Beltane Blessings!

As I walked out one May morning,

‘Twas on the blooming heather

I saw a Maiden dancing there

In fair and sunny weather,

The Beltane fires were burning high

The dancers round did spin

They sang, “Blessed Be and Blessed Be

And Blessed Be again!”

~ Joe Bethancourt

Candle Dance to Peter Gabriel's "The Feeling Begins"

https://youtu.be/PfbL5sx4hJE

My Cat From Hell & Book Review

Has anyone ever seen the Animal Planet series, "My Cat From Hell" hosted by Jackson Galaxy? Jackson is "a musician by night and a Cat Behaviorist by day."

I can't help but to love this show! Not only do I find it educational as far as cat behavior is concerned, but I think it is so fascinating how Jackson is able to "re-adjust" the cat guardian's behavior and attitude as well in cases where it is the "human" behaviour which is causing a majority of the cat bahavioral issues in the household.

Not to say, that is, that my kitty cats behavior is purrfect all of the time. but some of the cat problems I have seen this guy deal with is completely beyond anything I had ever imagined as a cat owner/mom.

The thing I love the most about this show; however, is how beautifully Jackson handles both the cats and their people. It is so wonderful to hear about all the success stories of people who loved their animals so much that they would do anything to keep them rather than give them up.

"My Cat From Hell" deals with the extreme cases where cat owners have reached the point where they have tried everything and Jackson was their last hope! Not only is Jackson extremely knowledgable about cats, but he is very educated when it comes to various cat breeds as well. The genuine love and affection he has for these cats is heart-warming and it shows.  I can't help but to share in his joy while watching him.

I laughed. I cried. I related. Jackson Galaxy's new book, "Cat Daddy: What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean," is a heart-touching biography about his early life of drug, alcohol and food addiction, career in working and caring for animals, and his first foster cat named Benny whom he took in while working at an animal shelter in Boulder, Colorado.  While working late one night, Benny's heartless owner dropped him off with a shattered pelvis after he was hit by a car. What started out as a foster care situation turned into a lifetime of trials and tribulations.

Jackson takes you on an amazing journey through his fascinating life working with cats. A Cat Behaviorist, he has devoted his entire life to their service ~ dedicated to saving them while educating the humans who inhabit their world. 

I found it extremely easy to put myself in Jackson's shoes as he tells his true and sometimes heart-breaking story. Although this book is primarily about his life with Benny, it also has a lot of very helpful hints about living with and taking care of your best friend.

This is an excellent book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone! Let's just say that I loved it so much that I managed to read the entire thing in only three days!

The Best of Both Worlds

For as long as I can remember, cats and women have been pretty much synonymous. But, the truth is that with cats being the most popular pets in America, atleast half of those cat guardians are men.

Yup, according to an article in a 2015 issue of "Cat Fancy" Magazine written by published writer and Grammy-nominated musician Rick Allen, not only do men love cats too, but there are also a few benefits to having a male partner, friend or spouse who shares their life with cats. For example, men who love and adore cats are known to be "generally nicer guys" and have "higher IQ's." After all, if distinguished and well-respected men of history such as Albert Einstein could be devoted to his cat "Tiger" and Winston Churchill his beloved cat "Jock," then surely there must be something to this!

****************************************************************

"I simply can't resist a cat, particularly a purring one. They are the cleanest, cunningest, and most intelligent things I know." ~ Mark Twain

Why will you never hear from me a spell or ritual or other practical topics. A discussion on secrecy within the Craft.

When begining my studies on the Craft, I was against secrecy, believing those who are teaching in secret just fear to expose their ridiculous teachings and that they chose stupid ignorants to have as supposed students  in reality as sheep and make them swear that they will never reveal their nonsense to the public. While this is true for many supposed teachers, it's not exactly true as stated in general. 

Alternative religious movements have many enemies including other churches and the state-promoted church if exists one. The money at risk are much and the interests - for controlling the masses through the fear of death - are great. If you aren't careful they will crush you. They defame you, make you appear ridiculous and even drag you to endless trials. Bigoted atheists that are a specific kind of atheism, seeking to ridicule all religions, are also a problem. Especially if what you are teaching can't be strictly proven by science, they will attack you and make you a permanent target in their trolling pages, blogs, etc. They will even mimick rituals to ridicule them.

