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C A U L D R O N A N D C A N D L E #108 -- July 2012 A Publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum website: http://www.ecauldron.com/ message board: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/ newsletter: http://www.ecauldron.net/cnc/ Please DONATE to Support our SERVER http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/view.php?pg=tcdonations In this Issue: [00] Editorial Notes: Restarting Newsletters [01] Cauldron News * Cauldron Web Site Changes * New SIG: The Mystery-Builder's SIG * Forum Members Publish Books [02] Interesting Recent Cauldron Discussions * Finding a path without the male/female binary... * Spiritual Exercises? * Eating Locally as a Relational Practice * Building Outdoor Ritual Space * Mixing Traditions and/or Practices? * Gender Roles and Religion? * The Good-Enough Tool and the Right Tool (for Magic) * Cleansing Rituals without Smoke/Incense? * Visiting That God At His House And Other Stories * Magical Systems? * Why do so many people misinterpret the Rede? * Oathbound? * God/desses and Capitalization [03] Phyllis Vega's Astro Talk: The Moon in Astrology [04] Flamekeeping: Sacred Body, Sacred Soul [05] Articles and Reviews * Crafting House Protection Spells * The Three Elements in Druidic Ritual * Review: Traveller's Guide to the Duat * Review: What thou wilt: Traditional and Innovative trends in Post-Gardnerian Witchcraft * Review: Whisper of Stone: Modern Canaanite Religion [06] The Cheap Web Hosting Report [07] Software Gadgets: Font Runner [08] Support The Cauldron with Donations [09] Support The Cauldron with Assistance [10] Newsletter Information (Including How To Subscribe/Unsubscribe) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++ Please support our sponsor +++ LOOKING FOR PAGAN SUPPLIES? Visit The Cauldron's Pagan Supply Store http://www.ecauldron.net/esesf.php +++ Please support our sponsor +++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [00] ========= ========= EDITORIAL NOTES ========= Welcome to the July 2012 issue of Cauldron and Candle. You are receiving this issue because you subscribed. To learn how to unsubscribe, see the last section of this newsletter. You have probably forgotten that you subscribed to this newsletter, or even that this newsletter exits. That's because we have only put out 2 or three "monthly" newsletters in the last two years. We really are going to try to do better in the future. We'd like to revive this newsletter. The Cauldron & Candle Newsletter used to be an important feature of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. It would highlight what was happening on our web site and message board, as well as publishing interesting articles and reviews. However, in order to publish interesting articles and reviews, we need to receive them. If enjoy this newsletter and would like to see it become a regular monthly newsletter again, please write and submit articles and reviews! Randall Sapphire Editor and Publisher, Cauldron and Candle Co-Host, The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum [01] ========= ========= CAULDRON NEWS ========= by The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum Staff ========= ===== ===== The Cauldron Web Site Changes ===== After many attempts to modernize the ancient HTML (some of it from 1998) on our multi-thousand page website, we have finally hity upon a method that seem to be working. All our old material is on our www.ecauldron.net site in with whatever HTML and look it is has had always had. All new material appears on our www.ecauldron.com site. If you do not watch the address bar of your browser, you may not notice this as we have tried hard to intergrate the two sites in to one site through our site menus and other navigation features. However, you certainly will notice that different sections of our web site look different -- sometimes very different. Our new site uses a CMS. This allows multiple people to work on it. In theory, at least, as I'm the still the only person currently working on the main site. Some material from the old site has been moved to the new site, the collection of back issues of this newsletter for example. More material from the older site will be moved as time permits, although it will probably take years to move it all over. In most cases, this will be transparent to users with pages on the old site automatically redirecting your browser to the material on the new site. However, in some cases, you may be redirected to an index page where you will need to select the specific article you were looking for instead of directly to the new page on the new site. Switching to a CMS also allows us to set up "sub-sites" for Special Interest Groups that wish to have them. These sites are maintained by the leaders and members of the SIG in question. Currently, the following SIGs have their own "sub-site": Hazel & Oak SIG: http://hazelandoak.ecauldron.com/ FlameKeeping SIG: http://flamekeeping.ecauldron.com/ ===== ===== New SIG: The Mystery-Builder's SIG ===== Many ancient religions speak of the Mysteries - the transformational experiences that cannot be conveyed by explanation, only by oneself going through the transition. This crops up in modern paganism as well, both with the development of mystery religions and with questions of whether - and how - one might be able to revive the things which were lost in significant part because they could not be recorded. We may be called to pursue relationships with deities who may not be well-recorded in surviving sources, for a variety of reasons. When gathering that information, we can only turn to those deities themselves for advice and knowledge. We may be trying to articulate profound experiences, or build a structure to induce those experiences. We may be forging a new path or trying to rediscover an old one. This SIG is for discussion of the practicalities of this sort of work. Among its potential topics are: learning how to make contact with spirits, deities, and other powers in order to learn from or about them; developing ritual work and other tools that can provide people with comparable and consistent experiences; finding methods to travel reliably in various otherworlds; and discussion of books, classes, and resources that address these topics in ways the participants find useful. The Mystery-Builder's SIG is visible to all registered members of our message board (provided they are logged in). It is not visible to guests. ===== ===== Forum Members Publish Books ===== Two of our forum members have published books since our last newsletter. Darkhawk's Traveller's Guide to the Duat has been published by Megalithica Books. From the book description on the Megalithica Books web site: Planning a trip to the Egyptian spirit world? Like any responsible traveller, you want to know something about the history, geography, and politics of your destination. You want to know what documents you need to have in order for customs and immigration, what precautions to take, how to book a boat tour, where to stay, what to eat, and when you’ll get the most interesting sightseeing opportunities. The Traveller’s Guide to the Duat is your guidebook to the spirit world of ancient Egypt, inspired by The Egyptian Book of the Dead. Laced through its humorous presentation you will find extensive information about ancient Egyptian religion and magical practice - from the etheric anatomy of the human soul to what colour to make your protection amulets, and from the history of creation to the rites of judgment held in the Hall of Two Truths. Renditions of ancient spells in modern poetry mark each section, showing the ancient magical texts in a new light. The Beautiful West awaits! Book your tour today! Traveller's Guide to the Duat can be purchased on Amazon via this link: http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=1905713738 HeartShadow's Kindling Our Stars: Nurturing Bright and Dark Flames is available from Lulu. From the book description on the Lulu web site: This book of essays lays out the essence of FlameKeeping, the creation of Genevieve Wood. It is not a religion, but a philosophy that can either stand alone or be used in conjunction with other spiritual paths. She defines the Bright and Dark Flames, discusses keeping them in balance, and then offers thought-provoking essays about using this framework in everyday life. Covering topics from creating a FlameKeeping- based society to being comfortable with one's self (alone, but not lonely) to raising children with the precepts of this framework to dealing with societal parasites, this is a practical workbook designed to help readers probe their own worldview and discover deeper answers via prompts at the end of each essay. She also sets forth the concept of a Wayfinder, one who asks the questions that lead people to investigate themselves and their surroundings within a FlameKeeping mindset. Ms. Wood challenges readers to add to the Flame, not merely warm themselves with it. Kindling Our Stars: Nurturing Bright and Dark Flames can be purchased from Lulu via this link: http://tinyurl.com/kindlingourstars ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++ Please support our sponsor +++ PAGAN-FRIENDLY WEB HOSTING http://www.ecauldron.net/web/zdreamhost.php Dreamhost offers high-quality, low cost web hosting with a dedication to free speech. Pagan sites are welcome! 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Visit Dreamhost for Affordable, Pagan-Friendly Hosting http://www.ecauldron.net/web/zdreamhost.php +++ Please support our sponsor +++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [02] ========= ========= INTERESTING RECENT CAULDRON DISCUSSIONS ========= Recent Discussion Topics on our Message Board ========= In an average month, over 200 new discussion topics are started on The Cauldron's message board. Here are a few of the more interesting recent discussions. It's not too late to join in. Thanks to Feedburner, you can now receive an email every night on days we post new site news items to the main page of The Cauldron's web site. These emails contain a link to the new item and the first couple of lines of the news text. You can sign up for Feedburner's free news delivery via the form at the end of the site "News and Updates" section of The Cauldron's main web page. ===== ===== Finding a path without the male/female binary... ===== All the pagan and wicca or sub-wicca paths and books I'm reading seem to have a very strong gender binary at the heart of things. God and Goddess. It's there in the wheel of the year, it's there in the high-ritual-qabala I'm reading, and so on. I don't believe Male and Female are these two essential poles, and I don't believe they have these innate qualities, like water/fire, or active/passive. While they are admittedly powerful symbols, they are not symbols I want to support. On the contrary - I do a lot of feminist work around breaking down "women are like X but men are like X" stereotypes, and lots of queer activism too, with people who are genderqueer, genderfluid, agendered and so on. It seems ridiculous to revere a concept religiously which I fight against in real life, and two enshrine two genders as most important when, to me at least, they're not. I know there are individual deities who are queer-er or gendercomplex, but the new age frameworks for revering them - at least, the ones which are widely available - all default back to male candle/female candle stuff. I'm not at a point where I can freewheel, I need 101ish resources to give me groundings. Any path suggestions? Book suggestions? Ways of approaching the resources I have to create something which isn't in violation of my value system? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?4100 ===== ===== Spiritual Exercises? ===== I know people do it with yogurt and tai chi and a few other things, and was wondering if anyone had some spiritual exercises they wanted to share? Spiritual connection is so intimate and individual at times, that I think there must be some very different ways that people do this with exercise that I have never considered. As for me, finding spiritual connection through cycling was something that just happened. I didn't start riding as a spiritual endeavor, but sure enough, the turning of the wheels got me thinking. But it wasn't until I began cycling through woods (we have a great paved trail here constructed over an abandoned train line that runs through the woods off farm fields) that I began to purposefully use that time and movement in a religious kind of way. Seeing the season turn as I make my wheels turn. It's hard to explain the feelings I get. There are 4-5 months when I cannot ride and then I walk with the same purpose in mind even through snow. It's not as easy on the joints, but I've been addicted for years to both the spiritual connections, but likely the endorphins too (only get that rush with the cycling though). The original purpose was to get more healthy in body, but it turned out to do wonders for my spirituality and my depression. Though not a cure for the latter, it has helped me as a coping tool sometimes. I have a friend who does pottery as spiritual exercise. I was surprised at the amount of physicality that went into it from start to finish. And he also has said the spinning wheel was one of the first things that prompted him to think deeply coincidentally. He uses a kick wheel even when the electric ones are available, something about doing that he's said is simultaneously hypnotic and energizing. Anybody have any exercises they do that have turned out to be or started as spiritual connections? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?4090 ===== ===== Eating Locally as a Relational Practice ===== I spend a lot of time thinking about the theology of food. (In significant part because the culture I live in is so fucked up about food that if I could address that with healthy theology it would be amazing, heh.) In Kemetic thought, food is related to a lot of things, but importantly it is etymologically linked to the vital life-energy soul, the ka. Nourishing the ka is one of the things that happens when we make offerings (a bit of offering liturgy is "may your ka be fed"), and so on. Further, as social primates, food and sharing food is part of how we build and support relationships. This is not a small thing to spend some braincycles on. A week or two ago, I had a sudden comment that - as food is basically a bloodflow of a community - and as we subscribe to a farm share in part because of supporting community farms and so on - that perhaps this process is part of building relationship with the land spirits within a community. And rambling about the way the heavily shipment-oriented food supply kind of distributes the land we can connect to in this particular intimate and intense way, because it's just too big. (I think I was not making enough sense to be either convincing or coherent at the time.) So of course I'm puttering along with this notion in my head, and reading Orion Foxwood's Faery Teachings a few days later and there's a note in there about how people form relationships with land spirits through eating food that was cultivated on that land. Heh! Has anyone else thought about this sort of thing? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?4076 ===== ===== Building Outdoor Ritual Space ===== While a lot of pagan religions do a great deal with the temporary and portable, such as circle-casting, a lot of others would have, at least originally, had some sort of dedicated space for ritual work, and some of those spaces were located outside. What sorts of factors would you consider if you were able to build outdoor space? (Privacy, ancient models for what you're doing, different pagan religions, alignments with the stars or directions, etc.?) What would you build? What materials, structures, other symbols would you want to use? What else might be involved? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?4063 ===== ===== Mixing Traditions and/or Practices? ===== I'm getting a bit annoyed by the lack of a coherent magical and/or spiritual foundation in my practice. I have never been comfortable with a whole tradition, and happy with doing things my own way. Recently I started reading about Chaos magic and it felt like things started coming together. Using what works seems like a good idea, but i believe in a lot of different things that I'm not prepared to throw away just because something more interesting comes along. I'm trying to get all my beliefs and practices to fit together but it's very difficult. Not having a solid foundation makes me doubt what I'm doing is right. On the other hand I can't just pick a magical system because there always seem to be things that I don't agree with. Does anyone else have this problem? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?4010 ===== ===== Gender Roles and Religion? ===== Do you feel religion influences gender roles? Or is it just tradition? If this is in the wrong section, please relocate it. I keep running into conflicts around gender roles. My family owns a fair-sized farm and I would like nothing more than to one day buy into the farm (saving all my money to buy shares). I planned most of my life around that farm. But I keep getting told a woman can't run a farm herself, that I must marry to farm. I should make it clear, I do not have any brothers and both my sisters can't get away from the farm fast enough. The main argument is that I am not physically strong or skilled enough for some of the harder work. The whole argument reappeared recently when I tore up my shoulder. It's now more than likely permanently damaged. It doesn't stop me. I can do the work especially now that technology has made certain chores easier. Why do such views still prevail today? Are they influenced by religion (Christianity in my area)? I feel like a cow being sized up at market if I go to a local event and word gets out I'm single again. Don't care to recall the number of proposed arranged marriages I've heard. It's like those boys only see the land I might come with (there's no guarantee, not in life anyway). Add in perssure from the older women (Still single?! Honey, you can't farm without a man! Women belong in the kitchen not in the barn, etc) and half of the time I think we're living somewhere in the 1940s, not 2012! * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?4018 ===== ===== The Good-Enough Tool and the Right Tool (for Magic) ===== Early in my training with my teacher, I was given an assignment: adopt a couple of certain forms of psychic cleansing and protection, drawn from folk magic sources primarily. This was something that I wrestled with constantly; I found something that somewhat appealed to me, and I tried to make it work, and indeed, it worked, kind of, sort of. Some time later, I came back to this assignment with something like dread, as I feared being unable to find somethign that really worked, like all the tools - perfectly sufficient to the task - were an outfit that just didn't fit right, or which, while fitting, were just not attractive to wear. And I found an idea, chased a thought sideways, put a little twist on it, and found something perfect. And when I shared what I'd done with my teacher, she said that it was pretty awesome. This is something that happens to me a lot - I have something that's good enough (usually something that works a good deal better than that particular assignment!), and I'm content with it, and don't think I need to go any further with it. I have an adequate tool, a perfectly good methodology and technique, or whatever. And usually, I do - I mean, I have my ritual cup sitting on my nightstand right now. It's nothing hugely special, it holds water just fine in a good quantity for my needs, it has a pleasant shape and meets my quirks for wanting such a thing. But I don't have any illusion that it's anything beyond good enough for my purposes. It's possible there exists a cup out there that is mindblowingly amazing for me. (I suspect in the real world I'll make one when my studio works.) This ain't it. But it does what I need it to. I'm not a very heavy tool user, at least not in my head. But I look around, and I see the collection of scarves I use for one set of protection magic, the perfume bottle I use for another bit of protection magic, I see my aforementioned cup, I note that the tools I put away so that the Celt's mother wouldn't see them haven't been put back where they belong... So I think my head is wrong on this. And some of my tools are good enough. And some of them are The Right Tool. Does anyone else understand what I'm talking about here? How many of your tools are good enough, and how many of them are Right? How do you know when a tool is The Right Tool? How does it affect your magic to work with something that precisely attuned? Can you make a good enough tool into a Right Tool? How? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?4001 ===== ===== Cleansing Rituals without Smoke/Incense? ===== I am looking for cleansing rituals that can be used for houses and tarot cards, but they have to be ones that do not include smoke or incense of any kind. Everyone in my house has sensitive noses, allergies, and asthma, not to mention there's a puppy and a baby in the house right now. Any suggestions or resources I could look to? Also, any suggestions on talking to house spirits? I have the ghosts of family members in the house and I get the feeling they don't like that I'm not a Christian anymore. Not to mention they seem to occasionally scare my nephew, who is the baby I mentioned above. Please and thank you! * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?3943 ===== ===== Visiting That God At His House And Other Stories ===== So here's a topic that's on my mind, and I know there are folks around here who deal with either completely lore-lost or not-well- attested deities, so hey, it might even be a useful conversation. So every so often, folks want to deal with a deity other than the Big Ones, the ones that have a lot of information kicking around (whether that's a lot of archaeological evidence, or a lot of recorded stories and references, or even a lot of UPG). Sometimes the information is a name and a department, or maybe a couple of scattered references; sometimes not even that. A face that may not even be intended as divine in an archaeological dig; a personal connection to someone unknown; an allusion that clearly points somewhere, but no clear sense on how to follow up on it. I was talking last night with one of the folks I regularly talk religion with, and my comment was something along the lines of, "Yeah, if I want to work with this god, I guess I need to go visit him at his house." Of course, that's the end of practical mysticism skills that I'm pretty much least confident about.... (And I know I'm on the lucky end of this kind of Obscure Deity Quest. Archaeowiki has an entry on him! (Though archaeowiki appears to be down, Wayback had it.) It had two sources cited! I already owned one of them! I could look up all the ancient texts cited as mentioning him in anything I could find on the web in books I had! And ... okay. Now what? Sigh.) So: more obscure powers. Thoughts, experiences, commentaries. Whether it involves visiting