The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum Site News

Disposing of Offerings?

2012-02-21T07:13:00.002-06:00

I have made a couple of offerings..they were pieces of bacon. I was cooking and something told me to put a piece on my altar tile and light some incense, so I did. After a few hours I removed the bacon, but instead of leaving it outside I gave it to my dog. Was this disrespectful? I felt like something told me I should, my Goddess is affiliated with dogs. My dog most likely would have gotten it if I put it out side anyway because it would have been put under the tree in my backyard.

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Symbols, Sigils, and Signs Collection?

2012-02-20T19:57:00.001-06:00

I'm looking for a guide, or a book, something, that would contain a collection of sigils or symbols and their meanings that can be carved into candles, drawn on things, etc (example: a dollar sign symbolizes money). Looking for hoodoo/voodoo/pagan and other traditions. So far, the only symbols I can find have been interspersed throughout books, never really collected, and I cant find a good collection.

Some general examples I'm looking for are:

Symbols to banish things
Symbols to bind things
Symbols for happiness, etc.

Anybody know if a collection like this exists and possibly where I can find or buy something like this? Online resources would be even better.

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Questions on choosing the right spell

2012-02-15T16:53:00.003-06:00

I am VERY new to spell casting...and in my life, if it CAN go wrong...it WILL. I am very hesitant to try anything that has more than three lines of instructions, including the materials list.

That said, how do you go about choosing the right spell? Especially if there are quite a number of them that will achieve the same purpose?

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Interpreting Guardians of the Threshold

2012-02-14T16:38:00.001-06:00

I'm curious how others would interpret the metaphorical meaning behind the following:

In this myth, there's an entrance to an underworld palace; inside the palace lies all the contents of the mind, the unconscious, the realm of thoughts, dreams, and nightmares. The entrance is flanked gigantic snakes, one on each side, that serve as guardians of the threshold. One snake is venomous; the other is not.

A spiritual leader approaches and is felled by the venomous snake before he can enter. Later, a scholar approaches and with her learning recognizes which snake is venomous, thus taking extra pains to avoid its strikes...but she falls prey to the nonvenomous snake. An innocent ultimately defeats both snakes by feeding them rodents; they lie sated and immobile as they digest their food, and she passes unmolested to enter the palace.

What do you think the snakes represent?

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Culture of the USA & Religion

2012-02-11T07:22:00.001-06:00

For this week's Pagan Blog Project entry I decided to do "C is also for Culture"; I wanted to define American culture and how it impacts religion, especially pagan religions. The topic, though, is much too large for a single post, so I decided to bring it here. It's always been difficult for me to step back far enough to see the forest for the trees, and without being able to define the culture I was raised in, I think it's harder to enhance the good aspects and combat the negative aspects.

This is a portion of my blog entry:

So, what makes American culture?

We’re consumers. Materialistic behavior is rampant in the USA, with a strong vein of disposability and convenience. It’s always about the next something to acquire. And despite what my grandparents’ generation has to say about it, I think we’ve always been this way- look at “Manifest Destiny”. Americans have always been about getting more. And we are absolutely willing to sacrifice quality if it means we get it faster- just look at what passes for food these days. We are an impatient people.

How does this affect religion- pagan religions in particular? Well, there’s cultural appropriation, for one thing. (Hey, we got their land- why can’t we have their religion too? ) There is a market flooded with Wicca 101 books that emphasize getting your altar tools and religious jewelry over actually understanding the religion, it’s real history, or the significance of the tools aside from elemental associations. And if the first spell from a 101 book doesn’t work right away, or we still feel awkward after making offerings in our backyard for a whole week, we decide it must not be right and move onto something new. The pagan umbrella gets crammed with people who have dabbled here and there but don’t have the knowledge or experience to do much or be of much use to anyone; and worse still, this is treated as normal.

So, I guess my question is- what aspects of American culture stand out to you? What affect do they have on religious behavior/mentality in Americans?

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Combining the magic of different cultures

2012-02-10T06:47:00.000-06:00

A little while back i made a pouch for one of my friends who was experiencing Paranormal problems. For those that do not know a pouch is a Native American device which is used by some Northeastern(and maybe others i do not know) tribes to protect ones self against malevolent spirits. What i did i found unique.

