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C A U L D R O N A N D C A N D L E #2 -- Mid-November 2000 formerly Cauldron News A Publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum website: http://www.ecauldron.com/ mailing list/board: http://www.ecauldron.com/fregmb.html With a little help from The Witches' Thicket website: http://www.cros.net/soraya/ message board: http://forums.delphiforums.com/thicket/start In this Issue: [01] Editorial: Neo-Pagans and the Holiday Season [02] Poem: Thanksgiving [03] Study Guide: A Witches Bible, Part Two, Chapter XII [04] Review: 2001 Spell-a-Day Calendar [05] Review: 2001 Tarot Calendar [06] Review: Yule: A Celebration of Light & Warmth [07] Review: Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft [08] Magick: Anti-Stress Mojo Bag [09] Magick: Thread Bottle: A Spell of House Protection [10] Leftover Turkey Soup [11] Recipes for the Birds [12] Humor: Why M&M's are Wiccan [13] Software: Notetab Light [14] New Articles on The Cauldron's Site [15] New Web Poll [16] Support The Cauldron When You Buy at Amazon.com [17] Cauldron Chats: Tuesdays, 10-11pm CDT [18] Newsletter and Forum Info (Including How To Subscribe/Unsubscribe) +++ Submission Deadline for next issue: November 30, 2000 +++ [01] ========= ========= EDITORIAL: NEO-PAGANS AND THE HOLIDAY SEASON ========= by Randall Sapphire ========= The day after Thanksgiving in the US has become the official start of holiday season. I expect it starts around this time in most of the Western world. Unfortunately, I see the holiday season becoming more of a time of problems than joy for some Neo-Pagans. Many Neo-Pagans seem torn between a desire to celebrate their own holidays and the need to fit into a world that does not celebrate them. This problem often seems most acute this time of the year. I meet more Pagans every year who feel that they are somehow betraying their Gods by joining in family celebrations such as Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas. Even if they don't attend their relatives' religious services, they feel that they are doing something wrong. A few even feel that they are risking the wrath of their Gods if they celebrate non-Pagan holidays with their family and friends. I've never been able to under this point-of-view. One of the reasons I embraced a Neo-Pagan faith was because Neo-Pagan faiths understood that the goal at the top of the spiritual mountain was the same for all humanity. I was taught that all positive spiritual and religious paths lead to that spiritual mountaintop whether the path was straight and narrow or broad and spiraled around the mountain crossing every other path along the way. I learned that my path is right for me and that my neighbor's path is right for him. Let's think about that for a moment. If all positive paths have basically the same goal and lead to the same place, aren't all such paths worthy of honor? I think they are. This doesn't mean that I have to personally agree with or follow all of them, but it does mean that I see nothing wrong with celebrating with my non-Pagan friends and family on their important holidays. I have no problem sitting down to a turkey dinner with family on Thanksgiving even though it's not MY harvest festival. Nor do I have problems giving non-Pagan friends and family presents for Hanukkah or Christmas. By doing so, I am not dishonoring my Gods, I'm simply showing respect for my friends and family and showing an acceptance of their right to choose the path to the spiritual mountaintop best for them. Some Neo-Pagans bitterly tell me how they'll feel obligated to attend church with their family if they participate in these "foreign" holidays with their family. While I'll admit that few Christian services move me (and fundamentalist ones annoy me), I don't have any problems with attending once in a while with family and friends. After all, my Gods aren't so jealous they told me that I dare not worship any other Gods, let alone that I dare not even attend the worship services of other Gods. The point of this short but rambling essay is simple. Your family and friends are important. Their religious holidays are as important to them as yours are to you. Regardless of how different their spiritual path seems to you, their path leads to the same place your path does (well, unless they are performing human sacrifices in the basement or the like). Don't allow religious differences or religious bigotry to separate you from the holiday celebrations of your friends and family. [02] ========= ========= THANKSGIVING ========= A Poem by Elspeth Sapphire ========= For sunshine gilding the mountain stream, For silent walks beneath moon's soft beam, For the joy of being part of a team... For all of these, I give thanks. For the Sun's warm kiss on a morning chill, For a spirit always willing to climb a hill, For teacher fields ready to till, For all of these, I give thanks. For my Lady's soft whisper in my ear, For a deepest love that's ever near, For comforting arms close in times of fear, For all of these, I give thanks. For wilderness that sets my heart afly, For friendship given that will never die, For truth that hides behind no lie, For all of