I was using the computer at my boyfriends parents house yesterday; I looked over at the printer and was delighted by what I saw laying on top of it. The Way of Four Spellbook: working magic with the elements by Deborah Lipp was sitting there as if it had been waiting for me to pick it up (okay so I exaggerate a little, but just a little).
When I first started studying Wicca, just over ten years ago now, I was a voracious reader with an addiction to metaphysical books put out by Lewellyn press (even the brightly colored, glittery, bubblegum books). My love for Lewellyn however, faded with time and as I advanced in both spiritual and magickal practice. I have found that this is not uncommon, as many other Wiccans have spoken to me about similar experiences with Lewellyn.
I think that I know the reason for this. First let me start out by saying that I am thankful to Lewellyn because though it was a friend that started me traveling down the Wiccan path, it was certainly Lewellyn that gave me the tools and information to hurtle down that road. With that said I can feel less guilty about pointing out some of the publishers shortcomings.
In my opinion Lewellyn focuses mostly on attracting newcomers to the craft. They do this by marketing mainly beginner books. Many of these beginner books are referred to derisively as bubblegum books by members of the Pagan community. The term basically means glittery books with watered down information meant to attract young people enamored with the movie the craft and the t.v. show Charmed. Some members of the Pagan community are downright hostile towards these books and towards the young, new and often bedazzled people that these books attract to the community.
I disagree with and am saddened by such hostility. After all, we were all newbies once to modern Wicca and paganism. Even those of us that came from family traditions (I did but in my family we certainly didnt call it Wicca, nope we were non-practicing Catholics, lol) were new to the revival, trying to suspend our disbelief while we assimilated the mainstream cousin of our family trads. And for those that came from very strict Christian upbringings, these supposedly bubblegum books served as a great way to ease the transition. Converting to a new religion is hard for anyone, even those who do not come from strict religious backgrounds, and beginner books help ease the transition.
Many people who start out with these beginner books lose interest when they realize that the glittery spellbook that promised them a quick finger snapping journey to happiness and fulfillment was wrong and that Wicca consists of both complex magickal and spiritual systems. And that's all right. In my opinion the experience that these people had and the knowledge that they learned from these books is still highly beneficial to the pagan community. Though these people are no longer members of the community, they often remain friendly to it. Good relations with members of other religions is vital if we are ever to achieve equal rights. These people also often remain open to Wicca as well and have favorable reactions when one of their friends, children or other family members decides to embrace Wicca.
So, before I digress any farther those are the reasons why I think that Llewellyn's plethora of beginner books is a good thing. However, I think that Lewellyn focuses to much of its energy on the beginner books and not enough on more advanced texts.
I know I am not the only one who after making my way through many beginner books kind of felt like I reached a dead end. I was strictly solitary at that time, and Lewellyn and other publishers (there are a few other small presses that market Pagan books) lack of advanced texts left me at a loss as to where I should go next. For many solitaires books are their main form of guidance and once they make it past the beginner stage they start to feel like "Now What?"
For me this ended up being a good thing as a lack of advanced texts pushed me to seek greater involvement and help from the Pagan community. I learned a lot from other Pagans sometimes in better ways than from books and sometimes in worse ways than from books. I also began involvement in Pagan Pride day and found fulfillment in service to my community.
However, I still feel an empty place within me that comes from a lack of involvement with a coven that I mesh with. I know that without that kind of involvement with a coven that I truly fit with I am not reaching my full potential, and my journey is certainly being slowed down. I fully believe that solitary practitioners are Real Pagans, can go very far and can quite often surpass members of established covens in terms of both spiritual and magickal practice. However, I must acknowledge that the journey is simply made more difficult by a lack of trusted, like minded souls around one that can support and enhance ones efforts.
There are also many Pagans who are deeply in the broom closet about their faith. I completely understand this because real world pressure caused me to hide out there for years. Even now I am a quasi-public witch. I will tell just about anyone who asks me what my religion is...but they have to ask. For people forced to hide out in the broom closet, public events (such as pagan pride day) are out of the question. Many times, involvement in a coven is also just too risky for these people. So the lack of advanced texts out there really hits them hard.
But there is hope ahead that this lack of advanced texts will eventually be remedied. First, the Pagan community is growing up, particularly Wicca. And when I say that I basically mean the average age of members. The Wiccan revival exploded in the United States starting about fifteen years ago. And quite often its open minded youth, who haven't been exposed to 3 or 4 decades of religious strictness that embrace Wicca. So to start with Wicca was very young. Its still young, but since many of the newbies who were attracted to the craft ten or fifteen years ago stayed our community is quickly changing and the call for advanced texts is growing.
To help accelerate the growth of availability of advanced texts though, we must all do our part. Next time, you are browsing at Barnes and Noble or other bookstore for a new metaphysical book pass over the glittering spell books and go for the more advanced (if rather more dull looking based on the cover) texts, or just buy them both. Lewellyn, like all publishers, stays in business because it markets books that sell. And the only way they will ever begin really offering advanced texts is if they see a great demand for them. If you really want to help, send Lewellyn an email and tell them that beginner books are not enough and that you are ready for something more than glitter.
And now, that Ive aired all of my thoughts and grievances with Lewellyn I will soon settle in to read the Way of Four Spellbook . It focuses on working with the elements which are some of my favorite components of magickal practice. I also noticed that the book is a companion to Deborah Lippels book The Way of Four. Hmmm....if the spellbook turns out to be good, I may just have to make a trip to the bookstore to purchase the first one.
I have planned, for some time, to write reviews of the many metaphysical books out there such as: Buckland's complete guide to Witchcraft, To ride a silver broomstick, solitary practitioner, to stir a magick cauldron, green witchcraft and others. These books and I have become old friends and I have found that each focuses on and serves a few different specific purposes. I hope that by writing reviews I might assist some Pagans in finding books that will help them achieve their goals.
Check back soon for a review on the Way of Four spellbook. I have found that writing book reviews is easier when I am currently or have recently finished a book, so I will review this one before I start catching up on previous Lewellyn titles.
I am keeping an open mind that The Way of Four Spellbook will be more than just a beginner book. After all I began Green Witchcraft by Anne Moura with trepidation that I might be wasting my time and was more than pleasantly surprised by the information I found concerning magickal practice. I was also thrilled by Moura's depiction of her family tradition, which was very similar to mine in many ways one being that neither tradition called itself Wicca. The book also allowed Moura to demonstrate her way of living, in addition to spells. Information on incorporating magickal and spiritual practice into real life to promote serenity and peace is always helpful. So with that in mind I leave you for a while to dig into this new book. Who knows I may just like what I read.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
marriage is not only a Christian Institution
I read a blog today that disturbed me. I'm not going to post the url because even though I didnt like the contents I'm not trying to send a bunch of haters that blogger's way. The blog was about why the author thought gay marriage should not be allowed.
What got me was that the man's main arguement for outlawing it was that marriage was an entirely "Christian institution". I couldn't help but think "are you kidding me?" I guess no one got married earlier than the 2,000 odd years ago that marked the start of Christianity. That is the biggest load of crap I have ever read.
Its as bad as that article I read where this Christian lady wanted everyone who wasn't Christian to quit celebrating Christmas and get their own holiday. She was astonished and unbelieving at first when I and many other readers informed her of Christmas' very Pagan roots. Lol, no one stopped there either her illusions about Easter and even Groundhog day were shattered by the time readers were done with her. Even other Christians were laughing and telling her she needed to grow in Christ and become more informed.
I saw that same kind of ignorance at work when I read that blogger's claims that marriage was a christian institution. Marriage is an institution and tradition among people of all cultures, ethnicity's and faiths. And with each group its idea of what marriage should be is a bit different. And that is the way it should be. We should celebrate our differences instead of trying to force people to bend to our idea of how things should be.
I acknowledge that Christianity has many followers. In fact roughly 1/3 of the world's population is Christian making it the largest religion in the world. But what that really means is that 2/3 of the world's population are something else. So why is 1/3 getting to make the decisions for the 2/3?
The other main argument that I see against gay marriage is that Christians feel marriage is the foundation for strong families. I believe that too (not to say that long term boyfriend, girlfriend relationships can't ever be just as stable as a marriage. they can but that is usually not the case. And children born to a married couple that stay together are statistically better off than those raised by single parents or an unmarried couple.).
But I don't see how gay marriage undermines traditional marriage. What are they afraid of? Are they worried that untold number of housewives are secretly lesbians that are going to leave their husbands and run off with their girlfriends if gay marriage becomes legal? lol, i just don't get it.
Even though I am divorced I actually have a pretty traditional view of marriage. I believe that married couples should do everything and anything in their power to stay together, paticularly if they have children. I used to believe this so strongly that I tried to save my marriage even though my ex-husband was severely physically abusive to me. I did everything I could but after many injuries such as cracked ribs, broken teeth and a split scalp that had to be stapled back together I realized that what I had wasn't really a marriage anyway. For me it was a form of bondage that chained me to a man that would have killed me if I'd stayed any longer.
My views about marriage though are why, ten years after leaving, I have not remarried. I have come close but I won't do it until I'm absolutely sure that I have a man worth spending the rest of my life with. And you know what? It won't matter if one or a million gay couples tie the knot by the time I get married again, the sanctity of my marriage won't be affected. I am not threatened by beliefs, views, and sexual orientations that differ from mine. I don't need strength of numbers to stick to my guns.
I also can't help but notice a trend. Anytime one group tries to make another group second class citizens they deny them things that should be theirs by right. Such as the old laws outlawing marriage for slaves. Slaves could not legally be married rather they had their own non-legal ceremonies. These ceremonies actually resembled handfastings. Many slaves even did things like jump a broomstick in their ceremonies. As cool as that is, it was a travesty that slaves were denied the right to marry. Wiccan and other pagan ceremonies used to not be recognized as legal either until Wicca gained status with the IRS as a bona fide religion. Until then people had to go to the justice of the peace at the court house and have a little mini ceremony there in order to be legally married.
I see the idea of "civil unions" as just a way to throw a bone to a group of people that the majority seeks to treat like dogs. Marriage is not the property of any one group, ethnicity or religion. So therefore no group, ethnicity or religion should have the right to define what marriage should be to others.
Phew! Rant done! Bet you all wish i would stop being shy and just come out and say how I really feel, lol.
What got me was that the man's main arguement for outlawing it was that marriage was an entirely "Christian institution". I couldn't help but think "are you kidding me?" I guess no one got married earlier than the 2,000 odd years ago that marked the start of Christianity. That is the biggest load of crap I have ever read.
Its as bad as that article I read where this Christian lady wanted everyone who wasn't Christian to quit celebrating Christmas and get their own holiday. She was astonished and unbelieving at first when I and many other readers informed her of Christmas' very Pagan roots. Lol, no one stopped there either her illusions about Easter and even Groundhog day were shattered by the time readers were done with her. Even other Christians were laughing and telling her she needed to grow in Christ and become more informed.
I saw that same kind of ignorance at work when I read that blogger's claims that marriage was a christian institution. Marriage is an institution and tradition among people of all cultures, ethnicity's and faiths. And with each group its idea of what marriage should be is a bit different. And that is the way it should be. We should celebrate our differences instead of trying to force people to bend to our idea of how things should be.
I acknowledge that Christianity has many followers. In fact roughly 1/3 of the world's population is Christian making it the largest religion in the world. But what that really means is that 2/3 of the world's population are something else. So why is 1/3 getting to make the decisions for the 2/3?
The other main argument that I see against gay marriage is that Christians feel marriage is the foundation for strong families. I believe that too (not to say that long term boyfriend, girlfriend relationships can't ever be just as stable as a marriage. they can but that is usually not the case. And children born to a married couple that stay together are statistically better off than those raised by single parents or an unmarried couple.).
But I don't see how gay marriage undermines traditional marriage. What are they afraid of? Are they worried that untold number of housewives are secretly lesbians that are going to leave their husbands and run off with their girlfriends if gay marriage becomes legal? lol, i just don't get it.
Even though I am divorced I actually have a pretty traditional view of marriage. I believe that married couples should do everything and anything in their power to stay together, paticularly if they have children. I used to believe this so strongly that I tried to save my marriage even though my ex-husband was severely physically abusive to me. I did everything I could but after many injuries such as cracked ribs, broken teeth and a split scalp that had to be stapled back together I realized that what I had wasn't really a marriage anyway. For me it was a form of bondage that chained me to a man that would have killed me if I'd stayed any longer.
My views about marriage though are why, ten years after leaving, I have not remarried. I have come close but I won't do it until I'm absolutely sure that I have a man worth spending the rest of my life with. And you know what? It won't matter if one or a million gay couples tie the knot by the time I get married again, the sanctity of my marriage won't be affected. I am not threatened by beliefs, views, and sexual orientations that differ from mine. I don't need strength of numbers to stick to my guns.