I got some of my buddies together to show me what to do. Rick is Oddawa, Joe is Sag-Chip, and Elaine is also Oddawa. We went through the traditional method of curing the leather and then making the pouch. But after that i marked the pouch with runes of protection and used alot of Lavendar as a ward, as well as using Queen Anne's Lace and Bear root, which my Native buddies told me to put in. I gave the pouch to my friend a couple days later. It helped tremendously. I was amazed.

Has anyone else tried blending different cultures magiks? If so, any stories you want to share or advice?

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Ethics and Precautions in Cursing

2012-02-09T06:48:00.002-06:00

So, there were a lot of threads, on the old forum and elsewhere, on whether a curse is considered 'ethical' and when it's considered a viable option.

But there's very little out of there about the precautions the caster needs to take in curse-casting or any other peculiarities attached to this kind of magical working.

Example: some hoodoo practitioners advise to the caster to purify himself/herself after the ritual, and some witches advise to be particularly careful about cutting psychic ties to the cursed after the spellworking. Others will say that in hexing someone is better to shield to blend magically in the background before casting.

Does your experience/knowledge validate any of the points above? Do you think that a curse should be approached as any other kind of spell? There's any book/online source you know that handles this subject in a serious way?

Personally, the closest I got to performing this kind of working is casting a binding spell... I had surreal nightmares loosely relating to the person it was casted upon for weeks later, but it would be hard to say whether they were caused by the trauma that made the binding necessary or they were a collateral effect of the binding.

Part of the reason I am trying to get informed is the fact that the above-mentioned 'person' might become a threat to my well-being again sometime in the nearish future, and chances are that I won't be able to take legal action against him unless things get further than they did last time I had deal with him (which, I have no intention of allowing if i can help it).

I have a pretty definite idea of the kind of working I want to do, and it doesn't really even count as a curse to me (although in hoodoo this is considered a kind of crossing) as the main purpose here is drive him far, far away from me, but I would like to cover all my bases this time around. I also am not sure of how my personal feelings toward the person involved might factor in the outcome... there's still a lot of anger here.

But even setting aside my situation, I am interested in the theoretical implications of this.

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Seasons, the Sun, and the Moon

2012-02-08T06:59:00.001-06:00

Recently I've been having trouble justifying some of my beliefs to myself. I was beginning to have a vague interest in Lugh and Celtic Paganism was starting to get back into my witchcraft, now that I'm used to college. Then I started wondering why we (we being nature oriented Pagans) celebrate the change in seasons and feel them as such a spiritual thing. After all, seasons are just caused by our planet's tilt as we spin around the sun. Nothing particularly magical or spiritual in that. Is it the response of life to change that is really being celebrated, and not the seasons themselves? Not just superficially, but deep-down, why are the seasons important or not important to you?

I've also been wondering about Sun-gods and spirits. For those of you that worship/ work with them, do you feel that the entity is physically present in the sun's rays? Or that they live within the flaming ball of gas itself? Or is their association with the sun symbolic?

On a similar note, why is the moon so important? It's a cold ball of dust, rock, ice, and other similar things. Why is the moon so special to us as humans, other than being pretty? It just shines by reflecting sunlight! Do you feel that the moon has a spirit? Of course, I suppose the question all comes down to whether you're an animist or not. I'm hoping to hear some different perspectives.

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Resources for Writing Prayers

2012-01-31T07:12:00.000-06:00

I'm looking for resources to help with writing prayers.

Part of the Brighid-focused path I'm working on includes prayers for various times of day and events. I've been able to find a couple of things that I like or that I can adapt for my use. But I need more resources. While I'm a decent technical writer, I've never been good at creative writing.

I already have both of Serith's books on pagan prayer (which I like but didn't find useful for this specific purpose), so I need other ideas. Also, I have a preference for rhyming prayers, although they don't ALL have to rhyme.

I'd appreciate any ideas and suggestions.

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Hex Signs anyone?

2012-01-31T07:10:00.004-06:00

these traditional sigils caught my interest. I wonder if there are some of you working with them?

Is there something more to consider and take care of, while crafting them that goes beyond clockwise/counterclockwise drawing and painting? (Using traditional patterns and colors.)

Do you craft your own, according to the symbols and color meanings? Or even working in new stuff?

