New Years Eve

new years resolutions?

Hmm.. Obvious... get our ass moved to Vermont and get setup to farm.

But on a more plausible note ;)

I'd like to reconnect with nature, be more communicative and in general be less negative about everything.

And don't forget.. tonight is a full moon, and a blue moon. So get out around that fire and do a happy naked pagan dance!!

And now for something Rumi :)

Pure Silence

I have come this time
to burn my thorns,
to purify my life,
to take up service again
in the garden.

I come weeping to these waters
to rise free of passion and belief.

Look at my face. These tears
are traces of you.

I will shorten this poem,
because the rest of it
is being said in the world
within our eyes.

Do you know the silence?
It is not the same as in your room
when you have no one to talk to.

This is pure silence,
not the kind that happens
when living dogs are eating a dead one.

Struck Tent

I am the tent you set up,
then strike, quill pen you sharpen,
then bear down on and split,
flagstaff with the emblem upside down,
particle in window light, a galaxy.

I am all skin, yet soul as well.
Without you, I am a fake.
With, as real as the cool
spring ground warming.

You say, I keep my distance
to see what dance you will do
out in the air, little dust grain.

Why would the sun speak to one bit?
Friend, you destroy and you restore.

Do what must be done
to this love that has no fear
and no sense of being safe.

No Expectations

A spirit that lives in this world
and does not wear the shirt of love,
such an existence is a deep disgrace.

Be foolishly in love,
because love is all there is.

There is no way into presence
except through the love exchange.

If someone ask, But what is love?
answer, Dissolving the will.

True freedom comes to those
who have escaped the questions
of freewill and fate.

Love is an emperor.
The two worlds play across him.
He barely notices their tumbling game.

Love and lover live in eternity.
Other desires are substitutes
for that way of being.

How long do you lay embracing a corpse?
Love rather the soul, which cannot be held.

Anything born in spring dies in the fall,
but love is not seasonal.

With wine pressed from grapes,
expect a hangover.

But this love path has no expectations.
You are uneasy riding the body?
Dismount, travel lighter.
Wings will be given.

Be clear like a mirror
reflecting nothing.

Be clean of pictures and the worry
that comes with images.

Gaze into what is not ashamed
or afraid of any truth.

Contain all human faces in your own
without any judgment of them.

Be pure emptiness.
What is inside that? you ask.
Silence is all I can say.

Lovers have some secrets
that they keep.

Still more Rumi

Well, I've still nothing really to blog about so, I'll just post more Rumi.. I don't suppose anyone will mind yes?

We Cannot Decide

There has never been beauty like yours.
Your face, your eyes your presence.

We cannot decide which we love most,
your gracefulness or your generosity.

I came with many knots in my heart,
like the magician's rope.

You undid them all at once.
I see now the splendor of the student
and that of the teacher's art.

Love and this body sit inside your presence,
one demolished, the other drunk.

We smile. We weep, tree limbs
turning sere, then light green.

And power that comes through us is you.
Any wish. What does a rock know of April?

It is better to ask the flowery grass,
the jasmine, and the redbud branch.

Seeds And Rain

The mystery of action: We are seeds.
You are rain. A dear stain,
our seed coverings decay.

You mix with what is inside,
and a toast to the new begins:

A divine blade, the keen edge
of now. Now rest, for the soul

slides over these eyes, as Shams
Tabriz covers Shams Tabriz.

More Rumi

Mountaintop Trough

We are here like profligates,
three camels with muzzles
plunged in provender.

Other camels rage
down below in the valley.
foaming, but they remain
with their lips stuck out,

to look at the mountain.
by just straining your neck
and you do not arrive here
is ours. It sustains and protects,
This windy mountaintop trough

You must start out and continue on.
You have to leave the place
where everyone worries about rank and money,
where dogs bark and stay home.

Up here it is music and poetry
and the divine wind.

Be the date tree that gave fruit
to Mary, the let-it-be of her heart.

Say a small poem.
Love the exchange.

An autumn willow has no fruit,
so how could it dance
in the wind of do-not-fear?

It rattles and talks
with nothing to offer.

Give voice to a poem.
Let it end with praise for the sun
and the friend within the sun.

A Beautiful Walk Inside You

Through this blood veil
the lover sees a beautiful walk.

Reason says, There are only six
directions: north, east, south, west,
up, and down. There is no way
out of those limits.

