Blessed Beltane!

Each year at Beltane, I always try to incorporate a little bit of the old customs into our ritual - such as using two balefires or cauldrons (if performed indoors).

In ancient times, the Celts built two huge bonfires in which to walk their cattle and other livestock in between in order to rid them of any fleas or other parasites. In other words, to "purify" them.  We make our own balefires and, while walking in between them, we say a little Beltane blessing. We also "jump the cauldron" while making a special Beltane wish for the rest of the year.

The Maypole has long been a phallic symbol and one of the many ways in which we honor the God. Sometimes, although not this year, I get the chance to dance around a large, homemade maypole at Lady Sabrina Rhiannon's gathering. It is interesting to see how we usually manage to get the ribbons a bit tangled up in the process, but it is all in good fun.

(Taken at one of our O.P.E.N. Beltane celebrations in Reading, PA)

It is so important to remember that no matter how we choose to celebrate this sacred sabbat, the joy is in the honoring. Whether you are solitary or in the company of good friends, as always, "Have fun and enjoy!"

Another Busy Weekend

Of course being a Wiccan, I myself do not celebrate the holiday of Easter; however, I respect the fact that my own family and my husband’s family does. It had just been one of those crazy weekends for us.  Beginning with our kitty cat Midnight getting sick on Friday night and continuing through the weekend ending with our usual running around to our two respective family's gatherings all day on Easter Sunday - spending the day visiting relatives whom we rarely get to see any other time except for the Christian holidays and pretty much “pigging out" the entire day.

We had to take Midnight to the vet because he had been vomiting his food almost every time he tried to eat and we noticed that what was making it into his system, wasn't making it back out! So we took him to the vet Saturday morning and they kept him there all day in order to do some tests - poor guy was poked an proded in every single oriphis of his little body i.e. ears, mouth, nose and "you know where." They also decided to do some blood work and a urine test as well.

Alas, they had found nothing, gave him an enema and sent him on his way back home to us (along with a big, fat vet bill of course). This was the second vet we had consulted regarding this particular problem. I suppose for the time being, we will just have to keep an eye on him and see what happens. So far, so good.

Needless to say, Midnight was ecstatic to be back home with the rest of us. How do I know? Well, usually after we bring him home from the vet's, he runs and hides underneath the bed and we do not see him for a couple of hours after. This time, he ran right over to his catnip toy that I made for him and began purring.

Besides, our home is his kitty cat "safety zone" and the place where he knows he is loved more than anything in the whole world. It is so hard to imagine our lives without his sweetness and love - and  I know that he loves us as much as we love him!

Snuggling up with mommy

A Message for "Earth Day"

Our remote ancestors said to their Mother Earth: 'We are yours.'

Modern humanity has said to Nature: 'You are mine' -

The Green Man has returned as the living face of the whole Earth so that through His mouth we may say to the Universe: 'We are one.'  ~  William Anderson

Wishing everyone a joyous Earth Day and may all humanity learn to treat our Mother Earth as good as She has treated us!

Blessed Be ~ Lady Caer Morganna

Ahh, Spring At Last!

Unlike the past few weeks, today was a b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l  day here! The  birds were  singing, the sun was shining, a lovely comfortable Spring breeze was blowing, the sky was a gorgeous shade of blue ...

the Cherry Blossoms were in bloom ...

along with our elegant official State tree of PA, the Dogwood. (we have a couple of these pretty trees outside of our building at work)

Has Spring finally arrived at last? It certainly looks that way from this view! Happy Spring to everyone ... (finally)!  ;)

My kitty Haley enjoying the view from our back window!

Yet Another Rainy Spring Day ...

Yes, it has been yet another cold, rainy Spring day here in the state of PA. In  fact, in the past three weeks, it has rained every single day save for 3 or 4.  In PA Dutch Country, we call this dunna wetter ("bad weather"). Luckily, one of the days in which it didn't rain happened to be on the full moon as the Goddess blessed us all with her all consuming beauty.

As I gaze at the pretty pink carnation sitting on my kitchen counter, which was so thoughtfully given to me by my friend Sara at our esbat on Sunday, I think about how amazingly fresh and alive it still looks after a few days in our dreary house without much sunshine. How resilient and happy this little flower seems to be without the sun shinig brightly on it.

It makes me realize that I shouldn't gripe so much about "all the yucky rain" we have been having lately - after all, if this beautifully humble little flower can survive the wait for Spring weather, so can I!

