Isolation

Trying to decide what to write my second "I" about this week in the Pagan Blog Project I had no one to bounce ideas off of. So that is what I decided to write about... Isolation.

I know many Pagans who feel isolated and alone. In many groups I am a part of people state they are far from others of like-mind.

In my case, I live in a very small town and my husband is traveling for work. So I am here in a town that is very conservative with no one of like-mind. This can make me feel very alone and isolated. I end up spending the majority of my time on Facebook as it is the only interaction I get. Part of my particular isolation comes from moving to a small town. It is well known amongst us "outsiders" that you can live here for 40 years, but if you were not born here you will always be an "outsider". Isolation also happens here as I live in a very self-proclaimed "uber conservative" small town. So while my husband is gone and its just me and the kids here I feel very alone.

All of this got me thinking. Thinking about Pagans of yesteryear. Pagans (OK truthfully everyone) were all fairly isolated. And I think there is a benefit to this. A benefit that until recently I had never thought of, or appreciated. Back in the day, people were isolated living on their land and most of their time was spent only with family. This is where family traditions come into play. In these families beliefs, practices and rituals were created and passed through tradition. There was little, if any, checking what your friends were doing. People did what felt right. What their ancestral memories led them to do. People thought for themselves.

I think in this day and age of internet and communication we have lost some of this. Many who start this path are looking for the "right way" to do things. They want a teacher to explain how, what, when, where, why and validate what is done. I think this accessibility is becoming a hindrance.We are losing the ability to trust our instincts. To hear our ancestral memories.

Now I must admit that as I write this I am currently enrolled in the Women's Thealogical Institute and just started my course in magic. However, the realization that I had is this; I am using this course as a mentor not a teacher. Someplace to guide me but not give me a cookie cutter education about how things should be done. That is one of the reasons I so adore this program it is individualized for your own beliefs and practice. In our loss of isolation we have gained a belief that there is a definitive right and wrong way to practice and believe.

So I think its good to have mentors and those that will help us learn things such as herbology, but as for beliefs and practice, I think the isolation may be good for us. Forcing us to think for and trust in ourselves



Thanks for reading! I welcome all comments!

Dedication

OK, still have my "D" posts to do to get all caught up in the Pagan Blog Project. So here is my first D, Dedication.

Today I did a dedication ritual so I thought I would share.

Dedication to the Goddess Ritual

Although I have been on this path for over a decade and done a dedication ritual before I have created this new ritual. I am doing this now to mark a new step in my journey. I am not only rededicating myself to the Goddess, but also to my spiritual sisters. This dedication is a much deeper one than my previous one. The first one was a dedication to the path; this is a dedication to serve the Goddess.

This was done on Beltane. Beltane is a time for fertility and growth, so I choose this day so that the fertile seed of my dedication may sprout and grow. This is a time for self-discovery and personal growth. It is also the time of the Waxing moon. This is ideal to help my dedication grow, as I enter this positive change in my life.

It was done at Guernsey State Park, near the “Castle” as I feel connected to this area. (I got married here)

*I choose not to cast circles in my spiritual work. I feel that because all space is sacred there is no need to cast a circle. If I feel an area needs to be cleansed prior to work in order to dispel negativity, than I will do so with sage. 

 I began the day with a salt cleansing.

Items Used:

Ribbons

Candle

Water

Salt

Ring

I began with a grounding meditation (removing shoes) as I find meditation the best way to not only connect with myself, and the Divine, but also to raise energy. I find that in stillness I find the most energy.

After concluding my meditation I saw this image in the stone next to me. 

Speak:

This ritual will be my commitment to myself, my Sisters of the Re-Formed Congregation of the Goddess, and to the Goddess.

On this day I dedicate myself to the Goddess.

Goddess in all your forms I honor You.

I honor You with my mind, my intentions and the words I speak.

I honor You with my body, my actions and the behaviors I exhibit.

I honor You with my heart, my love and my Passion that I feel and share.

I offer to use these gifts you have bestowed me in service to you.

On this day I dedicate myself to You.

I give to You my mind to speak through, my body to act through and my heart to love through.

I vow to honor, respect and live in service to You

Take Candle

Speak:

this candle represents fire it helps me to ignite my passion  

it reminds me of my strength and

my endurance

(Light Candle) To grow

Take salt

Speak:

This salt represents earth and it will help me to root to mother earth,

It reminds me that we all come from the Goddess, and

we are all connected.

(Sprinkle on Earth) To discover

Take

Ribbons

Speak:

These Ribbons represents air it reminds helps me to reclaim myself

It reminds me to speak with right intention

To continue to become

(Tie to Tree) To Create

Take Water

Speak:

This water is to remind help me to persevere in an ever-changing world.

It reminds me to heal and

To know myself

(Pour on Ground) To Feel

Take ring and put on

Speak:

For spirit I will wear this ring. It will remind me every day my dedication to the Goddess and to the Path. And remind me to live the old ways.

As I don this ring I begin my service to the Goddess. My Service to the Goddess will not end, so shall it be in this life, so shall it be in death, and so shall it be in my next life and every life thereafter.

As I will it so mote it be



After concluding this ritual I took a walk to meditate on my new path with the Goddess. I used this walk as a time to listen to the Goddess and receive Her messages for me.
Here is what I heard and saw.
After concluding and beginning my walk I began to see many hawks flying around me. Some came close others just circled above.

I also saw many butterflies scurrying around me, which I failed to get photos of.