Love says, But I have
many times escaped.

Reason comes to a marketplace
and begins haggling prices.
Love wonders away with other
business to transact, something
to do with incomparable beauty.

There are secret things happening.
Hallaj listens to whispers
and walks off the speaker's
platform onto a scaffold.

Dreg-drinkers have love perceptions
that reasonable men fiercely deny.

They say, We cannot go barefooted
in that courtyard. There is nothing
but thorns through there.

Love answers, The thorns are inside you.
Be silent, and pull what hurts
out of your loving's foot.

Then you will see gardens
with secluded rose bowers,
and they will all be inside you.

Shams is the sun
obscured by this cloud of words.

Maybe he will burn the overcast off
and let love clear and brighten.

Have you ever had one of those days?

Yea.. Yesterday was one of those and I'm still ticked off. Figured I'd post a couple picks everyone could likely relate to.. I'll leave it at that.

Let The Beauty We Love Be What We Do

I just have to plug this book. I'm not a quick reader but I devoured this book in just a few hours.

There are so many jewels in here but I'll share a few here. I'll let them speak for themselves

Love and Light

New Blossoms

Sit near someone who has had the experience.
Sit under a tree with new blossoms.

Walking the section of the market
where chemists sell essences,
you will receive conflicting advice.

Go toward kindness.
If you are not sure where that is,
you will be drawn in by fakes.

They will take your money and sit you down
on their doorstep saying, I'll be right back.
But they have another door they leave by.

Do not dip your cup in a pot
just because it has reached the simmering point.

Not every reed is sugarcane.
Not every under has an over.

Not every eye can see.
Or it may be you cannot thread the needle
because it already has thread in it.

Your loving alertness is a lantern.
Keep it protected from wind
that makes it crazy.

Instead of that airy commotion
live in the water that gently cools
as it flows. Be a helpful friend,
and you will become a green tree
with always new fruit,
always deeper journeys into love.

What You Have Despised In Yourself

They are here with us now,
those who saddle a new unbroken colt
every morning and ride the seven levels of sky,

who lay down at night
with the sun and moon for pillows.

Each of these fish has a Jonah inside.
They sweeten the bitter sea.
They shape-shift the mountains,
but with their actions neither bless nor curse.

They are more obvious,
and yet more secret than that.

Mix grains from the ground they walk
with streamwater. Put that salve
on your eyes and you will see

what you have despised in yourself
as a thorn opens into a rose

A Public Service Announcement

As if you needed an excuse, right??!!!

It's sure to get you in the holiday spirit and put a warm feeling in your heart.. and other places ;)

Be sure to do your part on Yule and come in peace.

Winter YES !!!

I think Gabby is dressed for winter. :)

I must admit I love this time of year in nature (you can keep the commercial consumer christian crap).. I only wish we got snow here. Well enough snow to say we had snow.

We've got our meager shopping done.. Took all of a 2 hours...

Time to kick back with a cup of hot coco and enjoy the season.

On a positive note we found yet another possible place to rent in VT for the winter. Got my fingers crossed but....

Cheers and Blessed Yule..

Stay safe and sane out there.

The Archaic Revival

I promised something special... The Archaic Revival by Terrence McKenna.

This is from an album by Spacetime Contiuum called Alien Dreamtime.

This pretty well sums it all up I'd say.. It gets to it without going to deep in any area.

