Spirituality and Sorcery

Ēostre and  Ostara Fresh green grasses soft under our feet Downy yellow chickadee's chirp and peep Blooms spring forth from budding stems As sleep is shaken from those hibernating in dens White, pink, lavender, yellow and peach The colors of rainbows within our reach! A swath of your hand and wink from your eye The hard, dead winter waves it's last good bye. Awakening, and stretching the inhabitants of the glade Revel joyfully in your work, your plans well laid. Beautiful, gracious Eoster, Maiden of Spring We call to you lady, growth and fertility do you bring! Equal does time stand, as night gives it's way Thus the Sun rides high waxing to Solstice Day! Joyful ! Fulfilled, Spring plants and Vegetables sprout We thank you Lady for the bounty which will be wrought. Eoster, Gentle Maiden  of  Spring Sunshine, warmth  and rain do you bring Joy, love, life and sustenance to us Lovely maid...

(This is a continuing discussion line by line of the full Wiccan Rede.  See the first post in February for the full rede and beginning of the discussion.) Honor the Old Ones in deed and name, let Love and Trust be our guides again. Honor the Old Ones in deed and name While this seems like a very easy concept to understand or define, however I thought it might be interesting to look at the word Honor.  Since we as a culture toss it about quite a bit.  Back to Merriam - Webster Honor: 1  : good name or public esteem : reputation b : a showing of usually merited respect : recognition <pay honor to our founder> 2 : privilege <had the honor of joining the captain for dinner> 3: one whose worth brings respect or fame : credit <an honor to the profession> 4 : chastity , purity <fought fiercely for her honor and her life — Barton Black> 5 a : a keen sense of ethical conduct : integrity <a man ...

(This is a continuing discussion line by line of the full Wiccan Rede.  See the first post in February for the full rede and beginning of the discussion.) Heed ye flower, bush and tree. By the Lady, Blessed Be Heed ye flower, bush and tree The word heed is an interesting choice here.  According to Merriam- Webster it means literally to pay careful attention to.  Why is it so important to pay careful attention to plants?   You can actually approach this two ways.  First, understand that plants and trees are the subjects of which element?  Ahem.... Earth!  Excellent.  As subjects of said element, they are metaphors for her as well.   Earth, Gaia, is a LIVING planet with which we live in a symbiotic relationship.  We are the cells to her planetary body.  As  sentient beings, (likening us to brain cells), it is our responsibility to provide stewardship to our lady.  We realize, or should realize what consequ...

(This is a continuing discussion line by line of the full Wiccan Rede.  See the first post in February for the full rede and beginning of the discussion.) Soft of eye, light of touch, speak little; listen much Soft of Eye Soft of eye is exploring perception.  It is plumbing our own inner depths, and achieving something more than a static model of looking at the world.  All of us are consciously aware, when we focus our vision.  Honing our gaze to a fine point, to discern what we are looking for.  Such as searching for an item within a puzzle.  This type of fine focus, is used during periods of high concentration.  It also references a person who is overly critical or judgmental.  Such as the metaphors stemming from " long hard gazes" or taking a "hard look".  During this type of activity, the eyes tense, the body develops a rigidity, and everything perches upon on edge.  Careful someone doesn't tip you over! Soft of eye, on th...

(This is a continuing discussion line by line of the full Wiccan Rede.  See the first post in February for the full rede and beginning of the discussion.) Live ye well and let to live; fairly take and fairly give. Living Well Many websites, commercials, and books are dedicated to the art of living well.  Our consumer driven society is obsessed with it.  What does it really mean?  From a material point of view to live well, might be to live comfortably from a financial standpoint,  have a few things that make you happy.  Have a few people with whom you are close to and  exist  in a somewhat enjoyable manner. Lets look at this from a different perspective.  Living well, can also be a standard to which to hold yourself.  We as wiccans and pagans, actively work to create a better life for ourselves, better communities and a better world.  In doing so, we take on the role of the steward, the caretaker.   As stewar...

(This is a continuing discussion line by line of the full Wiccan Rede.  See the first post in February for the full rede and beginning of the discussion.) Bide the Ancient Laws ye must, in Perfect Love and Perfect Trust. Advice of the Ancients Bide the Ancient Laws ye must, Wait a minute, what the heck is an ancient law?  We are talking about a religion that has officially been around since 1950.  Even though we understand that the concepts and practices have been either handed down through time, reconstructed from information available,  drawn from the collective unconscious or "downloaded" from the Divine.   I haven't seen any scroll hanging out with ancient laws! Ancient laws are not the laws of man, but more specifically the laws of the universe or universal laws.  The Universe uses natural and moral laws combined with regulatory vibrations to maintain balance.  Just as with current, when you work within the flow of a current ...

Advice of the Ancients Bide the Ancient Laws ye must, in Perfect Love and Perfect Trust. Live ye well and let to live; fairly take and fairly give. Soft of eye and light of touch, Speak little: listen much. Heed ye flower, bush and tree. By the Lady, Blessed Be. Honor the Old Ones in deed and name, let Love and Trust be our guides again. Cast the Circle thrice about to keep unwelcome spirits out; To bind the spell well every time, let the spell be spake in rhyme. Deosil go by the waxing moon; sing and dance the Witches' Rune. Tuathal go, by waning moon; chanting out the baneful rune. When the Lady's moon is new, kiss the hand to her times two; When the Moon rides at her peak, then your heart's desire seek. Nine woods in the cauldron go; burn them fast and burn them slow. Birch in the fire goes to represent what the Lady knows. Oak in the forest towers with might; in the fire brings the God's insight. Rowan is a tree of power, causing magick and life to...