Full Moon Gathering

Tonight, I was invited to join Lady Sabrina Rhiannon and her coven in their Full Moon esbat. But for all of us, this was more than just another Full Moon ritual. We gathered together at Sara’s house for this particular ritual to send out some protection energy to her husband who will be deployed to Iraq this week.

We also held a drumming circle which was simply awesome! I had attended drumming circles before as an observer, but had never actually participated in one. The energy raised in this kind of gathering is so intense that you feel as if you are essentially “one” with the rest of the group. It is definitely something which is hard to describe if you have never been a part of one before. It was very exciting!

Oh yes, I almost forgot – I also had the pleasure of meeting the rest of her "clan". She and her husband have four cats, one dog, a huge turtle, a lizard and a couple of snakes.

(The pics from top to bottom: Sara's beautiful altar, giving back to the Earth after ritual, enjoying an array of delicious food, Sara with her cat Baby, Mitzi, her Sheltand Sheepdog Shelby, Scooter, a bag of thoughtful goodies from Sara, and her turtle Morla)  





In short, we prayed for Sara’s husband’s safety as well as the safe return of all of our brothers and sisters (Pagan or other) in the military who risk their lives every day for our freedom. As her friends and "sisters", Sara knows that we will always be there for her whenever she needs our love and support.

Some Astrology Humor

Last weekend, my husband and I took one of our semi-yearly trips up to New Hope, PA.  New Hope is a little town in Bucks County with all kinds of really cool New Age-type shoppes and such.

As most of you already know, I am very “into” astrology and, while looking around in one of the local shoppes there, I came across these cute little magnets – two for each sign. Mine is Pisces and so of course I couldn’t resist!

Well, you know what they say, “If you can’t laugh at yourself …”  (naturally, this is all in good fun!)  ;)

A Little Sisterly Shopping

Every time I go $hopping at lunch time with my sister Robin, I always manage to come back a few dollars poorer – lol!  So much so that it has become a running joke around the office that whenever I come back from lunch carrying shopping bags, my co-workers always say to me, “You went to lunch with Robin again today, didn’t you?”

Robin and I also work together, but in different departments, so we usually end up taking our hour lunch together once a week or so. We work very close to a big mall so “eating ‘n’ shopping” are very accessible opportunities for us shall we say!

Anyway, we found a sale on gemstone jewelry at Boscov’s and I bought this really pretty Lavender Jade bracelet and earring set. Lavender Jade is known for its’ calming properties as it helps you to keep your emotions in check and it helps assist in communication and self control. Goddess knows, a bit of “self control” in the spending department is definitely something I could use (LOL)! I just can’t help myself, I am a real sucker for jewelry. J

Congradulations, Willow!

I would like to take the time to congradulate my long-time, dear friend and student, Willow! Willow is of course her chosen magickal name and her real name is April. Willow is also known as "The Buddhist Mama" and currently has two blogs - one by that very name and the other called, "Becoming Six."

Willow and I actually began studying and practicing together many years ago, but after she married, she and her husband eventually moved out-of-state and last year she came to me and asked me to become her teacher in Wicca as she wished to further her Wicca studies.

I am proud to say that after recently taking her "Wicca I: The Basics of Wicca" test she scored an awesome 91%!  This was no easy task as she is also the busy mom to 4 great kids while also studying to be a Yoga teacher and completing her Reiki I and II certifications. Making the time to study was not always a ready option.

Even better, her Wicca Certificate was issued on her birthday as well! Happy Birthday and way to go, Willow!!!!

"Beltane Blessing (Beannachadh Bealtain)" by Celestial Elf

I really feel that I must share this wonderful graphic film that was generously sent to me by Celestial Elf, who is also the creator, called, "Beltane Blessing." It is such a beautiful piece of artwork inspired by Beltane and Gaia the Earth Mother. It  really does embody all that this sacred sabbat is all about. Please enjoy and "Thank you again, Elf!"

Three Simple Words

"I appreciate you." Three simple little words and yet perhaps amongst the most meaningful of phrases. Too often we, myself included, tend to take the people in our day-to-day lives for granted. It is not intentional, mind you, but it can happen none-the-less. It is sometimes easy for us to overlook even the smallest of kind thoughts and gestures from those around us in the course of our busy daily lives.

This little reminder came to me today while at work as a co-worker approached me at the front desk and, with a smile, simply said to me, "Thank you for your help. I really appreciate what you do."

