Entry 011: Us vs. Them - What Does In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust Mean Today?

Ok, so the first question I'd probably end up addressing is, "what do you mean, Us vs. Them?" Well, honestly the first thing that comes to people's minds upon understanding that this is a Pagan blog is the whole argument of Pagans vs. Christianity, but that's not what this is about. This is about a civil war right within our very own Faith.

I am always browsing through Facebook and Blogspot looking for interesting articles on things going on in the Pagan Community and looking for shared experiences and opinions on the different daily things going on in our lives. One thing I commonly come up against is the "Us vs. Them" equation. "Real' Pagans vs. "Fluff Bunnies."

I'd like to take this time to point out to anyone who may just so happen to be of a Traditional branch of Witchcraft/Wicca--if you happen to be one of the offenders of this equation--let me remind you that once upon a time, your tradition was considered to be the "fluff bunny" of Witchcraft. Now take a look at your tradition: currently considered to be one of the most knowledgeable and common forms of Witchcraft in the US today.

We all had our start somewhere. We should never forget our roots. I recently read a blog aloud to my High Priestess. The blog was about a young 16 year old boy who had been ordained as a Minister and claimed to be Wiccan over Twitter, however he did not conduct himself in a manner befitting the mantle of responsibility taken on by Ministers, nor did he know much about Wicca. The Pagan who chose to call him out has been known to troll for what she considers to be "fluff bunnies" and calls them out in a public forum. Instead of asking them why they believe the way they do, and trying to guide them with her 20+ years of experience (she herself being around 40, I believe) she decides to challenge them in a manner which proves that they have no clue what they're talking about, and then blames some of it on parents allowing their children to read Llewellyn books. The whole thing is always done in a very patronizing manner not befitting of a Priestess of the Goddess.

I felt the need to speak up on behalf of the 16 year old boy (as I myself was ordained very young, though I conducted myself much differently and was taken much more seriously.) My response to the woman's blog is below:

-----

Ok, I do feel the need to respond to this one, especially after having read the blog entry of “All Pagans stop posting this Us vs. Them shit on your timeline!” True, many Pagans have the mentality of it’s Paganism vs. Christianity, but are we ourselves not perpetuating the very same thing in the Us vs. Fluffy Bunnies?

We are not here to call out every Fluff Bunny out there. We’re here to help guide and educate those who have a real interest in walking the Pagan Path regardless of which Tradition.

I feel as though this situation could have been handled better. Some things to take into consideration are that so long as you understand your Faith and can conduct yourself in the appropriate manner, you are never too young to be a Minister. You can’t legally perform ceremonies according to US Law until you’re over the age of 18, but that doesn’t mean you can’t preach or spread knowledge on your faith. His being 16 and a Minister should not have raised even a single hair on someone’s eyebrow until he began to show that he did not, in fact, know what he was talking about. Some children are far older spiritually than they are physically–old souls, so to speak. We shouldn’t be too hasty to judge. If they prove themselves to be evident of misinformation then we should attempt to set them straight in a non-patronizing manner.

I grew up reading Llewellyn books and they never did any harm to me. They helped to educate me on the various topics and traditions and even movements going on in the world around me. Wikipedia is a decent source to go to as well, as it is primarily Pagans and Wiccans who edit the posts there and add to the information. Having practiced for 13 years, I am able to weed out correct and incorrect information without having to do much research, so I don’t usually have to worry about it. However that also places me in a situation where if I do see misinformation on a wiki site, I can correct it. Most of the time I don’t have to correct it as there are thousands of Pagans viewing it regularly who make sure it is up-to-date and as accurate as they can possibly make it. NO source of information is ever a bad source–no matter how reputable a source may be, we should be smart enough to always cross-reference the materials just to make sure that what we are reading is not just a biased viewpoint of one single author. It’s common sense in the world of research.