I also can't help but notice a trend. Anytime one group tries to make another group second class citizens they deny them things that should be theirs by right. Such as the old laws outlawing marriage for slaves. Slaves could not legally be married rather they had their own non-legal ceremonies. These ceremonies actually resembled handfastings. Many slaves even did things like jump a broomstick in their ceremonies. As cool as that is, it was a travesty that slaves were denied the right to marry. Wiccan and other pagan ceremonies used to not be recognized as legal either until Wicca gained status with the IRS as a bona fide religion. Until then people had to go to the justice of the peace at the court house and have a little mini ceremony there in order to be legally married.
I see the idea of "civil unions" as just a way to throw a bone to a group of people that the majority seeks to treat like dogs. Marriage is not the property of any one group, ethnicity or religion. So therefore no group, ethnicity or religion should have the right to define what marriage should be to others.
Phew! Rant done! Bet you all wish i would stop being shy and just come out and say how I really feel, lol.
religion and politics
I heard something today that made me very sad. I was talking to my boyfriend's sister about the presidential election. I was surprised, a few weeks ago, to find out that she planned on voting for John McCain. You see, she is young and what I would call an agnostic with pagan leanings. Despite a very strict conservative and religious upbringing she turned out pretty liberal. she is pro-choice and believes in equal rights for gays. So I figured that McCain's anti-gay rights stance and plans to overturn Roe v. Wade if given a chance to appoint conservative judges to the supreme court would totally have her voting for Obama.
So when we were talking about it today I asked her why and her answer astonished me. She said that she just doesn't trust him because he is a muslim and belongs to a radical "anti-whitey" church. The muslim part had me perturbed; its the second time I heard that he was muslim but I didn't think that he was. I asked if she was sure, and she assured me that he was. She said those two things plus all of his funding made her nervous about him and made her not trust him.
I think that she thought there was some kind of conspiracy from rich arab oil people to put an extremist muslim in the oval office. Wow.
I was skeptical about the muslim part because I watched election coverage for hours on election night and the announcers just kept saying that if Obama was elected history would be made because he would be the first african-american president. If he were muslim I'm sure that they would have mentioned that because that too would have made history. After all, every President we have had with the exception of John F. Kennedy has been a part of some branch of Protestantism. Considering the effect that muslim extremists have had on the world since September 11th, 2001 I know that they would have mentioned something. so I looked it up on the internet.
By nature I question everything. And this time I am glad I did because Obama is not a muslim. He is a Christian that belongs to an "afrocentric" church. The church's leader is pretty radical though, i'll give her that. but geez the man cant be both an extremist muslim and a racist christian. it was Hilary Clinton that brought it up during the dem. primaries because Obama went to a muslim school for a couple years when he was a kid living in India. Most people don't realize that there are two kinds of muslim schools, one for secular teachings and the other for religious teachings. Obama attended one of the secular primary schools.
Honestly, the whole thing upset me quite a bit. Because why should it matter if the man were muslim or not? I love her to death but man some religious bigotry has got a hold of her. It makes me sad, really sad because true Islam promotes peace and forbids the killing of innocent people. It in no way justifies, excuses or promotes terrorism. And honestly if you want to compare track records Islam's is a heck of a lot cleaner than Christianity's. After all, it wasn't Muslims storming london during the crusades. Most Pagans I know won't use a cross for any sort of magickal purpose not because it's Christian but because it is a symbol of war. Untold number of murders happened in the face of that symbol in the name of God not Allah.
But because of the actions of a few extremists many now equate the word "muslim" with "terrorist". I feel this deeply since many of these same people equate the word "Wiccan" or "Pagan" with "Satanist". There are plenty of Christian extremists out there too. Man would some of these bigots get a taste of their own medecine if everyone began calling christians "terrorists" or "satanists" because of a few of their whacked out members.
An example of this is the Westboro Baptist Church. That christian church believes that the war in Iraq and many natural disasters happen because God is punishing America for its tolerance of homosexuality. They regularly picket military funerals and the scenes of things like earthquakes, freak landslides and so on with signs that say things like "he deserved to die" and "God hates fags." that's even the name of their damn website. How horrible is that to torment people that are already dealing with the worst pain there is - the loss of a loved one. Oh And on their horrible website they celebrate the murders of gay men such as Matthew Sheppard and encourage more violence against gays.
Would it be fair to judge and label all christians on the basis of these few religious nutjobs? Absolutely not. And its not fair to do it to muslims, pagans or anyone else of any other religion. You can not judge a religion based upon how it has been twisted and warped. It's that kind of attitude that makes me feel like equal rights for Pagans will be a long time in coming. And its that kind of attitude that has me keeping one foot always in the broom closet so i can jump back in an avoid persecution if I have too. I hope I will never have to, but I am not so certain.
I'm not sure what to do really except to continue to raise awareness and work for the cause of religious tolerance by setting the record straight about Paganism and Islam for anyone who wishes to listen (mind you no prosletizing just informing those who would like to know). I also plan to continue to help out with events such as Pagan pride day. But I can't do it alone. so if any of you reading this have a chance to help the cause of religious tolerance please give a sister a hand!!
So when we were talking about it today I asked her why and her answer astonished me. She said that she just doesn't trust him because he is a muslim and belongs to a radical "anti-whitey" church. The muslim part had me perturbed; its the second time I heard that he was muslim but I didn't think that he was. I asked if she was sure, and she assured me that he was. She said those two things plus all of his funding made her nervous about him and made her not trust him.
I think that she thought there was some kind of conspiracy from rich arab oil people to put an extremist muslim in the oval office. Wow.
I was skeptical about the muslim part because I watched election coverage for hours on election night and the announcers just kept saying that if Obama was elected history would be made because he would be the first african-american president. If he were muslim I'm sure that they would have mentioned that because that too would have made history. After all, every President we have had with the exception of John F. Kennedy has been a part of some branch of Protestantism. Considering the effect that muslim extremists have had on the world since September 11th, 2001 I know that they would have mentioned something. so I looked it up on the internet.
By nature I question everything. And this time I am glad I did because Obama is not a muslim. He is a Christian that belongs to an "afrocentric" church. The church's leader is pretty radical though, i'll give her that. but geez the man cant be both an extremist muslim and a racist christian. it was Hilary Clinton that brought it up during the dem. primaries because Obama went to a muslim school for a couple years when he was a kid living in India. Most people don't realize that there are two kinds of muslim schools, one for secular teachings and the other for religious teachings. Obama attended one of the secular primary schools.
Honestly, the whole thing upset me quite a bit. Because why should it matter if the man were muslim or not? I love her to death but man some religious bigotry has got a hold of her. It makes me sad, really sad because true Islam promotes peace and forbids the killing of innocent people. It in no way justifies, excuses or promotes terrorism. And honestly if you want to compare track records Islam's is a heck of a lot cleaner than Christianity's. After all, it wasn't Muslims storming london during the crusades. Most Pagans I know won't use a cross for any sort of magickal purpose not because it's Christian but because it is a symbol of war. Untold number of murders happened in the face of that symbol in the name of God not Allah.
But because of the actions of a few extremists many now equate the word "muslim" with "terrorist". I feel this deeply since many of these same people equate the word "Wiccan" or "Pagan" with "Satanist". There are plenty of Christian extremists out there too. Man would some of these bigots get a taste of their own medecine if everyone began calling christians "terrorists" or "satanists" because of a few of their whacked out members.
An example of this is the Westboro Baptist Church. That christian church believes that the war in Iraq and many natural disasters happen because God is punishing America for its tolerance of homosexuality. They regularly picket military funerals and the scenes of things like earthquakes, freak landslides and so on with signs that say things like "he deserved to die" and "God hates fags." that's even the name of their damn website. How horrible is that to torment people that are already dealing with the worst pain there is - the loss of a loved one. Oh And on their horrible website they celebrate the murders of gay men such as Matthew Sheppard and encourage more violence against gays.
Would it be fair to judge and label all christians on the basis of these few religious nutjobs? Absolutely not. And its not fair to do it to muslims, pagans or anyone else of any other religion. You can not judge a religion based upon how it has been twisted and warped. It's that kind of attitude that makes me feel like equal rights for Pagans will be a long time in coming. And its that kind of attitude that has me keeping one foot always in the broom closet so i can jump back in an avoid persecution if I have too. I hope I will never have to, but I am not so certain.
I'm not sure what to do really except to continue to raise awareness and work for the cause of religious tolerance by setting the record straight about Paganism and Islam for anyone who wishes to listen (mind you no prosletizing just informing those who would like to know). I also plan to continue to help out with events such as Pagan pride day. But I can't do it alone. so if any of you reading this have a chance to help the cause of religious tolerance please give a sister a hand!!
Had a rough day
I put a lot of my articles on this blog. I am a freelance writer so a lot of the time I get to choose what I write about. Thats one of the perks of the job as I get to write about things that I like. So whenever I write an article about something relevant to pagans I post it on here. But I also use this blog as many do to relate my thoughts and things that are going on in my life. I tend to limit this to things that are relevant to other Pagans, though. This is one of those personal posts.
I had a very rough afternoon today; an emotionally straining one to say the least. I feel mentally beat up like someone walked up and beat the crap out of my psyche. Yep, a metaphorical curb stomps got me down.
Im not going to get into why I feel that way beyond summing up my issues. It would take too long and as we all have our own problems I dont think anyones going to want to read a few thousand words that detail mine. Besides, what Im going through now is pretty common. I bet most of you will understand with just a brief description.
Financial worries have me stretched to the limit, as usual. I grew up in poverty around dysfunction, abuse, and substance abuse of all kinds. The poverty has proved to be the hardest cycle to break out of. Things that werent a big deal as a child and very young adult are becoming a big deal now. An example: crowded teeth that crack each other, making them more prone to cavities. And when you dont have money to have a cavity fixed you end up needing a crown. Lack of health insurance, no savings and a horrible economy have really taken their toll on me.
I am a single parent living far from all my blood relatives, except my children. Like many women I am solely responsible for providing for and caring for two of my three children. Their father helps in now way what so ever and hasnt seen them in two years. That puts a huge burden on me trying to be mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt and uncle to my kids. I have friends who help me though (thanks guys I dont know what Id do without you!).
Ive slowly been working my way through college. I know I will get through this dark time, I always do and end up stronger for the struggle. But sometimes I must admit, the fight is bigger than me. Today was one of those days. And Im sorry to say that it got the best of me for a while. I broke down crying. Between bouts of tears I was wringing my hands anxiously thinking about everything I need to do to: not only keep going but get ahead at least a little bit. If I dont then my situation wont get any better. But its a very tall order.
As rough as its been, I came to a realization today about personal power. And this realization is an important one. While I was freaking out thinking of all my responsibilities, I noticed that I was having an extremely high amount of negative thoughts. Like "I can' t do this." "It's not possible." "There's just no way." "This won't get any better." "There's nothing I can do."
And being a pagan, I have a strong belief in the power of the mind. I realized that I got in my own way today, many different times. I was sitting there freaking out when I could have been working to make my situation better. How much time did I waste like that? And how often do I waste my energy during the day, because I have so many worries in the back of my mind? But most importantly, how often do my negative thoughts manifest themselves in my reality? And when I consider the run of bad luck I've been having for a while, I think I may have been jinxing myself and attracting negativity to me for some time.
I've been feeling helpless in the face of all of that. But, I should know better. After all, I am a witch, or what?? I mean I've spent years learning magick, ritual and communion with the Gods and Goddesses. Like all learned witches, I can walk between worlds yet here I am feeling sorry for myself and like I have no power. Also, like all people, I have talents and gifts many of them when I stop and think about it. Unfortunately, I haven't been using them all. And the ones I choose to use have been negatively affected by my anxiety and response to stress.
It's time I remembered that I have power and stop dreading the day when I wake up in the morning. I need to start waking up like I used to: excited because with a new day I had another chance to make my life better and pursue both happiness and my dreams. Sure that was easier when I had less baggage, fewer regrets and the endless energy of a teenager. But I have had many positive things come to me in the years between now and then. I am have much more wisdom now than I did then. Sure I was a real go-getter in my teens. A real "go-get-myself-in-trouble-leaping-before-I-look" kind of person. I'm better off now and I need to remember that.
So with all of that in mind, I'm going to bed now (I'll post this later) and in the morning when I wake up I'm going to remember that every new day is a gift, a chance and an opportunity.
I had a very rough afternoon today; an emotionally straining one to say the least. I feel mentally beat up like someone walked up and beat the crap out of my psyche. Yep, a metaphorical curb stomps got me down.
Im not going to get into why I feel that way beyond summing up my issues. It would take too long and as we all have our own problems I dont think anyones going to want to read a few thousand words that detail mine. Besides, what Im going through now is pretty common. I bet most of you will understand with just a brief description.