To be honest, I think we all need to hear those thoughtful, encouraging words every now and again. Therefore, I am going to make every effort from now on to remember  to tell the people in my life whom I care about how much I appreciate them and everything they do for me. That includes all of you as well whom I've met through your wonderful blogs so, "Thank you, my friends. I really do appreciate having all of you in my life!" Have a great week!

My Pagan Profile

~ My Pagan Profile ~

Name:     Lady Caer Morganna, Solitary Eclectic Wiccan Priestess/
Rev. Kimberly Witycyak                                

Location:          Reading, PA

Profession:       Non-denominational Minister/Pagan Clergy for U.L.C./Notary Public/CSS

Hobbies/Interests:   Writing poetry, reading tarot, reiki, spending time with family, friends and my  feline “children” and teaching Wicca

Blog/Website name:  The Wiccan Life

URL:                    http://thewiccalife.blogspot.com/

Your spiritual path:      Eclectic Wiccan

How did you find your current path?    It found me

Previous spiritual path(s) (if any)   I was raised into the Lutheran faith until the age of 14.

What drew you to and continues to keep you on this path?   Knowing what is right for me in my heart and understanding what belief system makes sense to me.

If you’ve been pagan for several years, what changes have you seen in the Pagan community as a whole, and/or your own practice?  I have continued to grow through the years as I am always striving to learn more and as the Pagan community continues to move forward and progress, so do I through meeting others.

What subjects are you interested in reading about - in books, in blogs, etc.? Different traditions & rituals, recipes, prayers, spell work,  astrology, mythology

What are your current goals/aspirations?  How are you working to bring these to fruition? (practically and/or magically)  I am currently working on my Reiki II Certification and I would like to build a Pagan Network from my Eclectic Wiccan group, “The Old Path Enlightener’s Circle.”

What about the world would you like to see change - short term/long term? That people would show more of a mutual respect for one another and learn to live more peacefully together.

What has made and/or continues to make you truly happy? My practice, my friends and family and my cats!

What is your favorite word?  "love," simply love

What/who inspires you?  Nature inspires me because it’s so incredibly beautiful!  –  and the fact that we are truly “all one.”

Simple Beltane Ritual for Two

(Please forgive the format and spacing. For some unknown reason, I had a bit of trouble posting this one - Thank you!)

ALTAR

One tall green God Candle, One tall white Goddess candle, 4 corner candles, One God wreath/crown and One Goddess wreath/crown for recreation of marriage ceremony, cauldron for balefire (if outdoors, make a bonfire), decorative candles different shades of green, rose incense, rose oil, wand or athame, chalice of wine or juice, cup of water, bowl of salt, bread, Sage to burn in cauldron

_________________________________________________________________________________

(Cast circle and call the corners in usual manner, but burn the sage in the cauldron to purify circle while you are calling the corners. Light the incense and the decorative candles. Anoint your wrists, feet and Third Eye with the Rose oil.  Then invoke the Goddess & God)-

INVOCATION OF THE GOD: (while lighting the tall Green candle)

"I now do call upon the eternal God in the ancient way, as Young Lord and Oak King, Horned
 One of the Forests. We bid Ye welcome and ask Thee to come forth and join Thy Lady Goddess in
 the Holy Rite of Sacred Union. As it is willed, so mote it be!"


INVOCATION OF THE GODDESS: (while lighting the tall White candle)

"I now do call upon the eternal Goddess in the ancient way, as Lovely Maiden, Mother and 
  Crone - Threefold Goddess be. We bid Ye welcome and ask Thee to come forth and join Thy
 Lord God in the Holy Rite of Sacred Union. As it is willed, so mote it be!"


Pract. 1:       "Blessed be this day of Beltane,
                       Wedding day of the Goddess and God;
                       Holy day of sacred marriage,
                       Holy night of sacred union."


Pract. 2:    "Today we gather to celebrate the union of our Mother Earth to Her
                     consort, our Father God the Green Man and Great Lord of the Forests,
                     as Nature rejoices in a blaze of color and life."


Pract. 1:      "Blessed be the sacred union which manifests all creation!"

                      (Go to the altar and pick up cup of water, raising it up toward the sky and say) -
                      "Behold the womb of the Great Mother!
                     The entity from which all life flows."

Both:                     "Blessed be the Lady!"

Pract. 2:       (Go to the altar and pick up the athame raising it up toward the sky and say)-
                      "Behold the phallus of the God!
                        Fruitful principle of the Universe."

Both:            "Blessed be the Lord!"