these, I give thanks. For wisdom that comes with deepest tests, For my children preparing to leave the nest, For a wonderful life that's surely the best.... For all of these, I give thanks. (written September 4, 1999) [03] ========= ========= STUDY GUIDE: A WITCHES BIBLE, PART TWO, CHAPTER XII: ========= REINCARNATION ========= by Randall Sapphire ========= [We are discussing chapters in the latter part of Janet and Steward Farrar's A Witches Bible on The Cauldron's message board/mailing list, about one chapter every two weeks. See http://www.ecauldron.com/bkwbible.html for a review and ordering info if you don't already have a copy of this excellent book. The second chapter we discussed was chapter XII in the second half of the book entitled "Reincarnation." Here is the "study guide" I posted to start off the discussion.] In the 12th chapter, the Farrars present their view of what happens after one dies. I say their view instead of the Wiccan view, because exactly how reincarnation, karma, and the like are seen as working varies quite a bit from group to group. This chapter really has four parts: An explanation of how reincarnation works, an explanation of karma, the phenomenon of group reincarnation, and the some basic ideas on recalling past lives. I'll deal with each section very briefly below, then give some starter question for discussion on the entire chapter. The first part of the chapter is an excellent discussion of how reincarnation might actually work. It uses the theory of levels to explain how the personality (which changes from life to life) interacts with what the Farrar's call the individuality (the core "higher part" of ones being which survives across all one's incarnations). Their theory seems fairly complete and covers many of the problem areas of reincarnation (like the Summerland, Ghosts, reincarnation as different sexes, etc.). There are things in this theory which some Wiccans and many Pagans will disagree with, however. For example, they state "The final step [in reincarnation] is physical reincarnation, when the entity (Individuality plus raw materials of the new Personality) ensouls a foetus at the moment of conception." Many Wiccans and Pagans I know believe this happens at the moment of birth as nothing could really be learned from "life" as a fetus which never implants in the womb (as happens with many), miscarries later, or is aborted. The second part of this chapter covers the workings of Karma from a more Buddhist point of view than many Wiccans I know subscribe to. The Farrars state that Karma carries over into future lives while many Wiccans I know believe that the karma for actions in one life usually affects you in that life. One very interesting part of this chapter is the idea that higher beings (the "Lords of Karma" -- whether known as deities, angels, or whatever) can interfere with the workings of the Law of Karma if they feel that it's necessary. The third part of this chapter deals with whether or not groups of souls tend to reincarnate together. They handle the concept of soul mates in an interesting manner in the latter part of this section by saying that soul mates would be individualities that are complements rather than the mere pull of half-remembered relationships of previous personalities which most people feel during every life. Before the fourth major part of this chapter, there is a brief discourse on the population explosion and how it might interact with reincarnation. The fourth and final portion of this long chapter deals with the techniques of recalling past lives. In a few pages, The Farrars manage to cover quite a bit of territory. It starts with three very important rules: Keep written and taped records. Keep and open mind. Check everything against known facts. Three major techniques are discussed: hypnosis, guided meditation, and dream work. The advantages, disadvantages and dangers (in the case of hypnosis) are briefly discussed and references to more information are given. Some questions to consider as you read this chapter (feel free to ask some of your own): 1) Do you believe the Theory of Reincarnation presented in the first part of this chapter is a good theory? Is there anything you clearly believe wrong in their theory? Are there any phenomenon which you don't see as being covered by their theory? 2) When do you believe the soul joins the body? Conception? Birth? First breath? Some other time? Why do you believe the joining occurs at that time? 3) How do you think Karma works? Mainly within each life? Mainly across lives? Some combination? 4) Do you believe the various powerful entities (sometimes known as the Lords of Karma) regularly interfere with the workings of the Law of Karma? If so, why do you think they do? 5) Do you believe that groups of people tend to reincarnate together? Why or why not? What about the concept of "soul mates"? 6) Do you believe there is some finite number of souls or that new souls are being created all the time. 7) What do you believe is the purpose of reincarnation? Do you believe that one will continue to reincarnate forever or do you believe that there is some end point to the cycle? 