Pagan Blog Prompt “All in the genes?”

Tags

hereditary magic, magic witchcraft, nurture vs. nature, religious upbringing, witchcraft vs. magic

Got the idea for this post from http://paganprompts.blogspot.com/2012/01/prompt-all-in-genes.html.  If you are ever hit with writers block or just need a little nudge Pagan Blog Prompts is the place to go!

Nature versus Nurture is a huge academic debate on topics ranging from behavior to disease but how does nature versus nurture work in relation to magic and witchcraft?

First let’s discuss the difference between magic and witchcraft. To my way of thinking Magic is something that happens without practice. Sometimes I know my sister is calling me, I know my brother is feeling an emotion, I know husband is about to phone, I know my child is hurt. That is magic. I don’t try to make anything happen, it just does. Because there is no crafting, no coercing going on, I call this (intuition and premonitions) magic.

Witchcraft, on the other hand, is conscious spell casting, charm making, divination and the like. It is not automatic and requires a conscious effort so it’s witchcraft.

Ok so now we have specific definitions of what is magic and what is witchcraft.

Magic is innate. Witchcraft available to everyone regardless of birth or parents or adoption or religious upbringing. Witchcraft is a choice whereas magic is not.

"The Garden of Health," Antwerp, 1533. In Witchcraft Medicine, Claudia Muller-Ebeling et al.

But what about Herbal magic or Tarot? Is everyone who can plant a garden and follow a potion recipe a witch?  Can anyone who deals tarot also divine?  In my opinion, anyone can make potions and anyone can divine using cards although some are better at potions and cards than others. I feel the same about scrying, runes, geomancy, necromancy, spell casting or any other practice of witch crafting.

People with abundant innate magic may not be great tarot readers or scryers because the activity does not tap into the magic they possess in their genes.

I believe all people possess magic. I believe it is in the genes. Like pigment it varies from person to person and is changeable based on nature that impacts the person before birth and throughout life and death.

I also feel that the people with the least genetic magic can learn to develop and nurture the magic in them becoming more adept at witchcraft through practice and determination.

Humanity is magical but not everyone is a powerful witch in the same way that humanity is musical but not everybody is Mozart.

The magic is in you! It’s in your genes you can nurture it and it will grow through your craft!

We’ve Been Tagged! 11 random things

Tags

11 things, chain blogging, interview, random things, tagged

Hannah, across the pond, at http://thesilenceofthemoon.blogspot.com, has tagged us!

 Rules:
1. post these rules.
2. you must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
4. create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. go to their blog and tell them that you’ve tagged them.
6. no stuff in the tagging section about ‘you are tagged if you are reading this.’ blah blah blah, you legitimately have to tag 11 people!

11 random things about Storybook.

1.  Reading and writing were my least favorite activities as a child. 

2. I accidentally kill easy to grow plants, like spiderwort (wandering jew) and cacti and pumpkins.  But I can grow difficult plants like poppies and roses and apples just fine.

3. I used to jump off of things, like trees, and ‘run’ pretending I could fly.

4. Friday the 13th is a holiday in my house.

5.  I loath chamomile tea, so much so that I call it “pee tea.”

6.  I like to play Sudoku.

7.  Peppermint Patties are my favorite candy treat.

8.  Apple Brown Betty is my favorite dessert.

9. I’m still stubbornly looking for my patron goddess. Even though I have been, not so gently, nudged by one on whom’s feast day I was born. It seems we are both very stubborn.

10. I love to get things in the mail.  It turns an average day into a Wow Day!

11. My favorite type of playing is decorating but I rarely (like $20 a year) spend money on decorating. Not spending money is part of the game.  I make things, find them on curbs and in piles on big trash day.  I even get free paint from the cities hazardous waste recycling center. 

11 random things about Pyper.

1.  I used to play WoW

2.  I enjoy paperwork and data entry.

3.  It upsets me when I make little mistakes.

4.  I have a sense of accomplishment when I finish housework.

5.  I play the flute.

6.  When I was a teenager I refused to learn to cook and told my mom I would marry a man who could cook for me.  I did but I cook 99% of the time and usually enjoy it.