them at their house or not. * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?3944 ===== ===== Magical Systems? ===== What are some of the Magical systems that yall use? I'm just trying to get an idea of what is out there and what people us. * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?3924 ===== ===== Why do so many people misinterpret the Rede? ===== I've been wondering for years... why do so many people misinterpret the Rede? We've discussed it's meaning to death here several times over the years. Those of us who didn't just read a book yesterday know it doesn't mean "Harm None" and know it doesn't generally apply to non-Wiccan paths. We know that it doesn't mete out consequences for any actions that may cause harm, or even define what harm is. Where are people getting these misconceptions? Is it crappy beginner books? Is it misinformed Big Name Pagans? I'd like to know, because it doesn't seem to make much difference how many times I (and other Wiccans here) refute the common misconceptions... they just keep turning up like a bad penny. Note: I'm looking to discuss the spread of the misconceptions, and not necessarily the misconceptions themselves. Like I said, we've hashed them to death, so there are lots of good threads out there discussing that part. But if the thread drifts, the thread drifts... * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?3940 ===== ===== Oathbound? ===== I am interested in what people think about oath bound materials and traditions. The exclusivity of information is a very complicated idea. Certainly, some oath bound traditions still hold very close with those codes, but others not so much. My curiosity was sparked because I needed to find out more about Heredom. (Woke up saying it as part of a phrase.) And within a week or so of mentioning that I'd like to read about it, I had someone offering to give me some oath bound books. I was asked to return them to a lodge when I was finished with them or destroy them, no big deal made. I was a little surprised that it took no more than asking to get information, but upon hearing some old men discuss the backlashes of secrecy, I kind of understand why they would have mixed feelings and how it wasn't a big deal to give me the materials. I asked if they were concerned about people using the idea of silence in an organization to mentally or physically abusive ends, and was told by a couple that it offended them that the idea of confidentiality was used to scam people out of money all over tarnation. And since some here are of oath bound traditions and many others know about them and have interesting opinions, I thought I'd pose a few questions here: What is/are some of the most secretive organizations (nongovernmental) magical, philosophical, social and why would you classify them this way? Do you think this kind of secrecy is effective in whatever its purpose is stated to be? What are some of the drawbacks to this kind of silence that you have heard of or experienced? Have you had any experiences with these kinds of organizations that you care to share? As in what did it do for you? Is it something you'd recommend? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?3896 ===== ===== God/desses and Capitalization ===== So, as per usual I was searching around on the thread, and noticed that some people capitalize both the name(s) of their god/desses, and the third person pronouns tied into the sentences (e.g. I follow Odin. I love Him and all of His principles...). Personally, I don't do this, even for the Christian Yahweh. The god/desses I follow have never shown any preference for it. But I'm curious. Do you do this? If so, what is you're reasoning behind it? If not, why don't you? * Read (or join in) this discussion: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?3840 [03] ========= ========= PHYLLIS VEGA'S TAROT TALK ========= THE MOON IN ASTROLOGY ========= by Phyllis Vega ========= The Moon’s position in the natal chart is extremely significant, and second only in importance to the placement of the Sun. The Moon is the place to look when seeking the private side of an individual, the person that others don’t see. Your birth Moon shows how you come across emotionally. Your Moon’s sign is about the ways you express and deal with your feelings. It signifies unconscious patterns of behavior, and reflects the types of relationships you are likely to form and how you interact with the people around you. If you don’t know your Moon sign, you can generate a free birth chart on the internet at Café Astrology: http://www.cafeastrology.com/articles/howtoobtainchart.html Your Sun sign describes your façade, the outer you and how you present yourself to others. Your Moon sign describes your inner nature and interior hidden self. When you understand a person’s Moon’s sign, you gain greater insight into that individual’s needs, moods, and sensitivities. Because the Moon influences your deepest thoughts and fantasies and illuminates your innermost feelings, its sign shows what you really care about in life, and what you will be happiest doing or being. The Moon represents the feminine or yin principle. The domain of the Moon is the subconscious mind and its relationship to emotions, instincts, habits, intuition, psychic ability, dreams, and memories. The Moon’s rulership includes women, conception, pregnancy, birth, childhood experience, emotional security, home, family, and the public. The archetypes connected to the lunar principal are the goddess, the mother, the queen, and the nurturer. Like the Sun signs, the Moon signs are grouped by the three modes of being (Cardinal, Fixed, Mutable) and the four elements (Fire, Earth, Air, Water). The Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) initiate change. Fast moving and goal oriented they make things happen, and then they often lose interest and move on to something new. The Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) are tenacious and determined. They complete, solidify, consolidate, and preserve the changes initiated by the Cardinal signs. The Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) are flexible and adaptable. They take what the Cardinal signs have designed and the Fixed signs have built, and fine tune, alter, and adjust it to fit changing circumstances. The Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) are fiery, enthusiastic, passionate, energetic, and impulsive. Although filled with vitality, they work and play so hard that they can easily burn themselves out. The Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) are down-to-earth, practical, careful, and efficient. Although they are grounded and extremely well focused, they tend to be over-cautious and stubbornly resistant to change. The Air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) are intellectual, communicative, sociable, and intuitive. Innovative ideas are their forte, but they are often more concerned with probing and understanding theoretical concepts than seeking practical applications for their discoveries. The Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) are compassionate, imaginative, impressionable, artistic, and psychic. They tune into emotions the way other signs tune into radio or TV stations. Although their empathy makes them want to help everyone, it can also make them feel defenseless and vulnerable. === Aries Moon Sign - Impulsive Aries demands a great deal of personal freedom and you vigorously resist attempts to dominate or tie you down. As a natural rebel you prefer making your own rules to living under other people’s restrictions. You don’t much care about the opinion of others, and almost never follow advice when it’s offered. Since diplomacy is not your strong suit, you generally come right out and say whatever you are thinking. As a born leader you thoroughly enjoy the authority and responsibility that goes along power, but what you really seek is total dominion over yourself and your own interests. Ardent Aries loves passionately and with a whole heart. However, you tend to view love as another of life’s exciting adventures. For as long as it lasts your romance may be quite idyllic, with days that are filled with fun and nights filled with pleasure. However, when love dwindles into ordinariness you quickly grow bored and restless. Once you decide that an alliance is finished, your inclination is to end it as quickly as possible and take off in search of new experiences. === Taurus Moon Sign - Tenacious In Taurus the Moon may be even better placed than in its own sign Cancer, because the stability of fixed-earth steadies and calms the erratic lunar influence. This Moon emphasizes the material side of life, and you enjoy all of its comforts including lovemaking, good food and drink, art and music, and relaxing in pleasant surroundings. Sensual and romantic, Taurus thrives on physical contact; no lover of yours is likely to want for affection or attention. You don’t do well under pressure and can’t be rushed or forced into anything. When pushed to your limits, you respond by digging your heels in and becoming incredibly stubborn. However, once you settle on something or someone you rarely change your mind. Since you don’t enter into relationships lightly, when you make a promise or commitment you stick to it. Your proud nature makes it difficult for you deal with slights and rejection. Bulls may forgive, but they rarely forget. Your propensity for bearing grudges makes you waste precious time and energy by doggedly hanging on to the memory of old resentments engendered by personal insults and disappointments. === Gemini Moon Sign – Clever In lively Gemini the Moon’s influence becomes somewhat erratic. Lunar twins have keenly developed imaginations and minds that appear to be permanently stuck in overdrive. Mentally you are the “Fast Freddy” of the zodiac, and no other sign is a quicker study, or processes information faster. A born critic, with an inclination toward loquaciousness, your tendency is to analyze everything and then discuss what you’ve discovered with anyone who will listen. Your skills as a speaker and writer make you a perfect fit for any career where communication plays a major role, such as journalist, broadcaster, teacher, actor, salesperson, or preacher. Although you take great pride in your own self-sufficiency, you are essentially a “people person” and love nothing more than getting out and spending time with friends and acquaintances. You like being where the action is, and you hate to think that you might be missing out on anything important. A walking encyclopedia of information with an affable open manner and the ability to converse with anyone on any subject, you are a welcome addition to any party or gathering. Like a chameleon you have knack for blending in with any crowd, causing some to label you superficial and others to wonder whether or not they actually know you at all. === Cancer Moon Sign – Emotional The Moon is in its natural home in Cancer, the sign of its rulership. Lunar crabs are nurturing, creative, imaginative, patient, and intuitive, but also very, very sensitive. Members of this sign are among the most emotional in the zodiacal family, and also the most easily wounded by perceived slights and rebuffs. You are extremely self-protective, and although you are strongly motivated by your emotions, you are also afraid of them. You rarely show your depth of feeling openly, preferring to hide your vulnerability behind the protective façade of your crab shell. Thus it is often difficult for people to understand where you are coming from, or know where they really stand with you. Those born under this influence are strongly