The Correllian Times

Transcription

Second Edition, Issue 72
October - 12 Aquarius
A Free Publication
The Editor’s Corner
“Our plate is never too full,”.
Here in the Northern half of the world, we have entered fall and are fast approaching Samhain the spin of the Wheel of the
Year. It is a time for closing the old and bringing in the new. A walk in the forest shows us that life is beginning the process of a winter-long hibernation; a time of renewal. It happens to be my favorite time of year. The crisp smell of leaves,
the tang of apple cider and the haunting sound of crunchy grass underfoot tell the story of fall, an ending and the eventual
rekindling of the spirit.
Table of Contents
Editor’s Corner
Correllian News
Correllian Updates
Pagan News
Ing’s October Tarot Reading
Ocean Depths – Pt. 3
Throughout this time of rejuvenation, we continue to always be looking for more inspiration at the Times. And in the spirit
of new beginnings, I would take a moment, reader, to introduce you to a couple new staff members at the Times. Our plate
is never too full and as we progress, we are always welcoming more new members to the fold.
Walking the Wiccan Way
Readers in the Southern Hemisphere - we are still looking for one of you to join our team and relay the turn of seasons, Sabbats and life on the other side of the world! Don’t hesitate to message me at [email protected]. If you haven’t
yet had a chance, check out our Facebook page and click that “like” button: www.facebook.com/CorrellianTimes
And be sure to pass along each issue to your friends!
Haunted Locations
Thank you everyone, and Blessings ~
Lindsay
Without further hesitation allow me to introduce…..
I was born with spina bifida and several other
issues which have helped me become a more compassionate person. I was born in Boston Mass; I
lived there for two years then moved to Maine
with my parents. I started taking piano lessons at
six and started guitar in high school, but I've been
writing in journals for almost as long. It helped
with being gay and feeling different. I went to
Dylan Cook
White Mountain School because I didn't like the
public schools for high school. I had surgery on my spina bifida
which failed. I was severely depressed and wrote music and poetry
about it. When I got to college I began drinking too much on my
study abroad in New Zealand. I continued to drink until after college when I finally got sober due to my parents' intervention. Now I
live in South Portland Maine and have a second chance at a decent
life thanks to the Goddess The God and my parents and AA. I work
at a bakery part time and am thinking of taking my last course in
philosophy which I didn't complete. I play in a band of disabled
people in a program for the disabled.
I can recall when I first
branched out on my own into
Paganism, but for me to go back
all the way to the beginning, it
is nearly three decade journey. I
believe the doors to my path
really opened with the passing
of my older brother when I was
merely 2 ½. He opened that
door to the famed “Other Side”
for his little sister and has been
Tricia Butler
one of my spiritual guides ever
since. When I was thirteen I
decided that I needed to believe in something and
seeing as everyone around me was going to Church,
it seemed like a good way to start. I immersed myself
into the Faith. I began asking questions about things
that I didn’t understand and when I couldn’t find the
answers in the Book, my Pastor or congregation, I
turned to other sources. The first book that blew my
mind, read from cover to cover when I was fifteen,
was Marion Zimmer-Bradley’s Mists of Avalon. Diving into what my mother called a phase of wickedness, I stopped going to Church, Bible Study and
Youth group and began to read every piece of mythology and fictional fantasy I could get my hands on. I
didn’t understand it then, but knew that what I had
been trusting in as Faith just wasn’t enough to satisfy
my thirst for knowledge.
New Beginnings
Live Life Lovely
Visions of the Past
Agony Aunt
Samhain Celebrations
Life happened; it
wasn’t until after I
Peering in, Looking Out
left my parent’s
Lillie Dawn’s Recipes
house and moved to
Idaho that I really
Pagan Fiction Review
began to realize I
Inspired Visions
had to take charge of
my own life and
Words of the World
path. When I was
twenty three my
Horoscopes
husband took me to
Games
a shop in Boise, truly
one of a kind place
full of Witchcraft tools, books, herbs, stones and statues; it was like coming home. Just walking into the
shop sent a chill up my spine, striking a deep cord in
my soul .that I was where I needed to be and I was
finally back on track. I found a group in a lovely
grove called the Treasure Valley Witches and began
my 13 month apprenticeship under Woventear. I went
through her three degree program and left the group
after three years of practice with a much higher
knowledge and understanding not only of the Craft,
but of Tarot, Reiki, meditation and ritual work. My
Path now finds me in the Pacific Northwest of the
United States with my loving husband and children. I
am currently a solitary practitioner, writing my own
rituals, meditations, blessings and prayers. I am Bella
Nightshade, a mystic, wandering dancer.
Southeastern Regional Lustration
By Rev. Faemore Lorei
No longer is the Correllian Lustration of the Living held only by the
Mother Temple as a singular universal affair. Now, and in part thanks to the
many virtues of virtual reality, it is held by Temples in many locations as
concurrent ceremonies in regional observation – a first for the Tradition.
Earlier in the month of September the Southeastern Regional Lustration was held at the Children of Gaia Temple who joined forces with The
Sacred Light Temple of South Florida, The Sacred Sea Temple of Georgia
and Lyr’s Children Witan Shrine to host this illustrious event. An actual total
of five regional Temples were represented and accounted for with the additional attendance of High Priestess Reverend Holly Charland, the Head of
Mystic Ancient Circle Temple.
It was also an occasion of firsts because the Lustration ceremony was
brought to us by live broadcast using Ustream technology, which enabled
many people to attend the event virtually via live video feed. This application of the contemporary technological marvel of live streaming is an event
in itself for the Tradition’s history books, and as Reverend Donald LewisHighCorrell, Chancellor of the Correllian Tradition could be quoted as saying in his own recent release about the Lustration, it proffers Correllians an
incredible opportunity for the future.
… An occasion of firsts
to the Lustration weekend. Reverend John Grimes from Lyr’s Children
Witan Shrine performed the role of Guardian, High Priestess Reverend
Janice Christian of Children of Gaia Temple of Sonifer and Genovocator
and High Priest Reverend Richard Keen of Sacred Light Temple of South
Florida performed the role of Junovocator, Rite Lector, and Guardian of
the East.
Dedicant Jeff S performed the role of Southern Guardian, Reverend
Chelly Battles of Western Guardian and Dedicant Denise Scott performed
the role of Northern Guardian. Reverend Angela Newell Grimes, Maiden
Priestess of Children of Gaia Temple and Head of Lyr’s Children Witan
Shrine performed the role of Rite Priestess along with Reverend John
Grimes as Rite Priest.
“It is my hope that not only will Regional Lustrations of the Living
proliferate in future years, but that many of these – as well as our Lustrations
of the Ancestors – may be broadcast live allowing all who desire to take
part,” he stated. “I am hopeful that this will become a standard feature of all
future Lustrations, whether Regional or Global.”
For those unable to attend either the physical event in Lake Worth,
Florida or virtual event online, daily summary videos will soon be uploaded
to various sites including MagickTV and Witchshcool.com.
The ceremony for the Southeastern Regional Lustration was enacted
on the beautiful Friday evening of September 7th, as a wondrous beginning
Lustration Altar, Southeastern Regional Lustration of the Living
Photo: Rev. Rick Keen
Reverend Mike Neal from Sacred Sea Temple and Head of Field and
Forest Formal Shrine performed the role for the “First Elder”, Right Reverend Arch Priestess Stephanie Neal, Head of Sacred Sea Temple and a
member of the Correllian Council of Elders for the “First Priestess”, and
Lord Donald Lewis-Highcorrell, Chancellor and Paramount High Priest
of the Correllian Nativist Tradition performed his own role as himself of
First Priest.
The traditional Silent Auction fundraising event ran by Reverend
Mike Neal, the proceeds of which benefit the Correllian Tradition, raised
over $550 in support of the tradition through the myriad contributions,
generous bids and enthusiastic efforts of its many members, who participated in and supported the project.
Workshops on creating Ogham and making mini Besoms were
completed the following Saturday, as well as a relaxing meditation held
by Reverend Stephanie Neal ensued by a fun cookout and concert.
The performance of Bull and Sherry, the opening act, was reviewed as
being “delightful”, and the main
act of the Lustration’s live entertainment package, Celtic Mayhem, performed music inclusive
of traditional Celtic, contemporary pop and lovely Renaissance
Faire selections. A moving tribute
to the dear departed Owain Phyfe
brought the concert to its end, and
a second cookout and pool party
closed the Lustration weekend
with a memorable and enjoyable
report on that Sunday afternoon.
Sources:
Silent Auction Fall 2012, Correllian.com, 2012.
Reverend Mike Neal, Silent Auction Results,
Witchschool.com, 2012.
Lord Donald Lewis-Highcorrell, The Chancellor’s Regional Lustration Report, Witchschool.com, 2012.
Besoms from the Besom Making Workshop
Are you looking for more information on the Correllian Tradition?
Visit www.correllian.com/ to find out about the prominent leaders
of the Tradition, upcoming events, applications for the Inner and
Outer Court and the locations throughout the world!
Lustration Ritual Participants, inclusive of Priesthood.
Up Close with the Correllian Order of Esoteric Mystery Schools
By: Jamie Scott
All knowledge is good, according to Reverend Michael Joffrion, but as ly educated people in hidden knowledge to assist and aid the Tradition and its
a magickal people, we are not learning all that is possible.
members, as well as enrich the people involved in the Order itself.”
“I see a lot of folks studying
There is not a formal structure to the Order; however, Joffrion will in-
Wicca, but not anything else. We troduce a hierarchical structure when membership increases from the current
should strive to study all of the Eso- 25 members. Leadership roles will be created, distinctions will be seen in
teric Mystery thoughts that are avail- various robes and vestments worn, and specific rituals will be planned for
able,” Joffrion said.
specific days and events. Meetings for Order members are set to begin after
When Joffrion saw that there Samhain.
wasn’t a spot in the Tradition for
people
to
learn
the
Joffrion plans to expand the Order and increase interaction between
hidden members by soon providing a website and social site, where announcements
knowledge of esoteric mysteries, he will be displayed, group discussions will be hosted, and files will be kept, but
Sigil for the Order of Esoteric Mystery Schools
Image: Michael Joffrion
sought to fill the void by forming the until then, Joffrion can be reached by email at [email protected]
Order of Esoteric Mystery Schools, for anyone with questions or needing more information.
whose name became evident after finding its purpose.
To become a member, the only
The Order’s sigil - the Great Pyramid of Giza with the “All Seeing prerequisite is to have the desire to learn.
Eye” above it and the Sphinx resting in front of it - combines Joffrion’s Ma- Joffrion said this desire “may change the
sonic background, studies of the Golden Dawn, and Jewish Mysticism into the future,” which he intends to assist the
image.
Tradition with by sharing his years of
The goal of the Order of Esoteric Mystery Schools is to train Priestess- experience involved in various Esoteric
Mystery School organizations.
es and Priests in the various Esoteric Mysteries-to take them deeper than
they’ve ever been in their studies, so that they may join the clergy and aid in
the education of the general membership and beyond.
Joffrion said he wants the Order “to evolve into a viable group of high-
Rev. Michael Joffrion
Image: Self
Temple Profiles
By: Jamie Scott
Each month Correllian News Reporter Jamie Scott will profile one chartered full
Correllian Temple. This month Jamie focuses on
The Sacred Fire Temple and Rev, Michael Joffrion
Ancient knowledge has been entrusted and passed down for many generations, making it sacred. For mankind of old, fires, once started,
were passed from torch to torch to ensure the fire kept burning and never went out. These concepts are the origin of Sacred Fire Temple’s name and
existence.
“This is the concept of Sacred Fire Temple- hidden knowledge to be passed down from person to person through the ages that never goes
out!” Temple head Reverend Michael Joffrion, HP, said “I’m here for the people that want to learn and explore the Craft of the Wise. My door is
always open to them and that is my reason for doing this.”
Joffrion chose to become leader of the temple to ensure the job is done right the first time.
“I can’t blame someone else if I am responsible for the content and what goes on, this is one
of the main forces in my life,” Joffrion said. “I never forget that being a Temple Head is to be a
servant to the people, not a celebrity position.”
For inspiration for the temple’s symbol, a cross comprised of red Celtic knots with a pentacle
in the center, Joffrion points to his family tree.
“My family history on both sides represents the Celtic people thickly,” he said. His father’s
parents came from France, formerly Gaul, and his mother’s parents are from Germany, previously
known as Gomer. These nations, Joffrion said, along with Spain, were the birth places of the Celts.
“The Celtic knots in our sigil are to honor that beginning. The pentacle in the middle is to
honor the Craft of the Wise and its four directions and Spirit. Red and black are my family’s heraldic colors.”
The goal of Sacred Fire Temple is to build something that inspires pride, stands the test of
time and enriches the lives of others many times over. The temple serves as an encouraging, stimulating and safe place for all who are interested in the Correllian Nativist Tradition to learn in a nonjudgmental atmosphere. In addition, the temple offers teaching in all degrees of the Correllian Tradition.
Sigil for the Sacred Fire Temple
Image: Rev. Michael Joffrion
The Sacred Fire Temple boasts 26 members in the Fort Worth, Texas location; 20 in the Dallas, Texas branch and approximately a dozen in
the San Antonio, Texas branch. Members meet the first and second Sunday nights in Fort Worth, the third and fourth Sunday nights in Dallas, and
then for all Sabbats and Esbats. A previous event for the Sacred Fire Temple was to host the 2011 Lustration, and Joffrion said he was pleased with
how it went.
“I think we pulled it off well. I’m looking forward to another one in the near future, along with possibly a joint effort with other groups associated with us.” The temple members are currently working on a project with several Correllian groups for the Pagan Picnic.
Temple Profiles
Becoming a member of the Sacred Fire Temple requires following a few
simple guidelines:
1. Follow our Tradition and the Wiccan Rede
2. Obey the rules of the Tradition
3. Respect Mother Earth
4. Be the light that you would want others to live.
As the temple evolves, the goal is to have a solid group in the Sacred Fire Temple and expand Correllianism across Texas into Oklahoma,
Arkansas, and states that touch the North Texas area. For more information, please visit www.sacredfiretemple.org or email Rev. Joffrion at
[email protected].
Up Close and Personal…
with Reverend Michael Joffrion
For 16 years, Reverend Michael
Joffrion, HP, has followed the Craft of the
Wise, and during that time he has become
head of the Order of Esoteric Mystery
Schools and Sacred Fire Temple in Fort
Worth, Texas. He has also taken on the
roles of 1st Officer of the Texas Local Council of Covenant of the Goddess and Assistant Dean of Witch School International.
Beyond his many duties, Joffrion
said he’s a regular guy that is made unique
by his experiences.
Rev. Michael Joffrion
Image: Self
“I think I have been just about everywhere and done just about everything that a person can do in my time here on
the blue marble!”
