Cleansing the body is as much a mental and psychological - and spiritual - thing as it is something physical.  Cleansing the body, in this instance, is something more than just taking a shower.  It is taking into account the recognition that much of what we put into our bodies, and what we expose them to, is “impure” or “unclean”.  In many cases, these impure or unclean substances are created by society. 

Many people have differing ideas of unclean.  For some of us, a cleansing may be as simple as using only stuff that is “primary” - has only gone through a few steps before it reaches us.  Things like fruit and vegetables, as well as simple bread, or other grain products which we could/have made ourselves.  People tend to think of mixed substances - cookies, cakes, hot dogs - as impure or polluting of our bodies. 

Is this leftover from the Jewish standards?  Or is it simply our subconscious recognition of the idea that not all of what society does is good? 

In any case, we are faced with a problem.  How do we cleanse the body?  What do we have to consider?

• Is this a “for-good” cleansing?  A permanent lifestyle change?  A specific defense against current circumstances?  Or is it something that is going to need to be repeated either on a schedule or by how we feel?  If it will need to be repeated - can we create a smaller event for maintanence? 
• How much time can this cleansing take?  How busy is your life?  Is this a fifteen minute cleansing?  Or a week long one?
• What do we consider necessary for this cleansing?  Diet?  Hygiene?  Emotional Connections?  Personal psyche?  Pain?  Meditation and contemplation?  Deprivation of senses or material goods?
• How effective do we want this cleansing to be?  Is it simply for the body, or for the mind and spirit as well?
• What restrictions will be on us during the cleansing period?  No talking?  Fasting or limited eating? 

A very simple cleansing ritual that would last all day, and weave in and out of every day activities is one that I most often use. 

When I wake, I shower.  During my shower I pray and meditate for peace and strength and wisdom.

When I dress, I dress simply - nothing in my clothing that is representative of a mood. 

When I eat - if I eat - I choose foods that are simple - fruit, fruit juice, milk, water, toast, vegetables, etc.  I stay away from large meals and fast or prepackaged ones.

Before I eat - if I eat - I offer a prayer as a way to make myself conscious of my actions.

When I have free time at night, I will pray and meditate once more.  I sleep naked or with little clothes on, to represent my natural state. (And to be truly free, you will be skyclad in all your rites)…

I do not practice a maintanence rite, but if there was one that I would like to pick up, it would definitely be ritualized hand or foot washing before entering my own room or the ritual room(if I had a ritual room). 

What do YOU do for your cleansings?

Again with a shorter post today, as I don’t really have any divine inspiration.  But, I’d like to talk a minute about spontaneity in life.  Many people accept understanding of this matter with various explanations: “Everything happens for a reason”; “There are no coincidences”; etc. 

For us, we explain it with the interaction between thought, will, and action in relation to the Universe.  In addition, the more that we are aware of the relationship between those three and the universe, the higher chance there is of any of those three affecting the Universe - essentially, pulling its strings to make way for our thought/will/action. 

But the Universe has its own plans for us, too.  And sometimes, it is not the wisest to carve a path through our lives, but instead follow where the opportunities open.  That is how people start with a botany degree and end up working for the government in finances. 

Which is how, today, after stopping by my college to meet with my boss and say hi to a few professors, I ended up with a housesitting job for the middle two weeks of August.  And a free lunch.

Beat that for random. 

Blessed Be!

I know I’m a little late on this particular post, but to be honest I couldn’t think of anything to write, and I did not wake up until 12:30 this afternoon after going to bed at 3am.  Not the healthiest of lifestyle choices, but sometimes, especially with such a non-structured schedule, it works. 

Anyway, I keep hearing the same themes from my friends and family in reference to my cycling habits.  The words “crazy” and “insane” come up quite often, and although I know they aren’t too serious, after a while it does jab a tiny little place in my heart called “submerged feelings of inadequacy” which we all, to some degree, possess. 

I spent much of my younger years trying to “fit in”, which was rather difficult, given that I was sort of steered along into skipping two grades in math and one in foreign language, rendering my middle school years a disaster.  I spent more time in the library of our school, waiting until a period for a different grade started or ended, than I ever should have.  I loved my school career, but I never fit in with my friends, at least academically.  At best, I was closest to the six people that were in the same boat as I - in a class of 300 - academically. 

