Merry Meet!!
Most folk in the Craft community do not think of themselves as political, mostly because there just aren't that many witches in office. But, with the elections upon us and the debate over patriotism always used as a campaign platform, I just felt that I should stand up and throw my two cents into the fray.
First of all let me say that I do not speak of one candidate over the other. I think all Americans or any free people who have the right to vote should at least vote. If you don't vote you can't complain.
Second let me say that I never saw myself as patriotic. I was a rebel and a black sheep and something of an extreme liberal in my teen years. I joined groups like Green Peace and Amnesty International and I wrote to people like FW Declerk and demanded that he free Nelson Mandela and then give the black South Africans the freedom to vote and I joined in other sort prisoners of conscience campaigns but I never felt strongly about my country until I went to work for Vietnam Veterans.
But patriotism for me was less about saluting the flag and more about making sure that all Americans were able to enjoy their fair share the promises made to every American. I love my country, at least the ideals of my country. I understand fully that we have many injustices, racism, sexism, classism, creedism, but there is still the promise in America that does not exist in any part of the world.
Patriotism isn't about just about who served their country, or who didn't or who wears an American Flag on their lapel, it is about what you are willing to stand up for. Are you willing to stand up and say "Enough!" to social injustice in your country and other countries? Are you willing to help a person up? I say "Stand on my shoulders and when you get up there, hold your hand down to me and we will pull someone else up together" It is the rule of three in action.
Patriotism is not about saluting the flag and saying the pledge, but it is about standing still and silent when someone else does it. It is not about getting choked up when we hear the Star Spangled Banner, it is about understanding the words and emotions and feeling a part of the land of the free and the home of the brave. The song means nothing if the words do not ring true.
Patriotism is not about one nation under God if you cannot celebrate the image of God in your own way, whether your creed's symbol is a cross, or a cresent or a six pointed star or a five pointed star.
Patriotism is about being the best part of your nation, not her symbols, not her songs, not her military might. It is about seeing injustice and trying to right it, it is about lending a helping hand, it is about exercising the rights of any free citizen of a free nation.
So may God bless America, regardless of how you see the sacred and God bless Americans, regardless of your notion of patriotism.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Medieval Faire
Merry Meet!!
Gaelyn and I went to the Medieval Faire last week. I have been going for years with my circle sisters. Throughout the year I make shawls and tarot pouches with celtic designs and herbal candles and little spell books and decoupaged boxes and other witchy/ medieval goods. I make enough of a profit to stay at the faire for the whole week and enjoy being with my circle sisters and other folk who practice the way of the wise. Not all participants do, but there are enough of us to have a regular Craft convention.
These faires are fun. We have a tent, army style, fitted out with medieval and celtic hand painted patches over it. That is another thing I do, I cut out twelve by twelve squares and draw elaborate celtic designs and medieval shields and hand paint them and then sew them to the body of the tent. So the olive drab tent we started with now looks like a dramatic jousting tent from a fairy tale. I make about a dozen a year. My Gaelyn made some honey mead and brought some jars of honey and some of my sisters make wine, which is pretty good.
After the sales day is over, we have events, like jousting and sword contests and highlander games style exhibitions. We also have jugglers and magicians who perform sleight of hand and gymnasts and dancers. One outfit does various morality plays. This year they did a version of a Faustian style story. It was very good and in some parts rather scary.
When all of the tourists are gone for the night, we wise folk (aka Witches) get together and raise energy, dance and sing and share stories and magik. I met with a great little bunch of Christian witches from Pennsylvania and I am hoping they will be writing in and sharing some of their stories and articles for the almanac.
One of the things that did bother me is the amount of manufactured goods. I know that there are a lot of fine companies who make medieval apparel and I understand you might have to resort to them for leather goods and shoes and boots, but many of the dresses and blouses and skirts can be handmade and should be handmade. And there is the issue of simple things like pouches and bags and the like that came from retail stores and mail order like the Pyramid company.
But I had a great time and we made a few bucks to keep us comfortably at the faire and pay for our gas back home and keep us excited about the next faire. If you get a chance to go to a Medieval Faire, go, you will have a great time.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Love Spells: I Called the Witch Doctor
Merry Meet!
They call you late at night, breathless and a little apprehensive. They confess to you that they have met someone they could fall in love with but they don't know their secret love is crazy about them. Then with baited breath they say: "Couldn't you mix up a little love potion #9" They have their hopes and dreams wrapped up in a magikal solution.
What do you say to that person? How do you explain that it is against your ethics to try and control someone with a spell or potion? Is there a way to help this person?
There is a way and it is not to try to magikally control the person, but to enhance the person who is infatuated with the object of their desire. Most of the time the person who is the admiree is afraid of rejection from the admired. A short charm for them recite to give them courage may be all they need. A small talisman to make them feel desireable may do the trick. To enhance the one who is love stricken and make them more friendly and have more confidence is what that person needs. They would not really want that person to be fascinated with them just because of a spell, they would hopefully want the person to admire them for who they are.
You might also do divinatory work for them. You might want to see if they are a good match. If you practice astrology, you might want to see if their signs match up. You might want to do some tarot readings for them. There are other things you can suggest.
Remind them that not all desires are fulfillable and even if you do these for them, they may not get the person who is their focus. Tell them to keep in mind that fate may have a different partner in mind for them.
Blessed Be
Aslinn
They call you late at night, breathless and a little apprehensive. They confess to you that they have met someone they could fall in love with but they don't know their secret love is crazy about them. Then with baited breath they say: "Couldn't you mix up a little love potion #9" They have their hopes and dreams wrapped up in a magikal solution.
What do you say to that person? How do you explain that it is against your ethics to try and control someone with a spell or potion? Is there a way to help this person?
There is a way and it is not to try to magikally control the person, but to enhance the person who is infatuated with the object of their desire. Most of the time the person who is the admiree is afraid of rejection from the admired. A short charm for them recite to give them courage may be all they need. A small talisman to make them feel desireable may do the trick. To enhance the one who is love stricken and make them more friendly and have more confidence is what that person needs. They would not really want that person to be fascinated with them just because of a spell, they would hopefully want the person to admire them for who they are.
You might also do divinatory work for them. You might want to see if they are a good match. If you practice astrology, you might want to see if their signs match up. You might want to do some tarot readings for them. There are other things you can suggest.
Remind them that not all desires are fulfillable and even if you do these for them, they may not get the person who is their focus. Tell them to keep in mind that fate may have a different partner in mind for them.
Blessed Be
Aslinn
Saturday, May 31, 2008
A Petition for Wiccan Chaplains
Merry Meet!
Here is a little something I wanted to let you know about. It is a petition for the US Military to provide for Wiccan Chaplains. Many Wiccan trads hold that at a ceratin level you are the priest/ess of your own trad, but to have a Wiccan Chaplain would ensure that the Wiccans in our armed services would be able to have some expectation of the ability to celebrate the Sabbats and have time to raise energy and pray with fellow Wiccans. Follow the links or paste them on your browser and sign the appeal.
FWD: Petition to get Wiccan Chaplains into the U.S. Armed Forces
Posted by: "~)0(~ Mishka" mishka.wytch@gmail.com hekate6164
Mon May 26, 2008 9:39 pm (PDT)
Petition to get Wiccan Chaplains into the U.S. Armed Forces
There are over 5000 Wiccans serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. However,
there are currently NO Wiccan Chaplains. This is a petition to get
Wiccan chaplains accepted. Other religions with small numbers are
allowed chaplains.
Among the nearly 2,900 clergy on active duty are 41 Mormon chaplains for
17,513 Mormons in uniform, 22 rabbis for 4,038 Jews, 11 imams for 3,386
Muslims, six teachers for 636 Christian Scientists, and one Buddhist
chaplain for 4,546 Buddhists.
In 2007, when a pentecostal chaplain turned Wiccan he applied to change
his religious affiliation to Wicca, and the Army railroaded him out of
Iraq and out of the Army. This is unacceptable.
Sign this petition and tell the the Army Chief of Chaplains office and
other government officials that Wiccans deserve chaplains and should be
afforded the same rights as other religions.
http://pagancauldron.com/modules/xpetitions/index.php?id=1
~Mishka
http://www.myspace.com/YaYaMishka
http://www.myspace.com/MishkaWytch
http://www.covenspace.com/MishkaWytch
Thanks to Chris and Mishkawytch for their information.
Blessed Be
Aslinn
Friday, May 23, 2008
A Christian Speaks of Wicca and Witchcraft
This article appears on numerous witchcraft and Wicca sites and I love it so much, I wish to add it to my blog. Thanks www.wicca.com for having the article available. It is also on my links.
A Christian Speaks of Wicca and Witchcraft
by James Clement Taylor
I am a Christian and not a Wiccan. A Christian is one who has been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and who has made a personal, free-will decision to commit himself and all his or her life to our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Both of these things are true of me. I am a member of St. Mary's Eastern Orthodox Church, Calhan, Colorado. In this paper, I am not speaking as agent for any church, but I am, entirely on my own responsibility, speaking the truth in love, as we Christians are supposed to do.
