125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-56960903331633862322013-05-16T19:53:00.001-05:002013-05-16T19:53:04.872-05:00How Do You View Death? As this is in the "Gods, Goddesses and Mythology" -section, I'm asking this: How do you view Death - as in the god or goddess thereof? Have you interacted with any of the deities associated with death and if you have, what were your feelings? With or without that kind of interaction, do you view Death as a fearsome figure or not?<br />
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One reason for me to ask this is because of a working gone even deeper I imagined and of a god I met there and what happened. Usually, this particular god hasn't seemed to get true cult and there isn't that much UPG to find either - but to me he was clear as crystal about his identity. Now, I'm a not-recon but recon-minded and I'm still wondering. In my own mind I'm dead sure (pardon my pun), but...<br />
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This was almost a decade ago, but due to info relating to that particular god and the lack of UPG, I'm still hesitant to say who it was who said "keep being fascinated by death, but as soon I got you handed over by Anpu, I knew my job was to keep you alive" and that he did. <br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6784-How-Do-You-View-Death">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-34702296463480223032013-05-16T07:10:00.001-05:002013-05-16T07:10:14.932-05:00Studying for 2 years and still lost at sea So, I've been studying off and on for 2 years or a little more. Roughly since I found this forum and made an account. I am completely lost.<br />
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I still feel a connection with something and I want to continue but I have no idea what direction to go in. I have a little altar representing the elements and I have had a few things on the Solstice, Yule etc but I am not after Wicca. I am interested with working with a deity but at the same time I have a hard time reconciling the fact that their could be a deity. I don't want their to be and I'm not sure if anything is out there but I can feel something and I want their to be. Does that make sense?<br />
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I am interested in herbalism and kitchen witchery, folk magic (I actually listen to a lot of New World Witchery and love it) and very much the order of the natural world. I do related almost everything to Evolutionary Psychology and Biology. That's just how I think if it gives you any indicator. I am interested in Celtic lore and anything from the British Isles really. Something else that I'm interested in and don't know where to start is Slavic lore. I am half Russian and my family immigrated here in the 1910 or so. My grandma, who I never met, practiced a combination of "Old Country" magic and Catholicism. I have no idea where to start since I don't know that side of the family. Any Slavic specialists?<br />
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I'm not quite sure what this post is about, I guess, have any of you experienced people encountered this and what did you do? How did you start because I feel like a kid in a candy shop. I've read at least a dozen books or more since I started researching, all on different beliefs and I still come to nothing. Thanks for your advice in advance! <br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6772-Studying-for-2-years-and-still-lost-at-sea">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-29864351990855028782013-05-13T07:00:00.004-05:002013-05-13T07:00:46.752-05:00Brighid and The Cailleach For those of you who don't know, I've been working with Brighid for the last couple of years and at the moment She is my only deity. I've recently been reading a bit more of the Scottish mythology about Brighid (also known as Bride here) and it's very tied up with the mythology of The Cailleach.<br />
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In some tales, The Caiileach has Brighid imprisoned over the winter (roughly from Samhain until some time between Imbolc and Beltane) until Brighid escapes, bringing spring to the land. In some versions, Aengus Og rescues Bride and they marry. In others, at the end of winter The Cailleach travels to Tir Na Nog and drinks from the fountain of youth, becoming Brighid.<br />
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Previously, I haven't paid much attention to these stories but at the moment they strike me as important. So, I have questions, especially for those who work with either of these deities.<br />
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1) Do you consider Brighid and Bride to be the same?<br />
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2) Do you work with The Cailleach and Brighid together?<br />
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3) How do you see the relationship between them?<br />
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4) Anything else?<br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6743-Brighid-and-The-Cailleach">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-58003321855513319282013-05-13T06:58:00.003-05:002013-05-13T06:58:47.038-05:00Opinions on the New Order of Druids? What are peoples thoughts on the New Order of Druids and their teaching courses?<br />
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I like what I see but would like opinions from people more experienced than me.<br />
