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<channel>
	<title>Walking the Hedge &#187; About Juniper</title>
	<atom:link href="http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/tag/about-juniper/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://walkingthehedge.net/blog</link>
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		<title>More Weird Dreams</title>
		<link>http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2012/02/more-weird-dreams/</link>
		<comments>http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2012/02/more-weird-dreams/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:34:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Juniper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[A Sense of Humor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[About Juniper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Everything Else]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life of a Hedgewitch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dreams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[funnies]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/?p=2831</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last night I dreamed of the second coming of Christ. Only he wound up in the body of an autistic teen age boy. His family kept him locked in a room in their farm house and was trying to pass off his older (and handsome and Neurotypical) brother as the messiah. In the dream I [...]
Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/08/little-random-things/' rel='bookmark' title='Little Random Things'>Little Random Things</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/01/now-you-do-it-poke/' rel='bookmark' title='Now You Do It! *poke*'>Now You Do It! *poke*</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/03/crones/' rel='bookmark' title='Crones'>Crones</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last night I dreamed of the second coming of Christ.</p>
<p>Only he wound up in the body of an autistic teen age boy. His family kept him locked in a room in their farm house and was trying to pass off his older (and handsome and Neurotypical) brother as the messiah. In the dream I am a friend of the family and I was trying to free Christ from his &#8220;prison&#8221; but failing at it.  During a visit, he gave me some house plants to tend for him.</p>
<p>This was all happening somewhere in northern British Columbia.</p>
<p>Oh, and the people he was sent to save? A race of sentient Muppets who were being forced into secret slavery by the entertainment industry. So, I snuck into Universal Studios (which for some reason was in BC) and helped Elmo (of sesame street) escape. He became the new Christ&#8217;s prophet.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I have a very odd subconscious.</p>
<p>Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/08/little-random-things/' rel='bookmark' title='Little Random Things'>Little Random Things</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/01/now-you-do-it-poke/' rel='bookmark' title='Now You Do It! *poke*'>Now You Do It! *poke*</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/03/crones/' rel='bookmark' title='Crones'>Crones</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>My Back</title>
		<link>http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2012/01/my-back/</link>
		<comments>http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2012/01/my-back/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:15:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Juniper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[A Sense of Humor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[About Juniper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Book of Shadows]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Everything Else]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life of a Hedgewitch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[funnies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hedgewytch]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/?p=2819</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I hurt my back on Friday night, falling on the ice. Wrenched it trying to save myself. I&#8217;ve spent all weekend in rather a lot of pain and have gotten next to nothing done. Last night I was tossing and turning, unable to sleep because of my back. I finally drifted off to sleep and [...]
Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/08/little-random-things/' rel='bookmark' title='Little Random Things'>Little Random Things</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/03/this-old-dream/' rel='bookmark' title='This Old Dream'>This Old Dream</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/03/new-addition-2/' rel='bookmark' title='New Addition 2'>New Addition 2</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I hurt my back on Friday night, falling on the ice. Wrenched it trying to save myself. I&#8217;ve spent all weekend in rather a lot of pain and have gotten next to nothing done. Last night I was tossing and turning, unable to sleep because of my back.</p>
<p>I finally drifted off to sleep and dreamed of a tree. In my hand was a set of instructions from the tree. I can read in my dreams (though it has taken years of practice, as a child I could not) but it can be difficult to focus. Yes, the ADHD girl even has a hard time focusing in her dreams. *sigh*</p>
<p>Painstakingly I followed the tree&#8217;s directions. Water on the this root, clear debris from there, push in that piece of bark, remove that dead stick. I got all the way through the list &#8230; and nothing happened. Except I woke up.</p>
<p>And my back wasn&#8217;t hurting anymore. Yay!</p>
<p>Also; weird.</p>
<p>Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/08/little-random-things/' rel='bookmark' title='Little Random Things'>Little Random Things</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/03/this-old-dream/' rel='bookmark' title='This Old Dream'>This Old Dream</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/03/new-addition-2/' rel='bookmark' title='New Addition 2'>New Addition 2</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Still Life</title>
		<link>http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2012/01/still-life/</link>
		<comments>http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2012/01/still-life/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:31:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Juniper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bag of Bits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life of a Hedgewitch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography & Art]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sticks and Stones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wordless Wednesday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[About Juniper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tools]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/?p=2812</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Related posts: My Life in Photos Part One The Mandatory Altar Photos Musings About Life and the Land
Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2009/07/my-life-in-photos-part-one/' rel='bookmark' title='My Life in Photos Part One'>My Life in Photos Part One</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/10/the-mandatory-altar-photos/' rel='bookmark' title='The Mandatory Altar Photos'>The Mandatory Altar Photos</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/01/musings-about-life-and-the-land/' rel='bookmark' title='Musings About Life and the Land'>Musings About Life and the Land</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/still-life.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2813" title="still life" src="http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/still-life.jpg" alt="" width="638" height="431" /></a></p>