A Situation of Strife and Shame:
There are many Christians today who believe that anyone who is not a Christian is doomed to an eternity of suffering in hell. Any decent person, believing this, would be compelled to try to save as many people from this fate as possible. But is this belief correct? Jesus Christ, having noted the faith and righteousness of a Roman centurion, a Pagan, proclaimed:
"Assuredly I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 8:10-12)
If we accept these words as true, and surely we should, then it is clear that heaven will contain many who are not Christians, and hell will contain many who are! Clearly, throughout the Gospels, Jesus Christ sets forth the criteria for entrance into the kingdom of heaven, and those criteria include love, kindness, forgiveness, and a refusal to judge others:
"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15)
"For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you." (Matthew 7:2)
"But go and learn what this means: `I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'" (Matthew 9:13)
"Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." (Luke 6:36-38)
Is it not clear? Anyone who fails in these things, will calling himself a Christian save him? Anyone who obeys God in these things, will being unbaptized condemn him? Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)
Yet it is not by good works that we earn our way into heaven, because there is no way we can earn the free gift of God's mercy and grace, which alone can save us. But it is clear that it is not by faith, in the sense of sharing the Christian faith, that we are saved, either. The faith which saves us is not faith in the goodness of our works, nor faith that we have the right theology and/or belong to the right church. Rather, it is faith in God, and in His mercy:
"So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy." (Romans 9:16)
But the Wiccans, you will say, do not have faith in God. Yet by their own theology, they certainly do. Those who call them Satan-worshippers are entirely wrong. They do not worship Satan, or even believe that Satan exists. Instead, they worship a Goddess and a God whom they understand as manifestations of a higher and unknown Deity.
Now if you are a Christian, this will sound familiar to you, and it should. In the Bible we find the following:
"Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, `Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, The One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you" (Acts 17:22-23)
The Wiccans worship the Unknown God, as manifested to them in the form of a Goddess and a God. Therefore, our Bible tells us they worship the same God we do; and if they do not know this, we should know it!
For those of us who are unable to simply stand on God's Word, and must prove to themselves the truth of what it proclaims the holy Apostle John has given us the method for doing this. You have only to attend any public Wiccan ceremony, and test the spirits which are there, to see "whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1). You will find that, while the power manifested there may be less than what you have experienced as a Christian, that power is clearly the power of God.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, these people of Wicca have been terribly slandered by us. They have lost jobs, and homes, and places of business because we have assured others that they worship Satan, which they do not. We have persecuted them, and God will hold us accountable for this, you may be sure, for He has said, "Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." (Matthew 25:40)
Let us, from this point onward, repent of our misdeeds and declare that henceforth we shall obey Christ our God, and not judge others or condemn them, so that He will not have to judge and condemn us for our sins.
A Christian Speaks of Wicca and Witchcraft
by James Clement Taylor
I am a Christian and not a Wiccan. A Christian is one who has been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and who has made a personal, free-will decision to commit himself and all his or her life to our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Both of these things are true of me. I am a member of St. Mary's Eastern Orthodox Church, Calhan, Colorado. In this paper, I am not speaking as agent for any church, but I am, entirely on my own responsibility, speaking the truth in love, as we Christians are supposed to do.
A Situation of Strife and Shame:
There are many Christians today who believe that anyone who is not a Christian is doomed to an eternity of suffering in hell. Any decent person, believing this, would be compelled to try to save as many people from this fate as possible. But is this belief correct? Jesus Christ, having noted the faith and righteousness of a Roman centurion, a Pagan, proclaimed:
"Assuredly I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 8:10-12)
If we accept these words as true, and surely we should, then it is clear that heaven will contain many who are not Christians, and hell will contain many who are! Clearly, throughout the Gospels, Jesus Christ sets forth the criteria for entrance into the kingdom of heaven, and those criteria include love, kindness, forgiveness, and a refusal to judge others:
"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15)
"For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you." (Matthew 7:2)
"But go and learn what this means: `I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'" (Matthew 9:13)
"Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." (Luke 6:36-38)
Is it not clear? Anyone who fails in these things, will calling himself a Christian save him? Anyone who obeys God in these things, will being unbaptized condemn him? Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)
Yet it is not by good works that we earn our way into heaven, because there is no way we can earn the free gift of God's mercy and grace, which alone can save us. But it is clear that it is not by faith, in the sense of sharing the Christian faith, that we are saved, either. The faith which saves us is not faith in the goodness of our works, nor faith that we have the right theology and/or belong to the right church. Rather, it is faith in God, and in His mercy:
"So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who has mercy." (Romans 9:16)
But the Wiccans, you will say, do not have faith in God. Yet by their own theology, they certainly do. Those who call them Satan-worshippers are entirely wrong. They do not worship Satan, or even believe that Satan exists. Instead, they worship a Goddess and a God whom they understand as manifestations of a higher and unknown Deity.
Now if you are a Christian, this will sound familiar to you, and it should. In the Bible we find the following:
"Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, `Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, The One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you" (Acts 17:22-23)
The Wiccans worship the Unknown God, as manifested to them in the form of a Goddess and a God. Therefore, our Bible tells us they worship the same God we do; and if they do not know this, we should know it!
For those of us who are unable to simply stand on God's Word, and must prove to themselves the truth of what it proclaims the holy Apostle John has given us the method for doing this. You have only to attend any public Wiccan ceremony, and test the spirits which are there, to see "whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1). You will find that, while the power manifested there may be less than what you have experienced as a Christian, that power is clearly the power of God.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, these people of Wicca have been terribly slandered by us. They have lost jobs, and homes, and places of business because we have assured others that they worship Satan, which they do not. We have persecuted them, and God will hold us accountable for this, you may be sure, for He has said, "Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." (Matthew 25:40)
Let us, from this point onward, repent of our misdeeds and declare that henceforth we shall obey Christ our God, and not judge others or condemn them, so that He will not have to judge and condemn us for our sins.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Witch Hunts Still Happen
Kenya mob reportedly burns 11 ‘witches’
Police say locals accused women and men of ‘bewitching’ their children
updated 3:37 p.m. ET, Wed., May. 21, 2008
NAIROBI, Kenya - A group of up to 300 young men have burned to death 11 people suspected of being witches and wizards in western Kenya — in some cases slitting their victims' throats or clubbing them to death before burning their bodies, officials said.
The gang moved from home to home through two villages, identifying their victims by using a list with names of suspected witches and wizards and the kind of spells they were believed to have cast on the community, said Ben Makori, a local councilor.
"The villagers are complaining that the (suspected) wizards and witches are making the bright children in the community dumb.... These (suspected) witches are not doing good things to us," Makori told The Associated Press on the phone.
Deputy police spokesman Charles Owino said the gang hunted down the eight women and three men in the western Kenya villages of Kekoro and Matembe. Most of the victims were between 70 and 90 years old, Owino said.
Senior administrator Njoroge Ndirangu said the gang hunted down their victims Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Victims slashed or clubbed in some cases the gang pulled the victims out of their homes, slit their throats or clubbed them to death, said a police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
The victims were then thrown back into their homes, which the gang had already set on fire, the officer said. He said 36 houses were burned.
Another police officer, Mwaura Njoroge, said the body of a victim burned to death in her house was, "reduced to something so small, you cannot tell which is the leg and which is the arm."
"How can they (the young men) prove that a person is a wizard? It is likely that the people who committed these killings had personal vendettas against their victims," Njoroge said.
"These people identified who is to be killed by accusing their victims of bewitching their sons and daughters," said Ndirangu, the commissioner in charge of Kisii Central district, where one of the villages is located.
Ndirangu said that residents are superstitious and have often targeted suspected witches and wizards, but this week's attack was the most shocking in recent years.
The police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said investigators had little hope of making progress because the villagers have refused to identify the people who carried out attacks.
Police say locals accused women and men of ‘bewitching’ their children
updated 3:37 p.m. ET, Wed., May. 21, 2008
NAIROBI, Kenya - A group of up to 300 young men have burned to death 11 people suspected of being witches and wizards in western Kenya — in some cases slitting their victims' throats or clubbing them to death before burning their bodies, officials said.
The gang moved from home to home through two villages, identifying their victims by using a list with names of suspected witches and wizards and the kind of spells they were believed to have cast on the community, said Ben Makori, a local councilor.
"The villagers are complaining that the (suspected) wizards and witches are making the bright children in the community dumb.... These (suspected) witches are not doing good things to us," Makori told The Associated Press on the phone.
Deputy police spokesman Charles Owino said the gang hunted down the eight women and three men in the western Kenya villages of Kekoro and Matembe. Most of the victims were between 70 and 90 years old, Owino said.
Senior administrator Njoroge Ndirangu said the gang hunted down their victims Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Victims slashed or clubbed in some cases the gang pulled the victims out of their homes, slit their throats or clubbed them to death, said a police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
The victims were then thrown back into their homes, which the gang had already set on fire, the officer said. He said 36 houses were burned.
Another police officer, Mwaura Njoroge, said the body of a victim burned to death in her house was, "reduced to something so small, you cannot tell which is the leg and which is the arm."
"How can they (the young men) prove that a person is a wizard? It is likely that the people who committed these killings had personal vendettas against their victims," Njoroge said.
"These people identified who is to be killed by accusing their victims of bewitching their sons and daughters," said Ndirangu, the commissioner in charge of Kisii Central district, where one of the villages is located.