Financial worries have me stretched to the limit, as usual. I grew up in poverty around dysfunction, abuse, and substance abuse of all kinds. The poverty has proved to be the hardest cycle to break out of. Things that werent a big deal as a child and very young adult are becoming a big deal now. An example: crowded teeth that crack each other, making them more prone to cavities. And when you dont have money to have a cavity fixed you end up needing a crown. Lack of health insurance, no savings and a horrible economy have really taken their toll on me.
I am a single parent living far from all my blood relatives, except my children. Like many women I am solely responsible for providing for and caring for two of my three children. Their father helps in now way what so ever and hasnt seen them in two years. That puts a huge burden on me trying to be mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt and uncle to my kids. I have friends who help me though (thanks guys I dont know what Id do without you!).
Ive slowly been working my way through college. I know I will get through this dark time, I always do and end up stronger for the struggle. But sometimes I must admit, the fight is bigger than me. Today was one of those days. And Im sorry to say that it got the best of me for a while. I broke down crying. Between bouts of tears I was wringing my hands anxiously thinking about everything I need to do to: not only keep going but get ahead at least a little bit. If I dont then my situation wont get any better. But its a very tall order.
As rough as its been, I came to a realization today about personal power. And this realization is an important one. While I was freaking out thinking of all my responsibilities, I noticed that I was having an extremely high amount of negative thoughts. Like "I can' t do this." "It's not possible." "There's just no way." "This won't get any better." "There's nothing I can do."
And being a pagan, I have a strong belief in the power of the mind. I realized that I got in my own way today, many different times. I was sitting there freaking out when I could have been working to make my situation better. How much time did I waste like that? And how often do I waste my energy during the day, because I have so many worries in the back of my mind? But most importantly, how often do my negative thoughts manifest themselves in my reality? And when I consider the run of bad luck I've been having for a while, I think I may have been jinxing myself and attracting negativity to me for some time.
I've been feeling helpless in the face of all of that. But, I should know better. After all, I am a witch, or what?? I mean I've spent years learning magick, ritual and communion with the Gods and Goddesses. Like all learned witches, I can walk between worlds yet here I am feeling sorry for myself and like I have no power. Also, like all people, I have talents and gifts many of them when I stop and think about it. Unfortunately, I haven't been using them all. And the ones I choose to use have been negatively affected by my anxiety and response to stress.
It's time I remembered that I have power and stop dreading the day when I wake up in the morning. I need to start waking up like I used to: excited because with a new day I had another chance to make my life better and pursue both happiness and my dreams. Sure that was easier when I had less baggage, fewer regrets and the endless energy of a teenager. But I have had many positive things come to me in the years between now and then. I am have much more wisdom now than I did then. Sure I was a real go-getter in my teens. A real "go-get-myself-in-trouble-leaping-before-I-look" kind of person. I'm better off now and I need to remember that.
So with all of that in mind, I'm going to bed now (I'll post this later) and in the morning when I wake up I'm going to remember that every new day is a gift, a chance and an opportunity.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Easy Ways to Volunteer your time
The following piece will be useful to people of all religions. However it will help Pagans tremendously since many sects of Paganism promote volunteer work. I've compiled some ways to fit volunteer work into hectic lifes.
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Many of us view the changes happening in our environment and society with dismay. We realize that our society and environment is quickly becoming toxic in both physical and metaphorical ways. We often wish that there was some way we could help but find it difficult to volunteer our time to society and our environment because our schedules are already frighteningly tight.
It is a shame that many of us can not find the time to volunteer because in addition to benefiting our society and environment, volunteer work of any kind has advantages for the person donating their time. Volunteer work is excellent on resumes and college applications, and is an excellent way to gain job experience, network and learn new skills.
Adults are not alone in benefiting from volunteering their time; it is an especially positive experience for children. It instills good values such as empathy and altruism and also teaches a child that not everyone is fortunate enough to have everything that they need.
The general image that comes to mind when we think of volunteer work is a good Samaritan handing out soup to homeless people at a soup kitchen in a bad part of town. However, there are thousand of ways to donate your time and even money in creative ways that are easy to fit into a packed schedule that can positively affect both our society and our environment.
Here is a list of easy ways that a person can help make the world a better place. This is by no means a comprehensive list. I urge everyone to take a moment to research additional ways to help; it is nearly impossible not to find at a least a few ways to help out that will work for you. If you pass some of these tips on to others you'll greatly add to the impact.
1. Clean up a park or playgroundThis one is really easy because it does not require any scheduling and the only requirements are decent weather and a trash bag. This is also a good activity for children too since it teaches them not to litter. They can also then play in the park as a reward for their labor. If you visit parks or playgrounds often an easy way to always be prepared for this opportunity is to simply keep a few trash bags in the trunk of your car and make a habit out of cleaning up while you are there.
2. Help older neighbors.This one is a small task also, though it is a repeated one. Many older people are in need of help with things like shoveling snow from their walkways. If you have a teenager that you can delegate the task to, it becomes even easier! All joking aside, this one isn't as simple as throwing away some litter at the park but its importance is more than correspondingly larger. It seems that not a winter goes by that I do not hear of an elderly person that suffered a heart attack while shoveling snow or slipped on a snowy walkway.
Even if you are not in shape to shovel snow you can still help out considerably. Many elderly people simply need someone to check in on them occasionally. Sometimes when a person lives to an extended age they have few relations left in this world, and no one to help them when they become sick or injured.
I often read of situations where elderly persons were hurt or became ill and were literally stranded in their home for days before a neighbor realized something was wrong and came to investigate. You could be that neighbor...have you knocked on your elderly neighbors' door lately to see how he or she is fairing? It only takes a few minutes to find out if he/she needs you to pick up a prescription for him/her or just check on their welfare.
3. Provide web support for a good cause.If you have skill with the internet, word processing, or web design your skills are needed by many charitable and community friendly agencies. Many of these organizations need web support to help advertise their efforts and often they simply need people to help answer email requests for information. If you know of any group that is undertaking a community friendly effort that you support and you possess any of these skills make an offer of your time. These activities can generally be done from home with very flexible scheduling making it easy for you to squeeze in time to help.
4. Craft items for needy people.Do you know how to knit, crochet, or sew? If you possess these skills you can make blankets, scarves, and clothing for needy people. You could also craft baby rattles, dolls, or other small toys for needy children. Nearly every domestic violence and homeless shelter has a location where you can drop off donated items. Children in these situations are particularly comforted by items like blankets, toys and loveys as many of them arrive in the shelter with nothing but their clothes.
Pregnant women find themselves in these situations too; the number one cause of death for pregnant women is homicide so quite a few are in domestic violence shelters. Many enter the shelter with nothing for their coming arrival and could use baby clothes, blankets, booties, etc. Your gift could sincerely make a difference. Call your local shelters to find out if they accept donations of this type and where there drop off area is located, you could also ask them what kinds of items they particularly need. You can also increase the impact of this activity by passing along information about it to your friends.
5. Eliminate the tree killing, mailbox invading nuisance that is junk mail.Well, not completely eliminate it but at least reduce it by roughly 75%. This one is convenient as well as easy since the average person finds the seemingly never ending stream of junk mail they receive to be maddening. Junk mail is hell on the environment as well as on your nerves. The paper used for one person's unwanted junk mail for one year is roughly equal to one and a half trees. For a person who lives to be 78 that starts receiving junk mail at 18 that is the equivalent of 90 trees!
You do not have to be a tree hugging hippy to think it insane that 90 trees are sacrificed in the effort to bombard one person with unsolicited ads that they mostly have no use for. So write to the address below, reduce the senseless ad driven tree slaughter and contribute to your home's future decrease in clutter all in one fell swoop.
Most direct marketers use mailing lists that they get from the Direct Marketing Association. Write to them and simply ask them to remove your name and contact information from their list. This will reduce your junk mail on average 75% the equivalent of 66 trees saved over the course of a life time. Here is their address: DMA Mail Preference Service P.O. Box 643 Carmel, NY 10512. Do this for everyone in your household to multiply the impact.
6. Conserve resources and be thrifty.There are numerous simple ways to conserve resources that add up over time. This conservation is not only earth friendly but will save you money. Simple efforts like turning the water off while you brush your teeth, recycling, buying in bulk to save money and cut down on packaging, are all examples of easy ways that you can conserve. Being thrifty also helps you save money while conserving resources.
Look around in your basement, attic, garage, or storage shed for items that you can put back to general use in your home instead of buying new items. You could also see if you have any items that you can donate to charity or offer on Freecycle. Freecycle is a service that uses the internet to host email lists where members can post "wanted" messages for items they need or "offer" messages for items they no longer need and are willing to give away.
Shopping for clothing and other items at thrift stores is also an excellent way to save money while benefiting a good cause as most thrift stores are run for the benefit of organizations like the Salvation Army, and many veterans groups.
7. Put your money where your mouth is - buy and invest green.You can have a large impact on the environment by changing your buying preferences. Buy recycled items and be loyal to companies that ban animal testing or promote philanthropic endeavors. Boycott companies that do animal testing or otherwise harm the environment and let them know that they are losing a customer because of their practices.
Buying organic is very helpful to the environment since the majority of pesticides used on non-organic materials run off in to the ground water. Organic products can be found in many areas now including food, beauty products, and even high fashion. In our capitalistic society money often talks and if you demand environmentally friendly products businesses will respond to the earth friendly need that you are creating.
Looking to diversify your investment portfolio, then think about investing green by investing your money in environment friendly alternative energy development. In addition to being earth friendly this kind of investment, when properly planned, is an excellent choice due to the worlds growing determination to develop renewable and clean energy sources. Even some of the big oil companies like BP and Shell are spending a substantial amount of money developing alternative energy sources.
8. Put your workplace to work. Consider suggesting to your supervisor or Human Resources department that the company start a volunteer program that could organize employee volunteer opportunities and perhaps even allow employees limited time off from work to complete approved volunteer work. If you have the time, offer to help implement the program by generating flyers or finding volunteer opportunities for employees to take part in. Make sure to stress the benefits of corporate philanthropy such as good advertising, positive PR, and increased employee morale.
Some of these activities require very little time and do not require your attention on an ongoing basis. The other opportunities will require a little attention and renewed effort over time but can be done in small chunks when you can fit them in to your schedule making it easier for your to help make the world a better place. People often feel powerless when it comes to changing the world because they do not realize that the battle is primarily fought with the little things; all the small acts of good we complete do add up.
Very few of us are put to a choice or given a moment in time so pivotal and important that we can declare our allegiance to right or wrong and do more good than all the harm we have caused in our lives in one amazing act. The real superheros are the ones that keep on grinding it out day by day doing what they can to help whenever they are able to.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Many of us view the changes happening in our environment and society with dismay. We realize that our society and environment is quickly becoming toxic in both physical and metaphorical ways. We often wish that there was some way we could help but find it difficult to volunteer our time to society and our environment because our schedules are already frighteningly tight.
It is a shame that many of us can not find the time to volunteer because in addition to benefiting our society and environment, volunteer work of any kind has advantages for the person donating their time. Volunteer work is excellent on resumes and college applications, and is an excellent way to gain job experience, network and learn new skills.
Adults are not alone in benefiting from volunteering their time; it is an especially positive experience for children. It instills good values such as empathy and altruism and also teaches a child that not everyone is fortunate enough to have everything that they need.
The general image that comes to mind when we think of volunteer work is a good Samaritan handing out soup to homeless people at a soup kitchen in a bad part of town. However, there are thousand of ways to donate your time and even money in creative ways that are easy to fit into a packed schedule that can positively affect both our society and our environment.
Here is a list of easy ways that a person can help make the world a better place. This is by no means a comprehensive list. I urge everyone to take a moment to research additional ways to help; it is nearly impossible not to find at a least a few ways to help out that will work for you. If you pass some of these tips on to others you'll greatly add to the impact.
1. Clean up a park or playgroundThis one is really easy because it does not require any scheduling and the only requirements are decent weather and a trash bag. This is also a good activity for children too since it teaches them not to litter. They can also then play in the park as a reward for their labor. If you visit parks or playgrounds often an easy way to always be prepared for this opportunity is to simply keep a few trash bags in the trunk of your car and make a habit out of cleaning up while you are there.
2. Help older neighbors.This one is a small task also, though it is a repeated one. Many older people are in need of help with things like shoveling snow from their walkways. If you have a teenager that you can delegate the task to, it becomes even easier! All joking aside, this one isn't as simple as throwing away some litter at the park but its importance is more than correspondingly larger. It seems that not a winter goes by that I do not hear of an elderly person that suffered a heart attack while shoveling snow or slipped on a snowy walkway.
Even if you are not in shape to shovel snow you can still help out considerably. Many elderly people simply need someone to check in on them occasionally. Sometimes when a person lives to an extended age they have few relations left in this world, and no one to help them when they become sick or injured.
