About Me
Married to my this-and-many-previous-lives mate, Dragonfire. Together we head Guardianes del Sendero Antiguo (Guardians of the Ancient Way), Puerto Rico's first incoporated coven (Sept. 13, 2000)
Visita mi página en Paganos de America Latina
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells And run my stick along the public railings And make up for the sobriety of my youth. I shall go out in my slippers in the rain And pick flowers in other people's gardens And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat And eat three pounds of sausages at a go Or only bread and pickle for a week And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry And pay our rent and not swear in the street And set a good example for the children. We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now? So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.
Jenny Joseph
What is being old? Is is something chronological? Physical? Mental? Emotional?
Rhetorical question. Very few can define old age. Specially those of us that are nearing it.
I'm not crazy about celebrating my birthday. (Not because I fear the "passing years". Luckily, I have a genetic blessing and I've always looked younger than what my birth certificate affirms.) Maybe it's because I am reminded too much of the list of things I want to do in my life that are still undone. But there was a birthday that I really wanted to celebrate bigtime: my arrival at the half-century mark!
Unfortunately, the message did not get through clearly to my family members and I spent it as quiet and tranquil as others before it.
From that time a half-decade has past. Today I am 55 years old. My body has begun to show signs of passing from the Mother to the Crone stage. Only problem is there is still much Maiden in my way of thinking. Quite a paradox!
I think is was author Amber K who mentioned a fourth aspect of the Goddess: The Matron, that mature stage in a woman when she basically has ended her full time Mothering without yet having reached the retirement of the Crone.
Yes, I think that's where I'm at. My daughters are all grownup with their own broods and I can't afford to retire just yet.
But, spiritually, The Crone has already made her presence known in my life. (In my particular case I prefer to refer to her as Dark Goddess since her visual expression has nothing to do with the chronological appearance of old age.) In this case the poem I quoted at the beginning of the blog expresses Her energy.
The Saturn Return is the astrological positioning of the planet in the same place as in your natal chart, something that occurs every 29.5 years. The second return is around 56 to 60 year mark. There is a lapse of years because of the times Saturn is retrograde. For me, the time lapse will begin the 30th of October 2009 until the 7th of April 2010.
According to what I've been reading, "The Second Saturn Return is about letting go of superficiality and moving to a more real or more basic lifestyle. This does not mean giving up all of your creature comforts, but modifying them to fit into a retirement lifestyle. You cross a threshold of leaving behind tools that no longer serve you and adopt new tools for survival as a mature adult."
Well, let me not focus too much on this yet and enjoy my day.
Thursday, November 1, 2007, 11:12 AM AST [General]
I am a Witch.
I am a Pagan.
I am a Wiccan.
I am a Witch. Many years ago, within a working circle, I ws re-awakened to my (commonly-called) "psychic" abilities. I learned how to leave my body and travel to other places; I allowed another's essence to temporarily use my physical form. I opened my awareness to those who had passed to the Summerland and those non-humans who share our world. I was taught the use of herbs and candles, how to make potions and talismans and amulets. I was shown how to raise energy and cleanse and consecrate and charge and heal and to "see" in a bowl of water and within the images of the Cards. I found out what reincarnation was and realized how many times before I'd been around. I learned the importance of an altar as a focal point of my sacred space. Above all I was taught that whatever I did, I had to work in accordance with the will of the Supreme One. If I set out to hurt anyone, sooner or later it would catch up with me. Those who taught me didn't even realize they were teaching me. Back then, neither did I. But I was not a Pagan. I was a Christian Witch.
