The Ramblings and Wanderings

Archive for the ‘Rantings & Ravings’ Category

I have just as much issue with thoughtless Pagans who blindly follow whatever they are told or read, who run off into the bush to do some spell or ritual without properly understanding the whys and wherefores and meaning behind them, as I do with armchair Pagans who only read, think and theorise but never get off their ass and DO something.

Because both, in my not-so-humble opinion, are missing out on half the equation.

If you practice and pray and ritualise lots without understanding the theory behind what you are doing, you don’t know shit.

And if you theorise and philosophise endlessly without actually practicing, you also don’t know shit.

There is a balance that must be achieved. And yes, so long as there is a balance, you can lean more one-way than the other (I’m more of a practice girl myself)

The Pagans and Witches who run off and, just as an example, go out into the woods and cover themselves with flying ointment hoping to get that deep spiritual experience without doing their research, without understanding the whys and the wherefores, will almost always at some point learn the hard way. (Yes, I am speaking from experience here)

But those armchair pagans, what happens to them? Other than their ass growing fat that is. Do they ever learn the hard way? Maybe so, when they one day find themselves with nothing but ideas, can you be spiritually fulfilled by just ideas? I dunno, but I don’t think so. Not really, deep down.

Now don’t get me wrong, both camps have something to offer. The thinkers give us the material we work with after all, and the practitioners give the thinkers somebody to actually try out their theories and research. You can’t have one without the other.

It’s all about balance.

I’d like to see more armchair pagans come out and play in the woods, and I’d like to see more practitioners sitting in the library. I’d also like to see more actual cooperation, dialogue, discussion and sharing between the two camps. Folks who are in the middle make great bridges as well.

Imagine how fully and maturely Paganism and Witchcraft would grow then … beautiful isn’t it?

“If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow.”
~ Rachel Carson

This started as a response to an emailed question from a friend, but I think it will make a good blog post.

 

Crash is a 9 year old blue heeler and she is my familiar, in the fact that she is often involved in my rituals and such (and much more). Though her main job is to protect me. I can head on out to the woods, wrap myself up in a blanket and go ‘oot and aboot and she will lay down beside me, with all the protectiveness and patience of a herding breed. Anyone tries to come near me in that state and she is all hackles raised, teeth bared, barking her head off “back off buddy!” and “wake up mommy!”

After some 9 years of it, we are well practiced, and once Crash is comfortable with someone I can invite them to join us in ritual. Its something to see, she howls or barks along when such things like “So mote it be!” are shouted, she pads along beside me as I Plow the Furrow or Raise the Hedge (sorta like Circle casting but not so Wicca-Ceremonial-ish) she watches offerings be placed and knows not to eat them, she waits eagerly for her piece and drink during the Housle (ritual meal), she stares intently at my Stang as we plant the World Tree and part the Veil etc etc

When I attend group rituals I don’t bring her along because she takes a while to warm up to people and then gives off nervous energy, but I do feel naked without her.

When we beat the bounds, I trust her to find the best and easiest path through the bush (trails, who follows trails? Boring!) and is always alert for animals, people and such. She has lead me to water more than once, and pointed the right way home as well.

This dog trusts me completely, and there is no dog more loyal, in my humble and biased opinion. She would literally run herself to death beside me if I let her. If I didn’t feed her, she would starve by my side rather than go off in search of food.

She has licked my wounds clean, when we were in the bush and there was nothing else to clean them with. She has supported my weight as I stumble down a wooded slope with a sprained ankle or broken foot.

When we visit someone’s house and they expect me to put her outside, she find the sliding glass door or window where she can spot me and sits there and waits, she does not go off and do doggy things. If she cannot see me, then she will sit and stare at the door I went into, for hours. If I tie her up outside a store she will kill herself trying to get free of the leash and get to me.

People see the way she looks at me and follows me and say “remind me to never make a sudden move in your direction”

Once (some 6-ish years ago), when my relationship with Jay was reaching its end, he had a severe diabetic episode and he went crazy. I walked through the door, coming home from work, and Jay screaming at the top of his lungs, he rushed me.