I often read of situations where elderly persons were hurt or became ill and were literally stranded in their home for days before a neighbor realized something was wrong and came to investigate. You could be that neighbor...have you knocked on your elderly neighbors' door lately to see how he or she is fairing? It only takes a few minutes to find out if he/she needs you to pick up a prescription for him/her or just check on their welfare.
3. Provide web support for a good cause.If you have skill with the internet, word processing, or web design your skills are needed by many charitable and community friendly agencies. Many of these organizations need web support to help advertise their efforts and often they simply need people to help answer email requests for information. If you know of any group that is undertaking a community friendly effort that you support and you possess any of these skills make an offer of your time. These activities can generally be done from home with very flexible scheduling making it easy for you to squeeze in time to help.
4. Craft items for needy people.Do you know how to knit, crochet, or sew? If you possess these skills you can make blankets, scarves, and clothing for needy people. You could also craft baby rattles, dolls, or other small toys for needy children. Nearly every domestic violence and homeless shelter has a location where you can drop off donated items. Children in these situations are particularly comforted by items like blankets, toys and loveys as many of them arrive in the shelter with nothing but their clothes.
Pregnant women find themselves in these situations too; the number one cause of death for pregnant women is homicide so quite a few are in domestic violence shelters. Many enter the shelter with nothing for their coming arrival and could use baby clothes, blankets, booties, etc. Your gift could sincerely make a difference. Call your local shelters to find out if they accept donations of this type and where there drop off area is located, you could also ask them what kinds of items they particularly need. You can also increase the impact of this activity by passing along information about it to your friends.
5. Eliminate the tree killing, mailbox invading nuisance that is junk mail.Well, not completely eliminate it but at least reduce it by roughly 75%. This one is convenient as well as easy since the average person finds the seemingly never ending stream of junk mail they receive to be maddening. Junk mail is hell on the environment as well as on your nerves. The paper used for one person's unwanted junk mail for one year is roughly equal to one and a half trees. For a person who lives to be 78 that starts receiving junk mail at 18 that is the equivalent of 90 trees!
You do not have to be a tree hugging hippy to think it insane that 90 trees are sacrificed in the effort to bombard one person with unsolicited ads that they mostly have no use for. So write to the address below, reduce the senseless ad driven tree slaughter and contribute to your home's future decrease in clutter all in one fell swoop.
Most direct marketers use mailing lists that they get from the Direct Marketing Association. Write to them and simply ask them to remove your name and contact information from their list. This will reduce your junk mail on average 75% the equivalent of 66 trees saved over the course of a life time. Here is their address: DMA Mail Preference Service P.O. Box 643 Carmel, NY 10512. Do this for everyone in your household to multiply the impact.
6. Conserve resources and be thrifty.There are numerous simple ways to conserve resources that add up over time. This conservation is not only earth friendly but will save you money. Simple efforts like turning the water off while you brush your teeth, recycling, buying in bulk to save money and cut down on packaging, are all examples of easy ways that you can conserve. Being thrifty also helps you save money while conserving resources.
Look around in your basement, attic, garage, or storage shed for items that you can put back to general use in your home instead of buying new items. You could also see if you have any items that you can donate to charity or offer on Freecycle. Freecycle is a service that uses the internet to host email lists where members can post "wanted" messages for items they need or "offer" messages for items they no longer need and are willing to give away.
Shopping for clothing and other items at thrift stores is also an excellent way to save money while benefiting a good cause as most thrift stores are run for the benefit of organizations like the Salvation Army, and many veterans groups.
7. Put your money where your mouth is - buy and invest green.You can have a large impact on the environment by changing your buying preferences. Buy recycled items and be loyal to companies that ban animal testing or promote philanthropic endeavors. Boycott companies that do animal testing or otherwise harm the environment and let them know that they are losing a customer because of their practices.
Buying organic is very helpful to the environment since the majority of pesticides used on non-organic materials run off in to the ground water. Organic products can be found in many areas now including food, beauty products, and even high fashion. In our capitalistic society money often talks and if you demand environmentally friendly products businesses will respond to the earth friendly need that you are creating.
Looking to diversify your investment portfolio, then think about investing green by investing your money in environment friendly alternative energy development. In addition to being earth friendly this kind of investment, when properly planned, is an excellent choice due to the worlds growing determination to develop renewable and clean energy sources. Even some of the big oil companies like BP and Shell are spending a substantial amount of money developing alternative energy sources.
8. Put your workplace to work. Consider suggesting to your supervisor or Human Resources department that the company start a volunteer program that could organize employee volunteer opportunities and perhaps even allow employees limited time off from work to complete approved volunteer work. If you have the time, offer to help implement the program by generating flyers or finding volunteer opportunities for employees to take part in. Make sure to stress the benefits of corporate philanthropy such as good advertising, positive PR, and increased employee morale.
Some of these activities require very little time and do not require your attention on an ongoing basis. The other opportunities will require a little attention and renewed effort over time but can be done in small chunks when you can fit them in to your schedule making it easier for your to help make the world a better place. People often feel powerless when it comes to changing the world because they do not realize that the battle is primarily fought with the little things; all the small acts of good we complete do add up.
Very few of us are put to a choice or given a moment in time so pivotal and important that we can declare our allegiance to right or wrong and do more good than all the harm we have caused in our lives in one amazing act. The real superheros are the ones that keep on grinding it out day by day doing what they can to help whenever they are able to.
How to make Herbal Incense
This following piece will help a layperson learn to make their own natural and high quality herbal incense. While there are many incense blends suitable for ritual/spiritual purposes available commercially making your own preperations just adds that extra OOMPH! to spellwork. Enjoy!
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Making your own herbal incense requires time and effort but the results are well worth it.
Perhaps the most important benefit of making your own incense is the confidence you will have that it was made with natural ingredients; making your own herbal incense is also beneficial because you can make it to your exact specifications. It is also less expensive to make your own incense as oppossed to purchasing it.
To make herbal incense start by carefully researching the flowers, roots, oils or resins you want to use. Keep in mind that some plant matter and essential oils while normally safe can be poisonous when burned. So be very careful when choosing your herbs.
Once you have researched and decided what plant matter and oils you would like to use you can purchase them from a health food store or from an online supplier. Mountain Rose herbs is an excellent on-line company to purchase herbs and essential oils from.
After you have purchased your plant material you will need to grind it. You can use a mortar and pestle, food processor, or coffee grinder. Mortar and pestles work well for grinding resins but the process is much easier if you have a food processor or coffee grinder.
Grind each component seperately, taking care to process the material into a powder. I have found it that I save time by grinding extra of each component that I am using; I then store the extra material in a zip lock craft bag (any zip lock bag will do).
Many people find the grinding process to be enjoyable, but it can also be very tiring. It is possible to eliminate this step for some herbs such as lavender and rose since these are readily available in powder form. It generally costs more to purchase herbal powder, but it does save time so do not feel that you must exhaust yourself grinding the material. Resins (such as frankincense and myrrh) and roots (such as comfrey) are more difficult to grind than flowers, so it is also possible to base your recipe on the ease of preparing the materials.
Free incense recipes are available all over the internet, and many suppliers of herbs and essential oils include recipes on their websites as a service to their customers. Once you have finished grinding each ingredient all that is left is to mix them together in proper proportions according to the recipe you have chosen.
Make sure to stir thoroughly until all ingredients are nicely blended. After you have finished this step refer to your recipe to see what essential or fragrance oils you will need to add. Then add the oils, one drop at a time, stirring the mixture carefully between drops. Once you have finished adding the oils stir the mixture once more taking to make sure the mixture is uniformly blended.
Once you have finished blending your incense it is ready for storage or use. You can store the incense in small craft bags, or store in a small and pretty glass bottle. Glass bottles of hand made incense make lovely and thoughtful gifts. For a truly thoughtful gift try making some incense with the intended recipient's favorite flowers and scents. To burn the incense add a pinch of it to a lit charcoal disc. Charcoal discs are available from health food stores and on-line.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Making your own herbal incense requires time and effort but the results are well worth it.
Perhaps the most important benefit of making your own incense is the confidence you will have that it was made with natural ingredients; making your own herbal incense is also beneficial because you can make it to your exact specifications. It is also less expensive to make your own incense as oppossed to purchasing it.
To make herbal incense start by carefully researching the flowers, roots, oils or resins you want to use. Keep in mind that some plant matter and essential oils while normally safe can be poisonous when burned. So be very careful when choosing your herbs.
Once you have researched and decided what plant matter and oils you would like to use you can purchase them from a health food store or from an online supplier. Mountain Rose herbs is an excellent on-line company to purchase herbs and essential oils from.
After you have purchased your plant material you will need to grind it. You can use a mortar and pestle, food processor, or coffee grinder. Mortar and pestles work well for grinding resins but the process is much easier if you have a food processor or coffee grinder.
Grind each component seperately, taking care to process the material into a powder. I have found it that I save time by grinding extra of each component that I am using; I then store the extra material in a zip lock craft bag (any zip lock bag will do).
Many people find the grinding process to be enjoyable, but it can also be very tiring. It is possible to eliminate this step for some herbs such as lavender and rose since these are readily available in powder form. It generally costs more to purchase herbal powder, but it does save time so do not feel that you must exhaust yourself grinding the material. Resins (such as frankincense and myrrh) and roots (such as comfrey) are more difficult to grind than flowers, so it is also possible to base your recipe on the ease of preparing the materials.
Free incense recipes are available all over the internet, and many suppliers of herbs and essential oils include recipes on their websites as a service to their customers. Once you have finished grinding each ingredient all that is left is to mix them together in proper proportions according to the recipe you have chosen.
Make sure to stir thoroughly until all ingredients are nicely blended. After you have finished this step refer to your recipe to see what essential or fragrance oils you will need to add. Then add the oils, one drop at a time, stirring the mixture carefully between drops. Once you have finished adding the oils stir the mixture once more taking to make sure the mixture is uniformly blended.
Once you have finished blending your incense it is ready for storage or use. You can store the incense in small craft bags, or store in a small and pretty glass bottle. Glass bottles of hand made incense make lovely and thoughtful gifts. For a truly thoughtful gift try making some incense with the intended recipient's favorite flowers and scents. To burn the incense add a pinch of it to a lit charcoal disc. Charcoal discs are available from health food stores and on-line.
How to make an infusion
Making infusions is the most basic thing one can do to improve their life through aromatherapy and spiritual practices. The process is actually quite simple once one learns how to do it. Enjoy!
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Making an infusion is a quite simple way to use floral and herbal essences for better living. All it requires is the plant matter of your choice (be sure to research the plant and ask your doctor about it before using it) and lukewarm to hot water.
Be sure to use the appropriate temperature of water for your chosen herb. All plant oils have a flash point, which is the temperature at which its essential oil vaporizes. If you are trying to make your kitchen smell good then adding flowers or herbs to boiling water is a good idea because the essential oils will vaporize and strongly scent the air.
Conversely if you are planning on using the infusion to add to bath water or hair rinse it is important to find the flash point for your chosen herb and avoid heating your infusion to that temperature.Once you have finished researching your chosen herb and have determined that it is the right one for your purpose and determined its flash point you're ready to begin.
Coarsely grind your herbs either with a mortar and pestle (useful for resins and roots), food processor, coffee bean grinder, or food chopper. Grinding the herbs first will allow the plants oils to infuse with the water better. Then pour the proper temperature water over the plant and allow to steep for appropriate time (make sure to make a note of suggested steeping times when researching the herb).
Its just like making tea, with the exception that you should cover the container you are steeping the infusion in, to keep more of the vapors in. After you have finished steeping, strain out the herb (depending on how much herb you are using a mesh tea ball can be very useful, eliminating the need to strain).
Keep in mind that infusions are perishable. I suggest adding vitamin E for preservation, and storing your infusion in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Also make sure that your work area and utensils are clean and sterilized, this will help you avoid contamination. You do not want to introduce any bacteria or mold spores that can ultimately spoil your infusion.
You can use your infusion for a variety of things. Floral infusions make excellent and sweet smelling hair detanglers. They can also be added to running bath water to impart a lovely fragrance while softening skin. You can also bottle the infusion in a mist sprayer bottle to make your own room and linen spray.
Perhaps best of all infusions make lovely and unique gifts. Try making an infusion with the intended recipient's favorite flowers to add a touch of thoughtfulness then store the infusion in a glass bottle with pretty ribbon tied around the neck.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Making an infusion is a quite simple way to use floral and herbal essences for better living. All it requires is the plant matter of your choice (be sure to research the plant and ask your doctor about it before using it) and lukewarm to hot water.
Be sure to use the appropriate temperature of water for your chosen herb. All plant oils have a flash point, which is the temperature at which its essential oil vaporizes. If you are trying to make your kitchen smell good then adding flowers or herbs to boiling water is a good idea because the essential oils will vaporize and strongly scent the air.
