Poppets

Poppets- by Lady SilverVixen

Poppets have been used throughout the ages since mankind learned to sew. Poppets are small dolls that take on the resemblence of an individual, whether it be yourself or someone else. They serve multiple purposes as well, from protection to healing, and revenge to love. Poppet magic is especially effective because of the psychological effect it can have on the person the doll represents. Dolls can be made of Cloth, Clay, Roots, Woods, or even in a pinch, paper.

Poppets come in a range in sizes as well as designs. Below is just one of many patterns one can choose from when making a poppet. (remember when using a pattern like the one provided, you have to trace out 2 copies of the doll on fabric so you have the front and back of the doll.)

Now of course there is more to making a poppet than just some general tracing on fabric, stitching it together and then stuffing it with cotton. Some other alternatives you can do are: stuff the poppet with herbs, annoint the poppet with oils, or add hair and clothes (or you can do all of these depending on the purpose and intent behind the doll). You can also place tags in/on the doll as well. A Tag is an object that either belongs to the individual, or something that creates a connection to the individual. These can add extra energy to your poppet magic.

Now that your poppet is all made and stitched together, the fun begins. You now have to name your poppet. The name can be a nick name you have for the person, or the persons actual name. The more personalized the doll the better.

Once the poppet has it's name it's time to bring it to life.

You can mark out a cross or a pentacle (depending on your religious beliefs any symbol that means life to you), in the air with your dominant hand over the poppet.

Say:

" (Poppet's name) You are,

And (poppet's name) to me,

Now point at the head and heart of the poppet and with strong conviction say:

"You will always and ever be"

Now hold the poppet in your hands, resting it on your non-dominant hand.

Say: "Creature of the elements, I give to you life from that which you are made of. Your purpose of creation is ___ (state your purpose)___. For this reason you were made, and only when I, your creator, feel you are no longer need, I will return you to the elements from which you came. So I have said, So I will it to be so"

IMPORTANT!!! Take really good care of your poppet when not in use. The last thing you want is to accidentally drop it and break it, or set fire to it etc. Wrap it in white cloth and keep it somewhere safe. To dispose of a poppet, dig a deep hole and bury it. Be sure to sever the magickal link between the poppet and the person before disposing of.

This information was shared in the good faith that no reader will use this to bring harm to another.

Remember that you can use herbs, oils, moon phases and even extra spells you write yourself to add extra boosts to your poppet. Take care of your poppet and enjoy the fun of poppet making.

Recalling Near Death Experiences and a little bird

There have been quite a few OBE's for me over the years. I'll describe 2 here.

The first was when I was really young, and had chicken pox. I started running a fever one night, and stopped breathing in my sleep. My younger sister came in and was worried I wouldn't wake up. After shaking me for a bit I finally took a breath and came back to. While in this state though, which lasted a few minutes, everything was black until I looked up at these large black, elaborately decorated gates. There was a handsome man standing before them shaking his head. He had short black hair, blue eyes, and a jackal tattoo on his right shoulder.  I asked him who he was and he smiled and said "anubis". I asked him if he was the guy in my closet, and he nodded. (those who know me, know that I played with a guy and a woman in my closet) He told me it was not my time to cross through the gates, that I needed to return. At this point he smiled, and said that he'd see me again soon. I didn't think much of this and let it pass out of my mind.

This leads into my next story which happened several years later. I was about 4 or 5 years older and was at a swimming pool with my family, on a camping trip. There were a lot of people who were around, including a life guard and my family (of course). I was getting a little "ballsy" you could say, and went down to the edge of the 4-5 ft part of the pool. I didn't know at the time that it did a straight dip to 5 feet. Bouncing along and not aware of this dip, I lost my footing when I slipped into this dip. This is where the physical parts of this go hazy because I don't remember much of the mechanics that happened. I only know what my mother told me. I was bouncing off the floor of the pool, splashing and yelling for help, and as usual the life guard was more interested in the hot girls in bikini's that were present. My mom caught me out of the corner of her eye, and started straight for me after putting my youngest sibling on the upper part of the pool. By this point I had blacked out, and don't remember this, but I do remember everything going black and seeing the gates from my first experience again. Like before, the guy was standing there waiting for me. Anubis shook his head, and said to me "It's not your time, you need to stay away from this place for a while. I will come to you when you are capable of understanding what is happening to you. You need to return to your realm and find yourself. I will see you again and be watching over you." He poked me in the chest so hard that I felt liquid come out of my lungs, this is when, my mother who had grabbed me up, had thrown me against the wall of the pool forcing the water from my lungs. When she reached me I was floating on the water.

