Magick for the Real World

Why Aren't You Changing the World Right Now?

2011-12-07T09:50:00.004-06:00

"Nothing is work unless you'd rather be doing something else."
~George Halas

I woke up this morning to a cup of hot coffee and madness trying to get my kiddos to school. Once the madness was over and I had a little time to relax outside in our breezeway with the now slightly warm coffee I started thinking. "I've got to write the next blog in the series this morning before I get on to the real work," I told myself, but I really just couldn't get motivated to do it. So I decided not to. I started thinking, as I often do when the wife and youngsters were still sleeping and the boyos were at school.

I decided to change the world this morning. I decided that I needed to follow my heart and become the person that I'm made to be. I've thought of doing this for a long time, and finally the time has come to move toward it. Never straight, but ever onward as they say.

My goal in life is to create a world that is exactly what I want for myself and my children. It's possible because it has to be possible. The world is turning and it's time for the most significant change since science took hold. Science and magick will be recombining in my lifetime and will be one and the same within my children's lifetime. That's a definite. Quantum physics is moving that way already and there is no one on the magickal end pushing for it. Well we need someone to push for it. I'd like to be that guy.

I am motivated by two things: money and emotions. That's it. Pretty simple isn't it? Well, emotions are the driving force in my life. I make enough money to do what I want in life. It isn't enough to live in a mansion or quit my job, but it's enough to put food on the table and keep my car insured. My emotions are taking a hit though. I work far too much and see my family far too little without anything that I would consider success. I'm not changing the world into what I want my children to grow up in. So I must keep my job and still work at changing the world. It's a tall order, but it's something I'm prepared to do.

I do not have the funding currently to pay people what they deserve to be paid. In truth, I can't pay anything at all. That's the problem with starting something that is unheard of. No one will help to fund something like that because investment in madness is madness. So I ask you, if no one is crazy enough to be the change they need to see in the world, when will the world change? Why aren't you one of the people who should change the world? Politicians don't change anything. Look at the current state of affairs. This is after a campaign completely designed around change. The rich don't want anything to change. They've made their money from the current world.

"A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has."
~Margaret Mead

So why shouldn't you be the one to make the world into the place you want your children to live? Why aren't you the one who should pick up the sword or pen and change it any way you can? It's not enough for me to simply stand by and talk to someone about how things should be. We will never live in the world we desire if all we do is talk about things. We need action. We need motion. We need progress.

Today is the day to start. Even if it's just planning because even if we move a single step forward, that's a step that we won't have to take later.

So I ask you again. Why aren't you changing the world today?

Dark Magick Part 1: An Introduction

2011-11-28T11:17:00.004-06:00

I've written about darkness before, in Reflections on Darkness and Dark Magic-The Origins of Light, but I've never truly written about the techniques and ideas used to access the powers hidden away behind the veil of cultural acceptance. I enjoyed writing my last series and the depth that I could go into on each subject, so I've decided to do the same with another important concept in all magician's repertoires. Dark magick is important in all of our educations because whether we want to embrace it or not, it is out there and we need to understand the basics.

I've always tended to walk a more left-handed path, but acknowledge that it's not for everyone. In my last posts I wrote about defensive magick which I could never have understood completely without having to use it while dealing with the darker aspects of magick. Every creator of magickal theory from Gerald Gardner to Aleister Crowley to Cornelius Agrippa has at least shortly dabbled in the darkness, and most have done a lot more than dabble.

Let's get down to it then. My definition of dark magick is simply anything that is considered taboo within the general magickal culture. This could range from sacrifices to evocations to ritualized sex. Many people touch upon the majority of these topics at least in part during their practices, but most do not fully embrace them. The typical practice is fine for most, but there are those out there that feel the pull to do more than simply brush up against it and I'd like to explain my views and experiences so that those who tend to follow a more left-handed path can learn a few things from my hard won wisdom and maybe give me a few tidbits of their own.

Defensive Magick: Emergency Protection

2011-11-25T13:00:00.000-06:00

My previous posts on defensive magick allow you time to think about them for a while. They give you insights for you to play around with. Daily defensive magick generally is something that you can tweak each day until you feel like you've got it just right, and protection for your spellwork is something that definitely depends on the type of ritual you're doing and your preferences. These are all things that you can research and tweak as you go. Emergency defensive magick is definitely not something you want to plan to tweak on the fly. It's something that you want to research as much as possible and prepare in advance in case you need it.

My typical emergency deals with spirits or entities of some sort, and I'm really having a lot of trouble coming up with anything else, so I'll focus on the entity issues and some basic ways to get rid of whatever is troubling you.

The first thing that you must do is to try to figure out anything you can about the entity.

How has the temperature changed? If it's warmer, the entity is probably more of fire based entity while if it's gotten colder, it's probably more air or water.
Is there a certain smell? The entity is probably in some part related to that smell or at least what that smell means to you.
How do you feel? Is it dread that you're feeling because of what's happening or is it something entirely based on your feeling about the entity.
Do you have a strange yearning for something? Most of us were either born with or have trained our intuition to some degree. It's important to listen to what it's telling us, and most of the time this is our best guess at what we should do. At one time, we had something coming into our home through our closet. For some reason my wife had an almost compulsive desire for the smell of lilac. We looked everywhere and when we finally found some lilac water the next day it became our best tool in dealing with the entity which had plagued us for several days.
Most importantly, why is the spirit there? Did you call a spirit without proper protective measures in place? Did you piss something off? Do you already know what or who the spirit is?

All of these should play a part in how you deal with it. There are of course things you should do in nearly every situation though.

First and foremost, stop being scared. It's not time to be scared. You're in the magickal world, and this is what you've opened yourself up to. Step up and remember that they're in YOUR house and you control who comes and goes through it.
Eliminate openings to your home. That means, close windows, doors, and fireplace flues. Turn off your computer (electrical wires are a very common pathway for spirits to travel through), turn off your A/C (your A/C or heater is pulling air from outside the house), turn off cell phones, and if possible hit the breakers.
Break out the candles. Candlelight is the best way to actually see the spirits that you're dealing with. Oftentimes, things that you won't see will be visible under candle light, and if this isn't true in your instance, it will at least bring you closer to the magickal being that you are which should in turn bring you more usable power. Make sure to keep that lighter on you though in case the candles go out (lights go out as well so it's not making things worse for you).
Light some incense. I would suggest some foul smelling stuff with Frankincense in it if possible. I've included a recipe for a good one that's worked many times for me. You're doing this for two reasons, smoke also helps bring the creepy crawlies out into the open and many scents are crippling for them. I say to forget the sage completely. It may work on some things, but people use it too much for it to be much use against anything that's been around for long. The same goes with salt. That trick got played out a long time ago. They're good for cleansing, but not much use for entities.
Optional: Grab a bit of liquor from the cabinet. It may sound stupid, but sometimes that little bit of liquid courage really helps to remind yourself that you're in control. It works for me, but not my wife so use it if you feel like it'd help.
Now, it's time to make a decision. Are you ready to deal with the entity once and for all? If yes, then you need to get ready to pit your will and magickal ability against the entity. If not, then your goal is to kick it out of your house.

Procedure for Removing an Entity

Make a circle. This time it's to protect yourself rather than the spell. Whatever you're dealing with is probably going to get very pissed off very quickly and you'll want some protection. The same ideas are used but the purpose is a little different. After you do this, you should start to feel a lot safer. The most important part of winning any kind of battle with an entity is regaining confidence. If you're scared, you're going to lose.
Now, call on any kind of spirits that you think will help you.
Force the spirit out. Use visualizations, but speak your will out loud. Tell the spirit or entity to leave now and to never come back. Feel your power seeping into every inch of the house and burning everything that is not yours. This won't always work forever, but it will more than likely make the spirit leave for a while.
If this doesn't work, feel your circle expanding and continue to speak your will. Your circle should continue to expand until it covers the entire area. Light some more incense and continue speaking. Feel your power flow from your voice into the area. Your voice is what will make the entity leave.
After the entity is gone, make sure to thank all of your helping spirits (you'll need them again later) and close the circle just like always.
Now it's time to think about how to get rid of the entity once and for all if it comes back.

How to Bind a Spirit

There are two ways to keep an entity from every coming back is to either destroy it (very very difficult) or to bind it to something and then make sure that no one touches that item (not so difficult). So this will be a guide to binding the spirit properly so that you don't have to deal with it again.

Make two circle--one around you and one around the entire area. The tricky part here is that you have to make the one around the area a backwards circle that keeps things from leaving. I would position crystals or something similar around the area as "foundation points" to hold the circle strongly. The first circle (the one around you) needs to be a normal one to protect yourself.
You will need a container and something that will absorb energy to put inside of it. A good example would be an iron or steel "tin" box with salt and silver coins inside of it. The iron keeps things from leaving and the silver and salt will hold the energy inside of it.
Now, you will want to light incense to weaken the entity. If you know of any other weaknesses it has from your research this would be the time to utilize them. Call for help from any spirits or entities that you believe would help you. The purpose is to weaken the entity as much as possible without overextending yourself. This is the part where you break down its shields so that you can control it.
You need to verbally speak down to the entity. You need to turn the tables on it so that you scare it. You want it to be trying to run with no where to go. Tell it things like "This is the last time you'll torment me again." You have to show your power because entities work just like people. When they start to get scared, you start to gain power over them.
Be ready for it to start acting like it's cornered. Wild animals will strike viciously when cornered and entities will do the same. That means, things like candles going out suddenly. Items flying in the room. Loud noises and physical pains. The main thing to remember is that you cannot get scared and you cannot lose focus.
Push the container out of your inner circle and visualize the entity being pulled into the vortex inside of the container. If you have a wand or athame or any other focusing item, this would be the part where you utilize it. Again, force the entity into the container with your voice. Remember that sound is a very powerful tool, and it's one that most entities cannot utilize.
You have to get the entity into the container. As soon as you feel like you've successfully done this, hurry and close the lid. You must NOT open the container again.
Now, you must dispose of the container in a way that it won't be touched again for a very long time. That could mean putting it into a lake, burying it in some random pasture, or actually visiting a dump and putting it there. Don't throw it away because the trash truck compacts the trash and will more than likely open it in the process, effectively letting the entity out to torment you again.