Conversely if you are planning on using the infusion to add to bath water or hair rinse it is important to find the flash point for your chosen herb and avoid heating your infusion to that temperature.Once you have finished researching your chosen herb and have determined that it is the right one for your purpose and determined its flash point you're ready to begin.
Coarsely grind your herbs either with a mortar and pestle (useful for resins and roots), food processor, coffee bean grinder, or food chopper. Grinding the herbs first will allow the plants oils to infuse with the water better. Then pour the proper temperature water over the plant and allow to steep for appropriate time (make sure to make a note of suggested steeping times when researching the herb).
Its just like making tea, with the exception that you should cover the container you are steeping the infusion in, to keep more of the vapors in. After you have finished steeping, strain out the herb (depending on how much herb you are using a mesh tea ball can be very useful, eliminating the need to strain).
Keep in mind that infusions are perishable. I suggest adding vitamin E for preservation, and storing your infusion in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Also make sure that your work area and utensils are clean and sterilized, this will help you avoid contamination. You do not want to introduce any bacteria or mold spores that can ultimately spoil your infusion.
You can use your infusion for a variety of things. Floral infusions make excellent and sweet smelling hair detanglers. They can also be added to running bath water to impart a lovely fragrance while softening skin. You can also bottle the infusion in a mist sprayer bottle to make your own room and linen spray.
Perhaps best of all infusions make lovely and unique gifts. Try making an infusion with the intended recipient's favorite flowers to add a touch of thoughtfulness then store the infusion in a glass bottle with pretty ribbon tied around the neck.
How to find a supplier of herbs and oils
I wrote the following piece to help anyone who wishes to use natural materials to improve their lives by using them as medecine, healthy diet and for spiritual purposes find suppliers that are honest and provide quality products.
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The use of herbs, essential, and fragrance oils to naturally improve one's sense of well being and help ensure good health has surged in popularity in recent years. While there are many excellent suppliers that offer high quality products free of harsh and even dangerous additives many companies aren't so trustworthy.
Unfortunately there is never a shortage of shady businesses willing to take advantage of consumer demand for products; the problem is exacerbated by the ease of opening and running Internet businesses. Consumers looking for herbs, essential, and fragrance oils must take care when choosing suppliers to ensure the quality of the products they purchase.
When choosing suppliers the most important aspect to focus on is the quality of the materials wanted to purchase. Good bargains are attractive... but it is not worth it if the quality of the product is not up to standard. The quality of your materials is of the utmost importance, especially if they are for ingestion. Consumers should be wary of suppliers that offer bargains that seem too good to be true, or suppliers who do not have enough information available about their product.
Consumers can safeguard the quality of the items they purchase by asking potential suppliers a few simple questions.Some questions to ask when purchasing herbs:
*Where did the herbs originate from? Regional differences are often very apparent in harvested herbs; their scent, strength, and even color can vary by region. The potential supplier should be willing and able to state what country, or at the very least what region, the herbs originated from.
*Are the herbs pesticide and herbicide free? This question is of particular importance since those chemicals are not something a person wants to ingest, burn, bathe in, or fragrance their home with. This is also important to environmentally conscious consumers since roughly 90% of pesticides and herbicides run off into the ground water leading to increased pollution. If the supplier can not guarantee that the herbs are pesticide and herbicide free then consumers should not buy them.
* Have the herbs been irradiated? This is important because irradiation can leave chemical traces in the product that are unwanted. If the supplier can not state that the herbs have not been irradiated then consumers should not buy them.
Questions to keep in mind when buying oils:
*Where did the oils originate from? Just like herbs the essential oils home region can affect its scent, potency, and even color.
*How were the oils extracted? Oils that have been extracted using solvents are called absolutes and are not suitable for ingestion. Distilled and expeller pressed essential oils are suitable for ingestion. This is very basic information; if a supplier can not give this information consumers should most certainly avoid them.
*Are the fragrance or essential oils pure and uncut? Consumers should make sure that the oils have not been cut with DPG or Carrier oils. Cut oils, while suitable for wearing on the skin, are not suitable for crafting purposes because they do not smell strongly enough. These oils are also not meant for consumption.
* Are the oils fragrance or essential? Each type of oil has its uses and both can be beneficial, but it is very important that the consumer knows what they are buying. The strength of the oil determines how much of it they should use, and whether or not they can get any alleochemical benefits from the oil. Fragrance oils are also not meant for ingestion; they are synthetic renditions of essential oils and are only suitable for use as fragrance.
One way a consumer can find potential suppliers is to spend some time on aromatherapy or herbal message boards and forums and read through any existing threads about suppliers. Consumers can also start their own topic listing all of the materials that they need. If they pick a well populated board they will get lots of responses. These responses will be particularly helpful because of the responders' personal experience with the suppliers they are recommending. Consumers can also check their local health food, and crafting stores for materials.
The last, but very important, step that a consumer can take is to check every potential supplier's record with the Better Business Bureau. Suppliers who have numerous unresolved complaints should be regarded as not trustworthy enough to purchase herbs or essential and fragrance oils from. With a little caution and inquisitiveness it is easy for the average consumer to find a trustworthy supplier for all of the herbal needs.
I have found Mountain Rose Herbs to be an excellent source of high quality herbs and essential oils. www.mountainroseherbs.com
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The use of herbs, essential, and fragrance oils to naturally improve one's sense of well being and help ensure good health has surged in popularity in recent years. While there are many excellent suppliers that offer high quality products free of harsh and even dangerous additives many companies aren't so trustworthy.
Unfortunately there is never a shortage of shady businesses willing to take advantage of consumer demand for products; the problem is exacerbated by the ease of opening and running Internet businesses. Consumers looking for herbs, essential, and fragrance oils must take care when choosing suppliers to ensure the quality of the products they purchase.
When choosing suppliers the most important aspect to focus on is the quality of the materials wanted to purchase. Good bargains are attractive... but it is not worth it if the quality of the product is not up to standard. The quality of your materials is of the utmost importance, especially if they are for ingestion. Consumers should be wary of suppliers that offer bargains that seem too good to be true, or suppliers who do not have enough information available about their product.
Consumers can safeguard the quality of the items they purchase by asking potential suppliers a few simple questions.Some questions to ask when purchasing herbs:
*Where did the herbs originate from? Regional differences are often very apparent in harvested herbs; their scent, strength, and even color can vary by region. The potential supplier should be willing and able to state what country, or at the very least what region, the herbs originated from.
*Are the herbs pesticide and herbicide free? This question is of particular importance since those chemicals are not something a person wants to ingest, burn, bathe in, or fragrance their home with. This is also important to environmentally conscious consumers since roughly 90% of pesticides and herbicides run off into the ground water leading to increased pollution. If the supplier can not guarantee that the herbs are pesticide and herbicide free then consumers should not buy them.
* Have the herbs been irradiated? This is important because irradiation can leave chemical traces in the product that are unwanted. If the supplier can not state that the herbs have not been irradiated then consumers should not buy them.
Questions to keep in mind when buying oils:
*Where did the oils originate from? Just like herbs the essential oils home region can affect its scent, potency, and even color.
*How were the oils extracted? Oils that have been extracted using solvents are called absolutes and are not suitable for ingestion. Distilled and expeller pressed essential oils are suitable for ingestion. This is very basic information; if a supplier can not give this information consumers should most certainly avoid them.
*Are the fragrance or essential oils pure and uncut? Consumers should make sure that the oils have not been cut with DPG or Carrier oils. Cut oils, while suitable for wearing on the skin, are not suitable for crafting purposes because they do not smell strongly enough. These oils are also not meant for consumption.
* Are the oils fragrance or essential? Each type of oil has its uses and both can be beneficial, but it is very important that the consumer knows what they are buying. The strength of the oil determines how much of it they should use, and whether or not they can get any alleochemical benefits from the oil. Fragrance oils are also not meant for ingestion; they are synthetic renditions of essential oils and are only suitable for use as fragrance.
One way a consumer can find potential suppliers is to spend some time on aromatherapy or herbal message boards and forums and read through any existing threads about suppliers. Consumers can also start their own topic listing all of the materials that they need. If they pick a well populated board they will get lots of responses. These responses will be particularly helpful because of the responders' personal experience with the suppliers they are recommending. Consumers can also check their local health food, and crafting stores for materials.
The last, but very important, step that a consumer can take is to check every potential supplier's record with the Better Business Bureau. Suppliers who have numerous unresolved complaints should be regarded as not trustworthy enough to purchase herbs or essential and fragrance oils from. With a little caution and inquisitiveness it is easy for the average consumer to find a trustworthy supplier for all of the herbal needs.
I have found Mountain Rose Herbs to be an excellent source of high quality herbs and essential oils. www.mountainroseherbs.com
The difference between essential and fragrance oils
I wrote this peice to help laypersons learn about the differences between essential and fragrance oils. In addition to the many differences they have, they also have different uses that they are suited for. The jury is still out over wether essential or fragrance oils will suit the making of ritual oils. Many purists claim that essential oils are neccessary. I tend to think that unless the oil, or preperation will be ingested, a high quality fragrance oil will do nicely. I believe this because the use of oils and herbs in rituals and spellwork is primarily a form of sympathetic magic and its real power is the effect that it has on the practitioner. Scents have profound effects on our bodies due to our sense of smell being hardwired to many parts of our brains. A high quality fragrance oil that smells true to the scent it is attempting to emulate effects our psyche just as much as an essential oil. With that said enjoy the rest of the piece!
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What is the difference between essential and fragrance oils? This question is frequently posed by those new to aromatherapy and herbalism. There is a lot of debate surrounding this subject.
Fragrance oils and genuine Essential oils have many similarities but they also differ in fundamental ways. Genuine essential oils are pure distillations of a flowers, herbs, roots, or resins that have not been cut with any kind of carrier oil. These oils are often expensive, and they are prized for their potent fragrances as well as their medicinal benefits.
Plants and the essential oils derived from them contain alleochemicals-chemicals that have affects on the human body. Sometimes these effects are good and sometimes they are bad depending on the plant matter used. This is why it is particularly important to familiarize yourself with the herbs and oils that you use. Those new to the art should take the time to use additional resources, and speak with their doctor before using any herbal preparation that they are not familiar with.
Some of the prized effects of certain essential oils are: skin and hair softening, skin moisturizing, rash / eczema / psoriasis relief, youthful looking rejuvenation, anxiety dissipation, tension relief, stress relief, pain relief, migraine relief, and enhancement of overall feeling of well being.
Essential oils have drawbacks as well as benefits. Many essential oils are incredibly expensive - an example of this is Rose Otto Essential oil. It is said that it takes a thousand Rose petals to make a mere drop of this oil. A fluid ounce costs, on average, $200 dollars. The pure scent of the oil is heavenly, and a small amount of the oil will go a long way. However, the expense is something that few can afford to indulge on a regular basis. This reason alone is often enough for many people to choose fragrance oils which are much less expensive.
Another drawback of some essential oils is that both their quality and scent varies depending on the crop. Essential oils can also vary by region due to variations in the plant matter used, conditions grown in, etc.
This makes it difficult for craft makers to keep their finished products consistent. For people simply making items for personal use this is not usually significant unless the person is very particular about their fragrances, but for crafters making items for sale this can pose a very large problem. Many crafters opt for fragrance oils instead to keep their finished product consistent.
Finally, sometimes an essential oil that smells really good, is not so good for health if the plant matter is poisonous or an irritant to the human body. This extremely limits the oils aromatherapy applications. Fragrance oils provide a way to avoid any unpleasant side effects of but still benefit from the scent of normally dangerous, or irritating herbs.
Those characteristics: the definition, benefits, and disadvantages of essential oils along with information about why fragrance oils are a viable alternative are a good start but its important to define what a Fragrance oil is.
Fragrance oils are almost always synthetic; they do not contain the true floral essence so their contribution to aromatherapy is simply fragrance. Some fragrance oils aren't synthetic, these oils are blends of essential oils cut with a carrier oil. If you plan to use fragrance oils for crafting incense, bath and body products, etc. it is important to use concentrated, synthetic oils.
Fragrance oils that are really essential / carrier oil blends have been diluted too much and their scent is not strong enough to be used for crafting purposes. Save the essential / carrier oils blend for use directly on the skin, hair, or candles.
Finally, Fragrance oils are beneficial even though they are synthetic because their aroma can help encourage peace of mind, and alleviate the blues. However, they are never to be taken internally unlike genuine fragrance oils. They are also much more affordable with the average person being able to use some every day.
Ultimately whether a fragrance or essential oil is appropriate depends on the application, and the crafters budget.
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What is the difference between essential and fragrance oils? This question is frequently posed by those new to aromatherapy and herbalism. There is a lot of debate surrounding this subject.
