The Many Faces of Wiccan Divinity — Patheos, 7/2/2015, by Sable Aradia

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/betweentheshadows/2015/07/the-many-faces-of-wiccan-divinity/

Wiccan theology is actually very complex.  It is perfectly valid to interpret Wicca as duotheism, deism, polytheism, animism, shamanism, pantheism, panentheism, monotheism, agnosticism or atheism; and I know Wiccans who hold all of these views, often at the same time.  But to say, unequivocally, that Wicca is any one of these things incorrectly pigeonholes us.  Although we are most commonly interpreted by other Pagans as duotheists, defining oneself by that term is only one of many perfectly theologically sound ways to interpret and relate to our deities.  It is for that reason that we often describe ourselves as an orthopractic faith, one more concerned with our practices than our beliefs.

July 2, 2015 by Sable Aradia

Beltane for Kids

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/paganfamilies/2015/04/beltane-for-kids/

Love – love is a huge part of Beltane, and it’s not just sexual or love for a partner.  Talk to your children about their love for family, friends, and the world around them.  Plan a ritual involving a brother/sister deity pair, or a parent/child relationship.  Celebrate that love comes in many forms.

Passion – what is your child passionate about?  Sexual passion is certainly not the only kind there is!  What is your child strongly interested in, fiercely dedicated to?  Do they spend hours practicing piano, drawing pictures, writing stories?  Turn that into a ritual!  Invite the patron deities of what they’re passionate about, ask for their blessings on your child – this will help them understand the concept a thousand times better than attending a symbolic Great Rite.

Creativity – when you break it down far enough, the magic of fertility is all about an act of creation.  Plan a rite that features a craft of activity that gives your child an opportunity to make something, to bring something new into the world.  It can be anything!  Plant a few seeds, sculpt with salt dough, anything your child will be excited and proud to have made.  Younger children may not understand the magic and mystery inherent to baby-making, but making an awesome finished product from simple ingredients is just as magical for them!

About Molly Khan

Molly Khan is a writer, student, and mother of three from the Midwest prairie. She is a founding member and liturgist for Prairie Shadow Protogrove, ADF. She writes about her joys and struggles as a mother and a Heathen Druid, as well as her experiences raising children in an interfaith household at thepagangrove.blogspot.com.

Scale of the Universe — NASA APOD 14 January 2012

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140112.html

What does the universe look like on small scales? On large scales? Humanity is discovering that the universe is a very different place on every proportion that has been explored. For example, so far as we know, every tiny proton is exactly the same, but every huge galaxy is different. On more familiar scales, a small glass table top to a human is a vast plane of strange smoothness to a dust mite — possibly speckled with cell boulders. Not all scale lengths are well explored — what happens to the smallest mist droplets you sneeze, for example, is a topic of active research — and possibly useful to know to help stop the spread of disease. The above interactive flash animation, a modern version of the classic video Powers of Ten, is a new window to many of the known scales of our universe. By moving the scroll bar across the bottom, you can explore a diversity of sizes, while clicking on different items will bring up descriptive information.

May They Not Have Power Over Us by Vivianne Crowley

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/viviannecrowley/2015/01/may-they-not-have-power-over-us/

As a Pagan, I do not believe in an external force of ‘evil’ in the universe. Rather I subscribe to the view of Mahatma Gandhi:

The only devils in this world are those running around inside our own hearts, and that is where all our battles should be fought.

Evil is human-made, a result of fear, ignorance, anger and frustration. When such pressures build up, it is easy to fantasise that there is some simplistic solution. The maiming and destruction of our enemies, the inquisition, ethnic cleansing, wars of religion – all feed off the same delusion – that there is a good, pure, right ideology that will make the world a better place. If people will not subscribe to it voluntarily, then they are evil and must be destroyed. Once we have labelled a group as ‘other’, the enemy, we can persuade ourselves that in order to protect what we think precious and right any action is justifiable.

Invocation of the Lord and Lady from Internet Book of Shadows

http://www.sacred-texts.com/bos/bos593.htm

Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999], at sacred-texts.com

Invocation of Lord and Lady (Ritual)
Dan Holdgreiwe

The following is the text of a ritual titled Invocation of the Lord and
Lady which was presented by the Fellowship of the Sacred Grove at a
local gathering in November of 1993. Prayers and invocations are not
included in the text as these are delivered spontaneously by the Priest
and Priestess.

PART ONE: THE PREPARATIONS

[Priest, Priestess, Bard and Quarters begin standing in circle just
outside the circle that will be consecrated for the ritual. Other
participants begin outside of circle and will later enter through South
gate. Customarily, East and North are male, South and West female.]