As I promised, here is the rather simple incense that I use regularly. I got the recipe from The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews by Scott Cunningham. It has tons of other incense recipes as well which you could try out.

Clearing Incense
3 parts Frankincense
3 parts Copal
2 parts Myrrh
1 part Sandalwood

Remember, this isn't a good one for making your house smell good by any means, but it's definitely harsh on the entity's senses. And a little bit goes a long way. You don't want to be coughing up a lung while you're trying to get rid of a nasty spirit.

Hopefully this was a good primer on emergency defensive magick and that it helped you gain a better understanding of what to do in the case of an entity arriving inside your door without your permission. If you've got other ideas or questions, feel free to post a comment. And remember to subscribe to get updates whenever I post another blog!

Defensive Magick: Spell Protection

2011-11-21T10:38:00.000-06:00

When are you most vulnerable? When are you most open? When you're chopping veggies for that stew? Definitely not. It's when you open yourself up and release all of that power for the world to use. Rituals. Healing. Calling down a spirit.

This is what brings us to the current topic: how to defend yourself when you're most open.

The most important part is to remember that the goal is first and foremost to protect yourself and your spellwork from influence. The spellwork always comes after this because if it's been influenced or you've been influenced, the spellwork will either be worthless or may even be altered to something that you really don't want.

A few examples of spellwork protection are the Magickal Circle, the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram, and the Greater Banishing Ritual of the Hexagram. There are many variations of course, but they all follow a basic system.

Creating a sphere of protection
Calling other entities/powers to hold the protection
Rules within the sphere of protection

Creating a Sphere of Protection

The first step is creating and naming the area that you wish protected. This should encompass the entire area that you will be working within. There will be entities and unwanted energy around if you are doing magick with large amounts of energy, and so every tool, person, and candle should be within the sphere. I call this a sphere rather than a circle for a reason. It should have both a height above you and a depth below you both to limit the expenditure of energy and to be clear about how the space is defined.

The way that you create the space is not all that important and all paths vary in how they do it to some degree. Oftentimes it is through visualization of a circle starting at one point and encircling the participants. It then will dome over and under them to finish the sphere. Others use physical circles through a circle of candles, salt (I don't recommend this, refer to my post on Salt), or just chalk drawing on the floor. Still others will use reference points such as candles, statues, or people and visualize the circle connecting them. It's really up to you as to how you do it.

Naming the space is as simple as simply saying that this space is sacred and using words to again create the space. Saying something as simple as "This space is sacred and we will not allow any outside influences inside" is often good enough. The verbal part is very important because it cements your intentions into place. While speaking, be very aware of the moment and let power flow through your words to hold the sphere in place.

Calling Powers to Hold the Protection

You're doing some pretty heavy magick. You want to create a change in the universe regardless of whether everyone else in the world thinks it's impossible. You are suspending your belief in the laws that society has imprinted on you from birth. You're healing a person who modern medicine says can't be healed. This is something that you've got to focus on completely, but you're worried about holding the circle together as well. How do you do this? Well you delegate of course.

You can delegate a member of the participants to hold the sphere. This is very common in group settings, but I and the majority of Pagans do most of the spellwork solo. This is where calling the watchtowers or elements or gods or goddesses or whatever comes in. You call for beings or powers to hold the circle for you. This is something you should think about pretty seriously if you're new because you can't just call Athena or Thor to hold the circle for you if you have no relationship with them. That's why most traditions call elements or some power source rather than a deity. I would look into some of the more commonly used systems before going off on your own.

The Rules While Within the Space

The rules are whatever you make them as long as they're intelligent rules. Everyone has their accepted rules, but those rules are strictly upheld. These are to protect the participants in the case of something unexpected happening. Once a rule is set, it is imperative that it not be broken under any circumstance. A couple of the important ones that are common are:

Don't leave the space. This is to make sure that the sphere isn't broken by you crossing the boundary. This means that if you have to pee and the choice is either to leave the circle to pee or pee your pants, you should probably pee your pants. Remember that the reason for the protection is to protect in a worst case scenario, and a worst case scenario could be that there is an entity outside the sphere that is manipulating you.
No inviting entities into the space. This is because once an entity is in the space, you have absolutely no protection from them. This process also gives an opening for others to enter. The proper way to invite entities to the space is to have a specified space outside the protected area for them to interact with the participants. Some traditions (especially Wiccan traditions) invoke spirits while all participants are still in the circle, but I personally disagree with this practice.

There are plenty of other rules that people use, and if you've got one please post it as a comment. I'd love to have a few new ideas for my ritual protection, so any kind of ideas on defensive magick and spell protection would be very appreciated.

Defensive Magick: Daily Protection

2011-11-15T08:27:00.000-06:00

Every day you walk through a world that is filled to the brim with emotions and energy--energy that you really don't need any part of. Your neighbors had a fight. Your boss is pissed at not getting the promotion. The girl in front of you at the grocery store just broke up with her boyfriend. These are all negative energies that are mixing and mingling with your perfectly happy and excited energy giving you all sorts of random emotions that don't make sense. This is the reason to do daily protections to keep you happier and free of all of the swirling negativity in the world. This is the simplest and oftentimes, one of the most neglected types of defensive magick.

The simplest way to do a daily protection is to simply stand in front of the mirror and visualize something that covers your entire body. I've heard all sorts of things ranging from a cloak to a force-field like shield surrounding them. Feel it harden into place and any time you think about it, reinforce that shield.

The next addition that you probably want to do is the purification step. This will cleanse yourself of the negativity that has built up throughout the night (and maybe the day before if you forgot yesterday's protection). The easiest way to do this is to simply take a bath and feel the water cleansing you. The key to this step is being in the moment and really feeling the negativity and stress wash away from you. Bonus points if you're using a cleansing and purifying essential oil or scent in your soap (double bonus points for homemade soap specifically designed for this purpose).

Yes, these work and they work well. On the other hand, these are things that are easy to forget. If you have an action that you do every day, integrate that into the ritual. The easiest for many people is to charge a piece of jewelry or an item you wear every day with shielding properties. Cologne and perfume work as well (especially if you add a bit of protective essential oil to it). I'm sure that deodorant would too, I just have an issue with putting plastic into a ritual setting.

In order to charge the object, sit down in a quiet place. You can do whatever ritual stuff you deem important like adding candles, making a circle, etc. Now, build up that shield visualization. Feel the strength of it surrounding you. Once you know that it's as strong as you can make it, push that shield into the item. Now anytime you need to, just draw some energy/shield from it. I'm a very big fan of the jewelry technique because the jewelry will add to the strength of it. Some good types of jewelry would be anything that is gold, anything that has a red or yellow stone. If possible it should be something that touches the skin because skin contact facilitates any kind of energetic work.

This is the simplest of the defensive magick techniques, but daily protection is a very important part of keeping your energy and emotions clean of any other influences. Check back tomorrow for tips and ideas for how to effectively shield your magickal/spell work!

Defensive Magick: An Introduction

2011-11-14T14:27:00.001-06:00

I've decided that in order to really have a complete magickal website I need to have a few sections that people can use as a reference tool. One of the most important things that everyone new to the magickal world should begin to learn is defensive magick. This should be done before you ever step inside a circle or open yourself up to the things that go bump in the night.

The most important parts to understand are the basics. From this, you can create your own defensive techniques without using other people's ideas (though I still look at other people's ideas for inspiration). Oftentimes there will be entities or energies that don't respond well to normal techniques so you'll have to use different ones that no one's thought of before but they'll still rely on the basics.

So why do you need to use defensive magick?

Well, for those of you who are not that worried about entities or "curses" (negative energy), you will still need to insulate your spells and yourself from other energies. This is basically the same as keeping the smell of a rotten egg away from your amazing chicken alfredo while you're eating it. The rotten egg may not be actively touching the alfredo but the smell is ruining the experience and the taste. Magick is easily influenced and so you have to make sure that there aren't any external forces playing with your intentions.

That's not even taking into consideration the simple fact that there is negativity influencing us all over. We're a relatively negative culture and we're constantly bombarded by anger, grief, and envy. By keeping that negativity away from us we can keep our own energy clean.

There are also the entities that we all occasionally cross paths with (some more than others). Entities are just like people, some will have bad intentions, others are just passing by, and others will try to help you. The ones that have bad intentions are probably going to have to be forced from your space and a lot of these techniques will be of use.

The basic idea of all defensive magick is to put a shield around yourself and/or your space and to cleanse the area inside of that shield forcing everything else out. The most commonly talked about defensive magick technique is that of a magickal or witch's circle if you're looking for an example.

The technique you use will depend on your purpose. The three major purposes would be:

Daily Protection deals with keeping yourself cleansed of all the negativity in the world. So you don't want to spend a lot of time each day on this, but it should be a part of your wake up routine every morning even if you aren't leaving the house. Part of it should be a purifying and immediately afterwards a shielding . There probably isn't much in the way of tools when doing this.

