Category: Guest Authors

The Wiccan Rede Project: Raven Digitalis

by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors, Religion, Wiccan Rede Project, Wiccan/Pagan

‘Will’ & the Wiccan Rede
An Extract from “Goth Craft: The Magickal Side of Dark Culture”
By Raven Digitalis (used with the author’s permission)

In his book Magick in Theory and Practice (Castle Books, 1991), Aleister Crowley defines magick as “The Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will.” This may sound like a very simple and straightforward definition, which it is, but the magician must really dissect what these words mean in order to come to a fuller grasp of the process. I have found Mr. Crowley’s definition to be not too far off from many other occultists’ personal viewpoints, regardless of their level of respect for the guy. To first analyze this statement, we must understand what Crowley meant by “will.” To draw a correlation with modern witchcraft, the final stanza of the fifty-two lined Wiccan Rede is this:

Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill:
An’ it harm none, do what ye will.

This is a modification of Crowley’s spiritual principle “Do what thou Wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” This is one of the primary phrases of Thelemic philosophy, which is said to have been delivered by spiritual means to Crowley and his wife while in Cairo, Egypt on their honeymoon.

After his wife Rose began experiencing a number of occurrences in which she channeled arcane spiritual messages, Crowley administered a sequence of tests that showed that Rose possessed information impossible to know without massive amounts of prior research, apparently delivered to her from legitimate external sources. Crowley later identified these sources as the Secret Chiefs (Masters) of the Great White Brotherhood (Lodge), who are seen as a number of ascended masters who uphold evolutionary consciousness on the earth plane.

The height of the Cairo working was Crowley’s instruction to sit in a temple at noon for an hour on three successive days to receive a channeling from an external source himself. It was then that Crowley received a transmission that became known as Liber AL vel Legis (Liber CCXX): The Book of the Law. The book was later researched and declared genuine by a number of occultists. The being that delivered the information identified himself as Aiwass, who became recognized as Crowley’s Holy Guardian Angel.

The cryptic Egypt-centered philosophies delivered in The Book of the Law became the primary teachings of the path of Thelema, the magick of which works to push the practitioner to individually find the way to connect with the higher, cosmic self or God-self, thus uncovering one’s True Will (cosmic destiny) in order to achieve the Great Work: that which we are destined to achieve during our incarnation. Another message delivered in the channelings of Aiwass was “Thou hast no right but to do thy Will,” stating that all things done in life in accordance with one’s True Will are correct and spiritual, while anything done out of line and against one’s will is incorrect and thus sinful.

Like Crowley’s channeled philosophies, the final line of the Wiccan Rede does not mean “go ahead and do whatever the hell you want.” If the Thelemic definition of will is taken into account, it portrays the fact that all acts of magick are part of one’s life-plan and that magickal practitioners help uphold the world in which we exist. This includes 100% personal responsibility for any action one takes. It does not mean pursuing all temptations and pleasures of the flesh; nor does it mean to invite ego or chaos above morality. At the same time, it doesn’t mean to disregard them. It means uncover your destiny and follow it accordingly through conscious thought. One’s destiny is one’s life path; that which is meant to be accomplished. This includes both one’s greater destiny or life’s work as well as every moment of being; that which constructs the bigger picture. Thelemic magicians call the accurate following of one’s True Will the “Great Work.”

Gerald Gardner and Aleister Crowley were in contact whilst developing their own magickal systems: Crowley, the Thelemic magick of the OTO under his leadership, and Gardner, modern Wicca. They exchanged an unknown amount of material that helped one another form their magickal systems. They also interacted with other magicians and witches of the time, who exchanged multiple ideas and traditions between themselves. We do know that Gardner was initiated in Crowley’s OTO. While Gardner and Crowley’s relationship remains more or less ambiguous to this day, it’s speculated that the final lines of the Rede, which are seen in a similar form in Gardner’s Old Laws (Gardner did not write the Rede we are now familiar with), are modifications of Crowley’s input. It has even been speculated that Crowley actually wrote most of Gardner’s original Book of Shadows upon receiving payment to do so! Still others believe that Gerald Gardner modified Doreen Valiente’s writing The Witches’ Creed to form portions of his Old Laws, or that he created lines now integrated in the Rede as a combination of the Creed and the Thelemic Law. Other theorists who do believe Gardner had a strong influence in the creation of the Rede believe that he simply borrowed lines from Crowley’s material in the process of creating modern Wicca. For example, a couple of lines from Crowley’s Gnostic Mass are used word-for-word in the invocation of Drawing Down the Moon. The Drawing Down is accredited to Doreen Valiente, the first Priestess of Gardnerian Wicca.

In the Ostara 1975 issue of The Green Egg periodical, Lady Gwen (Gwynne) Thompson published The Rede of the Wiccæ (which is the Wiccan Rede), attributing the material to her deceased paternal grandmother Adriana Porter, who was said to have gotten it from earlier sources. Is this the origin of the Rede, and if so, how did Ms. Porter compile her material? We do know that Lady Gwen’s version was circulated among members of the New England Covens of Traditionalist Witches (NECTW). Regardless of the text’s origins, which are as of now unknown, the idea of will in both systems remains very much aligned. They are very similar and carry the same message: do the life’s work that you are meant to do.