(THE SYMBOLIC GREAT RITE/MARRIAGE CEREMONY) -


Pract. 1:   (Places the Goddess wreath on Practitioner 2's head while saying) -

                              "Blessed are you among women tonight!"

Pract. 2:   (Places the God wreath on Practitioner 1's head while saying) -        
                              "Blessed are you among men tonight!"

(Both sit facing each other for the continuation of the ceremony) -

Pract. 1:    "Blessed be you, my Lady,
                    My Holy Bride of Heaven and Earth;
                   Let me unite with you in the ancient rite of sacred marriage."

Pract. 2:    "Blessed be you, my Lord,
                   My Holy Groom of Heaven and Earth;
                   Let me unite with you in the ancient rite of sacred marriage."

Pract.1:    "As we become One, so we are One."

Pract. 2:    "As above, so below!"

Pract.1:     "By the act of love all life comes to be,
                    By this act of faith we proclaim our place on the eternal cycle of life."

Both:          "Blessed be the Great Rite!
                     The Lord and Lady reign eternal."

(Both now toast to the Lord and Lady by taking a sip of the wine or juice and  breaking off a piece of  the bread - saving a portion of each to give back to the Earth later)

Pract.1:     "We are the children of deity;
                    We are part of the creative life force which moves the Universe,
                    We are part of all that is."

Pract. 2:     "Though we are apart, we are always together
                     For we are one in the spirit of our Goddess and God."

Both:           "Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again -
                       Blessed be!"


(Close the ritual by thanking the deities and open the circle - remembering to give back to the Earth)

"Huron - Beltane Fire Dance"/"All Soul's Night"

I found a Loreena McKennitt "double feature" so to speak while looking for something on Beltane. "Huron - Beltane Fire Dance" followed by "All Soul's Night" - a fantastic Samhain song. Loreena McKennitt is among my absolute favorite performers! I thought it was kind of cool being that Beltane and Samhain are the only 2 times during the year that the veil between the worlds is thin. ;)

Cat Owner's Prayer

Cat Owner’s Prayer

Because I'm only human,
It's sometimes hard to be
The wise, all-knowing creature
That my cat expects of me.

And so I pray for special help
To somehow understand
The subtle implications
Of each proud meowed command.

Oh, let me not forget that chairs
Were put on earth to shred;
And what I like to call a lap
Is actually a bed.

I know it's really lots to ask
But please, oh please, take pity;
And though I'm only human,
Make me worthy of my kitty!

(Author Unknown)

"A cat has nine lives; for three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays." ~ William Shakespeare

(Pics of my cat Kiki and my friend Kiki-girl)

Rainy Friday

Although it has been rainy and cold here all day in PA, the gorgeous morning sunrise with its' blend of pink and purple in the sky was simply beautiful. Unfortunately, I was running late for work this morning and did not have enough time to run back into the house and grab my digital camera for a quick pic,  but the sky looked just like this …

Meantime, the cats stayed nice and warm and dry inside the house just waiting for "mom" to get home from work!! 

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

A Taste of Talent: Derek Paravicini

Just a little sample of Derek's talent! He has been affectionately nick-named, "The Human I-Pod," but that is an extreme understatement of his incredible talent. He can play two pianos at once and he can play any type of music in any key or style. He has played venues such as Las Vegas and Buckingham Palace (where he met Princess Diana). Thought it might be a nice little follow-up to my previous post on the book written about his life. This is Derek's rendition of "Lara's Theme (Somewhere My Love)" -  Enjoy!!!

"In the Key of Genius"

I just finished reading, "In the Key of Genius" written by Adam Ockelford. It is the amazing true story about a musical genius who happens to be blind and  an autistic savant.. Derek Paravicini was born prematurely (at 25 weeks) and had to be kept alive for three whole months in an incubator. He technically "died" three times before he was strong enough to go home. He was given oxygen therapy during his time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit which affected his developing brain, resulting in his severe learning disability. It helped save his life, but would later cause him to go permanantly blind before he was a year old. At the very young age of 3, he was diagnosed with autism as well, but Derek also had a talent like no other. As a young child, he taught himself to play the piano, he is a musical prodigy with "perfect pitch." He can memorize and play back ANY song which he hears only once. Not only that, but he also has the ability to compose very complex arrangements which he actually writes himself.

Enter Adam Ockelford. Adam Ockelford is Professor of Music at Roehamton University; Secretary of the Society for Education, Music & Psychology Research; Chair of 'Soundabout', an Oxford-based charity that supports children with complex needs; and the founder of AMBER Trust which provides bursaries for blind and partially blind children to have music lessons. Adam took Derek under his wing when he was only 2 years old and has been his teacher and his friend for over twenty years. Adam is perhaps the only person Derek is even remotely bonded to emotionally. With Adam's guidance, he gave his first concert at the age of 7.