When I hit high school, it got a little bit better, despite not sharing a whole hell of a lot of classes with my peers.  Granted, I took the AP Calculus exam in eleventh grade and was basically in college my senior year, but I always had my eyes towards college where I could start fresh. 

Then, I got to college and basically, the same thing happened.  Too far ahead (31 credits - I went in as a sophomore) and I eventually gave up on being normal, as I tend to attract strange and be an overachiever in my own fashion.  The problem(or great thing) is that I get urges.  And when I get an urge to do something, I do it. 

The urge from 15 on was, “bike along the erie canal across new york state.”  And since I did that last year(and again this year) my newest urge has been, “bicycle across the country, from washington to maine.”  It alternates with, “bicycle ride across every state.”

And so, it’s been decided.  Two years from now, I will bicycle across the country.  The questions now are,

• Will it have a purpose other than my spiritual fulfillment?
• Will anyone be accompanying me?
• what will I be bringing with me?
• What route will I take?
• How long will it take?

The first and the second are the most important, in my opinion.  Should I be supporting a cause?  It I support a cause, will that take away from my own spiritual fulfillment and experience as I am looking everywhere with one purpose: to get money for (cause here). 

Anyway, my entire social circle is rather upset right now, because they can’t seem to understand why I would want to spend more than $100 on a bicycle.  I’m looking at purchasing a road bike, for better speed and better quality.  My bike is a little better than a mountain bike, a hybrid from Raleigh a few years ago - the c200.  But I want to take my hobby to the next step. 

Is something crazy only when your social circle doesn’t agree with your choice? 

They all know that I’m pagan, not-Christian, etc.  My parents have settled with, “It’s a religion and she’s happy” and claim blissful ignorance over any details.  Were my religion to come up in a conversation between them and others, I’m sure their response would rate somewhere along, “Oh, she’s into that nature stuff…” or something along those lines. 

My friends accept my religion too, but some of them do refer to me by the various names - nature girl, crazy pagan, you/that witch, etc. 

And so, my seemingly meaningless post comes to a round-a-bout end: religious tolerance. 

It’s not always about the big legal battles.  Sometimes, it’s about the little things too.

While browsing my blog states today, I noticed someone searching out why 13 and 21 were significant to witches.  This is a primarily Wiccan post, as our numerology is different than other schema and identities. 

I am going to quote Gerald B. Gardner in his brief, confuddled explanation in Witchcraft Today, below:

Because three and five make eight, many things must be in eights; but eight and five make thirteen, and so thirteen is another good number; but since five eights, or three covens and a leader, make forty, forty is a good number and certain things must be forty. 

Does anyone else feel like they were robbed of intelligence with that reasoning?  Either way, that is the traditional perspective.  The numbers in Gardnerian Wicca which are special are 3, 5, 8, 13 and 40. 

Spiritually, the numbers can easily be assigned deeper meanings. 

3 - The God, the Goddess, and Life/Child/Creation/etc.  The goddess in her triple form.

5 - Man.  The Pentacle.  The God.

8 - The Wheel of the Year - the 8 solar sabbats.(4 “height of (insert season here)”, 2 equinoxes, 2 solstices)

13 - The Wheel of the Year - the 13 lunar esbats.(full moons)

40 - I’m at a loss here.  I do like his explanation.  Three covens and a leader. 

Keep in mind that within Gardnerian tradition, these numbers become exceptionally important in the initiation rites - the purification/test act of scourging is assigned to these various numbers.  I believe I mentioned the scourge in an earlier post. 

I’m sure I’ll come back to the intricacies of Gardnerian Initiation Rites at some point…but as I have not slept in some time, that’s a rather large chunk of information for me to process at this moment.

Blessed Be!

I was informed that it was too early to think about autonomy yesterday ;-)  So, we’ll go for a lighter subject today.

Well guys, here comes a story that is bound to make you smile.  Wiccan, pagan, or just spiritual alike, we all have those days where we begin to work with the Universe’s energy to create change.  We call it magic.  But sometimes, the magic is unintentional.  Because I went on the same cycling trip last year - From Buffalo to Albany - I sort of knew what each day was involving.  Granted, they did change some of the routes - more trail was added - but overall the ride was very similar, up to the very weather that we had.