Ritual/Spell Protection is the use of defensive magick to keep outside influences from interfering with spellwork and rituals. This will be a much more intricate purifying process as well as a more ritualistic shielding process. This is because energy and entities are drawn to energy sources, which you'll be a very significant one. You have to keep everything else out while still being able to put energy into your spell purpose. Oftentimes there will be a single person in charge of maintaining the circle during group rituals. There will probably be a lot of tools used to help in creating and maintaining a space.

Emergency Protection is generally used when dealing with an entity that is not wanted. This will be the sole purpose of your magickal work and therefore will use most of your energetic strength. The key to emergency protection is deciding whether you want/can deal with the entity adequately at the moment. If you decide that you can't, the purpose of the emergency protection is to get it away from you until you can deal with it. If you can, then the purpose is to keep it there until you can make sure that it won't come back. Entities tend to know when to run away, so sometimes it is necessary to make that shield backwards keeping everything inside of it.

The next part will be over daily defensive magick. Check back regularly or subscribe to find out more about how you can keep yourself from soaking up all the negativity in the world!

Magickal Inks

2011-11-08T07:04:00.007-06:00

The pen and paper is the medium for making language physical. It is the only way to turn this intangible into permanence, and through this process can turn the magick within the spoken word into a magickal item. This can be done through sigil work, pictures, or through simple words. We adorn our altars with specially anointed candles, home made athames, wands carved by our own hands, and all manner of spiritually meaningful items. It is my belief that if we're doing all of this, then it only seems natural to want a handmade or spiritually meaningful ink to be the medium for converting the power of the spoken word into a tangible item to be used in our spellwork.

There are a few ways to make your own inks and I'm not going to go into all of them mainly because there's just wayyy too many possible ways to do it. I will give you a few ideas that are easy for the normal person to do and don't require you to special order some nonsense from a small village in western Siberia.

India Ink
1 part lampblack
1 part gum arabic
10-15 parts alcohol (depending on how thick you want your ink)

This is the classic ink that we've heard of in history books and in movies. Lampblack is simply the carbon (soot) that comes off of a candle in the smoke. To "catch" it, simply hold a spoon over the candle and let the smoke hit it. Every so often, you have to "scrape" the spoon clean. I would suggest using two spoons or a spoon and a fork (wow this sounds like some kind of messed up instructions on eating lunch), one spoon for catching and the other for scraping the lampblack into the container you're going to use. Once you have a good amount of lampblack, just add the alcohol and then the gum arabic. Gum arabic is a thickening agent sold at Hobby Lobby and pretty much any craft stores (look for it near the paint section).

You can also crush up berries or boil them and use this as an ink, or you can use the ink sacs from squid or cuttlefish. Add a little gum arabic to thicken these up if you need it thicker for your writing utensil.

Currently, there are only three regularly referenced "magickal inks": bat's blood ink, dove's blood ink, and dragon's blood ink. Here are the recipes for them if you're interested.

Bat's Blood Ink
2 parts dragon's blood resin
1/2 part myrrh resin
2 drops indigo color
2 drops cinnamon oil
12 parts alcohol
1/2 part gum arabic

One tip on the creation of this ink is to make sure to dissolve the resins in the alcohol first. This takes a lot less time than waiting for them to dissolve once you have the rest of the ingredients in.

This ink is supposed to push for chaos, discord and all things not so pleasant. I'm not sure how useful it is since I've never made it.

Dragon's Blood Ink
1 part dragon's blood resin
15 parts alcohol
1 part gum arabic

This one is for power and strength in spellwork.

Dove's Blood Ink
1 part dragon's blood resin
2 drops cinnamon oil
10 parts alcohol
2 drops bay oil
1 part gum arabic
2 drops rose oil

This ink is used for love, giving thanks, and all things that come from the heart or are born from a place of innocence.

Now onto my personal spin (you knew it was coming, didn't you?). I typically don't used any of the marketed inks, but that's simply because I like the process of creating something of my own. You can put any kinds of incense, oils, or gemstones in the ink. One unique way that I add my own touch is to crush up actual herbs or gemstones and put them into the ink. Granted that these will not be suspended or put onto paper, but you put bay leaves in a stew even though no one actually wants to eat them. The idea's the same. More than likely these inks will sit for a while and their "tastes" will intermingle. In truth, simply adding these personal touches to a craft store bought ink is better than using the ink by itself if for no other reason than because when we create something, a part of ourselves is put into our creation.

Also, if you want to a bit more power to it, you can always put a drop or two of blood into it. There are some things you might want to think about before you do that though. Check out a few of my precautions in Blood, Power and Magick and Blood, Power and Magick Pt. II.

Pagan Economics and its Problems November 5, 2011

2011-11-06T08:02:00.003-06:00

There is a growing number of Pagans in the US and many of them want to incorporate this into their daily lives aka their source of income. For some reason, almost no Pagan businesses are ever as profitable as their non-spiritual counterparts. I’d like to go into a bit of depth on each of the types of businesses before coming to any major conclusions as to the why and how we can change this.

Manufacturing

The manufacturing business is a very common business for Pagans. This represents all those that craft by hand as well as major manufacturing companies that create the commonly sold things such as bumper stickers. The problem with this business is that nearly all of the things manufactured for Pagans are one-time-buys. No one buys the same necklace twice or the same athame twice. The only major items that people buy multiple times are candles, incense, herbs, soaps, oils, “spell kits”. Yes, this is a very viable business, but the problem is that retailers are the ones that buy these products and they are having a hard time which in turn means that manufacturers are having a hard time as well.

Retail

This is the path that most end up going down and nearly everyone tries at some point. Brick and mortar stores tend to have a lot of problems due to the lack of large concentrations of Pagans in any single area. They also have far more expenses than online stores and therefore have to have higher prices. They’ll never be able to compete with online drop-shippers or large chains on price simply because they cannot buy products in large enough quantities to get significant discounts. The internet retail stores have trouble because most products are one time buys and there is A LOT of competition. It also seems that the products do not differ enough to allow the consumer to be loyal to a single company because of their outstanding product lines. This is one of the biggest and most profitable of the current Pagan businesses especially when coupled with a service regardless of the hardships that they have to deal with.

Information

There are thousands of people trying to make money off of a Pagan blog, website, magazine, or newsletter. A few make it, but most end up having to have another job. There are very few people that make their living off of this, and the only real section of people in this industry that stand out are the authors of Pagan 101 books because they can profit off of the people who are not living off of the Pagan industries. Though it sounds very pyramid scheme-ish, it’s the truth. Booksellers like Barnes and Nobles sell very few books other than introductory books to Paganism, and these are the places that make authors the most money.

Education

There is only one currently utilized outlet for this business: ”magick schools”. These are almost exclusively online businesses that offer the same type of information as a Pagan 101 book and again, they are profiting off of the new kids on the block. They offer very little (from my very limited experience with them) other than an online teacher. This is not a bad idea but the truth is that there are many other paths that should at least be tested in this business.

Health Care

This revolves almost entirely on a combination of massage therapy, energetic healing (Reiki for example), acupuncture, and acupressure. There are other styles of “New Age” healing that we’ll consider, but these are the main ones. There is an extremely large number of people practicing these techniques both in the Pagan world and outside of it, and so the competition is rather stiff. It is also a business that is not extremely expandable and so those that are not business minded tend to have a very difficult time because they have to be both good at their practice as well as running a business which for many people is a difficult thing to do.

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation

There is a very large number of these ranging from tourist style entertainment (think Rennaisance Faire) to musical entertainment to general artisans. The problem with these businesses is that they’re very limited to the number of people in their niche (Paganism) unless they can branch out into mainstream (Ren Faires). There’s not much else to say other than they will have problems until the population of Pagans increases dramatically.

Accomodations, Food

There’s very few accommodations or food/drink locations that cater to specifically Pagans. Yes, there are some but they are very few and far between and I have never actually been to one so I have very few things to note other than the fact that our sub-culture is far too spread out in most places for these places to be very profitable unless they can also reach the mainstream.

Professional Services

Professional services would be consultants, financial advisors, and the likes. The problem with trying to start something like this that specializes in the Pagan business world would be that there are very few Pagan businesses that can afford them. Its a business that we desperately need, but not something that we’ll likely find any time soon.

Conclusions

There are a lot of conclusions that we can draw from this analysis. We can all see that an increase in Pagan population would without a doubt make Pagan businesses more profitable and the world is headed in that direction, but we are still a long way away from seeing a large increase in the profitability of brick and mortar stores and businesses. It seems as though more Pagan businesses need to adopt a larger service line in order to be profitable from the beginning. Having a Pagan restaurant/bar that also sold massages in the back and had a “gift shop” (think cracker barrel) would probably have a better chance of profiting than a simple store because it would cause more impulse buying as well as combining the revenue from all of the possible options. It would also create a much larger loyal customer base. This would put more money into fewer hands allowing them to grow their business and in the future, make an impact in the non-Pagan community thus increasing the possible number of customers by increasing the number of Pagans.

Internet shops should push for more brand loyalty by increasing the number of unique items, increasing the number of consumable items, as well as increasing their ability to impact the Pagan community.

The key to everything involves the brick and mortar operations to increase impact on the non-Pagan community, making them more amiable to Pagans, and the internet operations to increase their impact on the Pagan community, making them more “Pagan only” whenever possible. This would open up huge opportunities for everyone to profit from the increased spending into Pagan businesses.