Ndirangu said that residents are superstitious and have often targeted suspected witches and wizards, but this week's attack was the most shocking in recent years.
The police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said investigators had little hope of making progress because the villagers have refused to identify the people who carried out attacks.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Amazing things Happen even in the midst of Prejudice
Merry Meet!
Gaelyn and I are attending a witch conference this week and this was something that happened to us last night. It just goes to show that even negative things can turn into positive energy.
Boy what a night!!!! Let me tell you what happened, you won't believe this!!! Gaelyn and I went to dinner and went to our circle meeting and then went to the bale fire circle. While we were there, the local campus Christian folks were there. You know, I had never experienced prejudice before...a little harassment when I used to shave my head, but other than that, nothing I couldn't ignore. We weren't even wearing ceremonial clothes, just jeans and a white blouse for me and a white poet's shirt for Gaelyn. I had flower crowns for us to wear for the circle but they were in this canvas bag I was carrying.
This good looking kid with a white Campus Crusade for Christ came up and asked what the bon fire was for and I said it was a May fire and we were having a unity circle. He looks at me and says you know, hell burns hotter than that fire. I looked at him and asked him what he was talking about. He said that I was going to hell for being a witch and that it was a shame he couldn't carry out the commands of the Bible and suffer not a witch to live. There were little kids and babies going to the fire and they started shouting that we were all going to hell and that we were damned and the kids started crying. So I spotted this police officer and I told him that we were being harassed and we needed the people to move back because they were scaring the children who were coming to the fire celebration. So this cop calls in a few fellow officers and start to move the people back and they started throwing stuff at us!!!!! One lady had a rock hit her on the eye!!!! It really marred the night for us. We still had our bale fire and the High Priest who was leading it asked us to send our anger to the fire and to pray that their hatred and anger would be burned up with the fire, but it was awful!!!! After the fire, a couple of witches even got mad at us Christian witches. But the neatest thing happened.
The High Priest came over to the group and he told us that this was not the way to show unity in the face of challenge and that anyone who worked Craft were entitled to be witches regardless of their religion and any witch who thought otherwise were not true followers of the Rede and then he said something that I have fervently believed ever since I became a witch. He said someday the government would want all of our lives because we believed something that would someday be considered heresy. He said that included anyone who believed in anything, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Wicca and the Craft. He then looked at us Christian Witches and said "You are my Brothers and Sisters in the wise way, and you are brothers and sisters of the Christ. That makes us all family and I fight for my family" and walked away....It was the most incredible thing.
So, we sort of stood there and looked at each other and the Wiccan and Pagan Witches apologized and embraced us and it turned into the most wonderful meeting of the minds. We got together and sat in this coffee shop until they ran us out early this morning and we found a diner and had breakfast together and we agreed this was the most amazing thing we had ever experienced in our Craft lives.....It was wild. And the magikal energy was so intense...it blew my mind.....
There are hidden blessings everywhere if we wait and be patient for truth to win out.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn and Gaelyn
Gaelyn and I are attending a witch conference this week and this was something that happened to us last night. It just goes to show that even negative things can turn into positive energy.
Boy what a night!!!! Let me tell you what happened, you won't believe this!!! Gaelyn and I went to dinner and went to our circle meeting and then went to the bale fire circle. While we were there, the local campus Christian folks were there. You know, I had never experienced prejudice before...a little harassment when I used to shave my head, but other than that, nothing I couldn't ignore. We weren't even wearing ceremonial clothes, just jeans and a white blouse for me and a white poet's shirt for Gaelyn. I had flower crowns for us to wear for the circle but they were in this canvas bag I was carrying.
This good looking kid with a white Campus Crusade for Christ came up and asked what the bon fire was for and I said it was a May fire and we were having a unity circle. He looks at me and says you know, hell burns hotter than that fire. I looked at him and asked him what he was talking about. He said that I was going to hell for being a witch and that it was a shame he couldn't carry out the commands of the Bible and suffer not a witch to live. There were little kids and babies going to the fire and they started shouting that we were all going to hell and that we were damned and the kids started crying. So I spotted this police officer and I told him that we were being harassed and we needed the people to move back because they were scaring the children who were coming to the fire celebration. So this cop calls in a few fellow officers and start to move the people back and they started throwing stuff at us!!!!! One lady had a rock hit her on the eye!!!! It really marred the night for us. We still had our bale fire and the High Priest who was leading it asked us to send our anger to the fire and to pray that their hatred and anger would be burned up with the fire, but it was awful!!!! After the fire, a couple of witches even got mad at us Christian witches. But the neatest thing happened.
The High Priest came over to the group and he told us that this was not the way to show unity in the face of challenge and that anyone who worked Craft were entitled to be witches regardless of their religion and any witch who thought otherwise were not true followers of the Rede and then he said something that I have fervently believed ever since I became a witch. He said someday the government would want all of our lives because we believed something that would someday be considered heresy. He said that included anyone who believed in anything, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Wicca and the Craft. He then looked at us Christian Witches and said "You are my Brothers and Sisters in the wise way, and you are brothers and sisters of the Christ. That makes us all family and I fight for my family" and walked away....It was the most incredible thing.
So, we sort of stood there and looked at each other and the Wiccan and Pagan Witches apologized and embraced us and it turned into the most wonderful meeting of the minds. We got together and sat in this coffee shop until they ran us out early this morning and we found a diner and had breakfast together and we agreed this was the most amazing thing we had ever experienced in our Craft lives.....It was wild. And the magikal energy was so intense...it blew my mind.....
There are hidden blessings everywhere if we wait and be patient for truth to win out.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn and Gaelyn
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
The secret of Absinthe
Merry Meet!!
Well, the secret is out and they have the proof. 140 proof, that is. Absinthe is just a high powered alcoholic drink. There is no true narcotic style effect.
This is important to know. Many who follow a Goth life style tout its effects of producing hallucinations and dream and trance states. The truth is, absinthe is just rot gut, plain and simple.
I do of course believe in the powers and energies of wormwood, the primary ingredient. Wormwood is a great magikal herb used in small quantities but it is toxic and must be used carefully.
The reason I find this information so important is that the Goth community has latched on to it of late as a way to open up their minds and senses. All they are really doing is getting drunk. Goths also tend to dabble in magik and drunkeness and magik is dangerous folly. Dabbling is always dangerous but dabbling while intoxicated is doubly so. Remember, the first rule of witchcraft is to harm none,this includes yourself.
Beware and be well.
Brighetst Blessings Be
Aslinn
Well, the secret is out and they have the proof. 140 proof, that is. Absinthe is just a high powered alcoholic drink. There is no true narcotic style effect.
This is important to know. Many who follow a Goth life style tout its effects of producing hallucinations and dream and trance states. The truth is, absinthe is just rot gut, plain and simple.
I do of course believe in the powers and energies of wormwood, the primary ingredient. Wormwood is a great magikal herb used in small quantities but it is toxic and must be used carefully.
The reason I find this information so important is that the Goth community has latched on to it of late as a way to open up their minds and senses. All they are really doing is getting drunk. Goths also tend to dabble in magik and drunkeness and magik is dangerous folly. Dabbling is always dangerous but dabbling while intoxicated is doubly so. Remember, the first rule of witchcraft is to harm none,this includes yourself.
Beware and be well.
Brighetst Blessings Be
Aslinn
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Beltane Approaches
Merry Meet!
It seems like yesterday I was writing about Yule and talking about presents and wintertime. Now it is Beltane and I am planning my herb garden and my flower beds and waiting for that last frost and spate of cold weather to finally go away.
For witches of Wiccan and Pagan traditions, Beltane is the time of Mother Earth renewing herself in nature and gowning herself in the greens and riotous colors of spring. Spring is the season of renewal and witches renew themselves and their talents and energies. It is the time that they clean not just their cupboards but their souls, too, set new goals, rid themselves of regrets for things done and undone and look forward to the growth of living things.
Gaelyn and I are champing at the bit to busy setting up his herb garden and cleaning his herb racks. I have herbs growing already in little biodegradeable pots, sunning themselves by the light of a grow lamp. I can already smell the fragrances from their new leaves when I lightly stroke them. Lavender, rosemary, thyme and catnip, St. John's Wort and mint and sage fill the little house he is renting with the smells of nature and magik.
I will watch them grow and become full and in August they will be mature enough to harvest and bind with twine and dry out on the drying racks and when we use them in magik, I will pull a few precious dry leaves and smell them and remember them as they grew. But I will also know that these herbs, though they are dry, are still alive with the energy of the earth, the elements, and the love I gave them as I watched over them as they grew that whole summer. And they will carry some of that summer inside them, even in the snows and cold and wet of Yule.
Thanks be to God who empowers all living things and thanks be to Mother Earth for her bounties and the promise of new life. May the sacred spirit you praise and honor do the same for all of you who practice the Way of the Wise.
Brightest Blessinsg Be
Aslinn
It seems like yesterday I was writing about Yule and talking about presents and wintertime. Now it is Beltane and I am planning my herb garden and my flower beds and waiting for that last frost and spate of cold weather to finally go away.