Enjoy


History is ending because the dominator culture has led the human species into a blind alley, and as the inevitable chaostrophie approaches, people look for metaphors and answers. Every time a culture gets into trouble it casts itself back into the past looking for the last sane moment it ever knew. And the last sane moment we ever knew was on the plains of Africa 15,000 years ago rocked in the cradle of the Great Horned Mushroom Goddess before history, before standing armies, before slavery and property, before warfare and phonetic alphabets and monotheism, before, before, before. And this is where the future is taking us because the secret faith of the twentieth century is not modernism, the secret faith of the twentieth century is nostalgia for the archaic, nostalgia for the paleolithic, and that gives us body piercing, abstract expressionism, surrealism, jazz, rock-n-roll and catastrophe theory. The 20th century mind is nostalgic for the paradise that once existed on the mushroom dotted plains of Africa where the plant-human symbiosis occurred that pulled us out of the animal body and into the tool-using, culture-making, imagination-exploring creature that we are. And why does this matter? It matters because it shows that the way out is back and that the future is a forward escape into the past. This is what the psychedelic experience means. Its a doorway out of history and into the wiring under the board in eternity. And I tell you this because if the community understands what it is that holds it together the community will be better able to streamline itself for flight into hyperspace because what we need is a new myth, what we need is a new true story that tells us where we're going in the universe and that true story is that the ego is a product of pathology, and when psilocybin is regularly part of the human experience the ego is supressed and the supression of the ego means the defeat of the dominators, the materialists, the product peddlers. Psychedelics return us to the inner worth of the self, to the importance of the feeling of immediate experience - and nobody can sell that to you and nobody can buy it from you, so the dominator culture is not interested in the felt presence of immediate experience, but that's what holds the community together. And as we break out of the silly myths of science, and the infantile obsessions of the marketplace what we discover through the psychedelic experience is that in the body, IN THE BODY, there are Niagras of beauty, alien beauty, alien dimensions that are part of the self, the richest part of life. I think of going to the grave without having a psychedelic experience like going to the grave without ever having sex. It means that you never figured out what it is all about. The mystery is in the body and the way the body works itself into nature. What the Archaic Revival means is shamanism, ecstacy, orgiastic sexuality, and the defeat of the three enemies of the people. And the three enemies of the people are hegemony, monogamy and monotony! And if you get them on the run you have the dominators sweating folks, because that means your getting it all reconnected, and getting it all reconnected means putting aside the idea of separateness and self-definition through thing-fetish. Getting it all connected means tapping into the Gaian mind, and the Gaian mind is what we're calling the psychedelic experience. Its an experience of the living fact of the entelechy of the planet. And without that experience we wander in a desert of bogus ideologies. But with that experience the compass of the self can be set, and that's the idea; figuring out how to reset the compass of the self through community, through ecstatic dance, through psychedelics, sexuality, intelligence, INTELLIGENCE. This is what we have to have to make the forward escape into hyperspace.

Buy Nothing Day .... Kill the Consumer Monster

I know this is day late (27th was US buy nothing day, while yesterday was international) We did manage to not buy anything yesterday!! It is really amazing how much we Americans buy. Just amazing. The book I'm reading now talks about simplifying and I think is wonderful. Nothing I didn't already know but, it is good to see other like-minded individuals out there. Here in the midwest we have mostly Republicans and Bible bangers.. ie conservatives. Which is ironically in direct opposition to their thoughts and actions... but I digress I feel we could all be better off and start to make an impact on global warming and other environmental issues if we just cut our consumption. enough for today. Look for some interesting content in the next few days... Hippie Dippy Do!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Been a busy day around here. Helen, myself and Helen's mom have been baking pies, and prepping for tomorrows feast. We're having Apple, pecan, pumpkin, and I made a cheese cake, which will be topped with Blueberries... Yummy!!

I'm not much of a holiday person (mostly because of the over-commercialization, especially of Christmas). I'm of the mind that holidays are more about family than gifts.. I can get behind that, and it keeps the insanity at bay, not having to deal with idiot shoppers. But I digress.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours

Our 16th Anniversary

Well yesterday was another damp windy day here in Springfield, MO. But that didn't stop us from having a lovely 16 wedding anniversary.
We ate at The Purple Burrito. Very good food and very reasonable (dare I say cheap) prices. AFAIK this is the only place in town now that uses shreaded beef. To me this makes it more authentic. At least its what I grew up with in Arizona, so what I associate with real mexican food.

Wow 16 years. Can ya'll believe she's been able to tolerate me that long? Amazing ;)

Anyway I'll post a picture for you to ponder over... More details on what it is next post

Glorious Saturday, dreary Sunday

I can't complain about the weather to much this year at all. We went deer hunting yesterday and it was 70 degrees!! Unheard of for Missouri this time of year. It was an unseasonably cool summer (yea!!) but plenty wet, bad for the farmers and gardeners.

A nice day was had by all. Helen got quite a bit done on a sock and I did some reading. We did see a couple deer but couldn't get a shot at one. Was still nice to see some of Mama Gaia's creations. Feel her breath and warmth.

What to do What to do

Well I know I'm behind the time but...

I love ITunes.. I've discovered free content in the form of podcasts, radio, and online courses..

Yes ITunes now does more than just organize your mp3s.. :)

But I digress, I'm mulling over the idea of putting together a podcast.. something pagan based of course. Hmm..