An avid motorcyclist, he has a passion for taking long trips on his Harley. “There is nothing like being on the road with the wind in your face, the
sound of a V-Twin engine in your ear, and the vibration of that engine coming
through the seat!”
A veteran of the United States military, Joffrion also enjoys combat pistol and long-range rifle shooting. He loves being outdoors and going camping,
canoeing, and sailing when he has the time.
Blues music is a favorite as well.
“I have six guitars and harmonicas and I’ll sit for hours playing the
Blues. Sometimes I’ll go jam with some friends at a Blues club in Dallas.”
Temple Sigil surrounded by symbols of the Witan Collar
Image: Rev. Michael Joffrion
The father of four and grandfather to three was educated in Dallas, Texas
at community college and then in Oklahoma beyond that. Outside of conventional studies, Joffrion has studied all phases of the Masonic Orders and the Golden
Dawn among others, driven by his long-standing interest in the hidden
knowledge and mysteries of mankind. Above all else, though, he said, “there is
nothing quite as fulfilling as serving your fellow man.”
Clan of Kheper Temple – Online Competition
In an effort to raise funds toward the upcoming
Correllian Lustration in South Africa in 2013,
the Clan of Kheper Temple is currently running
an online competition.
- Sterling Silver faceted Moldavite
Goddess Pendant
- Black Hooded Lined Cloak
- Chakra faceted Stone Goddess
Pendant.
Entries cost R20 or $2.50.
Competition Ends 3 November 2012
Visit www.clanofkhepertemple.co.za/
fundraising-competition to Enter.
Pagans Need Jobs – Ownership
Pagans are great festival people. We as a community run exceptional annual festivals that are well attended year after year, decade after
decade. In fact, we do it so well; it has allowed our community to create
surplus that helps fund the Hosting Charitable, 501c3 organization annual budget. Festivals are where we really feel ownership in our community, and it shows in the success of those who operate them in acquiring
land and creating wonderful organizations. Festivals represent a key to
understanding how Pagans can build ownership that endures.
Essentially, they have a core team, who takes their responsibilities seriously, who become stake holders. They essentially respect, honor
and assure the survival of resources involved, be it land, tools, goods,
money, and legal obligations. Early on they created a flexible management system they could agree on, and one that was able to allow individuals to leave easily and new individuals to join slowly. They create a
strong backbone that allows the community involved a voice at the table
and create partnerships that cross cultural and economic barriers. The
organizations demand work from their members but also honor the sacrifice, and acknowledge the resources given it by the stake holders and
community alike. This is where Pagans have mastered their needs, wants,
and demands in a successful and enduring way.
Now teams that rent space don’t seem
to have as great a success as owners of space.
It does seem the key element to find cooperation is the stake in ownership. When real value is involved, something that has a chance to
endure, the ability to manage and care about
management is increased exponentially. So
while we talk about renting space in the city,
Ed “the Pagan” Hubbard
maybe groups should work towards ownerImage: Self
ship even when start-up time takes longer.
Creating an ownership base over a renter’s space seems to have positive
effect on our community’s ability to manage successfully. Look to St.
Louis Pagan Picnic and see this level of cooperation, this sense of ownership, in their event, as a potential model for other cities.
In my travels, I have seen all kinds of types of ownership styles in
Pagans. They are seemingly different from each other, but at the heart of
By: Ed the Pagan
them, is respect, love,
“Ownership is essential to building
and a desire
resources, and we are quite capable of
to protect the
creating a sharing economy, by creatcommon
good, as
ing ways to allow ownership to be held
represented
in common as well as individually
by whatever
and corporately. “
they are
stewarding.
– Ed The Pagan
Be it land,
libraries, or
even something like camping equipment, the desire to protect, reuse, and
add value to be strong in all the groups that have lasted decades. More
that individual ownership, but representative of community ownership as
well, and a collective desire to do well by all involved.
So ownership is the hidden power, the great potential in our community. While it has been in the shadows, it is because that we are growing so rapidly and so many voices are claiming the right way to expand
us in the future, the bulk of the community is not even aware of the ownership that we possess. This is a place we must look and honor. Ownership is a key to future Pagan prosperity, and something that can help get
us all to work.
Used with permission from the Witch School Blog at
http://www.witchschool.com/profiles/blogs/pagans-need-jobs-ownership
In the Vangelo Delle Streghe we
The First Nordic Goddess
meet Diana as the first goddess The History
By: Catha Moren
- the original Deity, here in the The last major glacial period began about 70,000 years ago (Weichsel or Würm-glaciation), and it was
interrupted by at least four interglacials, the last of which began about 40,000 years ago and lasted about
10,000 years. When the arctic cold set in about 30,000 years ago, roving tribes were driven far north of
the places that were the best survival standpoints. Norway's long coast became a desired location as it
remained free of ice, thanks to the Gulf Stream. Despite this, all the water in the interior froze and as the glacier grew, it reached down to Northern
Germany.
North, she was named Hel.
In 1909, near Kristiansund in central Norway, Anders Nummedal found many flint tools from the culture that would come to be called Fonsa. He
also found a similar Neolithic culture, dating back at least 10,000 years, along a 50 mile coastline.
The Komsa culture, also discovered by Nummedal and a team of archaeologists, was recovered about 100 miles north of the Fosna location. As the
language differences are vast, it can be demonstrated through the left behind records that Fosna and Komsa culture are not the same. The Fosna
people wandered south and spread gradually over the Scandinavian Peninsula, inhabited Northern Europe and continued down to the Bay of Biscay.
The resulting tribes we later come to know as Huns, Kimbrer, Kimmerer, Celts and Basques. These tribes were formed with the first nations that
come wandering from the south. The Komsa people went towards the east, and spread out there as Sami, Finns and Huns. They are believed to have
reached as far as the Korean peninsula.
Even the oldest Nordic literature hints at an overwintering people: "An endless winters, until it was no EARTH he was born, Bergelme. Trudgelme
was tursens father. Of Auergelme where he was conceived. " - Vaftrudnesmål verse 29
Matriarchy
During such times, organization was needed for survival. The woman, who, like all the females in the wild, had the greatest responsibility in raising
the children. This equaled both tribal and species survival. It was the woman’s responsibility to distribute the work and supplies. She unknowingly
was thrust into a leading position.
The oldest god images found thus far are about 25,000 years old. These images have been found across much of the Eurasian continent. Each image
represents the midwife as the female goddess. Traces of male idols are found only in connection with ownership of livestock and agriculture, taboo
rules and private property.
Hel's rise and fall
People throughout history and all over the world have created physical representations of their deities in order create a closer connection. The
Mother Goddess in the Nordic countries was called Hel for the Fosna people, and Halda for Komsa - Sami was derived from Komsa and had followers until the 1700's.
Arnold Wadler in Der Turm von Babel: "The formula H-L-L appears to us as a skeleton for Helle and Hall, yet pulsating in them life and light. In
ancient Peru, Aymara, designated Hali stellar cases, Basques called moon Hill and Arabs Hilal. The Hebrews called the morning star (Venus) Helel, Greek name for the sun Helios and Celts call this planet Heol. We see in these names a mighty change of cosmic knowledge coupled with deep
cultic metamorphoses. "
The very first depiction of Hel was most likely the rock as the Old Norse name for the rock is Hel or Hellir. Up in Halogaland (Helgoland in Swedish) at Vefsnerfjorden is Hel Mountain. It seems natural that the mountain during the Ice Age bore the name of the people who lived at its foot.
The myth also shows that she was worshiped as the sun and moon
goddess. Hel in the ancient sagas was described as being half white
and half blue, harkening her origin to the moon's phases. Like
many other deities, Hel changed both shape and name during the
thousands of years she has existed. When the climate and living
conditions after the Ice Age improved, she evolved into Ama or
Oma - one caretaker with full breasts. As nature's gifts became
richer, her name became Horn after the idea of the horn of plenty.
In this form she continued to be worship until the 1100s.
In representing the mother principle, Hel stood for the ever serving,
undemanded love, the always understanding woman. The form of
the Goddess was seen as non-seeking, but rather whose highest
pleasure is to protect, nurture and heal.
Throughout the human social structure, three things have caught
people's imagination more than anything else - the Sun, Moon and
Earth. All these were encased in Hel's womb and thus creating three
different aspects of the same deity and leading one in the direction
of the Triple Goddess symbolism. In this way arose the holy
(HELiga) tri-unity of virtually all religions have embraced.
And then?
Image by Catha Moren
The next big exodus that came to populate the Nordic countries was the Vanir, who came from East via Finland. Some believed that this group
would come from India but the myth was unsupported. One thing is for sure and that is that when strangers arrived in Scandinavia they changed the
moon's status to males, as the newcomers claimed that this planet was masculine. With Vanir also the name of the Mother Earth Goddess changed
to Nerthus. But that's another story.
New Members of the Tradition
Outer Court: Kimberly Calaway
James O’Brien
Billie Sue West
rogerallenward
Brendan Willmott
Jeffrey Scotland Gallo
Ellenor Grenfell
First Degree: Rev. Katie Lynn
Rev. Sandra Williams
Rev. Jon Ander Perez
Rev. Smeholeth
Tradition Applications
Clergy
UK and Europe
Rev. Anna Rowe, HP [email protected]
South Africa
Rev. Raene Packery, HP [email protected]
North America and all Countries
Rev. Don Lewis HP [email protected]
All Outer Court Applications can be sent to:
Rev. Windy Lajoie, HP [email protected]
The following clergy are registered with the South African department of Home Affairs, through the Correllian Nativist Tradition South
Africa as Legal Civil Union (Heterosexual and Same-sex marriages/handfastings) marriage officers.
Rt. Rev. Raene (Cape Town) Email: [email protected] Cell: 083 775 6052
Rev. Susan (Pretoria) Email: [email protected] Cell: 078 441 1315
Rev. Linda (Cape Town) Email: [email protected] Cell: 084 402 8658
Rev. Willem v/d Merwe (Centurion) Email: [email protected] Cell: 082 330 6339
Rev. Gitta Seyfert (Jeffrey’s Bay) Email: [email protected] Cell: 082 495 8630
Have you had a chance to
check out the Facebook page
for the Correllian Times?
Find us online at
www.facebook.com/CorrellianTimes
Image Created for The Correllian Times Facebook page by Photo Editor, Tiamat Chaos
Ing’s Monthly Reading — October
By: Rev. John (Ing) Snodgrass, HP
Y
ou should take note that the month
of October has been divided into 5
increments –the first 4 are 7 days long
and the last increment is 3 days long.
The deck of Tarot Cards I am using is
“The Norse Tarot” by Clive Barrett… a
very beautifully illustrated deck steeped in
imagery based on Norse Mythology.
Note: Although I show all the Tarot Cards
in their Upright position - their true position
is noted under the individual card and in the
card meanings.
The First 7 Days: 10 - 1 to 10 - 7
(Card 1)
Illustration: Now the builder has finished
his work he rests for a
while between the roof
supports of his new home.
The First 7 Days of
October finds the 4 of
Wands card in its Upright
position … The Four’s are
ruled by the Emperor, and
like both the Emperor and
his throne - they signify a kind of stability.
The 4 of Wands is here to tell us that for the
moment everything is still, solid, and well
established. This can be positive - a solid
foundation, or negative - something that
refuses to budge or change.
may even indicate a marriage, because a
marriage is act of “completing” the first
stage within a relationship between two
people.
The Second 7 Days: 10 - 8 to 10 - 14
(Card 2)
With its four wands (columns) holding up
the new roof it implies the foundation of
a house, literally and figuratively. Thus
Illustration: The Queen stands in a burnt
whatever we have been building, we have
field, but from the ashes
begun to build it – and it is strong and solid.
will grow next years
We may now take a moment to admire what
golden harvest.
we have done, enjoy its rewards, and bask in
our success.
The Second 7 Days of
October finds the Queen
There is a danger when this card comes up,
of Wands card in her
however, of feeling that we have finished
Upright position…The
the whole project when, in truth, we have
Queens are the “heart” of
only finished the first part of many.
their kingdom, its lifegiving water, they help it
The message of the 4 of Wands card, for this grow, develop, and thrive. While the King
week – While it is true we have successfully may give the commands to shape what is
completed the first part of many that will
going to happen, it is the Queen who has
make up the whole - it predicts that we will to make sure it happens. When Queens
and should celebrated it – before getting
appear they often signal a time of growth
back to work.
and development, a time for making things
happen.
For many this year has be rough and hard
on the body and soul, now is the time to
Like other Wands, the Queen of Wands hints
rest, enjoy what we have accomplish (or
about charisma that can draw others to you
endured) so far and then get ready to finish
like moths to a flame, a creative person
out the rest of the year ahead.
possessing boundless energy to make do.
No matter the situation, this person can and
Many times (in the right setting) this card
will get things done.
The message of the Queen of Wands card,
for this week – Many of us may find our
selves drawn to situations that may involve
a developing or upcoming trip this week - so
double check all plans and arrangements –
double checked makes double assured.
A few of us will have the means presented
to us at last to make a long dreamed dream
come true... the trick is for us to be ready
for the time is right and now is the time for
us to get out into the spotlight and make it
all happen.
The Third 7 Days: 10 - 15 to 10 - 21
(Card 3)
Illustration: The warrior stands alone
against his adversaries.
Only his continued
courage and strength
saves him from being
overwhelmed.
The Third 7 Days of
Wands card in its Upright
position…Seven is a
magic number, a number
of creativity and individuality. In Sixes we
find comfort and the company of friends and
family, but with the Sevens we stand alone,
and as challenges are a part of life we now
must face these alone on our own.
The 7 of Wands indicates a disagreement
about how you are directing and managing
your assets, your business, even your
current life style. Criticisms now come
from those who were once your most ardent
supporters, so now you find your self on
the defensive, fighting to gain control. This
card urges you to stand your ground.
The message of the 7 of Wands card, for
this week – This week our enemies may
seem strong, their arguments stronger, but
the one thing that they are not expecting is
our resistance to them, or that our fighting
spirit will overcome them in the end. We
must use all that we have learned about
maintaining our energy, we must now act
with boldness and be unfaltering if we wish
to win the battle.
The Fourth 7 Days: 10 - 22 to 10 - 28
(Card 4)
Illustration: Someone setting out on a
journey, leaving the home
and
valuables behind. The
door is left open for
anyone to take whatever
they will. The traveller
does not intend to return.
The Fourth 7 Days of
Cups card in its Upright
position …As the Sevens are about the
individual learning to stand his ground and
prove his ingenuity in overcoming; the
Eights are about taking these limitations and
rather than defying them, finding creative
ways to get the most out of them.