<p>Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2009/07/my-life-in-photos-part-one/' rel='bookmark' title='My Life in Photos Part One'>My Life in Photos Part One</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/10/the-mandatory-altar-photos/' rel='bookmark' title='The Mandatory Altar Photos'>The Mandatory Altar Photos</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/01/musings-about-life-and-the-land/' rel='bookmark' title='Musings About Life and the Land'>Musings About Life and the Land</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Skinny Girl</title>
		<link>http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2012/01/skinny-girl/</link>
		<comments>http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2012/01/skinny-girl/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:25:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Juniper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[About Juniper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Community]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Everything Else]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rantings & Ravings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ethics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[values]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/?p=2806</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I used to be skinny. Downright thin as a rail. NO, I wasn’t anorexic or bulimic, though I was constantly accused of such. Being thin just runs in my family. I had a women’s body and a teenage boy’s metabolism. It slowed down, thankfully in my midtwenties. &#160; But from my early teens to my [...]
Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/05/ramblings-on-womanhood-and-feminism-part-two/' rel='bookmark' title='Ramblings on Womanhood and Feminism Part Two'>Ramblings on Womanhood and Feminism Part Two</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/04/juniper-rambles-about-feminism-and-womanhood-part-one/' rel='bookmark' title='Juniper Rambles About Feminism and Womanhood (Part One)'>Juniper Rambles About Feminism and Womanhood (Part One)</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/03/crones/' rel='bookmark' title='Crones'>Crones</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I used to be skinny. Downright thin as a rail. NO, I wasn’t anorexic or bulimic, though I was constantly accused of such. Being thin just runs in my family. I had a women’s body and a teenage boy’s metabolism. It slowed down, thankfully in my midtwenties.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_2807" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/user29178_pic4218_1233431726.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-2807" title="user29178_pic4218_1233431726" src="http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/user29178_pic4218_1233431726-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">This is how Nature made me</p></div>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>I’ve had co-workers follow me to the bathroom to see if I purged my lunch,</p>
<p>I’ve had snide remarks and insults thrown my way for ordering a full meal in front of another woman picking at a salad.</p>
<p>I’ve been told that I am not a real women, because real women have curves.</p>
<p>I’ve had women ask me (in front of a whole party) if I had to wear little girl’s training bras.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve had other women throw food at me, because I needed to stop starving myself.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve had men tell me that they wished I had bigger boobs.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>In high school and my early adult hood it got so bad that I would come home and cut myself.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I had no right to complain that it’s hard to find shirts that aren’t too big in the chest.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>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&#8217;s not, clothes are meant to fit 6 foot tall skinny girls with boob jobs)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I had no right to complain about being cold or tired.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I had no right to complain about the aches and pains of sleeping on my bones from lack of body fat.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>But it’s totally okay for you to single me out and make an example of me.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>It’s okay for you to talk, in front of me, about how disgusting skinny girls are.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>It’s okay for you make comments about my eating habits.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>It’s okay for you to point out how weak I am from not having enough meat on my bones.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>It’s okay to lift up my shirt and loudly count my ribs in front of everyone.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>And it’s totally okay to pass around images like this one:</p>
<p><a href="http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/skinny.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2808" title="skinny" src="http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/skinny-300x286.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="286" /></a></p>
<p>Images that say there is something wrong with me. That I am some kind of monstrous freak.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>That I am “ewwwww”</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>You are swinging the pendulum too far.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Stop this shit. Passing around images like this is not funny and it doesn&#8217;t fix or help a thing.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Two wrongs don’t make a right.</p>
<p>And don&#8217;t you ever attack or insult skinny girls in front of me because I will tear you to fucking pieces.</p>
<p>Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/05/ramblings-on-womanhood-and-feminism-part-two/' rel='bookmark' title='Ramblings on Womanhood and Feminism Part Two'>Ramblings on Womanhood and Feminism Part Two</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/04/juniper-rambles-about-feminism-and-womanhood-part-one/' rel='bookmark' title='Juniper Rambles About Feminism and Womanhood (Part One)'>Juniper Rambles About Feminism and Womanhood (Part One)</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/03/crones/' rel='bookmark' title='Crones'>Crones</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>29</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Checklist</title>
		<link>http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/12/checklist/</link>
		<comments>http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/12/checklist/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:17:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Juniper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[About Juniper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arts & Crafts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hearth & Home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life of a Hedgewitch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paths & Traditions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wheel of the Year]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yuletide]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/?p=2772</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[And so, it was the day before Solstice and all through the house, not a creature was stirring. Except for the cat, he was crying to be let in before the ice rain hit. Time to check in, lovelies! Things that I have done for Yuletide thus far: The obligatory staff Xmas party, which involved [...]