impressionable with an artistic temperament that works best when allowed to function at its own pace. You cherish the past, and have an extremely retentive memory and the ability to store away impressions, reactions, feelings, and information until the time comes for you to put them to use. Many artists, artisans, chefs, musicians, actors, poets, historians, antiquarians, and teachers were born under this Moon sign. === Leo Moon Sign – Dramatic Many of the Moon’s natural characteristics are modified or nullified in Leo, the astrological home of the Sun. Here the Moon’s power is stable, positive, and upbeat, and even its shadowy side seems less dark than in other signs. Lunar Leos command respect, and are optimistic and ambitious with an instinctive urge to rule. They don’t like being told what they can and can’t do, and they generally function best in positions of authority. Naturally extroverted and dramatic, you gravitate toward center stage and bask in the attention, admiration, and applause of your audience. Your warm, generous nature wins people over, and your easy-going charm and wonderful sense of humor keeps them interested and entertained. You have a flair for the dramatic and performing comes naturally to you. When nothing is happening that you find interesting or amusing, you may try to raise everyone’s spirits by playing some music, singing a song, recounting a dramatic incident, or telling a joke or funny story. === Virgo Moon Sign – Practical The shifting, changing effects of the Moon are much less evident in the steadfast sign of Virgo. Stable, serious in outlook, and modest in demeanor, your mental powers are especially keen and you have an intelligent, thoughtful way of looking at things. You bring a sense of professionalism to everything you do, and could find success in virtually any occupation that demands accuracy, precision, and a keen eye for detail. Your practical realism makes you good at business and managing money, and your concern for security keeps you focused on long-term goals rather than immediate profits. You have a discriminating mind and a critical nature that automatically questions everything you see and hear. Your approach to life is closely allied to your practical, pragmatic outlook. Basically you are skeptic who rarely accepts anything at face value, and you carefully sift through information and ideas searching for kernels of truth. Lunar Virgos are more practical than scholarly. You consider the pursuit of knowledge merely for the sake of learning a waste of precious time, preferring to focus on subjects that are useful. === Libra Moon Sign – Practical The cardinality of this sign energizes the more tranquil characteristics of the Moon. Lunar Libras are ambitious, but somewhat slower to react than members of the other cardinal signs. Still, despite occasional bouts of laziness, you manage to motivate yourself enough to accomplish your personal goals. Scales are especially good at strategizing and planning projects, but often get bored before the actual work is completed. However, your specialty is teamwork and cooperation and you’re usually able to charm someone into helping you finish the job. As the sign of esthetic perception, Libra accentuates the Moon’s allure of glamour and enchantment. The scales appreciation for beauty and all the finer things in life is unmatched by any other sign. You have a keen artistic sense, and an instinctive understanding of music, dance, art, drama, and literature. Many born under this influence have considerable talent along these lines, and you could be a professional artist or entertainer, or simply a patron of the arts. === Scorpio Moon Sign - Penetrating This is generally considered a difficult lunar placement, because Scorpio’s intensity exerts a powerful influence over the emotional nature of the Moon. Your Scorpio Moon endows you with a deep-seated need for transformation and rebirth. Yours is a fighting spirit, with tremendous determination and a strong instinct for survival. Your specialty is recovering from setbacks that might devastate a less tenacious individual. You have an uncanny ability for bouncing back from failure, defeat, disappointment, illness, and even the very threshold of death’s door. Lunar scorpions are able to concentrate their energies and focus on their objectives with a passion that sometimes approaches obsession. Always interested in what lies beneath the surface, your instinctive urge is to keep digging until you get to the bottom of things. This is an excellent placement for researchers, detectives, physicians, anthropologists, engineers, occultists, and psychotherapists. === Sagittarius Moon Sign – Enthusiastic Sagittarius is a dual sign represented by the centaur, a mythological creature with the upper torso of a human growing out of the body of a horse. The Sagittarian centaur is usually depicted with feet firmly planted on the ground, and holding a bow and arrow pointed upwards toward the heavens. The duality of your nature comes from the split between your earthy animal instincts on the one hand, and your philosophical, rational mind on the other. In Sagittarius the Moon is restless and unsettled in mind and body. Its archetype is the wanderer who explores both the material world and the realm of ideas. You require a great deal of personal freedom in order to fulfill your goals and follow your dreams. Typically archers love to travel and meet new and interesting people. A lover of nature and the outdoors, you thrive on lots of exercise and constant activity. Yours is an impatient, adventurous spirit that impels you to rush headlong into any enterprise, situation, or relationship that sparks your enthusiasm. === Capricorn Moon Sign – Ambitious The sensitive, ever-changing Moon is basically ill at ease in Capricorn’s cool, controlled environment of rules and regulations. Naturally serious, industrious, and ambitious, you tend to place practical considerations ahead of emotional ones. In relationships you keep your feelings tightly under wraps until you know whether or not you are on solid ground with the other person. However, once committed you make a loyal, devoted, dependable mate, lover, or friend. Emotionally you aren’t very demonstrative, but you show you that you care by taking responsibility for your loved ones and providing for their financial and material needs. Lunar goats are efficient, responsible, cautious, and mature in attitude and outlook. You set long-term goals, and pursue them with relentless, and sometimes obsessive persistence. Your tenacity and strength of will are such that you consider no obstacle or challenge too great for you to overcome. Your staying power is unparalleled, and your willingness to work hard and put in long hours mean that sooner or later you will achieve the respect, recognition, and power that’s so important to you. === Aquarius Moon Sign – Unpredictable The Moon is not particularly comfortable in fixed, intellectual Aquarius. Naturally cool headed and cerebral, reason is your god, and your basic focus is a mental one. You distrust instincts, feelings, and emotions as being way too messy and irrational. Although outwardly friendly and sociable, at heart you are a loner. Lunar Aquarians are the quintessential outsiders. Your unconventional outlook and eccentric, unpredictable behavior make it difficult for you to “fit in”, and at times you may suffer from inner feelings of loneliness. As a life-long student of human nature, you’re extremely observant of other people’s action. Although especially adept at analyzing everyone else’s motivations, when it comes to your own you’re often totally clueless as to why you do the things you do. Despite your innate emotional detachment (or possibly because of it), your forte is counseling and helping others. Career fields generally associated with this Moon sign include psychology, sociology, medicine, teaching, community service, and astrology. === Pisces Moon Sign – Imaginative Both the Moon and the sign Pisces are about dreams and emotions, and the lunar fish is the archetypal dreamer of the zodiac. Much of the time you inhabit a fantasy world of your own creation. Romantic and idealistic in the extreme, you rarely look at things straight on, or see them for what they really are. You prefer viewing life through a pair of rose-colored glasses, to dealing with its harsh realities. Psychic ability, intuition, imagination, strong creative talents, and a deep fascination with everything mysterious are closely linked to this placement. You flourish in a creative environment, and you either have artistic abilities of your own, or a great love and appreciation for the arts. Typically members of this sign are deeply spiritual, although their faith is often more mystical than religious. Careers associated with the Moon in Pisces include: artists, musicians, dancers, poets, actors, filmmakers, fashion consultants, interior designers, florists, chefs, nurses, psychologists, practitioners of alternative medicine, and spiritual leaders. === === About Phyllis Vega === Phyllis Vega is a practicing astrologer and tarot reader and has been a New Age counselor and teacher for 37 years. The author of eleven books, including the soon to be released What Your Birthday Reveals About Your Sex Life (Adams Media). Contact Phyllis via email at pvega@bellsouth.net or through her website at http://phyllisvega.geocities.com/. Astrology and Tarot columns and other works by Phyllis are archived at http://tarottalk.ecauldron.net/. Phyllis Vega's Astro Talk copyright (c) 2012 by Phyllis Vega. All rights reserved. [04] ========= ========= FLAMEKEEPING ========= SACRED BODY, SACRED SOUL ========= by HeartShadow ========= HeartShadow is following her own religious path. She calls it FlameKeeping. This regular column will present articles on FlameKeeping, many taken from HeartShadow's FlameKeeping blog at: http://www.flamekeeping.org/ ===== ===== Sacred Body, Sacred Soul ===== I speak a lot about the individual being sacred, but not exactly what that entails. We are holy, body and soul. (of course, so is everyone else). How we treat ourselves directly affects how we are able to treat others and how well the Divine flows through us. When we treat ourselves as though we are garbage, we lose the ability to improve ourselves or the Universe around us. When we treat ourselves well, we can grow and improve the Universe. How do we treat ourselves well? Part of it’s obvious. We need to eat right, we need to exercise, we need to care for our bodies. A sickly body is a time sink, one that requires us to take effort to care for our body at the expense of things we’d rather be doing. We take preventative maintenance for our cars, but we sacrifice our bodies for things we see as more important. Pounds and inches aren’t what’s important. Health is what matters. We need to find a place where our bodies are healthy, not losing that last five pounds or getting that perfect sixpack of abs. Our minds are also sacred. What we are, in many ways, is our mind. It’s how we define our personality. And how we treat our minds is important. It’s easy to fill our minds with garbage, to focus on nothing of substance because it’s too hard and to treat ourselves as though we didn’t matter. But that’s harmful, just as harmful as trying to live off nothing but potato chips. We need to nourish our minds, to give ourselves things to think about that aren’t just easy. That doesn’t mean we can’t do anything but read great literature. But it does mean that we need to be aware of what our minds focus on, and to take care that we don’t spend our days thinking about things that cause us harm. We can control our inner chattering voice, if we’re willing to learn to try. And what we let that voice say has a big impact on our lives. It’s difficult to realize how much our minds can be controlled by ourselves. What we believe, what we think the world should be like, it affects us. We see the world as we wish it was, as we fear it is, as anything but the truth. We fill our minds with casual violence, with casual pain and hatred. These things are poison to us. The more we think about anger, about pain and hatred, the more our minds become programmed to think of pain and anger and hatred. This is not to say these emotions are bad, they are not. Emotions simply are. But choosing to dwell in them (and it is a choice) can destroy a person. We are worthy. We are loved. We are sacred, and of the Divine. We need to treasure that. ===== ===== Questions: ===== * How do you take care of your body? your mind? * Do you think you do a good job celebrating your sacred nature? Why or why not? * How do you love yourself (keep it clean, folks!)