Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

What isn’t witchcraft?

Tuesday, February 19th, 2008

 There is a difference between magic and magick and that distinction was brought about by Aleister Crowley when he added the K to the end of the more traditional spelling. Magick without the K now, for the better part denotes stage magic and parlor tricks, though the two words are still rather interchangeable. Witchcraft gets no such separation, though I’d bet many-a-Wiccan would love for there to be one.

 I watch the web for the term “witchcraft” and often search news sites for current events that revolve around the word. Excluding the gaming circles I find there is a 50/50 mix between the more standard “Wiccan” witchcraft and the standard practice of magick in general.

 During the ‘burning times’ any suspect of practicing magick was considered Witchcraft, and even today, such generalizations still hold pretty true. Countries from around the world have witchcraft laws which encompass any act of magick or spell casting.

 Even the dictionary gives a broad definition, though takes it a step further by saying that it’s an evil act, and again, I bet many a witch would disagree. Webster says that Witches even talk to the devil, though with all of the self proclaimed witches that I know, not one of them has bothered with such Christian trappings such as Satan or even demons. Good spirits and bad spirits yes, but the devil, well, not unless they also call upon God, and he certainly has no place in the tenants of most witches.

 I think that when Wicca was brought about they picked too broad of a term. A word all too often associated with evil. A title that has simply caused too much controversy and that has caused more problems, then solutions.

 Should the “good witches” of the western world keep such a title? I really don’t know, but I can say that I rarely use the word for fear of being stoned (with rocks silly) or worse, burned at the stake. I would honestly rather be called a “Wizard” and get snickered at because of the popularity of Harry Potter. Or a Mage and get poked fun of because of Dungeons And Dragons. At least those words don’t hurt as much…

Share This

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Recession and a Magick Garden

Wednesday, February 13th, 2008

I recently started a thread on Occult Corpus on Recession and the price of Vegetables, and while that thread was posted in the Homesteading forum there are magickal applications which can and do apply to the mindset of gardening, especially in times like these.

I am grateful now, more then ever, that I have moved out of the big city to live a simple life here with Cyndi. In the city there was really no option for a garden. There was no option for living off the land, there was no option for eating unprocessed food… but had times gotten much harder I may have been eating that cat food to make it through the next day.

The price of cat food is lower then buying canned human food. Likewise, it is now cheaper to by canned human food over making things from scratch. That fact is upsetting, but it’s also not an absolute fact. On can start a garden and off set much of the prices one finds in the grocery store.

Where does that leave me? Well, it leaves me appreciating that 85×60 foot garden out back just full of veggies. It leaves me with a taste for fresh eggs, and rooster meat. It leaves me with the money saved from not needing to waste gas on the next trip to the grocery store.

It also can go much deeper then your wallet. It can have a spiritual significance as well. By digging your hands into the earth, you can become one with the land. By planting seeds you become akin to the creator. By tending the plants you can provide, not only for yourself, but for the garden. By harvesting all that is sewn you not only save a few dollars, but you also have the fruits (or in ts case, veggies) of your labor.

If you have ever given a sacrifice to the greater spirits and they were happy, imagine the elation of using something you grew yourself! The rituals you use your own creations in will become more powerful, and the appreciation of such sacrifices by those you are offering too will also be seen in the final outcomes of your spells, prayers, and requests.

So whether or not you have a green thumb, plant something that you’ve grown, and you just may find you’ve grown spiritually as well.

Share This

Tags:
Posted in Uncategorized, magick | No Comments »

[PERS] Personal Emergency Response Systems

Monday, February 11th, 2008

People in magickal circles talk about magickal protection, healing, and other spells and rituals that can aid in making one safe from all sorts of harm, though sometimes magick is not enough, or at least some times it can take more then just a few herbs, a crystal, and some fancy words to make such protections truly happen. Even without magick, it can sometimes take more then just the “self” to keep one free from harm. So with that, self defense should be looked at through as many angles as possible.

A while back I had worries over the safety of a dear friend that arose from a rather stange dream. And while I know they have panic buttons for your car alarm, personal alarm systems, and the like those were not something that would work, as she was living in the middle of nowhere and should something of happened, no one would have been around to hear her yell for help, let alone some wailing electronic device.