For witches of Wiccan and Pagan traditions, Beltane is the time of Mother Earth renewing herself in nature and gowning herself in the greens and riotous colors of spring. Spring is the season of renewal and witches renew themselves and their talents and energies. It is the time that they clean not just their cupboards but their souls, too, set new goals, rid themselves of regrets for things done and undone and look forward to the growth of living things.
Gaelyn and I are champing at the bit to busy setting up his herb garden and cleaning his herb racks. I have herbs growing already in little biodegradeable pots, sunning themselves by the light of a grow lamp. I can already smell the fragrances from their new leaves when I lightly stroke them. Lavender, rosemary, thyme and catnip, St. John's Wort and mint and sage fill the little house he is renting with the smells of nature and magik.
I will watch them grow and become full and in August they will be mature enough to harvest and bind with twine and dry out on the drying racks and when we use them in magik, I will pull a few precious dry leaves and smell them and remember them as they grew. But I will also know that these herbs, though they are dry, are still alive with the energy of the earth, the elements, and the love I gave them as I watched over them as they grew that whole summer. And they will carry some of that summer inside them, even in the snows and cold and wet of Yule.
Thanks be to God who empowers all living things and thanks be to Mother Earth for her bounties and the promise of new life. May the sacred spirit you praise and honor do the same for all of you who practice the Way of the Wise.
Brightest Blessinsg Be
Aslinn
Monday, April 21, 2008
Building the Christian Witch Altar
Merry Meet!
One of the things that attracted me to Catholicism was a home altar I once saw in a person's house. It was a simple affair really, with a small statue of Jesus and Mary and a candle and Bible. Nothing to it. But resonated strongly with me and when I became a Catholic, I built myself a home altar. I love it.
When I became a Christian Witch, I found that the home altar was a integral part of witchcraft and casting. The home altar becomes your sacred space and this is where you gather energy to cast and create and work magik. Altars are very personal and can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish.
Now, there are a lot of witchcraft writers that wool you about directions you should have your table facing and the shape of the table and what you should have on it. And that is fine, if you want to follow a formula for a while until you get a sense of how you use sacred space. I follow only few rules for the creation of an altar.
Think about how much space you have and how you plan to use it. Are you going to have large pieces of art, a large Bible, and a big cauldron on your table? If this is your plan, buy a nice big table. I wished I had more room because I would actually have a eight foot table set up with the main part of the altar in the center and then work surfaces with my book of shadows and cauldron on one end and my Bible and Prayer book and candle array on the other. I would also have storage underneath for all of my witchcraft books and supplies. But as it is I force myself to work in a rather small space so I don't go crazy.
Next think about efficiency. Are you a frequent duster? Or do you dust about once a month or just before a ritual? Are you a neat nick or a clutter bug?
Next think about devotion. If you are a Christian, are you devoted to Jesus Passion? if you are, a nice Crucifix might be great as a central image. You might use pictures or plaques instead of statues to cut down on use of table space. Do you have a sacred fire? If you are like a lot of us, you might not have an actual hearth so a nice large pillar candle may be serving as Sacred Fire. You may also want to have your Bible on display. If you do not already have one, you may want to get a slimline style that is small, or use a New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs.
If you use a cauldron, it is fine to have a really big one, but if you are using a small table top, you may want look for a small one. And one of the things I use to actually cook potions is a simmer jar that is suspended over a tea light. We rarely cook large amounts of potion any more and you can cook it thoroughly and when it cools decant it safely. It also saves plenty of room for your work.
It is great if you have room for your book of shadows on your altar, but what I do is usually take the pages out of my book (my BOS is a three ring binder) and cast using the pages. It makes for easier reading and handling. You can also jot down the spell and take it to your altar.
Above all, have fun with your altar. Think of it as you magikal platform or room. Try to use your imagination and by all means honor who you are and express your best relationship with God
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn Dhan
One of the things that attracted me to Catholicism was a home altar I once saw in a person's house. It was a simple affair really, with a small statue of Jesus and Mary and a candle and Bible. Nothing to it. But resonated strongly with me and when I became a Catholic, I built myself a home altar. I love it.
When I became a Christian Witch, I found that the home altar was a integral part of witchcraft and casting. The home altar becomes your sacred space and this is where you gather energy to cast and create and work magik. Altars are very personal and can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish.
Now, there are a lot of witchcraft writers that wool you about directions you should have your table facing and the shape of the table and what you should have on it. And that is fine, if you want to follow a formula for a while until you get a sense of how you use sacred space. I follow only few rules for the creation of an altar.
Think about how much space you have and how you plan to use it. Are you going to have large pieces of art, a large Bible, and a big cauldron on your table? If this is your plan, buy a nice big table. I wished I had more room because I would actually have a eight foot table set up with the main part of the altar in the center and then work surfaces with my book of shadows and cauldron on one end and my Bible and Prayer book and candle array on the other. I would also have storage underneath for all of my witchcraft books and supplies. But as it is I force myself to work in a rather small space so I don't go crazy.
Next think about efficiency. Are you a frequent duster? Or do you dust about once a month or just before a ritual? Are you a neat nick or a clutter bug?
Next think about devotion. If you are a Christian, are you devoted to Jesus Passion? if you are, a nice Crucifix might be great as a central image. You might use pictures or plaques instead of statues to cut down on use of table space. Do you have a sacred fire? If you are like a lot of us, you might not have an actual hearth so a nice large pillar candle may be serving as Sacred Fire. You may also want to have your Bible on display. If you do not already have one, you may want to get a slimline style that is small, or use a New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs.
If you use a cauldron, it is fine to have a really big one, but if you are using a small table top, you may want look for a small one. And one of the things I use to actually cook potions is a simmer jar that is suspended over a tea light. We rarely cook large amounts of potion any more and you can cook it thoroughly and when it cools decant it safely. It also saves plenty of room for your work.
It is great if you have room for your book of shadows on your altar, but what I do is usually take the pages out of my book (my BOS is a three ring binder) and cast using the pages. It makes for easier reading and handling. You can also jot down the spell and take it to your altar.
Above all, have fun with your altar. Think of it as you magikal platform or room. Try to use your imagination and by all means honor who you are and express your best relationship with God
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn Dhan
Saturday, March 29, 2008
What to say to trad Christians who condemn you
Merry Meet!
You may have to accept that your Christian friend will never fully accept the fact that you are a witch. There is just no convincing them of it. They have read those verses in the Bible about not allowing a witch to live and they equate what we do with the descriptions laid out in the Bible of sacrificing children to idols and mixing poisons and superstition.
To understand the difference between what you do and what the Bible prohibits, you have to understand what witches do and why. We can say with absolute authority that we do not sacrifice babies to idols, we sacrifice nothing at all, which, I would remind any one who questions what I do, that early Jews and Muslims did and in some very orthodox communities still do. We follow the rede which commands us to harm none and the teaching of Jesus which says that God does not delight in the blood of doves and lambs for the washing away of sins.
We do not practice necromancy. That is the conjuring of the dead. This a practice done by sorcerers and spiritualists. If we communicate with dead people, like beloved relatives, it is because they communicate with us, we do not use rituals to force the dead to speak to us. Even Jesus, before his Ascension into heaven appeared to the disciples in a glorified, supernatural state.
We do tell fortunes, but we tell them for free and we use them as tools to enrich our lives, not as promotion of superstition. If I throw the cards for you and it forewarns you of say a relationship that is unhealthy, you can take that information and analyze the situation and get out of it. If I tell you the cards indicate that you are in danger of an accident, that does not mean you should cower under your bed, but to be careful, go about your routine and take no unnecessary risks. It is just a little more than telling you to have a good day at school or work and to be careful. It is the same with any form of divinations.
We do mix up potions but science confirms that herbs, spices and scents do affect change in us. Using natural methods to pep us up, calm us down, relieve depression, heal or to transport us into a meditative state is not a sin. If it were, God would have not ordered the burning of incense and sage and other spices and oils in the temple with the ark of the covenant. As witches, we do not poison or cause harm to anyone or anything.
Amulets, talismans and totems are nothing in and of themselves, it is the power and energy we give them. If there were true prohibitions, we would not wear the cross/crucifix, the star of David or saints medallions. These are all talismanic in that we transfer energy to them to protect us and keep us safe as we go through our lives. It also tells people who we are and what we believe in. To make them objects of superstition is the sin implied here.
Objects like wands, staffs, brooms, swords and athames are just that. For example, in the twenty third Psalm it says"Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me" The rod to me is my wand, and my staff is my sage staff. Jesus said that if you did not own a sword, to go and buy on for we are as sheep among the wolves. The athame functions the same way. It begins as the woman's kitchen knife. Your mother, I am sure, has a favorite knife in the kitchen. It feels good in your hand, it is the knife she looks for to chop vegetables or herbs or meat, the athame is just a dressed up ceremonial version of that. My first athame was just a sharp kitchen style knife for years. In the ancient times, when cutlery was difficult to make and find, the woman of the house carried her knife in a scabbard from her belt so no matter where she went she would have that useful tool with her. My cauldron is the place where warmth and comfort and food and drink are found. It is not evil. If I were cooking up toads and cat heads in it, that would be different, but I make potions and burn spells and candles and incense in it. I dry flowers in it. Brooms are just ancient women's weapons or tools that tie us to our Craft past, but I don't always use my broom (the last time was at a handfasting ceremony for two gay guys who wanted to have a commitment ceremony, so I officiated their handfasting, it was my first act as a Priestess, as a matter of fact, and it was a Christian ceremony)
There are mentions of certain woods that are holy to God and specifically ordered them for the temple. There are stones and crystals beloved by God and is a part of the old temple and new temple to come from the sky in the moment of the Second Coming. Numbers and animals have symbolic meanings throughout the Bible. It even says that young men will dream dreams and old men would see visions (or vice versa).
