The Love of Money

Money is one of those necessary evils that we all have to deal with, right up there with taxes.  Everyone needs money in today's world to survive.  Unlike centuries ago when folks grew their own food, made their own clothing and household supplies and bartered for what they needed, in today's world one MUST have money to buy food, shelter, clothing and so forth.

Money in and of it's self is not evil.  But the "desire" and "love" to possess it is.  Let me explain what I mean.  If one has enough money to pay all of one's bills, buy food, clothing, and other supplies, and provide shelter and health care each and every month, a person should be happy and satisfied.  But for most of us that is not enough.  We want more.  More money, more expensive items, more possessions.  So it boils down to greed.

People who are greedy want it all.  They want more than their share and they don't want anyone else to have the same amount that they do.  They believe that by possessing items, they can command respect, love, loyalty and have others dance to their tune.  They own multiple homes, yachts, limo's and other luxurious items.  If a man, he has a "trophy wife" 9 times out of 10, if a woman, she may have a younger husband or one who has a high share of his own worldly  goods.

Now money will buy lots and lots of things and allow you to do pretty much as you please, but I promise you it won't buy you love or happiness or even self respect.  Oh sure it will buy a reasonable facsimile of love or happiness but a facsimile won't fill that void that only the real deal does.

A person that suffers from greed is never happy for very long.  They are always wanting more.  They may have homes all over the world that are show pieces and yet, they lust after that, which belongs to someone else.  They are never truly satisfied for long with that which they already possess.

While they are rich in money and world possessions they are spiritually bankrupt.  Until they realize that worldy goods will not buy them spiritual growth they will continue to flounder and try to fill the black hole that exists within.

Yet the world around them envies them and tries to emulate them.  Instead of focusing on being thankful for the blessings one has, they constantly strive to get more money, more expensive items, and lots of possessions.  We believe we will be happier with all these things.  We tie up our self esteem in possessions and how much money we have and how much we make.

"Wealth causes strife among kinsmen.  The wolf lurks in the forest".  That is a line from the the Norwegian rune poem, and it sums up exactly what happens when we focus on money.  I don't care how well a family appears to get along, watch what happens when there is a death in the family.  I have saw it in my own life.  People will lie, cheat, steal and manipulate to get their hands on the money.  The real wolf is the people not an actual animal. You want to see WHO someone is, watch them when a death occurs in the family and how they act.  See who tries to take everything or wants everything.  Because I guarantee there will be at least one person who feels that they are entitled to everything.

We need to start focusing on our inner world a bit more.  Yes money is necessary.  But besides providing for ourselves, we can also use it to help others who don't possess the same amount of worldly goods that we have been blessed with.  "Wealth is a comfort to all men.  Yet everyone must give it away freely if he wants to gain glory in the Lord's sight".  That is a line from the Anglo-Saxon rune poem, and truer words were never written.

Choices on treatments.

A friend of mine has a very difficult decision to make with regards to her life. Literally.  After a horrible screw up by a half assed doctor and a variety of mistakes made by the same, she found out that she has breast cancer and has to make a choice about treatment.

Now as you all know I am all about each person making their own choices, and in particular when it comes to their own body.  As you also know, I do not believe that doctors are gods and infallible.

 It also pisses me off when folks decide to push their choices on others with regards to religion and with another person's life.  If it's not some Christian pushing you to come to Jesus so you can be in heaven with them, then it's someone trying to tell you what to do with your body.

My friend does not want to do radiation.  But the doctor's, her family, a slew of friends are trying to rail road her to do the radiation.  "Listen to the Doctor", "If you love me you would do this".  And so on.

So let's lay it out here right now.  First off, it's real easy when it's not you, to tell the other person to do it.  Then to play the "love" guilt card, for friggin real!!  If YOU loved ME, then YOU would shut up and let me make a decision that is literally about MY life, not YOURS!  That is usually the same card that is played when they try and convert you to Jesus, cause THEY don't want to be in heaven without you, sob sob.  It's not YOUR life that is on the line.  You aren't the one who is going to be sick, be open to infections, lose their hair, be sick, and be subjected to radiation.

My friend is literally scared to death of the radiation treatment, and rightfully so..but the doctors who think they are god, and her family are pushing her to do this.

What my friend needs to do is make up her own mind by weighing all the pro's and con's and doing some research to help her reach her choice.  I wish her the best and want her to know that this FRIEND will not push her either way and will be there for her however she decides.

Happenings

Letting you all know that The Garden Crone now has a twitter account to go along with our page on Facebook.  Stop on over to either spot and leave us a message.  

The Garden Crone Magical Formulary will be ready soon for purchase.  Print book will be available first.  It will be also available as an ebook, but that will take a few days longer.  Playing with that ebook format always takes longer!!  

I think you all will enjoy the new book.  It is a book of magical recipes.  Ever wonder how to make some of the well known Hoodoo and other magical oils?  Well if you purchase the new book you will know.  It also has recipes for magical baths, colognes, inks, and incense blends.  I think you will all find that it comes in real handy.

I am sure that quite a few of you are wondering why alot of the previous post disappeared.  Readers Digest condensed version: with the advent of the right wing nutjobs with the rise of the New Regime, we felt it necessary to remove quite a few posts.  I will be reposting some of the spells.  