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Adorations, Anyone?

2012-01-29T07:36:00.001-06:00

I don't know how many of you know about these adorations that are going around. Basically, they're like Catholic litanies or the Hindu practice of namastotra. You can find a big list of them here: http://krasskova.weebly.com/1/post/2012/01/this-adoration-thing-a-list.html (which includes the one by Sannion to Dionysus that started it all).

Any thoughts? Personally, I like the idea and feel like they're a good way to make use of the prayer beads I made recently. I particularly like the Adorations to Eros, even though I don't worship the Greek gods.

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Healing Magic & Altars

2012-01-23T07:13:00.001-06:00

Healing is something I have always been interested in and have never been any good at. These days I just say a prayer to Brighid, but I'd like to expand my horizons, as it were. I've decided I want to make an altar specifically for doing healing magic.

Do you have a dedicated space for healing work, or do you do that work at an all-purpose altar?
What kind of supplies do you use regularly in healing work?
If you're doing long-term magic for a specific person/ailment, how do you maintain the work?
Do you do ever ask deities to bless your workings?

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Liturgy: What role does it play in your practices?

2012-01-22T20:59:00.001-06:00

What role does liturgy play in your practices?

Do you write your own rituals? Use stuff from books and websites? A combination of both?

How important is it for you to have a written liturgy? Do you prefer to do rituals unscripted and off-the-cuff?

Do you like having standardized portions of liturgy? For example, do you always use the same invocations or method of setting up your sacred space?

I'll throw in my own thoughts and feelings a bit later in the thread. This topic has percolated out of me based on a discussion I had with other folks in my Tradition last week.

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Imbolc

2012-01-21T17:42:00.004-06:00

Just wondering how people are planning to celebrate Imbolc......and looking for ideas to "borrow".

For the first time, my family is inviting a couple of friends to join us on the Saturday before Imbolc. We'll bake soda bread and short-bread cookies, make crosses and brats, and then have a nice dinner of poundies and omelettes. If anyone wants me to, I'll talk about the Irish traditions and their connections to Brighid.

Privately, I'll put my brats out and also observe the "holiday from turning" from sundown on January 31 to sundown on February 1 and try to do some reading and meditating.

What are you doing (if you celebrate Imbolc)?

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Quitting Meditation Advice, Please

2012-01-21T06:54:00.002-06:00

For the life of me, I just can't get into a meditative state again!. I should clarify that by saying I have only reached a meditative state once in my life and it was the beginning of my UPG. That's it though!

Since then I have tried everything I can think of to get myself into a meditative state, but it's just not happening. So I have decided that I am going to have to just stop trying altogether. Instead of meditating, I will just sit quietly and enjoy some quiet time, without forcing the issue. It's all I can do, at this point, without getting entirely too frustrated!

The issue at hand, to a degree, is that part of the Vedic tradition is meditation on a daily basis. While I am not completely dedicating myself totally to the Vedic tradition, I would still like to follow many of its tenets. Meditation was one of them and now I feel as though I am a quitter, but if I can't do it, I can't do it. See what I mean?

My questions to you are:

Did you ever have a hard time meditating?

Did it take you a long time to get the swing of it?

What do you do to get into a meditative state?

Should I quit meditating altogether or keep trying?

If I should keep trying, what should I do?

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Let's Define Pantheism!

2012-01-16T18:00:00.002-06:00

Okay, so, I recently wrote an article on the bardic tradition of satire and the modern Pagan use of "deep play" in ritual as spiritual responses to the lack of transcendent/supernatural authority in the theological worldview of pantheism, drawing parallels between the incompetent king and the absent creator/god-figure.

I thought it was a pretty intriguing idea, even though I'm not actually a pantheist myself but a somewhat soft animistic polytheist type. But in typical fashion, many of the comments I'm getting on the article are overlooking the actual topic of the piece and instead focusing on whether or not they agree with my use of the word "pantheism." (Which kind of makes me want to go ::headdesk:: and "THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS." and so forth.)

So I thought I'd turn to the ever-awesome TC for some feedback. How do you all define pantheism?

