Hex Signs

Inspired by my friend Ryan and his blog A Changing Altar, I've decided to join the Pagan Blog Project. I anticipate posting every two weeks, so only once per letter of the alphabet. This Friday, the letter is H.

I think when many people hear the word "hex" they immediately thing of "curse". However, when used to refer to a type of folk art traditionally painted on barns and homes, hex takes on an entirely different meaning.

 "Hex signs" originate in Pennsylvania Dutch country and can be used magically or simply appreciated for their artistic beauty. Indeed, many historians and folklorists believe that the designs were originally nothing more than folk art brought over from Germany, but which later developed into a form of ethnic symbolism.  These days, many hex signs are associated with specific intents and carry quite a bit of magical power with them. But some are still just art. It's all in the intent, after all.

The term "hex sign" was probably picked up because of its sexiness. In a book published in 1924 about the Pennsylvania Dutch, many terms were used by local farmers to refer to the signs, including "blumme" (flowers) or "schtanne" (stars). However one farmer called them "Hexefoos" and that's what stuck.

There are a few classic designs for hex signs, many of which incorporate geometric shapes with symbols. Magically, the meaning of the hex is based on the shapes, colours and symbols used in its design. For example a six-pointed rosette chases away bad luck, an eight-pointed star invites good fortune and an eight-pointed star or "sun ray" with a circle at the center is a symbol for success. If you add rain drops and/or wheat to this design, the hex may mean a good weather for successful harvest, however if you add acorns to the design it may mean success with conception or with a new project.

Here are some traditional meanings for hex signs:

• Rosettes: Luck (or chasing away bad luck)
• Stars: Luck or success (or protection)
• 4-pointed sun wheel: Warmth and fertility
• Acorn: Fertility or "humble beginnings"
• Dove: Peace or friendship
• Heart: Love
• Oak leaf: Strength and endurance
• Raindrop: Good weather or abundance
• Tulips:  Faith, hope and trust (or chastity)
• Wheat: Abundance, prosperity (abundant crops)

 If you are creating your own hexes then I believe that you can use symbolism that is meaningful for you and that has some sort of universal or cultural associations around it. The same goes for colour and geometry. Like other forms of magic that involve creating something (such as a talisman), you will be drawing energy to the spell and starting to form it as you work out the design of your hex. While creating the design, really focus on the intent or purpose of the hex, including the specific symbols and how the symbolism will empower the hex. Afterwards, raise energy to give it more juice if you want to, but sometimes the simple act of purposeful and focused creation is enough.

Hexes can be drawn, painted, embroidered, knitted, carved, planted as a design in a garden, decorated into a cake, or made in any way that results in a visual symbol. It's a fun and powerful form of spellcraft.

Witchy Ways of Knowing. What's Yours?

As witches, we believe in (and hopefully regularly engage) alternative forms of 'knowing.' We don't just rely on the material realm and reality to give us information. Many of us pay attention to 'hunches' or intuition, have conversations with our gods or spirits, consult divination systems like the tarot or runes, read clouds or tea leaves, or practice some other form of nature divination or augury. The information we receive supplements--it does not supplant--the information that our analytical self is receiving from the material world.

I think some people use intuition, or similar ways of knowing, without really realising it. Think of the people you know who always seems to carry good fortune with them or be 'at the right place at the right time.' However many of us tune out our intuition or come to doubt it through many years of people telling us that decisions and actions should be based on facts, not feelings. I find this particular ironic because just about all the successful research scientist I've spoken to have told me that most of their 'big discoveries' have come from following hunches or even vivid dreams.

What's interesting about the scientists is that while they may be following a sense of intuition, or even guidance, in their research, their methods are rooted in a strong foundation of practical science. The two--conventional and alternative knowledge--work synergistically. It's through building practical foundations and actively developing our intuition and other ways of knowing that we can gain our deepest understandings and work our most powerful magic.

A wise witch once told me that an effective witch should know (and trust) the different intuition-like ways that they receive alternative knowledge, as well as being proficient in several different systems of more tangible divination to help check or deepen the guidance. For example, I often will follow-up a hunch or omen with a tarot or rune reading and some material research.

What are you ways of knowing? We don't all receive alternative knowledge the same way. Do you get flashes or visions? Hear sounds, voices or hold conversations? Sporadically perceive deeper meaning from seemingly everyday things, occurrences, conversations or songs? Get 'gut feelings' or read 'vibes' off of people or objects? Have vivid or prophetic dreams? Simply 'know' something? Get a whiff of a scent or aroma, or a taste on your tongue, real or not? Or perhaps the hairs on your left arm stand up or you get a pain in your right big toe.