Author’s Bio:
Raven Digitalis (Missoula, MT) is the author of Shadow Magick Compendium: Exploring Darker Aspects of Magickal Spirituality and Goth Craft: The Magickal Side of Dark Culture, both on Llewellyn. He is a Neopagan Priest and cofounder of the “disciplined eclectic” shadow magick tradition and training coven Opus Aima Obscuræ, and is a radio and club DJ of Gothic and industrial music. Also trained in Georgian Witchcraft and Buddhist philosophy, Raven has been a Witch since 1999, a Priest since 2003, and an Empath all of his life. Raven holds a degree in anthropology from the University of Montana and is also an animal rights activist, black-and-white photographic artist, Tarot reader, and is the co-owner of Twigs & Brews Herbs, specializing in bath salts, herbal blends, essential oils, and incenses. He has appeared on the cover of newWitch magazine, is a regular contributor to The Ninth Gate magazine, and has been featured on MTV News and the ‘X’ Zone Radio program. Visit Raven at www.ravendigitalis.com and www.myspace.com/oakraven.

Season of Light

by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors

by Sandra Kynes

The recent presidential campaign and economic news has been dominated by the words “crisis” and “change”. Along these lines, a commentator on my local National Public Radio station observed how the Chinese Mandarin word “weiji” meant both crisis and opportunity. That little tidbit piqued my curiosity and with a little research I found a translation of the word on the Chicago Tribune’s website that was more illuminating. The second part of the word, “ji”, also means crucial point or the point at which something begins or changes.

The crucial or change point that I see as a silver lining in the dark clouds of financial trouble is the opportunity to step out of the materialistic quagmire in which our culture has become stuck. Several years ago in his book and video series “Sacred Balance”, environmentalist David Suzuki pointed out that we had traded material wealth for spiritual poverty. Given our current economic situation, now would be a great time to begin our withdrawal from hyper consumerism and shift the focus a little more toward our spiritual lives. This is especially important with the holiday season approaching.

I have always loved Thanksgiving Day because of its focus on gathering with family and friends to share time together over a special meal. Unfortunately from there the holiday season turns into a shopping frenzy. This year, however, instead of struggling and feeling bad because our budgets are tight, we could turn the situation around and make it serve as our personal change point. Rather than going crazy about a long list of things to buy, we could change our focus and begin something new for the holiday season. After all, do most of us really need more stuff?

Rather than stressing out over what we can’t afford this year we have an opportunity to jump off the rush-around-and-spend merry-go-round. We can find new ways to be more creative, but more importantly, we can find our own deeper meaning for the holiday season. After all, many cultures have celebrated this time of year long before malls and online shopping. I can’t help but think of the Grinch who took away the Who’s holiday trappings… but Christmas arrived just the same in Whoville.

The winter holiday season has always seemed a little more special; a little more magical, but in recent years it seems that we’ve lost touch with something. Since ancient times this season of the winter solstice has carried a lifted sense of anticipation because it brings light and hope. The winter solstice is a turning point in the wheel of the year where time seems suspended – almost as though nature holds her breath until that special sunrise occurs and we know we’ve made it through the longest night of the year. If we can imagine what the world was like without the brightness of electric light we may gain an inkling of how extraordinary this event is.

Another aspect is that winter light is different; it’s not as glaring and bright as summer light. And of course, there’s less of it. As a result, we tend to draw closer to one another, gathering around a fireplace or dinner table lit by candles. We hunker down together around this softer light. When the days begin to grow longer, we celebrate because we know that spring and renewal is on the way.

The softer quality of winter light helps us look within. This subtle gift that winter offers encourages us to slow down and follow our spiral of energy inward. Like the stillness of winter, if we sit in silence we can begin to find things under the surface – buried in the snow of daily life waiting for the right combination of warmth and light to germinate and grow. It may take a little practice to quiet the squawking parrot of everyday thought, but with patience we can move beyond this noise into deeper self.

What we find can amaze us because at the center, at the core of who we are is light and joy. This journey inward is like the journey through the dark of the year to the winter solstice. Whether we use the symbols of a returning sun, sun god, or son of god, the light is there to give us hope. Even though we travel this annual cycle individually, sharing the joy and hope with others deepens the experience and strengthens the bonds of community.

At this critical point that world events has given us, we can scramble in fear and stress out about how our lives may never be the same, or we can accept it as a gift. This is a gift that can bring us back to (or help us find for the first time) who we truly are. We can discover new levels of spirituality both individually and with others as we follow the simple ageless traditions of celebrating the light within as well as the light around us.

Author Bio:

Sandra Kynes describes herself as an explorer of Celtic history, myth and magic. Her curiosity has led her to investigate the roots of her beliefs, and through the years she has been working to integrate her spiritual path with everyday life. Sandra tends to see the world a little differently than most people. She likes finding underlying similarities and connections and then crafting new ways to interact with the world around her. These investigations have resulted in seven books so far. Her website is at www.kynes.net.


Apologies to Jim Norris

by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors

A while back, and by a while I mean all the way back in January of this year, a very nice man by the name of Jim Norris contacted me. Do I ever feature poetry? This was a new question for me and I responded that I would gladly feature the poem he sent me, but to bear with me while I found a home for it on our website. Push forward to September 2008. Um, yeah, well, to sum up, I suck. This poor man by now must have assumed our readers would never see his lovely poem. Surprise! It has made it! Finally. My sincerest apologies to Jim.