Even if you don't deserve to be ridiculed, you shall be so. 

Another risk you are running is to say something that is against the state's law to be said. There are some truths in life that are "politically incorrect" according to the establishment everyday brainwashing of the people. So you are forced not to speak against the generally admited "truths" that are being promoted by the state or you risk being put on trials.

Even if you don't deserve to be defamed or tried, you shall be so.

The less you say in public the better. Choose your students in secret and teach them in secret. Play their game with their rules. None must know that you teach people and who they are. Choose your students carefully and have them traditionally initiated swearing oaths of secrecy. Choose people that are financially independent because if there is a parent or husband that does not agree with you, you may have trouble. Choose people that are consistent, reliable and can keep secrets. 

Never talk to strangers. This old proverb applies here. Only take people you know well in for training. Do not overdo it about the number. They must be very few. Never take people that are just curious in. Curious people talk too much. If you are asked by a stranger if you are teaching, deny it and demand to know from where  he/she heard that. If he refuses to tell, pretend that you are offended and use it as an excuse not to talk to that person again. He/she most probably wants to spy on you.

In times of persecution, only our Goddess grant us the Gift of the Right to Secrecy. She instructed us through the Old Law to even deny Her, in order to save our lives. Other gods including our enemy demand that you sacrifice yourself because they feed on negative energy.

The student candidate must never know beforehand that will be or is a student of yours. Be very careful and estimate acurately if he is appropriate for and deserving your teaching and only when you are sure, tell him. Don't throw Her Wisdom and Grace to the unworthy and uncivilized ignorants.

Only theological and related scientific topics will be discuss by me in public.

Catlore and some great books!

(artwork by Cyra R. Cancel)

As a fellow cat enthusiast, I am always on the prowl for new and fascinating things (or at least to learn about things I never knew before)!  Cat folklore, superstitions and proverbs intrigue me and so I thought that I might share some of the interesting cat info which I have found with you all.

Here are just a few:
* If a cat continually looks out the window on any given day, rain is on the way
* Some cats can predict earthquakes (there is actually some proven truth to this one!)
* Cats are believed to be able to see human auras
*A cat sleeping with their four paws tucked underneath their body means bad weather is coming
* If a cat sits with their back to the fire, this foretold a cold spell
* If a cat sneezes once, it means there will be rain. If they sneeze three times, the family will catch a cold
* Early Americans believed that if a cat washed her face in front of several people, the first person she looked at would be the first to get married
* Tortoiseshell cats were believed to be able to see into the future and could also give this gift to a lucky child in the household
* When the pupil of a cat's eye gets big (broadens), it is a sign of rain
* The Pennsylvania Dutch used to place a cat in the empty cradle of a newlywed couple and the cat was supposed to grant their wish for children
* In England, it was believed that if a black cat lived in your house, the young lass would have numerous suitors
* It was onced believed that fur and blood drawn from various parts of a cat's body would cure all ailments
* In Tell-Basta (which was at one time the Egyptian city of Bubastis), a graveyard holding 300,000 mummified holy cats was discovered. A few were sent to museums.
* A kitten born in May will be a witches cat

Pretty wild stuff, huh?  I also wanted to share these two books with you which I had read many years ago and, to this day, I refuse to part with them  ~ both were written by the renowned author Desmond Morris ...

These are both really great books and I would highly recommend them to any cat lover!

The Norse Goddess Freya

One of my favorite goddesses has got to be Freya. She was a warrior goddess whose consort was the Norse god Od. She was also the goddess of sensual love and is usually depicted as a beautiful red-head who is known for her appreciation of romantic music and stunning flowers.

But this was only part of who she was. She was also the leader of Valkyrie and had the right to claim half the souls of the bravest warriors slain in battle (the other half belonged to Odin). As such, she would gather them all on the battlefield and take them back with her to spend the afterlife in her home in eternal rest and recreation. 

Freya was also called upon to comfort the dying and to help make the transition into the otherworld (known as Valhalla) easier by serving as their guide and comforting companion on their journey.

It is said that when Freya and the Valkyries rode forth on their missions, their armor caused the beautiful flickering light that we know as the Aurora Borealis ~ also called the Northern Lights.

