In Chapter 3-6 - The Ram's Horn of Passover of my book, "Hearing Shofar: The Still Small Voice of the Ram's Horn", I explain why I use a shofar as the Cup of Elijah on my Passover seder plate. I was recently reminded of another connection between Passover and the Pascal ram symbolized by my shofar: PASSOVER OCCURS UNDER THE SUN SIGN OF ARIES, THE RAM.
This was brought to my attention by a posting at Carly Lesser (Ketzirah) blog, Pealing a Pomegranate, a site exploring "Earth-based Magickal Judaism." I am honored that she quoted from my chapter on Passover. Her posting follows:
The Ram's Head of Nisan
Journey from Adar to Nisan to Iyar, illustrated with the Transparent TarotWith Nisan we leave the lunacy of Adar behind. Rosh Chodesh Nisan is the New Year of Kings, so it makes complete sense that the Emperor is the card for the month. In the Transparent Tarot, the image is of a city. It is the man-made world, well organized and structured. What does this mean for us? In Nisan, we are challenged to once again leave slavery behind us and take responsibility for our lives. In Egypt we built cities for Ramses with nothing gained for ourselves - not even a decent meal. The Emperor reminds us that now we are responsible for ourselves and the cities we build.
The Emperor in the Waite-Smith Tarot sits on a throne with rams' heads as ornaments and wears a garmet with a rams' head on it. The throne is solid and stable, and under the cloak with the ram's head on it, he wears armor. This image reminds us of the interconnection of the ram and the Jewish people. In his writings on the shofar as spiritual practice, Michael Chusid says:
"A totem is a symbol, usually an animal or other natural object, used to signify a tribe or group of people. More than just a mascot, emblem, or iconographic signature, a totem embodies a tribe's self-identity. It carries the tribe's spiritual energy, informs decisions about behavior, and often acts as an intermediary between a people and its god or gods. Jews do not erect totem poles like those of Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest; our biblical proscription against graven images is too strong to allow that. Yet our totem is alive and well and deeply rooted in our history and liturgy; our totem is the sheep; more specifically, the ram. " (Hearing Shofar, Book 3)He goes on to discuss that astrologically the Age of Aries is considered by some to have begun around the time the Exodus that we commemorate with Passover is supposed to have happened. Moreover, the Age of Aries replaced the Age of Taurus - giving new meaning and dimension to the story of the Golden Calf. The Emperor of the Waite-Smith deck reinforces that this is the month were we became a true people, called together under a common banner and responsible for ourselves and our own existence in the world. How do the Emperor and Maiden come together in the same month?
Take a look at the astrological symbol for Aries (on right). It's also a symbol for
female reproductive organs if you just look at the imagery. The Ram that is the strength of the Emperor is also the potential life giving force symbolized by the Maiden in menarche.
Once we understand this, we can move into the month of Iyar and meet the High Priest, the Kohen Gadol, to understand the faith of our people. Following the Exodus the battle over who speaks for G!d(dess) is a major theme of the Torah portions. We must connect with the High Priest as holder of the tradition, before we can stand at the supernal chuppah in Sivan and be wed to YHVH through the revelation at Sinai on Shavuot (Lovers is card of Sivan).
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Regarding astrology: I grew up with confidence that astrology was hokum and worse than useless. My conceit was weaken during a time when I shared a house with several practitioners of astrology in the Vedic tradition. Theirs was not the tabloid magazine's pablum about "romance is just around the corner." Instead, they seemed to be sensitive to subtle influences and to be guided by a consistent set of principles that were based on millennia of observations about human behavior and the natural environment. Indeed, when I consulted their recommended astrological professional, a man who had never met me, he was able to give me insights into myself that were at least as profound as any psychological or other "scientific" assessment I have ever had. Then, when I started looking into the esoteric traditions of Judaism, I saw that astrology is woven into our calendar and rituals as well.
I still take a cautious view of astrology, and I have not invested time to study it. But I am glad to know that "stars" also ordain that the Ram is an appropriate part of our springtime festival.