Travel the Darkness

Can you journey into the night with me
Can you stand strong when beholding the darkness within
Once the eye of your soul has become accustomed to the dimness of my soul
Can you live with what has been revealed
Let us soar into the inky blackness of a New Moon sky
Let us have faith in instincts passed on to us from the ancients that lived before
Once you trust and the skin of your soul has become accustomed to the coolness of a midnight caress
Can you live again without that sensation
We must make the pilgrimage into that which cannot be foreseen
We must shatter the preconceived notions born out of our experiences
Once your bones have felt the chill of my history
Can you live with what has been exposed
It begins in this moment

Bio:
Jim Norris has been a practicing solitary since 2001 in the Kansas City area. He has worked for and/or on behalf of several corporate entities including Hallmark Cards and the Walt Disney Corporation.

Feel free to leave him a message at www.myspace.com/kansastwisterjn

Catching Up With Christopher

by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors, Interviews, Wiccan/Pagan

I first met Christopher Penczak back in August of 2007, so a year ago. Everything you hear is true; he is an incredibly friendly, very down to earth kind of guy. I recently got back in touch with Christopher and suggested my readers might like a little note as to what’s been going on with him. Just like the super nice guy he is, he sent me a letter to share with you.

08/24/08

Hi Everyone,

Things are unfolding as they should in my world, which means both joys and challenges. The challenges have been dealing with the continued side effects of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy with my mom, who is still clear of all cancer thankfully. She’s suffering from edema pretty severely, which is making life a challenge for myself and my Dad. We thank everybody who has been sending reiki, magick, prayers and kind notes. We all really and truly appreciate it. Despite the challenge, I see her recovery as such a blessing and life is good.

I’m in the midst of my final edits for The Living Temple of Witchcraft Volume I: The Descent of the Goddess. I should be wrapped up before my busy season begins, Sept- Nov, with festivals, classes, Samhain and a Midwest tour. I’m in various stages with a few other books too, but Volume One and Two are both complete and in production. I was recently initiated as a High Priest in the first tradition I ever studied, and did not have a chance to complete, the Cabot Tradition of Witchcraft, and I’m quite honored. Laurie was my first serious teacher and I’m blessed to be able to experience this with her. The daturas in my garden are blooming quite nicely, and I recently enjoyed a little vacation getaway with my partner Steve, who was working at GenCon, a role playing game convention. I got to hang out, shop and visit with his co-workers at Green Ronin who are quite fun. I’m looking forward to the fall and the season of the witch!

Blessed be,
Christopher

About Christopher Penczak
Christopher Penczak is an award-winning author, teacher and healing practitioner. Beginning his spiritual journey in the tradition of modern Witchcraft and earth based religions; he has studied extensively with Witches, mystics, shamans and healers in a variety of traditions from across the globe to synthesize his own practice of magick and healing. He is an ordained minister, herbalist, flower essence consultant and certified Reiki Master (Teacher) in the Usui-Tibetan and Shamballa traditions. Christopher has been involved with the Gifts of Grace Foundation and is a faculty member of the North Eastern Institute of Whole Health, both in New Hampshire. He is the author of many books, including Magick of Reiki, Spirit Allies, The Mystic Foundation, Instant Magick and The Inner Temple of Witchcraft.

The Living Temple of Witchcraft Volume I: The Descent of the Goddess will be available November 2008. To keep up with Christopher visit his website and/or be his My Space friend!

Letter From Oberon

by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors, Magic/Occult, Wiccan/Pagan

For once, I find myself without anything to say. Those of you familiar with me, or the site, know that you are witnessing a rare occurrence. Last night I learned that Oberon Zell-Ravenheart has been diagnosed with colon cancer. I have confirmed this information, and now I find myself at a loss for words.

Who is Oberon Zell-Ravenheart? Someone far too important to have ever needed to acknowledge the existence of The Magical Buffet, let alone do an interview for us, and yet, he suffered this fool gladly. For those of you who missed it, or want to relive one of my moments of glory, click here.

I have this info to share:

8/14/08

Dear Friends and Loved Ones,

Yesterday I had a meeting yesterday with my doctor, Stephen Denigris, to discuss the results of the biopsy they did on the golfball-sized tumor (lesion) they discovered during my recent colonoscopy, just two days ago. He says it is indeed cancerous, and colon cancer is aggressive and nasty. However, it is far enough up that it can be surgically removed along with about a foot of my descending colon (left side). He said that it appears to be less than a year old, so the chances of a complete removal of all cancerous tissue are excellent.

The only concern is that some of the cancer cells may have migrated into my lymph nodes, which would be a really serious problem, requiring radiation and chemotherapy. To help determine whether or not this may be the case, they took a few vials of my blood for testing, and tomorrow at 2:45 PM PDT, I am scheduled for a CAT scan. The results of the blood work and the CAT scan will be available next Thursday (8/21), when I have an appointment with an abdominal surgeon to discuss upcoming surgery—which we’ll schedule as soon as possible.

The best things about all this so far are that we caught this early enough that it should be completely operable; and at the same time, they’ll be able to repair an abdominal hernia which has been plaguing me for many years.

However, Dr. Denigris also emphasized the importance of prayers and healing energy. Right now, to shrink and contain the tumor as much as possible, so that none of the cancer gets out into surrounding tissue or lymph nodes between now and the surgery. After I get the results of the CAT scan and blood work, I’ll let everyone know the status going into surgery. Then I’ll need all the healing energy I can get on the actual day of the surgery to ensure that everything goes perfectly.