Water of the Elements November 4, 2011

2011-11-06T08:01:00.004-06:00

So I was thinking earlier about tools I’ve collected, been gifted, gifted, and used throughout my nearly 10 years of magick and I thought I’d let share one of them with you. It was thought up and gifted to me by my aunt on a winter solstice around 5 years ago, and I used it for numerous years afterwards sparingly. She gave me 4 glass bottles of water coming from the four elements which would lend the essence of water with a slant towards one of the other elements. I’ll give you a more understandable explanation for each after I’ve written down my personal recipe for them.

Water of the Air

1 Glass Jar (needs to be glass) that is airtight. Liquor bottles work perfectly. Preferably it is dark tinted to reduce light.

1 Large feather such as an owl, vulture, or hawk

Collect rainwater from a single storm. For those of us living in the desert, this may require a long wait or a trip to Seattle. This also may mean that you need to put a bucket outside to catch enough water. Once the water is in the jar, stir it with the feather. Put whatever air energy you feel is needed into it. I’m not really one for the rhyming spells or chants so throw that in there if you’re that kind of person as well.

This will be used to represent the airy parts of water: the fluidity, hurricanes, cold emotions, and all things that go between the water and air such as seabirds, rain (yeah, I know…), and storms of all sorts.

Water of the Earth

1 Glass Jar–the same as the others

a handful of stones from a body of water or stones that represent water to you

The instructions are the same as the water of air except with the earth slant.

The important things to note when using this water is that it is of the earth and therefore represents things such as the body, water that is not in motion, creatures that travel between the earth and water (crabs for example), and emotional ties to objects.

Water of Fire

1 Glass Jar–the same as the others

1 pot

1 match

The instructions for this one are a bit different. First boil natural spring water (bottled water works). Put this water into the jar. Then light the match and feel the heat and fire flowing into the water. Put the match out in the jar and pull the matchstick out. There will be ashes in the water and that’s okay.

This is the combination of opposites. It is a representation of the “hot” emotions such as passion, anger, and love. It is also a representation of the idea of alchemy and the combination of opposing forces. This is a tricky one to really explain with examples.

Water of Water

1 Glass jar

In this, the procedure is very simple. You just need either water from a very large lake or water from the sea. I’d suggest that you make sure they are as clean as possible (run them through a coffee filter or 10), but other than that just pour it into the jar and close the lid.

This is the most difficult one to explain the representation on in my opinion. It has to do with all things purely of water. Dreams, water bound creature, watery emotions if that makes any sense, and of course water itself.

All of these waters will work for the water aspect in a ritual, but they are specifically designed for certain types. For example, I would use the Water of Fire in a ritual to bring about more passion in your life but it wouldn’t be a good one for bringing more wealth into your life. On the other hand, if you wanted to a very water based ritual, you could use all of the waters as representatives of the 4 elements.

You have to be careful not to let them into the light very much because algae will start to grow if they’re exposed to much light and nobody wants to use water in a ritual that’s got weird green stuff in it.

Anyways, good luck and if you have any questions or thoughts, give us a few comments.

God, Reality, Myth, Fiction…What Do You Choose? November 2, 2011

2011-11-06T07:59:00.003-06:00

What is reality to you? Is it a bearded man sitting on a golden throne in heaven? A group of drunk and disorderly gods and goddesses sitting on top of a mountain? Is it the media and science’s portrayal of reality where we sit in cubicles until we’re too old to see the computer screen clearly and then we’re put into nursing homes until we die?

My reality is none of the above and though I’m sure my regular readers know, I hold to no reality for very long. It is constantly shifting to fit my current understanding of the world.

“Knowledge is changeable. Truth is eternal. It is disastrous to confuse them.” –Madeleine L’Engle

This quote is of the utmost importance to all that practice magick because although our society teaches rigidity in belief, magick teaches us fluidity. It is impossible to fly when you cannot bend your own reality to accept that it is possible. For anyone who has ever practiced magick knows that the reality that we are taught is flawed and therefore cannot be the truth. It is the magician’s quest to constantly search for that truth, to follow meandering roads to their ends and to always search for the one that leads to that golden door of enlightenment.

This post is not a simple post. It isn’t about a simple topic such as athames or tarot cards or even the meaning of life. This is about what lies beneath all of it. The core answer of every question. Truth.

“I’m going to paraphrase Thoreau here… rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness… give me truth.” Chris McCandless, Into the Wild

To the magician, everything is based on their current idea of truth. If they believe that the truth allows them to fly, they will search for a way to do this. They will always test, always make sure that something will work before they need this. They gather tools and build their repertoires in this way, but in reality they are actually exploring the unknown and changing their reality to always get closer to the truth.

The end result is a culture of expanding minds, of modern day philosophers. These expanding minds are the future of our society. It is only so long before the rest of the world begins to see where these philosophers are headed. Every day more and more government officials have ties to this culture from the small town officials to a Presidential hopeful, Gary Johnson. The society that was dominated by science is slowly being influenced by the surrounding proof of flaws in our ideas of reality as well as the ever-encroaching mainstreaming of Pagan culture. These modern day philosophers are not always authors or college graduates. They are simply people who’s minds have been opened to the idea of other realities through trial and error. We are the advisors, the councilors, the confidants of our society and we need to start acting like it.

The expansion of reality does not mean that we should live outside of the bounds of normal society. We must still provide food for our families, must still keep clothes on our backs and should never become a burden for the ones we love. We must somehow balance the knowledge that we have gained and the world that we have chosen with the world that we have been placed into. Remember, we were placed in this time and society for a reason and it is our duty to fulfill our role.

Magick or Science? October 27, 2011

2011-11-06T07:58:00.003-06:00

The Big Bang. Quantum physics. Neutrinos. The splitting of a proton. Energy. Massive Energy. Fire. Hurricanes. Wind. Waves. A landslide. Magick.

All of science has shown that magick doesn’t exist. On the surface. The science of the 1700′s, 1800′s, and 1900′s worked to understand the how’s and why’s of the world and to uncover the secret workings of what was considered “magick”. They did an amazing job and the result is the world we live in. Computers, cars, planes, and chemistry run our lives and give us the means to live our lives in comfort. We discovered the atom (which actually is Latin for irreducible) and from there have manipulated them to nearly the maximum extent that they can be manipulated.

We discovered that an atom is not in fact irreducible. There are two parts of an atom: the nucleus and the electron cloud that surrounds it. Imagine that an atom is the size of an orange. The nucleus is smaller than one of the seeds. The 1-160 electrons that make up the cloud are each the size of a speck of dust. The rest is void space. Okay, that’s kind of crazy but imaginable. So an atom is 99% void space and 1% mass.

Now we get into the quantum physics part of it. Through crazy testing that I’m not even going to begin to try to explain they’ve found that the nucleus’s parts (protons and neutrons) can be further broken apart into what are known as quarks. Come to find out, they too make up only about 1% of the proton and neutron volume. The rest is void space. So within an atom, only 1% of 1% (that’d be .01% for the non math majors out there) is actual mass. That is incredible. So here’s an example of why that’s so incredible: Think about an airplane. It weighs hundreds of thousands of pounds and carries 150 people through the air, defying gravity. Now think about it in terms of atoms. For every square foot of metal, cut out all but a single piece of metal about 1/8th of an inch by 1/8th of an inch. Oh yeah, and as thin as a hair. That’s how much actual mass is there. The rest is all just nothing. It’s kind of mind blowing.

Now let’s look past that to what hasn’t been discovered and make an educated guess. No one has ever broken apart a quark or atom (that I’ve ever heard of), but my guess is that there’s only about 1% of the quark that’s actually there and the rest is void space. Do you see where I’m going with this? Eventually you realize that there really isn’t anything out there. Nothing takes up any space in actuality because there’s nothing really there.

Except energy. There is motion and so there must be energy. Even if an electron cloud is nearly all void space, it acts as an object. It has force and it has volume. Energy is the only thing that is real in the world. Now my question to you is this: how is the energy that is the world any different from the energy that is pulled through your body to create change in the world? It isn’t. It is all the same thing with different vibrational levels and different intention.

The next thing that needs to be thought about is the fact that our bodies are also made of atoms which means that truthfully we are made of nothing but energy. And something else. There has to be something else inside of us that allows us to be alive and different from one another. This is the most logical and perfectly undeniable proof of the soul for lack of a better word.

So we are in essence, a soul that is somehow bound to energy. This is pretty much exactly what the Eastern philosophies and religions have taught for thousands of years. Now comes the true question of this blog: what do we do with this information?

Well, as far as magick is concerned, this logic tells us that if we can control the energy of our body then why would we not be able to control the energy outside of this body? Also, why would we not be able to transform the energy of a chair into the energy of an ice cube? And furthermore, why is it that we don’t already know how to do this?

I don’t know. Possibly it has to do with the fact that we are here for a reason and that reason doesn’t include having everything we want without any effort. That’s about as far as I can get at 4 am. I’d love to hear other people’s ideas on this.

The more important question to ask is this: if we are all made up of energy, and the world is made up of energy, and our souls are simply tied to the energy that we inhabit, then what inhabits everything else? I’d have to say that the idea of a Mother Earth or a God or the Universe or whatever other name you’d like to give it sure does sound pretty plausible when you put it into those terms. If you take the first point and put it with this point, then one of the most obvious conclusions for me is this: there is a reason we are here and there is some sort of design to all of this chaos that is our lives.

Okay, that’s as far as I’m going to get on this topic for now since I’m ridiculously exhausted from a long night of work and I’ve got to get ready to go back for a few more hours. Let me know what you think.

