Book Meme

Tagged by my dear friend Bluething, I do this meme in a hurry:

1. Take the book that is closer to where you are right now (123 pages minimum)

It's this one, "Complete Idiot's guide to Tarot" by A. Tognetti and L. Lenard.

2. Open it at page 123.
It's the chapter on the Hermit.

3. Read the fifth sentence and post the three next ones.
"he has experienced many lessons and now wants to share them with you. Even if he's alone, he's not lonely: Even though we're surrounded by others, we always must follow our own paths"

4: Tag five people.
As I have no time to do this, I invite everyone to snatch this meme...:)))

Once More is Too Much: Support Stephanie Conover

Stephanie Conover is a woman who has been banned from a beauty pageant jury just because she does Reiki (!) and Tarot(!!)Read the whole story here.

I've never liked beauty pageants, not because they base themselves on beauty...if that was the case surely they'd be way fairer. They usually have many more things implied : a concept of woman whop conforms to certain standards and is submissive to them. (to put another example,until recently women who were mothers were not allowed to become Miss Spain on the ground that "during her reign her kids would be neglected"- needless to say, there was no such prohibition for their male counterparts,candidates for Mr. Spain)Beauty pageants usually promote values that would come down to "shut up and look pretty" no matter if you're jury or contestant. And that's my problem with them.I'm tired of this kind of worldview that excludes those who don't conform to rules. If you are too,email these Miss Toronto people: misstorontotourism@yahoo.ca or join the Facebook group "I support Stephanie Conover".
I see this kind of stuff everyday, but somehow this was the last straw.

The Bride is Back: Celebrating Imbolc

(Originally posted on my LJ blog)
Imbolc is celebrated on February 2nd, and Christians celebrate it as Candlemas or the Purification of Virgin Mary. And right they are too; this holiday is about washing and cleaning yourself anew.Did you think it was enough with New Year's resolutions? No way Jose! The Goddess , after giving birth, is recovering-or purifying,as the Jewish traditions demand in the case of Mary. The Goddess rejuvenates, becomes an untouched maiden again, and the circle starts over. Just like the earth, which starts to let go of cold and feel the nearness of spring (or so it was before climatic change, huh?) and each time is like a renewal of her youth, so it is for the Goddess. She is preparing the courtship which will take place in Ostara,and the marriage of Beltane. She was Crone the whole winter long, and she is Maiden again.Can you see the analogy?Each year you are given a new chance. But it's not a present to be opened on New Year's morning, because the Earth knows better than Julius Caesar, and knows that when the world is filled with darkness and cold, it's not a good time to start over. But when the earth starts to breathe, the weather softens, and animals give birth to their ffirst offspring (Imbolc = ewe's milk) it's about the right time to get moving. You are the bridegroom, the world is your Blushing Bride,and she is awaiting. And she won't wait long-the Merry Month of May is not that far. Go court her.

One Week in Silence: Mission Accomplished!!!

(For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, I copy here the post about this topic in my former blog)
"A few weeks ago, I learned that my friend John Birch has become involved in a project to help save the rainforest. And one of the activities he has planned is quite peculiar: he has decided to lock himself in one room of his house for a week, with no food, no entertainment, no electrical lighting and no heating. Only water,a camcorder to film his experience, a notebook and pen and a sleeping bag. He intends this to be both a spiritual journey and a sponsored activity to raise funds for and awareness of the Amazon Rainforest Foundation. You can find the whole story here.I must be honest to you.My first thought when I heard this was "He's crazy!" I was angry with him for personal reasons and that didn't help, I must confess. But after reading about the project he's involved in at the AmazonCry page,and giving it a good deal of thought, I realized that he is making a difference. He's doing something I would never have the guts to do (I can't stand the idea of being locked up for an hour, let alone for a week) and he's trying to raise awareness about the Earth and the environment when most of us choose to look the other way or even turn to denial. When, two days ago, a Spanish politician, leader of the Conservative Party,as good as denied the existence of global warming, I decided that John deserved a post and my support. He may seem mad to you, but believe me, I think the real madmen are in much higher places"

Well, now I'm pleased to announce that John completed his feat, raised some money and is in excellent health. You can read about it here and in his webpage in preparation One Week in Silence.