I guess all I need is a decent mic.. thinking about a headset for christmas.. Anyone listening??

But then I think I'd rather be moved to Vermont than spend money on anything else. I mean I can get headset anytime, been waiting to move to Vermont FOREVER!! or at least 10+ years.

And Helen has been working on various warm, snugglie thing for when we get there. The latest being these. Shhh!! don't tell her I know about them. :)

That's about all for now kiddies. Maybe a new poem soon. We went for a walk today down by Wilson's creek and I had some inspiring thoughts..

O brave new world.. A grammes better than a damn

If you haven't read any Huxley the a good one to start with is Brave New World. This isn't my first reading of it, but I pickup more understanding each time through.

The book was written in the 30's but is still very timely. While it is Sci-Fi, the technology is most likely already in place to make it a reality.

The most disturbing bit of this book is the "inculturation" that is used in their cast system. It rings true with much of what we see in todays society. While the reality is a bit more subtle, we can see that the consumerism, better living through chemistry, and making you life your life tied to corporate america. Scary !!

I'm reading the sequel "brave new world revisited" which talks about what projections made in the book have come to pass.. It also goes into the aspect of population explosion, which wasn't obviously clear in the original. The original had the feel, to me at least, that population wasn't the issue that BNW was concerned with, it was more about stability of the various "caste" systems.

I found it laughable how they viewed traditional birth and mother/fatherhood as "smutty".. Even taking it to the level of zoology with use of terms such as viviparous (look it up).

The view of sexuality in the book, I'm sure, was controversial at the time; And to some it remains so. Some comments did strike me as sexist, however one must remember the time period it was written in. Not to say this makes it right, but we must remember that we are viewing history through a modern lens.

Absolutely a classic worth the day or two it takes to read.

Charge of the Goddess

I'll assume most of you who may be reading this blog have at some point read this charge.. but It bear repeating.. I find if very moving.

Charge of the Goddess
Traditional by Doreen Valiente, as adapted by Starhawk:

Listen to the words of the Great Mother, Who of old was called Artemis, Astarte, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Diana, Arionrhod, Brigid, and by many other names:

Whenever you have need of anything, once a month, and better it be when the moon is full, you shall assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of Me Who is Queen of all the Wise.

You shall be free from slavery, and as a sign that you be free you shall be naked in your rites.

Sing, feast, dance, make music and love, all in My Presence, for Mine is the ecstasy of the spirit and Mine also is joy on earth.

For My law is love is unto all beings. Mine is the secret that opens the door of youth, and Mine is the cup of wine of life that is the cauldron of Cerridwen, that is the holy grail of immortality.

I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal, and beyond death I give peace and freedom and reunion with those that have gone before.

Nor do I demand aught of sacrifice, for behold, I am the Mother of all things and My love is poured out upon the earth.

Hear the words of the Star Goddess, the dust of Whose feet are the hosts of Heaven, whose body encircles the universe:

I Who am the beauty of the green earth and the white moon among the stars and the mysteries of the waters,

I call upon your soul to arise and come unto me.

For I am the soul of nature that gives life to the universe.

From Me all things proceed and unto Me they must return.

Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals.

Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.

And you who seek to know Me, know that the seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery: for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without.

For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am That which is attained at the end of desire.

Yard cleanup

Well the winter prep/yard work continues. Fall has arrived in short order and we've actually got some fall colors here. I've lived in MO since 98 and have never seen fall color here. It's usually green to brown then bare. Then again, it's usually still in the 90's here this time of year.

Enough babble from me. I'll post some pictures ..

Heres the first bed we renovated

Next we did some tree trimming the to these beds behind the house

planted a replacement redbud for one that died a few years ago in an ice storm

We started on this one today. Honestly we were feeling pretty lazy today.. 2-3 days manual labor is hard on us old folk. Ok maybe not so old, nor do I mind doing hard labor, but the ol body doesn't always agree. :)

And heres what we've yet to do

Here are a few shots of the water feature. There is a pool above and a larger one below
with a water way between. This will likely be our largest project. We have to replace the pool liners which entails removing most rocks you see. there are steps to the right. Oh and a nest of yellow jackets to get rid of before starting

then theres the herb garden

and the rock garden

Imagine how surprised we were to see this Bittersweet!! This is pretty rare stuff in this area.