Books of Shadow

2011-11-06T07:57:00.005-06:00

In the past, I’ve never really used a book of shadows. It always seemed as though it were just another journal which could be useful as a self exploratory tool, never really caught my interest. The further along the path laid before me I get, it keeps becoming more and more apparent that I need to keep one–not for myself, but for my children or any other “students” that come along. I know that I have had to figure everything out myself from the very beginning, and though this has been a useful exercise in itself, it’s not something that I would wish on anyone else especially my children. There will always be trials that I never had to go through, entities that I’ve never encountered, and paths I have not traveled, but I wish to have a reference for them so that they can have a place to begin with.

And that brings me to the purpose of this post: to explain my thoughts on my now current BoS and the future of it.

The purpose of the BoS is not to be a journal. It is to be a reference book that could never be sold in a store, but can be trusted completely as a reference. Therefore, it must be clean, easily scanned through, thorough but not to the point of rambling. All of the information must be completely understandable and not put into metaphysical/New Age confusion which is so prevalent in other references.

It must be a book not a computer file because computers die, flash drives get lost, and every other possibility that can cause things to get lost randomly on a computer. It is currently in a journal with no lines so that drawings are easy to understand. It currently is unorganized because organizing in a journal is a task of futility, but once the journal is filled, the information will be recopied into another that is far more organized. It may even be typed up and printed.

The sections will include the following: rituals, practices for increasing magickal power, entities and all information on them, special circumstances, information on associations, and a random information part.

Now, other people may have different ideas on what a book of shadows is supposed to be, but this is my view of it.

*Just as an FYI, the image is from Oberon Designs who make the most fantastic leather journal covers I’ve ever found. Check them out because you won’t find a better journal cover

Just a quick note October 13, 2011

2011-11-06T07:55:00.002-06:00

Just so everyone knows, my current work schedule is pretty screwy. I work around 15 hours a day for 8 days straight and then I’m off for 4 days. This isn’t going to change anytime soon, so my posting will be pretty erratic and you’ll get 6 or 8 posts back to back for 3-4 days and then nothing for a week other than a few quick replies. As it is, I only get about 5 hours of sleep a night, so the blog has to take a backseat to sleeping.

New Project: Experience Pool October 6, 2011

2011-11-06T07:54:00.003-06:00

I’ve started a new project. We all have had strange experiences that we think no one will understand and no one has ever had to deal with before, and the second one is probably partly right but you’d be surprised at how many of your experiences would help people understand their experiences and know how to better deal with them. I know that when I was just starting to delve into the deeper magick, I had absolutely no idea how to handle the problems and issues that came up because of it. So if you’ve got an experience that you think will help someone else or even that you just want feedback on it, go up to the top tabs and click on experiences. Fill out the form and I’ll post the experience for others to comment on. I’ll set up an archiving system that will be easy to use for anyone who needs to look through the archives for some information on a particularly difficult instance.

Magickal Dangers and Random Tips October 6, 2011

2011-11-06T07:53:00.002-06:00

I have been practicing magick for a while now and though I’ve tried to temper my eagerness for results with the caution that experimentation requires, I’ve failed at times and have witnessed the dangers firsthand or realized just how close to the ledge I have been. I feel that when my children are old enough to start experimenting–with magick that is–that they read or are told what happened or could have happened when I was not safe in my practices. And so, I have decided that it is probably a very good topic to write about.

Tip 1: Don’t do magick in your home. I’ll start with my first words of warning: be wary of what kind of magick you do in your own home. Spirits/demons/ghosts/energies of all kinds/things that go bump in the night are all attracted to energy and magick is big-time energy. Just because you cast a circle and close it and all of the other things that you’ve learned to do, it’s inevitable that your home will become well known as an energy source. If at all possible, do your magick somewhere else whether that’s in a field, your backyard, a park, or even just your garage.

I learned this through two of my own residences becoming energetic feeding grounds. As I’m sure that you know if you’ve read much of what I’ve written, I know the basic protections and fail-safes that circulate magickal circles. I have kicked my fair share of not-so-nice things out of my apartment, but I promise, you don’t want to deal with the trouble every night when you really would rather be getting some sleep before work or a final or even just to watch a good movie with a particular someone. The bad thing about it is that no matter how many spirits you banish from your home, every time you do it you’re releasing more energy and you’re only making it worse. I don’t know a fix for this, and the only way that I eventually rid myself and my family of this trouble was to move. That’s why I would suggest that you didn’t start the cycle. If you must do magick in your home, remember to cleanse well afterwards so that the energy doesn’t build up. It’s not hard to clean it up quickly before your home becomes an energetic hotspot, but it’s very difficult to clean it up once it’s known in darker circles.

2. Leave the innocents out of it! The things that go bump in the night are attracted to those of us that can deal with them. They’re attracted to the energy that we put out when we practice, when we worship, and when we simply move about. On the other hand, they can affect people that they aren’t drawn to, so when you are doing magick even remotely close to other people, please don’t just make the spirits leave you. The entities were drawn to you, and therefore they are your responsibility. Don’t cause harm simply through neglect.

This one really hit me hard when I realized what had happened. I was dealing with a rather difficult entity one night and it was causing a lot of pain to my wife, so I did the first thing that came to me–I pushed it away. Well it went up…to my upstairs neighbor’s apartment. I didn’t think too much of it for a while. I figured that it would be back like most of them ended up doing, but it never really came back. A few days to a few weeks later, the family that lived upstairs and to my knowledge had never really had any real problems split up. The dad left and I never saw him again. They had had a serious fight that we heard downstairs after never hearing anything from them in a year, not even their 2 year old crying. This family had done nothing to draw the entity to them, had no way of knowing that it was an entity causing pain and turmoil, and had no way of dealing with it. Don’t be the cause of someone else’s pain, even unintentionably. Trust me, it really sucks.

3. Don’t forget the basics. The basics are there for a reason. We all learn to cast a circle. We all learn the basic protections. We all learn the basic idea that yes there are things out there that can hurt us and yes we should make sure that they don’t come near us. Remember these all the time. Especially when you’re doing something new.

Not too long ago, my wife and I were working through a rather intense invocation ritual. I did the unthinkable and didn’t cast a circle. I made a circle in order to contain my wife in the event that something bad did happen, but I didn’t make a circle to insulate her from any unintended participants. Yes, I know that this was a very very poor decision. Luckily nothing bad happened (that I am aware of *knock on wood*), but it was very clear how close we came to an unintended invocation. My wife left her body for a very short time, but that was only after feeling the multitudes of entities that were coming and pushing against her. The intended spirit was invoked successfully, but her only communication was to basically tell me that I was an idiot. Let me tell you that not only did I feel like a complete idiot in front of a very powerful spirit, but I ran the risk of injuring my wife or having her be possessed. This is not something to play with. Regardless of how invincible you feel, do not forget the basics. They’re there for a reason.

Well that’s it for now. If anyone has any other hard-earned tips, please post them for others.

Dark Magic–The Origins of Light September 24, 2011

2011-11-06T07:52:00.003-06:00

“It is far better to learn to see in the dark than to shine a light and be blinded.”

The New Age movement has brought with it a flood of metaphysically inclined people that push for a love and light philosophy. There are very few mentions of the darker side of magick within the basic magick 101 books, and though that may be a good thing for many reasons, it also limits many people’s view of the people that do darker magick.

Dark magick, by my personal definition, is acknowledging and accessing the entire spectrum of possibilities in magick, even the dangerous and scary aspects such as demon evocation, sex magick and blood magick. This is probably not the most perfect of definitions, but it will work for my purposes.

Dark magick is not in opposition of the lighter sides of magick, and in fact works with them. They cohabitate every part of the world and cannot exist without the other side. The dark is the realm of difficulty, of temptation, and of possible failure. This is the place where strength is derived. Darkness is the natural state, and it is only through surviving and triumphing in darkness that light can be made. Therefore, every light comes from darkness and the aspiring healer must first face the darkness before he can bring the light to others.

The shamans of old were not shamans until they had faced the darkness and triumphed. They had to walk roads of shadows–deathly illnesses, “schizophrenia”, and physical trials–before they could ever do good for anyone else. Our society understands that darkness is the realm of creativity. It is more uncommon to have a true creative genius without any darkness in their life than one that is full of depression, hardship, and darkness. Women must go through the darkness of pregnancy and child birth before their bundle of light is brought into the world. The journey of bringing light to the world is always full of darkness.

The problem is not that darkness exists, or that people are unaware of it. The problem is that rather than respecting the darkness as a way to personal strength, they fear it and those that walk the darker roads. Not everyone chooses to embrace darkness, and it is understandable why people would not. It is the place of unknown, and humans by nature are fearful of the unknown. It is also the realm of danger, of destruction, of death, and of pain. All of these are necessary parts of the road to strength. It is not in comfort that we gain strength, just as the sword is not strengthened without the fires of the forge or the pounding of the hammer and anvil.

In closing this post, I must say that every magician must confront the darkness at some point. Do not be reckless when doing this, but do not be afraid to do it. It is a necessary road for all that wish to bring light to the world and to bring light to yourself.

Ramblings and Inspiration September 19, 2011

2011-11-06T07:51:00.002-06:00

It’s strange how often the viewing of a movie or reading of a book can change a person’s priorities. It seems that every major life change I’ve had has been at least somewhat influenced by a book or movie. I found the metaphysical after watching a very ridiculous teen movie some 10 years ago. I set my lifelong values after reading The Alchemist about a year after that, and now I’m going back to writing after watching “The Peaceful Warrior.”

I’ve always wondered when I would go back to writing, and I didn’t ever imagine it would be at a time like now. I’m busier than I ever have been before, and yet I feel compelled to spend what little time I’m not working 14 hours a day or playing with my four kiddos or snuggling up with my wife to watch a movie, sitting down at a computer to research some obscure topic to write about or sitting outside pondering different questions I have while I drink my morning coffee.

It seems as though it’s the only driving point I really have these days. I go to work and do as much as I can to move up the corporate ladder, but at the end of the day I regularly think to myself that there’s this huge hole in my life that shouldn’t be there. So I started writing again. Who knows how intellectual and worthwhile these ramblings may be this time around, but they’ll be here.

So today’s rambling is on the topic that has bothered me for some time now. I have to ask myself, what is the point of writing this blog? I don’t make any money from it. I haven’t really made any real impact on the world. I certainly haven’t become more in tune with the world because of it. I finally came to the conclusion that I simply need an outlet for the millions of thoughts flowing through my mind daily. I haven’t been able to meditate for a long time, and this may be the reasoning.

Most of the time I sit down with some sort of an idea for a topic, but sometimes I don’t even do that. I just start to write, and whatever comes out is what I post. I’m sure you’ve noticed that over the years the posts have become more and more random and far less structured, and that’s because the topics aren’t topics that I’ve thought through fully. By the end of the post, the majority of the thought process has worked its way through me and there is some sort of conclusion on the thought, and so I can finally put that thought away. Maybe that’s why so many therapists insist that their patients keep a journal.

In essence the process of writing taps into the subconscious where we have no true control over what flows through, and that’s how most “inspired” works come about. I’m not saying that anything I’ve ever written could be called inspired, but in my mind there’s not really anything that isn’t inspired to some degree other than a synopsis of something else. Everything has their truly original thoughts, and everything comes from that hidden ocean of inspiration called the subconscious.

Why You Shouldn’t Use Salt January 15, 2011

2011-11-06T07:50:00.003-06:00

Throughout my nine years of studying and practicing magick, I’ve found that the most common tool recommended is salt, and I trusted this information because it was generally agreed upon by the magickal community. I believed this until it was tested, and it failed. I guess that’s the way all things work.

So I did some research and I did some testing, and most of all, I did some thinking. Salt is normally used as the physical representation of the circle, it is used in cleansing solutions for tools, it’s used to protect against anything that goes bump in the night, but why is it used for all of these things?

Well, think about it. Salt is a natural dessicating agent (it sucks up the water), and it’s one of the strongest dessicants you have available to you. It’s why slugs die when they get salt on them, it’s why salt is used to preserve things, and it’s why salt kills all the bacteria around it. It is sucking up the water. On the other hand, it also sucks up oil or iron or pretty much anything else. It is a natural oxidizer as well, which means that it makes things rust or corrode.

The final scientific reason for its use in magick is because of its unique ability to transmit electricity. It is one of the strongest conductors known to man, and that is one of the main uses that the body has for various salts.

So, we put all of these together and what do we have? A substance that transmits energy easily, absorbs all types of energy from the environment, and can break down most metals (brings it to a more natural state). How does this affect the magick that we do?

Well, salt would be a great way to clean a new tool or cleanse someone after they’ve been covered in bad energy from a bad day at work or a bad experience, which is why salt baths are so recommended. It would also be a great way to ground yourself because it pulls energy from its surroundings, even good energy. It also would work very well as a battery of sorts because it pulls energy, but it is not all that difficult to pull the energy back out. Just beware not to ever be negative around your salt battery because it will soak up that negative energy.

On the other hand, it is horrible for a physical representation of the witch’s circle due to it’s natural affinity for loose energy. It will pull the energy from the circle and hold it. Unless you make sure to draw all of the energy out of the salt before your release, you will lose energy to the salt and will gain almost nothing from using it.

It’s also a horrible way to protect your house or self from negative entities. Unless the entities are simple parasites, they won’t be harmed in the least by the salt. Whatever you use, whether it’s lilac or iron nails, it must be something that makes the area extremely uncomfortable for that particular entity which means that there’s no end-all be-all for entity protection, and from my experience, salt is probably the least effective measure you could try. Think about it like this, vampires supposedly don’t like garlic, but werewolves have no problem eating a man covered in garlic. So garlic might be effective against a vampire problem but wouldn’t have any effect on the werewolf. It’s exactly the same thing when dealing with unknown entities. If you wanted to keep parasites out, salt would be great, but if you wanted to keep one of the fey out, you’d need some iron. Do some research and don’t assume that a salt circle will work. If you’ve got specific information on something and don’t know what to do, put a comment down and I’ll try to help as best I can.

And finally, please don’t keep salt near your altar unless you are using it as a battery and have a way to open it and close it from influencing any of your other workings because it will absolutely make your workings less effective.

Origins of Language January 12, 2011

2011-11-06T07:48:00.003-06:00

I would like to pose a question to you. Why does the word “break” mean to change something from a finished product into its pieces? Is it because that’s the way that the language has evolved from previous languages? That’s what historians and linguists believe. But where did the original word come from?

Now this will take a little bit of thinking outside the box, so read carefully and don’t dismiss it until you’ve finished completely. What if the idea of a single language was actually true. What if the idea of Babel was actually based on truth? Of course every culture will inevitably create its own functional language, but what if there was a single True language? What if all of the world could speak and understand this language? I ask this because there are hints in many many cultures that certain sounds bring forth different magickal effects. Think about the runes. They are not simply geometric designs to carve on something for magickal purposes. They were a language, and a language that supposedly held a large portion of the magick of the Norse. Each rune had its own sound as well as its own associations. Combine this with the idea of Babel, and we have a very strange idea indeed. As an example, let’s look at Berkano the rune. It represents the B sound, as well as the birch tree and the female spark of life as well as being very related to all things associated with the third Sephiroth in the tree of life, Binah. Now let’s look at words that start with B: birth, birch, book, baby, break, burn, box.

All of these things are at least slightly associated with the Berkano rune. Obviously birch is. Birth and baby are as well. Burn is different but still associated because Berkano is actually a fire rune in some sense due to the fact that it is the initial fire of life. Box and break have to do with Binah’s association with form and boundaries.
Strange as it seems, Berkano is a Norse rune and the associations are based on its role in the Norse culture, and yet it still seems to hold at least some truth in today’s English language. I’m sure that there are situations where it doesn’t hold true, but then again, I never said that modern English is the ‘one true language’. I simply think that it is strange that it still holds some truth. It’s also very strange how in the word break, the b sound could represent the origins of something, much like a seed is the origin of life. The r represents the road to something. K represents the purifying torch of fire. It seems strange how even after a millennium the purifying torch takes something back down the path to its original parts.

Yes, it is absolutely true that it is a bit of a stretch, but it is also very true that it’s far too close to pass off completely. I also doubt very highly that the Norse runes are the true language. Many languages throughout the world have magickal languages, and I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if you could do something very similar with all of them. My question is, couldn’t someone take these languages and do something very similar with them all? Then, couldn’t you combine this research and start looking at how they correspond with each other. It seems like something that should have been done years ago, but I’ve never seen any kind of research even remotely similar.

If you're interested in this topic, some references that I've used are shown below.

The Symbolism of the Scorpion July 18, 2010

2011-11-06T07:47:00.005-06:00

There are very few references to scorpions in mythology or modern symbolism books. I have no good theories on why this would be the case, but many of my searches for information on the scorpion have been in vain. In response to this lack of information, I’m going to post my thoughts and personal symbols for the scorpion as well as the little information I’ve found.

In every case that I’ve found, the scorpion has represented the death that comes unsuspecting. It does not attack with ferociousness like a tiger or bear, but instead dances around its enemy, drawing their attention to its pincers while it slowly draws near enough for the fatal strike from its tail. This teaches us the value of the never letting your enemy know the true danger until it is too late.

On the other hand, there is no cruelty in the scorpion. It is simple, emotionless, and deadly at the same time. Cold-blooded simplicity at its finest. The scorpion will fight, kill, and then devour any rival scorpions and even their mates. They teach us that we are alone in the world, and that it is often best to rid the world of competitors. Unlike people though, this is not done through hate or distrust, simply the cold knowing that all competitors can turn around and destroy you if you do not destroy them first.

Strangely, they are one of the only “bugs” that cares for its young. As soon as the eggs hatch, the baby scorpions climb up on the mother’s back and completely cover her. She then protects them until their first molting. This cold-blooded killer knows that it must protect her young from the world until they are ready to fight their own battles. She knows that in this world, there is no mercy to be had, even for the young.

The scorpion represents death in its most simple sense. It represents the world in its harshest most destructive nature, and yet with a very protective nature. Crowley integrated the scorpion into his Death card in the Thoth Tarot, along with the serpent and eagle, the other two pieces of Scorpio.

In the Ritual of the Portal, an initiatory ritual of the Golden Dawn, it is said that

“The Scorpion is the emblem of ruthless destruction; the Snake is the mixed and deceptive nature, serving alike for good and evil; the Eagle is the higher and Divine Nature, yet to be found herein, the Alchemical Eagle of distillation, the Renewer of life. As it is said:–’Thy youth shall be renewed like the Eagles.’”

There are many parts of the Golden Dawn that I disagree with, but on this series of transformations I agree. It is necessary to learn the destructive nature of the scorpion before you can learn the trans-formative nature of the snake who can travel between the upper and lower world.

This post is not about this Golden Dawn ritual and so I will not go deeply into it, I was simply showing yet another example of the symbolism of the scorpion. If there is any interest in this topic, I would have no problem writing about it in more detail.