While it is true that the standard meaning of
the 8 of Cups is a warning for us to sober up
from too much drink (harmful behaviour)
or to wake up from a harmful (destructive)
relationship and realize what has brought
one down to this current bottom of life’s
barrel.
I prefer to think it is telling us that a “new
dream” has called out to us and we must
now leave our eight cups (old life) to go
towards a new one. Maybe it has been
calling for a while, and good idea or not, we
need to find the fortitude to go after it. It is
easy to give your emotions freely to what is
known and harder still to give them to what
is unknown. Yet it is the unknown is what
will likely raise you up to a new level.
This can also signal a separation or divorce.
The message of the 8 of Cups card, for this
week – Something, or someone, we been
investing their emotions (time, energy,
money, heart and soul) into for so long time
now is about to, or will soon, let us down,
and we are warned to be ready for it.
Now is the time to set our eyes on
something that will not be found in any of
our old familiar places. We must have the
fortitude to search for it elsewhere - a literal
move from an established to a new unknown
land.
The Last 3 Days: 10 - 29 to 10 - 31
(Card 5)
Illustration: Two opposing warrior chiefs
put aside their swords and disagreements to
join together in a game of chess. The game
is being played for enjoyment or as a way to
settle their differences without resorting to
force of arms.
The Last 3 Days of October … finds the 2
of Swords in its Upright
position... As the Aces
are undirected energy,
the Twos are that which
points to where you find
out more about this energy
so that you can know
which direction to aim it
or flow with it. The Twos
also indicate duality, a
choice between two ideas
or an attempt do two thing at once. Most
importantly, they indicate the presence
of our own instinctual knowledge as our
guiding force behind the making of the right
choice.
The Month in Summary:
(Card 6)
Illustration: Thor, the god of thunder,
was tall and strong.
His hair was red. In
moments of anger
sparks would fly like
lightening from his
beard. Mjolnir was his
hammer, Crusher its
name. He hurled it at
his enemies the Frost
Giants, with great
destructive power.
However hard or far
he threw it, it would
return safely to his hand.
Thor was considered to be a benevolent
deity and was worshipped widely
throughout the Northern kingdoms. His
The 2 of Swords most often indicates that
popularity continued well into Christian
one may feel like he/she is in the middle of
something as a peacekeeper, or in a situation times. Talismans in the shape of small
where tensions are running high and the lull hammers have been found along side
crucifixes on sites of Viking and Angloin fighting is not going to last for long. It
appears now to remind us that we should not Saxon occupation.
put off making a real decision for long.
Thor lived in the hall of Bilslcinir
(Lightning~, in the realm of Thrudvang,
The message of the 2 of Swords card, for
where the peasants were received after
this 3 day period – We are (or soon may be) death. Thor was the god of the ordinary
faced with two opposing ideas or decisions
man, which probably explains his great
with equally valid arguments, for and
popularity.
against each, and sooner or later, we will
have to decide what to do, when and how it When the storm clouds gathered, the rumble
is to be done.
and roar of thunder was thought to be the
sound of the wheels of his chariot. Drawn
by the two dark goats. Tanngniostr (tooth
cracker~ and Tanngrisnr (tooth gnasher~,

he traversed the heavens. Sparks would
constantly fly from the teeth and hoofs of
his goats.
The Month in Summary: Here we find
The Chariot card in its Upright position…
The chariot is one of the most complex
cards to define. On its most basic level, it
implies war, a struggle, and an eventual,
hard-won victory - over enemies, obstacles,
nature, or the beasts inside you, or to just
get what you want. The chariot is also
about motion - yet it is often shown as
stationary. A union of opposites like its
steeds who try to pull in different directions,
but must be made to work together in the
same direction. Three main items needed
to work with this card are: “control” - over
opposing emotions, wants, needs, people, or
circumstances; to bring them together and
give them a single direction – your direction
- “confidence” is needed, and “motivation”
to make it all work for every one’s benefit.
The message of The Chariot card, for
this month – This month many of us
will find ourselves dealing with a lot of
contradictions in our life, maybe arguing
people, or a variety of different feelings.
The card says that they must become the
driver of the chariot. We must decide on a
goal, take control and get all the warring
forces and factions to ignore their individual
wants and go where the we need to go.
Yet the card also warns that the drive toward
victory might lead to ruthless behaviour, to
a desire to win at any cost. We should be
reminded that winning is not everything; it
is, rather, the start of things.
Presented for your reading pleasure is the third excerpt of
Ocean Depths, authored by
Sea Shelly.
The subsequent installment will be continued in the next edition of the
Correllian Times.
Chapter 3 – “The Cave”
He tightened his grip around her shoulders in the heaving swells of the frigid ocean water as his lips touched her ear, “I want you to take a deep breath
and hold it as long as you can, NOW.” She exhaled and then inhaled as if it
would be her last. When he felt her lungs expand and saw her blue lips
close tightly, he pulled her down in the depths of the water. They were
speeding down through the water at such a speed that Callie felt like she
was going to black out. Just as her lungs felt like they would burst, together
they surfaced. Callie gulped in a big breath, and relaxed in his grip, as exhaustion wrapped itself around her brain like a fog. He carefully towed her
to a smooth shelf that gradually angled away from the ocean water. He was
pushing her up on it, as she shivered and then climbed out next to her. He
pulled her farther up and helped her into a sitting position. She wrapped her
arms around her jean covered knees. Her teeth chattered so hard she knew
he could hear it. As he sat next to her, with his legs dangling in the water,
her hand inadvertently pushed against his thigh as she dizzily repositioned
herself in an effort to get more comfortable on the rocky ledge and he shuddered slightly. It flitted through her mind, that his wet suit had an almost
scale like feel to it. For several seconds he was quiet and then said quite
close to her, “I will get you a blanket.” She heard his movement and felt his
body brush past her arm. She shut her burning salt filled eyes. She couldn’t
see anything in the darkness and worked on calming her breathing. Her
mouth tasted of salt water, but she hadn’t inhaled any in her lungs. She was
use to holding her breath for long periods of time under the water when she
went out surfing.
She was cold, but at least being out of the water even in her wet clothes,
was a little better. There was no wind, no rain just the sounds of the water
lapping nearby. The storm sounded farther away. She had no idea of where
she was as she heard him come up and felt him gently lay a blanket on her
shoulders. How he could see in this darkness was beyond her. He wrapped
the blanket around her, putting the edges, one in each of her hands, as she
hugged it to her body. The thick blanket was over her pack, as it weighed
down on her back, like a soggy weight. She had no strength to deal with
taking the pack off or letting go of the blanket that she had pulled tightly
around her.
She heard him walk away and open what sounded like a seaman’s’ trunk
with squeaky hinges being unlatched. Suddenly she saw the soft glow of a
lantern that cast a circle of warm light around the cave. Even through her
salt burnt eyes, she could tell he was what her Mom would call, “stunning”
with his honey colored hair, chiseled face, dark blue eyes and tall, wellmuscled build. He had on dark blue wet suit bottoms that were completely
dry, "How odd," she thought. As he came toward her, the light moved with
him as he sat next to her on the shelf. “Thanks”, she whispered, “I didn’t
think I would get out of the truck without at least drinking some seawater.”
He smiled at her and watched her while she looked around slowly, “Is this
a cave?” “Yes, we have a tunnel from here that gradually goes up to our
house on the cliff above the Ocean. It is part of our private beach area.”
“I’ve heard about these but have never been in one”, she whispered as she
closed her eyes and shivered violently. He rubbed her blanket covered arm
that was next to him. “How did you find me so quickly, are you a part of a
sea rescue team?” She said through her clenched teeth as her stomach began to roll uncomfortably. “No, not officially, I was just out…” “You were
out in this storm?” her voice sounded hoarse as she glanced at him. “Yes”,
he said quickly, “and I saw your truck go over the edge and knew you
needed to get out or you would sink with it. How do you feel? Are you
hurting anywhere?” I did feel a bit numb, my head was hurting and I was
achingly cold, “Not so good. Nothing feels broken. Gotta tell my family…” I said as I awkwardly tried to get my feet under me, without the use
of my hands that griped the blanket for dear life. He gently helped me up
and kept me upright. God, I was so cold and I didn’t want to faint. He held
me securely with one hand, while the lantern was in his other as he said,
“Lets’ head up the tunnel to my house. You can make phone calls from
there. I don’t have a cell phone down here. It wouldn’t get service anyway.”
As we began to make our way up the long tunnel of stairs he asked me,
“What’s your name?” I glanced sideways into his deep blue eyes and saw
flecks of gold even by the lantern light. It was as if they gathered every bit
of light and held it in them, kind of like the phosphorous in the ocean
waves at night. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, I stammered, “Um, ah….”
I stopped walking.
I couldn’t remember my name. He watched me carefully, as he gently put his
lantern free hand up and rested his fingers on my forehead. We both stood
there, he looking intently at me, touching me, when suddenly it was as if
someone turned a light on inside of me. There it was my name right in the
front of all of my other jumbled thoughts; “Callista Sunders” I said in hoarse
whisper. He looked at me, set down the lantern and gently moved a strand of
my wet, tangled hair from
off my cheek, threading it
behind my ear, letting his
warm fingers go down my
neck slightly as he felt for
my pulse. Nausea flowed
over me, and I felt weak. I
began to teeter and my vision blurred. He steadied
me as my shoulder slid
down the tunnel wall and I
sat on steps. He sat next to
me. I suddenly wondered
how bad I looked and felt
the blood rise in my
cheeks. The edges of my
vision darkened as I tried
to fix my eyes on his face.
He frowned slightly as he
watched me, “Put your
head between your knees
and breathe steadily, in and
out.” I obeyed, dropping
my head, hearing my own
labored breaths as I tried to
pace them, deep in, slow
out. “You’re doing good Callista”, he said as he held my hand and his
warmth radiated up my cold arm. “My name is Triton Pacii. Your pulse has
slowed down that’s why you almost blacked out. I bet you are nauseated
too.” I blinked.
“Don’t answer, just breathe and relax. I can carry you, so don’t worry. I am
going to take the blanket out of your hands, get it off your shoulders and remove your pack.” He unlatched my grip on the blanket; and gently unwrapped my shivering body. “Lean back on the wall and let me undo your
pack, don’t stop concentrating on your breathing”, he said near my ear, as he
reached down by my belly and undid the plastic catch on my pack. “Good,
now lean forward again and relax your arms so I can slide the pack off of
your shoulders. My brain did as it was told and my cold body responded. The
phrase, ‘the lights are on, but nobody is home’, flashed across my mind as I
observed Triton and I in the third person from somewhere beyond ourselves
in the tunnel. With the pack across his shoulder, Triton, took the lantern and
stepped away from my slumped over body, setting it in a notched out area,
farther up the tunnel. He turned it off, I gasped as I flew back to my body in
the darkness, like a moth to flame. “It’s OK; Callista,” he called out. “I need
both hands to help you. I can’t carry the lantern and you. Just listen to me and
do what I say. I will help you stand so I can wrap you back up in the blanket,”
he said as he came back to my side. He lifted me up, pressing me next to the
cave wall with the side of his hips and thighs. My head swam, and my muscles barely responded to my wordless commands to not let gravity pull my
body back down to the tunnel steps. I kept breathing, in – out, in – out. He
pulled the blanket between me and the wall, wrapping me carefully until I felt
like a mummy. Before I could slide back down the wall he wrapped his arms
around me and I leaned into him as he picked me up, blanket and all.
Moments of clarity flashed through my brain, like the graceful movements of
his body next to my blanketed soggy one, as he carried me with little effort
up the rest of the tunnel in total darkness. His scent came to me, reminding
me of a sea breeze laced with night blooming Jasmine. Finally, Triton, laid
me gently on the tunnel floor and began to unroll me out of the blanket careful not to hit my head on the floor. A chill went through my body as the cool
air surrounded me in my weariness. He set me upright against the wall once
again, and although it was pitch black I felt his body warmth right next to me,
“I am going to open the two doors to our home, wait here, I will be right
back.” He set the blanket over me and I heard him walk away. Triton took out
a key that was in an inside pocket of his wet suit pants, and unlocked an old,
solidly built wooden door. He put the key back in his inner pocket and
opened the door. He went further in and there was another door, this one of
thick firewall metal, which had an electronic key pad and Triton tapped in the
code. The door unlatched the two big bolts, and Triton pushed it open. He
went back to her, picked her up with the blanket thrown over her and took her
through both doors, setting her gently down on a comfortable overstuffed
leather recliner. Triton went back and shut the doors, the metal door selflocked. Callista's eyes blinked open when she heard the sound and she felt the
light of the room touch her lids...
...TO BE CONTINUED.
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Divination
Jewelry
Stones
Ritual Tools
Children
By: Rev. Selene Lilitu
I envy those who were either raised Pagan or who found their way to the Pagan path at a very early age. I grew up Christian so the Christian teachings
have formed a lot of my understanding of spirituality. It’s nothing to be
ashamed of. It’s just that I want to break out of it, and I’m doing so slowly but
surely. For those raised as Wiccans, they already have the filters they need for
walking the Wiccan Way. The rest of us need to cultivate it.
The way we are raised has a lot to do with how you see the world. Remember
what I said in my first column about the ancient peoples and the way that their
religion was part of their everyday lives? Same concept applies. The stories
and traditions that we are raised with during our formative years form a sort of
filter for the way we interpret life around us. Even when we move away from
the original teachings of our youth that filter remains. Don’t get me wrong, it’s
not a bad thing. For example, I am a religious person by nature and was raised
to nurture my religious nature. By “religious” I mean that I embrace ritual and
an organized set of beliefs easily, because I find the help me feed my Spirituality, which I see as an overall awareness of and connection to the Divine. Being
spiritual and religious are two very different things. I see myself as both, and
so adopting another religion after breaking out of the Christian Church was
very important to me. For others, they find the idea of a religion too constricting upon their spirituality, or so very foreign, that it’s hard to make it a way of
life.
I have always felt a connection to the Divine, but I grew up giving the Divine a
very specific name, mythology and ideology. Growing up I always had concerns about the religion I was following. There were things I didn’t agree with,
things I didn’t understand, and too many things I found limiting. Over time,
much to the chagrin of my parents and church leaders, I began to extricate myself from Christianity. I won’t go into specifics here, because that’s a whole
different type of story. Being naturally curious I asked too many questions that
the limited mythology of Christianity just couldn’t answer, and I began to look
elsewhere.
Now, you must understand why this was difficult. If you’ve grown up all your
life calling a “couch” a “sofa”, then “sofa” is the word you’re going to auto-
matically go back to. And so, coming from a Christian upbringing, I’ve had to
do a lot of work to remove that filter from my brain. For me the most evident
occurrence of this was the blanket term “God”. I had ALWAYS believed in the
Divine Feminine. However, I used the word “God” to mean the Divine. Breaking it down and referring to “God and Goddess” or “Lord and Lady”, though I
loved the distinction, was something foreign to me. It took a while for Wicca
to become my way of Life rather than just my religion. I’m still working on it.