Island of the West: Death from a Pagan point of view

Dedicated to Bluething. She knows why.

I was happy. Wherever I... was... I was happy. At peace. I knew that everyone I cared about was all right. I knew it. Time... didn't mean anything... nothing had form... but I was still me, you know? And I was warm... and I was loved... and I was finished. Complete. I don't understand about theology or dimensions, or... any of it, really... but I think I was in heaven.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Episode "After Life"

I am often asked about the Pagan views on death. Well, we hold different ones-some of us believe in a sort of heaven named Summerland, others believe in reincarnation...and others, like me, believe that death is an eternal rest from this strife called life. But what we all do share is the idea that death is not a fearful place, but a place where we lay down our head on the breast of the Goddess, no matter what we've done, no matter how good or bad we've been,and rest in perfect peace.
This song by my admired Starhawk and her band Reclaiming sums up perfectly what I feel:

The ship is on the shoreline,
the crossing it is near
The time has come to say goodbye
To all who’ve loved you here
Give back your body to the earth
Like a child to its mother’s breast
And may you then grow young again
on the Island of the West
Lay down, lay down, your burdens
Lay down your treasures too
The love you gave and gathered
is all you take with you
But know to me your memory
will ever more be blessed
And may you then grow young again
On the Island of the West
They say there is an orchard
across the farthest sea
Where fruit and bud and blossom
grow together on the tree
The hurt will there find healing
The weary there find rest
And may you then grow young again on the Island of the West

(Starhawk and Reclaiming, Island of the West)

If you, like me, have seen a loved one struggle through illness and seen the peace in his/her face after death, I need to say no more. Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again.

Fifteen Simple Ways to attract luck for the New Year

(This post was already published on my LiveJournal blog)
I wrote this some time ago for the BookCrossing forum, but I recover it on the occasion of the New Year. These are fifteen simple ways to invoke luck for the new year, I hope you like them:
1. If you want to wish prosperity to someone, give him or her nuts or coins on New Year's Eve and New Year's day.
2.A thorny plant on your door (rose, bouganville...)will protect your home against bad influences entering it.
3. Crush a dry leaf with your hands while the clock strikes 12 tomorrow; all the while, think about what you want to change next year.
4.Decorate your table with fresh flowers and fruits, they attract prosperity.
5. Your decorating colours should be red and green, for good luck and money.
6. Drop something golden (real gold if possible) in your glass before you drink to the new year. That attracts money. A coin will do the same effect but don't swallow it!!
7.Write down the bad things that happened this year. Burn the paper.
8.If the year was awful, you should burn a calendar of this year. All the while, pray the Divine to help you remember the lessons this awful year brought you.
9. Light a star-shaped candle, make your wishes for 2007, and let it burn down.
10.If you light candles, they should be gold, white and red.
11. Start a new cake of soap on New Year's day. But don't let anybody else use it. This cake symbolizes a "cleaning up and starting over" in your life.
12.Write your wishes on red paper, and put them near a window, or cast them to the wind when you go out to party.
13.This is a simple one: after the clock strikes 12, smile or laugh the first thing! The best way to start the year!
14. Pour a little drink from your glass. A libation honours the divine and means sharing the prosperity and being thankful for it.1
5. A bowl with milk and honey (in the Bible, symbols of the abundance of the Promised Land)near the door mean also sharing and attracting prosperity.

The human being loves ritual, and it's quite natural. Rituals per se won't bring you luck or joy if you don't work for it, but they establish the purpose, are auspicious and make you feel the bounty you are aiming at. That's why I believe in rituals. Happy 2008 everybody!!!!!!!!!
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Merry Meet and Welcome!!

Well, for those of you who followed my blog at LiveJournal, welcome back, and don't be surprised if some of the posts there are reposted here. For the rest, hello and thank you for paying a visit. This is a blog of ramblings and musings not just about Wicca and Paganism, but about life in general-from the point of view of a middle-aged Wiccan woman.Not only will I speak about rituals and spells, but also about social issues, relationships, work, literature, culture...anything and everything. I hope you find my blog interesting, whether you are a Pagan or not.