As I have so often heard in the Community and from my own High Priestess–we as a community are only as strong as our weakest link. Instead of calling “fluff bunnies” out publicly (who are indeed being looked upon by those who judge us just as equally as we are) why not help to elevate them to a higher level of understanding? We have the power to set things right—why use that same power to beat people down?
We are all put here for a reason, even the fluffy bunnies.

As the Dalai Lama once said, “There are many paths to walk in the world. Just because someone is walking a different path than yours, does not mean it is the wrong path.”

In love a light,

Rev. Jonathon S. Lowe; HP-----

 The blog didn't make me as angry as it did sad. Sad that Pagans are busting the balls of other Pagans and doing the same thing to ourselves that we've been doing to Christianity. Why does it have to be "Us vs. Them?" After reading the blog and my response to my High Priestess, she made a post on a public forum (as she does not currently have her own blog to write about these things.) The message read as follows:

Why is it better to divide the Pagan Community rather than to teach and provide council? It is amazing how many of us there are out there and how few of us really take the time to teach, to reach out and to help others. EVERYONE connected to the craft is here for a reason. "Fluff Bunny" or not. I realize you can't teach everyone all the time, but why do we feel the need to call people out publicly? Is it to prove how much more advanced we are in the craft? If you have to do this, people, you made a wrong turn somewhere in your spirituality. You make more of an impact with most people when you are less confrontational and more like mentor. Let's try to avoid the whole us and them thing within our own community. We already fight the us and them thing with other religions, why do this to ourselves? Remember, just because you are more educated in the craft does not mean you cease to be the student, too. Learn humilty. Uplift, don't tear down. I'm just saying..........

 

I chose to reply back to her post after sharing it with others--as food for thought--and my reply was as thus:

Why the "Us vs. Them" mentality right within our own religion? Elitist, Common, Fluffy Bunny...who cares? We are all teachers and students, we're all here for a reason. Uplift, don't stomp out. Does "In perfect love and perfect trust" not mean anything anymore? Just saying...

 So, what do you think about all of this? Does "In perfect love and perfect trust" only mean something when you choose for it to, or does it always apply to all practitioners of the Craft? Does it apply anywhere in the world other than directly involving the Craft? It seems to me we're having another civil war right within our own Faith. If we don't stand strong together, then we stand divided individually and are that much easier to pick off one by one. We don't get anything accomplished that way. We serve society and the community much better if we stand together and help to life one another up rather than beat one another down.

 How do you feel about this? 

Entry 010: Coining the Phrase: Successful Money Magick.

So while participating in the Pagan Blog Project 2012, I received my weekly challenge: any topic with the letter "C."

So I'm cheating the system since I came across something I'd like to address: successful money magick.

I always hear about people performing money spells or spells for success, wealth, health and abundance, however when I look into these spells, what I see happening frequently is very poor wording which makes the caster sound both selfish and thoughtless toward those around them.

Here is a perfect example of one such spell:

If you're looking to grow your finances as part of the growing season, gather together a large green candle, 9 coins, and some cinnamon.  Carve dollar signs into the candle along with your name.  Sprinkle cinnamon over the top of the candle (dress with a money drawing oil if you wish).  Place the coins in a circle around the base of the candle.  Gaze into the flame and focus on seeing your bank account increase, say:

"Money flows
Money grows
Money shines
Money's mine!"

Repeat this chant with increasing energy until the energy peaks.  When done shout out a powerful SO MOTE IT BE and release the energy.  Let the candle burn down and when it's done save the coins, placing them in a piece of green cloth or a green spell back with a little more cinnamon and either carry with your wallet or keep with your checkbook and banking paperwork. 

This spell is great in theory. It covers the herbs and items needed and the type of focus and energy needed to be raised for this spell. However, take a close look at the wording of the chant itself. Can you see anything wrong with this picture?