The point I’m getting at is that these filters are instilled in us from childhood,
as well as the way we’ve been taught to view religion in general, can make us
feel like we’re “not doing it right.” That by not dissolving these filters it is doing a disservice to our spirituality. But be patient with yourself. Understand
that you are doing nothing wrong. If you were raised to go to church one day a
week for your entire childhood, or not going to church at all, then it’s no wonder you’re finding it difficult to make Wicca a part of your everyday life! You
are doing no disservice to Wicca; indeed you are honouring it by realizing that
you need to break those filters away.
Take it step by step. Promise yourself that you will try to be open and recognize the signs of the Fae, the whispers of the Moon, the Call of the Holy Ones.
Make yourself a schedule, even if it’s just lighting a candle while you shower
and doing a cleansing meditation as the water rushes over you. The things you
do don’t need to be elaborate, but what you’ll find is they will become more
and more elaborate as you get your whole being into the flow of being Wiccan.
Be diligent about adding something small to your life every week. Meditate for
five minutes before getting up each day. Read one article. Cook with carefully
chosen herbs. Keep a journal and write a few lines every night before bed.
Take a moonbath with your lover. Sing a Wiccan song or tell a Wiccan story to
your children. This is all part of making Wicca a way of life rather than just a
religion. Eventually the spontaneity will come. You’ll be surprised at how accustomed you become at removing the tinted glasses of your childhood in order to interpret the world and to feed your spirituality. Then will come the
blissful day that you realize you never put those glasses back on.
New Beginnings
Authored by: Rev. Phoenix
FireStar Rising
I decided instead of moving on, to
continue with the study of virtue.
The definition of virtue according
to Dictionary.com is:
Moral excellence; goodness;
righteousness.
Conformity of one’s life and
conduct to moral and ethical
principles; uprightness; rectitude.
A good or admirable quality or
property.
What do moral excellence;
goodness and righteousness have
to do with virtue? I feel these are
all part of how you live....a moral,
good and right way of life. I am
not saying it has to be the same as
everyone else’s but it should be one
which fits well with what is correct
by society’s standards.
I bring these qualities and
items into discussion due to an
experience I had this past week. I
was disrespected; even though the
others involved were doing what
they felt was right.
This includes, but isn’t limited to,
common courtesy. Examples of this
include:
It is my opinion that we all have
our own space and nobody has
the right to invade that space
without permission. Even if you
feel you are doing right (by your
own standards) you should not,
without explanation and/or asking
permission, invade another person’s
space.
Asking to borrow something
instead of just taking it.
Asking if it’s alright to touch
someone else’s belongings and not
just going ahead and doing so. This
is not limited to inanimate objects,
but pets and children.
Next month I will move on to Piety,
which also fits into this discussion.
Magickal Quest
Have a Magickal Moment. Feel the magick in
everything. Feeling it within, create it without.
Devotional Song
This New Day By Kellianna
Inspirational Meditations
By Rev. Faemore Lorei
Morning Musings
Morning is peace. Morning is calm. Morning is
serene. Morning is simple. Morning is clarity.
Morning is my eyes on an endless, crisp, periwinkle
blue sky and new leaves of lime green hue.
Morning is my lips parting to greet the face of a
beautiful girl feline, to greet the first moving airs
of the day, and the reason why. Who dwells behind
them, within them, beyond them … eternally.
Morning is my skin as I pull back the covers and
arise refreshed. Morning is my spirit awakening
from the mist of dream, to journey on, to live.
Morning is the sound of Loreena McKennitt over
a cup of hot, sweet chai spice tea. Morning is the
scent of my breath after eight hours of clenching
my teeth around my tongue and battling nightmares
since last brushing (see to this immediately).
Morning is the touch of the wind and the thought
of Faerie. Morning is the memory of pretty dreams,
if I am lucky. Morning is the knowledge that
nightmares are not real in a changing mind, if I am
not. Morning is the truth of the maiden Goddess,
which is my truth. Morning is my loveliness. So
shall my mornings be lovely.
From the darkness day is dawning
In my darkest hour I seek the light
All my pain and all my sorrow
May it ease with this new day
May my tears remain uncounted
And I bid the Goddess be my guide
For where you lead you know I’ll follow
At the dawning of this new day
At this crossroad the way seems clouded
And I bid the Goddess be my guide
Grant me grace and grant me vision
May my strength and may my power
lift me up and light my way
I seek faith and I seek wisdom
The Winchester Mystery House
By: Jen Surdam
S
arah Winchester appeared to be obsessed with the spirit world and did everything she
thought possible to appease them in order to prevent them from harming her. To this
end, she built what is now called the Winchester Mystery House, located near San Jose,
California.
The Winchester Mystery House was and remains an oddity, with staircases and doors
to nowhere, the repetition of the number 13 as a theme throughout the home, windows in odd
places and numerous other strange occurrences. It was thought to be haunted even while Sarah
Winchester lived, and that reputation has only increased since her death in 1922.
The House is renowned for its size and complete lack of building plan. The
cost estimation was $5.5 million, which today would be about $70 million. Also, there were a number of extremely innovative construction ideas that were implemented which were practically unheard of at the time. This mansion, while Victorian in nature, was truly modern by many standards of measure.
Today, the House is owned by Winchester Investments, LLC, and is operated as a museum, café, gift shop and tourist location. They also maintain
a website with an online store, and it is registered with the National Park Service as a California Historical Landmark. Restoration efforts and renovations are continuous, including the house and surrounding gardens.
There is no government funding received by Winchester Investments for the home in any way. All money raised for restoration and renovations comes
from the café, gift shop, and the tours. Some things, however, will never be restored—intentionally—but rather kept the way Sarah herself left them.
Even if the House isn’t actually haunted, the US Department of Commerce has certified it as such. TIME.com has even named the House #10 on its
list of most haunted locations. And its construction is certainly spooky enough to make one question Sarah’s sanity, if nothing else.
HISTORY
Sarah Lockwood Pardee was born in 1839, in New Haven, CT. Known as the “Belle of New Haven”, Sarah was well educated, spoke four languages and was well liked. She stood 4’10” and was musically inclined.
Sarah’s husband, William Wirt Winchester, was the son of Oliver Fisher Winchester, the Lt. Governor of CT and the owner
of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, manufacturer of the Winchester repeating rifles. These weapons were used by Northern troops in the Civil War and by Western settlers thus gaining the title “the gun that won the West.”
William and Sarah married on Sept. 30, 1862, and on July 15, 1866, their daughter Annie Pardee Winchester, was born.
Annie died on July 24, of marasmus, a mysterious children’s disease in which the body wastes away. On March 7, 1881, William
died of tuberculosis, and Sarah was totally devastated. Upon the death of William, Sarah consulted a psychic/medium, who advised
her on her next move.
There are several stories as to the results of the reading. One theory is through the medium, William told Sarah that she
must sell her home in New Haven and head West, and that William would guide Sarah to a new home. Another version states that,
Sarah became convinced that her family was being haunted by the spirits of those killed by the Winchester rifle. In order to quell
the spirits, Sarah was advised to keep the house in a constant state of construction. If she ever completed the house, Sarah would be
vulnerable to the curses of vengeful spirits.
Whatever the actual occurrence of the meeting with the Boston psychic/medium was, the outcome would remain the same.
Sarah packed up her things and left CT to visit a niece in Menlo Park, CA. While visiting, she found the perfect place for her new
mansion in the Santa Clara Valley. In 1884, she purchased a then 6- or 8-room farmhouse and a little over 160 acres. Soon, a crew
was hired, and work began round the clock. Workers worked in shifts, so that work never ceased. Sixteen men were always at work,
and Sarah paid her men well. Interestingly, there was no overall house plan, which often made construction somewhat difficult, although Sarah had sketched plans
for several rooms individually.
Although Sarah was her own architect, it’s quite possible that the ghosts Sarah was hiding from may have had a hand in constructing their own home. Each night, Sarah retreated to her “Séance” room from midnight to 2 am, presumably in order to receive instruction from the spirits on the progress of her house. The next morning, she’d present the construction workers with their new
instructions—her hand-drawn sketches of what was to be done next. Sometimes the crew would spend a month building a room,
only to be ordered to destroy it the next.
Sarah often used the most current innovations in her home. She may have been one of the first to use wool insulation, in
fact. Carbide gas lights inside the home were fed by the estate’s own gas manufacturing plant, and they were operated by pushing
an electric button. Window shutters were opened and closed by a now standard crank and Sarah implemented a servant call system, “the annunciator” to summon servants from anywhere in the household.
Since there were no plans to build from the start, doors leading to nowhere could simply be her way of covering up a plan that no
longer worked for her. Or it could be her way of trying to “confuse” the spirits who may be after her for revenge…
Whatever the reason, there were dozens of quirks built into the house. Doors leading to walls, a stairway leading to a ceiling, hidden and false passageways, bathrooms with windows in their doors, a room with a window in the floor looking down into a
kitchen sink, a door opens to a 10’ drop, stair posts were installed upside down, a blind chimney stops short of the ceiling, skylights located one above another, hallways that double back on one another and there were cabinets that were less than 1” deep.
Another oddity was that Sarah ordered a Tiffany glass window, but after it was installed, she had a wooden wall build behind it so
that no sunlight would shine through. Adding to the mystery of the house, there are two cryptic messages incorporated into a
stained glass window. These messages hold no meaning to visitors however they appear to be inspired by Shakespeare. The left
panel reads “Wide unclasp the tables of their thoughts” while the right side reads “These same thoughts people this little world,”.
The number 13 was incorporated all over the house in a number of different ways. Based on the final product of the house,
Sarah seemed to be obsessed with this number. All clocks were set to 1:13, the curtain rods have 13 rings, window and ceiling panels reflect 13 pieces, sink drains have 13 holes and the symbol of the daisy (which in its perfect form has 13 petals) can be found all over the House. Additionally, there is a
stained glass featuring a spider web pattern with exactly 13 gems, a gas candelabra with 13 lights,13 rows of palm trees lining “Palm Drive” (where the carriages would enter
the estate) and 13 stairs in many stairwells. In keeping with the theme the bathrooms follow an undeniable pattern with the number 13. There are 13 bathrooms, and 13 wall
panels in the room prior to the 13th bathroom. Leading to the 13 th bathroom, there are 13 steps, while the bathroom itself has 13 windows . There are numerous other instances of the number 13 recurring throughout the massive house
Being eccentric herself, Sarah never slept in the same room two nights in a row. She took her pick each night from what would eventually become 40 bedrooms. At
midnight, a bell rang, and she entered the Blue Room, also called the Séance Room, donned one of the 13 robes, and spent 2 hours seeking counsel from the spirits regarding
continued construction of the House. At 2 am, a second bell rang, and she exited through one of 3 exits from the room (the most likely exit was a secret room hidden behind it,
as the other 2 were not likely exits she would have been able to maneuver through, one being a drop down into a kitchen, and the other being an exit into a cupboard) and retired to whichever room she chose to sleep in that night. This changing of the rooms played into her fears that the spirits were out to get her, and by switching the room she
slept in, she would be able to remain hidden and escape the wrath of the spirits.
In all, at last approximated count, the House is listed as having 160 rooms. The California Historic
Landmark Society considers it as having an unknown number of rooms, primarily because every time someone tried to count, he or she got lost and had to start over. At last count, there were 47 fireplaces, 47 stairways,
40 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 17 chimneys, 2 basements, 6 kitchens, 10,000 windowpanes, 467 doorways, 2
ballrooms (1 completed and 1 under construction), and only 2 mirrors (Sarah believed that ghosts were afraid
of their own reflections).
Secreted away in the house may yet be undiscovered treasure. At one time, Sarah enjoyed the finest
vintage wines and liqueurs. One evening, however, she went down to the wine cellar and found a hand print
on the wall. It was likely just a smudge left by a builder, but Sarah was convinced it was left by a ghost. It
scared her so badly that she had the area boarded up. To this day, it remains a lost secret. Sarah died in her
sleep on the night of Sept. 4, 1922, at the age of 83, and was found the next morning, although it took her loyal
workers some time to find her since she was so unpredictable in her bedroom routine. When word spread of
her death among her construction team, construction immediately ceased. Even today, unfinished walls,
rooms, and nails left unhammered remain as they were when construction halted upon word of her death
reaching the construction crews.
The House remains primarily untouched, aside from routine maintenance and regular repainting. Because Sarah kept and left no diary, there is no telling what was going on in her mind before or during
construction of the mansion. Her living family members, if they knew, never came forward to change
popular opinion.
After Sarah’s death, the House was sold to a group of investors who worked hard to create the
popular tourist attraction that the Winchester Mystery House has become in the middle of the Silicon
Valley. The storeroom of furnishings never used, wallpaper, and other windows were valued at approximately $25,000 at the time of her death. Due to unrepaired earthquake damage the home sold for a mere
$135,000.
REPORTS, CLAIMS OF HAUNTINGS
Locally, the house was known as the “Spirit House” while Sarah was alive. Likely fueling those
rumors was Sarah herself, who enjoyed playing the pipe organ late at night. It was believed that her
playing was helpful to loosen up her painfully arthritic hands, and it may have helped her to play late at
night so she could stay up to meet with the spirits.
Following her death, some visitors and staff believe the Winchester Mystery House to be haunted. Over the years, a number of people have occupied the home, and
they have also reported a great deal of activity. Strange sounds, sights and sensations have often been reported by occupants and staff members as well as visitors to the site.
Photographs, when developed, often appear fuzzy, and have some incredibly interesting anomalies. Psychics have reported the House to be haunted.
The majority of the reports include those of mysterious footsteps, banging doors, and weird moving lights. Some people see doorknobs move by themselves,
and others feel cold spots. Still others report feeling “goose-bumpy” and as though time stands still from the moment they walk in to the moment they walk out. Some people have reported heels clicking on the floor behind them, ghosts walking toward them, the feeling of being watched, cold hands touching them, hearing bells ring, and hearing the whispering of different phrases.
There have also been reports of singing, organ music, footsteps, people feeling as though they were being pushed, the sight of dancing spirits, cold breezes,
the possible ghost of Sarah herself, locked doors opening, windows that bang so hard they shatter, and lights switching on and off.
One of the first reports was the smell of warm chicken soup, when the kitchens hadn’t been used in literally decades. The reports have been so widespread
that they have encompassed not only the House itself, but the surrounding grounds. People have reported seeing possible spirits of workmen there, and in describing the
dress, it seems accurate to the time period of when work was being carried on while Sarah was alive.