As Jesus said: "devils cannot cast out devils" "evil men cannot heal". We could do none of the things we do without the blessings of God.
There are gads of ways to look at those verses. The thing is, people have no clue how the Bible was written, how words were translated, even political agendas that effected it.
But listen,don't do anything if you think it will not honor God. If you feel that this is not the way to honor God, that is okay. Craft is not for everyone. But if you think you honor God and carry out the mission of Christ, if you think Craft helps you access the powers and energies promised to us to heal, cast out demons, comfort and bless, then do it.
There are tons of prohibitions in the OT. You are not supposed to cut your hair/sideburns, women aren't supposed to wear men's clothing, women are supposed to cover their hair, you can't have tattoos and piercings. We aren't supposed to eat pork, shrimp, lobster, or clams and oysters, women are supposed to be segregated from men during their periods and after childbirth. These are all prohibitions that would make you unclean and unable to sit in the temple, take part in sacraments, keep us separated from God. I'm sure most trad Christians doesn't adhere to all those things either. At any rate, whatever you do, do it because it is right between you and God. Do nothing to please anyone, not me, not your friend, not your pastor or your mother and father. Do it because it pleases God.
Magik is neither black nor white. Magik is natural, it works with the earth, the elements, and with the seasons and tides. The witch is who makes the magik negative or positive. Being a Christian and a witch means that we work under two very distinct sets of ethics, the Bible and rede. Jesus said that we would be able to work all wonders perform all miracles and sacraments so long as we do it in his name. The Craft is our inheritance. Jesus empowers my witchcraft and practice, and Jesus alone. The angels and Saints are simply his agents who work unceasingly for us on our behalf.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn
You may have to accept that your Christian friend will never fully accept the fact that you are a witch. There is just no convincing them of it. They have read those verses in the Bible about not allowing a witch to live and they equate what we do with the descriptions laid out in the Bible of sacrificing children to idols and mixing poisons and superstition.
To understand the difference between what you do and what the Bible prohibits, you have to understand what witches do and why. We can say with absolute authority that we do not sacrifice babies to idols, we sacrifice nothing at all, which, I would remind any one who questions what I do, that early Jews and Muslims did and in some very orthodox communities still do. We follow the rede which commands us to harm none and the teaching of Jesus which says that God does not delight in the blood of doves and lambs for the washing away of sins.
We do not practice necromancy. That is the conjuring of the dead. This a practice done by sorcerers and spiritualists. If we communicate with dead people, like beloved relatives, it is because they communicate with us, we do not use rituals to force the dead to speak to us. Even Jesus, before his Ascension into heaven appeared to the disciples in a glorified, supernatural state.
We do tell fortunes, but we tell them for free and we use them as tools to enrich our lives, not as promotion of superstition. If I throw the cards for you and it forewarns you of say a relationship that is unhealthy, you can take that information and analyze the situation and get out of it. If I tell you the cards indicate that you are in danger of an accident, that does not mean you should cower under your bed, but to be careful, go about your routine and take no unnecessary risks. It is just a little more than telling you to have a good day at school or work and to be careful. It is the same with any form of divinations.
We do mix up potions but science confirms that herbs, spices and scents do affect change in us. Using natural methods to pep us up, calm us down, relieve depression, heal or to transport us into a meditative state is not a sin. If it were, God would have not ordered the burning of incense and sage and other spices and oils in the temple with the ark of the covenant. As witches, we do not poison or cause harm to anyone or anything.
Amulets, talismans and totems are nothing in and of themselves, it is the power and energy we give them. If there were true prohibitions, we would not wear the cross/crucifix, the star of David or saints medallions. These are all talismanic in that we transfer energy to them to protect us and keep us safe as we go through our lives. It also tells people who we are and what we believe in. To make them objects of superstition is the sin implied here.
Objects like wands, staffs, brooms, swords and athames are just that. For example, in the twenty third Psalm it says"Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me" The rod to me is my wand, and my staff is my sage staff. Jesus said that if you did not own a sword, to go and buy on for we are as sheep among the wolves. The athame functions the same way. It begins as the woman's kitchen knife. Your mother, I am sure, has a favorite knife in the kitchen. It feels good in your hand, it is the knife she looks for to chop vegetables or herbs or meat, the athame is just a dressed up ceremonial version of that. My first athame was just a sharp kitchen style knife for years. In the ancient times, when cutlery was difficult to make and find, the woman of the house carried her knife in a scabbard from her belt so no matter where she went she would have that useful tool with her. My cauldron is the place where warmth and comfort and food and drink are found. It is not evil. If I were cooking up toads and cat heads in it, that would be different, but I make potions and burn spells and candles and incense in it. I dry flowers in it. Brooms are just ancient women's weapons or tools that tie us to our Craft past, but I don't always use my broom (the last time was at a handfasting ceremony for two gay guys who wanted to have a commitment ceremony, so I officiated their handfasting, it was my first act as a Priestess, as a matter of fact, and it was a Christian ceremony)
There are mentions of certain woods that are holy to God and specifically ordered them for the temple. There are stones and crystals beloved by God and is a part of the old temple and new temple to come from the sky in the moment of the Second Coming. Numbers and animals have symbolic meanings throughout the Bible. It even says that young men will dream dreams and old men would see visions (or vice versa).
As Jesus said: "devils cannot cast out devils" "evil men cannot heal". We could do none of the things we do without the blessings of God.
There are gads of ways to look at those verses. The thing is, people have no clue how the Bible was written, how words were translated, even political agendas that effected it.
But listen,don't do anything if you think it will not honor God. If you feel that this is not the way to honor God, that is okay. Craft is not for everyone. But if you think you honor God and carry out the mission of Christ, if you think Craft helps you access the powers and energies promised to us to heal, cast out demons, comfort and bless, then do it.
There are tons of prohibitions in the OT. You are not supposed to cut your hair/sideburns, women aren't supposed to wear men's clothing, women are supposed to cover their hair, you can't have tattoos and piercings. We aren't supposed to eat pork, shrimp, lobster, or clams and oysters, women are supposed to be segregated from men during their periods and after childbirth. These are all prohibitions that would make you unclean and unable to sit in the temple, take part in sacraments, keep us separated from God. I'm sure most trad Christians doesn't adhere to all those things either. At any rate, whatever you do, do it because it is right between you and God. Do nothing to please anyone, not me, not your friend, not your pastor or your mother and father. Do it because it pleases God.
Magik is neither black nor white. Magik is natural, it works with the earth, the elements, and with the seasons and tides. The witch is who makes the magik negative or positive. Being a Christian and a witch means that we work under two very distinct sets of ethics, the Bible and rede. Jesus said that we would be able to work all wonders perform all miracles and sacraments so long as we do it in his name. The Craft is our inheritance. Jesus empowers my witchcraft and practice, and Jesus alone. The angels and Saints are simply his agents who work unceasingly for us on our behalf.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn
Saturday, March 22, 2008
How does a Christian Witch participate in a Wiccan/Pagan ritual?
Merry Meet!
As the Craft community grows in number and variety there will be time when you may be celebrating Sabat or Esbat with Pagan/Wiccan circles. How do you participate when you may be the only one of the participants in a non-Christian circle?
Approaches differ. It depends on whether or not the circle will permit you to participate. If they do, this is how you might you might go about being respectful the circle while raising energy in the name of the Christian God.
Many covens or circles begin with a calling of the corners. Sometimes this is about calling the elements, sometimes it is about calling the watchtowers. This can be in the form of devas or faery folk. If this is the case you can call upon the archangels. The archangels tend to also be a part of Wiccan/Pagan practices as they are increasingly incorporating elements of the holy kabbalah. If they call upon their gods and goddesses, you may call upon the Trinity, the Blessed Virgin and or any of the Saints you are attracted to. Above all, be respectful. When other pantheons are being called, stand still, do not speak,and when your turn comes to raise energy call out clearly. Raise your arms or uplift your hands, palm up. Cross your arms at the breast when other gods and goddesses are invoked. It declares to the circle that you are being respectful to their tradition even if you do not call on upon their sacred spirits.
On the disposition of cakes and ale in formal circle cerimonies, you may wish to abstain. When the cakes and ale come your way pass it on to the next celebrant with a smile and a blessed be. After the cerimony there will be other refreshments, cakes and ale is not simple refreshment, it is sacramental and you may be uncomfortable eating food offered to the honor of other pantheons.
If the circle is celebrating in a way that is uncomfortable to you, you may absent yourself from the circle by quietly stepping out of the circle, opening and closing the circle with your wand or wand hand. Intone: I open this circle but the space remains sealed. or some other formula. If you leave the circle, do not re-enter it. You may disrupt the cerimony.