? How does that self-love interact with your sacredness? [05] ========= ========= ARTICLES ========= The following articles and reviews give the viewpoint of their author. Reviewers may have received a free copy of the item they are reviewing. ===== ===== CRAFTING HOUSE PROTECTION SPELLS ===== by terrilewis ===== House protection spells can be beneficial, whether you feel threatened in your home or not. These types of spells are not only used to keep negative energy and evil spirits out of your home, but can also help in creating a barrier against physical threats and harm as well. All protection spells gain extra power if they are cast on a Saturday, a day ruled by the planet Saturn which is known to govern over bindings, protection and defensive magick. As for the ritual, you have a few options – select one that best suits you. === Salt and Herbs Salt is one of the prime ingredients used in house protection spells, and should be used generously. Coarse sea salt works best, but you can substitute it for regular table salt if you do not have the option. The simplest way to protect your house is to pour a line of salt crystals along your windowsills and doorways, though a more complex ritual involving other components, such as the addition of certain herbs, would enhance the power. Several herbs are more effective than others in exercising protection magick, and can be incorporated into various spells, including the salt barrier mentioned above. Some of the most potent herbs to use in spells are Anise, Rue, Fennel, Witch hazel, Mistletoe, and Horehound === Object Burials Many spells directed at protecting a home involve burying a combination of magickal items or ingredients. Placing particular objects in the earth can create a stable and permanent sphere of protection around the house. * The Witch Bottle - An age-old house protection spell, the witch bottle is a powerful charm that you personally create. You need a large jar (glass not plastic) with a tight-fitting lid. Using your imagination, you must assemble together a medley of sharp, broken items, such as shards of glass or mirror, rusty nails, etc. and place the pieces into the jar, filling it to the top. Now pour vinegar over the contents, screw the lid on tightly, and seal the rim with melted wax. The next step is to bury this Witch Bottle in the ground, at the front of your house. * Stones and Crystals - If you prefer to work with stones or crystals in the performance of your house protection spell, black stones such as jet, onyx or obsidian, as well as genuine amber, are excellent choices. Bury the selected stone or crystal just outside your front door or, if you wish to create a large protected area, bury 4 pieces at the cardinal points, that is the north, south, east and west corners of your property. === Smudging For protection within the home rather than outside of it, try the Native American tradition of smudging. It requires that you burn herbs or incense, and walk through the house with the smoke trailing around you. Not only will you create a protective space, but you will also eliminate any negative energy that may be dwelling in your house. Use bundles of white sage, or incense sticks of sandalwood or anise. Keep in mind that no matter the number of house protection spells you might cast, it should not deter you from taking the standard precautions for safety. Keep your doors and windows locked at night, and have a neighbor watch your home if you are going to be away for more than a couple of days. === Spells to Sell If you are trying to sell your home, there are some special spells to sell a house that can really add a boost to your conventional real estate efforts and help clinch that sale. One particular spell to sell a house has become quite popular as it is easy to perform. You will need a statue or image of Saint Joseph. Granted, it may not be simple to find but some metaphysical shops and Catholic stores carry them. Now although the procedure may seem bizarre, it works. You have to bury the statue upside- down, facing your house, and preferably somewhere outside in the front lawn, near the door or walkway. You can pray to the Saint if you wish, but it is not necessary as his image alone will help draw people to purchase your house. Good Luck! Discuss and Comment on this Article: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?241 ===== ===== THE THREE ELEMENTS IN DRUIDIC RITUAL ===== by Alison Leigh Lilly ===== The sun has set, and twilight settles dark over the autumn landscape. In another half an hour a harvest moon, swelling but not quite full, will rise over the eastern horizon, but for now the grove is thick with gray mist and half-seen shadows. In the center, a thin white altar cloth drapes a low, square stone; the cloth shifts once in a while, ghostly and almost whispering with the silent breeze that barely moves the trees. The altar itself is decorated with gourds, dried pale aster blossoms and pressed fall leaves collected from the local landscape over the past week, bringing out subtle shades of yellow, orange, russet and deep greens that are, nonetheless, difficult to distinguish in the darkness. A small bowl of incense smolders and smokes, its scent mingling with the damp late-night fog, and in the center of the altar a small lidded cauldron sits waiting, the waters of life inside ready to be ignited. When the time is right. Suddenly, the strike of a match and a flame flares into life, held delicately between the fingers of a white-robed figure. Opening the cauldron, she tosses the match inside and within seconds a column of fire is dancing and leaping upwards as if out of the very womb of darkness, lapping at the round, black lip of the iron pot. Flickering light illuminates the entire grove, revealing other figures standing poised on the threshold of vision, some dressed in white, others in the colors of the elements or of the autumnal season. As the cauldron fire grows stronger, the center figure raises her arms in a gesture of gratitude and exaltation, and those in the surrounding circle do likewise. Together, all begin to chant the familiar words of prayer, the syllables weaving and repeating, their voices cascading over one another in a rising harmony of sound and vibration. The energy is palpable, flowing through each tongue of fire, grounding in the deep earth and arcing towards the celestial realms - and each participant adds their own energy, opening themselves to the awareness of connection moving and dancing through the grove. This is the cosmos recreated, the three realms meeting in a center which is everywhere at once. The chanting prayer drops suddenly to a slow-whispered awen, and the grove falls once more into silence, the only sound that of the flames trembling and sizzling on the altar. Everyone waits expectedly, their skin shivering with energy, for the ritual to continue. "Ritual is poetry in the realm of acts." - Ross Nichols, founder of OBOD What is the purpose of ritual? In many Pagan circles ritual is seen primarily as a method of magical work or spellcraft, a way of raising and directing energy for a particular goal. This might take the form of blessing candles for healing magic, or invoking the presence of a particular deity to provide guidance or aid for a specific problem. In Druidry, however, though magic has a role to play, sacred ritual holds a far more poetic place in both personal and group spiritual practice. I have written before about the way poetry connects us to one another through memory, imagination and creativity, how it reaches beyond the tensions of duality and opens up in us a sense of metaphor, how it speaks to us of space and potential that can transcend and reconcile, clarify and illuminate. Although it can be used for specific magical purposes, Druidic ritual serves primarily as a way for us to live our poetry in the world of physical reality as well as in the world of words. Just as the art of poetry requires a certain set of skills - a grasp of language, its rhythms and sounds, a strong sense of concrete sensory details, etc. - the art of ritual has three basic elements or aspects that a practitioner must come to work with and know intimately. These aspects echo the Druidic elements of calas, gwyar and nwyfre, found in everything, everywhere: the form, stability and solidity of stone, the flow, movement and connection of blood, and the "breath of life," the energy and life-force of wind (and fire). Learning how to incorporate all three of these elements into Druidic ritual helps to ensure a powerful and meaningful experience, more poignant, authentic and spiritually fruitful than the kind of melodramatic role-playing that Pagan ritual can sometimes risk becoming. But more than this, these three elements serve as symbols, a means of connection and a reminder of the three elements of calas, gwyar and nwyfre that dwell within all things. Likewise, by mindfully incorporating these elements in a way that is beautiful and aesthetically moving, we re-create or invoke the cosmos within the ritual sacred space - as above, so below - and so our actions in that space themselves become cosmic or mythic in meaning. What are these three elements of Druidic ritual? Put simply, they are: matter, sound, and energy. The element of calas in Druidry can be understood roughly as "stone." It is the quality of form: solidity, firmness, stability, and resistance. It corresponds most closely with the realm of land, or earth, as that which provides the basis and foundation for everything else. In the body, you might say that calas is bone, the hard inner core, the structure and scaffolding, although more generally it is also the body itself a the physical form, with its limits and boundaries. In ritual, calas is matter, the physical materials utilized during the rite. These include the various tools and decorative elements, such as the altar cloth, offering dishes, candles, crane bags, wands or oracular stones, as well as the altar itself. Indeed, the sacred space, or nemeton, of the grove and the surrounding landscape all play a part in the ritual, for they provide the physical context for our spiritual activity. The bodies of the participants, too, are physical aspects of the rite. All of these things can be considered an aspect of the calas of Druidic ritual, and they can be engaged in ways that heighten the power and meaning of a given rite as its performed. If ritual is poetry in the realm of acts, then the calas, or physical matter and form, of ritual serves as symbol and metaphor. While in a poem you might speak of the "fires of inspiration," in ritual you can choose a way to incorporate a physical flame - whether a