Some activity reported by past occupants include hearing someone breathing, the sound of a screw or multiple screws being unscrewed and dropping to the
floor, the capturing of pictures of “moving” lights, the capturing of a picture of a ghostly man in overalls, several people who have temporarily lost eyesight, feeling icy
chills in spots where there are no drafts, and seeing locked doorknobs turn.
Several teams of paranormal researchers have stayed the night in the House, several of
which have had psychics with them. An interesting capture from at least one of the teams was an
EVP, or Electronic Voice Phenomenon (the capturing of a voice or noise on a recording that’s not
heard at the time the recording is made), of organ music. Psychics have reported seeing 2 spirits, a
man and a woman, dressed in clothing appropriate to Sarah’s time. These spirits are believed to
have been servants, and they’ve also been reported by staff members and visitors at other times.
One interesting report of a haunting has occurred in the main basement. During most of the
House’s history, the main basement was closed off. A few years ago, as part of the restoration project, Winchester House, LLC, began to clear out about 80 years’ worth of debris. Since tour guides
often have some down time between tours, they were given the dirty job of sweeping up, which
took a good deal of time.
Two of the tour guides in particular kept running into someone they didn’t recognize—a man
dressed in overalls with a wheelbarrow. He looked like a member of the restoration crew, so they
didn’t think much of it, but continued about their business, assuming perhaps it was a new crew
member. One of the guides finally asked the manager about the man. The manager was confused
and asked for a description as the manager had mandated that no workers were to be in the area at
the time the guides were.
A few days later, the other guide asked the same question, and a similar conversation ensued. More and more guides began to notice the “new” crew member, and
the manager started to wonder what was going on. Moreover when the basement was finally opened to visitors for the newest tour, they began asking what the crew member
was doing down there. Having unearthed and old photograph of Sarah’s original workers and left it in a visible location, the manager was approached by a guide who
claimed the new crew member was an individual in the photo. Shocked, the manager brought the photograph to the second guide who had asked about the worker, and without being prompted, confirmed that it was the same man working in the basement. Imagine everyone’s shock when they realized the
photograph was dated in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s! It was always said that Sarah’s workers were very loyal…
Perhaps the oddest reports surround cameras and photographs taken at the estate. Battery drain, a fairly common paranormal
phenomenon, is extremely common at the Winchester Mystery House. It is thought that battery drain is a sign that one or more entities
is attempting to communicate or manifest. By using the battery, the manifestation might be possible is the thinking in paranormal circles. Most often, the battery drain is temporary, but it would appear that in the case of this House, people have reported taking 3 or 4
camera batteries in, and leaving with every last one of them drained, even when all of them were at full charge upon entering the mansion.
Most photographs shot while on the grounds appear odd and very few develop properly. Does this have to do with Sarah’s
reluctance to be photographed?
TOURS and CURRENT STATE
Through Winchester Investments, LLC, daily tours are offered of not only the mansion and museum, but the surrounding
grounds as well. Although the lands once encompassed over 106 acres, with the house alone expanded to over 6 acres itself, today everything sits on approximately 4.5 acres.
Even today, maintenance and restoration efforts are continuous, and some of the workers employed are the sons and grandsons
of those employed by Sarah Winchester herself. Restoration work is demanding—workers’ pay just as much attention to the grounds
as they do to the home. Here though the term restoration refers to the work being done to preserve the house just as Sarah left it, unhammered nails and all.
Tours of the House take visitors from completed rooms into uncompleted rooms, and visitors have described the experience as being almost as if the “builders lost
their place and started anew daily.” This isn’t surprising to hear, given the history of the building of the mansion. The House is rarely closed, and in fact is listed as being
closed only for Christmas Day. It is recommended that one check the website (see Source #7) if planning on attending a tour, paying particular attention to the FAQ and tour
information sections for the most up-to-date information.
Individual and group tours are available, as well as birthday packages,
group rates, and private events. Visitors should allow a couple of hours per
tour, and longer for multiple tours. There are several tours offered at the
House. Additionally, there are flashlight tours on Halloween and Friday the
13th.
If visitor reports are anything to judge by, it’s quite likely that the
Winchester Mystery House is haunted. It’s possible that Sarah herself is still
enjoying the home in which she spent 38 years alive, and it’s also possible that
her very loyal servants are still enjoying the home they spent 38 years helping
her to love and adore. They do say love conquers all…
Sources:
http://www.lostdestinations.com/winchester.htm
http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=574
http://science.howstuffworks.com/winchester-mystery-house.htm
http://science.howstuffworks.com/winchester-mystery-house1.htm
http://science.howstuffworks.com/winchester-mystery-house2.htm
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/articles/0,28804,1855221_1855285_1855257,00.html
http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/index.cfm
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/SmartHome/story?id=6115506
http://mysteryhouse.blogspot.com/
http://www.ghostinmysuitcase.com/places/winchester/index.htm
http://www.prairieghost.com/winchester.html
http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/sivalley/a/winchesterover.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Mystery_House
http://www.alamedainfo.com/winchester_mystery_house.htm
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Visions of the Past - Pagans in the Holy Land
By: Ravenwolf
With the fast approach of Samhain, the most sacred day in the Wheel of
the Year, this column focuses on recent discoveries in one of the most ancient and sacred places in the world. Much of Christian, Muslim and Jewish history stem for such biblical holy places as Jericho, Gaza and Jerusalum; without a doubt we can now add Paganism to the historical mix.
around 1st and 2nd century C.E.
This is not the first sign of Paganism to be discovered in these places. In
Zippori, Israeli archaeologists discovered a temple's foundations under the
ruins of a Christian church. “Although pagan artifacts have been found in
Zippori before, the Temple represents the first significant structural evith
On May 17 2010 an altar dedicated to the God Zeus was unearthed in the dence of a pagan settlement in the capital.” In fact “Zippori was a thriving
city of Ashqelon, which is one of the oldest cities in the Holy Land of Israel. What makes this discovery even more interesting is that the 2 meter
long, 60 cm wide and 80 cm high granite monument stands in what is now
understood to be a Pagan cemetery.
Ashqelon itself is believed to date back to the Neolithic Period (9,500
B.C.E.). This particular altar is from the Roman period which is dated to
multicultural center where tens of thousands of pagans, Jews, and Christians lived and worshipped, the researchers say.”
It is with discoveries such as these that it cannot be refuted that paganism
is also an important part of the history of Israel. Evidence shows ancient
Pagans were very much equals among the other beliefs within the Holy
Land. Such discoveries have become quite regular in these areas in recent
years. Vision of the Past will include some segments of these discoveries
in upcoming issues.
National Geographic, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/08/080815-pagan-temple.html,
National Geographic, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/08/080815-pagan-temple.html,
Agony Aunt
Authored by: Rev. Iona Winton
As a Witch and Pagan Counsellor I am often
asked “How is the best way to cleanse myself for
ritual or getting myself in a mindset for Spiritual
Healing & Reiki Attunement”.
This is quite a personal request as we all react
differently to the aromas and other senses around
us. The recipes I have given are more of a
guideline to prepare you for a first bath. As time
elapses and your Psychic abilities evolve, you will
find your own recipes to suit your personal psyche
and circumstances. The ingredients can either
be added to the bath as they are or can be held
together in a piece of cotton or muslin. Tie the
ingredients up together and steep the muslin bag
in the water for 10-15 minutes before you get in.
As you progress in your abilities and knowledge
of oils and herbs, you can start producing your
own oils, washes and brews suitable for all aspects
of magical work.
May the Goddess Bless You.
Healing Baths of the Goddess
Baths! They evoke different emotions in different
people. For some, a bath is an exercise in selfindulgence – candles, scents and oils. Others
abhor bathing. To most, it is merely a hygienic
necessity. Finally, there are those for whom it is a
sacred ritual.
Since time immemorial, baths have been reputed
for their powerful healing properties. The Romans,
history tells us, loved their baths. Cleopatra’s
bewitching beauty was attributed to her daily bath
with milk and honey. There are all kinds of baths:
steam baths, sauna baths, Jacuzzi baths, hot spring
baths, healing baths and magical baths. Yes, you
heard right – magical baths. These baths cleanse
our mental, physical, psychic and spiritual ‘dirt’,
and help us become whole again.
Magical baths
A magical bath is a mystical remedy of miraculous
power that uses herbs, essences and spices to heal,
restore and rejuvenate. It is taken with the specific
aim of removing unwanted energies and ridding
oneself of negative vibrations. While normal baths
are taken for purposes of cleanliness and hygiene,
magical baths restore balance and harmony in our
lives. Magical baths, again, are of various types
since the remedy must be tailored to one’s specific
needs.
Nothing works like a bathtub when it comes to
psychic cleansing. So use the bathtub if you have
it. However, if you are out camping during a ritual
or magical weekend despair not! Magical baths
can be had with the bucket and mug too, with the
same powerful results.
Preparation
• Choose the bath of your choice. Prepare the
ingredients for it. Put the herbs/ingredients for the
bath in hot water or in a container (as pictured).
Let the water imbibe the essence of the herbs as
you take your normal daily bath.
• Make sure that
all the bathing
accessories that you
use are clean and
dirt-free. To ensure
that you are as clean,
do not forget to take
your normal bath/
shower with soap,
shampoo and water.
Wash your hair and
body and rid yourself of physical dirt.
• After the usual bath, add the warm water with
the aromatic herbs to your bucket of bath water
or the tub, if you have one. Use a mug or small
container set aside for this purpose, to pour the
water over your head and body. As you bathe,
consciously remind yourself of the aim of
taking the magical bath and trust the process to
accomplish its purpose
• Do not use a towel to dry yourself after
you finish bathing. Drape a robe or any other
comfortable clothing around yourself and let the
body dry naturally. This is known as air-dry in
magical bath traditions.
• If your hair is long or if you have a tendency to
catch colds easily, wrap a towel over your head
but do not towel dry your face or body.
• It is best to wait 24 hours before you take
another bath. If this is not possible, at least wait 12
hours before your next bath.
* Rejuvenation bath
Most of us tend to feel sapped at the end of a busy
day or after spending several punishing hours on
the road. Whatever the cause for your tiredness,
here is a bath that can pep up your energy and
make you feel reborn.
Materials
• 7 white carnations
• 3 ounces of lavender
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 1 sprig of basil
Add the ingredients except the carnations to the
bath water. Scrub yourself from head to toe with
one blossom until the petals begin to fall apart.
Pour a couple of mugs of bath water over your
head and scrub yourself again with another white
carnation. Do this with all the other carnations and
the bath water until all the blossoms and the water
are used up. This bath will thoroughly cleanse
your aura and wash away all negative influences.
A strainer of some kind can be placed to prevent
clogging the drain. Do remember to pick up the
petals and leaves and put them in the garbage after
you are done.
* Beer bath
This is a great bath for removing negativity. It is
excellent as a psychic cleanser. The Tibetan and
Bhutanese healing systems prescribe herbs for
baths and prescribe beer as a cleanser that can be
used to add to the potency of herbal baths.
Materials:
• 3 cans of beer
• 1 tablespoon salt
Add these to a bucket of water and stir clockwise
with your index finger or all the fingers of your
hand.
* Vinegar bath
This is another excellent bath for removing
negative influences from the personal,
professional and social spheres that one may have
inadvertently imbibed.
Materials:
• Mix 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
Add these to a bath of water and bathe at least
for seven minutes. Pray to be released from any
negative energy around you and seek freedom
from any negative influences that could be causing
obstacles in your life.
* Coffee bath
Coffee assists in revitalising a person recovering
from a physical illness. Coffee, when used in a
bath in the prescribed manner on the onset of an
illness, helps one heal and recover faster.
Lucid dreaming
Authored by: Rev. Iona Winton
Years ago, before I had my first lucid dream, I had
a very specific idea about what a lucid dream would
feel like. I thought it would be very intense, magical
and perhaps a bit spooky. Turns out I was right on
all fronts.
But there is a heck of a lot more about the sensation
and perception of lucid dreams that I have learned
about since then. While no two lucid dreams are the
same (and while it’s no substitute for experiencing
a lucid dream first-hand) I have tried to define my
own experience of a lucid dream for the uninitiated.
I have broken it down into Physical, Mental &
So naturally, I have eaten some truly delicious
Emotional experiences.
chocolate cake in my lucid dreams.
Imagine the smoothest, richest, creamiest chocolate
The Physical Experience
cake in the world. It’s perfection embodied in a
Your physical experience is made up of sensory
dessert. Now intensify that experience and you’re
interpretations, like the feel of the ground
getting close to lucid dream cake…
underneath your feet, or the smell of the ocean. In
waking life, this information is received via the five When lucid eating, chewing or swallowing, it takes
senses: sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. The
less time and it’s all about the flavour and texture
stimulus is real and your brain interprets the data.
of the food. What’s more, your taste buds never
In dreams, this information is 100% synthesized
become accustomed to the flavour so each bite is
by the mind - from memory and imagination. And
like your first. Of course there’s no need to feel
yet, when lucid, it can feel just as “real” and vivid
guilty about consuming unnecessary calories.
as waking life. Sometimes that’s very intense and
pleasurable (which is why many beginners go in
While chocolate cake is right up there, you can of
search of lucid dream sex) or sometimes it can be
course eat anything imaginable in a lucid dream.
dulled down (often when you lose lucidity or are
It can be a favourite childhood meal or even
directing your focus elsewhere).
something you’ve never tried before (would that
taste be authentic?)
Here are some examples of physical lucid dream
experiences:
Remember that your expectation of it being totally
delicious makes it so. Which means you won’t get
Eating in Lucid Dreams
gristle in the world’s best beef burger, or a floppy
It may be a cliché that women love chocolate - but
bit of lettuce. Expectation is why eating in lucid
it’s a cliché for a reason.
dreams is so awesome.
Flying in Lucid Dreams
Aside from skydivers, base jumpers and other
extremists of that ilk, most people have never
experienced the physical sensation of flying
freely. Yet the lucid dreaming mind simulates
it in extraordinary physical detail. In my flying
dreams the sense of weightlessness, whooshing
and wavering in the air is incredibly authentic (or
at least how I imagine it to be). This awareness
is critical to the experience, and your mind can
even play tricks on you, like suddenly falling and
simulating that stomach-dropping feeling.
Your dreaming mind may add more sensations such
as feeling the wind in your hair, rain hammering
on your skin or the warmth of the sun on your face.
If you have any doubts about your new skills, you
may unexpectedly whack into a power line midflight - which brings me to the subject of pain in
lucid dreams...
Pain in Lucid Dreams
The lucid dream is co-created by two players: the
subconscious dreaming mind (the one that loves
surreal symbology) and the conscious ego (“you”).
In normal dreams, the subconscious has basically all
control. In lucid dreams, the conscious ego steps in
and starts to tweak little things as it desires.