Love,

OZ
Photo by Nemea Arborvitae

Magic users all over the world have been doing what is being called a Rolling Thunder working, which is when different magical practitioners of varying systems of magical practice all work magic for one specific goal, in this case, to help send healing energy to Oberon. Unfortunately, technically the working ended last night, but I suspect that if you want to pray, work magic, or do both in good measure, Oberon won’t object.

For those of you who would like to send cards or letters of encouragement, you can mail those to:

Oberon Zell-Ravenheart
PO Box 758
Cotati, CA 94931

I will try to keep you guys up to date with what is happening with this elder statesman of magic. Oberon hopes to be able to keep everyone up to date at his site www.oberonzell.com.

Worthless Religion

by Administrator, posted in Christianity/Catholicism, Guest Authors, Religion

by J. Kip Givens

I don’t have a lot of patience for religion or religious people! Frankly, religion makes me ill and religious people bring out the worst in me. Religion is filled with hollow ideas that don’t seem to be followed by her hypocritical followers.

Now let me explain. I am an ordained Protestant minister. I have planted two churches in 2 different states and have pastored at another church prior to that for 8 years. I have studied at religious institutions, attended conferences, written manuals, and taught people around the world. In the midst of all that, I can’t stand religion or religious people.

Why? Because religion has it all wrong. Not necessarily in what they say, though some are missing the mark there as well, but in how they live out their religious lives. And it’s not just the Christians; it is all of these religions filled with their hypocrites and lives filled with double standards. Worldviews that are filled with doctrines and dogmas and traditions that have nothing to do with the stated main purpose of their existence or of their Supreme Being. Structures that are built, not for service of others, but rather for their own boasting and comfort. People who are card carrying members to heighten their social status and feelings of elitism and not for the worship of a Creator and Supreme Being and then fulfilling the ultimate purpose of helping others throughout the journey.

Am I opposed to faith and spirituality? Absolutely not! In fact, I think they are the most important things in life and should be the cornerstones of our existence. But let’s be clear: Religion and spirituality are two different things! Some might say that I am dealing only in semantics here, but religion and spirituality truly are two completely different things. Maybe not in everyone’s mind, but they are two completely different expressions and result in different actions and consequences.

Religion is identified by its creeds and letters of the law – all of which are dead expressions of a once life giving idea. The result is arrogance from an idea and a feeling of superiority and an “us vs. them” mentality to all who don’t agree with their said system. Spirituality on the other hand is organic and feeds off of the expressions of living out life-giving ideas and ideals at every turn. It produces compassion and the ability to identify with people and their individual nuances – whether understood or not. The result is people living their lives for a greater purpose than some organized religious system – they live their lives for the benefit of other people.

What’s The Point?

So…what’s the point here? Religion’s value is in itself. Religion exists solely to perpetuate it’s own existence and sustainability as a purveyor of “laws” and “right and wrong behaviors”. Spirituality’s value, on the other hand, is found in the ethic of reciprocity. Simply put, spiritual people are consumed with the idea of sharing their good fortunes with others. They recognize what has been imparted to them and they want to pass it on, or as the popular phrase is, “pay it forward”. They live their lives with the knowledge that everything they say and do affects someone else and they make a conscious effort to make it something worth passing on. They also know and recognize that by living their lives this way they honor their Creator and Supreme Being.

Some may say that that is how religions operate. Religion speaks of reciprocity or a concept that is commonly known as The Golden Rule. True, but when was the last time you truly identified religion with that concept.

I don’t think the people of Europe in the 11th, 12th or 13th centuries would agree that religion followed the ethic of reciprocity considering the Catholic Crusaders who were constantly raiding, harassing and killing anyone who didn’t believe like them.

Or the people of 16th century France who were embattled in a fierce conflict between the Roman Catholics and the Hugenots, commonly known as the War of Religions.

What about other religions? In Muhammad’s time, the pagans of the Arabian peninsula were asked for submission to Islam as a condition for the continuation of their lives. Jews, Christians and Sabeans were forced to become dhimmis, pay a special tax (jizya) and submit to the political authority of Islam or suffer expulsion. 1

“Mormonism teaches that violence and even murder can be justified in certain situations, so long as the violence is commanded by God. The Book of Mormon contains an example where Nephi, the narrator of that part of the book, came upon a drunken and passed-out Laban (1 Ne. 4:7-8) lying on the streets of Jerusalem. Laban had previously stolen Nephi’s family property and had refused to give Nephi an important set of brass plates he needed for his voyage to the New World in about 600 BC. Considering the circumstances, Nephi was commanded by the Holy Spirit to remove Laban’s sword and slay Laban (1 Ne. 9:18).” 2

Let’s not forget all the civil wars that have been waged in the name of religion: English, French, Lebanese, Irish, and Muslim. And what about the various religious practices of voodoo, sorcery, witchcraft and pronouncing curses, most of which are not with good intentions for our friends.
Can we ignore the violence of anti-abortion protestors, gay-bashers, and the “morality police”, most of which operate in the name of religion? Religion may talk the talk of reciprocity, but they do not practice it. The reason is because religion, by its very nature, exists soley for its own good. It looks only to perpetuate its own cause and therefore, does not see the benefit of others and thus cannot tolerate, much less help, others.

