Dear . . .

I received an email the other day from someone asking questions about Paganism. She was curious and didn't know where to start. Yes, she'd been on the internet, but wasn't sure she could trust the information she was reading as she really didn't have an idea of what to look for. Here are some of my answers that perhaps might help some of you who are curious, but don't know where to begin.

I have been a Pagan for just a little over a year, although I suspect I've been Pagan all my life. When I decided that Paganism was for me, I started to read, read, read, getting my hands on all kinds of books that I thought could lead me along my path. The first book on Paganism I read was simply titled 'Paganism' by Joyce and River Higgenbotham. This is an excellent book and a terrific place to start if you're new in discovering your path. Another book by Joyce and River Higgenbotham is 'Pagan Spirituality'. I recommend both of these books as a starting point and then go out to the book stores in your area (if you have second hand book stores start there as you can find many of the books I suggest and others there for half the cost of new). And don't forget the library too. Find as many books as you can get your hands on and read them. I like to journal as I'm reading, jotting down notes of things that stand out for me, ideas and what not. This is a good basis for your Book of Shadows too, if you chose to have one.

Trying to explain the belief system of a Pagan is like trying to count the clouds in the sky. There are many different paths that lead off of Paganism. Some of them are Wicca (the path that I follow), Druidism, Heathenry/Asatru, Faery Tradition, et cetera. Then off of Wicca there is Eclectic Wicca (the path that I follow), Dianic Wicca, Gardnerian, Alexandrian, et cetera. Once you read about Paganism and understand the foundation of it, then you can decide which path of Paganism you want to follow. The internet is a terrific resource for information, and I think once you understand what Paganism is, you'll have a better idea of which sites are good and which are not.

A good first book on Wicca is called 'Wicca Demystified' by Bryan Lankford. It talks about what Wicca is in the first part of the book and then in the second part of the book there are questions and answers which I found most helpful and insightful. Another good starting book is 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft'. This book is informative and easy to read. Again, if Wicca is a path you're interested in, read, read, read.

The belief system I have as a Wiccan is this: First there is Spirit, the Creator, the Divine. From the Divine the God and Goddess are manifest. From the God and Goddess there are interpretations of them from different pantheons. For example, Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Celtic, Hindu, et cetera. One would call upon a certain deity (God or Goddess) depending on what is needed or desired. For instance, if you want to manifest money in a big way, you could call upon 'Lakshmi' the Hindu Goddess of wealth and prosperity. As a Wiccan I also work with the elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

One thing that most Neo-Pagans have in common is the Wheel of the Year which contains eight Sabbats. The Sabbats are Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon, Samhain, Yule. You can search the internet for more information on the Sabbats and one book that I recommend is called 'Sabbats' by Edain McCoy. The altars you've seen on my blog are altars that I have set up for each of the Sabbats. Each Sabbat also has certain things associated with it. Like at Ostara, you'd find eggs, rabbits and such; basically anything to do with fertility. At Lughnasadh (or Lammas) you'd find things associated with the harvest, such as pumpkins, pomegranates, grapes, wheat, bread and such. At the Sabbat, a ritual is performed where one would celebrate and give thanks to the God and Goddess for whatever that particular Sabbat represents. Most people don't mind sharing their altars, but normally you wouldn't see one sharing their celebration ritual as they are very personal and private.

The other thing most Neo-Pagans have in common is celebrating the waxing and waning of the Moon, which are called Esbats. These are basically rituals that are done when the moon is either Full or Dark/New and a time when most work magick. Again, the internet is a great resource for more information in this regard. An Esbat is the time when normally you'd just work with the energy of the Goddess. The Triple Goddess represents the Maiden, Mother and Crone. During the Wheel of the Year she is represented as the Maiden at Imbolc and Ostara, the Mother at Beltane and Litha, and then the Crone at Mabon, Lughnasadh and Samhain. [At Yule she'd again be in her aspect of Mother, having given birth to the God.]

. . . As I said before, read, read, read and do your research. There are some excellent websites about Paganism and Wicca too. Just keep one thing in mind . . . if it doesn't resonate or ring true for you, leave it and move onto something that does. The nice thing about being an Eclectic Wiccan is that I can chose how I practice while still keeping the basic Wiccan tenets and principles.

Merry Meet, Merry Part, until we Merry Meet again!

To be or not to be . . . a Crone

I've been doing some thinking lately on becoming a Crone. Fall does that, with the Earth slowly dying making its way into winter and with the God making his descent, it's no wonder. And while I don't feel 50, there are signs that age is creeping in on me. Like the few gray hairs I'm finding, and the lack of energy or strength I used to have (alright I know I need to exercise and lift weights!). But with age also comes wisdom. I know myself pretty well, I'm strong in my beliefs, and I know what I will and won't put up with. I'm still learning though which is a good thing - gotta keep those brain cells guessing!