Pay attention to your ways of knowing. Develop them. One way of doing this is to keep a small notebook and simply jot down when you have a 'flash.' As part of your daily or regular practice, see if there are patterns to any of them. Which ones ring true or are revealed as true over time? You can also work with a flash through divination, art or stream of consciousness writing.

Courting My Own Health

I've been so busy recently that I've been finding it hard to set aside the time I need to take care of myself. For the most part, I feel like I've been grasping in stolen snatches for the habits that I feel help sustain me. I also haven't been reading my usual blogs or listening to my usual podcasts.

So I take it as a bit of a cosmic clue-by-four that in a moment of procrastination from the work at hand, I snuck a peak at my blog feed and at the top of it was a post from Thorn's titled, No Sick Mystics. Crap, I thought. That might be me!

There is a lot to unpack in Thorn's musings on being a healthy mystic. She covers everything from physical health, to running energy, to coming back from mystical states. However in its essence, she reminds us to know and honour ourselves.

On a physical level:

"What I’m lobbying for is deep listening to all of our parts. What kind of movement does my body want in order to feel happy? What sort of food does it crave when I’m not pumping myself full of toxins, or forgetting to eat until I feel crazed? Can I slow down enough inside to truly listen, every day, to body, mind, emotion, and spirit within, and to the earth, the cosmos, and the spirit realms around me?"

The way I see it, when we're working from this place of self-knowledge and respect, we're courting our own health. If we're not working from this space and we're simply reacting, much of what we're doing in the name of self-care may simply treating the symptoms.

For example, I know that when my upper back and shoulders bother me it is usually because I'm spending too much time writing in front of the computer and not enough time physically moving my upper body. In the past couple of weeks my friends have been graciously providing with me with massages. That helps and I feel better (for a bit), but if I really want my body to stop hurting, I need to take a time out from writing and go for a swim, take a dance class or lift some weights.

When we court a new lover, we often don't find it difficult take time out for a date, a romantic afternoon, or some steamy sex. Why not court our health and our selves in the same way?

Defining Paganism

I've been working on my handouts for the Pagan Umbrella course that I'm teaching on Thursday. One of the challenges of talking about contemporary Paganism is defining it. I half-jokingly said in the class description, "Ask a dozen people and you’ll get at least a dozen answers," but this statement is true. We each have our own understanding of what Paganism is.

Here are some of the definitions and thoughts on Paganism that I've pulled out as a starting point for the course on Thursday:

• Polytheistic nature religion, such as ancient Greek, Roman or Egyptian, or indigenous folk religions (Margot Adler in Drawing Down the Moon, 1979)
• Polytheistic nature religions based on older or Paleopagan religions (Isaac Bonewitz quoted in Drawing Down the Moon, 1979)
• A constantly-evolving philosophy that views humanity as a functional organism within the greater organism of all Life. (Oberon Zell quoted in Drawing Down the Moon, 1979)
• Religion or spiritual practices that have widely-accepted associations with the country-side and the natural world based on the 19^th century understanding of “pagan” meaning country-dweller or “rustic”. (Ronald Hutton in Triumph of the Moon, 1999)
• Followers of polytheistic religions, whether ancient or modern. (Chas Clifton in Her Hidden Children.)
• An affirmation of interactive and polymorphic sacred relationship by the individual or community with the tangible, sentient, and/or non-empirical. (From Pagan Theology by Michael York, 2003)
• Spirituality that is based upon personal experience as its ultimate standard of validity, and that is distinguished by the following five characteristics: pantheism or panentheism, animism, polytheism, the eternal present, lack of a concept of ultimate evil. (Gus DiZerega in Pagans and Christians, 2001)
• A polytheistic nature religion in which reciprocal relationships between humans and all others are important, and which is recreating ways of relating to the earth and all its inhabitant, and has little or no dichotomy of sacred and profane, or differentiation between ordinary and religious activities. (Graham Harvey in Contemporary Paganism, 1997)

After these, we'll be briefly looking at some of the historical roots of contemporary Paganism before getting into the various paths and traditions that fall under the umbrella, or sit along its edges, not quite in under it or outside of it either.

Honour the Dead

Today is remembrance today. We honour those who fought for our freedom, human rights, dignity and life. They are part of our heritage, our ancestry.

