I got a quarter for the trolley man, I hope he slows down for me I know he can.....

Life.  It is a huge cycle.  Birth and Death.  Yeah, living is great.  Weddings and Wiccanings the bomb...but what about those Crossing overs, Funerals, Grief Counseling?  Yeah, that ain't so hot is it? 

In our Western Culture we either romatisize death through horror flicks or Gothic sensibilities or we tend to sweep it under the carpet.  Ignoring little telltale signs like skeletons, road kill, brown leaves (we even sweep these up and bag them to be taken away).  We shuttle our elderly off to the nursing home, and we act as if decaying, death, and all that comes with it is a mental disease called morbidity.  I am here to tell you it is not.

As a Pagan we celebrate the Dark Mother.  My best bud Allison seems to be an expert on her...but myself I tend to hold tight to the Dark God.  I have learned alot from the Dark mother do not get me wrong...but I find that the Dark God is where I am dwelling right now.  The God that puts me on the boat and rides me to my destination.  The god that recalls for me my life in the form of Thoth.  The God that when I die I greet and judges my actions as either pleasing or needing rectification; Osiris.  So here I stand; with new information and wonder; what should I do?  I decided to share with you all today some gathered stuff I have in my BOS about Dark Gods and herbs, etc.

     

Death and the Modern Pagan

by Melissa Pinol

Even though they may look forward to an afterlife in heaven, many people traditionally view death with fear and distaste. Death is sometimes seen as a tool of the devil, or as a force sent by God to punish sinners. Hurricanes, earthquakes, and others natural disasters are sometimes called "Acts of God", as if God had nothing better to do than sit up in heaven conjuring up disasters to punish unbelievers.

Part of this fear of death comes from the belief that we have only one life to live, and death is really the end. Mixed in with this fear is a large amount of uncertainty. When someone dies, how can they really tell where they will go? In this article, I will attempt to explore the alternate perception of death held by many modern Wiccans and Neopagans.

Gods of the Gateway

The Earth-Based, Goddess-Centered Pagan traditions, including Wicca, have a very different attitude toward death in general. Most of the Pagans I have spoken to over the years believe in reincarnation in some form, so that death is seen as a change, a "shedding of the skin", rather than the end. For this reason the snake that sheds its skin is viewed as a symbol of rebirth rather than as a symbol of evil. Pagans see life and death as two sides of one coin; one leads into the other, unendingly.

Deities of birth and sexual passion are often associated with death as well, because death is the gateway into another life. Nothing is permanent, and at the end of suffering there comes peace, rest, and the opportunity to start over again. Many Wiccan traditions believe that the souls of the dead rest for a while in an Otherworld called the "Summerland" where they are healed of the traumas of their last life before being born again.

Pagans also tend to see the natural world as a system that was set up in the beginning (or evolved, depending on your view) to function a particular way. We are part of that system, but not the rulers of it, nor does it single us out for special attention. The Earth is a dynamic unit, every function is important to all living creatures.

When Earthquakes happen, the movement of the tectonic plates helps to maintain a temperature that can sustain life on the planet. Sometimes cities are destroyed in the process, sometimes the quakes will happen in a completely uninhabited region like Antarctica. It's not personal. Those who are killed are comforted in the arms of the Goddess and given another chance next time. Diseases occur because the process of evolution created many types of diverse life, and some of those types of life are harmful to others. Again, it's not personal.

Creation, movement, and the ongoing process of change leads to both death and new opportunities for life. When forest fires occurs, new plants and trees have the opportunity to grow. In Hindu mythology, Shiva the Destroyer dances on the burning ground before coming together in Sacred Union with the Goddess to create anew.

Ancient mythology and religion is filled with literally thousands of deities that combine both creation and destruction within their aspects. In Wiccan theology, the Goddess is triple in form, appearing as either the Maiden, the Mother, or the Crone. The young maiden who symbolizes new life and potential, the Mother who gives birth to all, and the Crone who cuts the thread of life and scythes down old growth are all aspects of the same being.

Likewise, the God can appear as the Green Man, symbolizing new growth, the Lord of the Animals, wild and sexual, and the Dark God or Sage, the Lord of Winter who carries the dead through the gateway. In some mythologies, he takes on the even more fearsome aspects of Lord of the Wild Hunt, the one who hunts down and carries off souls who may not be willing to move on to their new lives voluntarily.

The ancient Irish even portrayed a figure, the Sheila-Na-Gig, which combined death and sexuality together in one being. The Sheila-Na-Gig commonly appeared as a withered crone spreading her legs and displaying her sexual parts, a shocking figure to modern sensibilities. The Sheila-Na-Gig was considered a powerful protective symbol, and was carved on doors to ward off evil. This symbol was so important to the Irish that they were reluctant to give it up with the advent of Christianity, and Sheila-Na-Gigs have even been found on the doors and walls of old Irish churches!

Hecate, the three-faced Goddess of the crossroads, is said in one ancient Greek invocation to be "strong to shatter every stubborn thing". Deities who are strongly associated with death are also deities of change and transformation, another manifestation of rebirth. Death is the greatest transformation, but there are also transformations that occur within life that are equally terrifying.

Wiccans and other Pagans do not avoid these energies, but invoke them and work with them carefully and respectfully. The "Stubborn things" that the Goddess shatters are often personal illusions. It is when you avoid dealing with these illusions that you begin to have problems: self-denial, addictions, interpersonal problems, and lack of motivation. Change is essential to the process of continued growth.

The Last Sacred Space

Just as we do rituals to celebrate life, Pagans also hold rituals to honor the dead and the aspects of the divine that deal with death. On October 31st, we celebrate Samhain (pronounced Sow-in or Saw-wain), the Celtic New Year. At this time, we gather to honor our ancestors and other Beloved Dead. Many Pagan traditions prepare a special feast for the dead and invite them to come back and eat with us, a practice very similar to the Day of The Dead as it is still celebrated in Mexico. 

We recite the names of the dead and talk about their lives, their deaths, and the way we felt about them. Many Pagans act as if the dead were literally present and talk to them directly, perhaps also taking the opportunity to tell them things that we did not have the opportunity to say while they were alive.

At this time, we also recognize that the old year and the summer have died, and the older, darker aspects of the God and Goddess now reign. We welcome these essential, sometimes frightening beings and acknowledge their ascent into power for the duration of the winter months. We dance with the deities and the dead, feast with them, and wait to receive any visions or insights that they may bring with them.