The reason I brought this up, is because everyone has their own experiences and their own beliefs as to what happens after death occurs. I did not see a white light, or a white tunnel with relatives. I just was... I have had a few other experiences, but none as vivid as the two I just mentioned. The point here, is that no matter what happens after death, we should live our lives in the moment. We can plan for tomorrow and hope it comes, but it's the moment we are in right now that is what effects what will happen later

A little bird experience I had

Yesterday (7/17/11), a little bird flew into the window and landed oddly in the bushes. I ran inside after I saw him fall and grabbed some oven mitts and scooped him up. I tried giving him water, and healing him but nothing worked. About 30 minutes later the little bird died. I buried him in the back yard near a hibiscus bush as I do with most animals that have died. I felt so moved while burying him I said a prayer to the Goddess, upon finishing I felt her with me, standing with me with not only a feeling of joy but of sadness as well. Death can be very sad, but it can be a very happy occasion as well, it's a matter of how we perceive the actions, in-actions and circumstances  that are presently happening during the time. It's finding your own trust and understanding in your mortality that will bring you inner peace during these times.

I give you this one thought to keep -
I am with you still - I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awake in the morning's hush
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not think of me as gone -
I am with you still - in each new dawn.


adapted by person(s) unknown from the original poem Do not Stand at My Grave and Weep, generally attributed to Mary Frye, 1932

Tarot Cleansing and Quick Tips

A Short little tid bit on Tarot- Tarot has been a form of divination for hundreds of years. Originally based on the old Chinese game of cards, which many of you use today (your playing cards).  The Major Arcana or the "big player" or "spiritual" cards of the deck weren't actually a set number originally and depending on the decks today, there is still no set number. The other half of the Deck is called the Minor Arcana, which is based on the main 4 suits, numbers and the kings, queens, and 2 others which vary in names from the Paige to the princes and princesses. 

How to clean your cards- There are multiple ways of cleaning your cards. I'll list a few here.

Method #1 - The Salt Cleanse

To cleanse your cards with sea salt is a great way to not only remove old oils that are from your hands or other's hands, but salt is a natural absorber of energy. Salt draws in the excess energies and in turn, cleanses the energy from the cards.

To use this method, you can take a large, 1 gallon ziploc bag and fill it with about 1 lb worth of sea salt (course or fine, doesn't matter. I personally prefer course). Next, Stick your cards in the bag and move the salt around them so that it can absorb and strip the cards of the oils, you can do this for about 3-5 minutes or longer depending on how frequently you use your cards. Then let the cards sit in the salt over night. The next morning, take the cards out and feel the energy, if it's still too heavy in the cards, let them sit for another night or two. The longest your cards should sit in salt is no more than 6 days as the salt can be a bit corrosive to the cards if you let them sit too long.

Method #2 - The Flooding Method

This is a unique method that I picked up from a few other Tarot Readers. Essentially you are going to "Flood" the cards with your energy after doing a basic grounding and centering meditation.  By doing this you not only create a tighter bond with your cards, but with practice you can push out all the excess energy in the cards that is unwanted. I personally use this technique when I have multiple readings to do.

Do your grounding and centering. 

Then pick up the cards and begin to shuffle them. Visualize your energy from your Solar Plexus, moving up your body and down your arms into the cards, flooding them with Yellow light and pushing out all the excess and unwanted energies in the cards. When you feel they have been cleansed with your energy, you can either put them away, or use them.

Method #3 - Holy Water/ Blessed Water

I'm doing these 2 as 1 for the simple fact they are the same thing just from different faiths. Holy Water as well as Blessed Water, are charged water that removes and banishes negative and unwanted energies. This method is ONLY for laminated tarot decks. If your deck is not laminated, then DO NOT put water on your cards.

The How to- Lay your cards out, edge to edge so that they can all be clearly seen. I recommend doing this on a flat table top so you have plenty of room. Take your Holy/Blessed Water and lightly sprinkle a few drops on each card.  For those who are more Christian than Pagan, feel free to say a blessing or the lords prayer over your deck at this time. If you are More Pagan than Christian, you can say a small prayer to the Goddess and God to have them bless your deck as well.

These are only a few of the cleansing methods one can use. For those who use Angel Cards or Oracle Cards, these same methods are effective on them as well. Have Fun and Remember To ALWAYS Respect Your Cards. 

These are just some quick tips on using Tarot Cards.

1.) Light a candle- this helps give you and the cards a little extra energy while keeping the spirits around you at bay. You can use one of 3 colors for this, White, Black or Purple. Candles also help set the mood for a reading and help you relax, so don't feel uncomfortable about using candles.

2.) Never get up during a reading- by getting up during a reading you allow for outside influences to change the meaning of the card layout you are working with. You shouldn't get up during a reading anyways, as it's just rude to the individual you are doing the reading for. If you have to get up, I recommend a black cloth to lay across the cards to keep silly spirits from getting to them.

3.) Set up the Four Pillars of Light, a Protective circle or something similar- doing this reduces the chances of pulling in the person you are reading's "extra baggage" that many of them carry. This can be negative energy or even on occasion, negative spirits that have attached themselves to the person.  When doing this you are creating a positive little bubble around you and the other person to keep out other influences.

4.) ALWAYS Ground and Center- Grounding and Centering is not only a good practice to help you find peace and balance within yourself, but it helps get you in the mood for doing a reading, and it keeps excess energy from building up within you. Grounding and Centering should be done before a reading, and after to keep you in balance.

5.) Always Keep your deck wrapped and protected in a box, pouch, or in a cloth. This keeps unwanted energies out of your deck when you aren't using them, and it helps preserve your deck for years. Maintenancing your deck and protecting it is just one of many ways to show your respect to the deck. Black, Purple, and shades of Blue, are usually good ways to go for the boxes, pouches and clothes you can pick up. Color has a lot of symbolism, so make sure you go with a color that is suitable to you.

6.) Limit your decks presence around other decks. You don't want the energies to mix, and this can lead to inaccurate readings.

7.) MOST IMPORTANTLY!- TRUST YOUR CARDS AND YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS! - if you don't trust your cards or yourself, how can you trust to gain the right answers to the questions that are being asked of you? No one is 100% accurate at any time, so if you are wrong, deal with it and try to find the right answer. 

Crafty Moods

 It's been a bit since my last blog. This has been due to a lack of motivation, topic and several other random excuses you can think of. Lately though, I've been motivated to work on some crafts. Just the other day I made 6 poppets: 3 for protection and reversal of malicious energy and 3 for counter magic, binding and lessons that needed to be learned. Today I made pagan prayer beads, which turned out rather well actually. I'll put in some photo's for everyone to see towards the bottom of this blog.


The point of this blog post though is that, sometimes when the mood strikes you, you should act on the impulse. Now this isn't true of all times, but in the cases of creating crafts such as necklaces, prayer beads, poppets, paintings, etc... you should go for it. These are times where you are being inspired by the Great Lady. Go with the flow and embrace the feeling of inspiration. Move with the energy and find yourself entranced by it as it flows through your very being and let it guide your hands as you work the magic.  Sometimes it's just what you need to relieve pent up stress and give yourself a moment to relax and find pleasure and joy in the small things in life.

Pagan Prayer Beads

Protection poppet

Protection Poppet

Protection Poppet

Group Protection poppet production

Stepped Outside Tonight

I stepped outside this evening to just look at my herbs and felt a draw to look at the sky. I walked on the grass and felt the soft prickly texture rub against the bottom of my feet. I closed my eyes and felt the cool breeze and listened to the birds singing nearby. There was a few moments I felt the Goddess standing next to me and as I looked at the reservoir pond, and duck swimming along slowly, I knew things were good. As she stood next to me I felt her presence wash over me, and felt like everything was beautiful, as if I was looking at what she made and how she saw things. It was very beautiful, and there was a long quiet moment of peace within myself as well as without. It was so overwhelming I thought I was going to cry tears of joy, but couldn't seem to find them. 


I'm telling you this because sometimes, all it takes is to step out your door, and feel the cool earth on your feet to really find inner peace. I felt I needed to tell you this because there are some who look over this blog and are in a sense of turmoil within themselves. Finding inner peace, even if only for a moment, can be a true moment of enlightenment and joy.


Walk firmly friends knowing the Goddess IS with you, even if you don't always feel her presence.


Namaste and Blessings

Humor

As the title says, this blog post is about humor. We as witches can find it hard sometimes to laugh at some of the jokes that are told, mostly those that are derogatory in nature (which is understandable). Sometimes though we need to take a moment, and remember that we as any other are still only human, including those who may ridicule us for what we do. As is says in the Charge of the Goddess " Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals." 


Laughter can bring around much pleasure, and the next time people are ridiculing you, think about what they are saying, and think about what it may look like from their perspective.


For example: If someone says something about your cloak, or how silly is appears when you perform a spell or ritual. Step back and think about it. We the practitioners know it's a serious matter, and it shouldn't be taken lightly, but just think about how it looks to others. Standing around a lit candle and wiggling your wand at it and saying an incantation you wrote. It seems a little silly from the outside looking in, so when they start saying things about it, laugh. Remember "All acts of Love and Pleasure are My Rituals". 


Laughter heals, and it can hurt. Just remember to take a step back every so often and get yourself a good laugh. Sometimes it's better to laugh at yourself, and things around you than it is to get angry and cause harm to yourself or others. Be Safe out there, and remember to rejoice in the Name of the Goddess.






I'll be taking requests for topics as well, just leave a comment.

Harry Potter and Real Witchcraft: How should Witches Act?

Ok, I have multiple youtube video's on this subject but not a single blog post about it. After the "enlightening" moment on Yahoo! Answers yesterday to a question that was asked, I thought how appropriate for this blog.
I will be the first to say that I will stand up and defend my religion as well as any other, I will get angry and frustrated, and simply, I am still only human. This subject has aggravated me so bad that at times I  have had to step away from the computer and take a quick breather before I say something I would later regret.  Part of Walking the Path of the Goddess is to experience your emotions, whether good or bad, and embrace them at that time, then immediately let them go. Dwelling on things is not healthy at all, and it's better to take a few deep breaths and release the agitation and anger to the universe so that it can convert it to energy that will be more useful. Now, to get back to what I wanted to say.


"Harry Potter has been said to be created by a woman who is of hell itself." My usual response to this is that J.K Rowling has flat out admitted in several interviews that she is openly Christian and when she decided to do these books, that they were completely fictitious, meaning they were fake.


"Harry Potter converts kids to witchcraft." This is another one that I hear a lot of. It's variation is that it's what real witches teach to convert kids to follow witchcraft so they will go to hell and fuel the fires there. This is just silly. Here's why: 1.) Witches do not go out and convert people 2.) Witches respect that everyone has their own spiritual path they need to follow and if they find their spiritual enlightenment on a different path, then that is where they belong. 3.) Most covens don't let anyone in under the age of 18 (some will make the exception for people around the age of 16 to be outer court members, but parental consent HAS to be there). 4.) Majority of Witches DO NOT believe in a Hell (some traditions may but this is more of a personal belief than a regular belief). We believe in the Summerlands which would be the Christian equivalent to Heaven so to speak. The Summerlands are where the soul rests before being reincarnated, and everyone goes here not just the good souls (many of us joke about the nasty people in life having to do the dishes and go on log duty as the summerlands are said to be a time of relaxation, feasting and fun).


__________________________________________________________________________________


Here's a question I responded to on Yahoo! Answers:

Has the world been infiltrated with books on witchcraft that make it seem harmless, and it is a sleeping giant?

Harry Potter books
“Billy & Howard”
“Duumvirate”
Books that are being used to destroy our kids by getting them to delve into the occult through these kinds of books and the reader has No Idea they are Satanic and demonic in their origin.
All targeting our kids to bring them to the devil in droves. Teens will embrace anything their parents are against because of the rebellious factor that their peer pressure that get them to conform to their ways, dangerous as they maybe being foolish and a "dare devil" as we all know we were in our teens got us into things we never should have been in.

Additional Details

To all naysayers go to this link please:
http://www.bible-knowledge.com/blog/inde…

This is my response: 

Honestly, As a witch, I seriously don't believe in the devil. I'm not a satan worshiper, and there is nothing "demonic" about what I do. It's people that say things like this that truly show the full level of brainwashing and propaganda spreading that has happened over the years about religions that believe in something other than Christianity. I was raised Christian, so I know full well the extent some churches go to, to accomplish this. We aren't dare devils, we don't want your kids, we don't drink blood, we aren't green and we don't go around trying to shove the Good Word of the Book of the Dead down your throats. It's not a "rebellious teen or peer pressure thing" either like you tried to mention. Witch's, bards, druids, heathens, all of us pagans push for free thinking, learning on your own, pushing you to do your own research and find your own path. Your misunderstanding of other faiths that you "don't like" is your own opinion. If it wasn't for the Catholic Church though, and other practices, Modern Day Witchcraft wouldn't have existed. Where do you think Prayer comes from? Where do you think exorcism comes from? Communion? Funeral Rites? Christening? etc.. etc.. etc.. 

These were all taken from pagan based paths in the old world when Christianity was first on the rise. You should learn the truth of your own religion before you blatantly Bash and disrespect another religion just because you don't think it's the "right" religion. I hate to be the one to say it, but there is no "right" religion for everyone, everyone is different, and no one religion has all the facts or is entirely right for everyone. Everyone has their own spiritual or lack of spiritual path they need to follow to learn more about themselves, who they are, and their own beliefs. We all have a spiritual enlightenment at one stage in our lives or another. If Christianity is right for you, then that's great, revel in it and find your inner peace, Do Not, however, Spew the verbal vomit of brainwashed propaganda onto all pagan faiths saying we all are devil worshipers. I for one do not worship an entity who's name is a Job Title. Quit Stereotyping all of us.


_________________________________________________________________________________


This is a constant and never ending issue. If people aren't picking on Harry Potter, it's other movies or TV shows that don't properly represent witchcraft. Shows such as Charmed, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, or Movies such as The Craft (though this one will be saved for later as it was funded by an authentic Pagan group), The Bell Book and Candle, etc...


So, to get to the point of this post: How should we really act when confronted with such bigoted ideas and closed minded individuals?


Speaking from personal experience and being kind of a hot head sometimes, my advice is to either politely agree to disagree, take a deep breath and excuse yourself, politely say you are not interested in the discussion, or just walk away.


I, personally, try to educate people as politely as possible. This can be very very difficult with some people as there are some who would rather quote bible scripture than give you an opportunity to actually state your beliefs and opinions on the subject matter. Anyone reading this has either stumbled across this blog by accident or was directed here from either Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/user/thedarkmoonmidnight ) or my facebook, or even possibly my Google account to which this blog is linked. Either way, I hope those of you who read this find yourself surrounded with the love of the Goddess and try to walk as closely to her as you can. I try my hardest to lead by example, but because even I am not perfect, I still make mistakes. Please Weigh your actions and inactions before you make a decision. Think before you speak, and take into consideration how you would feel if you were on the receiving end of what you are about to do.


Walk Firmly Knowing The Goddess Is With You Always,
Until Next Time
Rev. Lady SilverVixen








Feel free to check out my youtube channel 
My Website
and
My Coven (we are still just getting people together, I'm hoping to get things up and running soon)


Also, I know I haven't said this yet, but feel free to leave comments and opinions.

Silence

Usually I have tons to say, but lately, I have had nothing really to say. Sometimes it's better to be silent and enjoy it, than to open your mouth and verbally vomit all over everyone you talk to.

Today, I'm going to keep silent aside from these few words.

Walk in the path of the Goddess.

Being True To Yourself Is One of Many Ways to Honor the Goddess Within

So for this edition to Walking with the Goddess, I wanted to touch on being true to the self.
In being true to yourself and having sovereignty (the right to make your own decisions, and the power to implement such decisions), you are taking control of your life. You step out of the shoes of the person people want you to be, and be the person you are. Because of the functionality of portraying yourself as something you are not, this is very difficult for a lot of people. My favorite exercise for this is to image yourself as an onion, with many layers (just not as smelly).  Every time you strip a layer away, you are taking away one layer of imposed views, and the imagery of what is beautiful and what you should look like, or how to act, and even how to dress. Over time you will notice a happier and more motivated you, a more spiritual you, and most importantly, you will notice the YOU, that YOU WANT TO BE!

