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As the usual routine, coffee came with religious conversation this morning.
How do you view Archetypes?
I tend to be a Pantheist, believing that God and the Universe are one. So I would look at archetypes and simply a focused point of that universal energy. A symbol or character representing the energies one wishes to tap into, but still part of the whole.
But could they exist on their own after being “fed” by millions of people over thousands of years?
I still see them as just an aspect of the Universe, not as anthropomorphic individual entities.
But what about entities that you create in magick that take on individual thought and actions separate from yourself such as servitors? They act independent of you? Are they not “stand alone” entities? Or the Goetic entities that you summon and have conversation with?
Servitors, I see as thought, will and desire that one sends out. The energies can still be in force and motion, yet not necessarily “thinking” creatures. Maybe that is my folly.
I suppose my views come from my experiences. I have never really had my servitor talk to me, nor have I summoned anything as great as a Goetic entity. I was every early on in my magickal education in my servitor creation.
Skepticism and doubt still haunt my work and I’m sure it affects it. However, I have to keep reminding myself that I am but a babe in this world. A babe amongst teens and ancients as far as magick in concerned.
The majority of those I encounter have practiced since adolescence and I haven’t even hit the 5 year mark. I’m still opening up (or learning to open up) to aspects of my humanity and divinity that have been hibernating for a very long time, and I don’t always practice as I know I should.
How I view mixing pantheons
What are you looking for? Why do you practice Magick in the way that you do? What are your beliefs?
We all hear these questions, either from others or from ourselves. This is an attempt to clarify myself, who I am, what I’m about, and all the whys I can think of. It’s for others to understand me a little better, maybe see parts of their own journey within mine, and also for myself, as a record in the future of how I might have changed or not.
My latest explorations are in alchemy, more specifically creation of my tinctures. The original purpose was simply to have a tool to increase my magickal workings. In process and research, I am finding so much more to it.
The main goal of the alchemist is either the transmutation of one material into another, as in the search to turn lead into gold, or the evolution of the “raw and unfinished” nature by a process of separation and recombination, sometimes resulting in an “elixir of life” that will cure all disease and extend life indefinitely. Well, this is what I hope to attain! I guess I’m an alchemist!
The raw material to be transformed is myself as I stand this day, in all states of humanity and unfinished roughness. Working through LHP practices to learn and know myself, I hope to bring new understanding of who I am in this world and how I relate to everything around me. It involves a deep look within as well as without, pushing boundaries and experiences so I understand my body, my heart, my soul. Some of this need not be as extreme as others may lead to believe but the work on ones self I feel is an integral part of reaching a relationship with divinity. I don’t necessarily think that aligning with the 4 elements is the way or even enough. Maybe it just isn’t in my case. I am lead and it’s going to take a lot of work to become gold.
Apart from the practice of LHP processes, I do seek a union with the divine but I see having to go left in order to proceed right. Does that make sense to anyone? By separating, establishing and understanding myself as an individual in the universal sense, in the end through recombining with divinity I will be part of the elixir creation. It will be an enlightenment that will connect me to the divine and bestow the knowledge, healing and everlasting life as I come to know all that I am a part of. We are all energy and energy never dies and so of course there is life after death, just not in a more classical Christian kind of way, more of an Einstein conceptual way.
So I am on this journey of discovery and transmutation. With Jung and Yoga, Gurdjieff and the Qabbalah I shall be turned from lead into gold and drinking the Elixir of life from the holy grail!
Today is the 15th day of the 1st month of the 1st year Anno Luceferi according to the Book of Peter Vaughn. For me, at least, it is a major Holiday. Those who follow a LHP system of beliefs know that Self and the development of is extremely important. It is with this outlook that I declare the 15th day of the 1st month of subsequent years as the Epiphany of Naufragio.
In definition epiphany means:
an appearance or manifestation, esp. of a deity.
a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.
And so, being the day of manifestation in this mortal coil 39 short years ago, I think it an appropriate title for the first holiday of the new Era. Be forewarned, 15:1:2 is foretold to be a date of extreme change. More on this later.
