Cauldron News

Personal Ethics

2010-02-08T16:00:00.000-06:00

By and large, Pagan paths leave a lot of room for a personal ethical standard. We're given guidelines on valuable ideas, but not necessarily told how to behave.

What are your personal ethics?
What values do you hold dear?
How closely do these values align with your religious path?

And most importantly, how comfortable are you with defining your own ethics? Do you prefer to be told what to do/how to behave/etc? Does sorting out your own beliefs make you anxious? Or is the whole process of self-discovery exhilarating and freeing?

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Human uniqueness?

2010-02-08T07:26:00.002-06:00

A book I'm reading - actually for light reading, it wasn't meant to supplement my spiritual/religious research at all - brings up an interesting point and I'm curious where others stand on it. It discusses Yogis and how "true Yogis" view the world, all of it, as a manifestation of "God." (term used loosely here) Everything is divine, but humans are unique, "special," because only as a human can "God-realization" occur. Other forms of life do not have this opportunity.

This is something with which I fundamentally disagree. Personally I find nothing "special" about humans and I do not hold a view in which humans are above other forms of life. In an article somewhere (about dolphin communication), a researcher said, "It's only due to our lack of knowledge that humans remain this exclusive species." I can't for the life of me remember her name, but that resonates very deeply within me.

So...thoughts?

Myths as part of worship and ritual

2010-02-08T07:18:00.000-06:00

I know that myths are often used as sources of info on the nature of the gods and interacting with them. But does anyone here incorporate the stories themselves into ritual? How do you decide which of a god's many myths you'll focus on? Or, in everyday life, do you find yourself returning to some myths as touchstones of faith?

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Your Ritual Tools

2010-02-05T16:08:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking on the subject of the use of tools in ritual and I thought I'd pick your brains for a bit. Smiley Some questions:

What tools do you use doing ritual or other religious work?

How do you use them?

What do they represent?

How did you decide on them? (IE, are they tradition specific, historically informed, UPG, something else?)

Are there any special rules involved with them? (IE, no one else can touch them, you have to make them yourself, etc?)

How necessary are they? If you couldn't use your tool, are can you substitute/adapt, or do you just go without?

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Solstices and Equinoxes

2010-02-04T16:18:00.002-06:00

The solstices and equinoxes and I have always been on shaky ground. I remember trying to incorporate them as seasonal holidays in my calendar during my strictly Celtic period, but between the fact that I had no historical foundation to build from, and that I didn't see these days as marking the seasons (they're pretty arbitrary when it comes to New England weather) I didn't really have any use for them. I felt a draw, but I couldn't shape that attachment into anything useful.

Fast forward to about ten minutes ago. How I got started on the subject, I do not recall (which is pretty sad, given that it was about fifteen minutes ago) but I thought to myself, what if these days aren't about the earth, but about the sun? Or, I continued, not exactly about the sun, but about light and dark, night and day, and the balance? To a certain degree, they've always been about those things, but I was never able to extricate them from the seasonal association that didn't work for me.

So I was wondering: how do you feel about the equinoxes and solstices? Do they have a role in your practice, your calendar? Do you see them about light/dark, or seasonal, or both, or something else? How do you celebrate them?

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Solitary in Asatru

2010-02-03T21:44:00.000-06:00

Community is a generally considered a huge part of Asatru and related faiths. What about those people who worship without a religious community?

- Are you solitary? If so, is that by choice or necessity?
- How necessary is a religious community or not? Why?
- How important is a mundane community or not? Why?
- If someone is solitary, how do they practice Asatru or other Heathen religion? Particularly, I'm interested in what people's more formal, solitary blots might look like.
- What do you do to cultivate or support your community, religious or secular?

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What books SHOULDN'T you read?

2010-02-03T14:00:00.000-06:00

In another discussion group I'm in, I asked a similar question, but it was very subject oriented. Here it's more general.

What book you would not recommend reading, and why so? Be it contents, or just a waste of time and money, or are there better books on the subject?

I can also ask it in a different way - What book wouldn't you recommend for a beginner in this or another path? (material to advanced, need for solid basics before, etc...). That's a different question actually, but never the less also important.

Also, if you think that the book isn't bad, but not suitable for a specific crowd, mention it (i.e. "Wicca" by S. Cunningham, which I think is good for a general interest in Neo-Wicca, but not as good for someone interested in Traditional Wicca).