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<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/06/dyeing-for-midsummer/' rel='bookmark' title='Dyeing for Midsummer'>Dyeing for Midsummer</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/12/the-way-it-goes/' rel='bookmark' title='The Way it Goes'>The Way it Goes</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/06/a-few-things-that-work-and-other-things/' rel='bookmark' title='A Few Things That Work (and other things)'>A Few Things That Work (and other things)</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>And so, it was the day before Solstice and all through the house, not a creature was stirring. Except for the cat, he was crying to be let in before the ice rain hit. Time to check in, lovelies! Things that I have done for Yuletide thus far:</em></p>
<p>The obligatory staff Xmas party, which involved pizza and virtual golf. </p>
<p>I have watched the sunset every night for the last week or more (helps that I work outdoors in the evenings)</p>
<p>Attended a couple of holiday parties.</p>
<p>Drank beer and whiskey.</p>
<p>Made and drank mulled wine.</p>
<p>Went on a walk in the woods at night with my room mate.</p>
<p>Attended the Yule ritual for my ritual group/coven/hedge, which was awesome and cozy and full of wonderful stories. </p>
<p>Ate half a sugar cookie (I am cutting down on sugar, especially the refined kind)</p>
<p>Worked a little on the prayer shawl, I am out of wool. </p>
<p>Bought the ingredients for homemade Irish cream.</p>
<p>The ancestors got a cigarette at the start of the holidays. </p>
<p>Introducing new &#038; replacement pieces to the casting collection.</p>
<p>Bought the ingredients for “fixings” or “trimmings” (gravy, stuffing, you know)</p>
<p>Bought or made gifts.</p>
<p>Found a really neat lantern that casts the shadow of a stag, which will come in handy for longest night. </p>
<p>Decorated a tree.</p>
<p>Gave two toys to charity (teddy bears).</p>
<p>Sorted my BoS a little bit.</p>
<p>Wrote a beautiful article for NUP and then lost about 1/3 of it due to stupidity on my part. Currently re-writing. </p>
<p>Ordered some herbs and goodies to play with this winter (more on that later)</p>
<p>Decked the halls. </p>
<p>Made bread pudding. </p>
<p>Ate potluck.</p>
<p>Kicked over a half melted snow man in the park because I am evil and it’s fun. </p>
<p>Mailed a parcel. </p>
<p>Got a card in the mail.</p>
<p>Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/06/dyeing-for-midsummer/' rel='bookmark' title='Dyeing for Midsummer'>Dyeing for Midsummer</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/12/the-way-it-goes/' rel='bookmark' title='The Way it Goes'>The Way it Goes</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/06/a-few-things-that-work-and-other-things/' rel='bookmark' title='A Few Things That Work (and other things)'>A Few Things That Work (and other things)</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
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		<title>Defence Against the Dark Arts (When You are Locked Out of the Circle)</title>
		<link>http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/12/defence-against-the-dark-arts-or-being-locked-out-of-the-circle/</link>
		<comments>http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/12/defence-against-the-dark-arts-or-being-locked-out-of-the-circle/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Dec 2011 04:45:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Juniper</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[About Juniper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Book of Shadows]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Community]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crossing the Hedge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Getting Started]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Grimoire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life of a Hedgewitch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paths & Traditions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Practice & Learning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rantings & Ravings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[101]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shamanism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[values]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Witchcraft]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/?p=2754</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A young woman contacted me a while back asking for knowledge. Not some Craft secret or anything. What she wanted to know was why. WHY? &#160; You see, she had spent the year or two (or more) being harassed by what we shall call a (demon) nasty asshole spirit. She hadn’t done anything in particular [...]