7.  I prefer live plants or seeds to cut flowers.

8.  I want to sell my house.

9.  I don’t like to admit I like the color pink.

10.  Someday I want a window seat.

11.  My top three TV shows are Bones, Eureka and a tie between Firefly and Castle.

And now the quiz! Storybook and Pyper

1 Where is your favourite place? Why? Under a blanket with a cup of Spiced tea and a good book in front of the fire.  Because it’s cold outside and that would make me warm!  My papasan because I can curl up with my cat and a blanket or sprawl with a book.
2 How do you like to relax? Ha!  If I had the time I would take a long bath with music, a tray of strawberries, and candles and that good book! On the back of a motorcycle of course if it’s too cold for that I bake.
3 What is your favourite smell? Wild violets and peppermint Tea Tree Oil and moist dirt
4 What are your hobbies? Reading, writing, drawing, blogging, gardening reading, riding a motorcycle, baking, watching movies, crafting
5 What is your favourite animal? Why? Well hmm, that’s a good one.  I love my pets but in the bigger sense polar bears are my favorite because of the power they have, the love they show, and their vulnerability. Other than my pets, sea creatures particularly of the starfish variety and octopi.  Of course dolphins.  How cool would it be to be able to regrow limbs!? Octopi are just cool, they have eyes tat are built and function just like we do.  They need to play, have personalities, and if an arm gets cut off it keeps going. Not to mention the whole squeeze into itty-bity places and change color pieces. Octopi are also very intelligent but not as smart as dolphins (that we have been able to show… yet).
6 What was your favourite subject at school? Why? I loved social studies in the primary grades and electives (art, yearbook, and drama) thereafter. History, I am not fond of dates but the stories and things we can learn enthrall me. 
7 What is your favourite book? Origins of the Sacred: The Ecstasies of Love and War, by Dudley Young. I have to pick one?!  One book is never enough… Anne McCaffrey’s Dragons of Pern series, JK Rowlings Harry Potter Series and A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.
8 What was the last thing you ate? low-fat whipped strawberry yogurt white cheddar cheese-its
9 What is your favourite computer game? I don’t play computer games… so I guess Pinterest!? Plants vs Zombies or Hexalot
10 Are you more introverted or extroverted? It depends on my mood and the people I’m with.  As a Leo sun sign and Virgo moon sign I have both tendencies. Introverted although I get into ‘weird’ moods where the opposite is true.
11 What is your favourite song? At this very moment I have “Ordinary Day” by Great Big Sea tuck in my head. I love almost all types of music though so I have no single favorite genre or song.  This is tough, Natasha Beddingfields Pocket full of Sunshine, Godsmack’s Voodoo and Saints and Sinners or anything by Korn. Ooo and The Christians and the Pagans by Dar Williams.

The 11 questions you lucky eleven get to answer…

1. What is your earliest memory?

2. If you had to chose would you rather live in a place of seasonal extremes (snow in winter and swimming in summer) or in a stable climate (50 to 80 degree) location?

3. What is your favorite book?  Why?

4. Do you prefer Lemons or Limes?

5. Do you believe in reincarnation?

6. Where does your happiness come from?

7. Which is your favorite season?

8. City or Country?

9. Favorite type of vehicle?

10. Favorite Dinner and Dessert?

11. What is your favorite children’s movie?

So now we pass this on to you!

The Village Witch.
http://www.thevillagewitch.co.uk/blog-news/

Go out beneath the naked night.
http://gooutbeneaththenakednight.blogspot.com

Riding on a broomstick.
http://homespunpaganmom.blogspot.com

Jasmoon Butterfly.
http://jasmoonbutterfly.blogspot.com

Leaping Frog Designs.
http://leapingfrogdesigns.blogspot.com

Green Witch with Sprinkles.
http://greenwitchwithsprinkles.blogspot.com

Frosted Petunias.
http://frostedpetunias.blogspot.com

Adventures of the Striped Stockings.
http://adventuresofthestripedstockings.blogspot.com

Cottage Garden Studios.
http://rowenleaf.blogspot.com/

Forecast is Witchy with a Little Bitchy.
http://forecastiswitchywithalittlebitchy.blogspot.com/

Incipient Wings.
http://marfibradford.blogspot.com/

New Year’s Superstitions and Resolutions

Tags

New Year's Resolutions, New Year's Superstitions

What are your resolutions?  I didn’t have any.  Not one.  Not on purpose but just because I hadn’t thought about it.  My dd spent New Year’s Day reviewing some superstitions though, her favorites are:

• The first-footer (preferably a handsome man) should bring bread into the house.
• Black eyed peas are a must because they bring good luck for the upcoming year.
• Wearing something new on New Year’s Day will encourage the acquisition of new clothes throughout the year.
• Avoid eating chicken or other poultry as it will invite poverty.
• No Laundry is to be washed on New Years Day because it puts family at risk of being washed away during the first month of the year.

Now we’re all set for next year!  Pyper’s post really got me thinking.  What can I improve about myself?  Well the list is long and tiresome, for sure!  But I’ve got it whittled down to these few resolutions that I’ll try to stick with!