Derek is also the nephew of Camilla Parker-Bowles, now the Duchess of Cornwall, and therefore was born into royalty - although all of this is completely lost on Derek as his music is his world and his only way of connecting with others. Unike many people with autism, Derek simply loves people - and they love him.

I first heard about Derek from a news clip on "60 Minutes" about a year ago. His story was so unforgettable that I actually ordered this book from the U.K. which took a month to get in the mail (the book only cost $19.95 in the U.K. whereas it would have cost $75.00 here in the States). No matter, it was well worth the wait!

Derek has been performing live concerts in front of thousands for several years now and even has his own CD titled, "Echoes of the Sounds to Be." In spite of the fact that he almost died after he was born, or perhaps even because of it, God chose to save him and the Goddess chose to bless the rest of us with the gift of Derek's naturally beautiful talent (you should hear this man play). A remarkably inspirational read!

Important News From the “Real” U.L.C.

In February 2009, I had lost my Universal Life Church Minister Credential card so I decided to go on line and order another one. To my surprise, I was told that I wasn’t already added to their records as an ordained minister for their church! I knew that I was ordained back in March of 2003, but could not remember the actual day. So I immediately contacted the U.L.C. headquarters which is located in Modesto, CA regarding this issue. The very next day I received an e-mail response from Andre Hensley himself explaining that I AM indeed on record as one of their ordained ministers and that their official website is www.ulchq.com and that the only other ULC Headquarters authorized site is www.ulc.net operated by Pastor Kevin Andrews in Citrus Heights, CA. I have spoken to Pastor Andrews a couple of times before on the phone and he is a very nice gentleman who is always happy to assist in any way he can. Mr. Hensley confirmed my ordination information and informed me that I was officially ordained on March 18. 2003.

He explained to me that The ULC Seminary is a site that is operated by a minister of the church for her ministry. It is not an official ULC Headquarters site, but a known site. She offers to accept and forward ordination REQUESTS to the actual ULC Headquarters to be ordained by the ULC Church.

The former ulc.org site was started in 1995 by one of the ULC’s ministers, Brother Dan Zimmerman, for his congregation called Universal Life Church/ULC Monastery, Inc. in Tucson, AZ. He requested to be authorized to accept and forward to ULC Headquarters all ordination requests received on his site to be ordained by The Church. That authorization was granted. In 2005, Brother Dan Zimmerman asked one of his members to assist with operating part of the site from Seattle, WA. In 2006, they had an internal management dispute that will take court legal action to resolve. So Brother Dan did the responsible thing and closed the ulc.org site on August 1, 2006. At that time, the ULC Headquarters authorization to them was revoked. Since then, the part in Seattle, WA had done a “hostile takeover” of the ulc.org site and changed the name to themonastery.org and  are calling themselves Universal Life Church Monastery Storehouse, Inc. “They ARE a separate organization that is NOT AFFILIATED WITH US,” said Andre Hensley. He further explained to me via his e-mail that the Monastery implies that they are affiliated with the original, real ULC in order to confuse people into ordering from them. They have only been in existence since September 2006 and they are back dating credentials to years before they even started. Plus, the ministers are receiving incorrect certificates from a church that they were not even ordained by!

Since then, the “real” ULC site has added a page to their Seminary site to let people know what is going on. If you were ordained after August 1, 2006, PLEASE, I seriously urge you to read this important announcement on the ULC site! Especially if you have been performing legal weddings, handfastings, etc.  It is much better to be safe than sorry!!!! http://www.ulcseminary.org/changeofsite.php

Serene Saturday ...

I absolutely love this song! It's called, "As I Lay Me Down" by Sophie B. Hawkins. I first heard her sing it live on "The Howard Stern Show" of all places and I totally fell in love with it! So much so, that I actually used to sing it live years ago. Enjoy your weekend everyone!!!

Onion Snow on April Fool's - No Joke!

This morning I woke up to what we in Berks County, Pennsylvania call an "onion snow." An onion snow is a common term which we use in South Central, PA for an early Spring snowfall. It leaves a light, thin, "onion skin-like" coating on the ground and arrives about the time when the onions are beginning to sprout in the garden. It is also considered to be the last snow of the season we will get until winter-time comes around again - (we hope - LOL)!