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<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/02/horned-god-devotional/' rel='bookmark' title='Horned God Devotional'>Horned God Devotional</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/10/to-fly-by-night/' rel='bookmark' title='To Fly By Night'>To Fly By Night</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/09/it%e2%80%99s-all-rather-a-lot-of-bother/' rel='bookmark' title='It’s All Rather a lot of Bother'>It’s All Rather a lot of Bother</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A young woman contacted me a while back asking for knowledge. Not some Craft secret or anything. What she wanted to know was why. WHY?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>You see, she had spent the year or two (or more) being harassed by what we shall call a (demon) nasty asshole spirit. She hadn’t done anything in particular to attract such a beastie. She’s not sure when it found her, but she thinks it started with nightmares that kept her up at night and by the end of it, she was a mess. Depression, lack of sleep, couldn’t really eat. The joy of life being sucked out of her, strange obsessions and compulsions. The constant feeling of being watched.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>It wasn’t a mental illness, it wasn’t a physical illness and she wasn’t playing games or looking for attention.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>She searched high and low for help and found none. She lives in a large-ish city in the USA, a city with a thriving Pagan community. Yet, there was no help for her there. She went to bookshops and asked for help. She went to Meet &amp; Greet Coffee Cauldron type events and found no help. She went to the local teaching coven and found no help. She went to the ADF grove and found no help (they told her to pray away the pain). She asked around for help, advice, a book recommendation, anything.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>She went to her parents, who took her to a doctor, who said it was just the stress of her first year at college.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Finally after begging around for help for more than a year, someone suggested she contact a shamanic practitioner in a neighbouring town. He took one look at her and KNEW something was not right. He helped her chase away the asshole spirit who was hurting her, who was driving her into insanity.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>What she wanted to know from me was why. Why did no one help her? She feels as if she must have spoken to every single out Pagan, Heathen and Witch in her community before someone pointed her in the right direction. WHY? Why did they leave her twisting in the wind?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I wanted to answer her and it took a while. There are many answers to this question, because different people would not (or could not) help for different reasons.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>This is something that I have struggled with myself to a certain extent. Not because I have dealt with being harassed or abused by a nasty asshole spirit in the manner that this young woman was. I have never had a demon try to groom me for possession. I have however, been hounded by my own spirits. Also, I was once a young woman dealing with an unhealthy and abusive family situation, various untreated learning disabilities and anxiety … and found no help.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>So in no particular order here’s why it might be hard to find help if you are being called to shamanize, being hounded by spirits, dealing with a curse or being harassed or abused by some nasty asshole spirit (etc). For the record I tend to use the term spirit to mean ANY and/or ALL of the unseen.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you ask around, there are a lot of people who don’t really believe in the “woo stuff”. That’s why we call it the woo stuff. There are a lot of agnostic, atheist and archetypal folks in our … (oh, whatever we are calling it, or not calling it, now) our religious body/community/whatever. So a kid dealing with unseen awfulness, who does the right thing by asking around for help, might run into a bunch of people who don’t believe that what is happening to her is even really, real. Not really. Really?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>This doesn’t make them bad people, they just don’t believe. This makes them a poor source of help however. Though they might be able to suggest a book … or website, or something. It’s no skin of their nose, right? Right?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>There are also plenty of people who don’t really believe in mental illness (or neurological disorders or learning disabilities etc) either. People who think depression, addiction, or anxiety are not real illnesses. You just have to suck it up. I tell someone that I have social anxiety and ADHD (that I have been working on for the better part of a decade, thanks) and the majority of the time the response I get is an eye roll and a condensing look. Excuses, excuses.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I recall an article on Witchvox years ago wherein the author berates lazy, young Pagans for not meditating as often as they should. At one point she made sarcastic remarks about ADHD. It seems she was some kind of teacher of the Craft. Who resented having young people with neurobiological disorders ask her for extra help because their disorder made things like meditation more difficult.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>This is exactly the kind of attitude you will run into when you tell people in the Pagan community that you think you are being hounded by spirits or being cursed (etc).