Why these question(s)? There are many lists of "What to read", but there aren't many of "What to avoid". Many of the books which I think should be avoided, are those who are actually more "easy selling" - tempting covers, tempting titles, etc., which beginners (and non beginners) may buy, and just waste some good time and money, better spent elsewhere. Though IMO, there is no such thing as a "bad" book, because from every book you can learn something (such as - "what is a bad example for a book").

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Speaking to the Gods Informally?

2010-02-03T06:46:00.000-06:00

Can you speak to the gods/goddesses informally, such as the Christians do in their religion? Or must it only be in formal ritual and worship?

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Expectation of a Deep, Personal Relationship with Deity/ies?

2010-02-02T20:19:00.000-06:00

I was reading in another thread - and my apologies, but I can't seem to locate it again! - and something in it stuck with me today. The idea brought up was that for most Celts, a relationship with the gods wasn't necessarily about having a deep, personal, intimate communion with them, that it was a different way of looking at the gods' interaction with men. In other threads, primarily from those of Celtic or Heathen beliefs, the relationship with local land and house spirits seems to have more emphasis as a more important part of the day to day life.

I know that there are those who do have an intimate, personal relationship with one or more deities... but perhaps my expectation of this as an inherent and fundamental part of religion is a Christian hangover, rather than fully embracing a totally new approach to things? And I sense that it could be a barrier to developing a deep and intimate experience in a totally different way, especially since in the last month or so, forming a better understanding of and connection with the more immediate, local spirits has become more and more something on my mind.

I would love some more discussion of this idea, and about making this paradigm shift.

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Communing with Nature?

2010-02-02T16:48:00.002-06:00

I'd like to hear from those who are practicing a religion that reveres nature (or places a great importance on nature or nature spirits) who live in suburban or urban areas. Particularly from people who are transplants there, who have had to adjust to it.

I lived in a rural area my whole life - acres and acres of wooded hills around a family farm - and a few years ago we moved to the outskirts of a honest-to-goodness town. I like it here for a lot of reasons, but the difference is huge in terms of the connection that I feel to nature. It's like trying to have a relationship through glass. Yes, I love the trees around here, and I find meaning in dandelions pushing through cracks in the sidewalk, etc, but it doesn't have the wildness that really resonates with me, and I'm feeling the lack of that strongly.

Also I feel a lack of privacy, due to the proximity of other homes, which affects me. Sure, there's nature everywhere (or I would go mad) but there's no privacy.

What are some ways that other people (who aren't conveniently living in the middle of the woods Smiley ) find to deeply and meaningfully connect with nature? I'm finding that kind of communion to be elusive, and I miss it.

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Becoming a witch or Being a witch?

2010-02-02T16:47:00.002-06:00

I often read on some websites that you can't become a witch. You are a witch or you aren't. What do they mean by that? Do you have to have witches as ancesters or something?
Or do they mean you have to be a witch in an active way, like in every action you perform you must act like one without to much effort?

But you can't be a witch without learning and knowing about it, isn't it? Or am I wrong? Doesn't a witch have a spiritual way of growing?

I all confuses me sometimes...

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Traditions for birth or babyhood?

2010-02-02T16:44:00.000-06:00

Many faiths have beliefs, rituals, and traditions around "baby-having" - both celebrations, and taboos. I always find these beliefs so interesting.

Does your path have any traditions or rituals for during pregnancy, during or after birth, or the postpartum time? If these kinds of details aren't known about your path, what do you imagine they might have been? If your path simply doesn't address these, then what do you think would be meaningful for you within your faith and practices?

If you've done some sort of religious/spiritual ceremony or before or after the birth, I'd love to hear about it! (Whether it was part of your official religious path or not.)

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Simple Ways of Celebrating the Wiccan Sabbats?

2010-02-02T07:15:00.000-06:00

What are some simple ways of celebrating the Sabbats without too much complex ritual and pomp?

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Lay Pagans vs. Clergy 2 (the other way round)

2010-02-02T07:13:00.000-06:00

The Lay pagans vs. clergy thread was a brief-but-interesting discussion that focused on what separates the clergy from the laity (to the extent that either word applies) within different pagan contexts.