The whole focus is just on your own gain and increase! No, I'm not talking about personal gain. Wishing for growth and financial success is common and not exactly cause for karmic retribution. No--what I would like to draw your attention to is the lack of concern for WHERE exactly the money is coming from. That money doesn't just magickally appear, as much as we would love for it to do just that. It has to come from somewhere. Without being more specific in the wording, we could bring about the death of a relative we didn't know we had who had a great amount of life insurance or inheritance that now belongs to you--or a bad car accident where you feel compelled to enter a lawsuit and sue that person for all they're worth.

Where you are lending your energies is very important, and it is also important to remember "...in harm to none, so mote it be!" The power of words is often misunderstood and underestimated. While we may understand the meaning behind what we want, how we choose to communicate that to the Powers that Be is very important.

A more appropriate spell for successful growth or monetary gain would be more like thins:

"Money, money come to me
                              In abundance three times three
                              May I be enriched in the best of ways
                              Harming none on its way
                              This I accept, so mote it be
                              Bring me money three times three!"

In this way, you are keeping in mind that no harm should befall anyone with the gain of this money, and are open to it coming in any form: a new job, finding change while cleaning the couch, finding a few dollar in your pants pocket you hadn't worn in over a week, a friend offering money in exchange for a favor, etc...

Remember that the spells you cast and the energy you raise affect not only yourself, but those around you as well.

Entry 009: The Community Grimoire Is Underway!

[Don't forget to join my blog and follow to receive weekly updates!]

The House of Sacred Mother and Child and North Georgia Solitaries have come together to create a Community Grimoire!

This grimoire will be full of all kinds of information, experiences, and creative materials from all around the Pagan Community. We believe that community is sacred, so who better to put together a sacred text than a community without walls. There is no geographic limitation, we would love to have cultural materials from all over the world--after all, the Pagan Community isn't just local, but extends to our brothers and sisters worldwide. We ask for submissions of original materials only. Authors of original materials will receive full credit and recognition for their submissions. If you have any material that belongs to another author you believe should be in the Community Grimiore, please contact them and have them submit the material so they can receive full credit for it.

The goal of the Community Grimoire is to provide a resource filled with traditions and experiences from several cultures from all over the world and from right here at home. It is a medium of learning and creative inspiration that can be passed on from person to person and continually added to year after year. The most important thing is to have fun with this project and to enjoy the experience of coming together to share your knowledge and wisdom that will be passed down through the ages.

If you are interested in submitting articles or workshops to this community grimoire, please email me at the Community Grimoire Team to send your submissions. Help to make our community grow!

-Rev. Jonathon S. Lowe; HP

House of Sacred Mother & Child

Entry 008: Pagan Bloggers Unite!

The Pagan Blog Project: exploring and sharing your Craft and Tradition over one year of blogging.

I recently joined a blogging group specifically for Pagans. I'm sure that I will learn much and that I will have just as much to share! Stay tuned for weekly updates every Friday!

Entry 007: A Light In A Time of Trials

I want to start this post by updating you on some recent events. I grew up in the ghetto. I don't mean a "white boy's" b-rated version of a bad neighborhood, I really mean the hood. I had gang members living on my street --HUD Housing, what many refer to as 'the projects'-- I had neighbors committing hate crimes and suicide, maintenance workers and even neighbors breaking-and-entering, and babies of crack-mothers stuffed in storm drains. Most people in my neighborhood didn't go down to the mailboxes every day without carrying something as a weapon--a bat, knife, pepper spray, and in some cases even a gun. As a child I saw many horrible things and experienced first-hand many terrible things. In the 90s, my home life wasn't all that great either. The violence outside was only reflected by the violence inside. After nearly a decade of it, we finally moved on with our lives trying to escape at the very least the inner violence.

We traveled all over the State from one bad area of a city to another. We've lived in abuse shelters and homeless shelters while trying to get back up on our feet. The life of my family was one of struggle, of meeting brick wall after brick wall, of opposition always trying to knock us down. Yet we have come out stronger for it.