  1. The Warning

[The Bard moves to center of circle and addresses all.]

“We gather tonight to open the veil between the worlds.

This is not safe — To pass beyond that threshold we must leave behind
the protections of the mundane world. We must remove the veils which
disguise us and lay aside the jewels which dazzle our eyes. We must
take the risk of Seeing, and of being Seen.

For our protection we rely upon the Lord and the Lady, whose Children we
are. Any who are not ready to approach Them in reverence, love and trust
should leave now.

[Pause]

Those of you who have chosen to walk this path, prepare yourselves to
meet God and Goddess.

[Bard remains in center.]

2.Claiming the Circle

[East takes one step forward into the circle and speaks, facing inward.]
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“In the name of the Lady of Light, and in my own name,
I claim this circle as a place of Men.
Let all who enter be bound to speak, and hear, the Truth.
So mote it be.”

[West takes one step forward into the circle and speaks, facing inward.]
“In the name of the Sacred King, and in my own name,
I claim this circle as a place of Women.
Let all who enter be bound to Perfect Love and Trust.
So mote it be.”

[South takes one step forward into the circle and speaks, facing
inward.]

“In the name of the Lord of the Greenwood, and in my own name,
I claim this circle as a place of Nature
Let all who enter be bound to the sacred web of life.
So mote it be.”

[North takes one step forward into the circle and speaks, facing
inward.]

“In the name of the Queen of Heaven, and in my own name,
I claim this circle as Sacred Space.
Let all who enter be opened to the presence of God and Goddess.
So mote it be.”

  1. Marking the Circle

[All sing Listen to the Lord and Lady while Priest and Priest mark
circle. When finished Priest and Priestess stand before alter in North,
facing South.]

  1. The Challenges

[East and West move to South gate and form Arch with athames. North
crosses to South gate. Participants enter through South gate one at a
time and are challenged at knife point by North and South, then shown to
places by Bard.]

Who seeks to join this fellowship?

Will you support and defend your companions on this quest?

Do you swear to use that which you learn in this circle only in service
of the light?

Are you ready to meet the Mother and Father of All life?

Then enter and be welcome.

[Comment: This took several minutes, but the effect of the delay was
positive rather than negative. The lengthy challenge process acted to
center and focus the entire circle.]

……………………………………………………………………..
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5.Sealing the Circle

[Bard speaks from center.]

We have stepped beyond time, to a place not of earth. In the presence of
the Lord and Lady, we join together and are one.

[Bard crosses to take place in circle, then takes hand of next person
deosil and says We are one. Each participant takes the hand of the next
repeating We are one until the whole circle is joined. When the circle
is complete, the Bard announces again We are one!]

PART TWO: THE MYSTERY

  1. Pathworking

[Priest moves to center and leads all in pathworking. After preliminary
relaxation and centering, the working takes the participant first to
four symbols — a living tree, a sword, a cup, and a standing stone —
each of which holds a message for the visitor. Then the participants
journey to an ancient clearing around a weathered stone alter where, in
times long past, their ancestors honored the Lord and Lady. In that
holy place, the participants call the Guardians of the Quarters, then
prepare to invoke the Lord and Lady.]

[Comment: The actual invocation of the Lord and Lady follows without
transition, inviting the participants to continue to experience it in
the ancient clearing.]

  1. Calling the Lord and Lady

[Priestess joins Priest in center. Priestess invokes the Lord. Other
celebrants
invoke Lord and/or Lady as they feel inspired. Priest closes invocations
by invoking the Lady. All invocations end with Come join with us. which
is repeated by all.]

  1. Chant:
    Priestess begins chant alone, all join in after first time through.
    Participants should stand, clap and dance as they feel moved.]

Isis, Osiris, Woden and Freya; Lord and Lady, Brigid and Lugh

[Chant builds in power to be cut off at peak by Bard striking staff on
the ground.]

  1. Readings

[During chant East and West have stepped outside circle and deliver
readings from opposite sides of circle. Bard is at center. Bard speaks.]
Hear now the words of the Great Mother who is called Isis, and Freya,
and Brigid, and many other names.

[West speaks.]

Think not that I am far from you, for you can see my visage in the moon,
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and hear my voice upon the wind.
I am the silence of the sea, and the secret of the standing stones.
I am the beauty of the green earth, and the mystery of the stars.
I am the Mother of all things, and the soul of nature, who gives life to
the universe.
I am the source of your beginning, and I am the fulfillment of your
desire.

[Bard speaks.]

Hear the words of the All Father who is called Osiris, and Woden, and
Lugh, and other names beyond counting.