candle, cauldron or bonfire - to represent this concept. Likewise, a poetic "wellspring of healing" may take the form of a small bowl of water placed on the altar. Because your body, too, is part of the ritual's calas, how you interact with and engage this physical fire or water is also part of the metaphor of the ritual. Do you leap in unison with the dancing flames, acting out your receptivity to inspiration and your willingness to incorporate its energies into your life? Do you drink the cool water, taking healing literally into yourself in order to cleanse away sickness or harm? While many Pagan traditions will emphasize that magic can be done without any tools whatsoever, entirely through the directing of energies, ritual is something uniquely embodied and acted out in the physical world. It celebrates and engages the body and the world of matter. In this way, it not only involves us as whole beings, body, heart, mind and soul, but it speaks to the subconscious in the symbolism of the five senses with which it is most familiar. And as anyone can tell you who has tried to light a candle on a windy night, it also puts us in a position to confront literal as well as spiritual forms of resistance, obstacles and unexpected circumstances that come with living as embodied beings in the material world. The Druidic element of gwyar is understood generally as "water," but while calas has a coolness that comes from its stillness, the "water" of gwyar is warm with movement and flux, and for this reason it corresponds with the blood of our physical body. Gwyar is the quality of flow: movement and change, but also exchange, interconnection and communication. As the waters of the world cycle through every landscape in the form of rain, mist, oceans and streams, so gwyar connects and moves through all things, sometimes bringing vital resources and sometimes washing them away. In ritual, gwyar takes the form of sound: the voice of chanting, singing, prayer and invocation, the rhythmic beating of drums or shaking of rattles, and the music of many different instruments with potential for ritual use, such as flutes, harps, guitars, and so on. Anything that makes sound - even our own breathing, or the noise of our dancing, stamping feet - is part of the gwyar of a Druidic rite. Though you might think that sound and voice make more sense as an aspect of nwyfre, an element of wind and air, if we pause to consider the nature of sound we see that gwyar is a better fit. Sound is, after all, a form of vibration, and voice and music move through the air in ripples and waves, lapping not only at our eardrums, but humming and flowing through our entire bodies. The pure ringing tones of a singing bowl can fill a space with its cleansing voice, like a cool spring bubbling up from the earth. When we sing, we seek the sympathetic harmonies that our own bodies make so that, whatever our size, sex or age, we sing in tune, moving to the same vibrations. In this way, music is an aspect of ritual that quite literally connects us to each other, asking us to participate directly in a dance of changing harmonies. Indeed, every movement or action we make within the nemeton, through dance and other ritual gestures, makes a sound of some kind. And so we can think of sound not just in the literal sense, but also as a way of describing our movement and activity within the grove. The change and connection of gwyar is present in sound, and so is its ability to circulate, to carry or transfer. The spoken words of an invocation or prayer communicate, bringing ideas and images with them, as do the ritual gestures that accompany them. Like the water that flows freely through all three realms, connecting them in relationship and exchange, sound is at once a physical thing grounded in the calas of the bodies of people and instruments, and a more ephemeral essence that connects us and moves us towards nwyfre, the third and final element of energy and life-force. Although silence, that momentary stillness when change and motion cease, can also play a part in ritual, words spoken out loud, the harmony of song, these sounds are vital in working with the vibrations of a space. In ritual, it is important that we not merely read, or remember, or think - we must speak and move, for these, too, are acts from which the living poetry of our ritual is made. In Druidry, the element of nwyfre is difficult to pin down, and this in itself suggests part of its meaning - it is more of a force than a thing. If we try to match up each of the three Druidic elements with the four of classical philosophy - earth, air, fire, and water - we see that calas matches fairly well with earth, and gwyar with water; however, nwyfre has a meaning that is similar to both air and fire, and yet unlike them in other ways. It easiest to understand nwyfre as breath, and more specifically the sacred breath of life, that which is enlivened and animate. Thus, we see that it has both the airy quality of breathing, and a fiery, lively quality that we associate with "vim and vigor." In many religions, indeed, the word "spirit" is related to words for breath. For instance, when a person "ex-spires" she stops breathing, while "in- spire-ation" is literally the breathing-in of divine insight and energy. In the body, nwyfre is the breath which keeps us alive and thriving, but it is also the "divine breath," the spiritual essence that animates us. Thus, we can understand nwyfre in ritual as energy, and more specifically the spiritual energy that moves through and fills all things, giving them life and meaning. While the tools and physical materials of ritual are pretty easy to come by these days, and even the use of voice, song, music and movement can be practiced and developed over time, the nwyfre or energy of a rite is perhaps the most difficult to grasp. Yet it is also the most essential. It is the thing that keeps ritual from becoming all dull memorization and empty gestures. And so, to work with the nwyfre of Druidic ritual, we must first come to appreciate the energy and alive-ness inherent within the calas and gwyar aspects of our work. We can spend time developing our sense of connection and spiritual engagement with our altars and tools, seeing them not as dead objects but responsive beings with awareness and purpose. We can similarly work with the surrounding landscape and the space of the grove, listening to its moods and messages. We can learn to appreciate the spiritual energies of music and song, the ebb and flow of its essence carried on the wind. And we can turn our attention inwards, to the spiritual energies of our own bodies, developing a practice of disciplined meditation and breathing exercises that put us more deeply in touch with our bodies and the spirit that dwells within us. When we bring all of this together in ritual - our openness, attention and discipline - we discover that we can work with these energies, moving and shaping them in powerful ways, knowing when to heighten them and when to release them effectively. This is when magic comes into play, with the directing of energy to accomplish certain purposes. Yet Druidic ritual is so much more than this. Ritual is also a way of teaching ourselves how to touch divinity, how to ready ourselves for true, meaningful relationship with the gods and other spirits of the world. Just as a poem works with sound and image, rhythm and metaphor to create tension that can lift us to a new level of understanding, involving the dynamic elements of calas, gwyar and nwyfre at the heart of our work can create a humming tension of ecstatic beauty that will raise the "living, enacted poetry" of our ritual activity to higher and higher (or deeper and deeper) realms. Discuss and Comment on this Article: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?238 ===== ===== REVIEW: TRAVELLER'S GUIDE TO THE DUAT ===== Reviewed by Mike Gleason ===== Traveller's Guide to the Duat Author(s): Kiya Nicoll Published 2012 by Megalithica Books ISBN-10: 1905713738 ISBN-13: 978-1905713738 Paperback, 160 pages List: $19.99 View this Book on Amazon http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=1905713738 This book is, in the words of the author (an Egyptian reconstructionist pagan living in New England) "...an exploration of the concepts of the Book, (The Book of Going Forth by Day aka The Egyptian Book of the Dead - reviewer's explanation) a placement of those ideas within some historical context, and a presentation of a selection of its material in a lighthearted and, I hope, accessible form." When most people think about the Book (if they think about it), they perceive it as a collection of magical spells. This author sees it as ...a sort of a cross between a hymnal, a grimoire, and The Traveller's Guide to the Underworld." Ms Nicoll has, in my opinion, succeeded in her goal of being lighthearted and accessible. The lighthearted part was easy. This book is presented in the format of a travel guide written by an individual who is familiar not only with the destination, but with the primary forms of transportation and the diplomatic requirements based on length of stay and other considerations. Her poetry is, so far as I can judge, based on Egyptian originals without being a slave to literal translation, thus it is more comprehensible to the average reader. The illustrations are similarly based on commonly available images although some of them are presented in an extremely unusual and humorous format (the illustration of Anubis sitting at the checkout counter of a Customs check point [page 83] is an excellent example of that). The use of humor makes the images a little less frightening, and downright entertaining in some cases. As the book nears its end Ms Nicoll provides a list of some correspondences (a very short list, considering the possibilities) as well as a glossary of names and terms. This latter item, in my opinion could benefit from a bit of re-editing - an empty line between entries would break up the "solid block of text" look which it currently has. The bibliography deserves special mention, simply because it is short yet comprehensive, and authoritative without being intimidating. Add to that the fact that most of the material appeared within the last quarter of the 20th Century or the current century (thus making it more likely you will be able to find copies in your local college library). She also mentions the Sacred Text archive at http://www.sacred-text.com as a source of material which has passed into public domain. Many years ago I did some studying in an effort to relate to the Egyptian deities. I found it hard to make the connections I wanted partly, I now know, because of my own lack of background and experience but also because the material was presented in a manner which was extremely difficult for me to relate to and assimilate. Ms Nicoll's presentation would have helped to solve at least part of those difficulties for me. Her writing in crisp and understandable. Her approach balances the information one needs to know with just the right amount of lightheartedness so that you are not trying to absorb the details as much as you are simply absorbing them without trying. It is an approach which is eminently suited to teaching students of varying levels of experience. This is not the ultimate source book, but it is an excellent source. If Egyptian religion appeals to you, add this book to your library. Discuss and Comment on this Review: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?3770 ===== ===== REVIEW: WHAT THOU WILT: TRADITIONAL AND INNOVATIVE TRENDS IN ===== POST-GARDNERIAN WITCHCRAFT ===== Reviewed by Mike Gleason ===== What thou wilt: Traditional