So, we’re pulling out of Syracuse, and I remember that this day’s trail follows along the REALLY old canal (there are three canals - the Erie, the Enlarged Erie, and the Barge.  The Barge canal is the one that is still open and used by tourists today.) - the one that is 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep.  Because it isn’t used, it’s overgrown, the water is stagnant or with a very slow current, and as a result it is teeming with wildlife.  Green algae blankets the top, but in the spots where it is clear, you can see two foot long fish chilling at the surface, turtles, water birds, and the like.  Along the path, you can see any of your ground animals - bunnies, chipmunks, squirrels, deer, foxes, raccoons, opossums, etc.  I saw the first three of those.

Anyway.  I decided before I left that when I went through that type of environment, I wanted to see a turtle.  They’re pretty hard to spot when you’re going fifteen miles an hour.  Well, I was doing ten on that trail - damn was it bumpy!  But anyway, that was my will.  And somehow, a fleeting thought like, “I want to see a turtle!”  caught the Universe’s ear.

Three miles out of Syracuse I had my first flat.  It was about 7:15 AM.  Three wonderful people - only remember one name: Mike - stopped to help me fix it.  Twenty minutes later, I’m back on the road.  I get to our first rest stop an hour or two later, and my tire is still just a little soft from our patch.  It wasn’t leaking, we just hadn’t pumped it enough.

So, I decided to borrow someone’s pump and give it a few pumps of air.  It gets just up to the right psi, and we try to take the pump off.  The valve came with it - big, big popping noise.

As we change my tire, comprehension begins to set in.  I had been craning my neck allllll day to see a turtle, but it was still morning.  Turtles will only come out to bask on rocks when the sun is shining and its warm.  I have now spent two hours of the morning off of my bike, begging a tube off of someone to fix mine.

By the time I get back on the road again, it’s 11:30.  I don’t normally stop to eat, but since I figured it was that or another flat(gotta love the gods!)  I opted to stop into Canastota’s Sunrise Cafe for some lunch.  By the time I hop back on my bike, the sun is shining down hard (although it’s still a beautiful day!) and right before the afternoon rest stop?  I see a turtle.  Sunning itself.  On a rock.

turtle along the erie canal

Just to sum up and bring us back to the title of the post, is there a point where you are “too” in tune with the universe?  Because I think that’s the point where your thoughts become dangerous(Ooh!  I want to see a turtle!) and meditation(keeping your louder thoughts, quiet) may be the only route to your own safety/comfort.

Remember the number one of the Top Ten Things A Witch Learns Over Time?

Never Underestimate the Gods’ Sense of Humor.

Alright guys, the principle of the day is the sixth:

We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.

Watching the news in my brand new RSS feed, I am informed that 25% of the Anglicans will not be attending their world conference because of an argument over a gay bishop.  This is one plus of being a witch - we’re smart enough to realize that we would never get a good showing for a world conference. 

Unfortunately, this also means that we are not totally united, except by our historical documents.  And we know how well that has turned out for Christianity.  But at least we have a lot less historical documents, right?  we have the 13 Principles, The Rede, and any number of books published by Gardner, Leland, Valiente, Sanders, etc.  You can add all of those together and you still won’t get a 1200 page book. 

Autonomy also means we are responsible - not only for ourselves, but for those we teach and lead.  Because the authority is not guaranteed or even encouraged, being in a group setting lends itself towards democracy.  The principle itself is almost admonishing us by using the words “honor” and “respect” and “acknowledge” in its wording - but it also gives us a way out.  You can honor and respect someone’s teachings without following them.   Indeed, “acknowledging” something guarantees no solid course of action. 

There is one thing that I’ve found we’ll stick together for: religious discrimination.  We’re filled with the minority complex that makes every little thing a pin in our sides - not that this is a bad thing.  Although perhaps not filled with the spirit to the extent of picketing the White House (we do have rights!  It’s just a matter of seeing them through unabused) we will gladly jump to the defense of anyone suffering religious discrimination. 

So is autonomy better than hierarchical leadership?  I am tending to lean that way.  Because large group unity is almost never achieved anyway.  I would rather run or be a part of a small group of people with common goals than signing myself up with the masses in something where I don’t really have a say in what is going on, where others dictate what I am supposed to believe.  The only thing a large group has going for it is political power.