With their radically different view of death, it is not surprising that Pagans often deal with literal death in their own unique way. In the Pagan community, as in many other communities in recent years, there have been deaths from cancer, AIDS, and other incurable illnesses. Rather than trying to avoid being around sickness and death, Pagans often gather in hospitals and hospices to surround the dying person with love and support, even to the extent of sometimes irritating the medical staff who wants only "Immediate family members".

Efforts are often made to remove a hopelessly terminal person from the hospital to a home environment where they will be allowed to have all the visitors they want and perform their own death and transition rituals without interference from outsiders. If this is not possible, efforts are made to carry out the dying Pagan's wishes even in a medical setting. I personally know of several people who literally died in Sacred Space created surreptitiously in the sterile hospital environment by their supporters, who made every effort to stay with them up to the very end.

The dying person is touched, sung to, talked to, and allowed to discuss their fears and feelings about their passing. This is radically different from the way in which most modern Americans die, and is probably a lot closer to the way our ancestors dealt with death. Even in the last century, people commonly died at home surrounded by their extended families.

At some point in the last hundred years, attitudes shifted. Death became a taboo subject, a distasteful thing to be avoided and left in the hands of medical personal, much to the detriment of those who were actually going though the death process. Though people today usually do not have large extended families to offer support, the Pagan community has tried to recapture that sense of compassionate involvement by creating an extended family of our own.

This voluntary involvement in the death process can even extend to pets, and I have known of many Pagans, myself included, who had to make the painful decision to euthanize a suffering, gravely ill pet. Instead of leaving the room and letting the vet take care of the "distasteful" process, Pagans will commonly insist on being present during euthanasia to comfort the pet and ease its passing, often holding it in our laps during the actual death.

We may do a silent ritual to assist the dying pet, creating Sacred Space and invoking deities associated with particular animals (Hecate, the "Mistress of Hounds" for a dog, or Bast, the Egyptian Cat Goddess, for a cat.) Seeing the suffering actually end brings closure to the human, and the presence and support of a loved human calms and soothes the animal, giving it a "Good death" rather than a cold, impersonal one.

Ashes and Wailing

When death, human or animal, actually does occur, I have noticed some observable differences in the way Pagans deal with their feelings. In the novel Catmagic, Jonathan Barry and Whitley Strieber erroneously claimed that "When a Witch chooses death, the whole covenstead celebrates". Though we accept death as a sacred part of the life process and even welcome it when it is appropriate, I have never seen anyone rejoicing at the death of a loved one.

While we may be relieved that suffering has ended and are not worried about punishment in the afterlife, the deceased person is definitely missed and mourned for a time. Most of the Pagans I have known have generally been more comfortable and open about expressing their feelings than most of the general population, even the "negative" feelings like grief or rage that may surface after as intense an event as a death.

When one very well-loved Pagan Bard died in the 1980's, his funeral was attended by both his family and the extended Pagan community. From what I have heard, the Pagans sat on one side of the church and the family on the other in a somewhat uncomfortable truce. It was the Pagan contingent that did most of the crying, wailing, and heartfelt grieving, to the visible discomfort of the more composed and stoic family.

There are reasons for these actions. I believe that this intense, cathartic expression allows us to purge our feelings more quickly than someone who "holds them in", and then move on more calmly to a place of release and acceptance.

This funeral was also an example of an unfortunate legal oversight on the part of the deceased Bard, who had often said during his life that he wanted a Pagan funeral, and to be buried on Sacred Pagan land. When he was killed unexpectedly in a car accident, his family seized the body and insisted on dressing him in a suit rather than his Bardic robes, and performing a Christian funeral.

He had left no Will to state his wishes in this matter, and there was nothing his Pagan friends could do. Many Pagans took heed of this incident, and are much more careful now to leave legal documents with instructions on funeral arrangements.

At the present time, there are no Pagan cemeteries or Memorial Parks. Though we hope that this will eventually change, at the current time the presence of such a facility would probably invoke feelings of discomfort or possibly even protest from our Non-Pagan neighbors, who do not really understand our beliefs and practices. Because Pagan groups do not generally tithe or collect dues, we also lack the monetary assets to back such an undertaking.

As a result of this lack of formal, established Memorial sites, most Pagans currently opt for cremation rather than burial. Some Pagan groups chose to keep the ashes close by in a shrine or on a memorial altar, others choose to scatter the ashes in some designated setting depending on the wishes of the deceased. The act of scattering the ashes often helps the survivors to feel the finality of release. As the ashes fly off on the wind, you can imagine the soul of the deceased flying into the next world.

After someone has died, we often perform a ritual called a "Soul Release" to bid them farewell and help them go through the gateway into the Otherworld. This is particularly important when someone has died an unexpected or violent death - we believe that in such circumstances the soul may be confused and need some extra assistance.

After we sense that the spirit has departed, we try to compose ourselves to go on with life, but the deceased person is still very much a part of our community in spirit. It seems the dead sometimes become "Guardian spirits" of the particular group or tradition they belonged to in life, and some of us believe that they may come back to us in dreams to give advice or warnings. At the very least, they are never truly forgotten, and are welcome back to feast with us every Samhain.

Sometimes we notice that a particular soul will stop coming back in dreams and does not seem to be present at the feast at Samhain. We hope that their absence in an indication that they have been born again, and see this as a cause for rejoicing. (COPYRIGHT 2009)

Well Known DARK GODS:

Anubis

Osiris

Cerrenunous

Hermes

Thoth

Set

Whiro (Mayan)

Yama (Hindu)

Pan (Has this side)

Hades

Dionysus (has this side)

 Herne

Odin

 

The Charge of the Dark God
Copyright by Christopher Hatton

Listen to the words of the Dark God,
Who was of old called Iakchos, Donn,
Anubis, Hades, Setesh, Hoder,
And by many other names:

I am the shadow in the bright day;
I am the reminder of mortality at the height of living.
I am the neverending weil of Night
Where the Star Goddess dances.
I am te Death that must be so that Life may continue,
For Behold, Life is immortal because the living must die.

I am the strength that protects, that limits;
I am the power that says No, and No further, and That Is Enough.
I am the things that cannot be spoken of,
And I am the laughter at the edge of Death.

Come with me into the warm enfolding dark;
Feel my caresses in the hands,
In the Mouth,
In the Body of one you love,
And be transformed.

Gather in the moonless night and speak in unknown toungues;
The Dark Mother and I will listen.
Sing to us and cry out,
And the Power will be yours to wield.

Blow me a kiss when the sky is dark,
And I will smile,
But no kiss returns;
For my kiss is the final one for all mortal flesh.

WORTCUNNING:  The art of learning herbs for magical purposes

FUNERAL HERBS

- By: Selena Fox

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since ancient times herbs have played a part in funerals. They've been used to

scent graves and cremation fires, to fill amulet bags and in making wreaths to

decorate burial places.