True Religion

True religion is more than nice sounding words. It is principles that are lived out everyday, regardless of what may come our way.
Christianity calls it the Golden Rule. Hindus and modern New Age religions call it karma. Other religions have described it this way:

Ancient Greek’s
. “What you wish your neighbors to be to you, such be also to them” – Sextus the Pythagorean
. “Do not do to others what would anger you if done to you by others.” – Isocrates
. The question was once put to Aristotle how we ought to behave to our friends. His answer was, “As we should wish them to behave to us.”

Buddhism
. “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” – Dalai Lama

Chinese
. “Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.” – Confucius
. “What you do not want others to do for you, do not do to others.” – Confucius
Parliament of the World’s Religions (1993)
. The Declaration Toward a Global Ethic proclaimed the Golden Rule as the common principle for many religions. The initial declaration was signed by 143 leaders from different faith traditions and spiritual communities.

Christianity
. “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and prophets.” – Jesus of Nazereth

Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, says that the Golden Rule “is arguably the most essential basis for the modern concept of human rights”. Think about that. Everything involving human rights in our world can be promoted by using the Golden Rule. Why is it so powerful? Because a key element of the golden rule is that a person or group attempting to live by this rule treats all people, not just members of his or her own group, with consideration and can identify, or at least empathize, with them.

Where the Difference Lies

What religion says and what spiritual people live is a major difference. Living life where other people are the focus can be difficult, but is nonetheless the focus and passion of spiritual people. Spiritual people can take what religion says and allow it to be a life-giving principle instead of a dead law.

Religion will put parameters on its own laws based on what is expedient. For example, a few years ago a movie came out titled The Passion of the Christ. It had a lot of controversy surrounding it but one thing stood out to me from the Chrsitian perspective. For years, Protestants have told their followers that they should not attend rated R movies because the content of such “filth and wickedness” might pervert them. They would say that there is nothing in a rated R movie that you need to see. If they can’t say it in a way that is “clean”, then you don’t need to see or hear it. But an amazing thing happened when this particular movie came out – the same people who condemned rated R movies were now renting out theatres and encouraging their members to pay money to go watch this film. Why? Because it promoted their cause, regardless of its rating. The point, religion will do what is in its best interest only, even if it conflicts with something they have said in the past. And when the expedient timeframe is over, they will go back to their rigid stance.

Spirituality has no parameters and no limits. It operates on what is right, regardless of what others may think or say. Jesus the Christ made it personal. He kicked religion right in the teeth and said that living a good life, a godly life, involved, no, required, living for the sake of others. Even if those others were not like you, or worse, were your enemies. Look at what he said to his followers:

“But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. Do to others as you would like them to do to you. If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much! And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return. Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” 3

We’re not talking about playing nice here. This is a serious paradigm shift. Most religions and religious systems have and promote some form of “an eye for an eye” mentality. Jesus is getting right up in the face of everyone who claims to be religious and, in a sense, is slapping them across the cheek and saying, “Anyone can do that. Do you think you are special for doing what everyone else does? Get real! Do you really want to live a life that is worthy of the Most High? Then live without limits, without the parameters religion puts on you. Live for others!”

Notice that he says, “Your reward from heaven will be great”. True spirituality is not concerned with what others think of you or getting accolades from other people. Truly spiritual people are satisfied with a “heavenly” reward. Do you want to know a telltale sign of truly spiritual people? They are secure in who they are and live their lives for a higher purpose and are not concerned with recognition or their “five minutes of fame”. They know their reward will come in its due time but it is not their focus. Their focus, their undying passion, is to do good to others.

Also notice what he says after that, “You will truly be acting as children of the Most High”. Where religion feeds off of its own doctrines and dogmas, spirituality is only concerned with pleasing its Supreme Being. Religion feeds off of itself; spirituality feeds off of helping others and doing what is right and good.

Why is this so important? Because Jesus says at the end that God, the Most High, is “kind to those who are unthankful and wicked”. He gives insight into who the Creator is and what His character is like. Truly spiritual people want to emulate their Creator. They want to act like, speak like and in all possible ways, be like their Creator.

Spiritual people live out of the context of humility and thankfulness. They are so grateful for all that has been bestowed upon them, that they are compelled to return that to others. They live with a higher purpose. Their passion to be like their Creator drives them. And simply put, that is what separates them from religious people and their religion.

James the Just, the brother of Jesus said this about true religion:

“If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” 4

Here, James echoes what Jesus said earlier. True religion, spirituality, is caring for those around you and living your life for the benefit of others, thus glorifying God the Father.

He closes by saying that spiritual people do not allow the world to corrupt them. How does the world corrupt us? Arguably in many ways, but in context, by causing us to live by their standards of selfishness, greed, hatred and arrogance. That corruption can sometimes seem natural and overwhelming, but spiritual people fight that urge and live for the higher purpose: Honoring their Creator and Supreme Being by helping those around them.

In conclusion, the question I ask is this, “Is religion worthless?” Depending on your definition the answer may vary, but the glaring facts are that religion and religious people seek only to serve their and their organization’s own needs. In that way, religion is worthless.

On the contrary, spirituality exists, not in a vacuum of its own viability, but for the purpose of a greater good. That being said, spiritual people live their lives with a purpose that is greater than their own well-being. They live for their Creator by honoring all of His Creation, even if they don’t always (or ever) agree or think alike. That, I believe, is worth living – and dying – for.