1. Physical and Spiritual health, wellness, and fitness have got to be a priority.
2. I will grow food and eat it and preserve the leftovers.
3. I will occupy my time with useful and creative activities that do not involve the computer. (EEEEEE!!!)
4. I will not micromanage the kids but allow them the time to surprise me, to succeed, or to fail, in their own way.  If they do not recover from failures now they won’t know how to recover as adults.

I can’t remember the resolutions of 2011 so I have no idea if I stuck with them or not.  Probably not – I think I’d remember!  These 2012 resolutions (especially the off-the-computer one) are going to be tough- but I want these resolutions to become my realities.  Cross your fingers! Did you make resolutions?  What are they?  How are they working out now that week one of 2012 is behind us?

 

Hello 2012

Has everyone made a resolution? I made plenty as usual and will continue to make more throughout this January. I guess I just don’t put enough thought into the first one! My sister got me a book to help with one of my resolutions in particular {with out even knowing I had made that particular decision}. I haven’t gotten farther than scanning the contents, and a chapter.  It lists some modern issues that many pagans face. Hopefully I will open it and work with these thoughts regularly enough to spend more time on my own spirituality. I feel that I have hit one of those proverbial walls {a short one, more of a curb than a wall}, I don’t know what to research or where to look when inspiration does occur. I think this book will help, probably more than I am willing to admit yet.  The book is Llewellyn’s 2012 Witches’ Companion: An Almanac for Everyday Living published by Llewellyn Publications.  The ISBN is 978-0-7387-1211-6 for any one who wants to purchase this book. I am sure as I work through it I will be commenting from time to time about what I discover.

God’s Wife

Tags

editing the feminine, God's wife, Goddess

I have never reblogged a post before but this one is so incredibly deserving.  It was originally posted by Head Yenta on her blog, Yo, Yenta! Enjoy!

“”"”"

That Would Be “Ms. God” to You

Have you heard that God had a wife?

Eminent religion scholar Dr. Francesca Stavrakopoulou has revived and enriched the theory that our single dad of a God actually had a partner at one point—before some misogynistic scribes edited her out of the Torah. After examining ancient texts, fertility goddess artifacts and quotes from the Tanach itself, Dr. Stavrakopoulou posits that the first Jews worshipped both Yahweh and a female entity called Asherah at the David’s Temple in Jerusalem.

“After years of research specializing in the history and religion of Israel, I have come to a colorful and what could seem, to some, uncomfortable conclusion that God had a wife,” the Exeter professor told Discovery News.

Yes, there will be people who find the idea so blasphemous that it will cause them lifelong diarrhea. But I think it makes complete sense—there are references to the Divine Feminine (known as the Shekinah) tucked away in the Kabbalah, and even as little Shalom Schoolers we’re told that “it is a Tree of Life to those who hold fast to it.”

But while it’s nice to have rational proof that the Great Woman used to exist in our daily prayers, truth needs no validation, really. As a mother having giving birth to a daughter, it’s just plain OBVIOUS that Womanhood is the foundation of Creation. Did you know baby girls are born with all of their eggs—their potential children—already formed? This chain that links allllll the way back to the Beginning. “Asherah” translates as “sacred tree,” and parallels the great Goddess names of Ishtar, Astarte and Ostara—so none of this is news to anyone who knows damn well this place couldn’t have been created without Divine Female presence.

So where is She? And how did the world get sidetracked into the greedy, gluttonous, totally-out-of-whack, sacred-word-bastardizing patriarchy we’re dealing with now?

I have my own theory. Like any marriage, Goddess wanted to support her husband in this new endeavor of Making a World, but when She saw how He was running things, She had to speak up. She was probably all “Dear, what in the name of Heaven are you doing? Giant lizards with teeth? Please. And I’ve told you ten million times that letting those monkeys split atoms is a terrible idea!”

Then he called her an Astronomical Nag and told Her that everything was completely under control and that She should go cook something, which made Her so mad She sunk Atlantis. (Time management may have also been a bone of contention. After all, He says He made the world in six days; science says it was more like four billion years.)

She finally got so fed up with his dirty towels and raging floods and cosmic-range ADD and need to be right all the time that she decided to take a little break. Sure, it seems like, well, forever, but it’s the time relativity thing; to us, it’s been eons, to Her, it’s an extended vacation.

She’s probably hanging out with Her friends climbing the mountains of Mercury, writing totally epic poetry and putting the finishing touches on Her own calm and orderly Universe where idiotic things like “corporate personhood,” the underage Vietnamese sex trade and genetically-modified food aren’t even a possibility. God’ wife isn’t gone, She’s just on sabbatical.

And when She gets back, She’s going to be really pissed at the mess.

