I have no idea what to write for this week's Pagan Experience, so in case I can't come up with something last minute, here are some previous posts I've done for the Pagan Blog Project!
Showing posts with label pbp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pbp. Show all posts
Monday, May 25, 2015
Friday, January 2, 2015
Pagan Blog Project 2014
I'll be sad to see the PBP go. It was a great way for me to keep up with blogging in 2014, especially during graduate school. It was also a great way to connect me to other bloggers, too, and I'll really be missing that connection.
Thanks to all who read my blog from PBP, thanks to the community, and thanks to the facilitators. It was a great project, and I look forward to future endeavors!
Friday, September 19, 2014
Pagan Blog Project – week 38 – S#2 – Salamander
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| my mind: ???? (https://lovegodbob.files.wordpress.com) |
Pagan Blog Project – week 38 – S#2 – Salamanders
Salamanders used to confuse me. I remember being a Baby Pagan and reading
about the elemental correspondences to the directions. I was familiar with the concept of elementalsthrough playing Dungeons and Dragons (true story) and elements and directions
are simple enough, but I was confused about the elemental creatures and how
they corresponded to the directions and physical elements. This is especially true with South, fire, and
the salamander (and less so with the other three elements, elementals, and
directions.)
So, in most traditions, the elemental
creature that corresponds to the direction of South and the element of fire is
the Salamander. What confused me was
that I associated salamanders, reptiles, amphibians, and lizards with
water. For some reason, lizards and
salamanders seemed slimy and moist to me, slippery and fluid, not at all like
the fiery, darting, flashing associations of fire. This really bothered me for a long time.
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| adorable and moist. My mind: fire??? (http://zolanimals.tumblr.com/) |
Throughout this year, one of the Pagan Groups I’m involved in has been teaching workshops and generally focusing on the Spirits
of Place. It was through exploring this
topic that I finally began to understand salamanders and their association with
fire, and it wasn’t until I did some good old fashioned research that I found
out the answer. (aka Google and
Wikipedia).
So, elementals are a common idea found throughout
folklore, but it wasn’t until the 16th century and an alchemist
named Paracelsus finally wrote his thoughts down, thus making it “official.” The reason he and others put salamanders in
the south and with fire was because they all thought that salamanders came from
fire. What would happen was that during
cold months, salamanders would go and hide in wood piles where things were nice
and cozy and protected from the harsh weather.
People would bring the wood in from outside, add the wood to their
fires, and then salamanders would go scattering everywhere, as if springing up from
the flames themselves. Because of this,
people thought that salamanders came from the fire (rather than coming from the
wood that was eventually set on fire) so that is how salamanders become
associated with the element of fire, which is associated with the south.
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| my mind: ah ha! (http://freedomfortooting.files.wordpress.com) |
But the more I thought about this, the more I
realized how wrong I was about salamanders and lizards and other crawly
guys. I spent my youth in the Southwest,
where there are plenty of lizards and not much water. In addition to having associations with fire
and salamanders, many cultures have stories of fire breathing dragons and other
majestic, powerful, and fiery creatures.
The association is simple, really, I just
overthink things! (or don’t use enough common sense… but the end result
is still the same.) And I’m happy for my
new-found knowledge and understanding of South, fire, and the salamander, because
finally, the elements are complete to me in a way they were not before!
What’s
something really obvious about Pagans that took you a long time to learn or
understand that you’re embarrassed to admit?
Don’t hold back! We’ve all been
there! Share it in the comments and we’ll
all laugh together!
Friday, September 12, 2014
Pagan Blog Project – week 37 – S#1 – Simple Self-Love Spell
Pagan Blog Project – week 37 – S#1 – A Simple Self-Love Spell
Here
is a little self-acceptance charm I kept with me while I was managing a coffee
shop and struggling with depression in a bad way. Not only is it good for self-acceptance, but
it also helps you be patient and more loving with others. When you can accept yourself, you’re more
likely to accept others, and vice versa.
Love ripples and expands, then bounces back and multiplies in infinite ways,
so here is an easy way to bring a little more love into your life and into the
lives of those with whom you interact.
You
will need a bottle of impatiens flower essence. Impatiens is a good flower essence to use for those who struggle with
impatience (naturally), tension, intolerance, and general anxiety and
stress. The flower essence helps you to
be calm and more harmonious. It helps
you find a balance and rhythm in your life, and reminds you to be patient with
yourself and others.
What
is your power number, your favorite number, or your lucky number? Hold the bottle in your power hand (are you
right or left-handed? Use which ever
hand is your dominant hand.) Shake the
bottle of flower essence while reciting quietly or out loud the qualities you’d
like to bring into your life. I would
say “by the power of three times three times three, I bring love and patience
to me!” And as you will it, so mote it
be, blessed be!
Now,
take the essence and drop a few drops into your tea, coffee, or water first
thing in the morning. Working in a
coffee shop I’d often have coffee first thing, so into my coffee it would
go. I’d recommend 3-4 drops. It won’t change the flavor of your drink at
all, especially if you only use a little bit.
Before
you take a sip, think of the qualities you’d like to bring into your life that
day. Blow your intentions, your energy,
and your breath over the surface of the liquid until it is spinning
clockwise. Take your first sip, and
offer a blessings to the Cosmos in thanks for the love and care it has given
and continues to give you. So mote it
be!
Keep
the tincture into a special place. I
kept mine in a silky, pink pouch along with a tiny piece of pink tourmaline. Pink stones in general are
good for love, including romantic love, universal love, and self-love.
Pink tourmaline reminds us that to love ourselves is to love others, and to love
others is to love ourselves. (It pairs
perfectly with impatient!) Some use it
as a protective stone, but it also promotes love, sympathy, patience, and
friendships. It helps keep you aware of
yourself and how you connect to others, as well as how you connect to the
Universe. It helps those who suffer from
depression and anxiety to find more balance in their lives, and it helps keep
emotions into perspective, balancing the mind and heart.
Remember
to be patient and kind to yourself. If
you’re not your own best friend, how can you expect to be a friend to anyone
else? How can you expect others to give
you what you cannot give yourself?
Bless!
(I must give credit where credit is due! The "blowing on your morning tea" spell comes from my Bee-Friend, who taught a workshop on herbal magic at a Pagan retreat I went to many years ago. The flower essence for impatience was recommended to me from the owner of a local new age shop, who gifted me with the piece of pink tourmaline when she knew I was going through hard times. Love to both of them for their kind gifts and the lessons they have both taught me over the years. I am blessed to have kind, generous, and knowledgeable teachers and friends in my life!)
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