Walking with the Goddess is being true to yourself, honoring your personal beliefs and views, your experiences, and the ever so often thanks you may give to the Goddess for her perfection in creating you the way you were meant to be. We all have struggles and strifes, but we are all adept at persevering and overcoming even the toughest of obstacles that are laid before us. Remember to be true to who you are, and don't fight it.

"Walk firmly on your path, knowing you are always walking with the Goddess" ~Myself

Dream Recall

Dream recall is just as it sounds. It's you remembering your dreams. This takes a lot of practice and a constant record of what your dreams.
For starters though, Why should we really remember our dreams? The mind dumps them for a reason right?

Fist, your dreaming mind has more access to vital information than your waking mind does. Your dreams can serve as window to your subconscious and reveal your secret desires, your fears, and feelings.

Remembering your dreams can allow you to gain knowledge about yourself and your surroundings, as well as general self-awareness and you can even learn to heal yourself. Dreams are truly an extension of how you perceive yourself and others. Dreams can be a source of deep inspiration, wisdom, joy, imagination and overall improved psychological health (cause not all of us are completely sane anyways :P lol).

Learning to recall can help you become more assertive, confident and even a stronger individual. By remembering your dreams you can face your feelings and problems head on, and express yourself with confidence. Dreams help guide you through difficult decisions, relationship issues, health concerns, career decisions, or any little or big life struggle you may experience. Basically, by remembering your dreams you help yourself overcome and come to terms with stressful aspects of your life.


So how exactly do you remember your dreams?

For the following you are going to need a pen/pencil and a notebook and a lot of practice and effort.

Before you go to bed, try to keep a quiet mind. I'm not using clear here because honestly, lets face it, what average joe shmoe who works several jobs can clear their mind? Quieting is just letting things settle and becoming more aware of your surroundings. Let the thoughts just pass through without you over thinking them. Having too many thoughts on your mind can distract you from remembering and before sleep, tell yourself "I will remember what dreamed when I wake up." Through this power of suggestion you are instilling the motivation needed to remember before your brain does it's memory dump.

Set a regular bedtime schedule and wake up time. Make this your routine. Going to bed and waking up at a regular time every day aids in your learning to perform proper dream recall. I also find that writing everything down right after you wake up, no matter how small the detail, helps too.

Avoid alcohol, taking medication, eating fatty foods or anything high in sugar, right before bed. This can hinder your progress.

As I stated earlier, you need a pencil and a notebook, or for those that are tech savvy, a digital voice recorder next to your bed. As soon as you wake up, write everything you can remember down. Having a small lamp next to your bed is also very helpful.

Contrary to popular belief, you should not get out of bed immediately for this. Stay in bed and relax for a minute upon waking, then go right to how you felt in the dream, try to replay it, then write it down.

Write as many details as possible, and don't judge the content, or try to make sense of things. Sometimes your dreams aren't going to really mean anything at all. The idea is to just get the idea(s) down on paper.

Drawing pictures is also a good technique for those who are good at drawing.

Remember, this is not going to happen over night, so don't get discouraged. At first you may only remember a few fragments, but with practice you will be able to work more with your dream and it will be easier to recall. Eventually dream recall will just happen automatically.

Any questions please feel free to leave a comment, and I'll try to answer them to the best of my abilities. If you have non-topic related questions, message me and I'll consider them for the blog here.

Immoral Heathens- I Don't Think So

So, being a witch for 12 years now, I have to say I hear that Pagans in general are immoral, dirty, Heathens trying to take over the world, trying to steal kids, make converts, etc... Now in my first ever blog post using blogger.com, I mentioned that we don't want your kids, we don't need the converts, and I'm saying this now for good reason, we don't want to take over the world, we want people to respect the planet we live on. How is any of that nor moral? We want to respect everyone and be respected in turn. How is that not moral? Most of us adhere to not causing harm to others, whether it be the Wiccan Rede, or other tenet from another path. How is that not moral? Pagans today may be re-constructionists of older paths, but that doesn't mean our religious views are less important than others, it doesn't mean we should be subjected to persecution, it doesn't mean we should get special attention. Pagans today have every right to participate in society no different than any other religion, and have the same rights as any other religion. Has society really stooped so low as to name call, rather than show love to your neighbor? your brothers? your sisters? Really?