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Here is their site <a href="http://www.druidcircle.org/">http://www.druidcircle.org/</a><br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6733-New-Order-of-Druids">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-21051933017713403482013-05-13T06:56:00.002-05:002013-05-13T06:56:22.895-05:00How to Explain Beliefs to Family? I'm sure there's been many topics about this but I really wanted some advice on how to explain my beliefs to my mother (the only person I live with). I'm very secretive about it, and she has no idea that I'm a hard polytheist. She knows that I'm "spiritual", because I've bought candles and incense and doing meditation/prayers. But I never elaborated on what I believe to her.<br />
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She thinks that I'm an agnostic/atheist. Because I tend to criticize Christianity a lot just in conversation, bringing up conversations about critical thinking and being frustrated with the way Christians act and believe. She's under the impression that I don't believe in any god, which obviously, isn't true, I just disagree with the Abrahamic religions. Recently, I told her that I held many beliefs that are animistic in nature and that I "relate" to the old polytheistic beliefs. She gave me a quick queer look but seemed to accept it and agreed with me a bit on animism.<br />
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Normally - I'd just keep quiet like I am. I have no desire whatsoever to have to go into depth about it. But, I've been really wanting to make a small shrine for my patron deity, so I can have a specific place to pray and there's a lovely statue I'd like to get. But, how would I tell my mother about the statue? How do I tell her that I believe in the greek gods? It just seems like it would be a very awkward conversation. It's like someone you thought was an atheist that criticizes religion, saying they wanted to build a shrine to the magical purple unicorn. I hate to compare to that, but nowadays, people see the greek gods as being just myths, so I fear that's how she'd see it. So, how do I do this? Has anyone else done this in a similar situation? <br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6745-How-to-Explain-Beliefs-to-Family">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-33354655248511892512013-05-13T06:55:00.000-05:002013-05-13T06:55:00.854-05:00Do you plan to raise your kids pagan?(As some of you may know from back when I introduced myself, I noted that I'm working on an essay for my college writing course, and would, at some point, require interviews. However, this being an online site, I'm doing things a bit differently. I'm going to pose the question, one that I both need for the essay and am curious about, and answers will be recorded for the essay. Please note, if you wish to answer, I ask that you state how you want to be named - anonymous, your name on the forum, etc. Thanks in advance!)<br />
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Many articles I've read about modern pagan families have all dealt with a parent's, or parents' concern on whether or not they should bring their children up as pagan vs. exposing them to the religious practices but letting them make a choice when they wish about whether or not they wish to become pagan.<br />
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My question is this - what did you choose as a parent? Bring the child up as pagan, or let them choose when they're ready? <br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6753-Do-you-plan-to-raise-your-kids-pagan-(Question-for-my-college-essay)">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-47695483102643857572013-05-06T06:57:00.003-05:002013-05-06T06:57:46.878-05:00First Spell? What was the first spell you did?<br />
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When I was in high school I found a reference book in our high school library on Witchcraft - this was in the mid 80s. I was extremely curious even though I was a very active Christian at the time. I read through it and found a dream spell.<br />
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The spell was to dream about the person you were meant to be with, your soul mate sort of thing. You put a glass of water half filled under your bed - under where you're pillow would be - with a piece of wood over it. You would dream of walking over a bridge and you would fall in and the person that pulled you out would be the person you were meant to be with. You could do the spell until it worked and then you could not do it again (and have it work again).<br />
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So, I did that. It worked fairly quickly - within a few nights. I dreamed I was walking along a river on a path. The river was on my right and the bridge was behind me. On my left was a volcano. The volcano erupted and knocked me into the river and a tall dark haired man pulled me out.<br />
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When I tried to see his face it was blurred, like something from CourtTV. I could not see his face no matter what I did. I was infuriating. But more than that, I was completely freaked out that magic was real and I never looked into any pagan again until just a couple of years ago. I did try the spell again but of course, it never worked.<br />
