Pagans and Parents and Questions, OH MY!!

Hey guys, how y'all doing? I cannot believe that it has been over a week since I last posted! I feel so horrible that I've left y'all hanging. It's just been so hectic 'cus we've only had the internet back up for the past few days and then I've been so busy juggling work and back to school errands that I haven't had time to think much less blog. But I promise that I will get back on my regular schedule and I won't abandon y'all again.

Well, I missed the P's for the Pagan Blog Project and I will get to those, but I want to skip on ahead to the Q's. Actually this one could technically be both, so I guess this post is me minding my "Ps & Qs". That was a really dorky joke...but I like it :).

So the thing is that I am still living with my parents and my older brother, the problem is that they don't know I'm pagan. Oh they know certain aspects of me being pagan: like I'm extremely eco-friendly and I am in to magick and fey. But they don't realize that it is more than recycling or thinking Tinkerbell is awesome (which I do). They don't know that I actually think the Earth is alive and sentient or that I believe that magick and the fey are real and not myth.

The Mystery of the Oracle

Hey guys! How ya'll doin' today. It's been a good day for me and it'll get even better when I can cuddle with my pillow :). Today is day number two for the O's on the Pagan Blog Project.I had a hard time coming up with an idea, but I finally decided to write about something that confuses the heck outta me while at the same time mystifies me: Oracle Decks!

I am currently learning to read tarot cards and when I was searching for a deck to purchase (I eventually got the Mystic Dreamer deck and I LOVE IT!!) I kept coming across oracle decks. I've tried to search for information about oracle decks but there doesn't seem to be much information about them. The only thing I have learned so far is that an oracle deck can have anywhere from 44 to 55 cards in it and that no deck has the same kinda cards. I guess it is a completely unique experience for each person and no two people read the cards the same way.

Owls In Myth and Legend

Okay it's a little late but like they say, "Better late than never!" So here is my first "O" post for the Pagan Blog Project. I decided to do Owls and their connection to different pagan traditions (mainly Celtic and Cherokee but I also threw in some Greek). I have always had a special love and affinity for owls so this post is one that is close to my heart.

One of the most well known myths about owls is the sacred owl companion of the Greek goddess Athena. Originally she had a crow as her companion. she eventually grew tired of the crows prankster attitude and banished him. Seeking a replacement, Athena chose the owl for her wisdom and serious nature. As Athena's companion, the owl would reveal to her unseen truths.

In the Celtic tradition, the owl is know as cailleach-oidhche and she represents wisdom, stealth, initiation, change and detachment. She is clairvoyant and a seeker of deeper knowledge. She is also a sign that death is only a new beginning. She has great intuition and courage and she always follows her instincts. She is a bringer of hidden truth, omens, and secrets and she can help unmask those who wish to deceive you. Barn owls are especially sacred and known for being able to see the hidden and hear the unspoken. This is because barn owls have exceptional hearing and sight, even compared to other owls.

Names, Magickal Names

IT'S FINALLY FRIDAY!!! I've been leading up to this post all week and now I'm finally get to talk about Magickal Names. I love discussing magickal names because it is such and intensely personal and complex process (if you do it right).

Taking a magickal name means choosing a name other than your birth name to use during ritual and other craft practices. Magickal names are not required but they do add dimension and mysticism to your work. I took on a magickal name as part of my spiritual dedication to the craft and my deities. When part of a coven, it is often traditional to study for a year and a day before deciding on ones magickal name. Being a solitary practitioner, I had no limits or guidelines to how or when I chose my name. It was a long time before I discovered my name, and I do mean discovered because I never made the conscious decision to take on a magickal name.

Numerology, Decoding Your Personality (Part 1)

Since today's post is for the Pagan Blog Project 2012, the topic is a N word. This is actually going to be a multiple part blog involving numerology and magickal names. To start off lets get a little 411 on Numerology 101 (yes pun is intended).

Numerology is the study of how numbers can be used to predict the future or gain knowledge about ones personality and attributes. Numbers have been used to gain divine wisdom since ancient times and evidence of numerology can be seen in many civilizations including the Chinese, Greek, Egyptians, and Mayans. The Mayan calender that predicts the end of the world this December employs the use of numerology (I am neither promoting or discounting the authenticity of their prophecy).