Fragrance oils and genuine Essential oils have many similarities but they also differ in fundamental ways. Genuine essential oils are pure distillations of a flowers, herbs, roots, or resins that have not been cut with any kind of carrier oil. These oils are often expensive, and they are prized for their potent fragrances as well as their medicinal benefits.
Plants and the essential oils derived from them contain alleochemicals-chemicals that have affects on the human body. Sometimes these effects are good and sometimes they are bad depending on the plant matter used. This is why it is particularly important to familiarize yourself with the herbs and oils that you use. Those new to the art should take the time to use additional resources, and speak with their doctor before using any herbal preparation that they are not familiar with.
Some of the prized effects of certain essential oils are: skin and hair softening, skin moisturizing, rash / eczema / psoriasis relief, youthful looking rejuvenation, anxiety dissipation, tension relief, stress relief, pain relief, migraine relief, and enhancement of overall feeling of well being.
Essential oils have drawbacks as well as benefits. Many essential oils are incredibly expensive - an example of this is Rose Otto Essential oil. It is said that it takes a thousand Rose petals to make a mere drop of this oil. A fluid ounce costs, on average, $200 dollars. The pure scent of the oil is heavenly, and a small amount of the oil will go a long way. However, the expense is something that few can afford to indulge on a regular basis. This reason alone is often enough for many people to choose fragrance oils which are much less expensive.
Another drawback of some essential oils is that both their quality and scent varies depending on the crop. Essential oils can also vary by region due to variations in the plant matter used, conditions grown in, etc.
This makes it difficult for craft makers to keep their finished products consistent. For people simply making items for personal use this is not usually significant unless the person is very particular about their fragrances, but for crafters making items for sale this can pose a very large problem. Many crafters opt for fragrance oils instead to keep their finished product consistent.
Finally, sometimes an essential oil that smells really good, is not so good for health if the plant matter is poisonous or an irritant to the human body. This extremely limits the oils aromatherapy applications. Fragrance oils provide a way to avoid any unpleasant side effects of but still benefit from the scent of normally dangerous, or irritating herbs.
Those characteristics: the definition, benefits, and disadvantages of essential oils along with information about why fragrance oils are a viable alternative are a good start but its important to define what a Fragrance oil is.
Fragrance oils are almost always synthetic; they do not contain the true floral essence so their contribution to aromatherapy is simply fragrance. Some fragrance oils aren't synthetic, these oils are blends of essential oils cut with a carrier oil. If you plan to use fragrance oils for crafting incense, bath and body products, etc. it is important to use concentrated, synthetic oils.
Fragrance oils that are really essential / carrier oil blends have been diluted too much and their scent is not strong enough to be used for crafting purposes. Save the essential / carrier oils blend for use directly on the skin, hair, or candles.
Finally, Fragrance oils are beneficial even though they are synthetic because their aroma can help encourage peace of mind, and alleviate the blues. However, they are never to be taken internally unlike genuine fragrance oils. They are also much more affordable with the average person being able to use some every day.
Ultimately whether a fragrance or essential oil is appropriate depends on the application, and the crafters budget.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
All about Gum Arabic (acacia)
Gum Arabic is an amazing substance, and though most do not know it nearly everyone either ingests or wears some of it every day because it is included in so many products. The resin is popular among pagans and other pursuing holistic lifestyles due to its use for many natural products and in herbal medecine. I wrote the following peice to highlight its history, harvesting process and uses.
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Gum Arabic is a highly prized resin used for a variety of purposes such as adding to cosmetics, lotions, paint, adhesives, soda, candy and marshmallows.
Gum Arabic resin is harvested from two species of Acacia trees, specifically Acacia seyel and Acacia senegal. The Acacia trees grow in several African countries, however the majority of Gum Arabic is harvested in Sudan. Sudan harvests roughly 60 % of the world's Gum Arabic. This figure represents a significant decline of Sudan's harvests since the 1990's.
Oddly enough Gum Arabic resin is produced by sick and or wounded trees. This happens because Acacia trees' production of resin is a defensive measure. When the trees are ill and their protective bark is damaged the trees produce a thick sap which fills the damaged portion of the bark. The sap oozes out and soon dries in teardrop shapes becoming quite hard.
The resin protects the tree from insects and pathogenic fungus that might otherwise invade the injured part of the tree bark.Gum Arabic is a precious commodity and materialistic owners of the trees are not content to wait for the trees to emit Gum Arabic resin naturally. Owners generally speed up the process by deliberately injuring the trees. This is done by workers who gouge holes in the trees' bark and or remove strips of bark from the tree forcing the tree to protect itself by producing sap.
Once the sap hardens into tears it is manually harvested by workers who hand-pick it. Legend has it that the Moor's who used to harvest the tears could subsist on nothing but the very nutritious resin. After harvesting workers sort the tears according to quality. The quality of any piece of the resin is readily discernible from its color. White gum Arabic is considered to be the most potent and pure. Yellow and Red Gum Arabic resins are considered to be of medium quality, while brown resin is the lowest quality available.
Much of Gum Arabic's value comes from its nutritional content. Its nutritional value makes it a very desirable food additive. The resin is also useful for manufacturing food and cosmetics due to its ability to emulsify oil and water. Its ability to emulsify makes it a useful ingredient in creams, lotions and confections such as frosting. The resin is also used in the adhesive on the back of many stamps.
The availability of Gum Arabic has been reduced in recent years by the instability in Sudan resulting from the conflict occurring in Darfur. Many of the very valuable Acacia trees have been cut down by desperate, indigent people who sell the trees for firewood and timber. In 2007 Sudan's President also threatened to stop export of Gum Arabic in response to the threat of sanctions from the United States. At this time the future of Gum Arabic is very much in question.
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Gum Arabic is a highly prized resin used for a variety of purposes such as adding to cosmetics, lotions, paint, adhesives, soda, candy and marshmallows.
Gum Arabic resin is harvested from two species of Acacia trees, specifically Acacia seyel and Acacia senegal. The Acacia trees grow in several African countries, however the majority of Gum Arabic is harvested in Sudan. Sudan harvests roughly 60 % of the world's Gum Arabic. This figure represents a significant decline of Sudan's harvests since the 1990's.
Oddly enough Gum Arabic resin is produced by sick and or wounded trees. This happens because Acacia trees' production of resin is a defensive measure. When the trees are ill and their protective bark is damaged the trees produce a thick sap which fills the damaged portion of the bark. The sap oozes out and soon dries in teardrop shapes becoming quite hard.
The resin protects the tree from insects and pathogenic fungus that might otherwise invade the injured part of the tree bark.Gum Arabic is a precious commodity and materialistic owners of the trees are not content to wait for the trees to emit Gum Arabic resin naturally. Owners generally speed up the process by deliberately injuring the trees. This is done by workers who gouge holes in the trees' bark and or remove strips of bark from the tree forcing the tree to protect itself by producing sap.
Once the sap hardens into tears it is manually harvested by workers who hand-pick it. Legend has it that the Moor's who used to harvest the tears could subsist on nothing but the very nutritious resin. After harvesting workers sort the tears according to quality. The quality of any piece of the resin is readily discernible from its color. White gum Arabic is considered to be the most potent and pure. Yellow and Red Gum Arabic resins are considered to be of medium quality, while brown resin is the lowest quality available.
Much of Gum Arabic's value comes from its nutritional content. Its nutritional value makes it a very desirable food additive. The resin is also useful for manufacturing food and cosmetics due to its ability to emulsify oil and water. Its ability to emulsify makes it a useful ingredient in creams, lotions and confections such as frosting. The resin is also used in the adhesive on the back of many stamps.
The availability of Gum Arabic has been reduced in recent years by the instability in Sudan resulting from the conflict occurring in Darfur. Many of the very valuable Acacia trees have been cut down by desperate, indigent people who sell the trees for firewood and timber. In 2007 Sudan's President also threatened to stop export of Gum Arabic in response to the threat of sanctions from the United States. At this time the future of Gum Arabic is very much in question.
The history and uses of Myrrh resin.
Myrrh resin is highly prized. The resin has a rich history and has many uses both in mundane and in Pagan circles. This versatile herb is in many ways a staple of a witch's herbal. I wrote this peice to highlight the resins many uses.
Myrrh is a valuable resin produced by Commiphorra myrrha tree. Myrrh like all tree resin is actually hardened sap. The sap is secreted by the Commiphorra myrrha tree when its bark has been removed or penetrated. The sap protects the tree from invasion by fungus and insects. The sap leaks out of the damaged spots on the tree and hardens into oblong shapes generally referred to as tears.
Myrrh resin has been used in religious rituals both Pagan and Christian for millenia. It is perhaps most well known for its inclusion in the story of Jesus of Nazareth's birth. According to the Christian bible Myrrh, along with gold and frankincense, was one of the gifts brought to the child Jesus by three wise men. The time indicated in the account coincides with the height of Myrrh's heyday because the resin was widely used in Pagan religious practices.
The Commiphorra myrrha trees are native to parts of Somalia and Ethiopia. During its peak Myrrh resin sales helped Ethiopia flourish, thrive and become a great kingdom that sharply contrasts the famine stricken, third world Ethiopia of modern times.
Myrrh's decline, and also Ethiopia's, began with the advent of Christianity. As Christianity spread and many Myrrh loving Pagans were converted demand for Myrrh dropped dramatically. While not entirely responsible for Ethiopia's decline the drop in Myrrh sales contributed to it greatly.Myrrh is still used by some Christian sects in certain services. Demand for the resin is also rebounding slightly due to the rise of Wicca and other neo-pagan religions.
Myrrh resin is quite hard and is reddish brown in appearance. It is often ground and then used in incense blends. Small unground chunks of Myrrh resin are also used in incense, usually burned on charcoal discs. When Myrrh is burned it has a very smoky, earthy scent with a hint of sweetness. It is said to add depth to incense blends and perfumes.
Finely ground myrrh can be used a natural colorant in many personal care items. The resin is used in many bath products. It is antiseptic in nature causing it to be used in items such as toothpaste, mouthwash, and salves for wounds. The resin is used in both Chinese Medicine and Modern Herbalism.
Myrrh is not hypo-allergenic, however it has an excellent safety record and allergies to it are uncommon. However, the resin should not be used by pregnant women. One should consult a doctor before using any herb or resin.
Myrrh is a valuable resin produced by Commiphorra myrrha tree. Myrrh like all tree resin is actually hardened sap. The sap is secreted by the Commiphorra myrrha tree when its bark has been removed or penetrated. The sap protects the tree from invasion by fungus and insects. The sap leaks out of the damaged spots on the tree and hardens into oblong shapes generally referred to as tears.
Myrrh resin has been used in religious rituals both Pagan and Christian for millenia. It is perhaps most well known for its inclusion in the story of Jesus of Nazareth's birth. According to the Christian bible Myrrh, along with gold and frankincense, was one of the gifts brought to the child Jesus by three wise men. The time indicated in the account coincides with the height of Myrrh's heyday because the resin was widely used in Pagan religious practices.
The Commiphorra myrrha trees are native to parts of Somalia and Ethiopia. During its peak Myrrh resin sales helped Ethiopia flourish, thrive and become a great kingdom that sharply contrasts the famine stricken, third world Ethiopia of modern times.
Myrrh's decline, and also Ethiopia's, began with the advent of Christianity. As Christianity spread and many Myrrh loving Pagans were converted demand for Myrrh dropped dramatically. While not entirely responsible for Ethiopia's decline the drop in Myrrh sales contributed to it greatly.Myrrh is still used by some Christian sects in certain services. Demand for the resin is also rebounding slightly due to the rise of Wicca and other neo-pagan religions.
Myrrh resin is quite hard and is reddish brown in appearance. It is often ground and then used in incense blends. Small unground chunks of Myrrh resin are also used in incense, usually burned on charcoal discs. When Myrrh is burned it has a very smoky, earthy scent with a hint of sweetness. It is said to add depth to incense blends and perfumes.
Finely ground myrrh can be used a natural colorant in many personal care items. The resin is used in many bath products. It is antiseptic in nature causing it to be used in items such as toothpaste, mouthwash, and salves for wounds. The resin is used in both Chinese Medicine and Modern Herbalism.
Myrrh is not hypo-allergenic, however it has an excellent safety record and allergies to it are uncommon. However, the resin should not be used by pregnant women. One should consult a doctor before using any herb or resin.
The history of the Mandrake plant
another popular baneful herb, Mandrake also has a very rich history. I wrote this article to show all of the neat things about this interesting herb.
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The Mandrake plant is popular these days as a way to showcase the occult. Few witchy or even just fantasy stories are complete without incorporation of this plant. Mandrake's association with the occult, however, is not a new trend.
The plant has long had ties to superstition and witchcraft. These ties were brought about by Mandrake's eerie and disquieting resemblance to the human form. It was called the Witches' Umbrella.