Now I am no longer a Christian. I found that there were other ways of conceiving of the Supreme One besides the Christian view and I chose to no longer believe that theirs is the only way. I do not accept that we are imperfect creatures who only know how to sin and need to be redeemed. But I do accept my humanity; I am here to learn from my mistakes and make them I shall. I realized that every religion on earth is based on myths, for it is humans who give Deity its form so we can better understand. As a woman, I found stength and empowerment in the concept of a Goddess, making my gender as valid as the male in our modern society. I believe I am part of this Earth, and that everything created is part of the Divine. I try to live in harmony with the earth, hurting her the least possible with all the chemicals and technology that surrounds me. I feel the moon's phases within me, as I do the changes of the seasons. I comunicate with animals and plants and stones, for we all speak the same language: the language of our mother, Earth. I worship the Shining Ones in joy, celebrating with music and dance. I do not grovel before divinity in penence and guilt. These things make me a Pagan. They do not make me a Wiccan.
But as I said in the beginning, I am a Wiccan. I have heard my Lady's call to service as a priestess, for the path of the Wiccan is the path of the priesthood. I follow a path that incorporates intuitive shamanic techniques with those of the more logically-oriented Western Mystery Tradition. It is a path of extensive constant study as any other priesthood of any other religion. I have chosen a more difficult path, that of the Solitary Voyager, for I have had no live teachers for Wicca, only my books and the Goddess. Only She and my intuition have guided me until now. I have now met others and have sadly awakened to the fact that my religion does not differ from others in many respects: there are true seekers and there are manipulators and hypocrites. Wicca is service, service to the Gods and Mankind, as any priesthood should be. It is not simply magick, it is not simply worship. It is knowing and understanding. It is living by the highest ethical standards, not simply following a set of rules.
So, as you see, there are differences between being a Witch, a Pagan, and a Wiccan. You can be either, all, or some. It is your choice. It is always your choice.
Thursday, November 1, 2007, 10:40 AM AST [General]
I always had trouble with the concept of a blog. I really don't like talking about my personal life and I couldn't think of much else to talk about, since I wanted to concentrate my entries on my thoughts on spirituality.
Then I opened my Book of Light and Shadows. Aha! there among the slightly (?) disorganized loose leaf pages (I use a Daytimer for it) I found several ramblings which I realized were blog material. So, dear readers, I'll be a bit more active in blogging. Oh, the dates you'll see at the end of them were the dates the entries were originally written. Happy reading!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007, 01:03 PM AST [Devotionals]
Catholic monk Francis of Assisi I consider a "Pagan" saint. Contrary to the traditional Christian view, he taught that all life formed part of the fellowship of God; all creatures are equal and interrelated and there is no dualism between God and His creation but a seamless web of life. Interesting, don't you agree? Here an element-focused prayer by him:
Most High, omnipotent, good Lord, / All praise, glory, honor and blessing are yours. / To you alone, Most High, do they belong, / And no man is worthy to pronounce your name. / Be praised, my Lord, with all your creatures, / Especially Sir Brother Sun, / who brings the day, and you give light to us through him. / How handsome he is, how radiant, with great splendor! / Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness. / Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Moon and the Stars. / In heaven you have formed them, bright, and precious, and beautiful. / Be praised, my Lord for Brother Wind, and for Air, for Cloud, and Clear, and all weather, / By which you give your creatures nourishment. / Be praised my Lord, for Sister Water, / She is very useful and humble, and precious, and pure. / Be praised, my Lord, for Brother Fire, by whom you light up the night. / How handsome he is, how happy, how powerful and strong! / Be praised, my Lord, for our Sister, Mother Earth. / Who nourishes and governs us, / And produces various fruits with many-colored flowers and herbs. / Praise and bless the Lord, and give thanks and serve him with great humility.
This is an good selection to have on hand when trying to explain our views of the elements to a Christian, particularly a Catholic one. Also convenient for children, who might be being raised nominally Christian or attend a Christian private school. (Here in Puerto Rico it is very common for Pagan parents to prefer private schooling albeit Christian.) With a wee bit of adjustment, it can be turned into an exceptionally beautiful Pagan prayer for beginners on the path, or those I refer to as being in the transitional stage. Could even be elaborated into a quarter call/Deity invocation. I leave it to your creativity: I simply provide the materials.
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