Shaman or Schizophrenic? July 13, 2010

2011-11-06T07:43:00.003-06:00

It’s 600 BC in a Native American village. A child is born. He grows into a young boy and is a bit different than the other children. He sees things that aren’t there. Spirits and animals are his friends more so than his own family. He stays away from the village as much as possible and really never gets along with any of the other children. His parents are worried, and they talk to the local medicine man. The medicine man realizes that the boy is simply a natural medicine man. The spirits have chosen him, and it is his destiny to become the next medicine man. So he begins his training.

It’s 2010 in small town America. A child is born. He grows into a young boy and is a bit different than the other children. He sees things that aren’t there. His invisible friends are more his friends than his own family. He plays in the woods as much as he can and rarely play with other children, regardless of how much his parents try to get him to. His parents are worried. There’s not much for them to do. He grows into a teen and never really changes. His parents finally take him to a psychiatrist and he is diagnosed with schizophrenia. He is heavily medicated and lives the rest of his life in a haze.

It’s strange how similar these stories are, and how different they turn out. The boy would have been considered a highly regarded and highly functional member of society 3000 years ago, but now he is forced to either live his life in a haze or to be completely non-functioning in society. Yes, I could rant and rave about how wrong this is. I could complain about the backward nature of a society that seeks to limit and expansion of the consciousness, but I will refrain and simply seek an answer as to how we can instead learn to help these children and adults. So let’s take this scientifically so we don’t just sounds like a bunch of crazies who also need to be medicated. I’m writing this as I would in a scientific journal, so I apologize for complicating things that are simple.

Purpose

The purpose of the post is to explore the methods for dealing with any “delusions” that would be handled by a shaman or other historical spiritual advisor in both children and adults. It is not the purpose of this essay to provide solutions, simply possibilities.

Assumptions

Let’s make a simple assumption. Schizophrenia is caused by some sort of expansion of consciousness to include beings of other planes of existence. This could be the expansion into either the realm of spirits as well as the astral (dream) world. There may be other expansions possible, but these are the primary that come to mind. Thus, the two expansions must be treated differently. One (astral) should be dealt with as though everything is symbolic, much like a dream, while the other (spiritual) should be dealt with literally. In this essay I will be dealing with the spiritual side rather than the astral.

It is also necessary to assume that all hallucinatory experiences fall into these categories as well due to their regular use in historical shamanic and magickal workings in order to induce communication with the other planes of existence. These hallucinatory experiences include drug use, dehydration, exhaustion, starvation, torture, chemical deficiencies within the body, and other easily dealt with delusions.

It is also necessary to assume that if these experiences are caused by an expansion of consciousness, that they are as real as the realm of consciousness that we all live in. Though it may seem difficult to do, we must not consider these to be delusions in the commonly used sense. Drugs, sweat lodges, and ritual torturing have been used for millenia to interact with these other realms for real world changes and knowledge. If they had not been worthwhile experiences or had given false information, they would have been abandoned far before Christianity came into existence.

Effects of the Shamanic Calling

It is important to put into perspective the effects that an untreated person who’s consciousness has naturally expanded will endure. The experiences can range from simply hearing voices to seeing faeries to talking with spirits and demons. Sometimes they are friendly, sometimes they are terrifying. Whispers in the dark, your deepest fears appearing before you while you’re showering. These are the making of the most fear-inducing horror movie, and there are children world-wide being plagued by them. Yet, these are the same effects that people have striven to achieve with years and years of effort. They are not able to be ignored, but medication may not be the best way of coping.

Necessities of Treatment

In order to find ways of coping and controlling this expansion, it is necessary to ascertain the needs which must be fulfilled with any kind of treatment or counseling.

Acceptance

The most important part of any kind of treatment is the explanation that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the person, that there are others out there like them. It is important to also establish that there are hundreds and thousands of people who work their entire lives to earn the gifts that they were born with. It is absolutely necessary for the child or adult to understand that there is help out there, and they do not have to simply ignore or try to hide from this gift because that is exactly what it is, a gift from the universe. It isolates them, scares them, and makes their life more difficult, but that is because they do not have any control of it and have no understanding of it.

Family and Loved Ones

For the person who has these difficult experiences, isolation is most likely their most difficult obstacle to overcome. Therefore, it is imperative that those who are still in their life need to be counseled as well. They must learn to accept the experiences as a real experience and not the delusions of a madman. They must be counseled as much as the patient does because it is not a simple thing to remove the society-imposed idea that only their reality exists and all others are delusions.

Coping Skills

In the immediate, it is necessary to find the coping mechanisms which the patient has created for themselves. These can range in many directions, and most of them will be effective for as long as the patient has faith in them. They are very likely similar to OCD behaviors due to the complete fear that befalls them when they do not keep the behaviors, and at some later date they may need to be dealt with separately.

It is also necessary to create coping skills if there are not any. This may entail lying to the patient in order to create faith in the skills because trust is absolutely necessary for most simplistic skills to work. This must be considered on a case by case basis due to the need for trust in such a difficult counseling/treatment situation.

Building Skills

Coping mechanisms are not enough to deal with this lifelong issue. It is necessary to teach the patient how to control their experiences with these other realms of existence. The best way of doing this is by looking through the more occult teaching from history. Much will be useless due to the majority being about how to open these same realms of consciousness. Techniques such as meditation, calming exercises, and basic understanding of the spirit world are important.

It is also necessary to teach the patient to learn from their experiences in these other worlds. Historically, guides are available to all travelers in other realms and it is only the patient who can interact with and gain help from these guides. They will be the primary teachers of the patient, and it is simply the counselor’s job to help the patient understand the teachings. Especially for children, the teachings are not always simple, and it is the extremely difficult job of the counselor of holding all of the knowledge needed for these journeys and feeding it to the patient as needed. The counselor must become the shaman of old who is training his apprentice, even though the counselor may not have any experience of these other worlds.

Necessities for Success

It’s important to understand that on a basic level, many of the issues associated with this theory are difficult to implement due to societal issues. It is very possible for a parent to implement if they are understanding and are qualified enough (not with pieces of paper or resumes, simply in how much they understand these other worlds). They control their environment and how much other people know about their therapy sessions. On the other hand, society has a very strong distrust of anything outside of normal psychiatric treatment, which we’ve seen through many of the struggles of Scientology. It would be even more difficult to promote this type of treatment due to the differences in mentality of the patients as well as age issues.

The other primary issue would be that for the immediate, the patients would need be held in the same place they are being treated so that they do not have to feel alone anymore. The other issue is that all people working their would have to treat the patients as apprentice medicine men rather than as patients. There couldn’t be any drugs used to tranquilize patients as they do in mental wards when there are schizophrenic episodes because the episodes are necessary for their understanding of this other realm of consciousness.

It would also be important for the area to be conducive to exploring the spiritual realms. Areas of natural beauty where the patients could be alone would be helpful. Because many of the journeys necessary to understanding and controlling their gifts require solidarity, there would have to be ways for the children to spend large amounts of time away from the protective eyes of the adults and caretakers. This would mean that it would have to be protected from intruders and dangerous animals.

All of these issues would require large amounts of understanding and informed employees as well as a large amount of land and funding. At the same time, there would be little to no government assistance because of the lack of sanctions from government agencies. This is not even considering the issues with current laws and licensing. All of these point to a very limited possibility for this type of institution to exist. I have no idea how something of this type could come together, but regardless, I believe that there is a need for it.

Altars, Altars Everywhere, But Not a Bit of Spirit to be Found July 10, 2010

2011-11-06T07:42:00.003-06:00

/start sarcasm

My exaggerated view of a Barnes and Nobles metaphysical bookshelf

Hmmm… this is a pretty big Barnes and Nobles, maybe they’ve got something different than the one from my small town in South Texas. Oh yeah, there’s some Silver RavenWolf, that’s what I’ve been looking for. Sweet! I’ve been needing a sixth book on Magick 101! This one’s got a pretty picture of a flower on the cover and it’s all sparkly! Oh yeah, and there’s the section on Cunningham, definitely haven’t seen those before. I hear they’re good especially if you’ve never heard of primary sources. Oh and here’s the section on meditation. Probably much different from the meditation that’s taught in Asian philosophy and everywhere else. Oh yeah, and there’s the 270 page fairy book that has absolutely no information that can’t be found in a child picture book. Definitely my choice purchase. Oh wait, it costs $31.99? I’m sure it’s worth it. Oh yeah, here’s what I was looking for, the section on altars. So there’sAltars for Different Seasons, Basic Altars, How to Make Your Own Altar, and the ever popular Different Crap You Can Buy to Decor…I Mean Honor Stuff With Your Altar.

/end sarcasm

I wonder why the average Pagan creates an altar. I also wonder why there is such a market for books on the subject. I know that some people need ideas for their first altar, and most books are marketed to the novice in their practice, but the idea of an altar is fairly simple and doesn’t really require buying anything–even books on the subject. An altar’s three-fold purpose is to create a sacred space in a home that is normally filled with non-sacred emotions and actions, to honor spirits, and to use as a magickal tool for filling something with energy and power.

When taking the purpose into account, can you really tell me that you need to buy a bunch of overpriced stuff for an altar? And how can you make an altar out of a book? I know that my altar has a few things that a book would suggest, but I wouldn’t ever go buy the items just to build an altar (which the books seems to suggest that you do). I’ve got a chalice that I used long before I ever had an altar. Yes, I’ve got a few crystals that I had before I was Pagan and was using them for meditation practices. Yes, I’ve also got an incense burner that is actually a mortar filled with salt. I’ve got a few feathers…that I got as a gift my spiritual teacher.