What is perhaps the most well known superstition concerns the legendary scream of the mandrake. According to folk lore Mandrake plants scream when they are uprooted and this scream is deadly to those that hear it.
The old tales go so far as to explain one of the few "safe" processes for harvesting Mandrake. The process reportedly involved starving a dog until it was nearly feral from hunger. Then the dog was tied with a rope to the exposed parts of the Mandrake plant.The harvester then placed a steak or other raw meat a bit out of the dog's reach. The person reportedly had to either quickly leave the vicinity or adequately block their ears to avoid death. The dog would then strain so hard to get to the meat that it would rip the Mandrake plant out of the earth.
The Mandrake's scream would kill the dog but then the harvester would be free to take the plant once the screaming stopped. This process was supposedly carried out by witches who allegedly used the Mandrake for spells, potions, poisons and other sorceries involving prophecy and protection.
It is not immediately clear where this legend came from. It is possible that it arose simply due to superstitions regarding the Mandrake's similarity to the human form. During this time period even the violin was considered evil because of its uncanny resemblance to the human voice. It is more likely that Mandrake's poisonous nature inspired the tale. The legend could simply have been a way to frighten children away from a plant that could kill them or an explanation for an accidental poisoning.
The Mandrake plant is also known as Mandragora and belongs in the nightshades family. It is cousins with two other well known baneful herbs: Deadly Nightshade and Belladonna which also belong to the nightshades family.
Mandrake is rarely used in medicines. The plants many toxic compounds have caused the United States Food and Drug Administration to rate the Mandrake plant as UNSAFE. The Mandrake plant is an exceedingly strong purgative. Ingestion of it will cause incredible nausea and vomiting. It also can cause fatal inflammation of the digestive track
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The Mandrake plant is popular these days as a way to showcase the occult. Few witchy or even just fantasy stories are complete without incorporation of this plant. Mandrake's association with the occult, however, is not a new trend.
The plant has long had ties to superstition and witchcraft. These ties were brought about by Mandrake's eerie and disquieting resemblance to the human form. It was called the Witches' Umbrella.
What is perhaps the most well known superstition concerns the legendary scream of the mandrake. According to folk lore Mandrake plants scream when they are uprooted and this scream is deadly to those that hear it.
The old tales go so far as to explain one of the few "safe" processes for harvesting Mandrake. The process reportedly involved starving a dog until it was nearly feral from hunger. Then the dog was tied with a rope to the exposed parts of the Mandrake plant.The harvester then placed a steak or other raw meat a bit out of the dog's reach. The person reportedly had to either quickly leave the vicinity or adequately block their ears to avoid death. The dog would then strain so hard to get to the meat that it would rip the Mandrake plant out of the earth.
The Mandrake's scream would kill the dog but then the harvester would be free to take the plant once the screaming stopped. This process was supposedly carried out by witches who allegedly used the Mandrake for spells, potions, poisons and other sorceries involving prophecy and protection.
It is not immediately clear where this legend came from. It is possible that it arose simply due to superstitions regarding the Mandrake's similarity to the human form. During this time period even the violin was considered evil because of its uncanny resemblance to the human voice. It is more likely that Mandrake's poisonous nature inspired the tale. The legend could simply have been a way to frighten children away from a plant that could kill them or an explanation for an accidental poisoning.
The Mandrake plant is also known as Mandragora and belongs in the nightshades family. It is cousins with two other well known baneful herbs: Deadly Nightshade and Belladonna which also belong to the nightshades family.
Mandrake is rarely used in medicines. The plants many toxic compounds have caused the United States Food and Drug Administration to rate the Mandrake plant as UNSAFE. The Mandrake plant is an exceedingly strong purgative. Ingestion of it will cause incredible nausea and vomiting. It also can cause fatal inflammation of the digestive track
The history and uses of Wormwood
Wormwood is a very popular herb by pagans and non-pagans alike. I wrote this peice to further understanding of this amazing herb. It serves a variety of purposes but it is a baneful (poisonous) herb and as such requires special care when using. This article includes this information as well. Enjoy!
Wormwood is an herb that belongs to the artemisia genus and is cousin to both Sage and Mugwort herbs. The herb is surrounded by superstitions due to its baneful nature and the conditions in which it grows. The plant often grows in cemeteries, lich yards and other places of waste. This characteristic is responsible for the plant being named wormwood.
Wormwood is one of the ingredients in the original formulations of the neurologically devastating liquor Absinthe. That original version is banned in many countries replaced by a version free of wormwood and mistletoe.
Many absinthe adorers claim that wormwood's prescience in the original formulation of the liquor caused a psycho-active response in the brain of the drinker.The main chemical present in wormwood, coincidentally also the one to cause wormwood's famed hallucinogenic effects is called Thujone.
Thujone is a very close cousin to THC, the main mind altering chemical found in marijuana. However, Thujone, differs markedly from THC in terms of safety.Thujone, depending on the recipient of the chemical can be deadly when ingested. The effects the chemical will have on a person vary; they are dependent on the recipients liver function. A safe amount of thujone for one person may constitute a deadly dose for another.
Wormwood is mentioned in the book of Revelation in the Christian bible. According to the text wormwood is the substance that falls to earth and poisons all sources of fresh water.
Wormwood is often used as a natural pesticide. Gardeners often brew a tea with the herb and then use the tea to water their plants. The tea, heavy in thujone will kill insects and when used correctly will not injure the plants. If brewing wormwood tea for use on plants, steep the herb in warm water and cover the pan so what little steam there is will not escape. DO NOT add boiling water to wormwood for steeping. Water this hot will cause the wormwood's thujone laden volatile oil to vaporize. This weakens the tea's potency and could prove irritating to your eyes, nose and throat.
Wash your hands carefully after making and using the tea. Also be sure to clean and sterilize the utensils, pans, or containers you used to make the tea.
Wormwood is also used for religious purposes, mainly by neo-pagans who use the herb for cleansing divination tools such as scrying mirrors and pendulums.
Tea made from wormwood is sometimes used to treat patients suffering from stomach parasites. Use of this herb is a tricky business. No one should attempt to self-medicate with wormwood. A doctor is the only one qualified to determine a safe dose of wormwood for medicinal purposes.
Avoid burning wormwood; its fumes are toxic. Also be wary of any herbal incense mixture that contains even a small amount of wormwood. Even a small amount can cause smoke that is irritating to the eyes, nose and throat. Also do not use wormwood oil for aroma therapy purposes.
Store wormwood herb and any unused wormwood tea in a safe place out of the reach of children and pets.
Wormwood is an herb that belongs to the artemisia genus and is cousin to both Sage and Mugwort herbs. The herb is surrounded by superstitions due to its baneful nature and the conditions in which it grows. The plant often grows in cemeteries, lich yards and other places of waste. This characteristic is responsible for the plant being named wormwood.
Wormwood is one of the ingredients in the original formulations of the neurologically devastating liquor Absinthe. That original version is banned in many countries replaced by a version free of wormwood and mistletoe.
Many absinthe adorers claim that wormwood's prescience in the original formulation of the liquor caused a psycho-active response in the brain of the drinker.The main chemical present in wormwood, coincidentally also the one to cause wormwood's famed hallucinogenic effects is called Thujone.
Thujone is a very close cousin to THC, the main mind altering chemical found in marijuana. However, Thujone, differs markedly from THC in terms of safety.Thujone, depending on the recipient of the chemical can be deadly when ingested. The effects the chemical will have on a person vary; they are dependent on the recipients liver function. A safe amount of thujone for one person may constitute a deadly dose for another.
Wormwood is mentioned in the book of Revelation in the Christian bible. According to the text wormwood is the substance that falls to earth and poisons all sources of fresh water.
Wormwood is often used as a natural pesticide. Gardeners often brew a tea with the herb and then use the tea to water their plants. The tea, heavy in thujone will kill insects and when used correctly will not injure the plants. If brewing wormwood tea for use on plants, steep the herb in warm water and cover the pan so what little steam there is will not escape. DO NOT add boiling water to wormwood for steeping. Water this hot will cause the wormwood's thujone laden volatile oil to vaporize. This weakens the tea's potency and could prove irritating to your eyes, nose and throat.
Wash your hands carefully after making and using the tea. Also be sure to clean and sterilize the utensils, pans, or containers you used to make the tea.
Wormwood is also used for religious purposes, mainly by neo-pagans who use the herb for cleansing divination tools such as scrying mirrors and pendulums.
Tea made from wormwood is sometimes used to treat patients suffering from stomach parasites. Use of this herb is a tricky business. No one should attempt to self-medicate with wormwood. A doctor is the only one qualified to determine a safe dose of wormwood for medicinal purposes.
Avoid burning wormwood; its fumes are toxic. Also be wary of any herbal incense mixture that contains even a small amount of wormwood. Even a small amount can cause smoke that is irritating to the eyes, nose and throat. Also do not use wormwood oil for aroma therapy purposes.
Store wormwood herb and any unused wormwood tea in a safe place out of the reach of children and pets.
All about scrying mirrors
This is my absolute favorite tool for divination. I love them so much I learned how to make them so I could have lots of them without feeling guilty about spending money. In this peice I write a bit about how the mirrors are made, used and their history. Enjoy!
A scrying mirror is a highly polished, colored mirror used for telling the future. Black is the most popular color for scrying mirrors. Black is used for scrying mirrors the vast majority of the time, however other colors are occasionally used based on preference or need.
A scrying mirror is an evolved, portable and more convenient form of water scrying. In ancient times until the present day people attempting to discover what the future held for them would scry with a pond, creek or other relatively placid body of water.This was often done on a moonlit night. As our world became more crowded and urbanized fewer implements for natural scrying were available. This lead to a need for an alternative.
Many people are content to scry with a dark colored bowl filled with water. This however can be messy and is not very portable.
The first scrying mirrors, which coincidentally are still the most sought after and prized, were made from semi-precious stones, precious stones or volcanic glass. These stones were cut in large circles and flattened. The tops were buffed and polished to a mirror shine. Obsidian and other kinds of volcanic glass is used for this purpose often.Mirrors such as these can be difficult to obtain.
More often than not scrying mirrors available today are made from a peice of ordinary glass that has been sanded, polished, painted and framed. The majority of them are black and are either round or square. Diehard scryers insist that the round scrying mirrors are more effective at their purpose.
Methods used to paint the glass are: spray painting; painting by hand and air brushing. The mirrors are usually painted and constructed during the full moon.Frame styles and designs vary widely. However, silver is the traditional frame color used for scrying mirrors because many believe that the color silver is conducive to divination.
Use of scrying mirrors is popular among neo-pagans but holds appeal to those of other religions, particularly those interested in New Age ideas.
Use of colored mirrors (besides black) is sometimes a part of color therapy which proponents claim uses color to heal emotional and physical maladies.
People use scrying mirrors by looking at them in a focused but relaxed way, allowing their thought to wander but not their eyes. This is done until the surface of the mirror appears hazy. Proponents claim that they can then see reflections of future people, objects, events and places.
Scrying mirrors have many similarities to crystal balls used for divination.
A scrying mirror is a highly polished, colored mirror used for telling the future. Black is the most popular color for scrying mirrors. Black is used for scrying mirrors the vast majority of the time, however other colors are occasionally used based on preference or need.
A scrying mirror is an evolved, portable and more convenient form of water scrying. In ancient times until the present day people attempting to discover what the future held for them would scry with a pond, creek or other relatively placid body of water.This was often done on a moonlit night. As our world became more crowded and urbanized fewer implements for natural scrying were available. This lead to a need for an alternative.
Many people are content to scry with a dark colored bowl filled with water. This however can be messy and is not very portable.
The first scrying mirrors, which coincidentally are still the most sought after and prized, were made from semi-precious stones, precious stones or volcanic glass. These stones were cut in large circles and flattened. The tops were buffed and polished to a mirror shine. Obsidian and other kinds of volcanic glass is used for this purpose often.Mirrors such as these can be difficult to obtain.
More often than not scrying mirrors available today are made from a peice of ordinary glass that has been sanded, polished, painted and framed. The majority of them are black and are either round or square. Diehard scryers insist that the round scrying mirrors are more effective at their purpose.
Methods used to paint the glass are: spray painting; painting by hand and air brushing. The mirrors are usually painted and constructed during the full moon.Frame styles and designs vary widely. However, silver is the traditional frame color used for scrying mirrors because many believe that the color silver is conducive to divination.
Use of scrying mirrors is popular among neo-pagans but holds appeal to those of other religions, particularly those interested in New Age ideas.
Use of colored mirrors (besides black) is sometimes a part of color therapy which proponents claim uses color to heal emotional and physical maladies.
People use scrying mirrors by looking at them in a focused but relaxed way, allowing their thought to wander but not their eyes. This is done until the surface of the mirror appears hazy. Proponents claim that they can then see reflections of future people, objects, events and places.