About two years ago, right around Yule (Christmas time), I was spending a weekend at my Covenstead when I received a phone call: my mother was in the hospital. She went in complaining of stomach pains only to have test results come back showing that due to blood clots, half of one of her kidneys was deteriorated and the other one was starting to deteriorate. They ran a few more scans to find the cause of the blood clots, and since heart problems don't exactly have a history with my family, they speculated only one possibility: Cancer. So since she was a smoker the first place they checked were her lungs. They found a mass on her left lung and decided to do a biopsy to test it. During this biopsy, her lungs collapsed. My mother is a small woman, but she is strong, she pulled through. They didn't get enough of the mass to run a conclusive test, so they decided to do a second biopsy, during which her lungs collapsed yet a second time. Test results came back positive for lung cancer.

Needless to say we were all very scared. They weren't sure if it had reached her lymph nodes yet or not, and I wasn't allowed to see her for a while. I remember my uncle picking me up from my evening classes one night and telling me he'd gotten a call from his wife who had just been there to visit my mother---"I don't know any other way to tell you this, Jonathon, but...they don't know if your mother will survive past this Sunday." I took the news in silently, it was obvious my uncle didn't have any further information to share with me, so I waited as patiently as I could until I was able to see her.

My first visitation to see her shook me to my core. She suffered through a lot, and I had been there with her through most of it---almost all of the abuse and constant running and worrying about keeping a job and financial struggles...and yet she tried to keep a strong face on for my little sister and I. She was a strong woman who was taking control back over her own life and always tried her hardest to make sure her children were taken care of first before she ever took care of herself. She fought long and hard to be able to keep us fed and a roof over our heads, worked herself to the bone. So when I saw her laying there in the hospital bed, looking so small, so frail...coughing up blood every once in a while (from her lungs collapsing) and taking breathing treatments...I was very scared. But I hid it well--I sat with my mother, I prayed with her, I talked to her and that was when I came out to her about my Faith in its entirety. I explained to her about my views on a Masculine and Feminine aspect of Deity and she took it rather well. She didn't turn me away when I offered to lend her some healing energies, some light and love.

She overheard the doctors one night say that the cancer had not reached her lymph nodes so she had a fighting chance--she gained the strength to fight, and she won. She beat back the cancer. Like most of my family, she was strong, she was a survivor.

Last May, my grandmother--my mother's mother--passed away rather unexpectedly. She was struggling and on her way to the hospital when we got the call, but before we could even hit the road, we got the second call letting us know that she had passed on her way to the hospital...but she had been sedated and asleep. (They had to wait until they could sedate her gently because she refused to go to a hospital...like I said, my family is full of strong fighters...but my grandmother had been fighting poor health most of her life, and she just got too tired and decided to go home.) This took a heavy toll on my mother. My family is not a close-knit family. There are a lot of emotional walls built up around most of them and forgiveness is not one of their finer qualities. It's mostly unheard of in my family. Yet despite this, my mother had never imagined her life without her own mother, and this blew threw her core like the cold chill of Midwinter.

A few days ago, my High Priestess heard from her own mother that her step-father, just like her biological father before him, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He is in too much pain to eat or drink much of anything other than broth, and even then they have to provide him with strong painkillers in order for him to tolerate just broth. This shook my High Priestess to her very foundation, having to go through this a second time, not knowing if her dad will be coming back home. Prognosis looks bleak, but there's always hope. This is effecting her greatly, and she's barely able to function as High Priestess or small-business owner, or wife, or mother. She's a strong woman, I know she'll pull through, but I am praying that she pulls through with her support system intact.

This past Thursday I received a call from my aunt Judith who informed me that a woman I met back during my childhood, one of my aunt's friends, awoke that morning to find her daughter had passed away in her sleep due to a blood clot from her lifelong brain tumor which she's had since she was a young child...her 18th birthday would have been this March. I ask that you all keep Kathy Swan and her daughter, Desiree' in your prayers as Desiree' makes her transition between this world and the next. Desiree' was a talented artist and a great light and inspiration to the staff at Red Top Mountain State Park. The Goddess calls home the best of us.