[East speaks.]

You know me not, but I am with you. My face is the sun, and my voice the
thunder.
I am the strength of the forest, and the keenness of the sword.
I am the rune giver; the patient teacher; the revealer of secrets.
I am the warrior, the defender of the weak and the companion of heroes.
I am the Horned One. I am the gateway to the Mysteries, and I am Mystery
itself.

[West speaks.]

Arise and come unto us, for mine in the womb that bore thee and the
breast that nursed thee. Your joy is our joy, and your sorrow, our
sorrow. We would teach you the ways of healing, and the joys of love,
for our law is love unto all beings. We give the knowledge of the
eternal spirit, and beyond death we give peace and reunion with those
who have gone before. We would lead you to love and to freedom. Call on
us, and we will show you the hidden paths.

[East speaks.]

Follow my white stag into the deep forest. There is mystery in the wild
places, and a path that leads between the worlds.
The path is not easy, for it leads to that which cannot be given by
another.
Those who would share our freedom must create it anew within their own
hearts.
But no one who walks that path walks alone. Fear not to call on us, for
we have not forgotten our Children.

  1. Great Rite

[Priest and Priestess take positions in center of circle, Priest
kneeling with chalice, Priestess standing with athame. Priest makes
spontaneous prayer to Lord and Lady. Priestess prays and/or responds on
behalf of Lord and Lady, customarily ending with So mote it be as she
lowers the athame.

[Comment: a common theme here is to invite the Lord and Lady to join
with us as they join with each other, but sensitivity to the inspiration
of the moment is the prime concern.]

  1. Blessing

[All sing We all come from the Goddess as Priest and Priestess circle
group, touching and offering a blessing to each in turn. When all have
received a blessing, Priest and Priestess return to circle and all join
hands. Priest and Priestess signal end to song by returning to center.]

PART THREE CLOSING

  1. Thanking the Lord and Lady

[Priest thanks Lady, Priestess thanks Lord.]

  1. Return to Mundane Consciousness

[Priestess return to circle. Priest resumes pathworking in ancient
clearing, thanks quarters and draws participants back into normal
consciousness. Priest returns to circle.]

  1. Opening the Circle

[Bard moves to center and addresses all.]

The rite is ended, the circle is open, may the blessing of the Lord and
Lady be with you all. So mote it be. (All respond.)

The Jesus Story from Online Book of Shadows

http://www.sacred-texts.com/bos/bos555.htm

Internet Book of Shadows, (Various Authors), [1999], at sacred-texts.com

The Jesus Story


The Lord and the Lady (and the Fool, of course) looked at the Men and Women and were not pleased.

“Look at that! They saw Your Sacrifice and went and elaborated it into some kind of magic.” The Lady spoke disgustedly. “Cutting out human hearts. Sacrificial Kings. Ritual burnings. Ritual torture. Blood sacrifices. Cannibalism. Blood, killing, and more blood! What do they think they’re doing?”

“I agree it’s pretty grim,” said the Sacred King, “But it does work, though in a very limited way. So….what can We do about it?”

“I know what We can do, but it will take all of Us,” said the Fool, unsmiling. “Listen up….”

As He began to explain, the faces of all Three grew grimmer and grimmer, and sad beyond words.

The Fool incarnated as a Child within a Woman, who was the Mother and the Maiden. He was born in poverty, and laid in a straw bed. He grew up in a small village in a backwater nation on the edges of a great Empire. Some, a very few, knew Him and honored Him, seeing Him as the Child, truly the Child of Promise, but most simply went on with their lives, unknowing. When He was of age, He turned, and from Child became Transformer, and He began to teach.

As Transformer, He went out on the dusty roads of the small, conquered nation, and taught the Way of Love. Love for all, not just some. He taught of the Brotherhood of Man and of the Fatherhood of the Lord.

He taught of the Way of Salvation: to love. To love the Deity and to love your neighbor, whoever he might be.

He brought a message of hope to the poor, and a warning to the oppressor.

Around Him, He assembled a small band of men and women, and taught them His Mystery. But one was given a role to play, and the role was Betrayer.

A man asked, “Teacher, what shall we do when those that hate us strike us?”

And He answered, “Turn the other cheek, and let them strike you again. Give them love in return for hate. If you must take up the sword, then do it in great reluctance, and only after you have stepped aside time and time again. Remember that I bring you not peace, but a sword, for this Path will separate you from your families and friends, and your enemies will persecute you in their ignorance.”

“And forgive your enemies, and those who wrong you, that you may put away your anger and live in love.”

Another asked, “Sensei, what of the poor?”