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Interestingly enough, the only guys I have ever dated have had dark hair. I still haven't met 'that' guy though.<br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6709-First-Spell">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-82857109472383081672013-04-30T07:05:00.004-05:002013-04-30T07:05:43.012-05:00"Religion with homework" I've heard the phrase kicked about, especially with regard to reconstructionists of any sort, that their path is "religion with homework" (meaning that they do a lot of research). As someone who is blending her own path of witchcraft and druidry (of which I am currently studying the ADF Dedicant Program), I can say that applies to me, too in many ways.<br />
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At what point can "religion with homework" become "homework with religion"? At what point should we sit down our books and "just do it"? Can research become a crutch? Can it eventually interfere with practice?<br />
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And most importantly, what should the balance be between UPG and research? I know that's a subjective, personal question, but I hope amongst us we could come to some recommended guidelines.<br />
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I know we've talked about these ideas before in other threads, but I don't know that we've approached them from this angle lately.<br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6634-quot-Religion-with-homework-quot">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-61821711910557033392013-04-28T07:02:00.000-05:002013-04-28T07:02:10.376-05:00Is Lore and Myth Really Important? Although I have read quite a few mythologies of gods from different cultures, I have an aversion to ancient mythology. I often feel uncomfortable relying on myth and ancient texts as part of my practice, mostly due to the fact that I often associate it with my birth religion, Roman Catholicism and also Abrahamic religions in general. I'm not sure I want to have any sort of mythology involved in my practice at all.<br />
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Would you say reading mythology is a big part of being Pagan? If I'm not willing to read myths or have lore as part of my practice, do you think getting involved in Paganism is a waste of time? <br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6625-Is-Lore-and-Myth-Really-Important">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-13370142377228246032013-04-28T06:47:00.004-05:002013-04-28T06:47:50.423-05:00Herbal Reference Book?I'm looking for a good reference book on herbs. The one I see recommended all the time is Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, but that's also the one I see being decried all the time.<br />
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One of the biggest issues with Cunningham's book seems to be that he doesn't warn readers about the dangers of some herbs, especially in relation to pregnancy, medications, and stuff like that. But for someone who already knows that stuff, would it be a good book just as a reference for magic? Or is there something else you would recommend? <br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6631-Herbal-Reference-Book">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-47919419291228203392013-04-26T07:19:00.003-05:002013-04-26T07:19:33.909-05:00Ritual Attire? I'm attending public rituals with a group and they asked us to wear attire that's just for the rituals we do with them, something that isn't street clothing. While there are many websites that sell clothing like this my problem is that a. I don't have loads of cash sitting around for this and b. I'm plus sized and pregnant so getting clothing off of a website would be difficult.<br />
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So what I'm asking really is where did you get your cloths, what do you consider ritual wear, and what suggestions/advice do you have to give? <br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6608-Ritual-Attire">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-50845813748261745622013-04-25T07:11:00.004-05:002013-04-25T07:11:41.098-05:00Wisteria Correspondences I was wondering if anyone knew of any correspondences for wisteria. Living in the Southern U.S., wisteria is endemic. I'm used to the purple wisteria, but recently moved and here, they have white wisteria. I was thinking the white could be used for lunar magic/worship. They have an evocative scent and most flowers are used for love magic so I thought that might be a good correspondence. I've looked in Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs and the only reference is in the very back (if you own it, page 288) under properties of oils and it says wisteria is for protection. I've also checked the only other herbal I own, A Witch's Guide to Herbal Enchantments, Folklore, and Divinations by Gerina Dunwich and there's no mention of wisteria at all. Any help filling in this gap of knowledge is greatly appreciated. <br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6597-Wisteria-Correspondences">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-84430955686821399572013-04-25T07:10:00.001-05:002013-04-25T07:10:14.126-05:00Sensing/Recognizing Energy A lot of what I'm learning about seems to first start with energy and then centering/ground/shielding/etc. It makes sense to me. I am going to throw out a definition here and hope I'm using it right, but I get animism and that everything has an energy or gives off an essence. But my hold up is...I can't feel it. I'm of the belief that we all have the ability to sense energy but it isn't nurtured growing up so you don't realize that energy is around you, like when you hear a buzzing noise and eventually your body just tunes it out and you don't hear it but it's still there.<br />