A dear friend on mine has been in the hospital since November, and during her hospital stay where she was immobilized, her twin brother passed away as well. She's only just beginning to enter the stages of recovery where she can go to rehab and begin walking on her own again, and I ask you all to keep her in your prayers as well.

I learned also that the original actor for Spartacus (Blood and Sand ; Gods of the Arena) also passed away over the winter due to his fight with cancer.

Death is greedy, all you Necromancers out there, remember that before you decide to use your Craft to help or hinder another.

I'm not sure if I ever told any of you this, but I used to teach Sunday School. I was Pagan then, as well, but I still felt the warm embrace of the God and Goddess in some churches as well. Now I've been to as many as seventy-five different churches all over North Georgia--Southern Baptist, Pentecostal, Lutharin, Catholic, and some non-denominational; in my time with these churches I have met many interesting circumstances filled with very interesting people. What I learned in some of these churches is that not all Christians are negative or judgmental. I have seen Christians and Pagans alike come under one roof and wash the feet of one another in mutual service and humility, humbling themselves before the presence of their respective Deity. Regardless of what name we place on our Faith, beliefs, practices, or Saints or Gods(esses), we are all in service to Spirit--to the All. Any prayer or act done in good faith to help or heal another should always be welcomed.

Over the last two years, even in the pursuit of building my own Ministry (I'm an ordained Interfaith Minister, even though I am Pagan) I have forgotten about those lessons and have gotten lost in the folds of blame and anger and pain and sorrows. Tonight I saw a movie on television that reminded me of those lessons I learned not that many years ago. The movie is called, "The Second Chance." If you get the chance to do so, please watch it. It is a prime example of what true Christianity is all about. What churches are really all about (or are supposed to be about.)

I am proud to be a Minister, and in times like these, the trials we face, it helps to restore the light that helps to guide us along our paths--to see people reaching out to one another in service to Spirit, in service to one another. It reminds me of how much good a single individual can do, working with one person at a time, let alone a whole group of people.

Never forget the Power of One. All it takes is one person to start something wonderful.

I'd like to end this post with a quote I read recently on Facebook:

"You don't have to be great to start something, but you do have to start something to become great." --Author Unknown.

Brightest Blessings to all going through their own trials and tribulations this year, and remember...the flame always burns bright if you just believe. There is always light to be found in every situation, you just have to be open to seeing it...open to receiving its warmth.

Good night, everyone.

-Rev. Jonathon S. Lowe; HP
House of Sacred Mother & Child
Midnight Star School of Witchcraft
Atlanta Pagan Roundtable

Entry 006 Elaborating the Community Grimoire

When I was on another forum, a wonderful idea was brought to the table: create a traveling grimoire (similar to the pants from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants). Everyone who had the time to dedicate to actually doing it would contribute to this grimoire their own personal findings, spells, rituals, potions, recipes, charms, chants, workshops, poems, etc...with the idea of having a book full of lessons from myriad types of people from various paths and traditions from all over the world, all adding their own personal energies into it. Then once it was large enough, we would have it published with all credit given where it is due.

The unfortunate problem was that not a lot of people were interested. Most of the members of this group were young and had various reasons as to why they couldn't participate. I thought this idea was far too wonderful to just let it drop, with its vast array of possibilities and uses. So I brought this up to Lady Charissa, High Priestess and Founder of North Georgia Solitaries Church and NGS School of Witchcraft. She is one of the Pagan Community Leaders who I have been working with over various projects for the last three years and is a very wonderful woman who has given my coven and I so much love and support over the years.