8) Have you ever explored your own possible past lives? If so, have you done so in a accepting or in a skeptical manner? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SEND A PAGAN POSTCARD You can send a Pagan Postcard from the menu of any of our web pages at http://www.ecauldron.com/. If you haven't tried our postcard site, give it a try. It has quite a few nice features. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [04] ========= ========= REVIEW: 2001 SPELL-A-DAY CALENDAR ========= Reviewed by Randall Sapphire ========= Llewellyn's 2001 Spell-a-Day Calendar Editor: Michael Fallon Desk Calendar, 384 pages Publisher: Llewellyn Publication date: August 2000 ISBN: 1567189741 US Retail Price: $10.95 Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567189741/thecauldron The 2001 Spell-a-day Calendar is a desk calendar which provides a spell for your Book of Shadows every day. Spell contributors include Amber K, Scott Cunningham, Gerina Dunwich, Marguerite Elsbeth, Ed Fitch, Yasmine Galenorn, Edain McCoy, Dorothy Morrison, Silver Ravenwolf, and many others. The spells cover a variety of areas of life. Health, home, protection, travel, money, and love spells each get a day of the week (Sunday through Friday). Saturday is a grab bag. This schedule is interrupted with special magick for new and full moons and the major Wiccan festivals. Like most Llewellyn calendars, the 2001 Spell-a-day Calendar provides some basic astrological information for each day: the moon sign, the time the moon enters a new phase, and lunar ingresses. All times appear to be Eastern Standard Time, although I did not see any mention of this in the notes to the calendar. Llewellyn wall calendars tend to give more astrological data, but this is enough for the most beginning mages. Physically, this calendar has a fairly sturdy black plastic base and its binding held up to this reviewer reading it like a book. The only physical drawback I see is that most of the days don't have as much writing space as one might expect from a desk calendar. While the spells in this calendar are generally nothing to write home about for the well-read or the well-trained witch, they are all simple to perform, use easily available items, and few present serious moral issues for anyone but a Rede literalist. In other words, the 2001 Spell-a-day Calendar would make a nice, affordable gift for an inexperienced Witch interested in the magickal aspect of his or her craft. If you know someone who is always asking you for spells, this might be the perfect holiday gift. This review is available on our web site at http://www.ecauldron.com/bksad2001.html [05] ========= ========= REVIEW: 2001 TAROT CALENDAR ========= Reviewed by Randall Sapphire ========= Llewellyn's 2001 Tarot Calendar Editor: K. M. Brielmaier Wall Calendar, 36 pages Publisher: Llewellyn Publication date: August 2000 ISBN: 1567189679 US Retail Price: $12.95 Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567189679/thecauldron I've been a fan of Llewellyn's tarot calendars for a couple of years now. Symitar (author of most of the tarot deck reviews on this web site) told me how pleased she was with it and sent me a few page photocopies to convince me. I was convinced and found a copy of my own. I've bought one every year since and haven't been disappointed yet. Llewellyn's 2001 Tarot Calendar continues this streak, so this review may not be quite as even-handed as you expect from me. My apologies, but I really like these calendars. If you look at the back cover of the sealed 2001 Tarot Calendar at the store, you can see the Tarot cards featured as monthly illustrations. You can also see a sample month's calendar. Each month has a large picture of one of the featured deck's cards, a short essay on a tarot subject, and a special tarot layout on the top page. The bottom page is the calendar itself with 5 smaller pictures from the deck, daily astrological and tarot info, and a short tarot tip. While some days are more crowded with astrological info than others, there's space for your own notes every day. Llewellyn wall calendars usually give a good amount of astrological data and the 2001 Tarot Calendar is no exception. You'll find the moon phase, the sign the moon is in, when the moon goes void-of-course, moon sign changes, and planet sign changes with retrograde motion marked. Each day also suggests a tarot card for study and meditation in a procession designed by John Michael Greer. If you have a excellent vision or a magnifying glass, you'd notice all of the above in the sample on the back cover. The back cover does not tell all, however. In addition to the monthly articles, there are feature articles, each a calendar-sized page or two. This year's feature articles include "21 Ways of Looking at the Tarot," "Alternate Major Arcanas," "The Tarot: An Alchemical Journey," "Astrology and the Tarot: A Meditation," and "Get Ready to Go Pro." There's also a basic introduction to the tarot, keywords and correspondences for the cards, an explanation of the astrological information and of Greer's daily card system, and short bios of all 17 contributors. Contributors to the 2001 edition include Yasmine Galenorn, Mary K. Greer, Donald Michael Kraig, Rachel