This thread is aimed at running at the same sort of issue from the other side; what is the role of the laity? What differentiates them from clergy? Which pagan ways have a formal or informal role for a laity? How much latitude should lay pagans be allowed in different areas? For example, does it matter if an eclectic neo-wiccan, who is happy to identify as 'lay' believes some of the anthropological and historic inaccuracies that are well known at TC, or is it ok for lay people to believe the 'myths' of their tradition?

I understand that most participants at TC are more likely to fall into the clergy, or the non-hierarchic parts of paganism, but I'm interested in people's perspectives and thoughts on those who are not so inclined/called.

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New Asatru Web/Podcast

2010-02-01T07:00:00.002-06:00

Myself and two others are starting a new heathen/Asatru webcast beginning Sunday Feb. 7 at 1pm EDT. We will have book reviews, interviews with authors and other personages of note, band interviews/reviews, and whatever else we can think of to squeeze into an hour block of airtime.

Come check us out!

http://www.ravenradio.info/

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Divination to Communicate with Deity

2010-01-28T07:25:00.000-06:00

Just wondering...

Does anyone use divination specifically for the purpose of communicating with deity?

What methods? Are you successful? How do you know? Do certain types of questions work better than other types? What types?

Specifically wondering... Does anyone use pendulums or cards (especially Lenormand cards) for this purpose?

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As a Pagan, what do you do in everyday life?

2010-01-28T07:22:00.002-06:00

I am an Odinist, and I meditate most days, as well as go for nature walks at least a few times a week, if not every day. I also participate in environmentalism, do daily offerings for the gods, and do lots of reading on Paganism. I was wondering what other Pagans here do.

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Letter to the Pagan Community from Alane Brown, on behalf of Peter Dybing

2010-01-26T16:49:00.002-06:00

Looking for a way to help the Haiti earthquake victims? Want to support an emergency medical clinic in Port au Prince that's run by a Pagan priest?

Please consider donating money to Haiti Community Support. This NGO is not itself affiliated with any political or religious group. However, the man running the clinic, Peter Dybing, is a member of the Covenant of the Goddess and a longtime practitioner of the Craft. He was very active in the Albuquerque Pagan community before relocating to the Virgin Islands a few years ago. There he met Mathilde and Bruce, who run Haiti Community Support. Haiti Community Support is a NGO that has been helping Haiti since 2006 through programs in health, education and infrastructure building. Following the earthquake, Haiti Community Support shifted its emphasis to disaster relief. Peter (an EMT) and Mathilde traveled to Port au Prince on January 14th and set up an emergency clinic in a park. They recruited over 30 local Haitians and together they began caring for people who, despite severe injuries, just could not get into the overwhelmed hospitals. They arranged for shipments of medical supplies through a grassroots overland supply route from the Dominican Republic. At first, their medical supplies did not meet demand. They would treat patients until they ran out of supplies, then had to close up and wait for more. But as more donations began to come in, they were able to purchase more supplies, and can now make it through each long and grueling day. They treat wounds that have become increasingly serious because of the delay in treatment. Peter treats unset broken bones, cleans maggots from infected wounds and treats dysentery and other disease spreading through populations living in horrible conditions.

On January 23rd, ten more volunteers joined the clinic. They came from an Oregon rescue unit and from St. Croix Rescue. Now the clinic has a doctor, PA, nurse and several EMTs and paramedics. Together with the Haitian support personnel, they have expanded the clinic. Later this week they plan to go mobile, bringing the clinic to areas of Port au Prince where unmet needs are greatest. As the HCS emergency team looks to the future, their goal is to transition to a clinic run by Haitians, that can continue sustainably into the future. Peter says that the thing that impresses him the most is the dignity with which his Haitian patients face their terrible losses.

The organization is all volunteer, so there is very little overhead. Funds sent to them are immediately converted into relief work -- buying medical supplies, as well as covering the expenses of transporting them and running the street clinic.

I've been talking with Peter by cell phone several times a week. He has asked me to get the word out to the Pagan community about what he's doing. Circle Sanctuary has posted a link on its website and announcements have been passed through Covenant of the Goddess lists. Please spread the word to your pagan contacts: by donating to www.haitisupport.org you can help those who are suffering, through the healing hands of a member of our spiritual community, Peter Dybing.