</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The reaction I used to get when I was dealing with my first visionary and shamanic experiences were the eye roll, the condescending look. Hell, try talking about being god-owned in a mixed group of Pagans. The eye rolls, the condescending looks.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Try talking about hardcore, old school, folkloric Witchcraft. Folks will say “Oh no one actually works with piss and blood and sticks pins in things. No one does that old stuff, anymore.” (I can personally attest to the fact that this notion is wrong. Would you like to meet my blasting rod? Or see what I put into spell bottles?)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>They don’t believe. Even if they think these things are possible, they certainly don’t believe it’s happening to you.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Not everyone does it, but there are some who believe that kids and newbies don’t know what they are talking about. In a way they don’t; they probably lack the vocabulary to know how to express what’s happening to them. If we assume that someone if a layman, we can assume that they might not know what they are dealing with or how to express what is happening.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>A kid who is being abused in her sleep by a nasty asshole demon-type might call it a ghost or poltergeist or a boogeyman. It’s like how they used to misdiagnose women who were having heart attacks because women describe their symptoms differently from the (male written) medical text books. Hell, terminology games pisses me off. I’ve resorted to defiantly calling everything spirits most of the time now.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>They might assume that you are looking for attention or putting on teenager theatrics. Everybody is guilty of making this assumption at some point. We all look back at ourselves at that age and think about how “stupid” we were, right? Then we project that onto to other people.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>It wouldn’t be surprising for someone to think that you have a bad case of “newbie thinks she’s been cursed”. Once again a newbie or kid not knowing what is going on might think she is cursed. Yes, most of the time if you think you’ve been cursed you haven’t been cursed. Sometimes (rarely) it means that you have been. It could also mean that some spirit is hurting you. You don’t know what it is; you just know something is terribly wrong. You may think that you have been cursed or are being haunted.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Basically, you might know something is wrong but not know the exact nature of what is wrong. Therefore, you can’t properly describe what’s wrong when seeking help. Gosh, can you imagine how hard that must be?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>A lot of Pagans, well meaning as they may be, are deaf, blind and dumb. They don’t see or feel or sense the spirit world. They have no real concept of the otherside. How can they help if they are blind to it? They can’t. There’s a fabulous story that Lon Milo DuQuette tells about how once he lead a workshop on Circle casting and parting the Veil. It scared the hell out of some poor woman. Because despite having practiced for years, she had never actually felt anything before! This is startlingly common.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>If you find someone who is willing to listen, someone who believes that something might be going on with you, they might not be able to help. Most of us stick to the lighter side of things if you catch my drift. Most folks just don’t go down that road. They don’t have the tools to help you. The trouble with the Harm None ethos is that it means no one knows how to chase off a bully. They might have a dozen ways to create a shield or ward a room, but to actually go toe to toe with some nasty little brownie? Most Pagans, Heathens and (sadly) Witches, have no idea how to even begin such an operation.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Many people don’t want to get involved, because they have a reputation to protect. What if people found out that Lady Name Dropper actually has no clue how to handle a nasty asshole spirit? What if Lord Training Coven tried to help but had to admit defeat? What if he made things worse? What if Lady I’m So Dignified was caught in such an embarrassing situation as actually trying to help the weird goth girl with her spirit problem? GASP!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>We don’t like weirdos, freak, geeks or crazy people and you look like one. Whether you are being hounded by your own spirits, being harassed by a nasty spirit or being horribly cursed by someone, it can look a lot like what you need is a doctor. These things can cause (or trigger) depression and anxiety and insomnia. Or maybe you just look like a weirdo with your greasy unkempt hair and your odd clothing and glassy eyes.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Most of the books out there that talk about things like (for example) receiving the call to shamanize, will mention that many become ill but don’t typically mention how. What kind of illness. It’s kind of vague.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>When someone is wasting away, losing their shit or can’t get out of bed (etc) we usually assume that it’s something a doctor ought to deal with. Because you should see a doctor and all (that should be one of the first things you do), but sometimes there’s something else going on.  