The Wild Hunt

La caza salvaje de Odín [The Wild Hunt of Odin] 1872 by Peter Nicolai Arbo

I have been pondering the coming of the Wild Hunt, as the days grow shorter, and the nights get colder, and Halloween or Samhain (pronounced Sah-win) draws close, and the vail between worlds is thin. 

The Wild Hunt is a pagan folk myth found in many different countries  The first known written reference to it was from 1127 AD in The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, one of the oldest sources of Anglo-Saxon history. It is a supernatural procession made up of riders on various creatures including horses and giant dogs racing through the night sky. 

Depending on which culture tells the story, it usually takes place on a particular day, usually at Samhain (Halloween), Midsummer's Eve or around the 12 days of Yule. 

Again, depending on who you ask, it is lead by Odin, Herne or even a goddess such as the Hulda (Northern European)ancient Goddess of birth and death or even a gathering of the more predatory beings of faerie.

The Wild Hunt is a powerful and uncontrollable, and frightening event, but sometimes it can be depicted as a magnificent parade that carries the souls of the dead to visit with loved ones (Samhain/ Day of the Dead) or lead a worrier off to the afterlife. In nature, it could be compared to a mighty, tumultuous storm. Either way it is wild, beautiful, frightening spectacular, and completely beyond mortal control.

As an eclectic pagan, I love when old mythology is incorporated in modern literature. One of my favorite series that does that quite often is Jim Butcher's Urban Fantasy series "The Dresden Files". He mentions the Wild Hunt and his interpretation in at least 3 books: Dead Beat, Proven Guilty, and Cold Days. (Check out the series on Amazon)

How do you envision the Wild Hunt? 

Male Witches...Bad Behavior...

I thought that after the intense post where I adamantly go on and on about the crucial need to keep religion and government separate, and the importance of the Bill of Rights and our freedom of religion, I thought that today, I should lighten the mood a little.

This is just a little witchy humor that I found in some of the Social Media groups. Enjoy.

Bill of Non-Rights, Religious Freedom, and American History

As a former Catholic, who now calls herself a witch, freedom of religion is PARAMOUNT in my eyes. Being Wiccan, I am tolerant of all religions, and respect all religious beliefs (so long as they do not harm me or others.) For those who didn't know, Wicca was finally recognized as a religion in 1985 by the United States under the First Amendment. (That is over 200 years after our country was founded.)

Wiccan priestess Wendy Avis at her altar in her home. Photo credit Dan Toulgoet

A friend of mine, an older lady who does not use social media, forwarded me an email today. Although I realize this is supposed to be political humor and taken in jest, the very last paragraph provoked me to want to raise my fist to the ceiling and shout!

Since replying to her e-mail will not satisfy that urge, I must post it here (and in my other various SM accounts) with my rebuttal at the end.

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The following has been attributed to Lewis Napper, a Jackson, Mississippi computer programmer. He didn't expect his essay -- a tart 11-point list of "rights" Americans don't have -- to become an Internet legend.

'We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to  help everyone get
along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation
safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty
to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time
to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny,
guilt ridden, delusional. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a
whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of  Rights and are so dim
they require a Bill of
NON-Rights.'

ARTICLE
I:
You do not  have the right
to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth.  More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing  anything.

ARTICLE
II:
You do not have the right
to never be offended.  This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not  just you!  You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of dummies, and probably always will  be.

ARTICLE
III:
You do not have the right
to be free from harm.  If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect  the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE
IV:
You do not have the right
to free food and housing.  Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who  achieve nothing more than the creation of another  generation of professional couch potatoes.

ARTICLE
V:
You do not have the right
to free health care.  That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in public health care.

ARTICLE
VI:
You do not have the right
to physically harm other people.  If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you get the blue juice.

ARTICLE
VII:
You do not have the right
to the possessions of others.  If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE
VIII:
You do not have the right
to a job.  All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful.

ARTICLE
IX:
You do not have the right
to happiness . Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws  created by those of you who were confused by the Bill  of Rights.

ARTICLE
X:
This is
an English speaking country.  We don't care where you came from, English is our language.  Learn it and USE it!

Lastly

ARTICLE
XI:
You do not have the right
to change our country's history or heritage.  This country was founded on the belief in one true God.  And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution.  The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, sorry if you are uncomfortable with it.

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I agree with very single ARTICLE listed above except the last, ARTICLE XI. And I explain why here, in a brief American History lesson:

Contrary to our "fairytale" history books, from the very beginning days of this country, religious beliefs have been used to discriminate, suppress, and even kill the foreign, the "heretics", the "unbelievers", and even the  “heathen” natives already here.