In November, much of my mystical work and other-worldly conversations revolve around ancestors. For many, Samhain is the big ancestor night or honouring of the dead (and sometimes new life), but for me, one night is not enough. Nor does it feel like it should be. There is a liminality leading into Samhain as the veils become become gossamer. They don't part and then close immediately in a single night. Like the moon that appears to be full over a few days, the thinness remains for a period of time before thickening again.

For me, I start to feel the shift in the last week of October. The sense of closeness to my ancestors and the river that separates the living from the dead remains well into November. I take this period of weeks to remember and be open to my Mighty Dead, the ancestors I have known and those who passed long before I was born, and personal heroes whose wisdom or experience I admire. Sometimes they visit; different ones each year. I light candles and remember fallen heroes. I ponder the mysteries of death and life, darkness and light, the Divine Twins. And I spend time with the gods of the dark, those who help us make difficult choices and often tell us (sometimes brutally) what we don't want to hear.

This isn't work, or visits, that I can 'do' in a single night. It's a period. A wave. Remembrance day falls firmly into this time. I feel the veterans gather as we call them forth. Some at the river, and some by our side. It's powerful. It's painful. It's hope. It's part of Samhain. I honour it. I honour them.

Winter Feast for the Soul

The Winter Feast for the Soul starts this year on January 15th, a new moon. It's a commitment to 40 days of daily spiritual practice. Winter, especially after the craziness of the Yuletide season, is a perfect time for this. For me winter is a time for drawing inward, introspection, and energetic preparation. The best way for many of us to do this is regular and consistent spiritual practice.

I love the quote from Rumi on the Winter Feast for the Soul Website:

What nine months in the womb does for the soul,
Forty early mornings will do for your growing awareness.

I'm not so sure about early mornings--that I think is a personal predisposition--but 40 days of consistent, mindful spiritual practice will certainly grow awareness, whether we want it our not!

I think that one of the reasons that many people find daily practice so difficult is partly because of that growing awareness. It's scary. It can challenge our preconceptions. It can open us up to new ideas. It can shine a light on those dark places of our selves or our environment that we'd rather keep hidden. It's often easier to subconsciously find an excuse not to continue the practice, or to do it so inconsistently that we are effectively starting over each time, than it is to face our demons or our grandeur.

I have a daily spiritual practice. There are simple 'things' I do every day regardless of where I am or how I feel; and they form the foundation of my spiritual being, in a similar way to washing my face, brushing my hair and saying hello to my loved ones in the morning. On specific days, or if I'm working on a particular exercise or goal, I may add to this litany; but the foundation is essentially the same. In a similar way that a painter prepares her canvas, my foundational daily practice is the primer coat for deeper spiritual work.

I haven't decided yet how I'm going to approach the Winter Feast this year, Usually the winter months have me yearning to deepen my work with the Iron Pentacle; just as the emergence of spring calls forth the Pearl for me. What I do know is that I'm going to use these 40 days to stretch my edges and open to possibility.

Will you join me?

Baking Soda in the Home

I use baking soda when I clean. Not only does it cause less damage to the earth than harsher cleaning products, it is also cleanses the energy of my home. Commercial cleaning products seem to have either little effect energetically, or they remove all the energy, just like they remove all the dirt!

I noticed the energetic effects of housecleaning with baking soda when I switched over for environmental reasons. At first I was simply amazed at how well baking soda cleaned the grime off my bathtub, removed dirt from my tile flours, and shined up my counters and all thing stainless steel. It took a little while longer to notice that my home felt different energetically. The rooms cleaned with baking soda felt lighter, calmer.

It's not surprising really. Chemically, baking soda contains sodium. Energetically, both are cleansers that remove and hold adverse energy or influences. The recommendation to bathe in salt water is common across many religious traditions for 'cleansing' or atonement. Many folk recipes also recommend bathing in water to which salt or baking soda (sometimes both) has been added to remove negative influences, or to release emotional or psychic tension. I suspect that cleaning my home with baking soda is affecting my home in the same way. It certainly feels that way to me.

Now I clean all my rooms to some extent with baking soda. Since baking soda is abrasive I adapt how it is used for what I'm cleaning. For example, I'll happily scrub down my tub with it; however on my wood floors, not so much. Instead I lightly dust the floors with baking soda before passing the mop.

Reflections on the AAR in Montreal

My head is still processing many great discussions and presentations at the American Academy of Religion (AAR) conference in Montreal last weekend. Certainly I've got the ingredients for 'brain food' for the winter months, and most likely through to next year's conference. It was also great to meet many of the Pagan scholars informally at the various receptions where Canadian scholars were definitely well-represented.

