I am going in a million different directions with writing and bringing back the podcast. I’d like to hear from you, dear readers/listeners: what I should focus on more. For the blog, for No Unsacred Place and for the podcast. So, ask me a question (I might answer it) or give me a suggestion. Shameless begging for encouragement and redirection, I know.

If you’ve emailed me or are waiting to hear back from me for some reason, I’m sorry. I am really terrible at never getting back to people. I’ll try to get caught up!

Cheers

Related posts:

1. Keeping Busy
2. Repost: I am Not a Real Witch
3. Wordless Wednesday

Some days, my feet hurt so much I want to sit down and cry

Some days, my brain can’t keep up with the world

Some days, I don’t know how I will keep my head above water

Some days, all I can do is hide the fear and hope for the best

Some days, I could weep with gratitude

Some days, I remember to count my blessings

Some days, I marvel at the people and the love in my life

Some days, I wiggle with happiness as I slip into bed

Some days, it all happens in one day

Those days, those days

*

(PS: I will be drawing for the Tenth Rune Spell contest and announcing the winner tomorrow after lunch)

Related posts:

1. Random Encounters
2. Now You Do It! *poke*
3. Not

For we out number them

We who grew up in a world of women soldiers and gay pride parades

We who received our sex education from Dan Savage

We who were raised by single mothers who went to work in steel toed boots

We who Occupy

We who don’t mind skirts on men and hard hats on women

We who are Anonymous

We who can network in milliseconds

We who own the Internets

We who march and demand reproductive rights

We who choose to be stay at home Dads

We who watched 911 and asked “what can we do to make them hate us less?”

We who are gender fluid

We who know there are more than two genders

We who think not in black and white

We who see the shades of grey and delight in them

We who struggle to create marriages built on equality

We who are of mixed race

We who hold tolerance and acceptance as sacred

We are the generation that made Paganism the fastest growing

We are the ones who glutted the numbers and swelled the ranks

We are coming of age

We are having babies

We are raising them with our values

We who will not sit down and shut up

Let them cling to their outdated views

Let them fight in fear

Let them have their last gasp

Turn away

Turn away

Wait

Wait

We out number them

We will out live them

We hold the future in our hands

Be strong

Be true

Be faithful

Be patient

Occupy everything

We are steadfast

We will take their place

We will build what they cannot comprehend

Gather your tools

Related posts:

1. Afraid and Ashamed, but not Surprised
2. Children
3. I Just Keep Telling Myself

You speak of freedom of religion. You say “this is their Tradition and they have a right to it.”  And this is true.

You speak in generalized platitudes about religious tolerance, of freedom. You say nothing of the pain caused to the individual. My “beef” with Z. Budapest and Dianic Wicca is not one of generalized platitudes. It is personal.

I have arrived at an open Dianic ritual and was pulled aside and asked to leave. Because I arrived in combat boots and a biker jacket (I came on a motorcycle) and my energy was too masculine.

I have been at a women’s ritual where a Dianic Wiccan informed me that I was buying into the patriarchies’ objectification of women for wearing a pretty, strappy dress with full hair and make up done. She said I offended her and the Goddess by being tarted up.

I have been told disdainfully that I cannot be a woman of substance, as I am young, thin and pretty.

I have been told that I am selfish and unnatural for being a woman in her thirties who is not a mother, and who has no strong, desperate desire to become one. I have been told that I cannot be a whole woman until I bear children from my body.

Does Z have the right to exclude transwomen? Yes.

Do Dianic Wiccans have the right to call me an unnatural, too masculine, tart who lacks substance … because that is their Tradition? Maybe so.

Look into my eyes and see the pain there. Know that it is 1/10 of the pain the transwomen at Pantheacon felt when they sat in protest, staring at a sign that read: Genetic women only.

Does Z have a right to practice intolerance because it is her Tradition? Yes.

Do the organizers of Pantheacon have the right to allow her to lead a ritual that excludes certain kinds of women? Yes.