So with that, I wrote a poem (based on that dream) and looked into other methods that could call for help should the need arise.

Worry (1) 4-31-05

You talked in your sleep last night
You had a dream
I talked to you of your plight
It was a bad dream
I now worry about you
You getting harmed
You spoke of the things he’d do
Now I’m alarmed
There are things that can be done
Take this advice
There’s things that can’t be undone
Don’t roll the dice
I can’t take this chance of risk
Listen to me
I will try to make this brisk
To make you see
You need a PERS for your purse
Your protection
And there is nothing else worse
You can not run
So protect yourself my dear
So please, this do
So *we* do not have to fear
And I love you

Worried about a loved one? a friend? Family member? Are you yourself prone to accident, or maybe your mother is growing feeble and you are concerned that she may harm herself?

You may want to look into a PERS system. It stands for Personal Emergency Response System. You can find a bit about it by reading up on it from the following links.
FTC: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/services/pers.htm
Pueblo: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/pers/pers.htm

Or if you are interested in buy one you can find one here. http://www.americanmedicalalarms.com

I got that site from the BBBonline page…so they got a good track record. AND they happen to be one of the cheapest systems available (that I found).

Because I care…
Q

Share This

Tags:
Posted in Dream, Uncategorized, family, poetry | No Comments »

Street Light Interference Syndrome

Tuesday, February 5th, 2008

There is a lady from Telscombe Cliffs, near Brighton, claims that she sporadically has the power to make lights flicker or outright blow (source). She says that on a bad day she has even caused her freezer to defrost leaving a pool of water on the floor of her kitchen. This phenomenon actually happens to a lot of people, or at least a lot of people believe that it happens to them. I am actually one of those people, or at least used to be.

 Growing up, if a light blew out in the house, there was a good chance I was there. I’ve had several brand new watches stop, and used to mess up the register at Radio Shack, to the point of the employees actually making jokes about it (I used to walk to radio shack to get batteries at least once a week, heh, I was in the battery club!).

 I’ve mentioned this effect on several forums, and there are several people that the same thing seems to happen too. Coincidence? Well, most skeptics seem to think so. They blame faulty wiring, bad timers, and happenstance on the effects. Though, if it’s some type of strange electrical issue  why does it seem to only effect certain individuals? That is a question I can not answer…

 It goes by one of a few names, two of which seem to have the same origin, the short version being Street Light Interference syndrome, or SLI, the second is a bit more Sci-Fi as it’s called Sliders (Street Light Interference Data Exchange Receiver), and is discussed in several parapsychologist circles (search for either term).  The other term is High Voltage Syndrome (HVS) and seems to be a bit more powerful in that those with such an affliction(?) can power a light bold by grasping it tightly.

 According to one article these effects have been recorded as far back as 1837, though sadly I can not seem to find any government studies that deal with any of the syndromes. Regardless though, reading the various articles on the subject that can be found on the web are fun to read. And personally, I feel that such a thing is possible, as there are simply too many people such things happen too to truly disbelieve.

Share This

Tags: ,
Posted in Uncategorized, magick | 1 Comment »

Riding the Magick Plane

Thursday, January 10th, 2008

Nevermind the magick bus, take a ride on a magickal plane! That’s what Chikumbutso Mponda of Ntchisi did, just remember to pack a magickal parachute (something Chikumbutso forgot to do). According to according to the Daily Times (Malawi) this fine young chap, along with a friend paid for a trip on a minibus from Lilongwe to his home village They seemingly could not afford fare for the entire trip so they got off at Mponda sometime late Christmas Eve. Fearing for their lives (I guess it’s dangerous there after dark) they decided to take a magick plane for the rest of the trip.

Unfortunately, Mponda fell from the magic plane after it flew over a house at Mponela Trading Centre, which was heavily protected magically. At least that is what Kondwani Kandiado (a police Public Relations Office) said. He went on to say that the owners of the home stripped him and confiscated all of his belongings.

Of course the office also said that the people that found him were just returning from a drinking spree, so their word must be accurate. On their word, and by law, Chikumbutso Mponda was sentenced to five years hard labor without options.

It’s good that the governments around the world are making a stand against the evils of witchcraft.

Share This

Tags:
Posted in Uncategorized, news | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »