Spiral Crone
What goes around, comes around.

Many years ago I saw a poster in the Abbey Press catalog that really resonated for me. It had a picture of a caterpillar crawling up a tree branch, with a large and beautiful butterfly taking wing off the other end. The caption was "We must be willing to sacrifice what we are for the sake of what we might become."

I've just been to a Website that reminds me of this poster. It's got terrific graphics, a good story, and a thought-provoking message. There are several other Pagan-oriented stories on this site, but I haven't read all of them.

I'm still musing on the Chrysalis.

Bright Blessings,
Spiral Crone

Permalink posted by Spiral Crone -- 3:56 PM.

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I saw this performance last weekend and was very impressed with it:

Mama Earth: An Environmental Peace Cabaret
In this extraordinary one woman show Mama Earth takes you on an incredible journey that will wake you up, give you new eyes, change your mind and open your heart. She will show you with song, story and spoken word how your thoughts and beliefs fueled by your emotions create your reality. You will leave the show with no doubt that you have the power to make a difference in your life and in the world.

Wake up to your affect.
See with new eyes.
Green you mind.
Understand the principles of kindness, respect, imagination and peace.
Hear the universal heart speak about the frequency of love.
Change your thinking to create new solutions to old problems. Open Discussion after the show!



All of us who attended stayed for the discussion afterwards and had a wonderful conversation with Gina. We brainstormed about ways to expand the venue of the show, and mentioned everything from HBO to local middleschools.

The content is "non-denominational", so it would be non-threatening in any setting. Gina realizes that any affiliation with a specific pathway might limit the usefulness of the program, so she is very careful to make all references very general and inclusive.

After the discussion we bought CDs, copies of the book with the script of the show (including all the lyrics to the rolicking songs), and signed up for notice of the DVD when it is released.

During our discussion we all mentioned that presenting the program to children is more of a validation and reinforcement than a question of teaching. Children already know about The Divine and Love, and it's good to remind them before it gets "taught out of them".

As Sage mentioned in her blog:
"What would happen if we all agreed to believe in an impending event that will renew the earth, restore the health of oceans and skies, remove from danger the endangered species, catalyze the production and use of earth-friendly forms of energy and housing and locomotion, instill in human beings an instinctive consciousness of cooperation and compassion? What if we embodied our beliefs? "

I hope that Sage and all others reading here can see aperformance of the Environmental Peace Cabaret, and maybe take home the CD to enjoy the music over and over again, and share with friends.

Bright Blessings,
Spiral Crone

Permalink posted by Spiral Crone -- 9:12 AM.

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In addition to the three precepts that I listed as the Witches Source Code, there is another concept that is crucial to the practice: BALANCE.

This is an active, dynamic principle that requires mindfulness and attention in order to work.
It does not mean being stuck in dead center. It means being able to change as needed, based on circumstances, in order to function at one's best.

In 2003 I attended a workshop by Sonia Choquette based on her book True Balance: A Commonsense Guide for Renewing Your Spirit and enjoyed doing exercises, both group and individual, that demonstrated the concept. Sonia is a vivacious and compassionate teacher, and she lives the principles that she writes about.

Balance requires, in addition to mindfulness and attention, the willingness and ability to be flexible. It requires being grounded and centered. If you don't know where you're located, and you're not anchored there, how can you come back to it?

One of my favorite quotes (I couldn't find an attribution for it other than "anonymous") is:
"Peace is not the absence of conflict; it is the ability to cope with it."
I think this illustrates Balance in a real and meaningful way.

Spiral Crone, off to practice Balance in water exercises at the pool
READ THE WEB ARTICLE

Permalink posted by Spiral Crone -- 10:31 AM.

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I have an acquaintance who says "Teach me to be a witch."
Ummm.

She volunteers to people, "I'm a Practitioner, you know."
Now, most people have no idea whatsoever what this means.
Which I think is part of why she says it.

But I tried.
I thought about what I considered the Most Important Concepts.
Here's what I came up with:
1) All is connected.
2) All is sacred.
3) Do no harm.

Very concise, non?
But really, doesn't that just about sum it all up, one way or another?

She got bored quickly and asked me to teach her How To Do Spells.
I told her that I didn't do that kind of thing.
She was very disappointed. That was all she really wanted to learn in the first place, as it turns out.

I tried again. I said, "If All is connected, whatever you do, comes back to you. That is the essence of Magick. For me, anyway."
I could tell that she thought I was just holding back information.

Holding back!? I give her the Source Code for Witches, and she thinks "There's got to be more to this."
I told her that people have effect on others and their environment all the time, without "casting spells" or doing any kinds of special rituals.

Not good enough.
She wants the Magickal Tools and the Black Pointy Hat and all that stuff.
I'm also convinced that she longs for a Nimbus 2000.

I told her that it came from inside, not from outside. All the "tools" in the world won't help you if you don't know what you're doing. And a Big Fancy Broom won't take you Where You Want To Go, if you don't know your destination and how to get there.

She still tells people, "I'm a Practitioner, you know."
And they still don't know.
But I have learned that what she does is not my responsibility.

I'm going to the cleaners to pick up my Black Pointy Hat.
Can I get you anything while I'm out?

Bright Blessings,
Spiral Crone

Permalink posted by Spiral Crone -- 3:44 PM.

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When I was in grade school, President Eisenhower started an organization called People-to-People (1956). I joined up and got a Japanese pen pal named Mitsako Kobashi. I still have all the letters that she sent me, all with lovely colored postage stamps on the envelopes. (I wonder if she saved my letters, too?)

In 1961 PtP was privatized and moved to Kansas City, Missouri. I have driven past the headquarters for years and never knew that it was located there. The current CEO is Mary Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Eisenhower.

I realized one day that my experience with this organization set my course on the World Wide Web. I now have numerous correspondents in far-flung corners of the world, and we can chat in real time about anything we want to, for only the price of an Internet connection. I regularly exchange emails with people in Brazil, Sweden, Australia, Canada, India, Japan, Israel, England, Ireland, and New Zealand. We also exchange documents and gifts through postal mail.

I wish I could thank my parents for encouraging me to participate in the program, and thank President Eisenhower for getting it started.

I did call and leave a message for Ms. Eisenhower, but her assistant said that she was very busy and might not be able to get back to me.

I wonder if she emails?

Bright Blessings,
Spiral Crone

Permalink posted by Spiral Crone -- 3:43 PM.

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I never thought I'd be doing a blog, but here I am, after one o'clock in the morning, setting one up and writing on it. It will be interesting to see how this affects the time I spend emailing. Might be a good excuse to unsub from some of those lists that I am just clicking through.

Bright Blessings,
Spiral Crone

Permalink posted by Spiral Crone -- 3:14 AM.

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