But do not simply join a circle and participate without discussing things with the high priest or priestess. This shows respect. We, after all, do not wish to be inconsiderate or intrusive. This is not the way to create a bridge between the Christian Witch and the Pagan/Wiccan community.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn
As the Craft community grows in number and variety there will be time when you may be celebrating Sabat or Esbat with Pagan/Wiccan circles. How do you participate when you may be the only one of the participants in a non-Christian circle?
Approaches differ. It depends on whether or not the circle will permit you to participate. If they do, this is how you might you might go about being respectful the circle while raising energy in the name of the Christian God.
Many covens or circles begin with a calling of the corners. Sometimes this is about calling the elements, sometimes it is about calling the watchtowers. This can be in the form of devas or faery folk. If this is the case you can call upon the archangels. The archangels tend to also be a part of Wiccan/Pagan practices as they are increasingly incorporating elements of the holy kabbalah. If they call upon their gods and goddesses, you may call upon the Trinity, the Blessed Virgin and or any of the Saints you are attracted to. Above all, be respectful. When other pantheons are being called, stand still, do not speak,and when your turn comes to raise energy call out clearly. Raise your arms or uplift your hands, palm up. Cross your arms at the breast when other gods and goddesses are invoked. It declares to the circle that you are being respectful to their tradition even if you do not call on upon their sacred spirits.
On the disposition of cakes and ale in formal circle cerimonies, you may wish to abstain. When the cakes and ale come your way pass it on to the next celebrant with a smile and a blessed be. After the cerimony there will be other refreshments, cakes and ale is not simple refreshment, it is sacramental and you may be uncomfortable eating food offered to the honor of other pantheons.
If the circle is celebrating in a way that is uncomfortable to you, you may absent yourself from the circle by quietly stepping out of the circle, opening and closing the circle with your wand or wand hand. Intone: I open this circle but the space remains sealed. or some other formula. If you leave the circle, do not re-enter it. You may disrupt the cerimony.
But do not simply join a circle and participate without discussing things with the high priest or priestess. This shows respect. We, after all, do not wish to be inconsiderate or intrusive. This is not the way to create a bridge between the Christian Witch and the Pagan/Wiccan community.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Bell, Book and Candle: What to do when your church discovers you are a witch.
Merry Meet!
I received an email from a young witch friend I know through numerous email conversations. The email detailed a situation I had never encountered before. This young 20 something witch had been practicing the Craft for five or six years. Recently, a friend of hers who had been Craft interested joined another church and got saved. She went to her pastor and told him that she was a little confused because she was a Christian but still wanted to practice Craft but felt conflicted. After much intense scrutiny, the person revealed who had been answering questions for her about the Craft. The pastor then took it upon himself to tell the witch's pastor that she was practicing witchcraft. The pastor dismissed her from her Sunday School position and then told her that if she did not "repent" from her "sin" of witchcraft that she would be excommunicated from the congregation, which eventually happened.
Of course this troubled her a great deal. I asked permission to discuss her situation with Gaelyn. This is what we came up with together.
It is difficult to follow the dual paths of Christianity and witchcraft. To do so means that often you must practice one part of your faith in isolation from the other. Of course this can cause conflict and trouble for the Christian Witch practitioner. You must be mature and strong enough to practice both, though one you practice in your heart.
Should circumstances arise that you would be discovered, you may have to make a difficult choice. Do you confess your "sin" and repent? Or do you walk away from the congregation and find another?
Both decisions are difficult and not to be made lightly.
Gaelyn and I recommend that you first search your heart. If you feel guilty for practicing Craft, you shouldn't be practicing Craft at all. If you feel good about your Craft practice, begin a spiritual journey to find a new congregation to be a part of. It may even be a new religion you seek. Take your time, do research, visit many churches and houses of worship. Consider it a form of spiritual quest. Try to see what you are supposed to learn.
Should you disclose your witchcraft? Why should you. If you are practicing it within the constraints of what we Christian witches think of as good work, then no, you need not disclose. There were things that even Jesus said were to be kept secret until his resurrection. (the transfiguration, for example) Witchcraft is not about converting others nor is it about setting limitations. Witchcraft is occult, secret, private practice, and as Jesus said, we should invoke God in private in prayer and confession and repentance.
The sad truth is that we have not yet been able to overcome prejudices people have held against witches for centuries, long before the Bible and not just within Judeo-Christian/Islamic circles but in traditional and tribal religions, witches have a tarnished reputation. It may be many lifetimes before we are accepted by any trad religions.
Do not let the closed mind of others tear yourself away from a relationship with God. If all fails, worship God at home, pray, read the Bible, sing songs of praise and do whatever you wish in the manner of prayer. As I have said many times that though I love my religion, I know that it is a human institution and the Kingdom of God is wherever you stand.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn
I received an email from a young witch friend I know through numerous email conversations. The email detailed a situation I had never encountered before. This young 20 something witch had been practicing the Craft for five or six years. Recently, a friend of hers who had been Craft interested joined another church and got saved. She went to her pastor and told him that she was a little confused because she was a Christian but still wanted to practice Craft but felt conflicted. After much intense scrutiny, the person revealed who had been answering questions for her about the Craft. The pastor then took it upon himself to tell the witch's pastor that she was practicing witchcraft. The pastor dismissed her from her Sunday School position and then told her that if she did not "repent" from her "sin" of witchcraft that she would be excommunicated from the congregation, which eventually happened.
Of course this troubled her a great deal. I asked permission to discuss her situation with Gaelyn. This is what we came up with together.
It is difficult to follow the dual paths of Christianity and witchcraft. To do so means that often you must practice one part of your faith in isolation from the other. Of course this can cause conflict and trouble for the Christian Witch practitioner. You must be mature and strong enough to practice both, though one you practice in your heart.
Should circumstances arise that you would be discovered, you may have to make a difficult choice. Do you confess your "sin" and repent? Or do you walk away from the congregation and find another?
Both decisions are difficult and not to be made lightly.
Gaelyn and I recommend that you first search your heart. If you feel guilty for practicing Craft, you shouldn't be practicing Craft at all. If you feel good about your Craft practice, begin a spiritual journey to find a new congregation to be a part of. It may even be a new religion you seek. Take your time, do research, visit many churches and houses of worship. Consider it a form of spiritual quest. Try to see what you are supposed to learn.
Should you disclose your witchcraft? Why should you. If you are practicing it within the constraints of what we Christian witches think of as good work, then no, you need not disclose. There were things that even Jesus said were to be kept secret until his resurrection. (the transfiguration, for example) Witchcraft is not about converting others nor is it about setting limitations. Witchcraft is occult, secret, private practice, and as Jesus said, we should invoke God in private in prayer and confession and repentance.
The sad truth is that we have not yet been able to overcome prejudices people have held against witches for centuries, long before the Bible and not just within Judeo-Christian/Islamic circles but in traditional and tribal religions, witches have a tarnished reputation. It may be many lifetimes before we are accepted by any trad religions.
Do not let the closed mind of others tear yourself away from a relationship with God. If all fails, worship God at home, pray, read the Bible, sing songs of praise and do whatever you wish in the manner of prayer. As I have said many times that though I love my religion, I know that it is a human institution and the Kingdom of God is wherever you stand.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn
Happy Dedication Day Tanith
Merry Meet!
Listen Brothers and Sisters of the Craft. We have a new Sister in the way of the wise. Welcome her to our circle.
A poem for your dedication
Welcome thou Maiden of the Moon
The Night Orb rises high
Casting upon us the light of Magikal Benediction
For on this night, a sister comes
And adds to the tribe of the Children of God
Who raises energies, speaks to the trees,
And knows the wisdom of the ancients.
Born again soul, sister to the Christ
Daughter of the Maiden of the Moon
Witch and Christian, I charge thee:
Serve God, serve Jesus and his mother
In what image you find her
Learn the way of the wise
Know the ways of Mother Earth
Of her seasons, the elements, and all living creatures
You are a priestess, seer, healer and warrioress
It is your heritage and your birthright
Keep the Laws of God and the Witches Rede
And your own will and the goodness of your heart
Welcome Sister into the circle
Merry Meet, Merry Part, Merry Meet Again
And Brightest Blessings Be
Happy dedication day Tanith Luna Crevan
You may now consider yourself a named witch of the first degree
Brightest Blessings Be,
Aslinn and Gaelyn
Friday, March 14, 2008
When things seem to go wrong...what is a Christian Witch to do?
Merry Meet,
Sometimes, despite everything we try to do, troubles come our way, no matter what. We are never promised the easy road, whether we are Christians or Christian Witches or Wiccans and Pagans, sometimes things just seem to burden us and trouble us.
We can do one of two things. We can become dispaired, and we all feel this way one time or another, or we can learn from it and try to understand what we are supposed to do now in our life. Sometimes, bad times are sent to us to try and help us see another path we should follow, look for different options, seek better or new opportunities.
I am a teacher. I am a substitute teacher to be exact. There are special challenges to be met in that sort of job. I don't know what is happening to young people today. Our young people are mean hearted and cruel to eachother and the adults in their lives. Sad but true. When I was in a long term sub position, I had troubles, and failings, none of us are perfect, but there are also times that I was a success and those were the best times and they were the most frequent times. But now that I am back in per diem work, I find that those moments of victory are far and few in between and i have made the decision to find other work.