Both can technically create pain in lucid dreams,
although it’s most likely the subconscious mind that
produces this experience. (I’m yet to meet anyone
who has deliberately induced pain in lucid dreams.)
Pain is a result of pre-conceptions and established
neural pathways: if you hit your thumb with a
hammer, what do you expect? The brain simulates
dream pain because this is its reality.
So, if you fall onto a bed of spikes in your lucid
dream, you might just find out what it feels like to
be impaled. But fear not - you can will the pain to
stop instantly or even wake yourself up. And I’m
sure it won’t be a patch on the real life experience
of being impaled - but rather a toned-down
imagined version.
The few times I’ve experienced pain in a lucid
dream, it was very different from real pain. It was
inconsistent with the cause, and stopped abruptly
when the dream moved on. What’s more, there was
no psychological component, which can make real
life pain so much worse.
I have also experienced choking and drowning
while in a lucid nightmare and my dream self
automatically moved out-of-body where it was no
longer painful.
The Mental Experience
Now let’s move to the cognitive experience of
lucid dreams: how it feels to be aware, process
information, recall memories and mentally control
the dream.
Awareness in Lucid Dreams
In lucid dreams, your focus is expanded somewhat
But generally (for me, anyway) the default setting
is to focus on the pretty colours in front of my face
right now. This is why it’s a good reason to set up
a lucid dream intention while awake, because it’s
hard for the conscious dreaming mind to imagine
new places from scratch. If you have no pre-set
intention, just allow the dream to take over and
show you an unlimited amount of cool new stuff.
This is where the best creativity arises anyway.
Memory in Lucid Dreams
Your memory works differently in the dream world.
In normal dreams, you have little memory of
your real life, and sometimes you even have false
memories to make the dream scenario fit. Lucid
dreams are only a notch or two above this.
The minute I become lucid, I try to recall my
intention. It has to be recently ingrained or I
compared to normal dreams, but in my experience it won’t have any passion for it. Sometimes I can’t
remember, which is frustrating. I always have
is still very different from real life.
a backup plan to explore the dreamscape, ask
questions of fellow dream figures, or let the
For example, sitting at my desk right now, I am
dreaming mind take over.
aware of the room around me, the house beyond
that, the garden, the village, the New Zealand
I haven’t spent much time exploring long term
landscape, and even a sense that I am on planet
memory in lucid dreams but, in general, I can say
Earth. I know my location in the grand scheme of
things and I know this is a solid, reliable construct. that it’s off the radar. Like the location awareness,
unless you are specifically trying to access a piece
of information, the awareness of past memories
But the lucid dream world is much more fluid.
is simply absent - or out of focus. This is equally
When lucid, I am most often in unfamiliar places
true of thinking about my real life future. My lucid
which have no compass or map & I accept this
dream self lives in the present moment.
automatically, knowing that I can teleport to a
new location any time. It’s as if my brain has no
Dream Control
intention of placing my location (why bother?) so
Dream control is a cognitive aspect of lucid
instead focuses my awareness only in the current
dreaming because it’s all done through willpower
one. The best way I can describe it is becoming
absorbed in a video game or a movie and forgetting and mental focus.
the real world exists beyond it.
Contrary to popular belief, when you become lucid
Of course, with conscious effort, you can recall that you don’t automatically have total control over your
your real body is lying in bed and that you are going dream environment. Lucid dreaming only means
to have conscious self-awareness within the dream
to write an article about this tomorrow.
state. Sometimes this means controlling many
aspects of it, sometimes just a few key expectations,
and sometimes you may choose to relinquish all
control altogether.
“The sailor does not control the sea,” as lucid
dream researcher Robert Waggoner puts it. You
may navigate your ship (consciousness) through
the ocean (the dream) but you do not have to
consciously populate every dream scene with
every leaf and blade of grass and wisp of cloud.
The dream populates itself while we consciously
frolic within it. Sometimes that means a bird
flies of its own accord, or a dream figure behaves
autonomously. It is all still classified as lucid
dreaming.
Beginners often run into the trap of trying to
control major features of the dream with only a
partial sense of lucidity. This can be frustrating
and disheartening. To overcome this obstacle,
employ these tricks for increasing and prolonging
your lucidity. Only then can you master full dream
control (if you so choose).
When you do exert greater control over the
dream, the world is your oyster. You can paint the
sky with a sweep of your hand. You can burrow
down into the ground and journey to the centre
of the Earth. You can fight zombies, become Iron
Man, or even create an entirely new civilization.
Absolutely anything is possible - unless you have a
preconceived limiting belief about it. For instance,
if I told you it was impossible to fly into the sun
in a lucid dream (and you really believed me) and
then attempted it, you’d probably hit some kind of
psychological roadblock. Perhaps you’d melt and
emerge in a new scene. Or perhaps you’d hit a wall
like Truman Burbank when he reached the edge of
his “world”.
When it comes to dream control, your expectations
are paramount. And if you have no conscious
expectations of a certain event, your subconscious
extra care to stay focused and not run away with
yourself. All it takes is a calm acknowledgement
that if you carry on like a raving lunatic, you’ll
wake up. And you don’t want that.
This isn’t a major issue though. After a few lucid
dreams I managed to put a lid on my excitement and
retained enough mental focus to have more mean
This isn’t a major issue though. After a few lucid
dreams I managed to put a lid on my excitement
and retained enough mental focus to have more
meaningful lucid dreams. Eventually you won’t
need to ground yourself at all and you can let your
emotions run free. But until you’ve mastered that
minimum level of focus required to keep the dream
running, just tone down the jubilation please.
will fill them in for you, guiding the dream on your
behalf.
The Emotional Experience
Lastly, what is the emotional experience of lucid
dreaming and is it possible to enhance the intensity
of emotions while lucid?
The intensity of feeling in lucid dreams is exactly
the same as feelings in real life. The only difference
is that because you’re having such a jolly wonderful
time, the emotions are more along the lines of awe,
ecstasy, excitement, lust, gratitude, love and all that
other fluffy stuff.
Getting Too Excited
The big problem here is being overcome with
excitement the first few times you achieve
lucidity. It’s tempting to jump for joy, shout and
tell everyone in your dream that you are in fact
dreaming (which they don’t really want to hear
anyway).
So in your early lucid dreams I recommend taking
Heightening the Intensity
Eventually you may start to look for a deeper
meaning in your lucid dreams. Don’t get me wrong;
you’ll still have plenty of ego-gratifying activities
you want to do. But none of it will be too original.
That’s when it’s time to turn inwards.
One of the more profound applications of lucid
dreaming is to communicate with the dream itself
by asking questions. This is like talking to your
subconscious inner self. Instead of focusing on your
physical needs, focus on your emotional needs.
Ask questions of the dream, such as: “How can I
feel at total peace with myself?” or if you’re really
bold: “What is my greatest fear?” Then let the
dream reveal it’s self.
When you probe your dream self you will very
likely start to experience more intense emotions
and take-home lessons in your lucid dreams,
learning about the true nature of your basest self. Be
prepared for what you learn, both good and bad.
Adapted from the book ‘Lucid Dreaming, Gateway
to the Inner Self’.
SAMHAIN CELEBRATIONS
By: Pami Griffith
when the Goddess takes on her robes of Crone and the God rides out of the
Wild Hunt to collect the souls of the dead. In times past it would be the same
time when the harvest ended or nearly so and this marks the start of the resting
season of the land. It is a time when the veil between the worlds of life and
death is at its thinnest, a time for remembering the dead and a time for scrying.
RITUALS
Samhain 2009 written by Rev. Lee (head of Shrine of Ancestors-Maryland)
Online ritual Nov.1, 2009 at midnight
Note: Bring a picture of a loved one that has passed beyond the Veil for the Act
of Power. Bring a white and black candle.
Blessed Samhain! It’s a time of celebrating and connecting again, or first time,
with our loved ones who have gone before. Most cultures have a time to celebrate the dead but it seems that in America we really don’t have one; although
the Catholic Church did proclaim November 1st as All Saints Day. It is a bittersweet celebration as we selfishly miss our departed ones, but are happy that
they are now being reborn. So, as we enter into this most holy and sacred of
times let us remember, in joy, those who have gone before.
HISTORY
Samhain is the third and last of the harvest festival. We celebrate this as our
New Year’s Day. During this time we celebrate the Crone aspect of the Goddess, the wise and seasoned witch.
HP: It is dark; The night has fully risen. You sit in a sparsely populated grove.
The trees around you are bare of leaves. You know those leaves are full of rich
color, yet are invisible in the darkness surrounding. You are alone, yet you feel
crowded; by who is unknown. You feel sensations of finger-tips on your neck,
but as you turn nothing is there; The darkness begins to close around you; making it unbearable. As you begin to feel the grip of coldness, a single flame
erupts like a beacon. This flame pushes back the darkness, and you feel relief
once more.
Please light your white candle
HPS: You see in front of you the stump of an ancient tree. You notice a white
and a black candle, the white one blazing with life. There is also a small picture
of a Beloved One placed on the stump. The Beloved is someone who you hold
dear that has passed beyond this life; and one whom you want to honor and
bless for another year coming. As you begin to focus on your Beloved, other
family members from afar appear next to you. Some of these members have
also passed beyond, and others are not. You feel a unity of energy from these
members, knowing they are here to aid for our ritual tonight.
Samhain, all hallows Eve, all Souls, Halloween, takes place on October 31 and
is the most important festival in the Witches’ Calendar. It is both the beginning
We will now greet them and let the light join with our own energies; let us feel
and end of the Witches’ year, in a similar way to New Year’s Eve. It is the time
the goodness run through us all.
tain and strengthen our energy as we work.
HP: Now we walk towards the candle. We sit in front of the stump, followed
by our family members. An intense quiet surrounds you, as the only noise you
can hear is the single flame of the white candle.
HPS: Behold we do cut apart a place between the realms of humankind and of
the Mighty Ones; a circle of art to focus and contain the powers we shall raise
herein! The circle is cast!
Take a few moments to reflect, then ground and release.
HP: So Mote it Be!
Please light your black candle
ALL: So Mote it Be!
As the Spirits of our Beloved settle, all of them shower our ritual tools and sacred space with cleansing, positive energy. They consecrate everything, including us within the Circle. Feel blessed for we are ready to begin our workings.
HP: So Mote it Be!!!
ALL: So Mote it Be!!!
Casting the circle
HP: The circle has been cast!! Open the gates!
Quarters:
EAST: Hail Guardian of the Watchtower of the East, power of Air and intellect. We pray that You will be with us this night in our circle, and that You will
give Your blessing and Your aid to this our undertaking! We bid You hail, and
welcome!
SOUTH: Hail Guardian of the Watchtower of the South, power of Fire and
HP: O Great God, You who die and are reborn, I hail you! As Winter begins, I manifestation. We pray that You will be with us this night in our circle, and that
am warmed by Your courage. Your sacrifice stirs in my veins. I am stronger for You will give Your blessing and Your aid to this our undertaking! We bid You
the transformations that are Your blessings at this season.
hail, and welcome!
WEST: Hail Guardian of the Watchtower of the West, I summon the powers of
HPS: O Great Goddess, You who are all and ever, I hail You! As Winter beWater! Rushing stream, Vast, dark ocean. With Intuition, feeling, the power of
gins, I am warmed by the flames beneath your cauldron. Your magicks stir in
my veins. I am stronger for the transformation that is Your blessings at this sea- healing, We invoke you! Hail and Welcome!
son.
NORTH: Hail Guardian of the Watchtower of the North, power of Earth and
CIRCLE: In perfect love and perfect trust I cast this circle Behold, we join to- integration. We pray that You will be with us this night in our circle, and that
gether to cast this circle, that it may be a token of the bond of love between us. You will give Your blessing and Your aid to this our undertaking! We bid You
Imagine the energy running from hand to hand, person to person. See the ener- hail, and welcome!
gy as beautiful, clear white light filled with strength and love and power. See
the energy grow and strengthen. See it begin to expand around us, the circle of
energy moving out around us to fill our ritual space and make a barrier at its
edges. See that barrier become a wall of clear, strong white light; a wall to con-
GOD AND GODDESS: Hail Lord and Lady, the givers of life on this Plane.
We ask for your help this evening, to be with us this night in our circle. Bless us
with your energy and aid so we can feel the presence of our Beloved within our
sacred area of power. We bid you Hail and Welcome!!!
ALL: Blessed Be!
ANCESTORS: Hail to our Beloved Ancestors! We invoke and call them to our
sides this Samhain night. Our Loved Ones who have gone before us, Our Fami- Now snuff out the black candle, using that as a signal to your departed
ly and Close Friends, Our Ancestors from our Tradition, Our Spiritual families loved ones that they are invigorated with new-found energies.
which support us with love and guidance; Inspire us with your loving presence
among us tonight. We bid you Hail and Welcome!
HPS: Blessed Be!!
The Samhain Spellworking
ALL: Blessed Be!!
HP: The Veil has thinned, and our year is ending this night. Tonight we cherish
our loved ones and honor those that have departed before us.
We take this time to see more with not only our eyes, but with our other senses
and abilities. We feel for those that are here tonight both as physical attendants
and spiritual protectors.
HPS: Now I invoke the Crones' blessing upon all of us that have met together
this night. For within her blessing is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom, as we
should always hope to attain that wealth in our future. Within her cloak of darkness is a path to wisdom. Within those pockets is the key to that knowledge.
Walk from this circle as an adventurer, knowing that within your travels and
studies will you find Lady Crones' cloak and find the key within. The key is
what we all search for in this life, which will aid us in the next.
Take picture of departed loved one and places it between the two lit candles, carefully
HPS: Visualize a white light coming from the circle you are in and let some of
it siphon off and absorb into the picture.
Feel it aid in your loved ones existence in the Summerland and rejoice that they
have been re-energized for another year.
With this energy you have parted to your loved one, you will benefit with their
aid in times of need.
HP: Our Ancestors will come to our aid during this time and help us as we
search for that very key.
Remember the energy you sent to your loved ones, for it will be returned to
you. Everyone receives this blessing in different ways, so be ever so vigilant in
your interpretations.
HP: So Mote it Be!
HP: While this energy is aiding in your loved one, begin to visualize other family members that you want to help this coming New Year. Visualize the white
light in your respective circles and see bits break off as will o' wisps of energy
and diffuse into nothing. Know that those pieces are coming from you and
heading towards your loved ones to help them.
Do this for as many people that you want for within this circle you have endless
amounts of energy to aid whom you choose.
ALL: So Mote it Be!
HP: Blessed Be!