BASIL: Protection, Love

BAY LAUREL: - Communication with the dead, protection, triumph, used in 

              funeral wreaths.

BIRCH: Rebirth.

CEDAR: Prosperity, Purification.

COMFREY: Healing.

CYPRESS: Endings.

ELDER: Transformation

FRANKINCENSE: Purification, Spiritual Transformation.

GARLIC: Protection.

HOLLY: Renewal, Resurrection.

IVY: Rebirth, Celebration.

LAVENDER: Memories, Peace.

LEMON BALM: - Immortality, happiness; used in a tea for emotional cleansing

              and uplifting.

LILY: Resurrection.

MINT: Joy, a stewing herb.

MISTLETOE: Protection.

MUGWORT: Inner Sight

MULLEN: Cleansing.

MYRRH: Healing, Purification, Protection, Used in Mummifying.

OAK: Strength.

PARSLEY: - Good luck in here after; decorating tombs.

PERIWINKLE: Immortality, " Flower of the Dead, " Placed on graves.

POMEGRANATE: Rebirth.

POPPY: Restfulness.

ROSEMARY: - Friendship, purification, happiness; thrown into graves " for

            remembrance, " burned as incense, sprigs carried in funeral

            processions.

ROSES: Love Purification.

ROWAN WOOD AND BERRIES: Protection.

RUE: Karmic Completion.

SAGE: Wisdom, Purification.

SANDALWOOD: Purification.

THYME: Purification.

WILLOW: Releases, Cleansing.

WORMWOOD: Transformation.

YARROW: Protection, Healing.

YEW: Immortality, endings; once planted in graveyards to protect bodies of the departed.

Herbs for Death Southern Fried pagan Style….:)

ACONITE is a VERY POISONOUS herb, and should only be administered by a qualified healer. It has been used to help the dying (at the time of death) transition comfortably to the stage after death. It can be planted on a burial, and used in an incense in ritual. The roots can be placed on an ancestor altar, especially around Samhain.

ANEMONE can be used in a ritual fire after the deceased has past over to encourage reincarnation.

ASPHODEL has traditionally grown on graves and washing the corpse. Gather in a bunch and tie in a red ribbon to aspurge the body in ritual.

BASIL is associated with love and protection, and is excellent to be used in an incense. It is used to help bring dignity and courage to one facing death. Can be incorporated into the ancestors' feast on Samhain.

BAY LAUREL is used for communication with the dead, and is sometimes used in funeral wreaths. Can be used in dishes for the ancestors' feast at Samhain.

BIRCH is often associated with rebirth and reincarnation. Blessings for the deceased can be written on birch bark and can then be buried or burnt with the corpse.

BLUEBELLS are planted on graves to bring peace and blessings, and may also be used to decorate the altar at the funeral, or on Samhain.

CHERVIL can be drank to aid one to in rituals of communing with the dead.

COMFREY is a helpful herb to help one get over the loss of a loved one. Excellent to plant in the garden in memorial of the deceased.

CYPRESS is associated with endings. Can be used to ritually bathe the body of the deceased.

ELDER is an excellent wood for a cremation pyre, or a sprig of elder can be buried with the deceased. Elderberries are excellent to decorate the funeral altar, or the altar at Samhain.

FRANKINCENSE can be burned at the funeral ritual, or in ritual while communing with the dead for purification, and spiritual transformation.

GARLIC is used for protection, and can be put on a grave, and cooked in dishes for the ancestors' feast at Samhain.

HOLLY is associated with resurrection and renewal, and can be buried with the deceased or used to decorate the funeral altar.

IVY can be planted at a grave to celebrate the life of the deceased and to encourage rebirth.

LAVENDER should be planted in memory of the deceased either on the grave or in the home of a living loved one to bring peace.

LEMON BALM is associated with immortality and happiness, and can be drank in a tea to lift spirits of the mourning.

LILY can be planted on a grave to represent resurrection.

LOTUS pods can be used as an incense burner to aid the soul seeking reincarnation.

MANDRAKE root can be buried with the body to protect the spirit and send it safely on its way. It also can be used to decorate the ancestor altar at Samhain.

MARJORAM can be planted on a grave and used in the ancestors' feast at Samhain.

MINT can be used as a strewing herb to bring joy to the mourning.

MISTLETOE can be buried with the deceased for protection.

MUGWORT can be drank by the dying to gain inner sight.

MULLEIN can be used to cleanse the body of the deceased.

MYRRH was once used in embalming, but can now be used as an incense at the funeral to bring healing, purification, and protection.

OAK is a tree of strength, and is an excellent pick to plant in the memory of the deceased.

PARSLEY can be strewn on the path of where the body is being transported, and can be planted at the grave site for good luck in the after life.

PENNYROYAL is used to bathe the corpse to assist in the soul being reborn.

PERIWINKLE is a herb of immortality and can be used in a funeral wreath or used to decorate tombs. Often used in the passing of children.

POMEGRANATE can be eaten at the ancestors feast on Samhain to represent rebirth.

POPPY can be used in funeral wreaths or planted at a grave site to bring restfulness to the deceased.

ROSEMARY can be thrown into grave sites, carried on funeral processions, or burned as an incense. Can be used in the ancestors' feast at Samhain, especially to commune to deceased friends.

ROSES represent love and purification, and are used in funeral wreaths and planted in memory of the deceased.

ROWAN is associated with protection. The berries can be buried with the deceased or used to decorate the funeral and ancestor altar, and can be planted on a grave site.

RUE can be burnt for karmic completion.

SAGE can be used as a smudge for purification, and ingested when communing with the dead, and to bring wisdom.

SANDALWOOD is an excellent purification incense that can be used during the funeral ritual.

TANSY was once used for embalming. It can now be used to aspurge the temple and the body of the deceased, and used to decorate the ancestor altar.

THYME makes an excellent ritual cup to drink before communing with the dead, and can be used in a ritual incense or bath for purification.

VIOLETS are appropriate flowers for the graves of children.

WILLOW is said to ease the soul at the time of death if it is planted by the deceased in their lifetime. Willow baskets can be used as offering containers for ancestors.

WORMWOOD can be used as an incense for transformational healing for the mourning, or to bring insight to the dying.

YARROW can be grown on graves in in the gardens of the mourning to bring protection and healing.

YEW is associated with immortality and endings, and was often planted in graveyards to protect the bodies of the deceased.

"You don't need to go to college to learn how to juggle, that is at the circus..."