Maybe some of my troubles are my own fault. I think maybe they are. But much of my troubles also stem from the fact that so many of my colleagues are indifferent to others and care only for their own securities and dislike any dissenters. At any rate, after so many years of pass and fail and worries and stress, I have decided to leave the situation as soon as I find more permanent work, outside of the educational system.
But what do we do when we are faced with life changing situations? Should we race to magik and try to heal ourselves with spells and incantations? Should we mix up potions and bless our homes and selves. Should we consider revenge spells?
I know you will be tempted to do all of these things but I suggest that you take some time and pray first. Ask for guidance and comfort and even forgiveness. Forgiveness for yourself, forgiveness for others and forgiveness to others. Prayer is the most ancient form of spelling and that is what you should do first.
Then you might want cleanse yourself and your personal space and cast charms that calm and ease you. Be proactive and turn back negativity with a protective shield. Call upon your sacred spirit and find peace from them.
I wish to thank my sister and my boyfriend Gaelyn and my parents for standing by me and for showing me support and compassion. I would also like to thank my Craft friends, my brother and sister witches who have shone their support.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn
Sometimes, despite everything we try to do, troubles come our way, no matter what. We are never promised the easy road, whether we are Christians or Christian Witches or Wiccans and Pagans, sometimes things just seem to burden us and trouble us.
We can do one of two things. We can become dispaired, and we all feel this way one time or another, or we can learn from it and try to understand what we are supposed to do now in our life. Sometimes, bad times are sent to us to try and help us see another path we should follow, look for different options, seek better or new opportunities.
I am a teacher. I am a substitute teacher to be exact. There are special challenges to be met in that sort of job. I don't know what is happening to young people today. Our young people are mean hearted and cruel to eachother and the adults in their lives. Sad but true. When I was in a long term sub position, I had troubles, and failings, none of us are perfect, but there are also times that I was a success and those were the best times and they were the most frequent times. But now that I am back in per diem work, I find that those moments of victory are far and few in between and i have made the decision to find other work.
Maybe some of my troubles are my own fault. I think maybe they are. But much of my troubles also stem from the fact that so many of my colleagues are indifferent to others and care only for their own securities and dislike any dissenters. At any rate, after so many years of pass and fail and worries and stress, I have decided to leave the situation as soon as I find more permanent work, outside of the educational system.
But what do we do when we are faced with life changing situations? Should we race to magik and try to heal ourselves with spells and incantations? Should we mix up potions and bless our homes and selves. Should we consider revenge spells?
I know you will be tempted to do all of these things but I suggest that you take some time and pray first. Ask for guidance and comfort and even forgiveness. Forgiveness for yourself, forgiveness for others and forgiveness to others. Prayer is the most ancient form of spelling and that is what you should do first.
Then you might want cleanse yourself and your personal space and cast charms that calm and ease you. Be proactive and turn back negativity with a protective shield. Call upon your sacred spirit and find peace from them.
I wish to thank my sister and my boyfriend Gaelyn and my parents for standing by me and for showing me support and compassion. I would also like to thank my Craft friends, my brother and sister witches who have shone their support.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Remember, Holocaust is just a fancy way of saying Burning Times
Merry Meet!
I know that those who are civically minded will want to know this is happening. Copy and paste this on an email and sent it to your friends. Don't let the burning times happen again.
EISENHOWER IN DACHAU
It is a matter of history that when Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, found the victims of the death camps, he ordered all possible photographs to be taken, and for the German people from surrounding villages to be ushered through the camps and even made to bury the dead..
He did this because he said in words to this effect: 'Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses - because somewhere down the track of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened.
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing'.
This week, a school in Great Britain/United Kingdom removed The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it 'offended' the Muslim population which claims it never occurred.
This is a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how easily each country is giving into it.
It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended.
This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the 6 million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated with the German and Russian peoples looking the other way!
Now, more than ever, with Iran, among others, claiming the Holocaust to be 'a myth,' it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets.
This e-mail is intended to reach 40 million people worldwide! Be a link in the memorial chain and help distribute this around the world.
Don't just delete this. It will only take a minute to pass this along.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn Dhan
I know that those who are civically minded will want to know this is happening. Copy and paste this on an email and sent it to your friends. Don't let the burning times happen again.
EISENHOWER IN DACHAU
It is a matter of history that when Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, found the victims of the death camps, he ordered all possible photographs to be taken, and for the German people from surrounding villages to be ushered through the camps and even made to bury the dead..
He did this because he said in words to this effect: 'Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses - because somewhere down the track of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened.
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is for good men to do nothing'.
This week, a school in Great Britain/United Kingdom removed The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it 'offended' the Muslim population which claims it never occurred.
This is a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how easily each country is giving into it.
It is now more than 60 years after the Second World War in Europe ended.
This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the 6 million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians and 1,900 Catholic priests who were murdered, massacred, raped, burned, starved and humiliated with the German and Russian peoples looking the other way!
Now, more than ever, with Iran, among others, claiming the Holocaust to be 'a myth,' it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets.
This e-mail is intended to reach 40 million people worldwide! Be a link in the memorial chain and help distribute this around the world.
Don't just delete this. It will only take a minute to pass this along.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn Dhan
Sunday, March 02, 2008
A Little Call of the Elements
Merry Meet!
If there are any witches out there who are looking for a call of the elements or are looking for a new one, check this one out. It is from Tanith LunaCrevan and she is one of our newest sisters in the Christian Craft community. Thank you Tanith for your permission to share this sweet little invocation.
Elemental Call-
To the East, I call upon Raphael,
Lord of the Air,
Healer of the Earth.
To the South, I call upon Michael,
Lord of Fire,
Defender of Man, Slayer of evil.
To the West, I call upon Gabriel,
Lord of Water,
Messenger of God, Harbringer of the Divine.
To the North I call upon Uriel,
Lord of Earth,
Angel of Death and spiritual renewal.
Air, Fire, Water ,Earth,
Elements of celestial birth,
Raphael, Michael, Gabriel, Uriel,
Lords of heaven, joy and myrrth,
Join me in this Sacred Circle,
Protected from all blast,
Built to last,
Aid me in this spell I cast.
Bless me as I weave this charm,
Keep me from all pain and harm,
Help me follow the Three Fold Law,
Send me forgiveness for sin's fatal flaw.
As I will it, As God wills it, so mote it be.
Brightest Blessings Be and thanks again to Tanith,
Aslinn
If there are any witches out there who are looking for a call of the elements or are looking for a new one, check this one out. It is from Tanith LunaCrevan and she is one of our newest sisters in the Christian Craft community. Thank you Tanith for your permission to share this sweet little invocation.
Elemental Call-
To the East, I call upon Raphael,
Lord of the Air,
Healer of the Earth.
To the South, I call upon Michael,
Lord of Fire,
Defender of Man, Slayer of evil.
To the West, I call upon Gabriel,
Lord of Water,
Messenger of God, Harbringer of the Divine.
To the North I call upon Uriel,
Lord of Earth,
Angel of Death and spiritual renewal.
Air, Fire, Water ,Earth,
Elements of celestial birth,
Raphael, Michael, Gabriel, Uriel,
Lords of heaven, joy and myrrth,
Join me in this Sacred Circle,
Protected from all blast,
Built to last,
Aid me in this spell I cast.
Bless me as I weave this charm,
Keep me from all pain and harm,
Help me follow the Three Fold Law,
Send me forgiveness for sin's fatal flaw.
As I will it, As God wills it, so mote it be.
Brightest Blessings Be and thanks again to Tanith,
Aslinn
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Additional Links
There seems to be some brand of trouble with the links element so I will do links here:
http://www.witches-tutorial.com/paths/cw.html
This is an interesting page, very straightforward, seems exclusive to Christian centered Witchcraft rather than Goddess Christian tradition.
http://www.geocities.com/tragicpixie/ChristianCraft.html
This interesting Saint magik....a bit on the gypsy/voudou side but good directions for the first time Christian Crafter.
http://www.foxygoddess.com/cwc/index.htm
Not all the links work but most of them do. An excellent directory to the Christian witch movement
http://arganteswell.tripod.com/id1.html
Pretty good website, deals with Christian Gnosticism primarily but full of interesting stuff
http://www.wicca.com/celtic/wicca/christian.htm
Many of you have probably seen this essay, but like they used to say in old Universal movies "A good cast is worth repeating"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A5407021
Excellent article acknowledging Christian Witchcrafts existance and explanation of the movement.
http://p075.ezboard.com/CAN-A-PERSON-BE-BOTH-A-CHRISTIAN-AND-A-WICCAN/fingodsimageaplaceforchristianpaganwomenfrm10.showMessage?topicID=4.topic
Good discussion group for Christo-Pagan women. My Gaelyn hipped me to this one. Thanks my old goat:P
http://www.thesistersthree.com/forums/showthread.ts3?threadid=3985
This a website very inspired by Charmed, but that is okay and my appeal to young women who are new to the Craft. Christian Craft oriented.
If anyone come across any other Christian Centered Witchcraft sites, let me know and I will check them out and paste them up...