Pollack, Tracy Porter, and Antony Lewis. As one might expect, not all of the monthly articles and feature articles will interest everyone, but I find that more articles in Llewellyn's Tarot Calendar interest me than in Llewellyn's other wall calendars. My personal favorites this year were "The Historical Tarot" (February), "Using the Tarot to Open up Consciousness" (June), "A Lughnasadh Tarot Ritual" (August), "Herbs and Tarot" (November), "21 Ways of Looking at the Tarot" (feature), and "Alternate Major Arcanas" (feature). There were only a couple of articles I didn't find even mildly interesting this year. Both "Pythagorean Numerology & Tarot" (September) and "Restructuring your Life" (October) were simply far too short for the subject matter. However, October's tarot spread, "Metamorphosis Reading," redeems that month's otherwise lackluster article. If you like the Tarot, need a wall calendar, and have about US$13 to spend, do yourself a favor and buy a copy of this calendar. If you meet the first two qualifications but are short on cash, add it to your wish list for the upcoming holiday season. This review is available on our web site at http://www.ecauldron.com/bktarot2001.html [06] ========= ========= REVIEW: YULE: A CELEBRATION OF LIGHT & WARMTH ========= Reviewed by Randall Sapphire ========= Yule: A Celebration of Light & Warmth Author: Dorothy Morrison Trade Paperback, 198 pages Publisher: Llewellyn Publication date: September 2000 ISBN: 1567184960 US Retail Price: $14.95 Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567184960/thecauldron Yule is one of my favorite holidays and Dorothy Morrison is one of my favorite writers, so I was looking forward to this book from the moment I heard about it. While is it not the practically perfect in all respects book I might wish for, it is a very worthy addition to my library. Yule: A Celebration of Light & Warmth isn't a book for people who want to sit in their armchair and passively read and absorb knowledge. It's a book for people who want to DO. The greater part of this book is Yule activities. You'll find chapters full of craft instructions: decorations for home and tree (over 30 projects), quick and easy handmade presents (over 20 projects), Yule party ideas, and Yule recipes (over 30 from around the world). Some of the decorating projects include mistletoe balls, place mats, wreaths, herbal ornaments, and snow balls. Gift projects include pine cone fire starters, scented mug coasters, herbal tea baskets, potpourri lamps, amulet bags, and friendship eggs. Most of these projects use common, affordable materials and are designed to be child-friendly. As your artistically-challenged reviewer believes he could not only manage, but enjoy making, most of these projects, just about anyone able to read and follow directions should be able to as well. If you have school age children and want to stress the holiday season instead of the buying season, this book is wonderful. The first part of Yule: A Celebration of Light & Warmth discusses the Yule season's history and symbols. Unfortunately, some of the information presented here seems as faulty as what I see in non-Pagan books on the holiday season. Given that almost every book on the subject states legends as fact, however, it's really hard to fault Yule for these problems. Besides, the information is fun and interesting even if there is more of legend than fact present in some sections. Aside from such minor factual flaws, the only really serious problem is that the book ends. Yule: A Celebration of Light & Warmth is an easy to read and enjoyable book of Yule season activities and projects. This book a wonderful source of Pagan-oriented holiday activities for children young or old in any Pagan household. (The recipe for hot buttered rum isn't bad either.) If you enjoy this book as much as I do, you'll probably be hoping for a second volume for some future Yule season. This review is available on our web site at http://www.ecauldron.com/bkyule.html [07] ========= ========= REVIEW: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WICCA & WITCHCRAFT ========= Reviewed by Randall Sapphire ========= Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft Author: Raven Grimassi Trade Paperback, 470 pages Publisher: Llewellyn Publication date: September 2000 ISBN: 1567182577 US Retail Price: $24.95 Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567182577/thecauldron I was excited when I heard about this book. Most encyclopedias of witchcraft devote the majority of their entries to demons, medieval witch trials and other things that really have very little to do with modern Wicca and Witchcraft. Grimassi's Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft was billed as being strictly about Wicca and modern Witchcraft. The proof is in the reading, of course. The Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft is a thick, large book -- larger than the average trade paperback. It's almost the size of a magazine. The type is a readable size, not the "where did I leave my magnifying glass" type you'll find in many encyclopedias. It lives up to its billing: it is just under 500 pages of information on modern