While fishing one day, Od heard a lovely song coming from a nest of cats which seemed to be lulling him to sleep. It was a tom cat singing to his kittens to "sleep, sleep, my dear little ones." When Od very strongly suggested that the male cat stop his singing, the cat replied, "You have no idea how difficult it is to rear children as a single parent" and asked Od if he knew of any women who would be willing to take in his very special kittens as they were blue and deserved the life of royalty.

Od immediately thought of Freya, and brought the kittens back home with him to present to her as a gift. Freya was so enchanted with them that she did the kittens honor by allowing them to accompany her on her daily rounds in her golden chariot across the sky.

(image credits)

An Earth Day Poem

Thankful

These are the things I'm thankful for...

The sweet smell of flowers in springtime,
Beautiful clear blue skies above me,
The feeling of damp grass beneath my bare feet,
The sound of a free running stream,
The warmth of the sun on my cheeks,
The site of a field filled with corn,
The sound of birds singing in the trees,
The taste of fresh picked raspberries,
Crisp, clear autumn mornings,
The sound of leaves crunching beneath my feet,
The site of pumpkins growing in a field,
The first chill of winter in the air,
The site of snowflakes frolicking on the breeze,
Watching children skate on a frozen pond,
And seeing the first robins of spring

(http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Earth_Day_Poems)

This and That ...

Greetings, dear friends! I hope all has been well with everyone and that you all had a very Blessed Ostara/Spring Equinox! First of all, I would like to extend my sincere apologies for my recent absence as I have been so very busy attending to a few very important family matters and such.

Also, by now I am sure that you are all aware from the previous two posts that I have asked my fellow Wiccan and very dear friend of the last five years, Lomendil Moriquendi (aka Dark Elf), to join me as my new coauthor of this blog.  As my good friend and peer has already told you in his introductory post, he and I had a "chance" meeting while he was searching for a Wheel of the Year that he liked to use for his own blog at that time. He politely contacted me in order to ask my permission to use it for his blog, and,  from there we began a very mutually respectful and wonderful friendship. After many conversations which we had shared over the years, I truly feel as though his knowledge and education will be both an asset and a great addition to this blog! I am so very happy to have him here!

What next? Well, whilst browsing through the web, I accidently came across a book sold on Amazon titled, "Who Are Your Devine Friends?" written by Sam Silver, a Nordic Wiccan writer. It would seem as though I was one of his names listed in his book under his bibliography (page 109, Lady Caer Morganna, referencing my "Honoring The Triple God" post from my blog published on May 5, 2011).

http://www.amazon.com/Who-Are-Your-Divine-Friends/dp/132979561X

Funny thing about it is, I have also noticed many other websites and blogs who have apparently enjoyed my poetry and other posts as well ...  enough to add them to their sites, giving me full credit of course. As I have often said before, the main reason in which I began this blog was to help and/or guide other fellow Wiccans, most especially those who were just beginning their spiritual paths.

Brightest Blessings everyone until next time!

Hi everybody!

Hi everybody! I am the new coauthor of Kimberly's blog known by the nickname Lomendil Moriquendi or Dark Elf - that's what it means. I am a fellow Wiccan holding no degree. I hope; however, to get my degrees when I come to the States. I am a Greek Eclectic Wiccan. Wicca or Greek National Religion is not yet recognized in Greece. We still struggle against people that are strict and even fanatic. Christian's believing that they ought to "save" their nation from the "dangers" all other religions are supposed to be.

People risked going to jail just two decades ago because they were Buddhists and dared to gather together to pray and meditate. Now they just leave us alone and consider us "new age crazies". They can't risk a trial in the European Court, but they still do commit "fraud" by trying to fool the EU officials and to delay the recognition as long as possible. But, at least they leave us alone.

Through the Craft, I had some contacts from a very young age but it all actually began, 8 years ago with my father's death in April 2008. Then I realized that there is no god taking care of us and having a plan for our lives as the Church wants us to believe. The only reward you take from being good and calm is abuse, exploitation and a beggar's position in the street. I almost lived through that thanks to my own family because you can't be good and calm in a world of predators as you place yourself at the bottom of feeding chain. 

A meeting that was important happened about that time with a Greek Gentile. He tried not to parsuade me of anything, but instead he told me that I had been taught by the establishment's school only selected parts of the Christian Bible and that I didn't read it all. Back then I didnt believe him and told him I will read it carefully and then tell him what I thought. My conclusion is that even if mankind was really the offspring of Eve and Adam - there is a theory that states that the surviving ancestors of humans are children of the same woman - the bible was not inspired by any god - except if that god was drunk - because it has many contradictions and errors while telling its story. No perfect god, creator of everything would say such ridiculous things.