When you hit around 27 leading up to 30 a weird thing happens to you as a human; you start to find yourself digging as deep as you can within yourself and reaching as far as you can outside of yourself for answers.  Answers to questions that are important to you and you only. Did you know that scientifically we can prove that this is because the planet of Saturn in your chart is returning?  Here you find yourself planning for a future with you in it.  Not a “dream” future with a perfect Barbie home and a picket fence (well you might) but a more realistic future like I want to be married and have a kid, I believe that there is or is not a Supreme being or plan to this universe, and family is or is not important to me.  This all being said I did not expect any kind of “inventory” of this type to happen to me again until I was at least 48-50 since I was told it happened about every twenty years.

I am not telling you a tale when I say to you the Saturn return in my life was a HUGE experience for me and has everything to do with the choices I made that have led me here to the deep south, my husband, my little baby Cayden, the TEMPLE which I adore, and our current little community.  All of these things make me happy and just throb my heart when I am around them or think about them.  About 35 I stopped long enough before my Birthday to think about where I was and was I on target again?  I liked my results and soldiered onward constantly aiming for the goal.

This past year I turned 40.  I did not get depressed like my father or my mother did; it really did not bother me. Getting older I found that if anything, it made me more determined and pushed me harder to reach some goals I had.  One was procuring a building for us to worship in down here in these parts.  A couple of months ago that occurred and one month ago we had our GRAND opening and there were so many people at the Temple that the cars wrapped around the parking lot.  It was not the numbers that astounded me (or the other clergy) it was the feeling one gets when they realize that their idea hit on something. 

At the Temple of the Sacred Gift-ATC (yes we are an organization) most of our members are family oriented.  Many if not half of us have children, some of us have grandchildren, and the ones coming up behind us just like family and friends as a feeling.  The amazement of this to me was that someone who has tattoos and piercings, unusually loud hair and eccentric ways could be right about ONE thing…there were people out there like me who wanted a safe, clean, place to worship their Gods in.  This week we are putting the altars up on the wall and all people that worship there and many who do not can have altars on that wall and candles lit to their Gods 24/7 by the Clergy who are so happy to worship their Gods in a Temple again.

So, I am going to run backwards to my topic…Saturn returns and taking stock. 

  I did not think that at 40 I would take inventory but I found right after we accrued the building and everything came together perfectly from the Universe and coordinated with the People and our Gods that I was stumped.  Yes, I was jumping for joy…but have you ever been so busy fighting, pushing, shoving, running, accruing that sometimes you forget what it is for?  I think I might have.  I think I had no clue as to what I was supposed to do with myself once we had the Temple building.  I know that sounds odd; but apparently I had not made a plan as to what to do with all of this bounty when we had acquired our goal.

This month, I have been “re-claiming” my home.  I have taken on re-decorating my retro bathroom and it now has comic book pages on the wall and this week I will varnish those and slowly paint the trim and cabinets white to make everything look fresh.  A zombie pinup shower curtain,  Betty Page painting, and Maenad with a wolf at her side round the look off and I find that when I brush my teeth or wash my face at night or in the early morning it is hard to be too grumpy surrounded by my favorite things.  Next, I am taking back the yard.  I had planted several herbs that I had always been interested in now I am rotating them cultivating them studying them more closely and finding that maybe if I take the time I might have a greener thumb than thought.

When I was pregnant with Cayden all I did was read about homesteading, “living off the grid” and survivalism and the topic fascinated me for the whole ten months.  Because I was chasing the Pagan dream however I did not take the time to put in motion my dream.  Yesterday, we finally bought three hens and built a pen.  I went grocery shopping slowly but surely eliminating things like Margarine and processed flours and sugars out of our diet.  Jars were bought, and I know now that I want to can and “store back” food in a deep freezer and can.  If you look at my facebook page you can see this is my interests (other than retro clothing and pinup girls) but as much as I liked these things they all took a back seat to the Temple.  

Worship occurs at the Temple of the Sacred Gift-ATC every new and full moon and Sabbat as always.  I love these times, my spirit soars and I learn as much as anyone else I feel.  Litha we had a pool party and a ritual to Saule; this new moon it will be to Freya and Odin, next moon Allison will teach us about Hindu deities, and Lughanasa John will share with us Ogdi and a burning purification ritual.  This does not count the classes and workshops in-between these worship rituals that are offered constantly that I am excited about.  We are having bellydancing classes (I have always wanted to take this but never took the time), self defense workshops (nope I never took the time), classes on “how to regress people”, Channeling, Breathing techniques, I am offering Tarot readings.  So my spiritual table, plate, and cup is running over…and it is time to let it spill over into my mundane life.

I love the fact that my Gods do not want me to be “miserable” or “punish me cruelly” all the time for actually being human and making choices or acting in ways that are not for my highest learning.  I love that when I complain to them and say “hey I want something for me” they point out that I did not “make something for me” thus I had nothing for me.  I laugh at this because I feel my Gods are not coddlers but truthful and full of joy and mirth.  I love that last night after driving to Ripley Tennessee with my husband Brian and our baby Cayden with our three new Golden hens that I slept with the image of me and the God dancing the WHEEL OF FORTUNE to the tune of “I could have danced all night” from the King and I.

What do I like most about 40?  The fact that I can look backwards and smile, the fact I can notice that now is imperative to the door I am opening with the huge keys I posses on a ring on my waist.  I find that “blaming others” is unacceptable and taking accountability for myself and learning how to juggle has become one of my favorite things to do; and I am so blessed and happy that next to me and all around me are people who smile laugh and cheer me on even when I do drop a plate while riding a unicycle because that is how I roll…silly, whimsical, always reaching and trying to experience more.

I hope you find that no matter where you are in your life, 20, 30, 40 or even more (yay for you btw) that you realize it is never too late to try new things, pursue personal dreams, choose a CAUSE and back it 200%.  We all know life is short, but what makes it full is friends, family, accomplishing, things and painting the world the way you want it to be (while respecting that others are doing the same). 

Thank you for giving me a brief sabbatical from this blog; I needed to re-gather my thoughts and ideas and dreams for a bit.  Most of all, thank you for the gift of your time and love!

Temple of the Sacred Gift: The ATC’s Jewel on America’s Nile by Dusty Dionne

Temple of the Sacred Gift: The ATC’s Jewel on America’s Nile by Dusty Dionne

"And the future is so bright I gotta wear SHADES..."

So the past two weeks have been a whirlwind.  Yes, Air has been present in my life….”"Who can tell the mind of the Wind? Who can catch it and hold in their hand? Who can tell where the Wind has been blowing? And who among the wise can foretell where it will go?"