You wake up at five o’clock in the morning, have your cup of coffee, and you’re out the door by six.  You get to work at seven or seven thirty, depending on traffic, and you work until noon.  You go outside to smoke, then back inside to eat your lunch - or perhaps you take a quick ride to the nearest place that will feed you.  You work your last little bit, drive home, sit down, and have another cup of coffee.  You watch TV or make dinner, switch and repeat, then you fall asleep in your bed to do it all over again the next day.

I’m no different.  During college, I wake up, drive to class, am in class all day.  I come home to make dinner and do homework or watch TV, go to bed, and do it all over again.  If its a weekend, I spend my mornings playing video games or watching TV, my afternoons shopping or exercising, and my evenings doing much of the same that I did that morning - maybe I’ll play my guitar or clean something.

Our society is so damn depressed because we trap ourselves in these little boxes.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a little box called a house or a car, or a little box called headphones-and-music-while-exercising.  We are so trapped inside our own heads that we are almost afraid to be outside.  Afraid of the dark, afraid of snakes and bees and germs and holes in the ground and even the sun.

And then we wonder where our stress comes.  Oh, I’m feeling horrible and I can’t perform my ritual today because I have a thirty page paper and I sort of have a cold coming on.  Oh, I’m just too tired to take a walk.  I think I’ll watch TV instead.

We have no excuse, and we should be ashamed.

I spent a week bicycling across New York State.  The most time I got to spend inside was when I was eating, showering, or using an inside toilet (the majority of that was porta-potties).  I slept in a tent, and even though the ground was hard, I fell asleep knowing that I was home.

When I got back here, to home, I felt trapped.  Even my room is displaying my displeasure with being cooped up - my windows are open, the shades as far up as they can go.  I spend more time downstairs, which is lighter, and I am simply craving wide open spaces once more.

Go outside and try to experience it.  Don’t run with headphones in your housing track.  Run in a state park with nothing but you (and a cell phone, in case you get lost).  Watch for the bunnies and the squirrels and maybe even a groundhog or a fox.  Look up and see the birds(but don’t trip on a tree root).

We may not be made for outside anymore(lack of body hair can make it cold) but we should stop allowing cultural feelings that began in Victorian England to dictate how comfortable we feel in the place we belong(outside).  Clothes will fix the body hair, and courage will fix the rest.

Someone commented the other day (while I was gone) and I feel obligated to respond to their question in a public and rather longwinded manner. I understand that this post, because of its subject matter, will get a lot of outside traffic. Ground rules:

• I am NOT teaching you any super cool tips or tricks to use Ouija Boards.
• I am not responsible for any stupidity occurring before, during, or after the reading of this post. In fact, I am discouraging stupidity.

Now, the question was: “what is your opinion on ouija boards yes or no”

My answer is coming directly from what I have been taught. This may differ from other traditions. First of all,

Where attention goes, energy flows

I know I used that saying in a recent post. It is true here, as well. If you put a lot of attention and therefore, energy, into a ouija board, something, “results,” are more likely to manifest.

99% of astral entities don’t give a shit about you. Of the rest, some may be helpful, some may be harmful.

That’s right. What makes you special enough to call into the astral realm, “Hey, I’m looking for some fun! Want to oblige me?” Gee, I wonder how that is going to turn out.

Groups + occult = group hysteria

Again, not ruling out the occurrence of shared experiences of other entities, but often, a ring leader(Controlling the Crowd: Mass Hysteria) will easily take over the mood of the evening and perhaps it will not turn out as you wish. (Can anyone else say, “Possession!”? Number Six of the Top Ten Things A Witch Learns Over Time)

In conclusion, unless the Ouija board is your preferred method of divination for higher wisdom(and who actually asks for the gods on a Ouija board?) I’d suggest staying away. It is a boiling cauldron(I know, cheesy. I had to.) of trouble and drama just waiting to happen.

I know its a weird way to start my actually-here posts, but I returned from my trip to find my leopard gecko had passed away.  Caleb had been doing bad for quite some time, and I think it may have been my fault.  I always gave him food and water, but I think that while I was away at college, though my family gave him the same materials, they did not give him any attention.  I know they never took him out and held him or interacted with him.

As a result, I think my gecko, in part, died because of lack of interaction.  It may have also been his time - he was a rather old gecko.  But leopard geckos are the worst when they get old, because they just stop eating (or all of the ones I have had, have).  They’re desert animals, so it takes forever for them to die.