As a note: This is the coldest week all winter with below zero (F) temperatures. The snow is piled high.
The snowbank at the local shopping plaza.
Snow last night off my porch.
I have set up a small elemental tarot altar (in hopes of making divination a larger part of my regular spiritual practice). These are the cards drawn today. Sorry for it being so dark, the batteries died in my camera. If I get a better one I’ll replace this one later.
Strength and 10 of Pentacles.
As many Pagans do, I belong to a couple of internet groups to learn, teach, share and socialize with others. In one of these Yahoo groups the opportunity came up for me to ask about the belief that you should not “send energy” to someone when they themselves have not asked for it.
I had heard about the oath of some traditions where it is unethical and I wondered how strict is this taken by most. I would consider someone telling me “so and so’s mother fell down the stairs” and my reply being “Oh, no, I hope she is alright and gets better soon” as sending out that positive energy (even if not “officially” or ritually). Was it perceived differently by those traditions and if so, how? I personally didn’t see harm in sending positive energy and best wishes to someone, in that capacity anyway, since I’m not really into seriously projecting “healing” energies out to strangers. I’ve wondered about this for a while.
I fully expected very little in response, however, “Gaia” surprised me with an answer that spoke to my own thoughts and LHP beliefs. With permission I post the wonderful insightful response:
I am an initiate of a Gardnerian-lineaged path, and I take the ethics very seriously; in fact I think ethics are perhaps the most (or one of the most) important aspects of the religion of Wicca.
It may seem to be a bit silly or even obnoxious to withhold such
good wishes or help to someone who appears in need, but there really are some good reasons.One of the those is because we can never know what challenges, trials, etc others may have set or created for themselves in life (before entering this life) to learn various lessons, fulfill certain Karma, or whatever –so sending them any “energy” to heal, solve, correct, or make easier those challenges, WITHOUT their permission, may just disrupt whatever they intended those experiences to do for them, in the long run.
I consider that very important. So even though we may have tremendous compassion and the very best “wishes” for someone, we may be loathe to disrupt or interfere with whatever challenges they have set for themselves — at least without their direct permission.
I hope that helps explain, a little –
Blessings –
~Gaia
That, I suppose like many moral ideals by people from all faiths, must be a hard line to stick to sometimes. I don’t know how I could refuse something for a sick child or general wishes for the best in a situation causing someone I know anguish. Example: John Travolta’s tragic loss of his son. My heart is torn apart over situations like that and maybe despite lessons or reasons I send my best to the family.
Although I don’t personally agree totally with those ideas and ethics of some traditions, I give credit to those who can stick to and abide by it, holding true to themselves.
To what fortuitous occurrence do we not owe every pleasure and convenience of our lives.
~Oliver Goldsmith
I ordered my inverted Pentacle a while back. It was not easy for me to find, as I only desire a delicate, not “in your face” statement in my jewelery. I found a nice approx. 1/2 ” charm, only slightly bigger than the regular one I wear. It arrived in time for the full moon. 
How fitting that in the “dark” of the full moon (as we have a snowstorm going on so it was hidden) that I did a small personal consecration of my new charm. Power hidden behind clouds of immense beauty affecting thousands positively and negatively depending on their outlook, the reflection of themselves in their attitude, floating peacefully to earth bringing cold satisfaction to melt in my hand like the cold hearts of man melting in the face of the divine. My own power, still hidden, floating out in flakes, some tiny, others great big puffs in squalls and flurries. *
*ok Boleskine, you can stop gagging now, the “fluffy” part is over.
“Why inverted,” you may ask. NO, I’m not a satanist, or evil. I do feel that MY path to spiritual advancement is found in the exploration and understanding of me, myself and I. Id,Ego and Super Ego, conscious and unconscious, flesh, mind, emotion, soul and spirit; it is the growth, knowledge and awareness of these in myself and the ability to see these in others that bring me closer to who I am meant to be. Some may call it my destiny or true will. The single up or down point on the pentacle represents spirit, something I feel is not sought up in the ethers somewhere but down in the material world we live in, within ourselves. That is where we need to seek it, divinity in everything around us and in what we are. Thus, the inversion.