As an Egyptian priestess and Air Sun sign I revel in Air its speed and invisibility it delights me filling me with spirit; but now that I have returned to my “real world” and “real time”.  I can look back, and see how important grounding is also.  The ATC (Aquarian Tabernacle Church) Arch priestess Belladonna and her Highpriest Dusty came into our stomping grounds and shared two festivals with me and our communities.  I had the fortunate experience of having them dwell in my home for a few days; teaching me, laughing with me, and loving me.  The time went fast, but the moments are imprinted indelibly on my life.

First we went to the Southern Delta Church of Wicca-ATC May Day festival.  It’s theme was “Getting Back to our Roots” and the week was full of communities getting to know each other better, re-establishing connections, sharing our dreams, learning and laughing from one another, loving each others children’s, playing games, utilizing warrior energy, and listening to Rev. Terry Riley and Rev. Amanda Riley as they reminded us how far we had come and where our community had come from.  It was warm, it was happy, it was home…how nice to be grounded and rooted in such rich red clay soil.  Apple Oaks, Southern Delta Wicca, White Oak Raven, Temple of the Sacred Gift, Temple of the Stone (all ATC) and Summerland Grove and Temple of the Ancient Ones were all present, and working together peacefully and lovingly for the community.  Today we have this many churches, and organized Pagan communities just five years ago we had two.

What happened to make all this growth?  Why so many organizations in such a short amount of time?  Well in this area we have grown that much!  As more and more people declare their spiritual paths pagan the need has arisen for us to offer them services, counseling, rites of passages, workshops, and celebrations that correspond with our Spiritual traditions.  Traditions have been handed down, the younger generation grew up, and so it is the wheel turns and those who taught us have either crossed over or asked us to step up and so we have.  The future does not look dismal here in the Bible Belt for us Pagans it looks bright as the sun, especially after the Temple of the Sacred Gift-ATC opened its new Temple building (that is not in a home anymore) to the public!

Next, we went on to the Pagan Unity Festival, which is put together every year by Tish Owen a well known local pagan/witch/healer/psychic/published author.  The guest speakers were five star caliber:  Belladonna Leveau, Christopher Penzack, Oberon Zell, Dorothy Morrison, Raven Grimassi, and more more more!  The workshops were stellar on everything from Tarot spreads, numerology, how to make oils, candles, ritual workshops, drum workshops.  The music was out the roof with the Tuatha de Danna and Wendy Rule!  Handfastings were numerous, with Tish Owens in her NO spare time still overseeing and conducting them, the vendors top notch, and the spirit was one where all had gathered together for community and there were NO strangers amongst us…for we have come full circle and realize we are really really not alone in these parts!

I am not a camper, I prefer hotels and linen sheets to bunks and dirty floors but all of this was tossed aside to dance, and sing, and be part of rituals, do magick, learn from masters, listen to great songs, and just become part of something so much bigger than just me…SPIRIT.

If you have ever wanted to go to a Pagan festival and never gone…you should.  If you have ever gone and did not like it…maybe you should try again.  The future of our Path is growing so fast, and broad, and strong!  Catch the Air!  Let the Fire warm you!  Drink in that Water!  Feel the Earth beneath your feet!  Join with kindred spirits and shed “you” and become a “we” just for a weekend.  It is nice to remember ever now and again that there is a tapestry being woven and you are a thread in that beautiful creation.

If I met you this weekend thank you for the gift of your time!  If I did not meet you these past two weeks then I hope I met you soon!  Special thanks to Southern Delta Wicca and Tish Owens and BOTH festival staffs for pulling together and off a most fabulous Festival occasion that I will never forget!  VERY very Very Special Thankyous go to my fellow pathwalkers Bella and Dusty and Wiccan Seminary.edu! My cup runneth over…please receive a sip!

"The only way to make sense out of it, is to jump in head first."

 I used to be a "leap without looking" kind of girl, always landing on my feet but possibly fracturing my shin when I landed.  Getting the "thrill" of adrenaline; but not liking the outcome when I had not planned what to do once I had gotten there...or where ever I thought "there" was. One day my father told me that while it was "admirable that I was fearless I should be like a professional swimmer...and pause and take the time to concentrate before I dived in". 

I had a job that summer at a Restoration Hardware (incidentally it closed that summer I swear I had nothing to do with it) and in that shop there was a picture of a woman posed on a diving board.  She was looking at the water, and contemplating her "perfect dive" but she was not jumping...she was just ready.  I stared at that picture everyday at work, ringing up customers; contemplating my next twist or turn in life and reminding myself it was okay to think before I leaped because I knew there was water in the pool.  This was a different take on a concept of faith for me...it made me think, and question a bit more; and I have liked where it has led me.

Many people are like this boy on the right of us scared to death to even dive in...what if they belly flop or land on their head?  Even worse what if they do it in front of friends or complete strangers?  Fear can be immobilizing making us not leap into the air when we know we have to because if we do not, others cannot leap (a line forms behind us) and there is no other way to get to the other side of the pool which is necessary if we are to progress.  I cannot talk you through your fears in life, I can try but you will either listen or you will not.  I cannot make you stop and contemplate diving in and how you want to dive, but I can make you think for just a second. 

Here is my second....DO IT AFRAID!  That is right, when you are afraid of something or feel yourself resisting and you know it is your turn to make a leap you have a right to be scared, it is normal to be afraid; but it is not okay to not leap.  Did you know that scientists can prove that the same part of your brain that says you are "excited" (as in anticipation you want to do a bootie shake excited) is also the same part that tells you "OH no I am scared"?  Thus, your brain labeled something, and you have a choice to either say..."I am not afraid just excited" or "No human likes the unknown but life is an adventure" or "I have a plan, and if don't work out....so what I belly flop."  You do realize you CANNOT fail in life, only learn ways of doing things and approaching things that really do not work for you right?

I am not telling you to ignore running when you are in a dark parking lot and your gut says that guy with his hand in his coat has a gun.  I am not saying there are no "right" or "wrong" code of conduct in the universe (I am pretty sure we can compare all the religions and find common themes of rules that is the purpose of comparative religion).  I am saying When you feel your back is against the wall, and you have to leap...KNOW that the universe and your God/Goddess(s) will not have placed you there if they did not know you could leap and land just fine.

Children, are wonderful examples to us of how you take a "leap of faith" or "just dive into" a new chapter of life.  Look how this girl with no real analytical thinking closes her eyes and just goes for it!  How beautiful and natural that is, she has not been told to "be careful" or that she might "make a complete fool of herself" or that her "friends might laugh" or that she "could lose everything or die".  Sometimes adults do and say to other adults the silliest things that we have "picked up" and "mean well" but do not truly encourage our sojourners on this journey.  It is great to be cautious, and wonderful to try and plan...but do you know that Magic truly happens when you do what is necessary and just "dive right in" ?