HP: We also invite all those that have gone on before us to join us in our cele-
Libations and Treats
HPS: We gather together on this Samhain to give our thanks to the God and
Goddess for all they have provided us throughout the year. We ask for Blessing
as we begin our journey into the Dark Half of the year.
bration at this time. All are welcome to partake of what the God and Goddess
have so graciously given.
HPS: Honor your Beloved with an offering of libations after you partake. After
ritual, leave an offering outside for Mother Earth and her animals.
Closing the Sacred Circle
ANCESTORS: Beloved Ancestors, You who have gone before us, Your wisdom and example guide us. We thank You for Your presence and your aid this
night, and at all times. We offer You our love and respect.
festation, we thank You for Your presence here tonight -we thank You for Your
aid, and Your guidance. may there be peace between Us now and always. Go if
You must -stay if You will. We bid You Hail and farewell!
EAST: Guardian of the Watchtower of the East, power of Air and intellect, we
thank You for Your presence here tonight -we thank You for Your aid, and
Your guidance. may there be peace between Us now and always. Go if You
must -stay if You will. We bid You Hail and farewell!
CIRCLE: Behold!!! As Above, so Below. As the Universe, so the Soul. As
Without, so Within. May this circle be open, but never broken!
We bid You Hail and Farewell!
HP: Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet Again!!
ALL: Hail and Farewell!
ALL: Merry Meet, Merry Part and Merry Meet Again!!
GOD AND GODDESS: Ancient Crone, Wise Sage! We thank You for Your
presence and your aid this night, and at all times. We offer You our love and
respect. We bid You Hail and Farewell!
HPS: Blessed Be!!
ALL: Blessed Be!!
ALL: Hail and Farewell!
Snuff out the white candle
SOUTH: Guardian of the Watchtower of the South, power of Fire and manifestation, we thank You for Your presence here tonight. We thank You for Your
aid, and Your guidance. May there be peace between Us now and always. Go if
You must, stay if You will. We bid You Hail and farewell!
WEST: Guardian of the Watchtowers of the West, power of Intuition, and healing We thank you for your presence here tonight, Stay if you will, Go if you
must,
We bid you Hail and Farewell!
NORTH: Guardian of the Watchtower of the North, power of Earth and mani-
Please remember to ground and release any excess energy. Also as a gentle
reminder, try to write your experiences in a journal of some sort.
SAMHAIN FOOD & RECIPIES
Remembrance Cookies
These cookies can be made on Hallow's Eve. They can be shaped like people and the herb rosemary is added to the dough as a symbol of remembrance. Some of
the cookies are eaten while telling stories or attributes of special ancestors, reminding us that we still have access to their strengths--or perhaps a predisposition to
their weaknesses. The rest of the cookies are left outside by a bonfire as an offering. This can be a solemn ritual, but it need not be.
Ingredients for the cookies:
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. butter or margarine (softened)
1 egg
2 t. vanilla
1 t. almond extract
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cream of tartar
1 1/2 T. chopped rosemary
Heat oven 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, almond extract, and rosemary until creamy. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and
cream of tartar. Fold flour mixture into sugar mixture. Beat until dough forms and refrigerate for three hours. Divide dough into halves. Roll out one portion to
3/16 of an inch on a floured surface. Cut out with gingerbread women or men cutters and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat rolling and cutting with second portion. Bake for 5-7 minutes.
Sanctuary Archive. 2011. The Old Oak Grove Ladies. September 2012. http://www.sancturary.org/pages/archive/a_recipes_rememcookie.htm
Colcannon
(Potatoes, harvested from August to October, were a part of the feast in Ireland where they were made into a Samhain dish known as colcannon. Colcannon is a
mashed potato, cabbage, and onion dish still served in Ireland on All Saint's Day. It was an old Irish tradition to hide in it a ring for a bride, a button for a bachelor, an thimble for a spinster, and a coin for wealth, or any other item which local custom decreed in keeping with idea of the New Year as a time for divination.)
4 cups mashed potatoes
2 1/2 cups cabbage, cooked and chopped fine
1/2 cup butter (avoid corn oil margarines as they will not add the needed body and flavor)
1/2 cup evaporated milk or cream
3/4 cup onion, chopped very find and sautéed
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Sauté onions (traditionalists sauté in lard or grease, but butter is acceptable.). Boil the potatoes and mash them (do not use artificial potato flakes). In a large pan
place all of the ingredients except the cabbage and cook over low heat while blending them together. Turn the heat to medium and add the chopped cabbage. The
mixture will take on a pale green cast. Keep stirring occasionally until the mixture is warm enough to eat. Lastly drop in a thimble, button, ring, and coin. Stir
well and serve.
Witchway. 2012. Halloween Feasts. September 2012. http://www.witchway.net/hallows/feasts.html
SAMHAIN CRAFTS
Samhain
Ancestor
Tree
Using whatever glue you have on hand, glue more black twigs around
each piece of parchment to create a frame. You can make some
frames square, others round, some octagonal – whatever!
Take some natural brown twine and glue that onto the frames to create a loop for hanging the names from the “branches” of your ancestor tree.
It’s fun to dress your tree up with little seasonal decorations that you
find in stores at this time: small plastic spiders, owls and crows, tiny
skeletons or skulls or even make little ghosts out of tissue paper or
gauze fabric to hang from the branches between the names and photos.
Our family likes to skewer candy corn and candy pumpkins with old
hooks left over from Yule tree ornaments and hang those for the kids
to nibble on. It draws their attention to the tree, makes it more fun and
enticing, and gives you an opportunity to tell them about the people
behind the names that are hung there.
Find and cut a gnarly old twisted, twiggy branch from a tree.
Spray paint it black and then use screws to attach the cut end to a
piece of plywood also painted black.
Now, you know the cobweb stuff you can buy at this time of year?
Get some of that and puff and clump it to make “fog” around the base
of the tree. You can also take some thin strands to weave through the
twig “branches” to make spider webs.
On old looking pieces of yellowed parchment paper (available at any
stationery, office or computer supply store) that have been cut into
small squares, write the names of deceased family members and ancestors – one name on each square of parchment. Another option is to
actually print out small photos of your loved ones.
You can even try hanging one treat on each name and then before
getting the treat, ask your child to remember and tell you something
about that person. If your child is very young, you can adjust this to
letting them hear a little story about that person as they enjoy the
treat.
The Ancestor Tree makes a nice altar decoration and can be surrounded by more old photographs and mementos handed down through the
family.
Pookapages. 2012. http://www.pookapages.com/wcSamhain.htm
Presented for your reading pleasure is Peering in, Looking out
Authored by Tricia Butler.
This story will be published over time in
Introduction
She sat drinking her coffee lazily, savoring the slightly burnt flavor
that even her doctoring couldn’t hide. She hated this time in the
morning, the time where action needed to be taken, but it was just so
easy to simply sit, sit and think. She could feel the thoughts building in
her mind, the worries about finances, the dreamy thoughts of sleep
long abandoned, the simple thoughts of what to do, what to wear and if
she should even bother putting her contacts in or not. There were
deeper undercurrents, darker thoughts and memories trying to surface,
but dealing with those could wait.
Her fingers flew over the little keys, taping, typing, writing and
deleting the misspellings and poorly chosen words. Her typing stopped
from time to time, her mind clouded and frustrated. This always
happened; she would be sitting and day dreaming out her back
window, completely content, get a plausible story line in her mind,
pull out the laptop and…nothing. The words froze, the thought lost,
the story unraveling.
Proof reading the scant two paragraphs that she had only further
angered her. This used to be her passion! She could write pages and
pages of dialogue and storyline when she was younger, had an entire
three chapters written at one point. She sighed softly, not like it really
mattered, anyone can write a romance novel. Harlequin Publishing
made sure of that. She could write some poetry and some short stories,
as long as she had a specific topic and basic outline to build from. She
found it disgusting and more than a little annoying that she could
inspire ideas with a vast imagination, give clarity to friends with her
divine gift for words but when it came to her own writings, she found
them dull and listless. For all the words in her vocabulary, she always
seemed to fall short, finding that she used certain words in her own
speech as well as her writing all too often.
Frustrated and out of coffee, she angrily pushed the laptop away and
walked around her kitchen table into the kitchen for another cup.
Scooping sugar and pouring the cream, her hands trembled only
slightly while lifting the carafe of coffee from the maker, pouring a
steady stream of the brewed dark liquid. She drank too much of the
stuff. It replaced too many meals and kept her awake even after her
body protested for bed hours before she finally gave in. She smiled;
she’d give it up one day, when they invented a cheap, portable IV drip
that could administer the same amount of caffeine. Coffee was getting
expensive these days, as was food was for the kids. For now, coffee
was a sustainable energy source.
She slumped back down, taking a long sip from her oversized mug.
She smiled, grateful for the size of the drink and the heat emanating
from the ceramic. That was most pleasing. Her hands always seemed
to get cold and stiff on days when she had a stroke of genius. It was
like she was fighting against a mental and physical block, all for the
sake of writing. She felt more than a little silly for having to try so
hard, she was a grown adult after all, she had years of stories to write,
so why not just type it out?
“It’s not that easy is it?”
There it was, that damn voice. The voice that was hers but wasn’t.
That deep resonance that traveled through her body, throbbing a
certain energy into her very bones. She hated and loved that voice all
in the same thought. She had long considered herself mad, crazy. You
had to be crazy if you heard voices right? No one who heard voices
was sane; it was simply a fact of modern science.
will power and then some to calm her down enough to build up her
barrier.
She told very few people about her affliction as it wasn’t exactly
enjoyable dinner conversation. People always seemed to go silent and
get very uncomfortable when they hear that you can not only hear
voices, but can even catch words and phrases, fragments of fantasies
and past occurrences straight from their thoughts and emotions. She
understood; it was unnerving to be around someone who could and did
read things about you that you didn’t even realize you projected. They
always asked outlandish questions like, “What number am I thinking
of?” and “Can you reach my dead grandmother?” Her gifts didn’t
work that way. She hadn’t learned how to control herself to that degree
yet. Most of what she caught was random, like beams of high emotion
or thoughts that were made with extremely high frequency intent such
as anger, lust, love or sadness. Yes, she knew that she was crazy.
There was no doubt about it. The key to being crazy, she found, was
that you couldn’t talk about it. There were too many dangers in
speaking to the uneducated about highly evolved theories. No, there
were only a few beings on the planet that could handle the kind of
knowledge that she held, that she wielded. As she typed she thought of
how arrogant that made her seem, like she was putting herself above
her fellow man.
The Neo-Pagans and Wiccans called her gifts and afflictions dozens of
pretty sounding names such as Sensitive, Empath, Medium, Psychic.
She had long since stopped trying to put a name or title on what she
had. Trying to define it, to find its boundaries and contain it only made
the problem worse and seemed to cause an influx of activity. She had
joined groups, learned a few things, experienced a great deal of drama
and odd occurrences and needless to say, she was happier on her own.
“There is no shame in admitting and accepting who and what you are.”
“Shut up.” She hissed under her breathe. She knew she wasn’t talking
to anyone, knew that she just whispered into a corner and there was no
one in that corner. No, not anymore. Her lunacy had taken on new
principles when she had started to see glimpses of her guides, as
shadows on the walls that shouldn’t be there. Her shoulders rounded,
and she slumped further over her keyboard. Some days were better
than others, she could push it all away, keep herself safe in a sphere of
silence. Other days, she wasn’t so lucky. She called them C-Word days
(the C obviously for Crazy) and when they caught her, it took all her
She rubbed her eyes wearily, pushing her glasses up off the tip of her
nose. It was only mid-morning. She had only been sitting here a few
hours and all she had to show for it were a few paragraphs. She knew a
rough day when she saw one. Saving her work, she closed the
computer down, sighing deeply. The house was practically spotless or
as spotless as a house with a 5 and 8 year old could be. They kept to
themselves mostly, playing games together, sharing toys, being brother
and sister. There were rare occasions that called for separation, but for
two children that were related, they got along amazingly well. With
both of them at school full time, the house became remarkably quiet
after 8 am. Her husband, a dear, passionate soul, worked as an
executive chef at a local well known restaurant. He also worked part
time as a professor at a local culinary arts school, but his passion was
the restaurant. He was an artist, a true master of his craft but not
arrogant enough to believe that he couldn’t learn more. His mind was a
vacuum that consumed anything and everything about food. He taught
at the school to mainly ensure that the art was not lost and that there
would be other talented minds waiting in the wings for when he could
retire. It was a marvel that she was not six hundred pounds and dying
of clogged arteries.
The dogs rested in various places around the small house, each moving
every so often to either be closer or farther away from her. They were
clingy furry shadows, she thought smiling. Ever since they moved
from out of state the boys had grown overly attached to their family.
They never left her alone for very long after everyone left, trailing her
up and down stairs, around to each room while she collected laundry
and getting tripped over. She would get fed up and point, throwing her
authority with her outstretched finger and they would duck their heads,
trotting out of her way. She always marveled at the fact that after 8 am
on any week day she could be completely silent until 3:30 when her
children re-entered their home. That silence could get her into trouble.
nodded, noting that their daughter’s eyes were indeed dark, serious. He
smiled at her, she looked at him. She didn’t smile or make a sound, but
she looked right past the nurse and innocently into his eyes. His lips
turned upwards softly as she settled into her mother’s arms, safely
content. He was where he needed to be, he had found the child, now it
was simply a matter of time and patience as to when she would
Awaken.
Prologue
She came into the world on a Thursday. It was raining and warm that
morning, warm for November and the city lay quietly in a blanket of
thick, silencing mist. All sound seemed to get sucked into the white
calm that sought to fill every crevice, every hole. He had planned to
use the mist to get back, to Cross Over. He would have made it too,
avoiding all that was to come, but He felt her draw him back, heard her
whisper his Name, knowing that he was being Called to his next task.
Her voice came as if from a great distance, as though she were walking
towards Him from across vast waters. He found the hospital soon
enough, and her parents. Her parents were simple people, not overtly
bright, nothing remarkable, simple people. He watched silently,
invisibly as she went through the normal aspects of a new born - being
jostled, cleaned, measured, weighed, wrapped and finally handed back
to her eager family. Everything about her was perfect and in order,
healthy. He shifted with the doctors and nurses, staying in their
shadows. He watched her intently, deciding to test her, as all Knowing
Children are tested, and stood just behind the nurse as she handed the
swaddled babe over. The nurse was easy enough to read, manipulate.
He placed his words into her head without much effort. She smiled,
“She has such ancient eyes. They’re already dark.” Her parents
Stay tuned……
Pagan Interfaith Library to be created in South Africa. Books needed!
At the 2013 Lustration of the Ancestors, the Correllian Tradition is re-instituting the creation of the Pagan Interfaith Library.
Here are some facts to know:
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One book in South Africa can cost the same as two days of groceries.
All books will be hosted in Florida then shipped to South Africa in April 2013, in time with the South African Correllian Lustration
of the Ancestors.