and Innovative trends in Post- Gardnerian Witchcraft Author(s): Jon Hanna Published 2010 by Evertype ISBN: 1904808433 ISBN-13: 978-1904808435 Paperback, 235 pages List: $16.95 View this Book on Amazon http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=1904808433 I have been reviewing books lately which have fallen outside my primary areas of experience and knowledge, but I am back on firm ground with this book (written by a fellow Alexandrian initiate). Although I have not had the pleasure of meeting or working with Jon, our common traditional "DNA" gives us a shared base of knowledge. This book started as a "Second Degree Essay" which simply got out of hand. It was supposed to be 10,000 words (which sounds like a lot, but is (in reality) only about 20 pages). I can sympathize. In order to convey ideas clearly, one sometimes needs to use more than minimal words. Since it was intended for those "in the know" it assumes a certain level of understanding and/or appreciation of what makes one a "traditional" Witch. Its emphasis shifted from the Second and Third Degree initiates, to being intended for everyone. Jon wastes little time or space on basics (although he does include a short glossary at the end). Nearly fifteen pages of references allow the reader to check things out, both in print and on-line. If you are tired of the flood of introductory books in the market place; if "fluffy" books drive you crazy (even if you can't quite explain what makes them fluffy); if you want inspiration for some serious discussions, this book is definitely a good starting point. Jon writes from both sides of the Eclectic (or as he prefers it, Innovative)/Traditional divide. He began his experiences on the Innovative side (and still sees some benefits from that source) before moving into an Alexandrian orientation. His assigning most of modern day "traditional" Witchcraft (including the current Gardnerian tradition) to a Post-Gardnerian identity may strike some readers as, to say the least, odd. When you look at it logically, however, it is no different than acknowledging that modern day mainstream religions have moved beyond the ideas of their founders. Indeed the religious ideas of Gerald Gardner are considered by many modern day Witches (of all persuasions) as dated at best and downright unacceptable at worst. While his arguments may seem like nit picking in some circumstances they form some of the major points of difference between the two sides. His choice of using "Innovative" as opposed to "Eclectic" is well-thought out, as is the time spent differentiating between "Wicca" in modern usage, versus its usage at the time of Gerald Gardner. I don't agree with all his conclusions, but I didn't expect to. Although our backgrounds are similar, our life experiences are unique. I strongly recommend this book to everyone who is considering following either the Innovative or Traditional paths, since it will expose you to both sides of a debate which shows no sign of going away anytime soon. It may not be a vital book, but it is an interesting, and well thought out offering, well worth the price. Discuss and Comment on this Review: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?3558 ===== ===== REVIEW: WHISPER OF STONE: MODERN CANAANITE RELIGION ===== Reviewed by Mike Gleason ===== Whisper of Stone: Modern Canaanite Religion Author(s): Tess Dawson Published 2009 by O Books ISBN-10: 1846941903 ISBN-13: 978-1846941900 Paperback, 413 pages List: $39.95 View this Book on Amazon http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=1846941903 I have been reviewing books lately which have fallen outside my primary areas of experience and knowledge, but I am back on firm ground with this book (written by a fellow Alexandrian initiate). Although I have not had the pleasure of meeting or working with Jon, our common traditional "DNA" gives us a shared base of knowledge. This book started as a "Second Degree Essay" which simply got out of hand. It was supposed to be 10,000 words (which sounds like a lot, but is (in reality) only about 20 pages). I can sympathize. In order to convey ideas clearly, one sometimes needs to use more than minimal words. Since it was intended for those "in the know" it assumes a certain level of understanding and/or appreciation of what makes one a "traditional" Witch. Its emphasis shifted from the Second and Third Degree initiates, to being intended for everyone. Jon wastes little time or space on basics (although he does include a short glossary at the end). Nearly fifteen pages of references allow the reader to check things out, both in print and on-line. If you are tired of the flood of introductory books in the market place; if "fluffy" books drive you crazy (even if you can't quite explain what makes them fluffy); if you want inspiration for some serious discussions, this book is definitely a good starting point. Jon writes from both sides of the Eclectic (or as he prefers it, Innovative)/Traditional divide. He began his experiences on the Innovative side (and still sees some benefits from that source) before moving into an Alexandrian orientation. His assigning most of modern day "traditional" Witchcraft (including the current Gardnerian tradition) to a Post-Gardnerian identity may strike some readers as, to say the least, odd. When you look at it logically, however, it is no different than acknowledging that modern day mainstream religions have moved beyond the ideas of their founders. Indeed the religious ideas of Gerald Gardner are considered by many modern day Witches (of all persuasions) as dated at best and downright unacceptable at worst. While his arguments may seem like nit picking in some circumstances they form some of the major points of difference between the two sides. His choice of using "Innovative" as opposed to "Eclectic" is well-thought out, as is the time spent differentiating between "Wicca" in modern usage, versus its usage at the time of Gerald Gardner. I don't agree with all his conclusions, but I didn't expect to. Although our backgrounds are similar, our life experiences are unique. I strongly recommend this book to everyone who is considering following either the Innovative or Traditional paths, since it will expose you to both sides of a debate which shows no sign of going away anytime soon. It may not be a vital book, but it is an interesting, and well thought out offering, well worth the price. Discuss and Comment on this Review: http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/showthread.php?3559 [06] ========= ========= CHEAP WEB HOSTING REPORT: SHARED HOSTS JULY 2012 ========= by Gridspace ========= [Editor's Note: Purchasing web hosting through the links provided in this article helps support The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum.] The Cheap Web Hosting Report covers affordable web hosting providers in several categories: Shared Hosting, Ecommerce Hosting, VPS Hosting, and Dedicated Hosting. This month's article lists the Shared Hosting providers selected in July 2012. For other types of hosting, please see the Cheap Web Hosting Report web site at http://www.cheapwebhostingreport.com/ ===== ===== Recommended Shared Hosting Providers for July 2012 ===== The following hosting providers are our recommended shared hosting providers for July 2012. All of the following hosting plans include a web control panel, a cgi-bin directory, php, perl, and at least one mysql database. Hosts with Windows hosting plans include some version of ASP and at least one Access or MSSQL database (but may not include a mysql database). Many offer a number of additional features. Be sure to carefully check the provider's web site to ensure that they have the exact features you need than that you can live with their Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policies. While we try to ensure that their are no obvious "gotchas" only you know your exact needs. Prices are given per month. === === #1 Dreamhost === Price: 1y: $9.95 2y: $8.95 Setup: 1y: Free 2y: Free Bandwidth: Unlimited Disk Space: Unlimited Domains: Unlimited Dreamhost Special Features: unlimited shell/ftp/email accounts, php4/php5, cgi/fastcgi, unlimited mysql databases, ruby-on-rails, zend optimizer, Frontpage available, subversion, mysql 5, host unlimited domains and sub-domains, custom DNS, 1 free domain name. Excellent customer support (with public customer forum). Many affordable add ons (e.g. Unique IP, etc.) are available. Accounts can also be upgraded to a special type of managed private virtual server that can be configured on the fly. Special Award: Few Content Restrictions -- In an effort to avoid arguments and complaints, most web hosting companies (especially those that offer Shared Hosting) are fairly restrictive on questionable content -- to the point that some will terminate a site for displaying a picture of a classical (but bare breasted) statue from ancient Greece. Dreamhost not only has an excellent, cheap web hosting package but is far more liberal than most web hosts on acceptable site content. Basically, if your content is legal in the US, Dreamhost will probably have no problems hosting it. Special Note: This Cauldron hosted with Dreamhost for years (read why) and only moved to Linode because we needed more CPU time than Dreamhost shared hosting could provide (Large message boards just as not suitable for shared hosting). For More Information: http://www.cheapwebhostingreport.com/z.php?id=dreamhost === === #2 iPage === Price: 1y: $8.95 2y: $7.95 3y: $6.95 Setup: 1y: Free 2y: Free 3y: Free Bandwidth: Unlimited Disk Space: Unlimited Domains: Unlimited iPage Special Features: php/cgi/unlimited mysql databases, host unlimited domains and sub-domains, free domain name, Drag and Drop Site Builder, Carbonite Online PC Backup. For More Information: http://www.cheapwebhostingreport.com/z.php?id=ipage === === #3 Fatcow === Price: 1y: $3.67 2y: $3.15 Setup: 1y: Free 2y: Free Bandwidth: Unlimited Disk Space: Unlimited Domains: Unlimited Fatcow Special Features: php/cgi/unlimited mysql databases, host unlimited domains and sub-domains. Fatcow is more upfront about their "unlimited" diskspace and bandwidth policies than many web hosts. 