When I was earning my degree in comparative religious studies and doing field work interviewing people in various religious communities, I used the term "pantheism" in a pretty straight forward way: the belief that God/Spirit is identical to the Universe, that there is no supernatural deity or transcendent reality but that the physical world itself is sacred. Naturally, this theological perspective entailed certain other beliefs, like for instance that there is no afterlife in which a transcendent "self" survives the physical death of the body.

I'd never heard that this was a controversial definition, though obviously there are going to be nuances in belief among individuals. I was really surprised when someone accused me of making "blanket statements" when I used the word pantheism in this way. The same way I would have been surprised if someone made that accusation about me defining polytheism as "belief in many gods." I thought that's just what the word meant!

It seems from the comments I'm getting that people are either eliding polytheism and pantheism, and/or treating pantheism as just another synonym for "nature reverence." Is that how most of you use it? Does anyone else use the word "pantheism" in the way I defined it above? Is this actually a controversial subject, or just another example of Pagan-PC-labeling gone mad? (Can we Pagans please have a conversation about something other than labels someday-maybe-plzkthnx?)

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Learning a Celtic Language

2012-01-16T17:57:00.000-06:00

Who here is learning or speak a Celtic language? Do you think as a Celtic Pagan you should at least learn to speak some of a Celtic Language. I am in the process of learning Welsh, I find the language very beautiful, but also challenging.

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Faith and Silence

2012-01-16T17:56:00.004-06:00

I've been talking with people a lot lately about my practice and how I go about it. However, someone recently mentioned that they keep quiet about whom they serve for good reason: in effect, in knowing the entity that you serve, they are more likely to be able to work bad magic with the aid of said patron. This really has gotten me thinking a lot lately about silence and faith.

Do you think it is wise to keep your faith/practices quiet?
Do you think it is wise to keep the names of your patron(s) quiet?
Why or why not?

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Futhark and Ogham?

2012-01-13T06:50:00.002-06:00

Does anyone know of any good resources out there that draw connections between the Oghams and Futhark Runes?

To be more specific, something that looks at meanings and significances of the individual runes and "fews" and sees how their meanings compare or correlate. Basically I am looking to see what associations can be made to add another layer to the understanding of either set of characters, or if not applicable to an entire set of characters, than to individuals within the set.

It would be nice if the resources would be quasi-reputable, but I am not expecting to find anything like "proof that they are fundamentally the same thing," or that oghams are a "cipher" for the runes. I have come across those ideas. They sound interesting, but unlikely based on what I have seen do far. Nothing I have found on the internet so far gives me anything at all helpful.

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Religious Practice: How to maintain?

2012-01-09T06:51:00.001-06:00

I've been studying paganism for nearly a year now and actively "believing" (for lack of a better word) for nearly as long. My current living situation makes it difficult and impractical to practice in any significant way but for quite some time I made do with small, simple things to help maintain a feeling of connectivity and, again for lack of a better word, reality of my beliefs. However, lately I've found it becoming difficult to keep it a real part of my life. More and more often I go for several days without giving thought to my deities.

I realize this is a fairly nebulous topic, but I would like some advice on how to make my beliefs and deities more a part of my daily life and to make it more present in my mind considering the fact that I'm currently unable to practice in a traditional sense (altars, candles, etc.). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[url=http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?2333-How-to-maintain]How to maintain?[/url]

Just how common is "being cursed"?

2012-01-08T17:00:00.004-06:00

Almost every author from every magickal book I've picked up, from Scott Cunningham to Silver Ravenwolf, has mentioned something along the lines of "dark magick" being something you very rarely come across, but that it is possible and though highly frowned upon, quite dangerous. And of course, I'm sure we all know plenty of protective spells, talismans, teas, crystals, potions, prayers, etc etc etc to keep all curses and negativity at bay.

With that said, of course I acknowledge negativity in the Universe, which can manifest anywhere from one's own personal thoughts, the "evil-eye", and yes, even negative thoughts from others. (I believe the term is called "astral attack"?)

But as far as "dark magick" is concerned...is it something that I need to be heavily defensive upon and on the alert for, like some Vigilant Witch of Divine Order? Or is it just simply something that needs to be acknowledge and dealt with according if I somehow un-miraculously find myself as the target of a "curse"? And are witches that actively participate, study, and use black magick as common as perceived? Surely not...but do share your thoughts.