Also read these ebooks:
Irv Slauson - The Religion Of Odin
Tuesday Lobsang Rampa - I Believe
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I finished Wicked about three weeks ago and never got around to writing about it, and now the book's gone back to the library, so I'll do my best to make this coherent, although it might be quite short.
This is an alternative take on the well known Wizard of Oz story, told from the perspective of Elpheba, who come to be known as the Wicked Witch of the West. It starts as she is born, and her parents are horrified with her green skin and irrational aversion to water. She is born into an Oz that is very different from the world imagined from the original stories. It is a world full of religious and political unrest, with the Wizard being a fascist dictator and the old unionist religion being overcome by a more secular, pleasure seeking 'faith'.
As the novel progresses we follow Elpheba through early childhood, college, political activism and her adult years, until the inevitable moment when Dorothy enters Oz her meeting with the witch, and it's inevitable outcome. Although the motives behind this are very different to the version we are all familiar with.
We also come into contact with many other memorable characters, including Elpheba's younger sister, Nessarose, born a normal colour but with no arms, and Elpheba's room mate at college Galinda. These three girls become close eventually, but after being told their intended destiny by their headteacher each take very different paths. Nessarose ends up as the Wicked Witch of the East, and Galinda takes on the role of the Good Witch who gives Dorothy the shoes. And the shoes are so important, but again, not in a familiar way!
Sentient animals also play a large part in the story, differentiated from ordinary animals by a capital letter (lion, Lion). During the Wizard's reign they are persecuted, and gradually their rights to live in human society are removed. Elpheba questions this, and this is one of the main factors which determines the way her life pans out.
But there is so much more to this book than just the basic story. It's full of moral, ethical and political dilemmas. Elpheba never means to do evil. She does some questionable things, but, at least in her mind, they are all for ultimate good. It raises issues of the nature of good and evil, and whether someone can be perceived to be evil just because their actions go against the normal behaviour of society. Perception also comes into play with the issue of judging people by their looks. Wealthy Galinda initially judges Elpheba on her looks, and wishes to have as little to do with her as possible, but eventually starts to see through her looks to the person inside, and perhaps start to see that beauty doesn't always equal goodness.
All in all, it's an interesting read. Was she wicked, or was she just misunderstood? What does it mean to be wicked at all? Was her reputation based on her looks, negative propaganda spread by the fascist dictator who calls himself the Wizard, and belief in equality and justice for all? Or was her life determined from the start, and were her, her sister and Galinda just fulfilling the requirements of the spell placed on them by their headteacher at Shiz college?
I know what I think, but the book doesn't really answer these questions. In fact it poses more questions than it answers. But read it, and see what you think.
Also read these ebooks:
Lady Sabrina - Exploring Wicca The Beliefs Rites And Rituals Of The Wiccan Religion
Tobias Johansson - The Crucible And The Reasons For The Salem Witch Hunt
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SO-CALLED WICCAN STABS MAN LISTED IN PHONE AS "SACRIFICE"
A woman who describes herself as a Wiccan is being held on charges of fatally stabbing a man, whose phone number she had listed in her cell phone alongside the word "sacrifice."
Angela Sanford, 30, claimed that the stabbing was in self-defense, and that the man had tied her up with her own rope belt and attempted to rape her. Sanford told police that she stabbed Joel Lebya three times in the stomach, but the 52-year-old was found to have been stabbed at least 11 times.
The two met at a casino, about a week before the incident. Sanford had invited Lebya to a hiking trail near Albuquerque, New Mexico, in order to celebrate spring in a Wiccan ritual. While walking and drinking alcohol together, the pair stopped so that Sanford could urinate. At that time, she told police, Lebya attacked her, tied her hands up with a rope belt she was wearing, and took a Wiccan dagger from her pocket. She also said that he made sexual gestures toward her.
In order to keep Lebya from raping her, Sanford claimed, she pretended to seduce him by stripping to her underwear and encouraging the man to lie down. At that point she knelt above him, grabbed the dagger, and stabbed him three times before running away.
Sanford was crouched behind some boulders a short distance down the trail, still wearing only her underwear, when a witness came upon her and made eye contact. Sanford then said that she had been raped, the witness told police, and several others came over to offer assistance. Before then, however, none of them had heard calls for help or saw Sanford fleeing from Lebya.