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I have been reading and re-reading on Jenett's website the portion about energy and how different people sense it with different senses. And I have tried the activity of rubbing my palms together and feel the resistance. But all I feel is warm palms from friction.<br />
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So here is where you lovely people come in!<br />
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Did you learn to sense energy or did you always have the ability? How do you sense it (sight, sound, touch, etc)? What types of exercises would you recommend? Can I have walls up and not realize it?<br />
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I think that meditation would play a role in this as well, just focusing on your breath and your self will allow some of those hidden skills to emerge and become less hidden. Has this been the case for you?<br />
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I feel like energy is an important factor and I'd like to practice it while I continue to learn. <br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6601-Sensing-Recognizing-Energy">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-30388571837130787962013-04-03T07:18:00.000-05:002013-04-03T07:18:37.737-05:00Esbats/Full Moon Rituals So, in the past, really simple full moon rituals have been my mainstay to keep me connected and paying attention to the world around me. I've always felt that the full moon is one day of every month that I can take a moment to really notice time passing, etc, even when the rest of the month I'm crazy busy.<br />
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But unfortunately I haven't actually made this happen since at least November. So I'm wondering what you guys do to celebrate the full moon, if you do. Do you make a special food, make a toast, hold a formal ritual? I need some inspiration to get back into the swing of things!<br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6436-Esbats-Full-Moon-Rituals">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-70999620871670259552013-04-03T07:16:00.000-05:002013-04-03T07:16:00.272-05:00Hard Polytheism, Soft Polytheism, and Everything In Between My question is: are you a hard polytheist, a soft polytheist, something in-between, or none of the above? And why?<br />
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This has become an issue for me personally, and I would very much welcome insights from other practicing pagans of all stripes.<br />
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My own experience is that rationally I am a soft polytheist: the Gods and Goddesses are Thought-Forms, Archetypes, and Projections of the Unconciousness.<br />
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Non-rationally, I have always "talked" to spirits and gods/goddesses since I was a kid, some in particular developing into a sort of teacher/student relationship, for example (me and Athena).<br />
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Over time, the more that I have formally interacted with Deities as an adult, the more that these so-called "Thought-Forms" have taken on a force, personality, and energy of their own. Thus I have seen some evidence of the existence of Gods and Goddesses as independent entities, and rationally, I have moved somewhat towards a more centrist position on the hard/soft polytheist spectrum.<br />
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Rationally, I am more soft polytheist, intuitively now more towards hard polytheist.<br />
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Has anyone else gone through a process or change on these issues? The experiences and insights of other experienced (or not so experienced) pagans of all types would definitely be welcomed.<br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6420-Hard-Polytheism-Soft-Polytheism-and-Everything-In-Between">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-76017784726525012912013-03-31T17:59:00.004-05:002013-03-31T17:59:51.765-05:00Honoring Chavi, Elspeth, and Marilyn on April 1st (2013) The seventh anniversary of one of the saddest days in the history of The Cauldron is almost upon us. If you were a member of The Cauldron any time from about 2003 to early 2006, you will remember Chavi (aka Storyteller Cat and, in offline life, Cathlene Patricia McKenna) and starting in early 2005, her ever positive reports on her battle with a rare form of cancer. (Some of these posted used to be available on our 2005 Archive Board -- but the software it ran on does not support modern versions of PHP.) The odds were against her from the beginning, but that did not stop her from fighting hard to try to be one of the rare survivors. And for a time it looked like she really might overcome those long odds. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be so.<br />
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Elspeth, one of the founders of this board passed over on April 19, 2010, after years of fighting congestive heart failure and other medical problems which kept her offline except for generally brief spells over the last five or six years before her death. She was a major participant here in the early years of this board and her posts can be found on our old Delphi forum. Some of her poetry and other writings can in old issues of our newsletter and in the Samhain section of our web site. The Cauldron would have never started if Elspeth had not wanted a forum to replace a small mailing list, The Grove, which she ran.<br />