So just for this week, when you feel fear or apprehension or anxiety rising in you remember you "label" those emotions it is not the other way around.  Tell yourself "I can do this"  and if afraid go..."I may be afraid but I will do this afraid and then I will not be afraid anymore."  After all what is the worst thing that could happen?  

When we are afraid we ought not to occupy ourselves with endeavoring to prove that there is no danger, but in strengthening ourselves to go on in spite of the danger.  ~Mark Rutherford

 

Thank you for the gift of your time!~

Birth and Death, Life and Joy all meet and become one.

I went to Daughters of the Moon for the third time this year.  Daughters is a festival for women and shares Goddess Spirituality principles, craft classes, yoga, swaps crafts that you make, re acquaints you with old friends and introduces you to new people.  Daughters calls down Avalon for a weekend, or lets you dance with Artemis, you can learn about Sexuality and creation from Isis, or you can Realize you are Hathor, you will learn how to be by yourself, like yourself, and respect yourself.  You will come to realize all people have body issues but in the eyes of your sisters you are not criticized but glorified and blessed.

 We all stay for three nights in the woods in various cabins that look like Lodge halls.  You decorate your room if you want (because some women just love doing this) or you can just decorate your whole Lodge hall like we Temple women did with Columns of Goddesses and the Temple Flag whipping in the wind.  Most likely you will stay within your comfort zone in your cabin and get to spend the night with your girlfriends laughing and talking all night like you were 8...but sometimes you venture out of your box and stay with complete strangers I have done both.

We do zany things like decorate discarded bras and then make them beautiful again so we wear them.  We sing "I got the Maiden Mother Crone in my bra!"  We go on journeys to far away places and meet places inside ourselves we are too busy to acknowledge most of the time.  You take part in workshops about scrying, learn how to puuja (a beautiful prayer opening ceremony led by Leela our Hindu Crone Priestess).  You walk in a labyrinth sometimes, or learn how to read tea leaves.  One year we had a discussion about organic foods, and every year we have fun with henna!  There are drums, and singing...and dancing spontaneously breaks out.  Every woman brings something for lunch, something for breakfast, some snacks...and Steak Dinner as a feast is provided on the last night.

When it is time to leave, we pack our things, sweep out our cabins, take turns cleaning out bathrooms and dining halls.  Then we gather together for closing ritual thank our ancestors, mark our faces with women symbols then take a picture so that we know that for posterity this gathering is important.  We all leave crying, hugging, laughing, and promising to call or text...but we know there will never be another time for us like this until Daughters rolls around the next year.

I am sure we all have fun in the workshops painting our nails, or giving facials.  I am positive we all like buying new blue clothing for the weekend; confidentially I can say decorating ourselves in bold and courageous ways we could never don in the corporate world makes us all glow....BUT what makes DOM special is everything all wadded together wrapped with the bodies of all our various sizes, colors and personalities, and donned with the bow of the Goddess.

IF you have a chance to ever go to a women's only retreat dude you should so go!  If you want to start something small like this in your little town...YOU should do it!  This started 13 years ago with about that many women and this year we had over 80!!!

Women need women, to share everything with good and bad....Women need encouragement and to realize that they share SO much and can learn and laugh with each other so much better than they can alone.....

Thank you ISIS for a wonderful year, and thank you Daughters of the Moon for feeding my soul for one more year.

She looked at them like she could walk right through them

“To be wronged is nothing, unless you continue to remember it.”
― Confucius

Witch wars, burning a witch, gossip, envy, arguments, drama.  Yep, we pagans have that in our community.  Just recently I noticed a Highpriestess had authored a book giving advice about WITCH WARS; in fact she named the book just that...Witch wars. While I have not read the book yet, I did download a free copy of it.  I like books, I live in a community (that is in my home alot) and I wanted to read from someone else's perspective how to handle things like "witch wars".

I have a student in my class this year (the third degree class) who believes it is her personal mission in life to "spread peace".  While that sounds broad and at times "hippy dippy naive" the message is beautiful and if we could just apply that in all of our one on one interaction everyday well there would be NO Witch wars.  When I was younger, I rolled my eyes at people that prayed for "no war" while still listening to John Lennon but still could not wrap my head around the concept of NO WAR.

Let us be honest I was born while Vietnam was still happening (Paris 1973 we worked on negotiations, 1975 there was a surrender) so here I am surviving Vietnam which is now a conflict, Desert Storm, and whatever mess we are in now in the Middle East.  However, if I was to make a list of conflicts I bet there are little hornet nests of them that our country is involved in all over the place, and since I am forty years old that is a whole long dang time for us to fuss and fight with other people over things. I bring all of this up because I feel it inevitable has to influence us as Pagans, Citizens, Individuals, groups, Mothers and Fathers....just period. Let us not even go into the younger generation who has grown up seeing it on TV more than I ever did!

How long should one hold a grudge?  You know last year I had some really rough times; and it seems as time progresses I realize some of those same people are never ever going to change or say "I am sorry".  I have to see them at Pagan functions, and feel that anger or hurt in my heart and act as if "everything is okay".  Politics in the Wiccan/Pagan world is like anywhere else you cannot go "all Jerry Springer" on someone in a public venue...or you could and that would set us all back five hundred years and I choose not to go that route.  I realized, in these past few months while brushing elbows with some of them that saying "I am sorry" really is a balm for the wound.  It does not matter if you print it publicly, but if you take the time to say it one on one it makes a person feel better (When people look me in the eye and say I am sorry and I see their sincerity it makes a difference to me).  So, I have gathered from this past year a few things.

ONE:  You cannot hold a grudge you must let it go (if you really do want to not "act" and be sincere in front of others you cannot hold things against people or you get bitter and feel fake.  I have to be authentic in all my actions so I must let it go.)

TWO:  You can express your feelings about the situation to the person one on one but not "dramatically" and if you need someone to "be an arbitrator" this is good also maybe they help you not "go Jerry Springer" on someone.  SO DO tell people that they hurt your feelings, but do it one on one and sincerely then let it go even IF they do not apologize.  You got the hurt out of you...now let it fly away!

THREE:  Elders, Highpriests, Highpriestesses, Clergy, are all people and they have feelings.  Yep, bet that one surprised you!  I say this because I am constantly amazed at watching what people say to their Elders or HP/HPS and being one myself I have felt the sting and confusion at times when people said things to me that they would not say to another person like I have no feelings.  Of course, I remind myself to either speak up or let it go....but I am saying this on a BLOG so remember ALL people regardless of their position have feelings.