As I tried to open the door and back out, all while hollering at Jay, Crash leapt out of nowhere (the other two dogs were cowering behind the couch) and put herself between me and Jay, she snarled and barked at him. He didn’t stop but kicked her in the ribs, sending her flying to my feet. She hit hard and I screamed “Oh gods!” but Jay was still coming at us, angrier than ever, hollering that he was going to “kill that fucking dog”.

I grabbed my 50 pound dog by her scruff and backed out the door with her, dragging her as she whined in pain. I got the door shut just as Jay hit it, and like those knights in movies holding a door being battered, I fell back from the force of him hitting it. Even though the door opened inwards and did not open into me, the vibration, the impact was enough to knock me over.

I scrabbled to my feet “Crash, get up Crash, we gotta go” she almost screamed as she heaved herself to her feet, me pulling her up as well.

Counting on the fact that a diabetic in that state will struggle with things like doorknobs, I ran back to the truck, pulling Crash to her feet, she limped along beside me as fast as she could, crying in pain.
Crash couldn’t jump in with broken ribs, so I heaved her up as fast as I could, sobbing and apologizing because I didn’t have the time to worry about hurting her in the process.

My hands were steady as I put the keys in the ignition and backed out the drive, thanks to a hard life and tough childhood, I can think and act FAST in these situations.

Jay got out the door and fell down the deck stairs trying to reach us as I turned the truck around and sped off.

En route to the veterinary hospital, I called the local fire department and had them come out to take care of Jay. Then I called his Mom and told her to go get her son and keep him at her house for a few days.
That was the beginning of the end of our relationship.

As we drove down the bumpy country road to town, I looked over at my girl, her head in my lap, her eyes full of pain and I said “Thank you”

That’s a familiar, not this stupid bullshit where dumb little witches think their cat is their familiar because it jumped on the altar once.

I told off the whole BC Pagans Yahoo group yesterday. It felt damned good to call them out for their (public!) petty bickering, but I might just have to flee to another Province for a while now *ducks and covers*

So June is Pagan Values Blogging Month or some such thing, and since you can’t rock the boat if you aren’t on it, I decided to join in.

The first thing I noticed reading all these blog posts, is a plethora of catch phrases and key words. Pagan values as pop culture?

Next will we be using words like “synergy” and (shudder) “proactive”? You know, to quote the Simpson’s: “Those words stupid people use to make themselves sound smart” ?

Anyways …

Can ethics and values really be boiled down to a simple list of words like “Industriousness”, “Loyalty”, or “Harm None”? Is the human animal really that simple?

How many of us, when faced with an important decision or a difficult time in our lives found a easy solution based on a single, simple, catch phrase?

“What would Goddess/God/Great Spirit do?”

Actually before I attack such things, I ought to point out that a mangled version of that good ol’ Rede helped me quit smoking about 6 and a half years ago. But that’s all it was, a mantra, a reminder of a decision I had made, not the decision or the decision process itself. It was an affirmation (egad, another pop culture catch word!) of my will power, it didn’t actually GIVE me the will power to quit smoking.

And maybe that’s it right there. We can have all the cute little key words and catch phrases in the world. We can write about them, read about them, and argue about them until the cows come home (another catch phrase, I’m on a roll!)

BUT …

Its not the interpretation of the Rede (or list of Virtues or whatever), its what you DO with it.

As you my dear readers may well know, I firmly believe in putting your money where your mouth is. (yet another catch phrase, goodness, our culture is steeped in them is it not?)

I’ve seen more than enough Pagans preach and rant and rave about how the “Earth is our Mother and we MUST take care of Her” (a very pagan catch phrase) who then turn around and flick a burning cigarette butt out the car window during the dry season.

You know, I’ve been slapped across the face by a self proclaimed pacifist once? Imagine that. Though I may have deserved it at the time (me and my big mouth)

I’ve met witches who firmly believe that a Earth-centered spirituality has next to nothing to do with Nature, and there’s no need for them to have to go outside, and certainly not in the rain! HUH?