A Few tips for dealing with Bullying in School:

1.) Get your school to en-state a Zero Tolerance for Bullying.
2.) Ignore the bullies unless you are forced into a corner, then by all means, defend yourself
3.) Stand up for others you see being bullied and show the Bully's that their behavior is not tolerated
4.) Talk to teachers and school administration when you see bullying happen

A Few tips for dealing with Bullying in the Workplace.

1.) En-state Zero Tolerance of Bullying
2.) Talk about using an open door policy if there isn't one
3.) Document everything, and take it to the boss


The reason I wanted to place this in here, is because, as pagans there were a lot of us that dealt with bullying as kids. The sad part, is that no matter how old you get, there will always be a bully somewhere that will be waiting. These tips are based on experience, and further research into the psychology behind bullying. As you can see, it's not just schools, but workplaces as well. Utilizing open door policies, working with other co-workers, or students, the administration, etc... we can reduce bullying overall. This is a huge problem right now, keep yourself and children aware.

What is Wicca and what are common misconceptions?

What is Wicca?

Wicca is a nature based, re-constructionist religion, that honors nature and worships a God and Goddess. It is the largest of Neo-Pagan religions, though many of us detest the label of neo-pagan. Many of us are solitary practitioners rather than group practitioners. Groups in Wicca are usually called Covens, sometimes they are called Groves (this is more towards Druidism though), and is a group of witch's who gather to honor and celebrate the changing of the seasons, and the changes in life. 

Favorite Quote about this:  "We are not evil. We don't harm or seduce people. We are not dangerous. We are ordinary people like you. We have families, jobs, hopes, and dreams. We are not a cult. This religion is not a joke. We are not what you think we are from looking at T.V. We are real. We laugh, we cry. We are serious. We have a sense of humor. You don't have to be afraid of us. We don't want to convert you. And please don't try to convert us. Just give us the same right we give you--to live in peace. We are much more similar to you than you think." Margot Adler 

What about Magic and Spells?

Some of us do use spells, but it's of a personal choice whether to do so. You can be a Wiccan and NOT a Witch. 

Are Spells Evil?

Some people will say yes, some will say no. My personal view on the matter is that a spell is only as "evil" as the intent of the user.

So you have sex orgies?

No

Do you practice in the nude?

This is called Skyclad, and yes some of us do, while others do not. Again, this is another instance of personal choice.

Do you worship the Devil?

No, in order to worship the "Devil" you have to believe in him, and thus in turn believe in God as well as Jesus Christ. Most Wiccan's and witches in general, do not, thus we can not worship an entity we do not believe exists.

What are some of the BIG misconceptions about Wicca and are they true?

* We are Green, Ugly, Old Hags- this is not true at all. (I know I'm not green the last time I checked)

* We wear all black- personal choice and not true of all

* We are all women- Men are just as able to follow and practice as women, so this is a false statement.

* We are a cult- Nope, there may be some of us who are weird but we are not a cult

* We are Satanists- This goes back to the whole Devil worship thing, which we don't do

* We steal children in the night to eat them - you have to be pretty naive to believe this one - False

* We make it a point to convert Christians and others- We do not convert anyone, everyone has a path to follow and we respect that Wicca is not right for everyone. 

* Wiccans are immoral heathens- this isn't true either, we do have morals and basic tenets we follow, such as the three fold law and the wiccan rede.

* You gain "ultimate power" through witchcraft - no, you can't turn people into toads and such.

* Wiccan's are anti-Christian- Nope, wrong again. Like I said before, we honor that everyone has a chosen path, and Wicca may not be right for them. If Christianity is your chosen path then you should walk it with pride and honor. 

*Witchcraft is "Black Magic"- First of all there is no such thing, unless you are describing the intent of the user using magic. 

There's a lot more than this, but I'll post more in later blogs. If anyone has any questions, feel free to post them in comments.