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Marilyn (aka Absent) needs no introduction to the current members of this board. She was a long time active member of this board with many posts to her credit up until she suddenly passed on February 16th of this year. She was a long time staff member whose expertise on the Tarot was appreciated by all.<br />
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Monday, April 1, 2013, marks the seventh anniversary of Chavi's passing. It's been seven long years now and TC is still not the same without Chavi. Since the first anniversary of her passing, we have honored her on April 1st with 24 hours of candle burning. Two years ago, we started honoring Elspeth on this day as well. We will be continuing the tradition this year, only we will also be honoring Marilyn. We are asking all Cauldron members who knew Chavi, Elspeth, or Marilyn; knew of Chavi, Elspeth, or Marilyn; or who did not know any of these three people but just want to help honor three wonderful people who meant a lot to many members of TC (and wish to participate) to light a candle in honor of Chavi, Elspeth, and Marilyn at 8pm your local time on April 1st and let it burn for at least an hour. The object is to have 24 hours of candles burning for them -- one hour at a time around the world. Given things like oceans and the like, this may not be completely possible, but I'll bet we can come close -- especially as some of us let our candles burn for longer than one hour.<br />
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If you log in on April 1st, you will probably notice that many longtime members of this board have changed their avatar for the day to either an avatar of a hat or their regular avatar wearing a hat. These hats are usually somewhat silly. We do this in honor of Chavi who had a thing for silly hats.<br />
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If you want to participate, please post in here. Everyone, regardless of religion, is welcome to participate. If you can't participate at 8pm your time, feel free to pick a different hour, I can promise you that neither Chavi, Elspeth, nor Marilyn would have been sticklers about the time. <br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6382-ADMIN-Honoring-Chavi-Elspeth-and-Marilyn-on-April-1st-(2013)">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-9639564299041395742013-03-31T17:58:00.002-05:002013-03-31T17:58:37.858-05:00Ishtar and Easter?Easter was originally a day meant to celebrate the goddess of love, Ashtoreth, who has many names: Astarte, Asherah, Inanna, Ishtar, Anat, Isis and even more. Though each name was used by a different culture; in such the story of each goddess is altered, however there are coinciding motifs and features of all these Goddesses/Goddess. Easter today has been altered and the principle heroine of the story has been replaced by, yet again, Jesus. The Christian story has many of the same principle features of the original, though it has been changed significantly. Some of the features stolen from the worship of Ashtoreth are: Martyrdom and resurrection. So how does a large rabbit hiding eggs in your house correspond to this? Well rabbits are known for their virility, and eggs obviously represent feminine fertility. Why these things though? Well the story of Easter, and the reason it corresponds roughly with the spring equinox, is one based on the concept of birth and fertility dying and returning to the world in the form of Ishtar. The translation can be read here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ishtar.htm">http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ishtar.htm</a><br />
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So Ishtar goes into the underworld, dies, resurrects three days later, and her consort returns in her place. This is an explanation of winter and spring returning in ancient times. So always remember Ishtar on Easter because it is for her that we celebrate. Enjoy Easter for the reasons it was always meant to be celebrated for, enjoy family, love, and life; for the season of cold and death has ended and now is the time for rebirth, growth, and the return of Ishtar, beauty, to the land of the living. <br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6405-Ishtar-and-Easter">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-31138603764236686292013-03-31T17:52:00.001-05:002013-03-31T17:52:35.861-05:00How to send healing energy?I was looking at the healing request form and wanted to know how to send healing energy to someone that requires it?<br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6401-how-to-send-healing-energy">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-43424229017264429602013-03-31T17:51:00.000-05:002013-03-31T17:51:14.521-05:00Ceremonial Magic (History) I'm looking for resources on the history of ceremonial magic traditions of the Golden Dawn / Thelema / etc. type. (General history or history of a specific tradition --- either one is fine.) <br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6411-Ceremonial-Magic-(History)">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-79458613812864123432013-03-29T16:42:00.000-05:002013-03-29T16:42:24.064-05:00What gemstones are you drawn to? Other than being OMG SHINY, or just beautiful in general, are there any gemstones/crystals that you've been drawn to for no real reason other than you just felt it?<br />