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Mesopotamian Paganism

2012-01-08T08:03:00.004-06:00

I'm very attracted to Sumerian polytheism right now, and I was wondering if anyone else is influenced by any of the Mesopotamian (Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian) civilizations. I had always found Inanna-Ishtar an appealing deity, but ever since I took a course on Mesopotamian religion in university last year, I've found the subject as a whole really fascinating. I just wondered if anyone out there follows a Mesopotamian pantheon or religious tradition.

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Book Of Shadows / Grimoire - Handwritten or Typed?

2012-01-07T06:52:00.004-06:00

I'm thinking about making a more formal book of shadows. I have a small spiral bound journal that I've been using, with only 5 sections, that I'm hand writing information in that I really like and that resonates for me. And I've been printing out pictures from the internet and taping them throughout the little book, so it's kind of like a scrapbook! But, this cannot hold much, and the pages are fixed, and I don't like that I can't add pages in between ones I've already written. Fearing that when trying to space things out within a section, I'll run out of room and I run into the next topic in that section.

So, I've been watching YouTube videos on making a three-ring binder BOS so I can move pages around and add and remove them easily. I've been planning out how I want to decorate the outside and inside covers, the sections and how to make tabs for each section, and information I want to put inside, etc. I've got a detailed plan to make this beautiful BOS! (And my thoughts are years from now, when I feel my book may be mostly finished and I'm happy with where everything is placed, I'll make a bound BOS with permanent pages and then pass this book down to my children and grandchildren.. even if they don't follow Wicca, they'll have a piece of me and know about what I believed.)

But I'm torn between handwriting and typing it out. What do you think about this subject?

I really want a decorative book that has pictures, borders, colors, etc.. and fancy font. I want it beautiful and legible. I have fantastic ideas for creating pages on my computer and printing them out. This is a type of art/craft I enjoy!

But, I've heard how special it is to hand write the pages of your BOS. Infusing with your own energy... being made with direct contact of your hand and pen to paper. And this is the traditional way. But I have horrible hand writing. And I'm an even more awful drawer!

But then I think about printing the pages from the computer, and as I create each page and print it out, aren't I still infusing it with my own energy because I'm putting all my thoughts and feelings into creating a beautiful page .. pages that I envision is a piece of art?

I've pretty much made up my mind that I'll be creating the pages on the computer, printing them out, placing into page protectors, and putting them in the book.... but I thought this would be a great topic to discuss given the computer age we are in....

To hand write your BOS or use the computer, that is the question! Now, what are your thoughts???

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Charging for the Craft?

2012-01-06T20:48:00.002-06:00

I'm curious as to what one describes as charging people for The Craft. Most witches and pagans that I have met have come to look down upon anyone casting a spell or doing anything magickal for a fee, but I also know that many of us live near metaphysical and occult stores that will also sell psychic reading and other services for a fee.

In the case of charging people for the Craft, would you count psychic, tarot readers, mediums, and that sort as falling into this category, and how do you personally feel towards it?

I just remember going to a "New Earth" festive a couple months back, and the room was filled to the brim with all sorts of psychic healers, mediums, fortunes tellers, and the works. I was honestly a little put back by it. After all, as witches and pagans, we should be able to do all of that for ourselves. I feel like those people are preying on the people going into festivals or stores like that and not really understanding that they have the power themselves to do what they're doing...either that or maybe their customers simply can't be bothered to learn what it takes to know in order to become more psychically aware.

In my personal opinion, I think it's a shame to want to use something as pure and sacred as our Craft for monetary gain.

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More Curiousness Now About Astrology?

2012-01-06T06:56:00.000-06:00

So I'm going into the 9th month of my Seeker/Initiation ceremony (a year and a day of study) and here recently I've been paying more attention to the stars, constellations, horoscopes, and planetary alignments. It's not that I disbelieve horoscopes that are found in virtually every newspaper and email-based website, it's just that I would feel more comfortable gaining knowledge with how the solar system moves, and how to act in those situations, you know if, say, Mars decides to get in the way of Jupiter's energy.

I have a handful of knowledge about the personality and views of the planets' respective deities, but I guess what I'm trying to ask now is if there is a chart or a way to map out the cosmos in the way they do in all of those horoscope articles?

Any books, articles, or suggestions on syncing with the flow of the galaxy?

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