1 Religious War. In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Copyright © 2000,2001,2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA

2 Mormonism and Violence. . In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Copyright © 2000,2001,2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA

3 Luke 6:27-36 Holy Bible, New Living Translation Copyright © 1996,2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust

4 James 1:26-27 Holy Bible, New Living Translation Copyright © 1996,2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust

Author Bio:
Kip is an ordained minister and has been both a youth pastor and a pastor as well as being a certified counselor. He ran an unconventional church in Illinois where he hosted concerts on a weekly basis and had several discussion groups each week on the relevancy of Christianity in our culture. He also opened up that venue to underprivileged kids every Saturday for a free breakfast and a time of games, art, music and free stuff. They were also involved in huge backpack giveaways for hundreds of kids along with food and toy drives for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Kip has written several small books, written manuals, been published in newspapers and taught throughout the world. He is the author of “A New Kind Of Church and Other Writings: Taking a Fresh Look and a New Approach to a Timeless Tradition”.

Book Info:
Right now, my old website is down and I am working on getting a new one up, therefore I have no direct site for any of my materials. If anyone is interested in viewing or purchasing my book the easiest way is to go to one of the following:
Barnes and Noble online (bn.com)
Amazon.com
iUniverse.com

Contact Information:
J. Kip Givens
piercedpastor@hotmail.com

Ghost Research Society Investigation Report

by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors, Paranormal

Article provided by the Ghost Research Society

LINCOLN THEATER INVESTIGATION
October 27th, 2007

GRS Members Present: Dave Guss, Nancy Guss, Stan Suho, Jim Graczyk, Lisa Krick, Joseph Tito, Joey Tito, Jason Tito, Jerry Lutz, Art Schramm, and Dale Kaczmarek.

Jim Graczyk: “Equipment: 35mm camera. For this investigation I was training new member Jerry Lutz along with assisting the GRS members who were investigating this huge building. My pictures did not have anything unusual to report. I didn’t physically encounter anything unusual in the building. I was pretty busy assisting the entire GRS team and also helping out the public who were invited to this instigation. From what was encountered and reported by other people in this building along with GRS members, I recommend going back to this place for a further investigation.”

Dave Guss: “The night we investigated the Theater I saw a man in the chair in the lower level near the bathrooms, He was very thin, had worn out striped painter’s pants on, dark shirt, long dark beard, flat black hair, eyes were dark and deep looking, I said hi to him and then entered men’s room, after leaving washroom the man was gone. I looked all over theater, at all the group for this person but found no one that looked like him. Also noticed black mass in hallway on second floor on the ceiling looking up from bottom of stairs on first floor lobby.”

Nancy Guss: “Unfortunately I was unable to capture any findings on video but did see some black shapes moving up in second floor mezzanine on the right that were not of human form and also had a feeling of someone sitting in the chair between men and ladies bathroom downstairs and also saw some shapes moving in front of stage curtains that also were not of human form. But nothing on film to verify this.”

Dale Kaczmarek: “I had several EMF readings in the corridor before the seating area and around 2 radiators. There was no reason to get EMF readings there as there was no electrical wiring although I’m sure they were grounded in some fashion. When I went back to recheck the readings, the first radiator showed no fluctuation at all and when I was about to check the second radiator Jason came up and informed me that he had just witnessed a strange shadow glide from the radiator into the theater seating area.

I also got many very high EMF readings in the basement near some conduit however when I turned the EMF meter 90 degrees to one side, nothing appeared. Then when I turned it back 90 to the same direction without elevating the height, the meter went into the red.

Later when I was monitoring the GEIST computer, I felt something hit me physically on the top of my head. I immediately looked up, thinking that someone was playing a joke on me and there was no one up in the mezzanine. Troy and John were seated in the front of the theater near the concession stand and confirmed that no was up there at the time. When I looked on the floor, I noticed that the object that had struck me was a dime which was lying on the carpeted floor.”

Lisa Krick: “I spent most of my time following Rosemary around … we sat in the balcony where nothing happened. Then Jim came and got us and we headed to the twisty stairs which lead to the catwalk … we went up them and walked around in a dusty little room beside the catwalk. Nothing up there … then we went to the basement … on the way down to the basement (I had an EMF meter) I noted that at the top of the basement stairs on the way down, the EMF registered 2.1 … I took a step back and tried it again … it went to 0.0 … we went downstairs and sat staring into a corner where funky black images (in a dark room, mind you) would flit back and forth across the floor and where the shadows in the corner elongated farther than they should have, but would stop whenever more people would come into the room

We headed back upstairs and at the top of the stairs I took another reading … 0.0 … then it was said that someone saw a shadow man in the balcony area, so we headed up there to do readings and to see exactly what lead to where … it was me, Jason, Joey, Dave, and I think Joe … as I was heading down the same path where the shadow man was seen, I was doing EMF readings … Jason was sitting in a seat with an empty seat beside him. The closer I got to him, the higher the device reading went … right beside him in the empty seat, there was a cold spot and when I put the EMF meter over it, it was consistently 2.4 … then I sat down in the seat and it went back to 0.0 … I stood up and walked around a bit and came back to that seat again for another reading, but the meter stayed at 0.0 … I think I must have either crushed the poor spirit or scared him away…

We decided to head back down to the basement one more time … on the way down, at the same spot as before on the landing at the top of the stairs, the EMF registered 4.1 … and then nothing … nothing to report in the basement, there were way too many people moving around and talking for anything to happen … so, we came back upstairs and at the top landing I got another 0.0 … I think that there was something each time which didn’t want us going down the stairs and seemed to be trying to use its energy to keep us upstairs … because I got high readings when we were heading downstairs, but always a 0.0 on the way upstairs … kinda weird …