Wicca and Witchcraft -- and not medieval beliefs about pacts with the Christian devil. There is a lot of information in this book. Unfortunately, however, the quality of that information is somewhat variable. The information on individuals was generally written by the people themselves and is therefore accurate -- if whitewashed in some cases. A number of important people are not listed at all. (Perhaps because they did not write entries on themselves?) The encyclopedia's information on the various Wiccan Traditions was usually written by members of those traditions. This book probably has more information on the various Wicca traditions than any other generally available source. The other entries in this encyclopedia were all written by Raven Grimassi. Many of them -- apparently those Grimassi is personally knowledgeable on -- seem complete and generally reliable. Entries Grimassi had less personal knowledge of seem less complete and at times wildly hilarious. This isn't meant as a jab at Raven. It's obvious he made a tremendous research effort for this book -- far more than what seems to be done for most of the Wicca 101 books loading down store shelves. Unfortunately, he is only one person. He simply cannot know everything about everything, even when that second "everything" is limited to Wicca and Witchcraft. This is why most encyclopedias are compiled from articles by experts on individual subjects instead of written by a single individual. In his introduction, Raven acknowledges that he often found a disconnection in his research between what modern Pagans and Wiccans believe and teach and what modern scholarship says. He states that he "decided to simply present both views side by side." Perhaps he ran up against space limitations, because in many cases it seems more an encyclopedia of beliefs than and encyclopedia of scholarly facts. There's nothing wrong with this, but I think it is something every reader needs to be aware of. I think that Grimassi's Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft is a good first attempt at a one volume reference work on modern Wicca and Witchcraft. It's better than any other Witchcraft encyclopedia I've seen to date. That said, however, its entries are so variable in completeness and quality, that I can't really give a general recommendation on this book. If you are an experienced and knowledgeable Wiccan or Pagan looking for a handy quick reference (especially on Wiccan traditions) to consult when you don't have time to dig through your library, this book is probably a worthwhile purchase -- although it's certainly not a must have. If, however, you are one of those people who believe everything you see written without further research, please avoid this book. I hope that Llewellyn will publish a second, revised edition of this encyclopedia in the future. With a bit of work and a few experts to help Grimassi write articles in areas where he isn't as knowledgeable, an improved version of this reference could become a must-have for every Wiccan and Pagan. This review is available on our web site at http://www.ecauldron.com/bkencwnw.html [08] ========= ========= MAGICK: ANTI-STRESS MOJO BAG ========= A spell to better handle stress ========= Materials needed: * small mojo bag or pouch, marker * 1 small piece each of sodalite malachite amethyst orange calcite * 1 tablespoon Lavender * A marker Using the marker draw a peace sign on the mojo bag. Place the lavender inside. As you do so say: Lavender for great protection. Add the sodalite, saying: Sodalite for psychic connection. Add the malachite, saying: Malachite to bud and sprout. Add the amethyst, saying: Amethyst to calm throughout. Add the orange calcite, saying And calcite, orange, to amplify. Their powers mix and unify. To relieve stress and aggravation, Racing heart and irritation. Close the mojo bag (tying it with a square knot if it ties shut) and grip it tightly in your dominant hand. Say: Bring me peace and calm relief. As I do will, so mote it be! Carry the bag with you. [09] ========= ========= THREAD BOTTLE ========= A Spell of House Protection ========= Find a bottle and stuff it with small pieces of thread of many colors (except black). This project will probably take you many weeks, since only small pieces of thread (one to three inches in length) should be used, and each must be introduced into the bottle separately. As you add each piece of thread, say something like the following: Tangle the bane up! Defend against foes, bits of thread, But to family and friends bring only good. Tangle the bane up! When the bottle is full, cap it and place it in a window, in the attic or in a cupboard. If possible, touch the bottle and repeat your chant at least once a week to reinforce the magick. This spell will help defend your home and family from the negative energy that uninvited visitors and negative thoughts can introduce. It's less effective against magickal attack, but magickal attacks are rare in the lives of the average family. [10] ========= ========= LEFTOVER TURKEY SOUP ========= ========= Here's a recipe for some of the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving dinner. 