Some say that a woman enters her Croning years when she hits menopause. Others say when Saturn has returned twice in her natal chart, which for most every woman is at age 56. I'm guessing I'll know when the time is right for me.

And while I'm thinking about impending Cronedom, I also think back to my 'maiden' years, good years, but also painful growing years. I think back to my 'mother' years and the mother I was not to be. Those years seem like a blur now all leading up to this moment. This moment when I'm upon the threshold of becoming a Crone and deciding how I will live the next fifty years. Beautifully, I hope, with grace and dignity, insight, and with much joy and laughter.

And so on thinking about the 'triple' aspect of being a woman, I'm drawn to the Goddess in her triple aspect. The following are excerpts from the book The Witches' Goddess by the Farrars:

"The theme of the Triple Goddess is found in the mythology of all lands... She is Maid, Mother and Crone; Enchantment, Ripeness and Wisdom; the waxing, full, and waning moon.

Behold the Three Formed Goddess;
She who is ever Three - Maid, Mother, and Crone.
Yet she is ever One;
She in all women, and they all in Her.
Look at these Three who are one, with fearless love,
That you too may be whole."

The Farrars suggest envisioning the Maiden, Mother, and Crone as a rainbow in order to hold all three in your awareness at one time.

"Realize that the whole spectrum, with its shifting colors, is the one glowing rainbow. To pursue the analogy further - red/orange for the Mother, yellow/green for the Maid, and blue/indigo/violet for the Crone... Which wavelength predominates for you at any one moment depends on your own tuning. But make the effort to grasp the whole rainbow, and you are face to face with Woman, the manifested feminine principle..."

Wherever you are on your path of womanhood, take some time today to connect with yourself and with the aspect of the Goddess you are currently aligned with. Goddess, it's great to be a woman!

12 Days of Yule ~ Day 1

I'm participating in 'Lady Cattra's 12 Days of Yule Blog Party' which begins today. If you'd like to particpate it's not too late. Pop over to Lady Cattra's to get all the information . . .

1st Day of Yule – Mother’s Night
December 20th

"Mother's Night welcomes in the Season of Yule. As we encourage the return of Caillech Bheur (the feminine aspect of the Sun) we honor the feminine all around us. Honor the Creide, Cerridwen, Morrigan, all Mothers, Great Grandmothers and your feminine ancestors. Raise a horn to the glorious women who give birth to us and to the feminine spirits that support us. Give this time in honor to all Mothering aspects."

A belief and trust in protective maternal deities seems to have been strong among our Pagan ancestors for many centuries and continues even today. The earliest written records of these beliefs began during the first century C.E. and predominate in the lands of the continental Germans.

The core areas of the matron cult were in ancient Germania, eastern Gaul, and northern Italy, but it reached as far as present day Scotland, Frisia, southern Spain and Rome. More than 1100 votive stones and altars to the matrons or mothers have been found to date, over half of which are dedicated to beings with clearly Germanic names; others are of Celtic origin. The Germanic folk and the Celts apparently shared this belief.

On this night, children (as well as some domestic animals) were committed into the protection of the 'Mother' deity. 'Mother's Night' wrote the 8th century monk Bede, coincided with Christmas Eve. In his account of the Pagan calendar in 725 AD, the Venerable Bede wrote:

". . . began the year on the 8th kalends of January [25 December], when we celebrate the birth of the Lord. That very night, which we hold so sacred, they used to call by the heathen word Modranecht [Mother's Night], because (we suspect) of the ceremonies they enacted all that night."

On Mother's Night, just as the children had once been committed to the protection of a goddess, ancestor, or the female deities known as the Disir (the ancestral mothers, the first of each of our ancestral line), the ceremony became Christianised and the 'mother' was naturally equated with the Virgin Mary.

But what was the ceremony?

An account written in the 19th century recounts the experience of one woman who remembered her grandmother carrying out the ritual. She explained that, once the children were in bed, the old woman rose from her place by the peat fire and made her way over to the cradle where the youngest lay. Raising her hands over the slumbering infant, she spoke aloud:

"Mary Midder had de haund
Ower aboot for sleepin-baund
Had da lass an' had da wife,
Had da bairn a' its life.
Mary Midder had de haund.
Roond da infants o' wur land."

This ritual was repeated over all the children, while her grandfather sat raking the peats in the hearth. The old man was also thought to have been reciting something but, unfortunately, his softly spoken words were inaudible.

The altar I put together to honour my own Mother and Grandmother's. I also have a picture of Hecate to represent my ancestral mothers and all 'Mother' goddesses.

A Blessing for Mother

With the first light of sun,
Bless You.
In your smile and in your tears,
Bless You.
When the day is done,
Bless You.
Through each day of all your years,
Bless You.