And while the majority of the Settlers were "Christians", there was certainly no RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE from the get go... the slaughter of the French Protestants by the Roman Catholic Spanish settlements in Florida in 1565.

And if the settlers of New England in the early 1600's had their way, we would all be Pilgrims and Puritans because Catholics were banned from the colonies. Quakers were hanged in Boston simply because they returned to the city to stand up for their belief.

After the revolutionary war, states formed their own laws regarding religion. In Massachusetts, for example, you could only hold public office if you were Christian, and if you were Catholic, you had to renounce the Pope's authority first. But in NY, Catholics were banned from office, and in Maryland Catholics had full civil rights but Jews did not. Several states had state-supported churches.

Thomas Jefferson's draft of the Bill of Rights guaranteed legal equality for citizens of all religions, including those of no religion. He wrote “But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." Around the same time, Patrick Henry was introducing a bill that called for state supported teachers of the Christian religion.

In argument of Mr. Henry's bill, future president James Madison wrote an essay "Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments" where he eloquently pointed out reasons why the state had no business supporting Christian instruction. One point in particular is his statement that “the Religion then of every man must be left to the conviction and conscience of every...man to exercise it as these may dictate. This right is in its nature an inalienable right.” This idea eventually became a fundamental piece of American political philosophy.

We can completely separate Church from State (or Religion from Country, as the case may be), in order for the Bill of Rights to be complete.

It was not until 1956 that Congress passed a joint resolution declaring the term "IN GOD WE TRUST" became the national motto of the United States The law was signed by President Eisenhower and it was added to our money in 1957.

These two actions are in direct violation of our United States Bill of Rights, and should NEVER had occurred in the first place. So, therefore, Article XI in the Bill of NON-Rights above is NULL and VOID!

#BillOfNonRights #LewisNapper

Candle Magic

The workshop for our CUUPS meeting today was about Candle Magic. Unfortunately the person who was scheduled to give the presentation was ill had to cancel at the last minute. So, we read over the notes and handouts from the presenter, and we had an impromptu discussion among ourselves.

There were two ladies who were new to the group and they were really interested in learning more about Candle Magic. I consider my self an eclectic witch, even though I studied the Correllian Wicca Tradition. And a beginner eclectic witch at that! But, it was my honor to pass along information and knowledge that I have learned along the way. It amazed me how much I never realized I knew, until these ladies started asking ME how I do my Candle Magic.

I need to post my disclaimer here! I am NOT into the stiff structure of ceremonial or ritual magic. I prefer choose bits and pieces from various paths, traditions and even other religions, and have developed my own eclectic style. I believe that magic should be PERSONAL to the practitioner. Which is why I feel I am always learning the path.

That out of the way, here is a little of what we talked about.

There are a few different reasons that I love Candle magic.

• For one, I am an Aries, a fire sign, and have always been drawn to candles, especially scented ones. 
• Second, it is easy and inexpensive to do. You don't need elaborate ceremonial items, or access to an occult store. The items needed can be purchased in your local Walmart, or grocery store.
• And thirdly, it can be practiced discretely where to most it would seem to be nothing more than a lit candle.

Q: What color candle should you use?

A: Start by deciding on what your intended outcome for the spell is. There is tons of information out there that teach color associations with different intentions. Here is just one example I found online.
(Keep in mind that different cultures and different parts of the world have different associations with different colors.)

 So, I will say it again.... What ever color FEELS RIGHT to YOU! If you feel a connection with the color blue for a money spell (which is traditionally a green or gold candle) go for it! Its YOUR MAGIC! The only thing you need to remember about choosing the candle, is it must be new, unused for anything else.

Q: How do you anoint the candle with oil and what kind of oil do you use?

A: Olive oil mixed with a few drops of essential oil will do just fine. Use a scented oil associated with your intention and outcome of the spell. You can find lots of information on this subject. Thank the gods for the INTERNET! You could use plain olive oil, or coconut oil, or some even prefer grapeseed oil. But it is still good to have a basic understanding of the various essential oils.

One of my favorite go to books is Scott Cunningham's The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews.

But in the end, use whatever oil feels right to you!

For spells that are to draw something to you, rub the oil from end to middle while focusing on you intention. For banishing spells and intentions to get rid of something, rub the oil on the candle from middle out to the ends.

When anointing your candle, you should be focusing on what you want the outcome of this spell to look like.

You can also carve into the candle, a word or symbol or even several words that relate to your intention.