5 cups Rich Turkey Stock 3 stalks celery cut into 1-inch pieces 2 large potatoes peeled and quartered 2 carrots cut into 1-inch pieces 1 onion, quartered 1 cup uncooked noodles 2 cups cooked turkey, cubed In 5-quart saucepan, combine first 5 ingredients. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for one hour. Stir in noodles and turkey meat. Simmer until noodles are done and meat is heated through. Enjoy! [11] ========= ========= RECIPES FOR THE BIRDS ========= Don't forget our feathered friends this winter ========= The following recipes are for the birds, literally. === Bird Balls 3-1/2 cups oatmeal 1 quart water 1 pound lard or suet 1 12 oz jar peanut butter 3-1/2 cups cornmeal 3-1/2 cups cream of wheat Cook the oatmeal in water for two minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lard (or suet) and peanut butter until melted. Stir in cornmeal and cream of wheat. Allow to cool. Shape into balls. Hang the balls in your yard in mesh bags (an onion bag will do). === Bird Muffins 1 cup cornmeal 1 cup flour 1 cup fine bread crumbs 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 cup currants or raisins 1/2 cup bacon drippings 1/4 teaspoon sand 1 cup water Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add bacon drippings and water. Mix well. Spoon into muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve in your bird feeder or attach muffins to tree branches. === Pine Cone Treats Roll pine cones in peanut butter mixed with birdseed, then in either nuts, raisins, or cereal. Hang the finished cones from trees. [12] ========= ========= HUMOR: WHY M & M'S ARE WICCAN ========= Author Unknown ========= * MM = Merry Meet * Round shape for wheel of the year, cycle of seasons * Skins are different colors, but the inside is the same chocolate, because we are all related. * Associations with the colors: - Red = South, - Green = West, - Dark Brown = North, - Yellow = East - Orange = For the Solar God, - Light Brown = For the Earth Mother (Copper Woman) * Rotate the M & M: - M = 13th letter of alphabet, and there are 13 witches in a coven - 3 = Triple Goddess, three phases of moon - W = Witchcraft, Wiccan - E = Enlightenment, Enchantment of chocolate "Melt in your mouth, not in your hand"--God/dess's love must be experienced directly to appreciate. Also, God/dess will take care of you. * Sweetness to remind us of how sweet the love of the God and Goddess is! [13] ========= ========= FREE SOFTWARE: NOTETAB LIGHT ========= by Randall Sapphire ========= NoteTab Light If you've used Windows 9x's Notepad text editor you are probably frustrated with its many limitations, such as its inability to open multiple files or files larger than about 64K. Notetab Light overcomes almost all of Notepad's limitations and adds many useful new features of its own. This program can edit multiple files of any length your computer's memory can handle in a tabbed window interface. Each document loaded can have its own settings (font, tabs, etc.) The program is drag and drop enabled and web enabled. Notetab Light has a special feature called a Clipbook which is now partially duplicated by more costly programs. Think of the Clipbook as a visible clipboard with multiple text items that can be pasted in any document. The pasteable text item can be anything from a single character to thousands of lines of text -- or even a macro to be executed. Each item is stored in a Clipbook library and is identified by a header which is displayed in the Clipbook window. The header can either represent the actual text to be pasted, or a brief description of the text item. When you want to paste a Clipbook item in your document, you just double-click on its header or drag-and-drop it to the desired location. You can also just type the header of the item you want in the document and press the F2 function key. For example, if you add the text 'Yours sincerely' in the Clipbook and give it the header 'ys' (without the quotes), then next time you type 'ys' in a document and hit the F2 function key, 'ys' will be replaced by 'Yours sincerely'. Notetab Light can search and replace across multiple files, sort lines, change case, open text files in Windows ANSI, DOS ASCII, and UNIX format, and much more. Once you use this fantastic freeware text editor, you will never want to use Notepad again. You will find this free Win9x program at: http://www.notetab.com/ [14] ========= ========= Cauldron Info ========= NEW ARTICLES ON THE CAULDRON'S SITE ========= Since our first November issue, we've added a single new article to The Cauldron's web site at http://www.ecauldron.com/: * "Quantum Magick" proposes a possible scientific basis for magick based on the theories of Quantum Mechanics. http://www.ecauldron.com/quantummagick.html The following book reviews (all included in this newsletter) are also new to the web site: * 2001 Spell-a-Day Calendar http://www.ecauldron.com/bksad2001.html * 2001 Tarot Calendar http://www.ecauldron.com/bktarot2001.html * Encyclopedia of Wicca & Witchcraft http://www.ecauldron.com/bkencwnw.html * Yule: A Celebration of Light & Warmth http://www.ecauldron.com/bkyule.html [15] ========= ========= Cauldron Info ========= NEW WEB POLL ========= Our new polls are working