So, that’s my part in the investigation … it’s a great old building which would bear further investigation when there aren’t a blue million people running hither and yon through it …”

Jerry Lutz: “As this was both my first time with GRS and participating in an investigation, everything was extremely interesting. The speakers were outstanding. As a bit of an amateur photographer myself, I found Dale’s talk especially interesting. As I was “hanging out” with the
GRS crew, I tried to just keep my mouth shut and soak up all of their experience and know-how, which is considerable. The Lincoln itself was amazing. The teamwork and friendliness of the GRS team was outstanding. I was impressed by the way they worked together and assisted each other so well. I look forward to joining the group again. I experienced nothing of note in the Lincoln itself.”

Stan Suho: “For starters I set up GEIST in the second balcony with 3 devices, Ghost Cam, and Microphone. There were reported EVPs in this area. When things were up and running, I made a walk through with the Cassette Recorder. Starting in the lower level below stage, I made a sweep of all the rooms. There were also other groups in this area doing EVP experiments. Then I made walk-throughs of the 1st and 2nd balconies. While seated in a chair on the 2nd balcony I asked several questions. On one question I received a whispered reply. It was unintelligible, but, appeared to respond to my question. I was alone in the balcony at the time. I made a WAV file for the GRS archives and will present it at the next meeting. Nothing unusual showed up on GEIST or Ghost Cam picture.”

Joey Tito: “I was going over footage I had taken at the Lincoln and I came across something out of the norm. It could be nothing, but while recording in the hallway on the main level my camera blacked out for a split second then returned back to recording. This is where Jason had seen the shadow person “walking” toward the doorway into the theater seating area. I can’t explain why the camera would malfunction like that while recording. There was no problem with the continuous footage of Rosemary’s or Dale’s lectures, and we were running off of power not battery. As I mentioned it could be nothing, but I thought it was worth bringing to your attention.”

To learn more about the Ghost Research Society visit www.ghostresearch.org

Matt Looks in a Mirror

by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors, Symbols

By Matthew

The mirror is often regarded with much superstition, and for good reason, the mirror reveals the reflection of the soul. One very common superstition claims that if you were to break your reflection in the mirror you will have seven years bad luck, this actually goes a bit further because causing any disturbance in your reflection is said to cause disturbance in your spirit. Indeed, Vampires traditionally do not cast reflections, because they have no soul.

Another interesting bit of mirror weirdness has to do with Gypsies. My Aunt Pamela has a nice home that was disrupted by the Gypsies who moved in next door. Never you mind that the Gypsies had no reason whatsoever to lay a curse on Auntie Pam, but she flipped out anyway. So she put mirrors up in all of the windows facing the Gypsy house, hoping to reflect the curse back to the sender. I’m not sure if it worked, but the house did feel very peaceful after that! I’m not sure where this practice came from, but she also placed a small pile of salt and a black quartz crystal in the windows too. God only knows how the Roma family felt about that.

A good magical exercise is called soul gazing. To do this simply shut out all light except perhaps a candle positioned behind you, so that you see your reflection in the mirror but not the light source. Gaze softly into your eyes. Soon you will see fuzziness around your reflected skin. Just observe and watch what happens, you should see changes starting with your eyes and then it’s almost like an overlap of images. Two faces occupying the same space.

When I do this, I often see myself as another person entirely, maybe a past life, or even an ancestor, but I almost always end up disappearing entirely if I gaze long enough, seeing the wall behind me. Maybe I’m a Vampire (!), or just a victim of optical illusion. Either way the mirror can act as a doorway to the subconscious, so those images that you might see are the language of the deepest part of you. Give it a try; you can learn a lot about yourself and your subjective reality this way.

As I understand it, the difference between Soul Gazing and Scrying is that by Soul Gazing you are actively gazing into your reflection, gazing into your soul, while by scrying you are staring into the abyss of a mirror that is casting NO reflections at all. In my own practice scrying has been totally replaced by soul gazing sessions due to the great success that I’ve had with it. The only trick is to learn what the meaning is behind the different faces and symbols that you might see. These symbols can only be interpreted by you, because it is your subconscious that is speaking, your ancient reptile brain.

Happy gazing!

Matthew has studied “witchcraft” as practiced in many different cultures, including Haiti and Peru, for well over 15 years. Matt has received great honors and even a few “secret” initiations for exceeding in study with Mambos, Curanderismos, and other Priests and Priestesses of indigenous faiths – who often question his status as a white American male.

The Goddess, Wicca & The Qabalah

by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors

by Sorita d’Este

“She is called the Spirit of Life and through Her do all men understand Wisdom.”
Zohar, 13th century

The Goddess occupies a central role in a number of magickal traditions. These include obvious instances such as the Wiccan tradition, and also less obvious ones such as the Qabalah. In Qabalah the Goddess is commonly known as the Shekinah, a Hebrew word which comes from the root shakhan, meaning “to dwell”. This meaning fits in with the Qabalistic idea that a fragment of the Shekinah is present within every living person, literally the divine spark of the Goddess in all of us!