But I also have the right speak out against this these things. I have the right to condemn her, her Tradition and Pantheacon. And I will exercise that right, with tears in my eyes and sorrow in my heart.

Things Z has written or spoken on the subject:

“Transies who attack us only care about themselves.”

“Women are born not made by men on operating tables.“

“But if you claim to be one of us, you have to have sometimes in your life a womb, and overies and MOON bleed and not die. ”

“Genetic women only”

“Many many young men at collage age are latent homosexuals, which is dangerous to women.”

“The male gender is gender conscious, ‘us boys together’ against the other gender.”

“Why are we universally hated by the male gender? ”

These are not the words of a wise Elder. They are not the words of a loving priestess. They are not the words of a worthy leader. They are the words of a hateful, narrow minded bigot.

You say we should allow Z to have her Tradition, you say we should allow Pantheacon to exclude certain people from rituals based upon gender and sexual identity. You say we must do these things in the name of religious freedom, in the name of tolerance, in the name of diversity.

I say that religious tolerance and religious freedom does not mean that we must tolerate leaders who are openly bigoted.

“Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men.” ~ Boondock Saints

Related posts:

1. I Just Keep Telling Myself
2. I Can …
3. My Soap Box

This is how Nature made me

But from my early teens to my mid-twenties (and sometimes still) I was bullied, abused and attacked for being thin. Surprised? I bet you are. Skinny women are perfect and everyone loves them, we are so attractive right? Well, that what everyone thought. Which is why they were cruel to me.

I’ve had girlfriends be so angry that I fit a size two dress that they stormed out of the store and refused to speak to me ever again.

I’ve had co-workers follow me to the bathroom to see if I purged my lunch,

I’ve had snide remarks and insults thrown my way for ordering a full meal in front of another woman picking at a salad.

I’ve been told that I am not a real women, because real women have curves.

I’ve had women ask me (in front of a whole party) if I had to wear little girl’s training bras.

I’ve had other women throw food at me, because I needed to stop starving myself.

I’ve had men tell me that they wished I had bigger boobs.

In high school and my early adult hood it got so bad that I would come home and cut myself.

But I wasn’t allowed to have body image issues. As a pretty girl with thick curly hair and a skinny body, I was supposed to be perfect and happy. Therefore I had no right to express unhappiness with my body or they way people treated me for having it.

I had no right to complain that it’s hard to find shirts that aren’t too big in the chest.

I had no right to complain that it was hard to find pants that fit, because surely everything is made to fit a size 2-4?  (no, it’s not, clothes are meant to fit 6 foot tall skinny girls with boob jobs)

I had no right to complain about being cold or tired.

I had no right to complain about the aches and pains of sleeping on my bones from lack of body fat.

But it’s totally okay for you to single me out and make an example of me.

It’s okay for you to talk, in front of me, about how disgusting skinny girls are.

It’s okay for you make comments about my eating habits.

It’s okay for you to point out how weak I am from not having enough meat on my bones.

It’s okay to lift up my shirt and loudly count my ribs in front of everyone.

And it’s totally okay to pass around images like this one:

Images that say there is something wrong with me. That I am some kind of monstrous freak.

That I am “ewwwww”

This image says that I am ugly, horrible, wrong and not beautiful or sexy. It says that I do not deserve respect or basic human decency.

This image says nothing about how all women are beautiful. It says a certain kind of woman ought to be considered more beautiful than others.

You are swinging the pendulum too far.

You shouldn’t attack skinny girls to build up the non-skinny girls. You don’t need to attack me and make me feel disgusting to make yourself feel good.

Every time you tell a chubby girl that skinny girls are gross, are you thinking about the message you are passing on to the skinny girl who heard you say that?

Stop this shit. Passing around images like this is not funny and it doesn’t fix or help a thing.

Two wrongs don’t make a right.

And don’t you ever attack or insult skinny girls in front of me because I will tear you to fucking pieces.