FOUR:  Saying I am sorry is the bandaid that balms everything; but SHOWING with actions how sorry you really are mends the wound.  Take that one step further, and go forth into the Pagan community like it never occurred and you are meeting those people for the first time and "give everyone a fair shake" and you have a good philosophy for life.

FIVE:  You cannot please everyone all the time.  You can try, and Goddess Isis knows I do...BUT no matter how hard I try I always have people that are going to say "ugly things" and I cannot let that stop me.  YOU better not let it stop you either because if you really know you are in the right, and you feel that what you are doing is moving your group, family, grove, circle, triad in the right direction keep on chugging chugging...even if NO  ONE other than you understands where you are headed. Gods have a funny sense of humor, and they choose the most amazing ordinary yet not so ordinary folks...when in doubt about what you are doing remember that!

LASTLY:  Everyone needs love, encouragement, comfort, touch, support, and if you are the person who the Gods can use to let them feel these things then PLEASE be that person. Guess what?  It is absolutely possible and highly probable that some of my former "detractors" or really good at this job for others and that is what they are supposed to be.  You cannot be that for everyone; so when in doubt about a person try to keep that in mind...they are kind and loveable to someone...and somebody needs them.

My third degree class has made me dig deep, I smile and roll my eyes at the same time with their phrases...but I also am reminded that these people have not "lived through witch wars" and I pray that they never have too.  I encourage them, to see the God and Goddess in everyone; and with that prodding and encouragement I find that not wanting to be a hypocrite I find myself "trying to do the same".

 
Once I argued with a whole board of Elders that I refused to lead my coven in a ritual for peace because there were no Gods or Goddesses dedicated to peace yet hundreds dedicated and feeding on the energy of war.  I was 27 full of piss and vinegar, sure of my rightness and YET so frigging wrong.  Who cares if there is not a God or Goddess designated to peace?  There is Eirene Goddess of Peace that I have found now, and Kuan Yin the Goddess of compassion who has balmed my soul time and time again, there is an Aspect of Tara who is very Peaceful, and so you see even then I was technically wrong about this and at 27 you are wrong about alot of things and just too GD stubborn to admit it! MY Elders did not call me out; and still talk to me even on Facebook. (I am being super funny here you better laugh)  You see they taught me by example that just because one was an ass does not mean you have to ignore them you can "overlook it" and go on with your life.

So I post here below this blog a song for US the Pagan community, and for my third degree class.....

Give Peace a Chance


********PS please do not think I am against the men and women of the Military just because I posted about PEACE and not holding grudges and war.  I am 100% behind and for my Brothers and Sisters of this country.  I just wish there was no War.

You and I have memories, longer than the road that stretches out ahead..

I am sure many of you have noticed that as time has gone on I have posted less and less.  Things that we commit too like Blogs become just one more thing to do, like a pile of laundry sometimes rather than a "fun thing" when you work, and work and work.  This is why I am writing this to let you know that sometimes I find myself just work, work, working, and when I was not work, work, working it seemed like I had to fill my time up!  So apparently if I stay at home I feel it necessary to fill up every spare moment; and if I am working a job I fill it is necessary to complain about it...:)

I have met, and counseled many women who just cannot "stand being alone"  I have never been one of those people. I always have wanted to be more alone, so I could listen to my thoughts, the universe, and find some peace and quite...but it seems the Universe has always had other plans for me.  Once it seemed like I was finally going to get a home alone (since my oldest child was graduating from Highschool) I got excited and started to plan out my life as a single woman who traveled and was carefree.  Of course, right when I started making plans and putting money aside just for that dream...I met somebody.  Not a somebody that I could go out and listen to bands too and then just go home, No...a somebody that made my heart do flip-flops and made me blush like a teenager.  Damn it!  I fell in love!

No, that was not supposed to happen!  Oh well, then I decided after we got married we would move to New Mexico thus the reason why we drove all the way there and explored all four corners of it on our honeymoon.  But NO, the Gods had another plan for me...Dah dah dah dah!  I was to stay in Memphis, Tennessee and help co-found a Wiccan Church.  F#*#@!!!!~~~  I think you get the idea (that is my best cuss word on this blog).  So we co-founded a Wiccan Church, and it still seemed I wasn't too tied down; I still had options...then Tada!  I was pregnant!  About one month after a "Birthing ritual" for a New Pagan community ritual my husband and I did I found out...yep, I was pregnant.

Now, I have a home, a husband, my twenty one year old has still not left the nest, and a toddler.  Oh and did I mention I am full time Clergy, full time hair stylist/manager of a salon, and a wife, mother, and daughter?  Yeah, something just whammied me!  Seriously, I had plans! 

I am smiling while writing this, because I should have realized that just like writing this blog You cannot plan anything...not really.  Look how much better my life is because of my husband Brian, and baby Cayden.  I like having my 21 year old living at home; I am in no hurry to have him fly the coop.  I love having a Pagan community and teaching students, and pushing myself spiritually like I have never ever done before.  My job as a hair stylist is the best one I think I have ever had; it is loose, full of possibilities and the work environment is gorgeous.

BUT  I cannot just sit outside alone and listen to spirit longer than maybe thirty (If noone is up yet) minutes.  I can hardly find time to write my thoughts down anymore.  I really want to teach an online class and the only thing I can find to budge in my list of things that constantly pile up is this blog...and just when I think I might drop it all together....Ten more people join.  I find, that I cannot seem to let that many people down.

Yep, the lady who said she "wanted freedom" and "no responsibilities" really did not know herself very well did she?  Maybe the Gods don't have such a sense of humor as a way of Grace.  They looked down at my silly stubborn scarred heart, and balmed it with love, and filled my life so full to the brim that it pours over and flows to everyone....and that is EXACTLY what I needed but never realized I was capable of receiving or worthy of. 

I will never be the catlady like my Mamaw with a garden surrounding her house, chicken pens and wild trees and vines.  I will not be like my great Aunts who died with mink coats and diamonds and wild stories for us all to find out after they crossed over.  I will never ever play the Grand ole Opry, or record a Gold record like my Uncle Leon or my Papaw Clifton...I will just be whatever unfolds.

Yes maam' or Yes sir my plan is to really have no plan!  To just take it a day at a time, and see where the next turn in the road leads me....hopefully it leads me back home.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings, and standing here with me chasing paper....

Wanted: 9 muses for inspiration please!