Chas Clifton has a brief summary of the Contemporary Pagan Studies Group sessions (here). I also agree that the presentations in the idolatry session just "nibbled at the edges" of the topic. Particularly intriguing was the discussion around what is actually being worshipped or revered: the idol, the divine present in the idol or the divine of which the idol is representative. I suspect that the reality varies by the flavour of the Paganism and the intent of the idol. Later that afternoon, I attended a session in the Religion in South Asian Studies on "Trees and Plants in Hindu Thought." A couple of the presentations really followed-up well to idolatry. One described the tree marriage and the other tree worship. In both cases, the question once again is who or what is being worshipped or revered. It'd be interesting to see a combined South Asian/Contemporary Pagan session; but that might just be my bias.

I also really enjoyed the Literature and Contemporary Paganism session. It was a very mixed bag. A couple of presentations looked at how rituals and worldviews from works of fiction have worked their way in contemporary spiritual practice. Certainly the influence of Stranger in a Strange Land on Church of All Worlds was no surprise to me, but it seems that some Pagans continue to inspired by modern fiction writing. I'm not sure if I'm intrigued or disturbed.

Aside from the presentations, local scholars arranged at Magical Mercantile Tour of Montreal, which included stops at Le Mélange Magique and Charme et Sortilege following a tour of the John Waterhouse exhibit at the MMFA.

Other sessions I attended over the 4-day conference included a couple on Western Esotericism, one on religion and ecology, and one on South Asian studies. It was interesting to note the considerable cross-over between the participants and panelists in all the sessions. Some of the presenters in the South Asian session I remember seeing in at least one of the Contemporary Pagan Sessions. There was also cross-over between the South Asian and Ecology groups.

Wors. Those Slippery Words.

Words have power. Our choice of words influences both our own psyche and the person who hears them. Aware of their power, I try to choose my words precisely; and be aware when my words are trying to trick me.

A common trick I've noticed is the response, "I'll try to get you that by...." or "I'll try to get around to doing that..." Hmm. What do I mean by try? Is my intention to truly put in an honest attempt, or am I using 'try' as a cop-out to avoid or delay the inevitable, "couldn't" or "didn't." What is my intention?

On the flip side, sometimes we need to use words imprecisely. "Could" is a good example. When we ask someone if they "could do" something, often what we're asking is whether they would do something; or perhaps we are actually asking for a specific action. It isn't even a question. In writing email, using 'would' or simply telling someone to do something will probably come across as confrontational. The word 'could' is what we expect.

Some words are slippery, such as 'know.' A while back I noticed that I tended to say "I know that..." when what I really meant was, "I heard that...", or "I read that..." or "I have been told that..." I subsequently worked really hard to retrain my language accordingly. Not only did it make my words more precise, but it also brought about the added effect of raising my awareness around where my information came from and how my worldview is influenced.

Sometimes paying attention to a single word in our speech or writing can provide a lot of insight.

My Failures are my Successes

Nice quote from John Cleese, a man I really admire, courtesy of Thorn Coyle.

I don't think life is about avoiding mistakes. I think it's about making them and coming to terms with them and actually getting to a more interesting place as a result. Playing safe is the worst thing that anyone can do. (John Cleese)

I'm always saying I learn more from my mistakes or failures than my successes, yet I still seem to be constantly battling the fear of 'getting it wrong,' whatever the nebulous 'it' may be. Perhaps the mistake is worrying about making a mistake so much, that we miss opportunities.

A couple of interesting tidbits on my news wires and various feeds this morning:

New Scientist asks how to map the multiverse.... " BRIAN GREENE spent a good part of the last decade extolling the virtues of string theory. He dreamed that one day it would provide physicists with a theory of everything that would describe our universe - ours and ours alone. His bestselling book The Elegant Universe eloquently captured the quest for this ultimate theory. Greene's transformation is emblematic of a profound change among the majority of physicists. Until recently, many were reluctant to accept this idea of the "multiverse", or were even belligerent towards it. However, recent progress in both cosmology and string theory is bringing about a major shift in thinking. Gone is the grudging acceptance or outright loathing of the multiverse. Instead, physicists are starting to look at ways of working with it, and maybe even trying to prove its existence..." (read article)

The Mindful Table tweets about an article on the reintroduction of Chilean Sea Bass from an MSC-certified sustainable fishery. The article delves into the double edged sword around having a certified-sustainable source for what is in effect a endangered species. Read the full article from the San Francisco gate here.