Related posts:

1. Ramblings on Womanhood and Feminism Part Two
2. Juniper Rambles About Feminism and Womanhood (Part One)
3. Crones

Poor image quality is due to poor camera quality

The Question:

What path do I take and where to from here? I have a fear that I am only paying attention and seeing what I want to see, not the message that is truly there.

Off the Cloth:
* Acorn (male, men, god) took off running and skittered away and into me.
* Amethyst (spirituality, religion), Tiger eye (intellect, air), Blood Drop (It’s a red marble with wax on one side to replace the min mortar and pestle that was lost, it’s for health and healing) and Sea Shell (emotions, water) all formed a line off the cloth.
* Petrified Wood (foundations, solid, old) and Clear Quartz (clarity, understanding) hovered just off and above the cloth.

First Impressions:
* Rabbit Bone (clergy, teacher, leadership) in isolated from the group at the edge of the cloth, facing away.
* Red Stone (fire, passion) sits at the edge as well, being blocked by the pairing of Juniper Block (blockage, obstacles, protection) and Strawberry Quartz (love, romance, sex).
* The centre is taken up by Juniper Stick (what is at the heart/centre), Misshapen Silver Nugget (unexpected treasures, the diamond in the rough), Turtle (pace, speed) and Blackthorn (witchcraft, magick)
* Antique Ring (tradition, heritage) is wrapped around Ivy (that which surrounds)
* Many pieces are interacting with Sharp Tooth (a predator’s tooth, attack, hunting, harm, negative communication) and Grinding Tooth (a prey animal’s tooth, positive or constructive communication, learning, sharing)
* The Key (unlocking, opening doors) is interacting with Rowan (World Tree, hedgecrossing) and Foot Bone (journey, path)
* Bottle Cap (which has a raven holding a key in a doorway on it, acts of service, sacrifice, practice) is covering (the very green) Bloodstone (the Land, earth)
* Vintage Jack (an old school toy; childhood, kids, the inner child) is at the edge of the group, heading away.

The Reading:
There is no need to commit to one Path or Tradition right now. You don’t have to dedicate yourself to anything or anyone. That day will come, but it is not coming soon. Take your time. Explore, find treasures and shiny things.

If you must DO something then you should serve the Land. Work on your connection with the energies and spirits of Nature and the Earth and rocks and trees and wild things. Learn about the landscape around you and build a relationship with it.

If you must study something, then study hedgecrossing, shamanism, the many worlds, cosmology, and the World Tree (etc). This will be key to your future success. Become knowledgeable now, before you delve too deep into practice.

That which surrounds the matter is tradition, heritage and history. Areas for you to study and practice: Traditional Witchcraft, Paganism within your heritage, Reconstructionist stuff. Look to the old ways. Become passionate about history, folk traditions and anything old time-y.

Inspiration and Mystery comes when positive (and new) communication (and thinking) surpasses or bypasses negative talk (and anxiety, doubt) and winds up where the hearth fire is. Take a look at home-based Crafting and crafting. Homemade things, arts and crafts, fixing up the house. Create stuff!

Whatever your living conditions are, try to make them a little more magickal, a little more spiritual. It might be an idea to take a class or find someone who you can share (and talk) about these subjects with. A cooking buddy, paint the house with your Mom, plant a garden with a friend? While you are being advised to not Circle with anyone, you still can talk, share and do other more domestic and practical things with others. You might even get inspired!

The spirits are also tied into your need to communicate, create and share in more positive ways. Perhaps you need to hand make more goodies for local land spirits. If you ever feel you can’t talk to anyone, you can always try a tree, or a river or the unseen spirits in a field.

That all being said, there is a danger in putting too much of your resources into guilty pleasures. Music, dancing, socializing, entertainment. It’s easy to get distracted, to wind up watching TV or listening to music or hanging out instead of practising. All good things in moderation. Keep a balance between life and the Craft.