Like all humans, we Pagans are hypocrites by nature, expecting others to meet a standard that we ourselves fail at.

How often have we chided someone else for breaking the Rede (I’m really giving the Rede are hard time today aren’t I?) but then when we find ourselves doing the same damned thing, we feel totally justified and get upset when chided by others?

So … how about instead of blogging about Pagan values, we each make the effort to spend the time from now until next June actually living those Pagan values?

Then we all might have something to write about other than catch phrases and lists of key words.

Philosophy is great and all don‘t get me wrong, the Pagan community could use a little more of it … but isn’t this something that ought to be practically applied before we stand on mountain tops (or blogs, for that matter) and start making proclamations?

Here‘s an good old fashioned one I‘ve heard my Granny use before:

“The proof in the pudding is in the eating”

Well, that’s my ramble on Pagan Values, I hope you weren’t expecting anything deep and meaningful!

Take good care of each other,

Juni

“Not I” Said the Witch

(Based on a children’s folk tale called Little Red Hen or “Not I”, Said the Cat)

Once upon a time, a Hedgewitch was working on her farm when the spirits there reminded her of a promise she had made; to give up the use of some of her land for her fellow pagans and witches. They informed her they wanted to hold a celebration right there on the farm as a way to begin.

So the Hedgewitch phoned up all her friends and asked them to help her create a wonderful little retreat for pagans and witches on her land, and to help her kick it off with a big celebration.

“Who will come and help me plan and prepare and make this a magickal event for all?” asked the Hedgewitch.

“Not I,” said the Greenwitch “not if I have to do any work! I have enough to do in my own garden without having to weed one for other people.”

“Not I,” said the Druidess “not if my Grove and I have to pay for gas to come all the way there AND then have to do work for the farm as payment for using it.”

“Not I,” said the eclectic Witch “not if Lord Name-Dropper and Lady I’m-So-Special are going to be there!”

“Not I,” said the Fluffy Bunny “Not if you’re going to let Christians and Left Hand people use the land too! That’s persecuting ME!”

“Not I,” said the Wiccan “spiritual services should be completely free of charge, in fact, why don’t you pay for my gas to come out there?”

“Not I,” said the newbie Witch “what if someone made fun of me?”

The Hedgewitch began to despair, would no one come and help her make a sanctuary for her faith? Would no one come to celebrate Beltaine?

“I will,” said the Druid “I will make an Oak King mask, and lead a boar hunt and dig a hole for the maypole!”

“I will,” said Momma Witch “I will make gifts with fairy bells for everyone, and I will also bring my son, who will jump the belfires!”

“I will,” said the High Priestess “I will round up others to come, and we will bring good food and good cheer!”

“We will,” said the Drummers “We will bring music and rhythm and laughter to your celebration!”

The Hedgewitch’s heart lifted, the show would go on!

So they came together on the farm and they praised the land, and learned about what grows there. They honoured the gods and the ancestors. They shared laughter, wisdom and a good meal.

Though things did not go as smoothly as it would have if there had been more helping hands, they made do as best they could with what they had.

When everyone left, the Hedgewitch was glad and filled with gratitude. For her promise was not broken, and new friends had been made. She was very proud of her little, awkward Beltaine.

So the Hedgewitch phoned up all of her friends and said “There are groves to tend and stones to raise, holes to dig and gardens to plant. There’s far too much for just one little Hedgewitch! Who wants to come and help me build a home for our community? ”

“Not I” said the Shaman.

“Not I” said the Heathen.

“Not I” said the Witch.

There is no end to this story yet, as it has not been written. I invite you to help inspire me to finish it …

By Juniper of Walking the Hedge 2009. Permission to reproduce granted.

Mother’s Day Proclamation

by Julia Ward Howe

Arise, then, women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts,
Whether our baptism be of water or of tears!

Say firmly:
“We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.”

From the bosom of the devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says: “Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.”
Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.

Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace,
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God.

In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And at the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.