(PS. The Elegant Universe is an excellent read; and the associated website is a great resource. I can't remember if the book or the PBS NOVA series came first. )

Just Because...

The Life of Love
~Spring~

Come, my beloved; let us walk amidst the knolls,
For the snow is water, and Life is alive from its
Slumber and is roaming the hills and valleys.
Let us follow the footprints of Spring into the
Distant fields, and mount the hilltops to draw
Inspiration high above the cool green plains.

Dawn of Spring has unfolded her winter-kept garment
And placed it on the peach and citrus trees; and
They appear as brides in the ceremonial custom of
the Night of Kedre.

The sprigs of grapevine embrace each other like
Sweethearts, and the brooks burst out in dance
Between the rocks, repeating the song of joy;
And the flowers bud suddenly from the heart of
Nature, like foam from the rich heart of the sea.

Come, my beloved; let us drink the last of Winter's
Tears from the cupped lilies, and soothe our spirits
With the shower of notes from the birds, and wander
In exhilaration through the intoxicating breeze.

Let us sit by that rock, where violets hide; let us
Pursue their exchange of the sweetness of kisses.

From "Tears and Laughter," Kahlil Gibran, p22

Life is a Vibrating Vortex of Lust

I simply love this imagery from an article in Hopedance Magazine. I find it so true:

"Well I got it standing on my farm in B.C. a few weeks ago. I was out there with the deafening sound of thousands of frogs fucking in my ponds, earthworms doing it beneath my feet, mason and bumble and honey bees fighting to stuff themselves into every flower in sight and I suddenly realized that I’m not farming, I’m presiding over one big giant orgy.

"I realized that every form of life on my farm is absolutely immersed in this incredible humming, buzzing, and vibrating vortex of lust. […]

"It’s not just like the bumper sticker that says, "organic farmers are more fertile." It’s more than that. You can’t possibly live and work in the midst of all this uncontrollable lust each and every day and night of your farm life and not become a part of it, not begin to embody it, attract it."

Mmmmm. Yes. More here: http://www.hopedance.org/new/issues/57/article2.html

Actually, I think his last point extends to more than the farm and nature's lust. We really can't live or spend a lot of time in any environment without beginning to embody it or have it change us in some way. The more intimate our connection with the environment, good or bad, the more potential it has to penetrate our being.

In Other Blogs...

In recent browsing, a couple of posts caught my attention recently. They are the type of posts that generally had me nodding my head or at the very least grateful that someone was willing to write these words.

Freedom and Power by yezida
"Freedom is a two-edged sword of which one edge is liberty and the other responsibility, on which both edges are exceedingly sharp; and which is not easily handled by the casual, cowardly or treacherous hands. - Jack Parsons [ ...] Parsons is speaking both of personal and social freedom. Both of these are based on power. Without power, there is neither liberty nor responsibility. [...]"

Fundamentalist Rant by loveandpower
"Seems no matter where I go these days, "open minded" pagans, witches, leftists and hippies are busy espousing their particular world view and making not-so-nice judgements about others who do not agree or practice their value system. [...] if I don't live with three partners/lovers/spouses who tie me up in the dungeon and force feed me vegan cupcakes baked in a solar powered oven while letting my blood or raising welts on my skin . . . does that mean I am less spiritually evolved than you?"

I Feel Oh So Pretty by Deborah Oak
"[...] been thinking a lot lately about narcissism and how my spiritual traditions seem to exacerbate and sometimes even create it. Reclaiming is a fertile ground for extroverted narcissistic tendencies to blossom, what with easy access to being in the center of the circle, a focus on empowerment within a climate of no accountability [...] Is it possible to create spiritual community where healthy narcissism is encouraged, but not the disorder?"

Rooted in Experience on The Wild Hunt (guested by Cat Chapin-Bishop)
"Let me make a pitch for one of my favorite Pagan causes: being rooted in experience. [...] why is nearly everything we write in the form of a recipe book? Why so little in the way of lived experience? For a religion of direct, personal gnosis, we have remarkably little writing about what happens when we set out to practice rather than preach."

Community Vision on The Wild Hunt (guested by Thorn Coyle)
"[...] Why are we so worried about jockeying for position, and fighting over scraps? My answer: because, as communities, we are afraid of autonomous power. We seek to uphold the status quo. Her unique expression may rock the carefully balanced boat. His deep study is seen to take away from what the group needs in the moment. Anything different becomes a threat. [...] Community does not mean we all do the same thing. Community is not about who gets the biggest role in ritual. [...]"