The trouble is that to the observer, it can look like just a bad case the blues or the flu (or depression or anorexia or…)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I wasn’t even close to ready when I got the call. I was stupid and I forced it too damned early. I was clever enough, and had been practicing long enough (about 6 years), to know that it was probably inevitable. But young and brash enough to loose patience and go chasing after it. I’ve written about the experience a bit before. I over indulged in some potent flying ointment and meet up with the spirits that I was familiar with at the time. I demanded things that I had no right to ask for, things I hadn’t earned, and got my fuckin’ ass kicked for it.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>It was rather like barging into someone’s home because you have a crush on them and then seeing that they are into some really kinky shit. Getting freaked, running out of the house thinking it was all a big mistake. And then they decide to stalk you.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I was in my early twenties. I had punk hair and pale skin. I wore raggedy clothes than didn’t match and didn’t fit right. I had bags under my eyes. I was naught but skin and bones. I have a big tattoo on my arm. I had body piercings at the time. I wore the dreaded and offensive oversized pentacle around my neck. No one was going to help the likes of me.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Certainly not in 2001 when everyone was hating on us kids who had discovered Paganism in the 1990s.  Do you remember? We were just addicted to Charmed and Buffy and had watched The Craft too many times. How dare we call ourselves Witches or Wiccans or Pagans? We were all just a bunch of fluffy bunnies! We were ruining Paganism with our solitary eclectic ways and our Doc Martins and purple hair! It was cool to hunt fluffy bunnies, cool to pick on newbies, people were proud of themselves for being assholes to us.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>There was no way that I was being called, struggling to deal with Mysteries greater than I could wrap my young mind around, or under going initiation by spirits and gods. Nope. I was just some punk ass kid. Just another annoying solitary, eclectic, wannabe making up stories. The “wise” grey hairs turned their backs on me.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>How dare you ask about spirit work and otherworld travel and repairing missing soul parts and being a horse for a god and all that stuff? How dare I ask about parting the Veil and hedgecrossing and how to do battle with a spirit? That’s second degree stuff at least. You aren’t allowed to know that. You are not worthy of my knowledge! It must be so nice to belong to a tradition that expects you to just stand there and let a kid drown because throwing them a life preserver would be revealing initiatory mysteries. I’d really like someone to explain how they justify that?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I was on my own.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I was in my early twenties. I had pale skin. I had bags under my eyes. I was naught but skin and bones. I wasn’t sleeping, I was always cold. My body ached. I went from always being early for work, performing well and making great money to failing miserably at my job. Things that had seemed pretty minor once I escaped the horror of high school, like my ADHD or Dyscalculia, sudden reared their heads and got much, much worse. Stuff form my childhood kept coming up. I started self isolating. I didn’t want to do anything but sleep. Allergies I never had before suddenly flared up. My relationship started a slow decline. Then I started having anxiety attacks.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>To some I looked like another newbie trying to get attention. To some I looked like I was a head case or maybe a junkie (I was accused of such). To some it looked I needed a doctor or a therapist (I got both). To some it looked like I was trying to cheat or find a short cut to the knowledge that they hoard like jealous dragons. What I really needed was help or a mentor or someone to throw me a scrap of insight or encouragement (I got none of that).</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I didn’t look like someone with fire in the head, causing her pain. People have this stupid fucking idea that someone who is on deeply spiritual path, someone who is a good Crafter, someone who is surrounded by spirits (etc) is going to look the good witch Glenda. All smiles and perfect hair and floating around in stylish clothes. This is not always the case.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>This is certainly not the case of someone who is being hounded by spirits or abused by a demon.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I have no heroic climax to offer you as an end of my story. I just slogged through one day at a time. I spent a lot of time in libraries, I worked the land, and I struggled to understand what my spirits demanding I learn. I poured every little scrap of strength and energy into my practice. Eventually got my shit together, more or less. It was rather like getting lost in the woods with a broken leg while also being smeared with honey. There’s no rescue crew out there looking for you, so you’ll have to find your own way out of the woods. But kid, if you actually make it out alive you’ll be Chuck Norris. Me? Some ten years later, I’ve set up camp in the edge of woods; I can see the clearing from here but I think I’ll stay put for a while.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>We are protecting ourselves. Even if someone can help you, they may not want to take the risk. Getting down and dirty with a nasty spirit might mean it turns its attention onto you. Getting involve din helping someone being cursed might cause the hexer to start throwing at you. If you have kids at home you might be reluctant to help. If you are dealing with some stress and trouble in your own life you might not be in the position to take on helping someone. Once again though, someone in such a situation could still offer some advice, or recommend a book, or suggest someone who can help. It wouldn’t be that hard, now would it? Would it?