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I just had to buy an unakite palmstone today even though I normally prefer stones that come in raw crystal form or some kind of point at least. It's not even a colour I like. And I love it, won't even let it leave my side for a minute right now. Just wondering if anybody had any similar stories or experiences.<br />
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If not, what's your favourite gemstone/crystal you find totally underrated? <br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6391-What-gemstones-are-you-drawn-to">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-5813067675557411802013-03-29T16:40:00.000-05:002013-03-29T16:40:07.197-05:00The Power of LanguageSo, I`m a language nerd (linguistics major for a reason) and I`m wondering, in ritual/spellwork/anything magical, how much power do you all think is in the actual words you speak? I know that in most books intention is the big thing, as is raising energy. People tend to not really emphasize language much, but I personally feel like language is extremely powerful. It is incredibly influential in how we think about the world. Also, the way that languages form, change, and morph, is rather "magical" in and of itself.<br />
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Anyway, what is your personal belief on the power of the words you speak? <br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6392-The-Power-of-Language">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-14572276883811782102013-03-23T07:13:00.003-05:002013-03-23T07:13:34.471-05:00Deities that Frighten You?Which deity or spirit do you honor or work (or have honored/worked with in the past) with that frightens you or scares you the most? Do you have any deities that you refuse to work with or are scared to approach in anyway? Have you had any really negative experiences with a deity? <br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6328-Deities-that-Frighten-You">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-61808576534181526582013-03-21T07:05:00.001-05:002013-03-21T07:05:14.460-05:00Anyone Taking Part in the Solitary Druid Fellowship Equinox Ritual? Hey, just wondering is anyone else taking part in the SDF Equinox ritual? It's my first time doing this style of ritual and I'm very excited I'll be doing it tonight (20th of March).<br />
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I've been interested in ADF for a while but due to lack of money (student XD) and the fact that there is no groves in Ireland as far as I'm aware I haven't joined it. I'm hoping SDF will provide that bridge for me to start practicing this style on my own<br />
What does everyone else think of the SDF?<br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6310-Anyone-else-taking-part-in-the-Solitary-Druid-Fellowship-Equinox-ritual">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-6370353122521191362013-03-21T07:03:00.001-05:002013-03-21T07:03:31.355-05:00I just watched a BBC documentary that was fascinating. It was titled the Viking Sagas. After watching it, I have a question about the Laxdaela saga, where Kjartan and Bolli are free to return to Iceland after being prisoner for some time and Kjartan who once was engaged to Guoran, marries another woman and Bolli marries Guoran, who I felt may be jealous of Kjartan's relationship with his new wife, because she asks Bolli to kill Kjartan, which he does. And in turn, a few men are sent out to kill Bolli for his wrongdoing. I was following this story, wrapped up in it, and then it all ended very suddenly with Guoran suddenly becoming a Christian nun and that was it, nothing further. <br />
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I guess my question is...what do you guys think about this? Do you really think she suddenly decided to convert to Christianity and why? I thought the purpose of the sagas was to show and teach the right way to live one's life, under the heathenry faith? Or could it be that the Christians got ahold of the stories over time and changed the ending to portray their faith as being the answer to how to live one's life? If the Christians did put their own ending to this story, was this a typical practice? Would the old version be then lost forever?<br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6287-The-Laxdaela-Saga-maybe-a-Heathenry-question">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15982953.post-43724123324381991342013-03-21T07:01:00.001-05:002013-03-21T07:01:19.534-05:00Baby Steps and Spring CleaningLike a bunch of other people, I'm thinking about starting my spring cleaning. Like a bunch of people, I'm dreading the actual doing and don't actually know where to start. So, I thought it might be nice to have a thread where we could talk about what needs to be done during a spring clean, share ideas, and maybe track our baby steps toward unfucking our habitats.<br />
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So, what are you planning for spring cleaning? Have you started? How are you prioritizing, and what have you done today?<br />
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<ul><li><b>Message Board:</b> <a href="http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?6315-Baby-Steps-and-Spring-Cleaning">Join in our discussion</a></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com