Today we at the Temple of the Sacred Gift-ATC (where I worship and Clergy) we will have a ritual to the Muse Thalia.  One does not hear that word used often anymore "MUSE".  It sounds awkward to our Western ears; and does not flow from the tongue; but it should.  After all where would this world be without music, poetry, dancing, jokes, drama, theater, costumes, reverlry, festivals, ballads, etc.  In short the world would be a dull dullard place!

So, I had to go to the bones of what a Muse was to understand really the phenomenon of NINE women being worshipped that had these skills to pray to them.  What are they?  Muses, are people who inspire us!  It could be your mother who worked two jobs so you could have a roof over your head and become successful like Kanye West.  It could be your father was just a coal miner like Loretta Lynn or Dolly Parton (they both had hit songs about their poor upbringing).  It could be that you are in love and what to share with us why it is you are love like Emily Dickinson, or Shakespeare....

SONNET 130

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask'd, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
   And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
   As any she belied with false compare. 



Paintings are the most obvious examples of Muses, my favorite being Frida Kahlo who obviously saw herself as her own muse since she painted herself so much!  How fabulous and much richer our world is because of this though...she has influenced how we see beauty, and re-directed our ideas about color, texture, and what is interesting just from a few brush strokes. It is said that the Mona Lisa is really just Leonardo Davinci because it looks so much like him, but does it really make the painting any less beautiful?  I personally like believing he was inspired by a woman that looked alot like him but obviously whomever the "Mona Lisa" is; she was his muse. Pablo Picasso is notorious for painting the women he was involved with in all of his paintings and thus it begs the question...without inspiration, where would we be?  Furthermore without the magic of Muses there would be no art!

So who are the Muses?  The Muses are the daughters of Zeus and the Titan Mnemosyne, whose name means 'memory'  she spent 9 nights with Zeus and produced her wonderful offspring. Mnemosyne's sacred site was established at Lebadeia, a spring dedicated to memory.  Originally the Muses only sang of the deeds of Zeus, and only lived in Mt. Olympus standing near his throne.  How annoying huh?  Eventually they started singing and writing painting about other Gods and Goddesses,  then they started to branch out realizing that they could inspire humans to write, draw, paint, sing about Gods and Goddesses.  It is said that they literally created dialogues, and better forms of communication (I guess Ugh Ugh a Bugg Bugg didn't translate well) and it seems that before you could say Thalia or Melpomene the Theater was created....and there we all gathered to hear Comedies or Tragedies and learn from the plays while being entertained! ( Friedrich Nietzche claimed that all of life could be condensed to comedy and tragedies spiraling in and out and was obsessed with Apollo and the Muses)  It seems the Muses were not only Godly and beautiful but smart and go-getters also...sounds alike like women today huh?

They eventually stopped following their father around you know, and hooked on to Apollo whom not only was gorgeous but they had alot more in common with.  He became re-named because of this as "Apollon Musegetes" and was the official "director of their choir".  They were not his followers though, because you see he became romantically involved with Thalia and had nine children with her...the Corbyantes. These sons of her inspired ritualistic dancing, trances, heavy drumming, and were associated with the "dark mysteries".  


There are so many poems in literature that start off being prayers to muses that if you were to type in a search engine it would explode (lol) and so many ending with a thanks to them that it would be the same.  It was really a classical style of writing until the modern twentieth century!  Common citizens, and I am sure most artists used to put out offerings and beg for their assistance all the time; and many artists would become bitter when they felt the "muses" had forsaken them or moved on.  But how much like a woman eh?  "SING IN ME OH MUSE" is one of the first lines in the movie "Oh brother where art thou?"  seems even a director needs help from the muses every now and then. Okay, so now I have shared why they are important, where they came from, so why don't I give you a list of their names and what they are good at so you can pray to your very own MUSE?  

Calliope Beautiful voice
Chief of the nine Muses. She was the patron of epic poetry. Her symbol is the writing tablet. (Ipad anyone?)

 Clio Proclaimer
  She was the patron of history, and inventor of historical and heroic poetry. Her symbol was the scroll. (Once again a laptop or Ipad would be a great modern translation)

 Erato Passionate or Lovely
The Muse of lyric poetry about love and eroticism, and mimicry! (can anyone say erotic literature?)

Euterpe Rejoicing Well or Pleasure Giver
The Muse of lyric poetry and music. Known as the cheerful one, who always played a flute! It is rumored she invented the double flute. Jethro Tull and her must have been gettin'g it on.

Polyhymnia Many Songs
Okay, Polyhymia is the somber and beautiful one. She was the Muse of Sacred Hymn, and of Eloquence. She is portrayed in serious thought with a finger to her lips...but meditation is associated with her.  Yoga, or contemplation the brainstorming period before you create...this is HER time.

Melpomene Songstress
She carried a club, or a knife and was only associated with Tragedy in writing.  Watching a sad love story movie where everyone falls in love but cannot have each other?  That is Melpomene's area of expertise!

Terpsichore Rejoicing in the Dance or Whirling
She is the Muse of dancing and choral singing.  It is said she gave birth to the Sirens.  She is always portrayed dancing or with a lyre in her hand.  Are you a belly dancer?  Do you dance alone in your room?  Well take that energy and offer it to Terpsichore!

Thalia Festive or Flourishing
She presides over comedy and pastoral poetry which explains why she holds a comic mask. But Thalia is the "country girl" of the group. She loves to traipse about meadows and forests and rural places that a city girl like me wouldn't know about. That's why she carries the shepherd's crook, as well.  Want to get in touch with Thalia?  Watch the Blue collar comedy tours or Roseanne re-runs and you have it all in a nutshell...she likes to make us laugh!

Urania Mountain Queen
 Muse of astronomy and astrology , her feet rest on a turtle and she holds a globe in her hands and a pair of compasses.  It is said she inspires Chaste love!  The kind you yearn for but never act on!  So if you want to get in touch with Urania, ask for directions with a compass, look at the stars, have a crush on someone you know you will never act on...but while you are feeling all of this...thank Urania!



Lastly, look around you!  See who give you inspiration!  I love Vidal Sassoon and and John Masters when it comes to hair techniques and stories.  When it comes to my Spiritual life I look to Starhawk, or Selena Fox, or Pete Pathfinder, even some of my local elders....when I need to feel inspired; I read their words and I vibrate! 

I am sharing these wonderful Goddesses with you because once I started diving into them I found that I had taken so much of my life for granted, and how much knowledge and fun I was missing out on as a Pagan, Witch, Wiccan, and human being.  I hope these ladies inspire you also...and you find yourself using their names; because they deserve it...and it is fun!

Thank you for the gift of your time.