And He answered, “The poor you shall always have with you, but give them the tools to lift themselves out of their poverty. Clothe and feed them, but give them the means of independence also.”

“But what of the rich, then?” said a wealthy man.

“Give what you have to the poor. give them of clothing, and food, and, more importantly, of learning, for if you feed a man, then you have only given him one meal, but if you teach him to feed himself, then he may eat for a lifetime, and move from the cycle of poverty and ignorance,” He said. “Lay not treasures up for yourself on earth, save that you give of that treasure to those in need, but rather lay up treasure in heaven, for it would be easier for a camel to pass through a needle’s eye than for an avaricious man to leave his earthly treasure for heaven.”

A Doctor asked Him, “Healer, what of the sick?”

“Verily, let them be healed by the knowledge of man, and by prayer,” He answered, “For whatsoever you ask in prayer, if you have faith even as small as the tiniest grain of mustard seed, what you need will be granted you. But be wary of what you ask for, for you will get what you need, and not always what you want.”

A woman asked, “Rabbi, what of those that follow other Teachers?”

And He answered, smiling, “There are many rooms in your Father’s house, and many fields in Heaven. And I come again, and yet again, and as there are many languages of mankind, so are there many Names for Deity. Rejoice in it, and be glad of the diversity of Deity, and do not hate those that call the Diety by other names, but rather weigh them by their deeds.”

And one asked of Him, “How should we pray?”

And He answered, saying, “Pray in your own fashion, as you will, for all prayer is good. But if you wish, pray thusly:

“Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our errors, as we forgive the errors of others. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

“And if you feel this prayer should be given to the Mother, then let it be so.”

And a Priest shouted, angrily, “Shall God be then female?”

And He answered, “The Deity is what It will be, not what you make It into. You see the Deity in your own image; if you are vengeful, then your God is vengeful. If you are full of hate, then your God is hateful. But if you have love, then you shall know the Deity’s love. Listen, and be wise.”

A child asked, “Father, how shall we know what is right and what is wrong?”

And He replied, “Weigh it by its fruits. If it gives a bad fruit, then it is wrong, but if the fruit is good, then eat of it and be happy.”

“But Brother, what of a fruit that seems to be good, yet will poison us slowly?” asked another.

And He answered, “If a man die of it, then it is an evil fruit.”

“Look you to the past, see the mistakes therein, and learn therefrom. And
beware those who would lead you into error through their own need of power
over you; leave them to the trap of their own making.”

One of the Priests came to Him, a man enmeshed in legalism, and, thinking to trap Him said, “Teacher, What is the Law?”

And He looked at the Priest and said, “Love God. Love thy neighbor. All else is commentary and the Law of Man. Study the holy books of all faiths, weigh the good and the bad in each, and learn.”

And the Priest went away abashed.

And a person came to Him and said, “What of magic?”

“Know that your will is that of a human, and you are not omniscient. You cannot see all the results of your actions. Therefore ask ‘Not my will, but Thine be done’ and leave the ordering of the MultiVerse to Deity, not to human will,” He replied. “Order yourself, not the MultiVerse.”

And two came to Him, and asked, “O Mahatma, We are of the same sex and love each other. What shall we do?”

And He looked upon them and said, “An it harm none, do as you will. You are all the Children of the Deity, and the Deity’s Love for you is greater than you can imagine.”

A policeman asked of Him, “But what of the Laws of Man? If these Laws of Man conflict with the Law of the Deity, what shall we do then, Padre?”

And Transformer answered, “Listen and hear. Obey the Laws of Man, for these Laws have power over your body. But if there is a man-made law that is not good, then strive to change it, in peace. But if you cannot change it, then obey it. And, if you must disobey it to change it, then accept the judgments of Man’s Law in good grace until it is changed. But put not your trust in Rulers, and Kings and Princes, nor in those that would lead you, be they Priest, Priestess, or any other Office and Position, but weigh their words carefully, that their words match their deeds, and no hypocrisy enters into them, for as your leaders you have given them power over you. And always remember that Man’s Law is made for humanity, and not humanity for Man’s Law.”

And with the policeman was a woman who had violated the Law of Man and had been taken for her crime. She said, “But what of me, Lord? I am to be stoned by the crowd.”

And He picked up a stone from the ground, looked at her, and said, simply, “Let he who is without mistakes cast the first stone at you.” And He dropped His stone from His hand.

And there was a silence from the crowd, and those with stones in their hands dropped them guiltily to the ground. And He said to her, “Learn from your error, go in peace, and make error no more.”