Pagans and naturalists were right it that there is no "good god" and "evil satan." The Gods are neutral creations of a neutral Mother Nature, Goddess Gaia, or simply The Goddess. The only one science proven Goddess. Take a look at the Gaia theory by Lovelock for more information:

Wikipedia - Gaia hypothesis

The whole biosphere is a unified and thinking organism and we are parts of it. Most likely we are Her reproductive organs because we are programed to explore and to develope science so that at some time we shall go to other planets and create Her daughter biospheres. But, we are not that important as persons for Her to have plans for each of us and to take care of us. She thinks of us as a set of units. The set is important for Her and not each of it's parts. So if we don't take care of ourselves, no god will.

After three years of studying, I set up a blog and a facebook profile to share my thoughts to those willing to call me "friend." That profile was deleted by me because I had been met with more scorn and abuse than love. I kept only three friends from the old profile: Dominique, George and Kimberly.

My meeting with Kimberly was accidental in the end of May 2011, about two months after I started my blog. While searching for a good Wheel of the Year for my blog, I found Kimberly's and liked it - and her - very much and we quickly became friends.

After five years of friendship, she asked me to become a coauthor in her blog and I gladly accepted.

~ Lomendil Moriquendi

Lilith and Naamah

Lilith and Naamah

They are both wives of Lucifer, Angel of Knowledge or God of the
Sun according to Aradia, maybe confused with Apolo.

The "official" Jewish books do not even mention Lilith. Sources on demons come from "unofficial" books and traditions. So what happened? The Jews have copied and distorted according to their own interests some stories of the Sumerians, their ancestors. So Lilith or Lilitu may have been a princess, that refused to marry the King Adapa (the actual person that the Jews called Adam), and she was cast out of his kingdom and returned later as a witch to get revenge.

Naamah was a daughter of "Enoch" - that was actually Enmedurana - and wife of "Noah" that actually was Zizundra or Utnapistim ("Noah" married his aunt then) and a priestess of Istar (naditu) and the first teacher of reading and writing in human history. She didn't do anything bad and it makes you wonder why she was made a demon too.

But why the Jewish priesthood made demons of them? Because they feared what they represented: Disobedience and Knowledge. And also, they feared their common point: Sexuality. Imagine a highly educated, disobedient and sexual woman that is completely out of their control, brrrrr! their worst nightmare!

As we can see in their bible...

15 ... And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.

16 To the woman he said, I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.

Genesis Chapter 3

... the God of the Jews is a woman-hating god.

Some witches believe that she was actually the FIRST witch as she was after all cast out of the Kingdom of Heaven (according to Jewish mythology) because she refused to lie beneath Adam, declaring, "if we were created equally, why should I lie underneath you?" Hence, God created Adam's second wife, Eve and the Jews demonized her. (long story short).

Of course there is no first witch because paganism preceded Jews and Christians and Genesis is just a LYING fairy tale. The truth is that there is no first pagans/witches, it is a mistake that comes from the Jews. Actually all people were pagans and the first Jew was Abraham.... as similarly the first "Christians" were Saul and some of the Sanhedrin Rabins (Gamaliel, Nicodemus, Joseph of "Arimathea" etc.). These are some of the things "they" don't want you to know...

Lilith represents a threat to patriarchy because she REFUSED TO OBEY MAN. Naamah also was a threat to both patriarchy and its religious establishment because she represents educated women. The patriarchal establishment uses ignorance and lack of education to force women submit to their will.

As one can see in their bible...

33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints,

34 the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says.

35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

Corinthians Α, 14

... they, through Saul, don't recognise the right of women to talk in Church. This means that the woman has no right to become a priestess or to teach their religion or even be a student. They only recognise the one and only right of the woman to ask their husband - if there is one, if he knows the answer and if he wants to answer. Why? The answer is in the begining "For God is not a God of confusion but of peace". Women bring confusion and disturb the piece. In other words "We can't control women so suppress their rights as much as possible because they are a threat to our nonsense."

(Post by co-author Lomendil Moriquendi)