Pagan Blog Project - G is for Gratitude Correspondences

Sometimes rituals become monotonous. Those of us that cast cicles tend to do the same steps in exactly the same way over and over again because of the familiarity and the fact that we know it works for us. That's great, but we lose a little creativity when we just recite on repeat without changing things up every so often. The exact same thing can be said for spells - modifying even a few of the words of pre-made spells makes them personal for us and helps us jumpstart their energy when they are released into the universe.

That creativity comes natually for some but for others it requires work, like jumping into a swimming pool and trying to swim to the bottom to catch the gold coin that deity has tossed in for you to find - it's up to you to reach for it and take it.

I'm about to list some correspondences for gratitude, but I feel it is important to point out that anything can be made a reflection of the gratitude you feel by the focus of your intent - if you want it to be, it will be.

-The smoke of incense, especially an incense you created

-The 3 of Cups tarot card

-Green Apatite

-A $1 bill in any currency

-Coins in any currency

-Charoite

-A flower picked from nature

The possibilities are endless. I hope this list and the small rite from yesterday help you to express your gratitude to deity. Go ahead and experiment with changing my words if you'd like to do something a bit different and add an extra personal touch.

-MR

Evaluating This Path - An Introspective Post

Sometimes I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. I know how to cast a circle and call the quarters, can recite the uses of lavender and citrine, and can whip up a crystal grid or a sachet in no time flat. But there's always that lingering doubt at the back of my mind jumping up and down and flashing like a neon sign just screaming "notice me right now -something's not right!"

There are days where I go back, forth, and sideways on what to call myself. Am I Wiccan? Am I a Witch? Can I call myself an Irish Wiccan without the ancestry or living in Ireland? All of these questions typically result in one thing: confusion.

I've been learning about Wicca and Paganism since the age of 13 so I can pretty clearly distinguish the two from one another. I've read over and over again in those 101 books how to tell people that a "Wiccan is a Witch but a Witch is not always Wiccan." That's all fine and dandy, but what of those practitioners that choose not to do any spellcraft at all?

Spirituality is a path of never-ending questions, some of them new and some of them repeating, designed to remind us why we're on this path and whether it might be time to take the fork coming up ahead.

In the past I have identified as Wiccan, Pagan, and Celtic Wiccan. I'm not into reconstructing what the ancients did to every finite detail, but I do have an interest in the historical aspects and like to read as much information as I can get my hands on. That being said, I sometimes wonder if I should classify myself as Wiccan. That threefold "law" seems like a bunch of hogwash to my sensibilities, and spelling "magic" with an additional "k" makes my spelling instinct run amok (as well as spellcheck). I always seem to come back around to "yes, I'm Wiccan," and this time is no different. I am most certainly a Wiccan, and by definition a Pagan. Yet calling myself a Celtic Pagan seems a decrease of all that this path has become for me.

The only thing to do when confronted with these questions is to do your best to answer them. Journal about them. Write a list of favorable and opposing points to clarify your current position. Most importantly of all, know that it is okay to change your mind.

I am a Celtic Wiccan, and a Celtic Pagan. What are you?

Pagan Blog Project - G is for Gratitude

I know that a lot of other people have picked this topic for this letter, so I've decided to do this post a little bit differently. Rather than rehash information that you already know, or information that someone else has already mentioned, I'm going to give you a simple rite that you can perform. It needed take any longer than five minutes, but it is a great way to both start and end the day if you've been working on adding a daily devotional to your practice.

What you will need:

     -A quiet space (inside or outside)

     -Something that symbolizes abundance to you (3 of Cups tarot card, green aventurine, etc.)

     -Incense in whatever scent you choose, in whichever form (stick, cone, loose, etc.)

Sit comfortably and hold the item that symbolizes abundance in your hands. Look at it; feel the physicality of the representation as though the item you hold is abundance personified. Think about the blessings you have received over your life, of the last few weeks, and even over the last few days. 

Place the item down where you can still look at it and light the incense.

As the smoke rises, begin saying these words (or something similar):

"The smoke before me represents my gratitude,

rising up to embrace The Goddess and The God.