I just hope the Elders appreciate all this :)

Reconnection

After a long wet week last week, this week has been absolutely yummy. highs in the 50's and sunshine. Helen and I have been renovating "The Elders" yard. There is quite a bit of work to do. From relining a pond to cleaning out flower beds, rock gardens, etc.

It's been a good while since either of us has done much in the way of manual labor and we're feeling it :) That's why I'm on here today instead of outside.

It does feel good to get out into nature and do something though. Nothing better than a hard days work with the earth to ground you. It makes me feel richer than any amount of money ever could. Reconnection to mama earth renews our connection and place in nature. Humility shows us we are just another creature of her not master of the domain.


New Hobby!!



OK So podcasting is anything but new.. but it is new to me. I fired up Itunes the other day to see what was available and came across "The dark side of Fey" and "A Pagan heart in Maine". I've listened to a few episodes of each and am hooked on both. I'm downloading the remainder of darkside as we speak.

If you've the time and interest you can find the links under "podcasts" in the links section of the left sidebar.

About Our New Computer

Here is a picture of our latest technology acquisition. It's our first Mac.. It's a MacBook Pro. I'm quite impressed with how it looks. It has a lot more functionality and features than I'm use to, the programs are easy for a newbie but a bit difficult for a seasoned PC guru to get the hang of. It's been about 3 weeks now and I'm starting to get comfortable with it. I can get around pretty well and find most things.

For those that don't know, OS X is basically a frontend for Unix/Linux. So while I can get around fine in the GUI, the command line is a bit daunting.. and that's where I really want to play. If you remember DOS days then imagine trying to go from windows to the command line with no previous knowledge. I do know a bit about linux.. but just enough to be dangerous.

Most of our existing hardware works with the Mac.. The scannner does, the Ipod of course. but my zen doesn't :(

Hmm how does this tie in with Paganism? I'll be praying to the technology goddess for enlightnment.. or something

meanwhile check out this video for a good laugh.

Must Read for Gaia Lovers

Earth Prayers is a must read for anyone who loves this planet. There are too many good poems in this book to list but I'll post one that I feel fits the upcoming Samhain


Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep

I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you wake in the morning hush
I am the swift, uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave
and weep.
I am not there. I do not sleep.

Joyce Fossen

Great Book!!

Without a doubt this is the best book I've read in a long time. Mr. Obama really ties it all together here and makes politics (a tough topic for the commoner at the best of times) clear and concise. He not only voices his views but explains the reasoning behind them. I must say that I share a lot of these views and think that, if congress gives him some room some real change will be possible.

Check you're local library.. they should have this book.

ok lets try some more pictures :)

the first was taken in the field just below ritual circle. It's home to an apple orchard, as well as some animal housing, arts hall, and the labyrinth.

This was our second year at Vermont Witchcamp and I highly, highly recommend it if you can get to VT. Registration starts in Feb and its best to sign up early as it fills up really quick. I think it was full by around March 1 this year.

There are typically around 130 people signed up so its not a small community but it is a very friendly one. Feels like home to me.

enough for now. Hope you enjoy the pics

Vacation pics

t's been awhile since I posted much as we have limited availability to internet… I think its time to post some vacation pics though.

First I must say Helen made me some wonder full socks (which you can view here) for my birthday. Got to wear them a couple times on the trip and they are warm. Will be wonderful for VT winters.

VWC is held at Farm and Wilderness each year. This is a Quaker owned/operated camp in Southern Vermont. Couldn't ask for a friendly or more professional group bunch of folks. Special thanks to Mary.. The camp cook.

The first pick is one of the fields the cows graze in. Second is of me making friends with the Heifers (they do like apples :))

The third image is in the upper field where we have ritual each night. What a great spot for it. I like to go up there and watch the sun go down and the moon and stars come out.

I'm having a bit of problems posting more than these 3 pics on this post so will post more on my next post.

Through the eyes of a witch

By Don Scroggins @ VWC 2009

Sitting on this rock on the edge of this lake
Watching the rain drizzle down
The birds calling as a chipmunk scurries behind me for a mid-morning meal

I hear fellow witches in the distance enjoying some unknown activity.

As I sit here I wonder:

Why can the world not be like this?
No fears, no hate, no greed
Only peace, love, compassion, and community

The way to start the change is to become that change. Share your wisdom with those who would hear, and never stop learning.