Thanks bunches to the little witches (Pansy Faerieflower and Jacob Dragonheart and Little Rabbit) who found these on the web and emailed them to me.
Blessed Be
Aslinn
http://www.witches-tutorial.com/paths/cw.html
This is an interesting page, very straightforward, seems exclusive to Christian centered Witchcraft rather than Goddess Christian tradition.
http://www.geocities.com/tragicpixie/ChristianCraft.html
This interesting Saint magik....a bit on the gypsy/voudou side but good directions for the first time Christian Crafter.
http://www.foxygoddess.com/cwc/index.htm
Not all the links work but most of them do. An excellent directory to the Christian witch movement
http://arganteswell.tripod.com/id1.html
Pretty good website, deals with Christian Gnosticism primarily but full of interesting stuff
http://www.wicca.com/celtic/wicca/christian.htm
Many of you have probably seen this essay, but like they used to say in old Universal movies "A good cast is worth repeating"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A5407021
Excellent article acknowledging Christian Witchcrafts existance and explanation of the movement.
http://p075.ezboard.com/CAN-A-PERSON-BE-BOTH-A-CHRISTIAN-AND-A-WICCAN/fingodsimageaplaceforchristianpaganwomenfrm10.showMessage?topicID=4.topic
Good discussion group for Christo-Pagan women. My Gaelyn hipped me to this one. Thanks my old goat:P
http://www.thesistersthree.com/forums/showthread.ts3?threadid=3985
This a website very inspired by Charmed, but that is okay and my appeal to young women who are new to the Craft. Christian Craft oriented.
If anyone come across any other Christian Centered Witchcraft sites, let me know and I will check them out and paste them up...
Thanks bunches to the little witches (Pansy Faerieflower and Jacob Dragonheart and Little Rabbit) who found these on the web and emailed them to me.
Blessed Be
Aslinn
Monday, February 25, 2008
Who are Satanists?
Merry Meet,
I planned to put this essay in my Christian Almanac blog but I think it is time to talk about this topic. As I told a young witch the other day, I wish I had a nickel for every time someone asked me if I worshipped the devil. If I had that money I could build myself a magik school.
Satanists are folks who believe in the notion that they will not live in the confines of the Christian religion. They believe that it is wrong for people to fight off their natural urges for pleasure and that it is natural to be self serving. Satanists do not even believe in a true personage called Satan. Satan, they say is a construct where they focus their mental and physical and magikal energies. He represents the natural struggle against control. But he is not real.
The first records of a true Satanic church come from Europe. Now, I ignore the fact that many covens were called Satanic, because as we all know, witches are not Satanists. They worship the gods and goddesses of nature, not the Christian devil. These first Satan centered churches were known as The Hell Fire Club for some. Rabelais spoke of a Satan Cult as the Abbey of Thelema, which inspired Aliester Crowley.
The first modern Satanic Church was started by hypnotist Anton Sandazor Levay. He had a circus and sideshow background and knew how to create an audience. When he formed his church, he carried out bizarre "rituals" for the tv cameras and dressed in a Devil costume, complete with horns. His black house still stands in San Francisco and is a landmark, though it has from time to time been abandoned and in disrepair.
What interests me is that there are people who foam at the mouth, howl at the moon and have fits over the devil and attribute to him all of these fantastic powers. When the truth of the matter is, he is impotent and has only the power we give him. Witches of the Wiccan/ Pagan tradition do not believe in the Christian Devil, so there is no way to empower him in this way. Christians who practice Witchcraft are not worshippers of the devil because we dedicate all we do to the good of God's kingdom on earth.
So, please stop asking me if I worship the devil, because I don't. (Now I've done it, I've probably messed up my chances for collecting more nickles for my magik school :() And don't harass my Wiccan/Pagan brothers and sisters because they do not worship the devil either. And stop giving the devil powers he never had. He has enough PR as it is with the Exorcist.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn
I planned to put this essay in my Christian Almanac blog but I think it is time to talk about this topic. As I told a young witch the other day, I wish I had a nickel for every time someone asked me if I worshipped the devil. If I had that money I could build myself a magik school.
Satanists are folks who believe in the notion that they will not live in the confines of the Christian religion. They believe that it is wrong for people to fight off their natural urges for pleasure and that it is natural to be self serving. Satanists do not even believe in a true personage called Satan. Satan, they say is a construct where they focus their mental and physical and magikal energies. He represents the natural struggle against control. But he is not real.
The first records of a true Satanic church come from Europe. Now, I ignore the fact that many covens were called Satanic, because as we all know, witches are not Satanists. They worship the gods and goddesses of nature, not the Christian devil. These first Satan centered churches were known as The Hell Fire Club for some. Rabelais spoke of a Satan Cult as the Abbey of Thelema, which inspired Aliester Crowley.
The first modern Satanic Church was started by hypnotist Anton Sandazor Levay. He had a circus and sideshow background and knew how to create an audience. When he formed his church, he carried out bizarre "rituals" for the tv cameras and dressed in a Devil costume, complete with horns. His black house still stands in San Francisco and is a landmark, though it has from time to time been abandoned and in disrepair.
What interests me is that there are people who foam at the mouth, howl at the moon and have fits over the devil and attribute to him all of these fantastic powers. When the truth of the matter is, he is impotent and has only the power we give him. Witches of the Wiccan/ Pagan tradition do not believe in the Christian Devil, so there is no way to empower him in this way. Christians who practice Witchcraft are not worshippers of the devil because we dedicate all we do to the good of God's kingdom on earth.
So, please stop asking me if I worship the devil, because I don't. (Now I've done it, I've probably messed up my chances for collecting more nickles for my magik school :() And don't harass my Wiccan/Pagan brothers and sisters because they do not worship the devil either. And stop giving the devil powers he never had. He has enough PR as it is with the Exorcist.
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn
Nature, Magik and the Christian God
Merry Meet!
So many people talk about the ecology now what with global warming on the forefront and more emphasis on removing so much fossil fuels from our environment which makes us virtual slaves to oil producing countries. Politically and environmentally, it is best that we do search out alternative methods of fueling our cars and homes of efficiently and cleanly recycling plastics like this computer or the plastic bottles we drink from and the packaging on our food.
I remember there was a program on television hosted by William Shatner called the Gaia Project. It extends the various world myths of Mother Earth or Mother Nature and the idea that she is dying because her children were killing her with emissions and the green house effect and with toxins polluting every one of her elements. This program was decried by Christian fundamentalists who said that environmentalists were pagans in disguise trying to "convert" people to the notion there was no heaven and that this earth was all there was and that we must worship the earth instead of God.
The Gaia Project died a death, to say the least and we could have cared less when gas was just a dollar and a half a gallon. Environmental issues were the mainstay of old hippies, tree huggers and pagans of all stripe. And to be honest, I never gave it much thought until a strange thing nearly happened in our state.
The state I live in is very poor. Walmart is her biggest employer. But I was married and my Husband was still alive and we were renting a little house with a couple of trees on the lot. One day, our Land lady came to us and said that she may have to cut our trees down. I asked why. In the news paper there was an article that the governor was proposing a bill that said people who had trees on their property would have to pay a tax per tree. The proposal was very vague and seemed ridiculous to me when a tax assessor came by about six months later to count the trees on the property. I told him we rented the house and pointed to my land lord's house.
A week or so later, my husband I were watching the news and we saw where the Buddhists in Vietnam and Laos were ordaining the trees as Buddhists monks to prevent them from being cut down. I told my husband that he, since he was Buddhist, should ordain those trees out in the yard because then they would become a tax free 501c3, a church or member of clergy. The next day I mentioned it to my landlord and she at first laughed and then she said, "Can he really do that? Can he ordain the trees?" We didn't see why not. Fortunately for my landlord and the trees our state government decided not to tax the trees.
Christians believe there is no reason for us to try to preserve the earth because there will be a great tribulation and the world will be burned away anyway to make place for the new earth. I believe in the end times myself but I also believe we have an obligation to God that he gave us in the beginning. Man was place in the garden to tend it, to be a husbandman and this spouse was his help meet. Just because we believe in a new heaven and earth does not mean we should abdicate our job here on earth.
St. Francis of Assisi was a Christian mystic and naturalist and he wrote this poem in praise of God within nature.
Most high omnipotent good Lord.
All praise, glory honor and blessings are yours.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong.
And no man is worthy to pronounce your name
Be praised Oh Lord, with all your creatures
Especially Sir Brother Sun, who brings the day and give us light through him.
How handsome, how radiant he is with great splendor
Of you, Most High, he bears your likeness
Be praised , My Lord, for Sister Moon and the stars.
In the Heavens you have formed them, bright, precious and beautiful.
Be praised, My Lord, for Brother Wind and for air, for cloud, for all weather
By which you give your creatures nourishment.
Be praised My Lord, for Sister Water, she is useful, humble, precious and pure.
Be praised my Lord for Brother Fire, by whom you light the night
How handsome, happy and powerful and strong
Be praised my Lord for our Sister, Mother Earth
Who nourishes and governs us and produces the flowers and fruits herbs.
Praise and Bless the Lord and give thanks and serve him with all humility.
So Mote it be
Brightest Blessings Be
Aslinn and Gaelyn
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