Beware of becoming blinded by love, lust or romance; a pretty face or a charming personality. This could wind up cutting you off from your spiritual journey and your practice of the Craft. You need to be solitary right now, at least for the most part. Keep some distance between your relationships and your practice. Now is the time for inner work and introspection, not for Circling with groups or an overwhelming personality.

There may be a fear of what other people think of you and say about you. Someone may be a gossip or verbally abusive to you. This may especially relate to your relationship with a woman or women close to you, such as your mother or your female friends. Allowing other women’s opinions and words to hurt you is detrimental not only for your self esteem but for any relationship you may wish to build with the feminine divine.

You need to make serious changes in how you communicate with others and with yourself. If you tend to beat yourself up, it HAS to stop. Learn new scripts. You don’t need anyone’s approval but your own. Seek to validation from within. Own any problems you may have with communicating, do you come on too strong or are you afraid to speak up, are you critical of others? Whatever it may be, you need to examine this.

You are NOT on a healing Path right now. The only person you need to work on is yourself. Learn Thyself, Heal Thyself, Know Thyself.

You are being discouraged from working with male deity and being told to “keep away from boys”  lol  sorry!

It is unlikely that you will be getting a teacher any time soon, if you are looking for one. Also, there is no need to enter into teaching, clergy and leaderships roles just yet.

Childhood and childish things have packed up and are leaving. Things will get sorted out, keep plugging away.

Practice your grounding. Ground and centre!

Find solace and strength in your connection with the land and the things that you build/make/create.

Serving the Land will be good for you emotionally and physically. MOAR exercise, go outside and play! This will also be an important factor in the building of that spiritual foundation and in leaving childhood behind in a healthy way.

At the Very Heart of the Matter:
Unexpected treasures can come through the practice of Witchcraft. The spirits caution you to keep a slow but steady pace. Neither rush into things, nor procrastinate. The treasures or prizes that you seek may not be the ones you find. Though you will find Witchcraft rewarding, it may not be in a way that you expect. Keep an eye open for small prizes and hidden treasures along the way. Smell the roses, pocket a few pebbles, and then move on.

Your Path is marked by a “bread crumb trail” but the pieces are very small, quiet, and subtle. Do not expect anything big, shocking, or life changing to occur in the next little while. The big mysteries may come, but not yet.

Your Focus and Goals:
* Serve the Land.
* Rid yourself of negative people, bullies and gossips. If they say horrible things to you or about you, they are not your friends.
* Learn to be kinder to yourself.
* Use more positive and encouraging thinking and communication styles.
* Embrace your own passions, not other people’s interests.
* You are in no position to heal or fix or save anyone but yourself.
* Don’t be distracted by other people or by hedonistic pursuits.
* Traditions and history surround everything, mind your ancestors.
* Incorporate your practice into everyday things, the hearth, the home, little projects, and hobbies.
* Study shamanic and spirit working practices. Learn your theory before you leap.
* Focus on your self; don’t practice with others for a little while.

Over all Message:
The start of any journey if fraught with doubt and distractions, concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. Watch the ground beneath your feet; don’t worry too much about what might be down the road and around the bend. You don’t need to name the Path you are on yet, get to know it and yourself better first.
Right now you are still laying the foundation of your spirituality and your practice. Take your time, build it strong. Build it well.

Client Feedback:
Not only was my question answered but also it has given me the direction I so desparately needed.  Accuracy is certainly an understatement.
It answered so many questions I didn’t even know I needed to ask.
When I first read the reading, I sat and cried for a bit. Just not only the overwhelming sense of, not relief, but that kind of almost elated feeling that it wasn’t all in my head. That I am starting to walk the right path.
It stirred a feeling something akin to a comforting hug given when it is needed most and a slap in the back of the head, wrenching me from a lovely daydream.
I had to laugh at the of the masculine element, it certainly almost mirrors what men are doing right now. It was very funny.

Related posts:

1. New Years Reading
2. Review: Last Year’s Birthday Reading
3. The Phony Reading