It may take more than our lifetimes, but it will never become a reality without our spark.

Good news, and bad

Good news is that we finally got our macbook pro!! Bad news is its going to take us some time to learn to use it. I can see how its easier but, I've been a pc guy for so long.. got to learn to think differently. To make matters worse we don't have internet access at the house so I'm still tied to our local library (thankfully they have free internet).


Thats all for now.. pictures and poetry later.

Blessed Be

Man I miss Internet access from home

Well I posted a new exerpt from one of Rumi's Poems we sang at camp (see upper right of page)

Loved this year at camp.


Here are a few other chants we learned

Should be picking up a macbook pro soon!!

I'm running short of time here on the library connection so I haven't sourced everything. Will get back to it ASAP.

Blessed Be and enjoy

"If the people lived their lives as if it were a song, for singing out of light.
Provides the music for the stars to be dancing circles in the night"


"Forget your perfect offerings
ring the bells that still can ring
there is a crack in everything
thats how the light gets in"
~~ Leonard Cohen

VWC 2009 Awesome

Well we made it back from VT witch camp and what an awesome time it was.

I wrote some poetry and learned some new chants.


I'm at the library now as we don't have Internet at our current home base. Will type one of the poems and add the other later as well as the chants.


What's Hidden

by Don Scroggins @ VWC 2009


The sun breaks over the mist-covered mountains
all the woes of yesterday forgotten as the suns promise of renewal shines

The tall, glistening trees, leaves shading bits of the forest floor

Is this darkness to be feared?
Is it only hiding wondrous secrets yet to be revealed?

Here comes the wind, whispering and revealing the wonders of the air.
What marvels does it hold?

The previous darkness is suddenly unveiled.
In the distance a babbling brook exudes it's energy to change the forest yet again.

AHH,

Water rushing headlong to a distant ocean, drawn by the moon tides.

What can be learned from these ancient ones?
How can we be more like them?
For we ARE nature, we have only forgotten how to BE instead of trying to control her

Hiatus -- Hopefully short

Well We been working our butts of getting all our accumulated belongings packed up. D-day is about to arrive. We are suppose to close on Tuesday and leave for VT on Wednesday morning early (like 3 am early). We've still got a good deal of work to do but now it looks doable.

Helen and I likely won't be posting for the foreseeable future as we soon will be homeless and with no computer/internet. Fear not though.. I'm sure we'll be purchasing a lappy soon and hitting the McDonalds, library, or whoever has free wi-fi :)

thoughts on "Reflections" post

I must admit that I LOVE Poe's works. He was known to lapse into
flights of fancy, often leaving the reader wondering WTF he is talking about .. but still.

His literary talent, and vivid imagery are rarely equaled today, even by those who find themselves in

an opiate utopia.


A dream within a dream is one of my favorite Poe Poems.. it makes one ponder.

How do we know what's real and what is only imagined? Why do we struggle to make this distinction?

How or why is the answer relevant? Are these perceptions molded by our cultural norms?


If our "reality" is truly shaped by our individual experiences, then wouldn't dreams be part of that

reality?

If we are all tied together in the "collective unconcious" or Gaian Mind wouldn't one be able to change

their own or another's reality through the use of magic?

"Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will." Crowley

if so how would this effect the person whos will (reality) has been changed. Would they know it had

occured?


In talking about energies we say we have the right to manipulate it to our will and that if we fail to

do so it can harm us.

"A Witch has the right and the obligation to control her/his environment." (author unknown)


What about the will of others?

Food for Though

Reflections

A dream Within A Dream

E.A. Poe

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow--
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream:
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision or in none,
Is it therefore the less _gone_?
_All_ that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand--
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep
While I weep--while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
_One_ from the pitiless wave?
Is _all_ that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?


More Poe can be found here

Blessed Lammas

"Lammas marks the middle of summer and beginning of the harvest season. Lammas is considered a time of thanksgiving and is the first of the three Pagan harvest festivals. The Sun's strength begins to wane and the plants of spring begin to wither and drop their fruits or seeds to ensure future crops."

Lammas has arrived and its time to start enjoying the fruits of our labor, but its not time to let up as this is only the first of the harvest. Now is the time to start preparing for the hard winter ahead. But do take some time to enjoy whats come to frutation.