nicely and without all the problems we had when they were hosted offsite. You'll find them on their own web page at: http://www.ecauldron.com/pollindex.php Our newest poll, opened November 16, asks: * How often do you perform religious or magickal rituals skyclad? http://www.ecauldron.com/cldpoll10.php Make your opinion known, take this poll today! [16] ========= ========= Cauldron Info ========= SUPPORT THE CAULDRON WHEN YOU BUY BOOKS AT AMAZON.COM ========= If you wish to purchase books or other items at Amazon.com, you can help fund The Cauldron's web site by using this link to access Amazon.com when you make your purchases: http://www.ecauldron.com/fradambooks.html Just use this link to go to Amazon.com via our web site and almost every purchase you make that visit will earn The Cauldron a small amount to help pay for our web page -- at no extra charge to you. You can also use the Amazon link on the menu of every Cauldron web page and not have to remember this long link. Unlike the Amazon link listed in some prior issues of this newsletter, you can simply visit this site and save the link in your bookmark list. If you then use this bookmarked link every time you wish to visit Amazon.com, any purchases you make while there will help fund The Cauldron's web site. [17] ========= ========= Cauldron and Thicket Info ========= CAULDRON CHATS: TUESDAYS, 10-11PM CDT ========= Cauldron Co-Host Randall Sapphire hosts a one hour general chat almost every Tuesday evening from 10pm to 11pm Central (Daylight) Time in our channel (#thecauldron) on the PaganPaths IRC server. We usually have a pretty good turnout. Discussions cover a wide range of topics, depending on what the folks present want to discuss. You'll find all the information you need to connect to our chats either with your own IRC client or via the Java IRC client (including images of the various Java windows which pop up) on our Chats web page at: http://www.ecauldron.com/cmchats.html You can open a Java chat client directly to #thecauldron by clicking on the "IRC Chat" link in the menu of any of our web pages, but we strongly suggest you visit the above page first and read a few paragraphs on how to use it. This page is also available from the "[Info]" link right next to the "IRC Chat" link on our web page menus. If you have your own IRC client program, the address of the main PaganPaths server is: madison.wi.us.paganpaths.org (port 6667) If you'd like to host a chat for members of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum on a regular, weekly schedule, please let us know. If "Central Time" doesn't mean anything to you, this an online time converter at http://sandbox.xerox.com/stewart/tzconvert.cgi might help. I think Central Time is listed as something like "US - Central" in the drop down box. [18] ========= ========= NEWSLETTER AND FORUM INFO ========= (Including how to subscribe and unsubscribe) ========= Cauldron and Candle is a free publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum with assistance from our sister form, The Witches' Thicket. The Cauldron and The Thicket aim to publish this newsletter twice a month and often actually succeed in doing so. Copyrights on individual items in this newsletter are retained by their author, please contact the editors if you need to contact an author for permission to reprint an article and the editors will do their best to put you in touch with him or her. No one involved in producing this newsletter has any money to speak of so suing us if you don't like something we do is a waste of time and money. ++++ ++++ HOW TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE ++++ You are receiving a copy of this newsletter because you signed up to receive it. You can subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter and read previous issues at: http://cauldronnews.listbot.com/ ++++ ++++ PLEASE INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO SUBSCRIBE ++++ If you have Pagan friends who you believe would be interested in Cauldron and Candle please invite them to subscribe. You can either drop them a note yourself or -- better yet -- send them one of The Cauldron's email postcards with the information. You are also welcome to forward a copies of this newsletter to interested friends and associates provided you forward the entire newsletter. ++++ ++++ LINK TO THE CAULDRON: A PAGAN FORUM ++++ If you like The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum please invite your friends to visit. If you have a web page, we'd really appreciate it if you put a link to The Cauldron's web site on your web pages. If you'd like some graphic buttons to use to link to our web site, check the following URL: http://www.ecauldron.com/linktous.html Thanks in advance. ++++ ++++ SUGGESTIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME ++++ Don't forget that your suggestions for the forum are always welcome, either posted on the message board or via email to Elspeth Sapphire (elspeth.sapphire@worldnet.att.net) or Randall Sapphire (rssapphire@ecauldron.com). Typos are, as usual, courtesy of the Goddess Eris. Merry Meet, Merry Part, Merry Meet again!

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