Science and Magic

I finally got myself to the MPRC discussion night. The topic was "Science and Magic". How could I miss that? It was a pretty good discussion. Lot's of thoughtful dialogue all around. I avoided leaping across the room every time someone tried to apply quantum mechanics to the macro-sized environment, bit my tongue during the incredibly New Age 'fieldy' explanation of entanglement , and managed not to take it too personally when the ethics (or perhaps moral values?) of science and scientists were questioned. Hopefully I can go to future ones.

Working With the Gods

Wise words from an amazing Priestess and teacher, Katrina Messenger:

"I no longer ask the gods to do the work for me. I ask them instead to guide me in my work, to help me do my work, and more importantly, to reassure me that I am on the right path."

This was from a recent blog post of hers. You can read the whole post here

Ancestors

I've been thinking a lot about ancestors recently. I don't do a lot of ancestor work in my spiritual practice but that's changing.

At camp, I was introduced to the idea of an ancestor collage. I love collages. They're fun to make, and when made with intent they can be powerful for both spell-work and self-work. I've considered making Sabbat collages before (like I need more things to do!), so I don't know why I never considered doing an ancestor collage to remember my ancestors before. The possibities are endless. I could make a collage just of one person; of one side of my family line; of all the blood ancestors I've known; of a specific number of family generations; of people who have made important contributions to my life, blood relatives or not; of spiritual ancestors; ... the list goes on....

My wheels are also turning after some interesting conversations about ancestors. We talked about ancestors being anyone who helped make us who we are, whether they were related to us or not. This is in contrast to the idea that ancestors are our blood lineage, our parents and grandparents. We also talked about spiritual ancestors, as in those who share a spiritual heritage like or Craft foremothers and forefathers; as well as racial ancestors, ethnic ancestors and ancestral memory. All in all, lots of food for thought and meditation during this Samhain season.

Ponderings on Public Ritual
A very interesting post by Pandora about how deep individual work supports deep, strong coven work, that in turn supports quality public rituals, festivals and workshops.

A quote that stands out for me:
"I'm totally uninterested in figuring out how to get more people involved in the public rituals, so that we can make them big and flashy. I'm interested in figuring out how to get more people interested in working deep, in small groups, so that we can make the public rituals solid and powerful."

In many ways this echoes my own feelings. Covens and groups that work deeply together generally put on the most powerful and meaningful public rituals. They've done the 'work.' They also have an established group of people, who are already comfortable working with each other, to navigate the various logistics of public ritual planning. Even the simplest public rituals involve a fair amount of logistics and require several people to be involved in the planning and execution of the ritual.

However, having said that, I have also seen some pretty outstanding rituals led by groups of solitaries or friends. In an area where established covens or other groups seem unable or unwilling to offer public rituals, then often an experienced solitary (or not-so-experienced, but very eager, solitary) will try to pick up the ball. This person has to try to get others involved in the creation of the ritual, otherwise the rit simply won't happen; or it won't happen well.

Public rituals are important. They often help seed new groups, and feed existing groups. Ideally, as Pandora suggests, once these small groups have achieved a level of depth and cohesiveness working together, they in turn are able to offer 'solid and powerful' public rituals back to their communities . The relationship is symbiotic: A positive feed-back loop that creates a richer and stronger community.

This quote also reminds me that offering public rituals is just that: an offering. A public ritual that is put on simply to be "big and flashy" misses the point.

Elders, Hierarchy and Listening
A few thoughts that aren't fully fleshed out for this post, but that I wanted to get out there. Maybe I'll expand upon them in future posts.

Anne Hill has an interesting post on her blog about Elders, hierachy and social needs in contemporary Pagan traditions, particularly Reclaiming. It's worth a read.

She also talks about the quality of deep listening as a magical skill that is not taught often enough (and a skill that for her is a hallmark of a true Elder). This is an opinion that echoes my own very closely. Knowing how to listen and listening deeply to others as well as ourselves is important. I also feel that listening skills are also too widely ignored in secular education as well.

The ability to listen well is a crucial aspect of communication.; yet it is rarely taught. It seems that it is something that we are expected to simply know how to do, or pick up as we interact with others. For me, listening is a 'muscle' I need to exercise.

One way I do this is through silence. The year I spent working with "to be silent" was so wonderfully rewarding for me because I spent so much more time listening and being in 'the moment,' instead of talking and mentally thinking ahead. By listening I learned more about people and ideas and 'things. I also spent more time 'noticing.'

So, yes. Listening. Noticing. Elders. Authority. Food for thought.