A detective later discovered Lebya's telephone number stored in Sanford's phone under the nickname "sacrifice."
Wicca, a neo-pagan religion and a form of modern witchcraft, is not generally associated with sacrifice or violence; in fact, one of its main tenets is the so-called Law of Threefold Return. This concept is similar to karma, and states that the actions a person commits, whether benevolent or malevolent, will come back to them with three times the force.
Members of Wiccan groups in the Albuquerque region have said that they are not acquainted with Sanford.
Sanford was indicted by a Bernalillo County grand jury, and bond set at 500,000. She is being represented by a public defender.
Also read these ebooks:
Lizanne Henderson - The Survival Of Witchcraft Prosecutions And Witch Belief In South West Scotland
Pino Longchild - Wicca Revealed A First Year Within The Craft
Charles Wentworth Upham - Salem Witchcraft And Cotton Mather A Reply
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This book tells the history of witchcraft from ancient times to modern day. Buckland is Gardnerian in lineage and this has influenced the book considerably. He draws on work by Margaret Murray a lot which was interesting as I have heard contradictory reports of the accuracy of her research and conclusions.
A full chapter was dedicated to the Salam Witch Trials, which focused a little too much on the details of the torture. It was a little sensationalist for my tastes to be honest. I am also not sure you can draw the conclusion that Witchcraft/Wicca are rooted in ancient Pagan traditions. It all seems a bit of a leap to me.
There were some thought provoking points, but generally it wasn't anything new. It dealt more with the American movement and the most enjoyable bit was short essay by Z.Budapest on Dianic/Feminist Wicca. I would suggest reading Triumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton instead.
** out of 5
Also read these ebooks:
John Nash - Spirituality And Gender
Ashe - Journal Of Experimental Spirituality
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Paganism is a spiritual way of life which has its roots in the ancient nature religions of the world. It is principally rooted in the old religions of Europe, though some adherents also find great worth in the indigenous beliefs of other countries. Such belief in the sacredness of all things can be found world-wide. Pagans see this as their heritage, and retain the beliefs and values of their ancestors in forms adapted to suit modern life. We celebrate the sanctity of Nature, revering the Divine in all things; the vast, unknowable spirit that runs through the universe, both seen and unseen.
Pagans honor the Divine in all its aspects, whether male or female, as parts of the sacred whole. Every man and woman is, to a Pagan, a beautiful and unique being. Children are loved and honored and there is a strong sense of community. The woods and open spaces of the land, home to wild animals and birds, are cherished. Paganism stresses personal spiritual experience, and Pagans often find that experience through their relationship with the natural world that they love. We seek spiritual union with Divinity by attuning with the tides of Nature and by exploring our inner selves, seeing each reflected in the other. We believe that we should meet the Divine face to face, within our own experience, rather than through an intermediary. Although some paths do have leaders and teachers, these people act as facilitators, using their own wisdom and experience to help guide those in their care towards discovering their own sense and interpretation of the Divine. Our rites help us harmonize with the natural cycles, and so they are often held at the turning points of the seasons, at the phases of the moon and sun, and at times of transition in our lives.
There is a great variety of traditions within the broad spectrum of Paganism. This reflects the range of our spiritual experience, for we believe that everyone is unique, and so everyone's spirituality must be equally unique. Some Pagans follow multiple Gods and Goddesses, their names familiar to all from the pages of European folklore and mythology: others focus on a single Life Force of no specific gender; yet others devote themselves to a cosmic couple - Goddess and God, or Lord and Lady. We celebrate our diversity for we believe that each person should find their spirituality according to the dictates of the quiet, inner voice of their own soul. For this reason we respect all sincere religions, and do not proselytise or seek converts. From other faiths and from society generally, we ask only tolerance.