“”"”"

Post it Note Tuesday :: Witchy Wisdom

Tags

banish winter colds, cure the common cold, magical properties of cinnamon, magical properties of honey

 

This is not a replacement for medical advice.  If you need to see a Medical Professional by all means -GO!  Use this brew in addition to any other cold medicine and or Professional Medical advice.

Magical properties commonly attributed to cinnamon are: increased spirituality, overall healing, increasing psychic powers, for protection, to manifest love and to gain knowledge.

The magical Healing properties of cinnamon that have been verified by the medical community include: soothing sore throats and coughs, banishing indigestion, stomach cramps, intestinal spasms, nausea, and flatulence, stimulating appetite, and treating diarrhea. Cinnamon also slows the growth of yeasts and bacterias, helps reduce inflammation, helps lower blood sugars, keeps the heart healthy, and lowers  bad cholesterol.  Cinnamon is amazing!

Honey can aid in a myriad of magical ways.  It is generally associated with youth, fertility, health, and prosperity.  It is the essence of abundance and adds and extra pop to most magical dishes (especially drinks and desserts)!

Some of the magical Healing properties of honey that have been verified by the medical community include: quicker healing when dressing wounds, ingesting to shed water weight, clear lymph nodes and balance the lymph fluids, dry out the sinuses and increase circulation, aid the healing of ulcers, reducing stomach and upper gi tract complaints, sooth the throat, and reduce allergies (only local honey, the closer the better).

So mix it up and stay healthy this winter!  ~EMD

Post-it-note Tuesday ::: Witchy Wisdom

Tags

magical healing, magickal healing, mint

My kids are active.  They are rough and tumble, tree-climbing, mountain biking, can’t sit still, run and play, “Mom! Let’s go!” kind of kids.  Their activities cause a number of scrapes, bangs, bumps and bruises.  To put a magic push in the healing of accidents and wounded pride I keep a little spray bottle of mint water close at hand.  Mint is a powerful herb that does all kind of good things when grown, housed, worn, carried and ingested.  I spray a bit of mint water on the cloth wrapped around the ice pack and apply the minty cold pack to the bump.  Just today the kids were playing soccer and my son, working on his head-butt, caught the ball with his face instead of his forehead.  OUCH! The mint worked to sooth his pain, cool the area, calm his emotions, stop the sniffles and aid in the healing of his cheek and of his wounded pride.  Mint is a magical must have!

If you’d like to join in the fun grab the button from the side bar and start. You can make your post-its HERE.  Comment below and I’ll come see you next Tuesday!  Bright Blessings ~ EMD

S. M. Stirling; pagan author.

Tags

Dies the Fire, Emberverse series, Fluffy Bunny, S.M. Stirling, The Change

S.M. Stirling is a great writer.  He is writing a book series that starts in 1998, when the world as we know it ended, and no one really knows why.  They call the end of the world, “the change.” One of the main characters, Norman Arminger, is a history professor turned war-lord who takes over the Portland area, moves into the library, and attempts to turn the area into a feudal society.  Another main character is Juniper Mackenzie who refuses to bow to Norman’s authority.  She is a Wiccan priestess and bard.  She and many of her coven escape to her retreat house where they had gathered previously.  Rudi is a member of the next generation, the change generation. As an adult he utters the quote I included in the widget.  It’s a beautifully developed dystopian future and the series is seven books long… at this point.  Book one is called, “Dies the Fire”.  Here’s a link to the first eleven chapters. Check it out – I bet you like it!

Post it note Tuesday::: Witchy Wisdom

I have been quite busy with college, teaching, magical learning, holidays and home renovations.  Sometime the activities overwhelm but not tonight.  Tonight I put all the rest aside and focused, really focused for about two hours, on my children.  I am so thankful to have them and giving them my undivided attention made me remember.  So today’s very late bit of witchy wisdom is this…

Join in the fun!  Grab the button and visit the mom behind the Witchy Wisdom Post-it notes! http://momsawitch.blogspot.com

Yule Blog Party!

Tags

blog party, Yule blog

I’ve been looking for just one Yule party to join but there are so many and they all look so inviting!  It was a difficult choice but I have picked this one.

I am so busy with everything else in life I can only participate in one party, not that I’m complaining – I’d rather be busy than bored!  I found Sally’s website so comfortable and familiar.  Her magical ways seem close to mine.  I was not born into an openly practicing witchy family like her (the lucky duck) but it does seem that my family’s nature crafts, traditions and ‘superstitions’ have deep roots quite similar to the beliefs I can glean from Sally’s blog.

So join me at this party, fly over to Sally’s blog to sign up!  Click the link below.

http://www.thevillagewitch.co.uk/2011/11/join-our-yule-magic-blog-party/

Warmth and Light~ EMD