After all, if we all knew ourselves better, our needs, our motivations, our fears and the reasons behind them and how to push past obstacles, wouldn’t the world be a better place? All those self help books out there tell me that people are searching, and it’s not for Jesus.
A light has dawned, shone down from the Whirlwind that is my best friend, inspiration, teacher, guide, idol, groupie and supporter. Although I have long dipped my toes here and there, not knowing there was more out there spiritually, almost a total “sleeper” in this world, he has been the one to allow me to be and lead me into situations that expand upon the exploration that is now my mind and soul. I love Magick, Witchcraft, Metaphysical and Hermetic research, and all the other wonderful layers and flavors of the spirit that I failed to know about before.
“You’re one of the most Magickal people I know,” he says to me. “You always have something going on in every corner.”
He’s right, of course. A pentacle hangs on the door, house altar finely decorated, spell books on my shelves, candles galore and in various stages of burning, herbs and incense fill a whole drawer and spill into my closet and gargoyles and skeletal images scattered through the house and my room. (I think I have a thing for Baron Samedi or perhaps La Santisima Muerte without me even knowing) Not to mention the servitor “home” sitting discreetly and yet in plain view, it’s purpose unknown to the casual observer.
He says to me, “We have to be careful not to turn into fanatics.” His idea came from looking around the house at all the Pagan and Magick items. You go into a strongly religious Christian household and there are bibles, pictures of the Pope, busts of Jesus and statues of the Virgin all over the place. (All this I remember well from my French Roman Catholic Grandmother and my Dad’s room)
Well, good for them keeping their faith in their own faces. So many only go to church on Christmas and Easter and never give it another thought the rest of the year. At least they have made it a regular part of their lives. If I believe what they do or not, doesn’t matter. There is a difference between fanatical and religious or spiritual.
I look around and while it is true that you would not mistake this home as a Christian one, what is wrong with that? It’s our home after all, why not display things that interest and inspire us? For them, it’s Jesus, for us it’s sigils and pentagrams, candles and crystals. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I want to LIVE my beliefs, act on them and be them. This means having stuff around the house that would signal “Occult” warning lights on the local Christian warning system. What would the local church think of a temple room set up for practice of the Occult arts? DEDICATED is what I would say. (OK so I really don’t have one at this time, I’d like to get a place to be able to) I know many Pagans with such rooms, but how many Christians have chapels set up in the extra bedroom of their 1/2 million dollar McMansions?
It’s me, like it or not. Does that make me fanatical? Eccentric maybe. Fantastically interesting, well, maybe. Fanatical? Ask me in another 40 years……..
From Dianne Sylvan’s book, The Body Sacred. I absolutely love the idea behind this quote:
Much has been written on the sacred spaces we create, but not so much on the sacred space we embody. Unlike a circle, however, the altar of the flesh is one you take with you everywhere and never un-cast. Imagine your whole life in circle; every action you make would have an air of purpose and importance, just as every gesture made in a temporary circle adds to the ambiance and power of the rite therein. Nothing done before an altar is frivolous or without meaning.
What changes in our lives would we make if we treated ourselves as a sacred object, where every action, every thought was a sacred process instead of a mundane, meaningless means to an end?
How many times have we heard this line? Always it is accompanied by an image of a baby in a manger. AWWWWW, how cute. Also, how wrong. I know that this is a subject written over and over about by Pagans all over the world. Allow me to throw my hat in the ring too. If I bore you, you can always peruse my other posts or click away to something more attention grabbing. You won’t hurt my feelings, honest.
Traditions:
The Date - Where to start? One theory states the Mesopotamians were among the first to celebrate the solstice with a 12-day festival designed to help the god Marduk tame the monsters of chaos for one more year.Solstice celebrations are held by many peoples all over the world and no one really knows how long, we do know it’s been thousands of years. Today we still have evidence of perfect markers of the solstice in Stonehenge; Newgrange, a beautiful megalithic site in Ireland; Maeshowe, on the Orkney Islands north of Scotland; and Sun Dagger of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, built a thousand years ago by the Chacoans, ancestors of the Pueblo people.
By the early fourth century, Church leaders decided they needed a Christian alternative to rival popular solstice celebrations. They chose December 25th as the date of Christ’s birth and held the first recorded Feast of the Nativity in Rome in A.D. 336.
Wassailing – Not just a drink or an obscure lyric in a favorite holiday carol. This was a medieval custom of blessing the apple trees ensure their fertility. Groups would go out into the orchards and give offerings of song (Caroling), decorations (Why do you decorate your tree in December again?) and pouring cider on the trees so that they would be prosperous and “fruitful” (Yes I meant the pun) in the following season. Once a solstice ritual, because it is so linked to the themes of nature’s rebirth and fertility.
Yule Log – First burned at the Winter Solstice in Scandinavia, Ireland, Greece and other countries in celebration of the rebirth of the sun after a
long winter. Due to the proximity to the chosen date of Christmas, it latter became associated with a representation of the light of the Savior rather than the light of the sun.
Holly and Evergreens – Anything Green in this time of flora hybernation and death has been seen as symbols of rebirth and life. Holly, with it’s pointy leaves is especially prized and desired around door and windows as protection, warding off “evil” spirits and unwanted energies.
Mistletoe – The Ancient Greeks and others thought this plant to have mystical properties, able to bestow life, fertility and protect against poison as well as an aphrodisiac. It has long been used for ceremonial purposes. Druids for example would cut a certain rare type off the oak with Golden sickles and sacrifice white bulls for prosperity. It was hung at doorways for protection. The kissing part developed from the fertility belief.
The Tree – First, see my earlier notes on Wassailing and Evergreens, additionally, read on.
Pagan people who had revered the Oak but converted began to see the Fir as “God’s” tree. (whose triangular shape represented the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) By the 12th century it was hung upside-down from ceilings, undecorated, as a symbol of Christianity.
The first decorated Fir tree was in 1510. Martin Luther is said to have decorated a small Christmas Tree with candles, to show his children how the stars twinkled through the dark night.
Ok, so How is that infant the reason again?
Soon it shall be the last Thursday of November in America. (OK, in many places but there is a point to this) Thanksgiving shall be held and celebrated for the vast majority. It’s not a religious holiday so I guess I’d call it a political one. Maybe it’s just an excuse to rev up all the sales the following Friday, so maybe it would be a merchant holiday. Anyway, the “holiday season” is upon us and a comment by Boleskine93 got me thinking.
Being Pagan, Boleskine doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. His Thanksgiving was at Mabon. He along with most Pagans also celebrate Yule and not Christmas. So many of us “go with the flow” of the season because we have multitudes of family and friends who do celebrate different major holidays and we join in. This is my situation, plus I’m still not use to not celebrating these holidays yet being so new to my path.
What do you say when in a restaurant, at a store, at work, etc and someone says “Merry Christmas” or “Have a happy Thanksgiving” to you? I just say “and you too.” I don’t bother going into the fact that maybe I don’t celebrate that day. I’ll even wish customers at work a happy holiday not knowing if they are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan or other. I feel it’s a nice gesture, sending good will and 95% of the time they do celebrate them. If someone wished me a happy Hanukkah or Ramadan, I would respond in kind. Would they be assuming I was Jewish or something else? Maybe. They are sending out a good wish, positive vibes to me, why should it matter? Returning that sentiment, since obviously they do celebrate that day, just seems the correct response to me. I really don’t care if they assume I’m Christian on not. They are not harming me, they are being nice.
Would you go into “I’m Pagan, I don’t celebrate ABC Day”? What do others feel about this?
They are the lonely, the friendless. There is no one to speak for them but me. My voice will be raised in their defense. I will resolve all doubts in their favor.
This will be my credo; this and the Golden Rule. I will seek acclaim and approval only from my own conscience. And if upon my death there are a few lonely people who have benefited, my efforts will not have been in vain.
— Jim Doherty, Cook County Chief Public Defender
OK, Now that I started thinking funerals and how Pagans work them, I found this site:
I have to chuckle at the “HOW TO”-ness of it but thought it was pretty good for a start. For those of my friends reading this, I have added commentary so you will know what to do after that bus hits me. (Or Boleskine 93 either blows us all up or succeeds in his evil plans) Of course, being so new I may not have all the details so you will have to fill in any blanks or alter outdated info that would no longer apply to my beliefs at the time of spiritual reclamation. 
How to Perform a Pagan Funeral
By eHow Culture & Society Editor
It’s difficult to generalize about how to perform a pagan funeral, primarily because there are no universally accepted funeral rites or traditions that bind the different pagan categories together. However, if someone you love is a pagan and wants to have a pagan funeral, here are some suggestions on how to pull it off.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Things You’ll Need:
* Officiant, like a priest or priestess familiar with pagan tradition (Boleskine would fit in if no other “official” is available, assisted by Seshat, of course. And if he goes into the good night first he just has to come back to do this one thing for me. So mote it be.)
* Venue for the funeral (Please remove body from place of death)
* Body or remains of the deceased (No post mortum (or premortum!)dismemberment, and NO chests)
* Decorations and music appropriate for the funeral (Clown makeup on the deceased is NOT appropriate! Nor is anything hanging from body parts other than traditional jewelry in a traditional manner)
Step1
Find out what pagan tradition the person followed in life, if you don’t already know it. Just as a Catholic funeral rite is not suitable for a lifelong Baptist, do not assume that someone who worshiped Egyptian deities would have wanted a neopagan memorial service. (Being a spiritual “mut”, Anubis would work or any diety where I can come back to heckle (ummmm I mean watch over) friends and family.)
Step2
See if there is a person who would be willing to officiate at the funeral. Traditional choices for a pagan funeral are the person’s family members or friends who are pagans (or sympathetic to their beliefs). (BOLESKINE!!!!!…..The bastard) He or she may have been a member of a coven,(ICK) and there may be a priest or priestess willing to perform the funeral.(No Wiccan, please, no Wiccan) In a pinch, a Unitarian Universalist minister may be available to perform the rites. (Wrong!)
Step3
Locate an appropriate venue for the ceremony. Most pagan funerals are conducted outside. The deceased may have had a special place that felt very spiritual to him or her, like a forest or a seashore, and you may want to hold the funeral at that location. (My friends know me and my haunts. Make it nice. And warm Damn it, wait I should rephrase that)
Step4
Determine how the person would have wanted his or her body to be taken care of after death. Many pagan traditions use cremation as the preferred way of disposing of a body. (Crematorium with other bodies, being shipped off and not knowing if it’s me or auntie Jane? Just burn me on a funeral pyre. That’s AFTER death, important detail)
Step5
Call the corners and watchtowers at the beginning of the ceremony. An essential part of any ritual is calling them to assist. The first corner is the east, symbolized by air, the second is the south, symbolized by fire, the third is the west, symbolized by water and the fourth is the north, symbolized by earth. The watchtowers provide protection for the participants in the ritual. (Well, DUH)
Step6
Arrange to have music, colors and other decorations appropriate for the ceremony. (see note under things you need) This does not have to mimic Judeo-Christian funeral traditions. (Thank Goddess) Their tradition may have specific flowers adorning an altar, candles of a certain color, incense and music from a different culture setting the mood of reverence and respect for the deceased. (Read poem from previous post. I love that one.) NOTE: since I’ll be burned in a funeral pyre I find it neccessary to mention “BURN THE WITCH!” is NOT an appropriate thing to yell. Boleskine, this means YOU!
Step7
Pay some kind of tribute to the spiritual being that the person honored in life. He or she may have honored a specific god or goddess, Mother Earth, the life force or another celestial being that symbolized deeply held beliefs. (Pay tribute! Pay tribute! Bring me your first born and the blood of…..oh, wait, that’s sacrifice not tribute, hold on a moment…….)