The idea was tweaked so that people who are interested would contribute probably via email, and once enough contributions from our community came together, we would get it published. This gets writers out there into the world, brings the community closer together, and could also possibly generate a revenue for the Pagan Assistance Fund (helping Pagan families in crisis), the Savannah Pagan Pride Day Trip, and any other future community events.

The new idea was to do this in a forum base so people can constantly add to it online--it can be published online and available for people to print as they need directly from their own computer at home.

This is so far the pitch for it...we're still editing and trying to get it right before we send it out to start drumming up interest, but here's the rough draft:

The House of Sacred Mother and Child and North Georgia Solitaries have come together to create a Community Grimoire!

This grimoire will be full of all kinds of information, experiences, and creative materials from all around the Pagan Community. We believe that community is sacred, so who better to put together a sacred text than a community without walls. There is no geographic limitation, we would love to have cultural materials from all over the world--after all, the Pagan Community isn't just local, but extends to our brothers and sisters worldwide. We ask for submissions of original materials only. Authors of original materials will receive full credit and recognition for their submissions. If you have any material that belongs to another author you believe should be in the Community Grimiore, please contact them and have them submit the material so they can receive full credit for it.

The goal of the Community Grimoire is to provide a resource filled with traditions and experiences from several cultures from all over the world and from right here at home. It is a medium of learning and creative inspiration that can be passed on from person to person and continually added to year after year. The most important thing is to have fun with this project and to enjoy the experience of coming together to share your knowledge and wisdom that will be passed down through the ages.

Entry 005 Come On 2012!

Much has gone on since my last entry. I have been sick off and on with random semi-major illnesses, all of which I have recovered from. Meanwhile, I have been doing a lot more spiritual research to try to rediscover the balance in my spiritual health.

I've been doing a lot of studies on Neo and Tribal Shamanism and out of all of my studies I have come to find that I have many of the beliefs and practices of many traditions of Shamanism. Later I came to realize that severe sicknesses are considered to be a calling to Shamanism, and that if you deny or ignore the call, you continue to get sick--sometimes it stays the same and you just keep getting sick over and over with odd and random ailments of various seriousness...and sometimes the ailments get progressively worse. Mine have been very random indeed. Upon looking back I realized that I have had one single Epileptic Seizure the doctors couldn't explain, I have had prophetic dreams and visions both while sleeping and wide awake (and serious verifiable cases of dejavu.) Then I began to go into the doctor's office with random ailments such as rashes that can't be explained, in one case I was told I had a rare and benign disease that went away just as quickly as it had come--it left my skin red and splotchy for about a week, and then it was gone. I had frequent dizzy spells where I not only got dizzy, but I lost my eye sight, sense of smell, sense of touch, and sense of hearing each time it happened. Recently, I randomly developed Cellulitus in a lymph node in my leg which lasted for a month while I was on pain killers and antibiotics for it. (Note: cellulitus is usually caused by a scratch typically from an animal in your deep tissue which causes an infection....I never had a scratch there from animal or otherwise, deep or shallow.) Now recently due to the antibiotics and some modicum of emotional stress over the winter holidays, I developed a case of Candida (also known as Thrush.) I was told it could take up to a year to get rid of Thrush, and yet here I am having beaten it in nearly three and a half weeks.

I am always getting sick with things that are serious, could get serious, or should all take a long while to get rid of--and I always bounce right back from it in record time.

So, I decided to accept my calling and study more on it. Since then my ailments have been decreasing, my energy flow has been realigning, and I feel....more. That's the best way I can describe it. Just more.

I was also recently named High Priest of the House of Sacred Mother & Child, and we're getting ready to head some major projects such as an artist Co-op Store, a Community Grimoire, and several other smaller projects. We have also begun teaching, having opened the Midnight Star School of Witchcraft.

I survived the Swine Flu, Chicken Pox Epidemic, Y2K Bug, and 9/11....so come, 2012 , I welcome you with gusto and I look forward to the challenges and triumphs to come.