Scrying mirrors have many similarities to crystal balls used for divination.
All about Pendulums
Pendulums are one of my favorite tools for divination and chakra cleansing. Lots of Pagans use Pendulums but many do not know about the variety of purposes they serve or how they work. I wrote this article to illuminate these things. Again, I've wrote it to appeal to people of all religions. I will write a follow-up, probably next month, that will focus on making or choosing a pendulum. Enjoy!
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Most people think of a hypnotist swinging a watch back and forth when they hear the word pendulum. Pendulums take many forms but basically consist of a chain with a weight of some sort on one end.
Proponents claim that all things give off energy and pendulums are sensitive to this energy. The direction in which a pendulum is swinging reportedly changes based on the energy that the pendulum encounters.
One of the pendulums most famous uses is dowsing. In olden days pendulums were used to dowse (search) for water. According to folk lore the presence of water nearby would cause a swinging pendulum to dip strongly enough to cause the person holding the pendulum to feel as if something had suddenly and lightly pulled on the pendulum. This practice is sometimes called witching for water. In modern times dowsing is used to search out much more than water.
One popular use for a pendulum is searching for lost or hidden objects. This is generally done with a map or a blueprint of a building. The pendulum is held by the seeker who verbalizes what he/she is looking for while visualizing what they wish to find. As with dowsing for water, the pendulum reportedly drops causing the seekers hand to dip slightly when it is over the spot on the map that shows where the lost or hidden object is located.
People also use pendulums to evaluate the health and energy flow of their chakras. A pendulum that swings clockwise when allowed to dangle over a chakra indicates that the chakra is healthy and open. A pendulum that swings counter clockwise when dangling over a chakra indicates that the chakra is blocked.
Pendulums are also a tool for divination. Many people using pendulums use them as a tool to help them access their subconscious minds or divine beings. Using a pendulum for this purpose can be tricky.There are not very many ways that the pendulum can swing so the answers that it gives are limited to varying degrees of yes, no and uncertain. This requires the user to ask very specific questions. Someone using a pendulum for this would generally begin by assigning a yes or no answer to bother the clockwise and counter-clockwise pendulum swings.
This is accomplished by the user verbally telling the pendulum which is a yes answer and which direction is a no answer while swinging the pendulum in the appropriate direction.Some users will draw a chart divided and labeled with possible answers. They then dangle the pendulum over the chart while asking a question and dowse for the answer.
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Most people think of a hypnotist swinging a watch back and forth when they hear the word pendulum. Pendulums take many forms but basically consist of a chain with a weight of some sort on one end.
Proponents claim that all things give off energy and pendulums are sensitive to this energy. The direction in which a pendulum is swinging reportedly changes based on the energy that the pendulum encounters.
One of the pendulums most famous uses is dowsing. In olden days pendulums were used to dowse (search) for water. According to folk lore the presence of water nearby would cause a swinging pendulum to dip strongly enough to cause the person holding the pendulum to feel as if something had suddenly and lightly pulled on the pendulum. This practice is sometimes called witching for water. In modern times dowsing is used to search out much more than water.
One popular use for a pendulum is searching for lost or hidden objects. This is generally done with a map or a blueprint of a building. The pendulum is held by the seeker who verbalizes what he/she is looking for while visualizing what they wish to find. As with dowsing for water, the pendulum reportedly drops causing the seekers hand to dip slightly when it is over the spot on the map that shows where the lost or hidden object is located.
People also use pendulums to evaluate the health and energy flow of their chakras. A pendulum that swings clockwise when allowed to dangle over a chakra indicates that the chakra is healthy and open. A pendulum that swings counter clockwise when dangling over a chakra indicates that the chakra is blocked.
Pendulums are also a tool for divination. Many people using pendulums use them as a tool to help them access their subconscious minds or divine beings. Using a pendulum for this purpose can be tricky.There are not very many ways that the pendulum can swing so the answers that it gives are limited to varying degrees of yes, no and uncertain. This requires the user to ask very specific questions. Someone using a pendulum for this would generally begin by assigning a yes or no answer to bother the clockwise and counter-clockwise pendulum swings.
This is accomplished by the user verbally telling the pendulum which is a yes answer and which direction is a no answer while swinging the pendulum in the appropriate direction.Some users will draw a chart divided and labeled with possible answers. They then dangle the pendulum over the chart while asking a question and dowse for the answer.
Color Therapy
Color therapy is common in Pagan and New Age circles and is also used in Eastern Medecine. It has helped me tremendously so I wrote the following peice describing many ways that color therapy can be used. Enjoy!
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There are many processes that fall under the title of color therapy. What these processes have in common is that they make use of color to attempt to heal someone physically, mentally or emotionally.These processes draw on the belief that colors can influence us emotionally and mentally.
Proponents of color therapy believe that the emotional and mental changes brought on by color can affect the body physically.One very popular form of color therapy is known as coloring therapy.
One favorite activity of children everywhere, coloring is rapidly becoming a hit with adults too. Modern people often live their lives in fast forward, somehow managing to cram ever more activities into already jam packed schedules. This can leave them feeling tired, stressed and stretched to their limits.
Coloring therapy seeks to help people relax and let go of their worries. Proponents claim that your brain slips into a meditative state while you are coloring because the only thing you are thinking about is filling designs in with color.The complexity of coloring therapy varies widely.
Proponents claim that benefits can be gained by even the simplest of coloring projects. However, they also claim that such things as choice of design filled and the color palette used can increase these benefits.
Another popular, though not nearly as accepted form of color therapy involves water that has been infused with color. This like many other forms of coloring therapy is popular in India. The process for infusing water with color generally involves a clear container of water that has been set out in the sun.
The container is usually draped with silk of the color the practitioner wishes to infuse the water with. Proponents believe that the sunlight shining on the water through the silk will infuse the water with the color.
This infused water is used in a variety of ways in an attempt to heal physical or spiritual maladies. Certain color infusions are drunk as if they were medicine. Some acupuncturist now dip their acupuncture needles in color infused water before using them on patients. They claim this can help heal and balance the Chakras.
Another form of color therapy involves the use of colored lights. This can be done with colored pin hole glasses or color filters placed over sources of light. The user sits under the appropriate colored light for their malady.Most color therapies typically assign very similar meanings and uses to colors. These definitions and uses are based on established social and cultural perceptions related to each color.
By,
A. Kairi
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There are many processes that fall under the title of color therapy. What these processes have in common is that they make use of color to attempt to heal someone physically, mentally or emotionally.These processes draw on the belief that colors can influence us emotionally and mentally.
Proponents of color therapy believe that the emotional and mental changes brought on by color can affect the body physically.One very popular form of color therapy is known as coloring therapy.
One favorite activity of children everywhere, coloring is rapidly becoming a hit with adults too. Modern people often live their lives in fast forward, somehow managing to cram ever more activities into already jam packed schedules. This can leave them feeling tired, stressed and stretched to their limits.
Coloring therapy seeks to help people relax and let go of their worries. Proponents claim that your brain slips into a meditative state while you are coloring because the only thing you are thinking about is filling designs in with color.The complexity of coloring therapy varies widely.
Proponents claim that benefits can be gained by even the simplest of coloring projects. However, they also claim that such things as choice of design filled and the color palette used can increase these benefits.
Another popular, though not nearly as accepted form of color therapy involves water that has been infused with color. This like many other forms of coloring therapy is popular in India. The process for infusing water with color generally involves a clear container of water that has been set out in the sun.
The container is usually draped with silk of the color the practitioner wishes to infuse the water with. Proponents believe that the sunlight shining on the water through the silk will infuse the water with the color.
This infused water is used in a variety of ways in an attempt to heal physical or spiritual maladies. Certain color infusions are drunk as if they were medicine. Some acupuncturist now dip their acupuncture needles in color infused water before using them on patients. They claim this can help heal and balance the Chakras.
Another form of color therapy involves the use of colored lights. This can be done with colored pin hole glasses or color filters placed over sources of light. The user sits under the appropriate colored light for their malady.Most color therapies typically assign very similar meanings and uses to colors. These definitions and uses are based on established social and cultural perceptions related to each color.
By,
A. Kairi
The art of Divination
There are so many different views regarding divination I thought it prudent to write a peice that describes the subject accurately. It is written to appeal to people of all religions in the hope of shedding light and engendering understanding of Pagan practices.
The word Divination usually inspires mental images of raven-haired Romani women staring into crystal balls or peering intently at tarot cards. The imaginary women read fortunes of doom and gloom in thickly accented voices.
The truth, however, is that divination is far from the obscure parlor trick of wandering strangers that it appears to be. From the decorated bones and sticks thrown by primitive man to the broad horoscopes printed in millions of copies of modern newspapers, humankind has long sought knowledge of what the future might bring.
Despite this wide spread love affair the art of divination receives varied reactions from people. People divide into several camps concerning their opinions of divination. There are some major ones that will be discussed here. One theory regarding divination holds that every person alive subconsciously knows everything that has ever happened and everything that will ever happen.
Those who accept this theory believe that the many tools used for divination such as tarot cards, rune stones and crystal balls are simply mechanisms that allow the user to access their subconscious minds.Another theory claims that divination is evil. Many religions incorporate this theory in their dogma.
Those who accept this theory believe that the diviner is contacting demonic forces or malevolent deities that may or may not be disguised. Adherents to this theory feel that the evil entities are divulging information about the future in order to spread harm among human kind.
The poet Dante included divination in the Inferno cantica of his epic poem the Divine Comedy. He wrote that a person using divination was a false prophet and would end up in the eighth circle of hell.
Conversely there are those who believe that the diviner is in contact with angelic forces or benevolent deities. Adherents to this view feel that these forces are assisting the diviner with the purpose of helping humankind. Many proponents of this theory are neo-pagans who outright reject the assertion that divination is evil.
The last major theory regarding divination that will be discussed here is the theory that divination does not allow anyone to truly know the future. The theory holds that divination is simply a psychological tool.
An example of this would be tarot cards or rune stones. Each card or stone represents a particular concept. According to the theory if the seeker were to look at each card or stone in turn they could easily apply each concept to their own situations. Proponents of this theory feel that divination used in this way is a tool for the diviners psychological growth that will help them overcome obstacles and mental blocks. Those who accept this theory often feel that any prophecies formed this way are only true because they are self-fulfilling.
There are other theories besides these and science seems prepared to step into the fray with increased research in extra-sensory perception (esp) and quantum physics. Only when we have unraveled many more mysteries of our minds and have a better understanding of the nature of our universe will we be able to prove whether divination is actually possible. Until that time it is purely a personal choice.
The word Divination usually inspires mental images of raven-haired Romani women staring into crystal balls or peering intently at tarot cards. The imaginary women read fortunes of doom and gloom in thickly accented voices.
The truth, however, is that divination is far from the obscure parlor trick of wandering strangers that it appears to be. From the decorated bones and sticks thrown by primitive man to the broad horoscopes printed in millions of copies of modern newspapers, humankind has long sought knowledge of what the future might bring.
Despite this wide spread love affair the art of divination receives varied reactions from people. People divide into several camps concerning their opinions of divination. There are some major ones that will be discussed here. One theory regarding divination holds that every person alive subconsciously knows everything that has ever happened and everything that will ever happen.
Those who accept this theory believe that the many tools used for divination such as tarot cards, rune stones and crystal balls are simply mechanisms that allow the user to access their subconscious minds.Another theory claims that divination is evil. Many religions incorporate this theory in their dogma.
Those who accept this theory believe that the diviner is contacting demonic forces or malevolent deities that may or may not be disguised. Adherents to this theory feel that the evil entities are divulging information about the future in order to spread harm among human kind.
The poet Dante included divination in the Inferno cantica of his epic poem the Divine Comedy. He wrote that a person using divination was a false prophet and would end up in the eighth circle of hell.
Conversely there are those who believe that the diviner is in contact with angelic forces or benevolent deities. Adherents to this view feel that these forces are assisting the diviner with the purpose of helping humankind. Many proponents of this theory are neo-pagans who outright reject the assertion that divination is evil.
The last major theory regarding divination that will be discussed here is the theory that divination does not allow anyone to truly know the future. The theory holds that divination is simply a psychological tool.
An example of this would be tarot cards or rune stones. Each card or stone represents a particular concept. According to the theory if the seeker were to look at each card or stone in turn they could easily apply each concept to their own situations. Proponents of this theory feel that divination used in this way is a tool for the diviners psychological growth that will help them overcome obstacles and mental blocks. Those who accept this theory often feel that any prophecies formed this way are only true because they are self-fulfilling.
There are other theories besides these and science seems prepared to step into the fray with increased research in extra-sensory perception (esp) and quantum physics. Only when we have unraveled many more mysteries of our minds and have a better understanding of the nature of our universe will we be able to prove whether divination is actually possible. Until that time it is purely a personal choice.
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