In these days of environmental concern and eco-awareness, Pagans are often at the forefront of Green awareness. Pagans of all paths respect the rights of every living soul, whether human, animal, plant or rock. We are ever mindful of the actions of cause and effect, whether by thought or deed, upon the creatures of the Earth. We encourage free thought, creative imagination and practical human resourcefulness, believing these to be fundamental to our spending our lives in harmony with the rhythms of the natural world. We rejoice that some of our personal beliefs should now be shared by so many other people. These beliefs are the heritage of all people from our distant and common ancestors - they are equally the concern of all our descendants.
*From the Pagan Federation
Also read these ebooks:
William Alexander Craigie - Religion Of Ancient Scandinavia
John Arnott Macculloch - The Religion Of The Ancient Celts
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1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal quarters and cross-quarters.
2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.
3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than is apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary, it is sometimes called "supernatural", but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.
4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the Universe as manifesting through polarity -- as masculine and feminine -- and that this same creative Power lives in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sexuality as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of Life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.
5. We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological worlds -- sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, the Inner Planes, etc. -- and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.
6. We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.
7. We see religion, magick, and wisdom-in-living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it -- a world view and philosophy of life, which we identify as Witchcraft or the Wiccan Way.
8. Calling oneself "Witch" does not make a Witch -- but neither does heredity itself, or the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within him/herself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well, without harm to others, and in harmony with nature.
9. We acknowledge that it is the affirmation and fulfillment of life, in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe we know, and to our personal role within it.
10. Our only animosity toward Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy-of-life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be "the one true right and only way" and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practices and belief.
11. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present, and our future.
12. We do not accept the concept of "absolute evil," nor do we worship any entity known as "Satan" or "the Devil" as defined by Christian Tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept the concept that personal benefits can only be derived by denial to another.
13. We work within nature for that which is contributory to our health and well-being.
-- These principles were adopted by The Council of American Witches in 1974.
*From Bewitching Ways*
Also read these ebooks:
Belle Wagner - Within The Temple Of Isis
Anonymous - Basic Principles Of The Craft
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Samhain Psychic Spell
From Scott Cunningham's "Spell Crafts"
YOU WILL NEED:
* Small box or your Spell Box
* 1 large bowl
* 1/4 cup lemon grass
* 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
* 1 tsp. orange peel, dried
* 3 small polished amethysts
* 1 small polished aquamarine
* 1 small polished citrine
* 1 small quartz crystal
* 1 small bottle containing pure spring water, tightly lidded or capped
* 1 blue candle
* 1 candle holder
Begin by placing the lemon grass into the bowl. Touch it with your fingers. Relax. Breathe deeply and run your fingers through the herbs, visualizing yourself as a psychic person. Relax and send soothing psychic energy into the herb. Add the cloves and mix with the lemon grass, continuing to visualize. Add separately the nutmeg and orange peel, mixing them with the previously added herbs. Pour the mixed herbs into the box or your spell box while saying:
"Herb and seed and flower,
Give me psychic power"
Next, hold the three amethysts between the palms of your hands until they become warm, charging them with your visualization. Gently place them in the box. Repeat with the aquamarine, the citrine and the quartz crystal, adding each to the box. After putting the quartz crystal into your spell box, say these or like words:
"Moon light, Moon bright,
Waterfalls of trembling white:
Mirrors of the unseen world
Are unveiled in my sight"
Finally, hold the small bottle of water between your palms and feel its cool, soothing psychic energy. Place into the spell box with these or similar words:
"Dew and rain, fog and sea,
Awaken psychic energy:
This is my will, so mote it be"
Charge the blue candle. Place into its holder and burn for nine minutes before the spell box (do not yet close its lid). Close the lid of the spell box, then snuff out the candle's flame. Burn the candle before the spell box every day for nine minutes until the candle is gone (closing the spell box between sessions). Whenever you have need of the box, even before the candle is gone, light the blue candle (or any other blue candle, if the original candle has burned itself out), open the box, and slowly say these of similar words:
"Conscious mind.
Is now blind
Psychic mind
Is now mine"
Use as needed, especially in conjunction with use of tarot cards, crystals, rune stones, or other psychic tools.
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Also read these ebooks:
Georg Lomer - Seven Hermetic Letters
Dion Fortune - Psychic Self Defense
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