Books of all kinds encouraged! All paths and all disciplines are welcome. Spirituality, rituals, magick, runes, tarot, herbs, Gods &
Goddesses, crystals, meditation, candles, oils, crafts, dream analysis, spirit guides, numerology, astrology, cooking, Reiki, philosophy, pagan-oriented fiction, divination, etc.!
CDs, DVDs, tarot cards, divination tools, etc. are also welcome! These would be available to use at the Library.
Please DO NOT send herbs, incense, candles, or perishables.
Be sure to check out the Facebook
page for the book drive at:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/
cntbooks/
The Pagans in South Africa will treasure every book you send to build this library!
Spread the word -- flyers, the internet, word-of-mouth. Host a mini book-drive at your circle, temple, coven, grove, or study-group.
Watch for sales at book-stores which may be closing in your area. Discount bookstores often have great
deals, too.
All donations should be shipped to the Florida UPS box given below, and the Correllian Nativist Tradition will see the
books and other items make it to South Africa!
Shipping address:
Laurie Denman
11250 Old Saint Augustine Road, Suite 15, #150
Jacksonville, FL 32257
Details on items sent and postage paid should be sent to Rev. Liz Hamilton at
[email protected]
Lily’s Luxurious Body Powder
By: Lillie Dawn
Several years ago a friend suggested I go to www.ewg.org to research the products I use on my body daily. I was utterly surprised to read that there are
materials that may be hazardous to your health in the items we use every day. I threw away nearly everything in my bathroom! I began using organic body
products immediately and was surprised at how EXPENSIVE they were. For example, four ounces of lavender body powder ran $7.95, where as I used to
pay less than that for 13 ounces of body powder! I was alarmed at the tripling of an expense that was absolutely necessary in the summertime. Since I am
inherently frugal, I began mixing up my own powders. Once I found the right blend for my base powder, I began adding aromatic qualities and focused on
the intent of the powder as I was manufacturing them. You may also choose to incorporate spells to increase the effectiveness of your product. Below is
the basic recipe I use for a luxurious body powder. I have included my recipe for a lavender powder as well as a rosemary and sage powder.
Unscented powder:

10 ounces of corn starch

Five ounces baking soda

Six ounces of rice flour (This is optional, but it does make the powder silkier.)

One tablespoon of rice for each container that you add this mixture to. (This is optional, but I find that during humid weather it helps prevent the mixture from caking.)
Mix everything together thoroughly. A small whisk works better than a spoon. Place the mixture into shakers or a container that will allow you to use with
a body powder puff. For an extra silky powder, sift it using a sieve.
For scented powders:

Add the powder to a large, clean, dry plastic container that is dedicated for this use.

You will add your herbs or essential oils to the body powder. I prefer to use essential oils as I find them much easier to work with. I place drops onto
cotton balls and place the cotton in the container. I have read of people placing the oil directly into the powder, but I haven’t had much luck with this.
It irritates my body. Using cotton balls and waiting a few days is my preference and works a lot better for me. Test the strength of the scent as often as
you like by opening the container and smelling the air above it. Do not to inhale the powder. Once the curing has taken place and your powder is
scented to your liking you are almost finished. Open your container, remove the cotton balls and place it in your preferred container. For an extra
silky powder, sift it before placing it in a storage container.
 Lavender body powder (for peace and relaxation) - Add 20 drops of lavender essential oil. You will need 5 cotton balls. Place 4 drops of oil on
each cotton ball and put them in the large plastic container with the powder mixture. Seal the lid and shake. Shake daily for 7-14 days. I prefer
14.
 Rosemary & sage body powder (for healing and purification) - Add 2 drops of sage essential oil on a cotton ball and place it and a 4 inch
sprig of fresh rosemary in the large plastic container. Seal the lid and shake. Shake daily for 7-14 days. I prefer 9 days.
The guidelines above can be adjusted to your liking. I have adjusted the recipe I originally worked with to make a powder that feels the way I prefer. You
may like to use smaller amounts until you find the blend that works best for you. This powder is quite effective during the hot and humid months; it is
earth friendly and cost-effective. You can successfully interchange scents and spells to create a variety of desired effects. The customizations are
infinite… Be creative and create a custom scent!
Pagan Fiction Review: Her Book of Shadows by Larry D. Marshall
By: Heather Adkins
If you run a search in the Kindle store for the term “Wicca”, quite a lot comes back. Mostly what a witch would expect – great nonfiction tomes from Scott Cunningham, Ann
Moura, and Kate West. But, there is only a small smattering of pure fiction that pops up, and a certain theme emerges (i.e. sexy, half-nude covers and an R-rating in the synopsis.)
Now, I like a little romance in my world just as much any other girl. However, I’m a book lover. If I’m going to read a book, I want it to have a plot, a snazzy cover, and more
than fifty pages. This is why I’ve decided to create this column: to connect you, Pagan readers, to Pagan fiction.
So, I introduce to you, my first Pagan Fiction Review.
“Scott, I don’t know if you’re religious, but is it nonsense when a priest walks the aisle of a church, spreading incense to purify
and sanctify a ceremony? Is it ‘hokey’ when that same priest takes crackers and wine, blesses them and claims them to be the
flesh and blood of Christ? Is it nonsense that people ‘pray’ for others who are sick? Are they crazy when they attribute healing,
or winning a football game, to their spirituality?”
—“Her Book of Shadows”
Larry D. Marshall
Her Book of Shadows is the tale of private investigator Scott Riker. Though American, Scott has relocated to Quebec with his French-Canadian wife and their teenage daughter,
where he contracts work through an influential man named Luc Duchesne. Scott is given the case of a missing nineteen year old named Jodie Burke, and the case takes him on a
chase through Quebec as he searches for this girl. He follows what few leads he has, and comes to the realization that Jodie’s situation is deeply entrenched in a certain
“group”—Quebecois Wiccans.
Riker has no clue what “Wicca” is, so he runs the gamut of typical muggle reactions— like the pentacle as a Satanic symbol. Marshall takes it a step further by showing these
honest reactions, but then taking the reader along a journey of discovery with Riker so that he comes out knowledgeable in the end. When it comes to shedding light on the Wiccan religion, Her Book of Shadows is well-researched and thoughtful prose. It’s refreshing to read a novel that gets it right, and wasn’t written by a Wiccan for Wiccans.
Riker is a little like a male counterpart to Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum—an investigator with a helpful streak, sometimes to his own detriment. He is a strong character, but
one that loves his family. He has a normal, hectic marriage that people can relate to: passing kisses on the way out the door, remembering to pick up his daughter from school,
work that doesn’t stop moving forward because one’s kid gets sick. A person has to learn to balance the rest of life with work, and Marshall does a good job of showing that dilemma throughout the book; it makes it easy for the reader to connect with Riker on a deep basis.
Her Book of Shadows is heavy on dialogue rather than bogged down in detail. Some books (think Anne Rice’s Vampire novels) go too much in detail, so that the pacing is
flawed and sluggish. Marshall gives the reader just enough to set the scene, and it’s delivered in such a conversational way that you feel intimate with the narrator—hanging out
inside his head rather than outside of the scene.
Marshall’s descriptions are also unique. Not only do they place you firmly in the setting, but they do so in a way that isn’t overused or boring, “The wind blows and the snow
flies and those of us who don’t migrate south to Florida enter cocoons of down and nylon.” He incorporates wit into nearly every page, “If her makeup were any indication, she
was probably good at drywall mudding.” The dialogue is fresh and humorous, with a protagonist that can laugh at himself and his situation. The book is simply laugh-out-loud
funny at times, when it isn’t a tense, page-turner.
Her Book of Shadows is the first in a mystery series, but according to the author, they will not all be Wiccan-themed. Although, he does hope to bring back one of the Wiccans
later on. The only con I found in this book is that I, personally, don’t like changes in tense during the narrative. I often found this jarring.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book for a rainy day.
Favorite lines:
* Maybe you can’t charm a gargoyle.
* Nothing matches, but it serves.
* I don’t believe in writer’s block or waiting for one’s muse, but real life can certainly block a writer.
* Ansel Adams got it right; the world should be in black and white.
* Maybe the Buddhists are right about there being absolute and relative truths.
* This generation, like all others, thinks they’re unique.
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Mother Earth’s Bones—Woman
by Sea Shelly
Mother Earth’s Bones—Mountain
by Sea Shelly
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Abbey (church) in Wiltshire, UK
by Shawn Allen
View from St. Mary’s Church by Lillie Dawn
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These images , titled Steampunk, Collection 1 are
presented by Lindsay Irvin. ©2012
Words the World is Made of
A Harem of Light Spirits (original by Bre 2/19/07)
The music seeps into my
bones
I watch as veils flow...
retreat and
return and the hips follow.
The undulations!
The zells!
right, right, left, right, left
cover the music
Selections on Haiku 俳句で選択
By: Owl Phoenix
laughter entwines
first the arms
the shifting movements
rapidly chasing brass
Flirty eyes, smoky above
the sea of shimmering
scarves flutter into
brief butterflies
I feel myself again
dancing on a twilight sky
She does physically
what I do ethereally
and I am returning
from some other world
Oh to dance!
My hips, seated, protest
each attempt to reach up
to join this
harem of light spirits
Oh the dance!
My eyes close and
my spirit climbs
into the ethereal
Oh to dance!
slowly brass fades
hip scarves quieten
The music playing
my body, seated,
and yet I dance.
the rings of Saturn
on the ships camera
a field of rock
origami rose
on barren mound -mourning doves
Origane copper foil rose by Russell Sutherland
October Horoscopes
Aries
Taurus
Let someone close to you know exactly how you
feel about him or her. This is particularly important if there is an adulation on your part.
Maybe things won’t work out — but they certainly won’t as long as you keep quiet. Expect proper
conduct out of your subordinates and you will get
it. A financial opportunity could wither away if
you hesitate too long.
A last-minute trip to far away places could be
just what the doctor ordered. Excitement and,
very probably, romance could well be the result
— but only if you let things move at their own
pace. Now might be a good time to begin a serious savings plan. If you wait until all your debts
are paid before you begin, you will probably never save anything — and you’ll probably never be
out of debt if you don’t.
Gemini
Cancer
A serious and quite disturbing love affair could
begin for you now if you respond to the stimulus
now being waved before you. If you are free and
unattached, it might well be worth riding the
whirlwind — because that is what it is likely to be.
If already committed, make sure that this is what
you really want, because it will probably cause a
breaking of all old ties.
Getting to the bottom of a mystery may not be as
pleasant for you as you think. Sometimes it is best
to let sleeping dogs lie. In dealing with fellow
workers on an important business deal, don’t allow others to speak for you, especially when the
responsibility is yours alone. Keeping commitments may be a chore, but failing to do so could
damage your reputation.
Leo
Virgo
An upturn in your personal finances is definitely
due and could come from a surprising source.
Your best bet is to be totally honest and to hide
nothing from those who may have a similar interest. If you lose, you won’t have lost your honor —
and if you win, you win really big and there will
be no carpers. Exercise your right to be heard in
matters that are important to you personally.
You could gain an important and influential friend
simply by speaking your mind and not allowing
others to run roughshod over your or someone
close to you. Spend a little time with a youngster
or an old person who is close to you, even if it
means making some personal sacrifices. Hours,
not things, are important to those who love you.
Libra
Capricorn
Maintaining the status quo may not solve your
problems. You may be called upon to exhibit
some independent thinking and some very positive action if you are to come out on top. In romantic affairs, keep things light and don’t go
overboard with promises on the first date. Be extremely cautious when dealing with complicated
machinery and don’t take unnecessary chances.
Make sure that an old debt is paid in full before you
go to the well once again. You might also do some
serious thinking about your real desires and what it
is you want to do with your life. If what you are
presently doing is not making you happy — or at
least contented — then why are you doing it? Take
the advice of a friend seriously and give it a
chance to work.
Scorpio
Aquarius
Climb down from your high horse and write that
letter you have been mentally composing for the
last few months. If what you feel is real, you
would be quite foolish to stand on ceremony. In
office matters, make sure you keep your tongue
from flapping concerning affairs that should remain private. A slip of the lip could sink more
than a ship It could sink your plans for the future.
Estimate your personal worth, as well as financial,
and see if you are able to make things balance. If you
are found wanting, do something about becoming
solvent once again. You would be well advised to seek
medical advice about a serious problem. Office politics are definitely not your game and you should avoid
playing such a game. Instead, select the most honest
of you companions and back him to the hilt.
Sagittarius
Pisces
Romance blossoms in the strangest places, according to the poet, and you could find this out
to your utter amazement — and delight. Business problems may seem less if you take time
to walk around to the other side so you can
gain perspective. The same could be true for a
personal matter that has been plaguing you.
Problems of a financial nature are not as insurmountable as they seem. Seek good advice and
then weigh it carefully before striking out on your
own. Do not allow others to influence your convictions on moral issues, simply because it would
make things neater and easier. On any tough question, the thing that is hardest to do is generally the
thing you should do.
October Games
by Lily Greene
October Word Find
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October Word Scramble Answer
OBMROS
DAWN
NOCRE
_______
_______
_______
TESCRSNAO
DLWI DIER
NOOPMIA
(Use the red letters to help answer the question.)
What is one herb that can be used when dealing with spirits or the ancestors?
________
________
________
Words:
SAMHAIN VEIL
HERNE
BONFIRES
HEKATE
APPLES
CAULDRON KALI
TOTENTANZ ANUBIS
October Crossword
2
3
5
7
1
9
11
4
6
8
10
13
15
12
17
19
14
16
18
Down:
Across:
1. Common Samhain decoration.
2. Cherokee festival held in October in honour of the Great New Moon. (1)
3. Dance of Death. (2)
4. Sabbat celebrated in the Southern Hemisphere. (2)
5. ______ of the dead is the focus of some Samhain rituals
6. Hindu Crone Goddess. (3)
7. Both Samhain and Bealteinne are considered _____ Sabbats.
8. A crystal ___ can be used for divination.
9. Also known as Forefathers' Eve in Lithuania. (1)
10. These were celebrated at the Roman harvest festival of Pomonia. (1)
11. Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. (4)
12. Celebration known as Days of the Dead. (1)
13. The ____ Festival is a Nigerian festival that celebrates the return
14. Aztec Goddess of death. (3)
of the dead. (5)
15. Greek Goddess of the crossroads. (3)
17. Food ____ are commonly given during Samhain rituals/celebrations.
19. Gaelic for 'summer's end'. (3)
16. One root vegetable originally used to make Jack o'Lanterns.
18. Usually handed out to children that are trick-or-treating.
October Altar Find-It
Can you spot the differences between the two altars?
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The Correllian Times

Transcription

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