The goddess has been good to us this Lammas season. We've worked our butts off to get our house in order and keep it clean for prospective buyers. It finally paid off!! Thursday evening our agent came by with paperwork to sign and tell us closing is on the 18th.. Perfect, as we're leaving for VT in the wee hours of the 19th!!

Ceres is the goddess I choose to look to for this holiday as she is the goddess of grain. A statue of her sits atop our lovely VT State Capitol Building.


I'll also leave you with my favorite harvest song and a poem..

and the lyrics:


Harvest Chant .. Starhawk

Our hands will work for peace and justice
Our hands will work to heal the land
Gather 'round the harvest table
Let us feast and bless the land

Under the Harvest Moon by Carl Sandburg

Under the harvest moon,
When the soft silver
Drips shimmering
Over the garden nights,
Death, the gray mocker,
Comes and whispers to you
As a beautiful friend
Who remembers.

Under the summer roses
When the flagrant crimson
Lurks in the dusk
Of the wild red leaves,
Love, with little hands,
Comes and touches you
With a thousand memories,
And asks you
Beautiful, unanswerable questions.

May you never hunger, may you never thirst

Poetry and Philosophy

Well I've run dry on topics to post about so I'm going to try something new, or rather something I had started before but never explained or developed further.

From time to time, I'll post some of my favorite poems. I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts
on them : if you like them, what they mean to you, what you think the author was trying to convey.

What makes poetry so interesting is it's interpretation is, or can be, subjective, what it coveys to you may not have been what the author envisioned at all.

When you take into account how our language and culture has changed over time, frame of reference can be difficult to grasp.


Poetry is an art no doubt. If you think about the English language, how much description do we use today as opposed to 50-100 years ago? This loss is to make things more precise (and faster) and fit into objective frames, but does it? Is it better to have a technical description of something, or a detailed description, which engages the minds eye more? Why is it important to engage imagery?

With that tidbit of philosophy, I leave you with this:


Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

you can find more of his poetry here

Dog Pictures

So I haven't posted in a few days!! Haven't really had much to say or thought about any topics I want to write about.. In the mean time I'll post some pictures of Gabby.


Gabby was our first Weim and is by far the best dog I've ever owned. She had the rule of the roost until we brought Josh home.. She still hasn't forgiven us for that :)

We still miss him dearly

VWC 2009 !!

Helen and I are headed to Vermont Witchcamp 2009 on August 22.. We'll actually be leaving Springfield around the 19th as its a long (1500 Mile) two day drive.

Hopefully we won't run into any car problems like last year.

We had a wonderful time in spite of it though. We were taught a lesson in humility and of community.


I decided to take the "scenic route" through the mountains and got a $3000 repair bill in exchange. I hit a rock and tore the oil pan, didn't realize it and burned up the turbo charge.. OUCH!!

So I whip out our trusty cell phone we bought for emergencies.. No Signal!!


Here starts our lesson in humility.

We live in the Midwest where it's everyone for themselves. We were very surprised when people actually stopped and ask if we needed help, and even called a tow truck for us.

The tow truck guy was kind and ask where we were going. We told him and he phoned his wife to see if she could give us a ride.. Sure no problem!!

We didn't realize it at the time but it was 30 miles one way from where we broke down to his shop and another 40 one way to our camp. Now that's customer service!!

We had some misunderstandings the first few days of camp for a few reasons, 1) our first time at any type of pagan event, 2) we were very upset and worried about the car, and how much it was going to cost, and if we were going to get home.

The community was very understanding of our situation and did their best to help wherever they could.

Our mechanic told us he should have a new oil pan and have it installed by Wednesday (our damage occurred on Saturday) so we started asking for rides right away, giving folks a few days advanced notice to maybe give "those flatlander newbies" a ride. Well, Wednesday came and went with no call. Thursday we got a call saying the oil pan was done but we would need a new turbo unit and he could have it next day.. "It'll be $1395 for a used one or $1400 for a new one" is what he said.. Hmm... lets go new..

He ask when we were leaving and we told him Saturday is when camp was over..He said he could have it finished "sometime this weekend". We still didn't have any offers for a ride and were starting to get nervous. We made an announcement to the group (with the help of one of the organizers) and had several people willing to give us a ride.

Fast forward to Friday after dinner. The cook told me that the mechanic called and left his home number and we need to call him right away. Naturally I though "Shit, what else could be wrong?" Turns out he wanted to know if we'd give him a ride back to his shop if he brought us the car... DUH!!