The best known image in the Qabalah is the glyph of the Tree of Life, representing both the universe and man, and embodying the old magickal axiom of ’As above, so below.’ The Shekinah is sometimes described as the Tree of Life itself, as in Proverbs 3:17-18, which declares:

“Her ways are of pleasantness, and her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy is every one that retaineth her.”

On the Tree of Life the Shekinah is also particularly associated with the sephira of Binah (“Understanding”) at the top of the feminine Pillar of Severity. Significantly this Pillar is also known as the Black Pillar, and is on the left as you look at an image of the Tree of Life. Balancing this is the masculine Pillar of Mercy or White Pillar. In Wicca these pillars are represented on the altar by the black and white candles of the goddess and god, which are positioned in the same manner, showing their Qabalistic roots. This symbolism of the pillars is also referred to in the Great Rite, and discussed further in the book I wrote with my partner David Rankine, WICCA: Magickal Beginnings.
The Tree of Life can be seen as a symbol map on which different magickal traditions can be mapped, this is particularly true of the Wiccan tradition. Amongst the many divisions and layers of the Tree of Life we can see many parallels with the Wiccan tradition.

Looking at the act of blessing the salt and water to consecrate the magick circle in the Wiccan tradition, we see it is full of Qabalistic significance. The water and salt are blessed, corresponding to the lower spheres of Malkuth (the salt) and Yesod (the water). Yesod is the sphere of the Moon, representing the astral and subtle realms, so by uniting the salt and water you are symbolically uniting the astral and the physical realms. The resulting salt water is also symbolic of the sphere of Binah, the Great Mother, which corresponds to the sea. So from a symbolic perspective the blessing of the salt and water and lustration represents the blessing of the circle with the energy of the mother goddess (Binah), and the journey between the worlds (union of Moon and Earth, Yesod and Malkuth).

The magick circle itself is another symbol shared by Wicca and Qabalah. One of the Qabalistic creation myths (from ninth century CE Germany) tells of how the Shekinah is the circle of fire who surrounds God, and that through their union the universe, human souls and angels come into being. In fact the Shekinah is seen in two forms in Qabalah, as the Greater Shekinah and the Lesser Shekinah. As the Greater Shekinah she is the great goddess who unites with god to create the universe, considered to be unmanifest and omnipresent, and is also known as the Superior Mother, who can be seen as the Great Mother Goddess of Wicca. A description of the Shekinah translated by MacGregor Mathers in The Kabbalah Unveiled shows the similarity in perception of the goddess with Wicca:
“From Her do they receive their nourishment, and from Her do they receive blessing; and She is called the Mother of them all.”

The relationship of the goddess and god, so central to Wicca, is also seen repeatedly on the Tree of Life. As well as the feminine and masculine pillars, it is also seen in the balanced pair of Sephiroth at the top of the pillars, Chokmah (‘Wisdom’) and Binah (’Understanding’), and in the relationship of the central solar Sephira of Tiphereth (’Beauty’) with the bottom Sephira of Malkuth (‘Kingdom’).

Malkuth has many titles and it is also equated to the Lesser Shekinah. This is because Malkuth is the sphere of the elements, and corresponds to the physical world we live in, and nature. Hence we see titles for Malkuth such as the Bride, the Queen and the Mother of all things. As the Bride, Malkuth is said to be married to the Husband sphere of Tiphereth, symbolising the union of the sun god and the earth goddess as also seen in Wicca. Tiphereth as the child of Chokmah and Binah also corresponds to the Child of Promise, reborn at Yule.

These Sephiroth of Chokmah, Binah, Tiphereth and Malkuth can also correspond to the great unpronounceable name of Qabalah, the Tetragrammaton, usually pronounced as Jehovah or Jahweh. This name is comprised of four letters, IHVH, and these letters have many attributions. Amongst these attributions are Father – Mother – Son – Daughter; Fire – Water –Air – Earth; Past – Future – Space – Present. A cursory glance immediately shows have familiar concepts from Wicca are also seen with these attributions, such as Fire and Air as the masculine elements and Water and Earth as the feminine ones. Likewise the relationship between the mother and daughter is emphasised by them both being attributed to the same letter, Heh, which is repeated in the unpronounceable name.

Returning to Tiphereth, the Solar Sephira, it has a unique and interesting position on the Tree of Life, at the centre of the glyph. It is connected by paths to all of the other Sephiroth apart from Malkuth. This means there are eight Sephiroth around the sun, mirroring the symbolism Wheel of the Year, where the sun passes through the year and the eight Sabbats.

So whilst this is only a brief glimpse, hopefully it demonstrates that the Tree of Life can be found in many places with many layers of symbolism and meaning, and that wherever you look, the Goddess is universal.

Sorita describes herself as a student of “life’s little mysteries”. She is an author, researcher and publisher and works from home which is near the English / Welsh borders in Monmouthshire (UK).
She is the author of 8 books on mythology, magick and folklore, including her latest book “Practical Planetary Magick” which she co-wrote with David Rankine which was released in early 2007.



To learn more, visit: http://www.avalonia.co.uk/

I Beat MTV….I Rock.

by Administrator, posted in Guest Authors, Interviews, Religion, Television, Wiccan/Pagan

That’s right, I beat MTV.  In Issue 14 I interviewed Raven Digitalis.  At the end of March MTV did a piece featuring the author.  I beat them by months…months I say!  Raven is an awesome guy and a lot of fun so I thought I would post the link to the article here, and I’ll even post the one to my interview too.
 
MTV article here.
 
Magical Buffet interview.