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Of course, maybe they just don’t give a shit about you. There are plenty of people in the world who wouldn’t help you because they are just rotten people. The Pagan community is full of really awesome people, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a few sadistic creeps or apathetic narcissists (and so on) in our midst.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>In our society it’s common to blame the victim. If a young person fell into the wrong crowd and got mixed up with drug, then came looking for a way out, are we supposed to turn away? Because they got themselves in that situation to begin with, right? Surely when I went chasing after that Big Impressive Mystery I was asking for trouble. I’ll agree with you on that. Does that mean it was okay to leave me twisting in the wind? It is somehow a Pagan value to leave someone who made a mistake to drown in shit? You brought this on yourself; therefore you deserve to suffer, kid. What if you didn’t do anything to bring the bad situation on yourself? Who’s going to believe that? Who is going to care? It’s so much easier to blame the victim. It’s her own damned fault; let her figure out how to deal on her own. How do you justify leaving a hurting kid to suffer alone? By blaming her for making a mistake? For being vulnerable to attack and abuse by some nasty spirit or asshole ex boyfriend who is now throwing curses at her? You made your bed, go lie in it and NO I am not going to so much as suggest a way to make that bed. No help for you! You don’t deserve help or kindness or empathy or compassion. How is this attitude such a big part of Paganism?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>In the Pagan community especially (I can give most Heathens and Witches a pass on this) there is this silly notion that if you never do harm, no entity will ever do harm unto you. This is like a pacifist thinking that no one will ever break into her home and rape her, because she is a pacifist. If you’re a pacifist, you’re a pacifist. I can respect that (even if it makes no sense to me) some of the people I respect most are pacifists. But don’t think for a second that this “I do no harm” thing is going to somehow protect you. Pacifism is not a shield.  Me? I’ll fight.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Therefore, if you are being hurt by something, you brought it on yourself. You didn’t Harm None. Because being bathed in White light keeps you safe. You must have been dabbling in something dark and awful! You deserve no help.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>We don’t want to recommend someone from the OTHER PATH. We can’t acknowledge the validity of someone else’s tradition by recommending that you go see them for help. Heaven forbid! I think about some of the people on other Paths here in Ottawa (and other places I have lived) and I bet that if someone came to them for help, they would not suggest they go see me. Not because they don’t think I could help. Because then they’d have to acknowledge my Path actually has some value. That I can do something they can’t. Elitism causes cannibalism, the kind that eats our children. But hey, so long as I’m top dog, who gives a shit?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>We don’t know who can help you, or where to find them. Ask around at Pagan Pride Day or something, who is the go-to guy for dealing with nasty stuff? It might be hard to find an answer. This is another symptom of “My Trad is Better than Your Trad”. It’s also a symptom of non belief. Those crazy Hedgewitch-y types actually believe in this stuff? They actually work with spirits? The freaks! They must be playing make believe! Those Ceremonial Magicians summon demons and get them to bend to their will? Madness! Dark Arts! Keep away from me!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Okay, enough calling out the community for not being helpful. I really am trying to be constructive with my criticism, but I know most won’t see it that way. That’s fine. I’m bitter and jaded enough to not care anymore.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>What is a person who is in dire straights to actually do?</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>People who might be able to help you  (if you are being hounded/called by your spirits and they are making you sick/crazy, if you are being abused by a nasty asshole spirit, if you genuinely think you pissed someone off enough to throw curse at you and so forth)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Someone who has experience and a good reputation as:</strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>A shaman</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>A spirit working or shamanic Witch. We go by many names. Hedgewitch, toad witch, cunning folk, whatevs … Just ask for the Witch who does the crazy stuff, like trance work or spirit work.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>A Siedr practitioner</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>A Voodoo priest/ess</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>A ceremonial magician</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>A Hoodoo practitioner</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I think you get the idea. Look for the people who actually work with the unseen and walk the grey areas. Those who follow a crooked path, not one that is all love and light. Obviously these people might still turn you away. They might not be able to help you, or might not want to. (A pregnant lady can’t be dealing with other people’s demons) But if they are even halfway competent in their Craft and half way decent human beings, they’d at the very least suggest a course of action for you to take, or point you to someone who can help you, or something. Something! It’s not that hard to suggest a book or website or something. Something! <em>(Please suggest books in the comments. I will make a list and put them in the Hedge’s articles.)</em></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Some things that you can do if you are having troubles with the unseen:</strong></p>