I offer this gift as thanks for the blessings I have and continue to receive.

I am in awe of the ever-flowing abundance that carries me towards my goals and dreams;

closer to the person I strive to be.

I actively participate in my life and know that I will be blessed for the rest of my days."

Allow the incense to finish burning if you have time. Feel the gratitude you wish to express and visualize the smoke carrying it up to deity. When you are finished, simply go about your normal routine. Note: Do not leave incense unattended when burning.

Neo-Wicca?

There's a growing trend happening out there in the great big world and I think it's time we have a discussion about it. There are far too many of us to reach an actual consensus but hey, a guy can dream. You can tell by the title that I'm referring to the term "neo-Wicca."

The idea behind the term is that Gardner's version of Wicca has been so changed by all of us uninitiated eclectic solitaries that the Wicca we practice isn't worthy of the same name. Let's stop here for a moment while I admit that I partially understand where those in favor of the term are coming from. The Wicca that they practice is different than what some of us practice, oftentimes with good reason.

We live in a time where 95% of the Wicca 101 books preach that you can do whatever you want to do so long as you follow the sacred Rule of Three, and I can't fault anyone for drawing comparisons to the titles they earned through a coven hierarchy while the rest of us self-dedicated after reading a few books from Llewellyn. Okay, most of us don't just read Llewellyn books, and even if we did that wouldn't be the end of the world.

I think I just have a problem with seperating the name of Wicca into two categories. I know it's a fact of life but I often hate the "us vs. them" categorizations that tend to come about. It's like one side saying that the other isn't worthy simply because the side deems the others to be unfit - which is probably NOT the case in this scenario. New practitioners tend to have no set structure and have moved away from Gardner's ideals of what Wicca should be. The religion has become an amalgamation of other belief systems and religious practices, all tossed into the cauldron and at the ready for people to pick and choose them as they seem necessary.

Is that such a bad thing? I'm not sure, but I suspect that those in initiatory traditions might have something to say about it. Let me be clear: I'm not criticizing those people that join a coven and put forth hard work to gain status in a degree system. I just feel that not everyone should be expected to do the same things that Gardner did just for the simple reason that he did them. That, for me, makes no sense.

What are your thoughts on Neo-Wicca? I hope this post will begin to facilitate discussion so that we can attempt to come up with a consensus (yeah, I get I'm dreaming big here) and put this to rest.

Pagan Blog Project Update

I'm so far behind with the Pagan Blog Project. It is now October and the last month I participated was March! There's no reason to fret though, I'm getting ready to resume the posts. Better late than never, right?

The first post for "g" will go up today and the second one will be up by tomorrow evening.

Thanks for your patience!

Chakra Balancing

I knew it had been a while since I last worked on getting my chakras into alignment, but it turned out to have been even longer than I originally thought - almost an entire year! I began feeling like I needed a tune-up so I decided it was finally time (well, yeah...) to do something. I took the opportunity to do a layout on myself using these crystals.

red jasper, carnelian, citrine, green aventurine, blue lace agate, amethyst, and clear quartz.

I have found these seven crystals to be the best when working on my chakras, probably because they'll all members of the quartz family and tend to resonate and work well with one another. I can only speak from my own personal experiences, of course.

There are many crystal associations with each of the chakras, but my suggestion is to focus on color more than any of the other aspects of the crystal's energy. The frequency on the color spectrum will help your chakras reset and get back to working for you in no time. I spent all of ten minutes doing this process and I felt rejouvenated and calm for the remainder of the day.

I suggest you give it a try if you're feeling fatigued, anxious, agitated, or just because it's something new to try. And most importantly, let me know how it works for you.

If you're a little rusty on chakras or just want a refresher course, head on over to this link to get some information from Bernard Charles. He's one of my favorite people working with color - in fact, the best I've come across thus far in my journey.

-MR

A Free Online Tarot Course

Great news. I stumbled upon Joan Bunning's online Learning the Tarot course. It is a free guide to learning this method of divination and it looks to be useful from the multiple pages I skimmed through. If you're like me and you need a little help learning the tarot, check out the website.

Learning the Tarot - An On-Line Course