What is widely used today is the Greek system created by the mathematician Pythagoras. He combined the disciplines of the Arabic, Druid, Phoenician, Egyptian, and Essene sciences to create something new. It did not stop there though, it has continued to grow and evolve over the centuries and is still growing today. Numerology has become more widespread today than it has ever been.

Though numerology declares ALL numbers significant, there are five numbers that are considered the Core numbers of numerology. These numbers define you and have great insight into who you are. These numbers are your Life Path number, your Expression number, your Heart's Desire number, your Birth Day number, and your Personality number. Each one uses your personal birth name and/or birth date, therefore they are rooted in the person you are.

Life Path Number

We will start with the Life Path number because it is the most important number in your Numerology chart. Your Life Path is a road map to how your life will play out and it will influence the challenges that you face along the way. It also influences your general character and attitude towards life. The reason the Life Path is so important is because it uses your entire birth date and never changes.

To calculate your Life Path number you must reduce each unit of your birth date (month/day/year) to a single-digit or Master number (Master numbers are 11, 22, and 33). Then add each of the resulting numbers together and reduce the total again to either a single-digit or Master number. I'll do mine as an example: April 12, 1992.

April is the 4th month, so we have a 4.

It was the 12th day of the month and 1 + 2 = 3, so now we have a 3.

The year was 1992 and 1 + 9 + 9 + 2 = 21 and 2 + 1 = 3, so now we have another 3.

Now you add them all together: 4 + 3 + 3 = 10 = 1 + 0 = 1

So my Life Path number is 1

One thing to remember about numerology is that the numbers are not the only important part, the method of getting the numbers is also important. The reason why you have to get your Life Path number by first adding and reducing each section of your birth day is because each part represent other sections of your numerology chart: your Period cycles. Your Period cycles (this has nothing to do with menstruation) are three long term cycles that divide your life into thirds. The first is derived from the reduced number of your birth month (4), the second from your birth date (3), and the last from your birth year (3). This is what makes your Life Path number so important: it is found by combining the numbers of your three Period cycles.

Once you know your Life Path number you can use it to learn about yourself and make important decisions about your life from your major in college to whether you and your partner will be compatible.

My Example

Having 1 has my Life Path number suggests that I have the skills to be a leader and that I demand independence and personal attainment. i am also capable of creative inspiration and great determination and ambition. i am also a great project started and I am at my best when challenged. I have a natural tendency to lead and I generally take charge even when not appropriate. I am highly original and have the talents of an innovator/inventor. i have a strong personality and I feel it is necessary to folow my own convictions regardless of consequences. Routine tasks bore and tire me quickly. I can be self-centered and demanding, though I tend to hide it in social settings. Regardless I may be considered friendly and good-natured. I am sensitive to disapproval and tend to not take criticism lightly. Though I show great potential for leadership, I may fail as a follower. Due to my strong personality, I should avoid being to bossy or 

Ok so this is only the first part of my numerology, so keep checking in to get information of the other four Core numbers and check back next Friday to seek how I add in magickal names.

Blessed Be!

L is for Love

This will be my first official post and it happens to correspond with the first L day on the Pagan Blog Project of 2012, which is sponsored by Rowan Pendragon of OneWitchsWay.com. It is a wonderful project were bloggers worldwide simultaneously post blogs concerning paganism and the occult.Since today is letter L and I have decided that my first post should carry some weight I have decided to discuss the connection between paganism and love.

Love is the driving force for any and all decisions that human beings make. This is why there is such a huge following for paganism, Wicca, and other Earth-based religions, because they are grounded in love. In this modem-day technological world it is very easy to find yourself disconnected from everything: coworkers, family, friends, nature, and the divine. You may begin to feel that you are alone and worse, that everyone will trample you in pursuit of their own gain.

Yet Wicca and most pagan religions stress community and support and above all love: love for one-self, love for others, love for nature, and love for a divine being. This love has no qualifications and no boundaries, it is giving fully and unconditionally.

Within love lies the strength of the pagan movement. Though we may never become mainstream like Christinity or Buddism, we will never crumble because we have forged our foundation out the strongest material in existence.

So I just want to say one more thing ...... I LOVE YOU GUYS!! :)