On a magical level, please take a moment to imagine Peter's hands and send the power of healing into them, and thus on to those he touches in Haiti. And most of all, please donate now! Go to www.haitisupport.org -- donations are tax deductible in the USA.

If you have questions, or want me to pass on a message of support to Peter, please contact me at alane@frontier.net Please feel free to pass on this message to other like-minded folk. I have donated $100 and I hope you will donate, too.

Alane Brown, elder priestess
Crow Women Circle and Goddess Choir
Durango, Colorado

Naming After a God/dess

2010-01-25T06:57:00.002-06:00

I'm really curious about what y'all think about naming a child or oneself after a god/dess.

I know that there is a strong and long tradition in Ireland, f'ex, of naming children after saints, especially Brighid and Patrick. And Mary, of course. And other cultures have similar traditions.

But that seems to be more about honoring *saints* and hopng to imbue children with their characteristics.

What about naming a child after a god/dess? What about naming *yourself* after a god/dess -- either by changing your legal name or by taking a "spiritual" name?

Is it a way of honoring your deity? Or is it disrespectful? Or...none of the above?

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Are the Gods Real?

2010-01-25T06:55:00.002-06:00

This is to an extent a trick question (fair warning up front) and I'm going to engage in a little logical if-then. And this will be slightly oversimplified, but: the question is, do the Gods (my gods, your gods, the Christian God, Allah, Yahweh, Hindu Gods, Aztec Gods, whatever Gods) have, on some level, objective reality, or are they entirely subjective and the product of the believer's mind?

Corrolary question: is religion (any religion) tapping into something objectively real, or is it purely an aesthetic enterprise?

Now here's the if-then.

There's a tendency among Pagans to say that all religious ideas are valid, and to compartmentalize reality for purposes of faith, so that statements can only be true or false within the context of a particular faith or tradition. In accordance with this idea, there are no statements of a religious nature that can be made, which are true or false for everyone.

If this is true, then the answer to my question above must inevitably be NO: the Gods are NOT real. Their existence is entirely subjective, and all we are doing (and the same is true for all other religious persons, not just Pagans) is playing aesthetic games.

On the other hand, if the Gods ARE real -- that is, if there is on any level an objective reality to them (which is not to say that there is nothing whatever about them that is subjective; I'll get to that in a moment) -- then it follows that the idea of all religious ideas being valid is incorrect. Statements CAN be made which are true or false for everyone, not merely within the context of a particular religion or tradition, and it is possible for a religious doctrine to be, not merely repugnant, but objectively untrue.

We may say, I think, with some confidence that not everything about the Gods is objectively real. The human mind, the human imagination, gives them their humanoid qualities, from appearance to personality. The rites by which we choose to worship (or believe that they ask to be worshiped by) are also subjective and variable. This makes deities of different pantheons fundamentally distinct, despite their similarities. For example, the Greek god Hermes, associated with intelligence, communication, and commerce, is not the same as the Egyptian god Thoth, who is also associated with intelligence and communication. The Greeks personified these elements of the universe in one way, the Egyptians in another. Yet the elements themselves, which both Hermes and Thoth personify, are objectively real, and the same in Greece as in Egypt.

Thoth and Hermes are subjective personifications, but intelligence and communication are objectively real. Do Thoth and Hermes tap into or manifest intelligence and communication, or provide the benefits of these things for their worshipers, in any way that is itself real? If so, then Thoth and Hermes are (to that extent) real as well, and one may make statements about gods who manifest intelligence and communication that are true or false for both equally. If not, if Thoth and Hermes are purely exercises in art and theater without any power to actually tap into or provide the benefit of what they symbolize, then no statement may be made about Thoth which, if true, must also be true about Hermes.

One may of course generalize this. All deities are to a degree products of human imagination, but all of them are associated with aspects of reality, up to and including the universe as a whole, which are not products of human imagination. If a worshiper is, through a deity, genuinely tapping into and receiving the benefit of some aspect (or the whole) of nature, then to that extent the deity is objectively real and statements may be made which are true or false for ALL deities. If not, then again, religion is purely an exercise in theatrical art.

So what do you think? Are the Gods real, or not?

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Amulets and Talismans

2010-01-25T06:54:00.000-06:00

I've been thinking a lot about the power of amulets and talismans. I have a few questions for those of you who use them:

* Do "amulet" and "talisman" have different meanings for you? If so, what?

* For what purposes do you use them?

* What kinds of objects do you use for amulets/talismans?

* Do you charge them (put the power into the object) or do you make use of the object's pre-existing power/attributes?

* If you charge them, how?

* How long do they hold their power?

* How do you use amulets/talismans? That is, do you wear them? Carry them with you? Place them in specific places, like around your house or workplace? Put them on your altar? Something else?

* Do you think it's better to make your own or have someone make it for you?

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Innate Rituals

2010-01-25T06:52:00.002-06:00

With all of the discussion on structured rituals and ceremonies, I was actually wondering how many here practice innate or instinctual rituals. Performing prayers, rituals, dances, etc. by whatever comes naturally, rather than following a prescribed or planned "script" as you will. I use rituals in a large part of my worship, but I often find the instinctual rituals to be more fulfilling, for some reason. What do you typically do when you perform one of these rituals? Why do you do these?

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Randall's Computer Dead as a Doornail. Donations (no longer) Needed

2010-01-21T20:00:00.005-06:00

Many forum members and readers may remember that Lyric's computer died last August and it took us four months to come up with the money to get a new motherboard for it (Cancer bills do that to you). My computer (which is 18 months older that Lyric's) died last night and does not seem to be fixable. A new motherboard would not cut it as even the older motherboards like the P4 2.8 ghz board we got for Lyric would not work with any of my cards (sound, video, etc.) or even my hard drive. I'm not quite sure what I will do as without a computer, I can't even do maintainence on this board and web site. The spare (a laptop, 400mhz celeron 256 megs memory, designed for Win98) we have will not even run the software I need to maintain the site.

After discussing this, Lyric and I have decided that we are going to have to have "new computer donation drive" to buy a new low end machine. If we don't, the board and website will likely go down in a few weeks or months do to our inability to maintain it. Please note that we aren't expecting donations to buy a $1500+ high end gaming rig or the like but for a relatively inexpensive emachines home system we can pick up locally, thus saving money on shipping. We hate to have to do this, but cancer without health insurance has left us with no money, no credit, and a huge pile of bills -- and a forum that we've ran since 1997 that needs a lot of work. You can find out more information on the board, but here is a "New Computer" Donation button. Donations of $25 or more will get the spell files and donations of $50 or more will get the spell files and a numerology reading, just like we give for cancer donations. These are optional -- if for some reason you don't want them just say so in the comments. All donors will get a special badge for TC that will appear in your posts (but I may not be able to create this until I have a new machine, same for numerology readings, unfortunately). Please understand that there will be a delay in sending out info on the files as I don't even have working email -- I have to use web mail. But it will be spent out ASAP.

Important Update: As of noon on January 23 we have enough money for a new machine from donations. Thanks to everyone who has donated!

Please Donate to the Computer Fund via Paypal

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How Can You Tell When You're Angering a Deity?

2010-01-21T19:41:00.000-06:00

I know such a question would seem to have an obvious answer, but I am curious to here what anyone has to say on this issue.

I pray to Freya a lot for guidance, and I often wonder if I am wasting her time or taking advantage of her patience, since sometimes I ask the same questions over and over again. I don't want to be doing that, especially since she has been a great Goddess and has helped me a lot.

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Is Physical Fitness a Duty or Part of Your Religion?

2010-01-21T07:18:00.000-06:00

Since the New Year, I've begun to incorporate physical fitness back into my life--daily exercise, eating things that mostly don't spend much time in factories, and I've quit drinking. (What a party-pooper I've become, eh? Cheesy) I've tried doing this in the past, but then I was doing it for more aesthetic reasons and invariably failed.

This time I've attached a religious significance to my personal fitness. As an incarnation and aspect of God, I have a responsibility to this physical form in which my mind and spirit reside. I must be a steward to my cells, my kidneys, my brain, etc., so that my spirit and mind can have a fully functioning form in which to move through this life.

It's funny how this mindset has changed my workouts--jumping-jacks and curls are now as sacred as meditation and prayer, which aren't always easy, either.

I know there's yoga and tai chi, and the Pythagoreans incorporated daily gymnastics into they're studies, but I'm curious if anyone else here attaches religious significance to your physical fitness.

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