As I was meditating on my walk I asked the Goddess what She wanted me to do. I heard this;
"Love. Heal. Teach.... But mostly Love."
"You are now a student of the Goddess."

As I was getting in the car to leave a very large (about the size of a quarter) bee began flying around me. It flew around my head and would fly in and out of the car. Unfortunately this bee was camera shy and I could not capture an image of it.

The first thing I heard on the radio when I began to drive away was Belinda Carlisle singing "Heaven is a Place on Earth", I found this slightly funny.

As I was driving home I heard the following;
"There are no straight lines in nature, so don't expect any in your life. You have a plan to get from point A to point B, but it will not be a straight line. There will be zigs and zags, curves, detours, and even U-turns and circles. But don't worry, in the end its always beautiful."

 I sit here now with much love in my heart. Ready to start my journey.

Thank you for reading. I welcome all comments!!

Affirmations - a daily dose of magic

My second A blog will be about affirmations. This is also something that I have been looking at and using more lately. I have found how important affirmations are in my life and how much they have helped. I had been wanting to do daily affirmations for a long time, but never quite understood them. Then I had two amazing experiences that opened my eyes.

The first experience was a class I took called Live your Truth Love your Life. This class was all about finding your authentic self and living your life authentically. In one part of the class we had to identify our 5 biggest fears and then rewrite them as affirmations to put a positive spin on them. For instance, one of my fears is the fear of failure, so my affirmation for this is "I am open to receiving all that is necessary for my success." So when I feel this fear coming on I recite my affirmation. I also use a daily affirmation that encompasses a lot, it is "I am a joyful, fearless, loving soul". These types of affirmations are best when you write them yourself for yourself. You can use affirmations that others have written, but I don't seem to feel the power, and energy from them. Even if I just rewrite one I have found to fit me a little better, the power of it seems to increase!



In addition to these affirmations, I also have begun saying the Affirmation of Women's Spirituality from the Re-Formed Congregation of the Goddess, International. Once I became a member of this organization I found that reading this daily really uplifted me and gave me a feeling of peace and purpose. I consider the affirmations above as small ways to help myself throughout life, while this one is my formal declaration of my spiritual beliefs. Here is the Affirmation from the RCG-I website:

AFFIRMATION OF WOMEN'S SPIRITUALITY

There is one circle of women's energy, and I, (insert your name), am a part of this energy.
It is mine to direct. I wish to direct my energy

TO KNOW:

1. that I can create my own reality and that sending out a positive expectation will bring a positive result.
2. that the energy which I send out returns to me.
3. that there are an infinite number of possibilities for my life.
4. that every situation is an opportunity to practice and develop my craft.
5. that my instincts and intuition can be used to guide me.
6. that my only power is in the present.
7. that the Goddess or life force energy is within me.

TO WILL:

1. that I shall try to never use my energy unwisely or limit the free will of another.
2. that I shall grow in wisdom, strength, knowledge, and understanding.
3. that I shall, as much as I am aware, act in honesty to myself and to others.
4. that I shall never use my energy for what I know to be evil, aggressive or manipulative and shall only use my energy for positive ends.
5. that I shall grow to understand the cyclic, life affirming rhythms of the earth, and always act with love toward Her and all Her plants and creatures.
6. that I shall transform all negative in my environment.

TO DARE:

1. to be myself.
2. to take responsibility for myself and my actions and know that consciously or unconsciously, I have drawn situations to me.
3. to be strong and independent even in the midst of struggle.
4. to accept and understand those whose ethnic or racial background, social or economic class, appearance, or sexual preference are different from my own.
5. to stand firm and committed to women and my spiritual beliefs even in times of isolation, pain, desperation or negativity.

AND TO UNDERSTAND WHEN TO SPEAK AND WHEN TO KEEP SILENCE.
SO MOTE IT BE.

Saying all of these affirmations as my daily devotionals  helps me ground for the day. They help me feel my inner power, my inner Goddess. I feel such a connection to the Divine when I say them aloud and put the energy forward. Affirmations are a part of my daily life. I find that these affirmations are my daily dose of magic.





Thank you for reading. I welcome all comments!!

Amulets

Blessings all! Because I started with the PBP late I thought I would go back and catch up with the weeks I missed.
So here is my first A post.

I decided to write about amulets, mostly because I have recently joined the Re-Formed Congregation of the Goddess, International, (RCG,-I), as well as registering for the Women’s Thealogical Institute (WTI is a spiritual education program through RCGI). 

After joining this group I began wearing my Triple Crescent Amulet constantly. The triple crescent is the symbol of the Congregation. It represents the three phases of the Goddess; Maiden, Mother and Crone bonded together in a circle as a reminder that we are all one. Wearing the triple crescent is a good way to proclaim your association and it is one of the ways Congregation members recognize each other. (rcgi.org).

When it comes to amulets I believe their power and associations depend on what each individual puts into them. Life is about perspective. For instance, one person may see the infinity symbol as a sign of love, others may see it as a sign of dualism.  Neither is wrong. Amulets can also hold many meanings to one person. To some my triple crescent may be the "biohazard" symbol, to others it may be worn to ward off evil and see it as a protective and lunar charm.

I wear my amulet all the time. Here is what it represents to me: 

Birth, Life and Death.

The maiden, mother and crone.

The three Celtic realms of earth, sea and sky.

Compassion, reason, and discipline

Mind, body, and soul

Faith, Hope and Love.

Above, below, and within

Past, present, and future

 

 Thank you for reading! I welcome all comments!