So what is it that I’m trying to say? An altar is supposed to bring you closer to “God” as the Christians say. It’s supposed to open you up and allow you feel safe and calm. It’s no different from the sacred temples of the ancient Greeks or groves of the Druids. Do you really think that the priests of old went to their local Magick-Mart for a bunch of stuff made in China or Korea in sweatshops to put in their brand new temple? We don’t have to hand-make everything like they did, but please remember that the energy in these cheap foreign-made products is likely to be less that awesome. I would rather have an incomplete altar than one filled with items that will bring negative energy into my workings. Magick is a subtle art that is heavily influenced by the nuances of the practice rather than the basics, and so in this case, yes you should sweat the small stuff.

The other thing to think about is that an altar is not so much a tool like a rake or steak knife. It isn’t just something to use in order to get results. It becomes a living extension of yourself. That is one of the primary reasons that taking care of it is such an important task. It needs the love and attention that you give in order to put you into that place of spiritual openness.

How is it so necessary to own 7 books on a subject that is simple. Put pieces of yourself into the altar above all else. Put spiritual pieces that mean something to you next. Yes, it’d be nice to honor the elements and certain gods, but remember that the altar is yourgateway to the infinite, and so it should be a part of you rather than some altar template that you found in a book.

Sharks of the Mind July 9, 2010

2011-11-06T07:40:00.002-06:00

This is not a normal post, but is instead a metaphorical story I wrote a few days ago and figured I’d post it.

*********************************************

What goes on in our heads? Tickles of thought creep through our minds without breaking through the surface most times, simply making ripples and barely breaking through our subconscious. We search the surface as a fisherman looking out at the perfectly placid waters of a beautiful cove at dawn. Glass except for faint ripples where something swims underneath.

We try to understand what happens beneath that beautiful surface, but how can we ever understand what happens when we’re looking from the surface? So how do we get into the water and go for a swim? And what happens if there are sharks?

There are sharks, believe me. They hunt us down and try to overwhelm us with their massive strength. Their fearsome jaws. Their masterful knowledge of the sea. They come in many shapes and sizes. Depression, fear, anger, jealousy, maliciousness. They are conniving and will pull the fisherman’s boat back to shore, will destroy the rudder, will do anything they can to keep the fisherman from control of his own destiny. What must he do then? His boat is no longer his because of these monsters. He must get out and swim with them.

When the fisherman dives into the salty water of tears that fill the mind, he is assaulted by the hundreds of fish that swim under him daily. Fish like love, beautiful visions, the thoughts of his children all grown up, memories of his wife on their honeymoon. He sees those same sharks that have been terrorizing his life are slowly eating up all of the beautiful fish and growing each time they do. He realizes that he absolutely must confront them, and if necessary, be swallowed up because he cannot allow all of these fish to be eaten up. He turns to one of the sharks, jealousy, and swims towards it. He feels the other sharks swimming behind him taking small nibbles off of himself. He keeps swimming towards the shark though, slowly being eaten.

What can he do? There seems to be nothing that he can do because each time he tries to catch one and deal with it, it swims just out of his grasp.

He should give up, shouldn’t he? He is overwhelmed by the size and strength of the sharks. They work like a pack, constantly taking bites out of him. He is frail now, his legs barely work, and his arms ache from the constant abuse of the sharks. Maybe he should have stayed on the boat and simply sat. He’d be safe then. Safe, while these sharks destroyed all of these beautiful fish. All of his beautiful fish. He would be stuck above with nothing but his own breath, and he would surely die then. For without beauty there is nothing.

He finally gives in. He faces as many of them as he can, and stops. He knows that he’ll surely be bit, but he waits. He feels the bite. Feels the ache as the small daggers pierce his already agonized flesh. But he is not as weak as the shark thinks. He reaches behind himself and grabs the shark. Feels its sandpaper skin tearing at his hands. He grabs onto it and faces it. He yells, “Do your worst, but at least face me!” The shark does nothing. It stares at him through blank eyes. The eyes of death. The man still feels the other sharks bite him, but he knows that he at least has this one. Then the shark starts to shrink. It knows that it cannot live on this man anymore. It shrinks and disappears. Many of the fish that made up its food source return. Not all, but many. Many of the bites are miraculously healed. He has found his way.

The sharks are worried now. They still consider him food, but are hesitant to come close enough to bite. It takes days and weeks to catch all of them, but he finally does. In the end, much of his cove is back to the way it was before the sharks, and he is mostly the man he was before. There are scars, many scars, but he is also much stronger than he was.

The next few weeks he goes back out to his safe little cove and swims with these beautiful fish. He dives deep to find all of the fish and know them by name. And one day he sees a shark. It is a small shark, but he knows that if left alone, it will become just as horrible and terrifying as the others were. He quickly tears it apart. He now knows that there will never be an end to this. That he must always guard his cove from the dangerous sharks that come to destroy beauty and himself.

The Fires of Life July 7, 2010

2011-11-06T07:38:00.003-06:00

It is not in simplicity and peace that we should look for life; it is in those that are anguished, tormented, and constantly struggle that we should look for life. It is only in the tortured that we find beauty. The greatest artists are full of pain, the strongest warrior has battled his whole life simply for survival, it is in the cactus that daily struggles for its very existence amidst the sweltering heat that constantly strives to destroy it. It is in this constant battle that strength and quality comes forth. Life springs forth easily in peace, but peace only comes after the fires have been quenched, after the battles have ended and the warriors of yesterday stand watch for tomorrow’s struggle.

Life may be overflowing the cup of peace, but it is the one piece of life that survived where others failed that holds this cup of peace. So why do we look to those that have survived peace? Why do we look to the warriors of nothing for knowledge? It is not the sages that I seek. It is the cactus that daily survives torment that I look to for life. Look to the coral reef that daily survives the barrage of waves in order to give peaceful homes to 75% of the life in the sea.

Yes, you may take refuge with those that seek peace. I do not, and never will. Life is about struggle, constant battles, and constant wars, both inside and outside the self; and I welcome them. It is only those that have been hardened by the flame of torment that can hope to quench the fires of the world.

Pagan Ethics April 22, 2010

2011-11-06T07:37:00.003-06:00

In reaction to the unusually high number of high profile sexual abuse cases involving Pagans, Jason from the Wild Hunt and Brendan Myers have pushed a movement for all Pagans to help draft and sign a universal ethics statement in regards to sexual abuse.

I’m not usually one to copy and past from another blog, but in this instance, I feel it is necessary for the good of the Pagan world that this be spread as quickly and completely as possible. So here’s the original post from the Wild Hunt:

An Ethics Statement: How to Start
I’m going to stray a bit from my normal routine, and propose an actual initiative for our community to undertake. Considering recent cases within our community concerning the sexual abuse of children, and the larger context of news-making abuse cases within non-Pagan faith intuitions, I feel that a voluntary statement of ethics put forward and enforced by Pagan leaders, groups, event organizers, media outlets, and organizations could go a long way towards fostering an atmosphere that would support victims, discourage would-be abusers, and potentially avert some cases of abuse. I understand that any undertaking that attempts to gain the support of any sizable percentage of the larger Pagan community can be fraught with drama, dissent, and backlash, but I feel this is something worth the effort, and the process will have The Wild Hunt’s support at every stage.
Every stage of this process, so long as I am a part of it, will be opt-in and voluntary. No group, individual, or legal entity will be strong-armed into participating, or demonized if they feel they can’t sign on to the finished product. Coalitions that bring lasting change aren’t built by guilt or coercion, but by bridge-building and compromise. We will gladly stand by and partner with those who opt to develop alternate faith or group-specific ethics platforms, so long as they are created in the same spirit of protecting the innocent. Further, the finished statement will exist as its own entity beholding to no single faith, group or individual, and anyone will be able to “sign” or “opt-in” to it at any time so long as they support its tenets.
Stage One: Crafting a draft statement. We will start with a relatively small group working together, with ongoing input from the larger community, to create a first draft of the ethics statement. Pagan author and professor of philosophy Brendan Myers has volunteered to host and help guide this stage of the process. If you are interested in being a part of this process, please join his message board, and take part. I urge folks from various faiths, traditions, professions, and walks of life, to participate. I thank Brendan for stepping forward to shepherd this initial step.
Stage Two: Feedback on draft. Once a rough draft of the statement is complete, it will be posted here, and at other Pagan media outlets, for feedback. All constructive input will be listened to, and responsive changes and revisions will be made accordingly.
Stage Three: Posting of draft, and creation of ethics statement web site. Once complete, the final ethics statement will be posted at its own web site, and all who wish may then sign on to the statement. All participating organizations and events will be prominently listed, web badges and printable materials will be made available, and an outreach committee will be formed to encourage wide adoption of the statement. The site will remain politically neutral, and will not advocate for or against any tradition, group, or individual in a conflict.
That is my suggestion for moving forward. If you want to discuss this, and get on board with this process, please visit Brendan Myers’ site to get things started. I hope this will be the start of a productive and proactive step to address this issue within our interlocking communities.

Though it is only in its planning stages, this seems like a key issue at the moment. We as Pagans need to step up and take responsibility for protecting the children of the world, and especially those at our own events. We need to make it one of the core Pagan values, and as such, making it simple to make such a public pledge should help to strengthen organization leaders’ efforts in making Paganism child-friendly, and more importantly, child-safe.

While any attempt at unity in the Pagan world seems futile due to the huge divisions inherent to our beliefs, this is something that all respectful and responsible Pagans can unify under and uphold.