I cried today.  Not necessarily because of the death of my gecko, because everything has a time to go, but more because the poor creature had to die alone.  I think to an extent that all creatures are as scared of death as we are, although it may resurface and rework itself in many different ways.

Along the bike trip, throughout the day, we would pass by on the roads various roadkill.  From birds (I think there was a hawk at one point) to deer to groundhogs and squirrels, the roadkill we passed counted as objects to avoid riding over.  As a result, our trail markers often marked the area around them - drawing a flourescent pink circle around them (that was the color of the trail paint) - and one particular volunteer would place mardi gras beads on top of them.

It was meant as something to make the riders smile, but it also held a solemn note - we were saying goodbye to the deaths that no one was close enough to, to realize, to mourn, to recognize.

The entire earth is a community.  I don’t mean to make us all cry every day for the many, many animals, plants and other organisms alike that pass on, but an occasional moment of solemn awareness, a recognition of the gravity and importance of death, is a good way to start.

My high priest once knew a woman who would go out and draw or photograph roadkill.  Then she would name it, frame it, or in some other way categorize it.  I think that’s taking it a little too far.  But if no one notices the dead, how are we supposed to truly appreciate the living?

Well guys, today will be the last biking day: From Scotia, NY to Albany. Hopefully, I’ve biked the entire mileage and will come home proud and sore. Without further delay,

Number 1: Don’t Underestimate The Gods’ Sense Of Humor

That’s right. It’s called irony, and its god the will of the gods written all over it. You wonder why your friend prays to Odin, and suddenly, as you’re walking home, you swear you see someone hanging from a tree(You’re actually just blind during the night and see a guy standing on a swing that’s in a tree). You think about the fact that you haven’t had a physical in a few years, and suddenly you break your leg. You perform a spell to bring you a good night’s sleep, and suddenly you get knocked out by the baseball at your son’s baseball game.

It’s happened to us all. The first one - Odin and thinking someone has hung himself - happened to me not a month ago, in Florida one late night as I was returning to my dorm.

But to be honest, even being scared like that, or in the many other instances I’ve been privy to the gods’ amusement, I do enjoy their sense of humor, as it so closely matches my own. It is recognition of that quality of the divine that enables me to laugh even through the worst migraine, because I know that a few days, or weeks, or months from that point, I will look back and remember what spawned it, or why it made me stronger, or what irony there was in the event.

It gives me comfort. their sick and twisted (though usually not in bad taste) ways of working the worlds around us really does give me the hope that everything that happens has some lesson to be learned. And occasionally they do grant us the grace to allow things to work out in the way we intended. But, I always imagine exerting our will on the world as a dangerous thing, like dropping a ball through a vertical maze and hoping to get it to the right hole at the bottom. It may get there, but the path to that may be the oddest possible combination of events.

“Where attention goes, energy flows” is a useful adage in understanding this quirk of the world, as is the simple mechanics fact that an object will follow the path of least resistance. We put our thought, our will out into the world, and it is a projectile, trying to find its way through with using the least amount of energy. Sometimes, the easiest way to find a better job is to get fired from an old one. It may not be the easiest for you to deal with emotionally, but it is definitely the Universe’s way to show you how to appreciate your job (both the former and the new one!).

I hope you’ve enjoyed my top ten. It’s the first time I’ve done something like this, and maybe I’ll do something like it again soon.

Blessed Be!

Number One of the Top Ten Things A Witch Learns Over Time « Pagan Pages.

Number Two of the Top Ten Things A Witch Learns Over Time « Pagan Pages.

Number Three of the Top Ten Things A Witch Learns Over Time « Pagan Pages.

Number Four of the Top Ten Things A Witch Learns Over Time « Pagan Pages.

Number Five of the Top Ten Things A Witch Learns Over Time « Pagan Pages.

Number Six of the Top Ten Things A Witch Learns Over Time « Pagan Pages.

Number Seven of the Top Ten Things A Witch Learns Over Time « Pagan Pages.

Number Eight of the Top Ten Things A Witch Learns Over Time « Pagan Pages.

Number Nine of the Top Ten Things A Witch Learns Over Time « Pagan Pages.

Top Ten Things A Witch Learns Over Time « Pagan Pages.