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It's a bit higher priced than we usually cover if you pay by the month, but it is a great deal if you need to host multiple domains, some on a Linux server and some on a Windows server. For More Information: http://www.cheapwebhostingreport.com/z.php?id=myhosting === === #5 JustHost === Price: 1y: 3.75 Setup: 1y: Free Bandwidth: Unlimited Disk Space: Unlimited Domains: Unlimited JustHost Special Features: php/cgi/unlimited mysql databases, Frontpage support, host unlimited domains and sub-domains, free domain name, RVSiteBuilder, unlimited ftp accounts. ruby on rails support, 1 click installs for popular scripts, custom php.in file. For More Information: http://www.cheapwebhostingreport.com/z.php?id=justhost === === #6 Easy CGI === Price: 1y: 7.96 $ Setup: 1y: Free Bandwidth: 3500 GB Disk Space: 300 GB Domains: 1 Easy CGI Special Features: Easy CGI is the only Web Host specializing in Windows servers to ever make our top general hosting list. Easy CGI provides hosting on Windows Server 2003 servers or on Windows Server 2008 servers -- your choice. ASP.net 2.0/php4/cgi/50 mysql databases, unlimited Ms Access databases, .NET Framework 3.0, Persits AspUpload/AspEmail/AspJpeg, ServerObjects AspHTTP, Frontpage available. Uptime guarantee. Public customer forum. For More Information: http://www.cheapwebhostingreport.com/z.php?id=easycgi ========= ========= SOFTWARE GADGETS: THE COLUMN ========= Interesting Items From The Software Gadgets Blog ========= http://softwaregadgets.gridspace.net/ ========= The Software Gadgets Blog aims to present a different "software gadget" every weekday. A software gadget is a program or addon that is both interesting and useful -- and often free. This column highlights one of the programs listed recently. Many more were listed and you'll find more gadgets like these added regularly at the Software Gadgets Blog at: http://softwaregadgets.gridspace.net/ ===== ===== Font Runner -- Organize Your Fonts ===== It's easy to end up with a large number of fonts on your Windows computer. Even if you only install a few fonts yourself, many programs install a font or two (or a couple of dozen) when they install themselves on your system. Managing these fonts can be a real pain. If you have a really large number of fonts, keeping them all installing in your Fonts folder can slow your machine -- not to mention making it hard to find the fonts your really want in a programs drop-down font list. A good font manager can help. Font Runner is a freeware font manager for Windows with a large number of features. Here's a list of the main features from the Font Runner web site: * Font Searching Search for fonts by name, similarity or by a specific character. Finding the right font for your project has never been easier. * Font Projects Font Projects allow you to group together sets of fonts for specific projects without having to move or install them. * Drag-and-Drop Organizing your font collection with Font Runner is a breeze. Copy and move fonts with your mouse. * Fast and Easy Browsing Easily browse through fonts your hard disk, network locations, removable disks or any other kind of media. * Preview Text, Style and Color Preview sample text for fast comparison of fonts. Display it in the style and color of your choosing. * Share Fonts with Other Applications The fonts being displayed by Font Runner can be shared with other applications as if they were installed. * Examine Fonts With the Font Map Get up-close and personal with the font by browsing through its supported characters. * Quick Access to Favorite Font folders Customize a list of your most frequently used font folders for convenient access. * Print Your Fonts Create a hardcopy index of your font archive so you can easily thumb through it away from your computer. Font Runner is available in both a 32 bit and a 64 bit version. Font Runner has a simple interface which makes it easy to use. However, it does not default to the Windows Font folder and it uses Explorer for some of its file manager. Whether these are drawbacks or points in the program's favor depends on how you prefer to work. Rating: 4.5 Operating System: Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 License: Freeware Price: Free Version Tested: 3.2.3.157 Web Site: http://www.jfamiglietti.com/john/?page_id=3 [08] ========= ========= Cauldron Info ========= SUPPORT THE CAULDRON'S SERVER WITH DONATIONS ========= As mentioned in the October 2008 newsletter, we now need over US$60 in donations every month to keep the server online. No donations, no server. No server, no message board. Well, not really "no message board" as there is always the free backup board, but the limitations of the free backup board drive staff and many members nuts. Your donations are needed to keep The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum's message board up. We now have two ways you can donate. OPTION 1: Make An "Anonymous" Donation in Any Amount If you are not a member of the message board -- or are a member but do not want a donor button to appear on your posts or wish to donate a non-standard amount, you can make an "anonymous" donation (which will not cause any "donor" notation on your posts) in any amount via the Paypal link below. You do NOT need a Paypal account to donate. After Paypal fees, we get 85% to 90% of the money you donate. http://www.ecauldron.com/donatepaypal.php OPTION 2: Message Board Member? Donate Through Your Profile: Get Bronze/Silver/Gold Donor Levels and Benefits If you are logged into the message board, you can make a donation (via Donation Subscriptions in your Profile) at the Bronze Donor (US$5.00), Silver Donor (US$10.00) or Gold Donor (US$15.00) level and get a special button that will appear on your posts as well have access to our Donor only areas. Donor members also receive increased space for personal messages, photographs, etc on our message board as well as the right to create more social groups. Silver and Gold Donors also are allowed slightly larger (file size) avatars. These special benefits will last for one month (or one year if you elect the annual donation option) and can be renewed by extending your subscription. You can elect to make a one time donation or to set up a Paypal subscription that will automatically renew your donation each month or year until you cancel the subscription at Paypal. You can find the "Paid Subscription" link in the "Settings" area when you are logged into the message board. Payments are made via Paypal but you do not need a Paypal account to donate (unless you wish to set up a recurring donation subscription). If you are a member of our message board, this link will take you directly to the subscription area of your account Settings (with a stop to log in if you are not already logged in): http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/payments.php [09] ========= ========= Cauldron Info ========= SUPPORT THE CAULDRON BY VOLUNTEERING TO HELP ========= The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum was founded in December 1997 to provide a friendly but serious discussion area for Pagans on the Internet. We've grown a bit over the years. We now have an active message area, a large web site with around 700 pages of information (including over 300 book and divination deck reviews), and a monthly email newsletter. To continue to provide and expand these services, The Cauldron needs lots of volunteer help from our members and supporters. Here are some of the things members and supporters can do to help The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum thrive: ===== ===== Actively Participate In Our Message Board ===== While our new message board welcomes readers, we encourage members to actively participate by posting their comments and views in our discussions. One of the easiest ways to help The Cauldron is to actively participate in our message board. The staff especially appreciates members who start new topics for discussion based on their own questions, opinions, or interests. http://www.ecauldron.com/forum/ ===== ===== Articles! Essays! Tutorials! ===== We are in constant need of original, well-written and accurate articles, essays, tutorials, and other written items for both our web site and for our Cauldron and Candle newsletter. There's no real limit on length for web site articles. Here are a few areas in which we always need articles: * information on the beliefs and theology of the various Pagan religions, especially non-Wiccan religions * information on holidays and festivals of the various Pagan religions, especially non-Wiccan religions * recipes for oils, incenses, and food for the various Pagan holidays * magick, spells, and ritual information * herbal information * positive articles on dealing with other faiths * information on historical pagan cultures * editorial/opinion pieces Non-Wiccan material is stressed not because we don't want Wiccan material but because good non-Wiccan material has been hard to find. 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RIGHT click on it and select Properties from the popup menu which will appear. A dialog box describing your bookmark will appear. You'll see the standard Amazon url -- probably http://www.amazon.com/ -- in an edit box (labeled "Location" in FireFox and "URL" in IE). Erase that url completely and replace with one listed above, then click on OK. If you use Amazon UK, you can use this address http://www.ecauldron.net/zamazonuk.php If you use Amazon Canada, you can use this addess: http://www.ecauldron.net/zamazonca.php ===== ===== Pagan Supplies Purchases ===== You can now order from Meta Pot via our affiliate links and get the items you need while helping to fund TC (at no extra cost to you). You can go to this page -- Buy Pagan Supplies -- to start shopping. If you like Meta Pot, please bookmark our Buy Pagan Supplies page and use it to shop from so we get credit for your purchases. * Buy Pagan Supplies http://www.ecauldron.net/esesf.php They have a wide variety of Pagan Supplies as this list of Meta Pot item categories shows: * 3 x 6.5 Inches Pillar Candles * 7 Knob Candles * Altar Cloths * Amulets & Talismans * Anklets * Anna Riva Oils * Athames * Bags and Boxes * Bath Oils and Salts * Beeswax Candles * Blank Books, Book of Shadows * Bottles and Containers * Bowls and Chalices * Bracelets * Bumper Stickers A-G * Bumper Stickers H-M * Bumper Stickers N-Z * Candle Holders * Candle Snuffers * Cat Candles * Charmed Ritual Candles * Cloaks & Cologne * Crystal Balls and Runes * Dripless Candles * Earrings * Essential Oils * Foxcraft Oils * Gemstones * Head & Hair * Herbal Teas * Herbs and Powders * Human Figure Candles * Incense Burners * Incense Cast Iron Cauldrons & Charcoal * Incense Cone * Incense Granular * Incense Holders * Incense Powder * Incense Sticks by Others * Incense Sticks by Us * Indian Oils * Jar Candles * Mixes & Aids * Mortar And Pestle * Necklaces * Oil Diffusers, Oil Rings * Oil Essences * Original Oils * Other Candles * Other Wiccan Jewelry * Patches * Pendants * Pentagrams * Pins * Posters * Rings * Ritual Kits * Ritual Tools * Scented Votive Candles * Smoking Herbs * Smudge Sticks * Statues * Taper Candles * Tea Bags & Strainers * Unscented Votive Candles * Wands, Brooms, Mirrors * Writing Tools * Ziplock Herbal Storage Bags Remember, click on the "Buy Pagan Supplies" in the left hand menu of any The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum web page to visit Meta Pot and The Cauldron will get credit for any purchases you make. ===== ===== Have Questions or Suggestions? ===== If you have specific questions, proposals or other ideas we haven't mentioned here, please email them to rssapphire00@ecauldron.GETRIDOFEME.com. (Unfortunately, Randall has to answer general "Tell me more?" type questions with a request for a more specific question. He's not trying to be rude, he just can't think of anything general and useful to say that isn't said here.) [10] ========= ========= NEWSLETTER INFORMATION ========= (Including how to subscribe and unsubscribe) ========= Cauldron and Candle is a free publication of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. The Cauldron intends to publish this newsletter once a month and often actually succeeds in doing so. We tried to publish it twice a month for a while, but real life interfered too often. This issue of Cauldron and Candle as a whole is copyright (c) 2010 by The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum. 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. 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You are also welcome to forward a copies of this newsletter to interested friends and associates provided you forward the entire newsletter. ===== ===== SUGGESTIONS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME ===== Don't forget that your suggestions for this newsletter are always welcome, either posted on the message board or via email to LyricFox (lyricfox01@ecauldron.GETRIDOFME.com) or Randall Sapphire (rssapphire01@.ecauldron.GETRIDOFME.com). Typos are, as usual, courtesy of the Goddess Eris.

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