So he brought us the car and we took him back to his shop, paid the note, and give him a nice tip for his and his wife's trouble.. Let him know we were very pleased and that that kind of service is unknown in our part of the world.

Needless to say, camp started to feel like home and family.. and we found an honest mechanic to boot.. Enough so that we decided to do it again this year.

This year I hope to get a little more involved with the paths and community that are available. I've volunteered to be a new camper buddy.. whatever that means. Seems, since we've camped before we're the people to ask.. I don't mind ,I love helping people..


Blessed Be

What this blog is about?

I just realized I've had this blog a while.. though I haven't been active on it much till recently. I guess I should take a bit of time explaining why I created it, why I chose the topic of paganism, and why some of the post may, to the casual reader, appear to have nothing to do with paganism.

I've created this blog basically as a way to air some of my views. We are in the buckle of the bible belt and, while there are some pagan groups in Springfield, they tend to be quite conservative for our tastes.

I came to paganism in a round about way really. I was raised Southern Baptist and knew from about the age of 10 that it wasn't my thing. Then I met Helen when we were both working at a video arcade. She was reading tarot for a friend when I walked in and freaked out.... LOL.. Now after a few years and some research I've got most of the nasty taste of organized religion out of my mouth and mind.

I have to say once I started reading about pagan beliefs it was like "wow, I didn't know other people believed this too!!"

I'm still what I'd call a 101 person, but I do feel like I've learned quite a bit.

Now, as I see it all things, in some off the wall way, are related to paganism.. from mundane task to ritual. Though I'll be the first to admit.. some of my post may go more political at times.. OTOH.. typically they are still related to human rights/environment/etc so technically still pagan venue :)

Afternoon In The Park

As Helen wrote we had a wonderful picnic at Close Memorial Park. This is one of many Springfield Area Parks. And really, when you get down to it the parks, the Ozarks Greenway Trails, and the Public Library are about the only thing the area has going for it. Those are the few things I'll miss after we move. But I digress.

The day was lovely.. Really nice and cool for this time of year. More updates later, I'm off to mow 'The Elders' (Helen's mom & dad) acreage.

Pentagram Poem

© Pentagram Poem By Don Scroggins

East is where it all begins
the smell of rain on the air
life awakens from winter slumber
springtime is here, peace abounds
love is on the breeze

South is the passion
the strength
the resolve
the warm embrace of summer

West is reflection
thoughts of past seasons
preparation for the coming winter
red and yellow, orange and gray
leaves dropping, counting down days

North is the Earth beneath our feet
wintertime time to sleep
warm thoughts to spring
grounding and giving strength

The center is spirit
God and Goddess
Parts of all
All around us

The circle binds all together
It is the circle of life.

New Blog

Helen and I spent the better part of today messing with blogger... I'm reasonably versed in HTML but not CSS or Blogger Code. So believe me when I say we spent HOURS.. trying to get the moon phase java bit to work.. sheesh.. Turns out after all that crap all we needed was to copy the code into a gadget!!

Shameless plug


Be sure to check out her blog

A breath of fresh air

American Clean Energy And Security Act of 2009 passed the house.

As usual I'm behind the curve on the news but it is great news.

Be sure to write to your senators and let them know where you stand on this bill.. after all you are one of their constituents.

you can go to here to see results and who voted for/against it in the house.. be sure and send them a thank you or a fuck you as the case may be ;)

And now for a book recommendation

I'm about half way through this book and Highly, highly recommend it. Most complete and detailed history ...

also currently reading "the chalice and the blade" another good work

Yes We Can

Yes We Can -- Yes We Did!!



I know its a bit late for this but I can truly says that this is the first time in a long time that I feel we have a candidate that has our best interest in mind.

Will he do all he promised? Keep in mind the president is only a figure head.. all changes must go through congress. If these first 100 days are any indication, I think we can be sure he will do everything in his power to make the changes we've been dreaming of.

Our Boy Josh

Our Weimaraner boy Josh left this world Wednesday April 8th.. He will be missed and we look forward to rejoining him in Summerland .. This is our tribute to him.

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Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

The road less traveled by

As I begin this journey into Bloghood, I fell this picture and Robert Frost poem appropiate

The picture was taken near our property in Vermont

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The Road Not Taken


TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.