And He said to those that had dropped their stones and who were burdened by their guilt, “Be not guilty, for guilt is but a warning from your conscience. Be you delivered from your hell. Learn from your error, put it from you, and err no more.”

“And equally, if the tree that gives a bad fruit can be taught to give a good fruit, then do so. But if it persist in giving bad fruits, then leave it.”

And He walked to a nearby hill and turned to the people, and spoke thusly:

“Blessed be those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Blessed be those that mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

“Blessed be the meek, for they shall live to inherit the earth, long after the strong, and the proud, and the warlike have killed each other in their pride.”

“Blessed be those that hunger and thirst after the Truth, for they shall know it.”

“Blessed be the merciful, for they shall have mercy shown unto them.”

“Blessed be the pure in heart, for they shall see the Deity all the days of their lives and after.”

“Blessed be those that make peace among men, for they shall be called the Children of the Deity.”

“Blessed be those that are persecuted for the sake of the Truth, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Blessed be you, when men shall persecute you, and perjure themselves against you, and lie about you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for your reward is great indeed.”

“Let your Light so shine before all humanity, that they may know the Truth of you, and learn to live in love.”

And he placed His hand upon the head of a dog, and said, “Your Brothers and Sisters in fur are your Brothers and Sisters in truth. They are in your care and in your hands. Treat them with kindness, and that kindness will be returned to you a thousandfold. To those that give themselves to be eaten by you, offer thanks and be grateful to them for your sustenance.”

“Treat your Mother the earth likewise with kindness, and all the growing things thereon will sing your praises to the Highest, and you shall eat and drink of Her fruits, and live in joy and gladness all the days of your lives. Little children, love one another!”

In truth, there was much more that He taught, and much of it is written for our study and learning, and the study of His teachings is a good and worthy thing. But the following of His teachings is a better thing, for He was who He said He was, and that is also a Great Mystery.

And the Betrayer spoke to Him, and said, “Renounce this Path. It only leads to destruction. Give over to me, and I will give you rulership of all the kingdoms of Earth.”

And He gazed upon the Betrayer, and spoke, and said, “Get thee hence, foolish one, for I have no need of earthly treasure, nor earthly power, for all such is false, and an illusion.”

And on the night that He was betrayed, during a Festival that celebrated the conquered people’s deliverance from tyranny, (and to choose such a time and place is also a Great Mystery and a great lesson) He took of the Sacred King, the Bread of Life, blessed and broke it, and gave it to His followers, and said, “This is My body. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

And then He took wine, fruit of the Mother, and blessed it, and gave it to them also, and said, “This is My blood. Do this in remembrance of Me.”

And Transformer was betrayed by the Betrayer, betrayed to the legalists and the soldiers of the occupying army, accused of sedition and taken by the Law of Man, and sentenced to die.

And they fastened Him to an instrument of torture, to kill Him like a common criminal, with cruel jokes. And He was hung from a Tree.

And, watching, was the Mother, and the Maiden, and the Crone, and They all three mourned Him.

He turned, and was the Sacred King, and simultaneously the Fool (and that is a Great Mystery indeed) and, as He died, he said, “It is finished.” And His Blood ran out upon the Earth, and worked a great magic.

His body was buried in a tomb of rock, and the soldiers of the occupying army guarded it.

But after three days and three nights, a greater magic was done, and He took His body again, sitting with the Lord and the Lady, and showed Himself to His followers, to show them that Death is not to be feared.

And He said, “You have been bought, and redeemed, and nevermore shall you make sacrifice of blood, for this is the Final Sacrifice for all time, for all places, and for all those there are and were, and will be.”

“And fear not Death, for it it but a change in a MultiVerse of changes; another turning of the wheel on a road all must travel.”

And He shall come again, as He has throughout all history, teaching the Great Truth: that we shall love the Deity, and love our neighbor, for Love is the heart of the Law, and that Law is Love. For He is always with us and in us all.

“I don’t -ever- want to go through that again!” The Fool spoke vehemently, through tears.

“I don’t think you’ll have to go quite -that- far the next time,” said the Lady. They’ll still play their stupid games with blood, but not for very much longer.”

“I hope not,” said the Sacred King, “But do We have to put up with that Paul fella? He’s a bit of a nut-case.”

“If you want it to work out right, yes,” said the Lady. “He may be a nut-case, but he’ll spread the Word quickly, and, after a time, they’ll get the idea. And from that will come the seed of My future believers.”

“Sorry about that,” said the Fool. “I did my best, but in such a patriarchal society as that one was, I just couldn’t make much headway about You.”

“No problem,” She said. “They can deny Me all they want to, but I’m still here.”

Thus it was, and so it is, and evermore shall be so!