Ground herbs (also relating to your intention) can be rubbed into the etchings.

There really is no right or wrong way to do this.

Once you have infused your candle with your intention, set it on your altar, or table and light it. Clear your mind and "meditate" on the outcome, and know that as the candle burns it is sending your intention out to the Universe, to the Divine Creator.

I like to let my candle burn all the way down. Some people like to blow them out after they meditate, sending the smoke (air/fire) elements out to the Universe. Some say NEVER blow out your candles, they must be SNUFFED out if they need to be extinguished. AGAIN... whatever feels right to you.

I hope this answered some of the questions. There are many wonderful books on the subject of Candle Magic and I encourage you to check them out, and maybe add a favorite or two to your collection. Just remember, in the end, all magic comes from our Higher Spirit though our heart. Make it personal!

Fehu Rune Zentangle Meditaiton

For today's Rune Zentagle Meditation, I pulled the Rune, Fehu.

Fehu i s the rune of possessions won or earned, income, luck, abundance. It symbolizes financial strength in the present or near future. Pulling this rune, emphasis and supports my insights from yesterday.

Berkano Rune Zentagle

Interesting little story. Yesterday, I started doing Zentangle with my daily rune meditation. I had decided to keep a separate journal as I tangled my way through all 25 runes (I use the black rune in my Runemal... some people do not.) Due to the winter storm, I didn't get to the store to buy a journal/notebook, so I had to make due with what I had.

I found an old notebook that had been a than you gift for a "job well done" when I was an executive assistant. It was actually quite fancy. It had a hard cover, and thick lined pages, with a stretchy band that connected to the back that you pulled over the front to keep it closed. The problem was a big gaudy logo, and the department name in gold letters across the front of it.

I quickly flipped through it and it was empty. So, being the creative person that I am, I created a cover of white card stock that I glued over the front and around the sides. (I plan to eventually paint something nice on it.)

So I had my new journal. I pulled my rune Berkano. This is the Rune of Growth (both mental and physical personal growth) and Rebirth. It is the promise of new beginnings and the light of spring. (It also can mean the prospering of an enterprise or venture, but that was not what I was focusing on in my meditation.)

I was very pleased with the results, and posted my Zentangle on my blog here, and on my Facebook page.

Then pasted it into the first page of my new journal. I wrote a few lines that came to me while I was meditating/tangling, and then turned the page...

Apparently I had missed 3 pages that I had previously written in this notebook. But that wasn't the most interesting part.

The pages that I had written were 2 Rune casts from 6 years ago almost to the day when my husband and I were going through some very difficult circumstances. The economic crash hit hard, and we were in mountains of financial troubles. These readings were done at a point in my life when we had hit rock bottom. We were both unemployed and our home had been foreclosed after more than a year of jumping through hoops to get the bank to work with us.

We were exhausted and defeated and our only option was a plea for help from family. So, we moved cross country to a town I hadn't lived in for almost 20 years, and was completely unfamiliar to my husband, and thew ourselves at the mercy of a relative who had built up so much wealth over the last 50 years, that he didn't even acknowledge there was a recession.

Without going into the gory details, our only this person blamed our situation on our laziness, lack of financial planning, and irresponsibility - which was certainly not true - but, it really did a number on our self esteem.

It took a long time to claw our way out again. Along the way we fought "demons" who wanted to keep us down, and were befriended by some wonderful "guardian angels" who encouraged us to keep going.

Drawing Berkano at this exact day, tells me that we are heading for a new beginning of financial grown, and a new chapter of marriage. Starting this journal reminded me of how far we have come in 6 years, and how bright our future is becoming.

Rune Zentangle Meditation

A just over a week ago, I was invited to a Zentangle Workshop that a friend of mine was giving. I didn't know much about it. I heard the word before, but that was about it.

She explained that it was a form of meditative art. I thought... "Cool, I'm an artist, and I like to meditate. Let's do this!"

I had no idea it would be this addicting!

So, fast forward a week. I just presented my workshop on making your own set of Viking Runes. One of the things I like to do is pull a rune, read its meaning/interpretation from my favorite Rune Book, and meditate on how what I read relates to me and my present situation.

[Side Note]
In case you are wondering, my favorite Rune book is The Book Of Runes by Ralph Blum. I've had mine for many years, but you can get the 25th Anniversary Edition on Amazon.

Today I couldn't decide if I wanted to do a Zentagle square or pull a Rune for my morning meditation. Then, I thought, why should I have to choose. And I combined the two techniques!

My first (of many) Rune Zentagle Meditation projects is Berkano, Growth and Rebirth.