<p>Find a reputable diviner or reader (someone good at tarot or runes for example) and have them do reading or casting to divine what is bothering you, what is the root cause. They may also be able to point you in the right direction for what action to take.</p>
<p>Place protective wards and magicks. Such as witch bottles, witch balls, bundles of protective herbs, inscribing runes and so forth. It’s 101 stuff and yet very few people actually do this seriously.</p>
<p>Cleanse and bless your home and self on a regular basis. I’ll admit I tend to “cleanse only on an as needed” myself but I do hallow my home on a semi regular basis. If something bad were happening, I’d be battening down the hatches.</p>
<p>Don’t bring people home who you are not comfortable with. The same goes for any one else. That means wights and fairies too. What’s the old saying? Never conjure something you can’t throw down with and win like a boss.</p>
<p>Keep one knife sharp and clean and another other dull and icky. Don’t be afraid to brandish one and tell some intruder spirit that “I will cut you and fuck you up. Back off!” Don’t make threats you won’t follow up on though. Would you hesitate to shoot a strange man barging into your kid’s bedroom? Defend yourself if you have to. Coat your blade in power and anger and fear and cut that fucker up.</p>
<p>Ceremonial magick has all sorts of experience with working with all sorts of … entities. It doesn’t hurt to read a little of that stuff even if it’s not your style.</p>
<p>Those old grimories? They are full of that shit. Find them (often free on the internet, people) and read them. There are also people who have written books explaining, or theorizing about, this stuff. You don’t have to master it. Unless you HAVE to master it. But at least take a look at it.</p>
<p>Learn how to curse. Learn how to do harm magickally and energetically so that you can actively defend yourself. Sorry, I am not even going to give the Wiccans a free pass on this stuff. I am sure Grandpa Gerald would agree that you should be able to defend yourself from the dark arts and nasty spirits if it came to it. Sometimes good thoughts and white light is not enough. Actually, it’s usually not even close to enough.</p>
<p>Build a good relationship with deity, the ancestors, your own spirits, the wight in the tree in your yard and so forth. If you really have a strong bond with such, they might protect you or at least give warning.</p>
<p>Have scapegoat-y things. You know the witch bottle, the poppet with you hair in it. Something that will attract bad shit to it and away from you.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Books to read:</strong></p>
<p>Psychic Self-Defence by Dion Fortune</p>
<p>A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels and Other Subversive Spirits by Carol Mack and Dinah Mack</p>
<p>Encyclopaedia of Witchcraft &amp; Demonology by Russell H. Robbins</p>
<p>Spirit Possession and Exorcism: History, Psychology, and Neurobiology by Patrick McNamara</p>
<p>The Witches&#8217; Book of Ghosts and Exorcism by Robin Skelton and Jean Kozocari</p>
<p>Psychic Shield: The Personal Handbook of Psychic Protection by Caitlin Matthews</p>
<p>Magickal Self Defence: A Quantum Approach to Warding by Kerr Cuhulain</p>
<p>Monsters: An Investigator&#8217;s Guide to Magical Beings by John Michael Greer</p>
<p>Protection &amp; Reversal Magick: A Witch&#8217;s Defense Manual (Beyond 101) by Jason Miller</p>
<p>The Secret Commonwealth: An Essay on the Nature and Actions of the Subterranean (and for the Most Part) Invisible People, Heretofore Going Under the Name of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies by Robert Kirk</p>
<p>An Introduction to the Psychology of Paranormal Belief and Experience by Tony Jinks</p>
<p>Carmina Gadelica by Alexander Carmichael</p>
<p>Defences Against the Witches’ Craft: Anti-cursing charms from English folk magick, traditional witchcraft and the grimoire traditions by English root magician by John Canard</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Related Links:</strong></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://witchofforestgrove.com/2010/12/07/theyre-watching-you/">They’re Watching You</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://rootandrock.blogspot.com/2011/11/dangerous-knowledge.html">&#8220;Dangerous Knowledge.&#8221;</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a title="Permanent Link to Podcast 36 – Dealing with Spirits" href="http://newworldwitchery.com/2011/11/11/podcast-36-dealing-with-spirits/">Dealing with Spirits</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Related posts:<ol>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/02/horned-god-devotional/' rel='bookmark' title='Horned God Devotional'>Horned God Devotional</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2010/10/to-fly-by-night/' rel='bookmark' title='To Fly By Night'>To Fly By Night</a></li>
<li><a href='http://walkingthehedge.net/blog/2011/09/it%e2%80%99s-all-rather-a-lot-of-bother/' rel='bookmark' title='It’s All Rather a lot of Bother'>It’s All Rather a lot of Bother</a></li>
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