As for books in the works, well, I have 2 that I had started on.  One on the magical properties of Trees, which I had done a good bit of work on.  Then the Computer Gremlin hid it.  I have searched the PC and it seems to have done a vanishing job!  Then I have one on Tough Magic, a good bit of it is done, but then my notebook with the notes and outlines has done a disappearing act.  So hopefully though, I will find the stuff I need to finish them.

The books already done are still available on Amazon as ebooks and print books. 

Stop on over to twitter or my facebook page and give a shout out. 

Momma Dove and the rest of the wildlife.

So here I was a few minutes ago sitting at the computer when I heard a Mourning Dove calling outside.  Something made me get up and turn around.  When I did I saw Momma Dove sitting on the air conditioner looking in the window.  I told her how happy I was to see her and reminded her she was welcome to make a nest on the air conditioner again.  She cocked her head at me and seemed to tell me that she was just checking in and making sure that I was ok.  We chatted for a few seconds and then she flew off.

I can recognize her easily with her peach coloration that is on her head, breast and belly.  She has a few dark spots on her wings and I feel that her coloration makes it easy to recognize her.  I hadn't seen her in a week or so, apparently we were missing each other when she visited.  2 days ago hubby told me that I had just missed seeing her again.  Apparently this time she thought to check at the window.

We also have made friends with a Blue Jay that is apparently a veteran of some sort of war.  He has only 1 leg.  Yes, he has lost his left leg in some sort of accident.  I call him Braveheart.  He balances on 1 leg and puts the stub of the other one down when he is eating.  Then there are the 2 little mice that have moved into the hedges.  We call them Nibbles and Minnie.  I have informed them that as long as they and any offspring they may have stay out of the house and basement and leave the Ford alone they are welcome to stay in the hedges.

Then there was the huge field spider that decided to come into the house 2 weeks ago.  THAT did not work out well for him at all.  When I tell you huge, I mean he was about 4 inches in diameter.  I had gotten up to go to the bathroom around 3 in the morning.  Stood up when I was done, and right next to the sink was this spider.  It was so big, I thought hubby had put it there as a joke before he went to bed.  I took a step, and so did it.  Found out something, I can jump sideways.  Up I went landing on the bath tub.  When I couldn't wake up hubby with my screeching (nor for that matter the German Shepherd!) I begin to realize I was on my own.  Mem heard me screeching, he started yowling but couldn't get in.  I told him to go wake up hubby.  He ran yowling up the steps and couldn't get hubby's attention either.  Finally I thought of the hairspray.  Thankfully it was in the cupboard over the commode.  I backstepped to the commode, dug in the cupboard and found it.  During all this, that dang spider was eyeing me up and I was keeping an eye on it.  I got the hairspray, stepped down in the tub and the spider got brave.  PSSSSST went the hairspray on him and he turned tail and ran, I thought to myself OH NO you don't.  You are not getting loose in my house, and I flung the can at him and nailed him.  I don't care who or what you are, you don't come in my house and go after me!

Since then any night time visits to the bathroom have Mem escorting me.  Mem of course rubbed all of this in by telling me that he keeps trying to tell me there are monster spiders out there.  I had to agree!!

When to start teaching your offspring magic.

Talking to one of my friends who has young children we discussed when would be a good time to start their training in magic, assuming of course that they wanted to learn.  So my thoughts were when they turn around 12 or 13, assuming that a- they wish to learn, and b- they show responsibility and understanding of magic is not a game and understand there are consequences to actions.

Most children growing up in Witch/Wiccan/Pagan households grow up with "spiritual instructions" if you wish to call it that.  They grow up with following natural seasons and cycles, and hear the stories and myths.  They understand the meaning of ritual and circle work.  In fact I am sure that many parents teach them little spells such as protection spells, or spells to find a lost object and so on.

With magic and doing spells, the child needs to understand that their actions (the spell) will result in something occurring.  They need to learn the basics and build upon them.  Candle types and colors, herbs and their uses, and so forth.  They also have to understand that you don't go hexing or cursing someone just because you can, or that you don't like them.  Also not to attempt a magical working that you don't have enough knowledge yet.  Things happen, weird and strange things, and if you are an inexperienced spell worker, you may make a situation worse unintentionally.

All the time I read or hear about someone who got interested in the various paths and after reading a couple of books, they felt they were an expert.  They decided to raise a ghost, or control a spirit, or hex someone and ended up with a big mess on their hands.  Trust me, I have been on this path for over 50 years and I don't consider myself an expert!  The more you learn, the more you realize how much you don't know!  I will say it again, knowledge is power.  But you also learn that you use a flyswatter on a fly, not a shotgun.  The more you learn, and the more you practice you start to be able to distinguish between using the flyswatter or the big magical guns.

Some children may not be interested.  That's fine also.  Unlike the patriarchal paths our spirituality allows us to realize that our offspring may be drawn to a different path.

I have just finished up working on a new book.  The Garden Crone Magical Formulary.  Mark is working his editing magic on it, and it will soon be ready for publishing.  I will keep you updated.

Pick your poison.

Here in the United States we have become a nation of pill poppers.  We go to the Doctor's office and generally end up with a prescription for a pill of some sort.  No wonder the Pharm Companies are making billions of dollars each year and crank out new meds and lower the bar on numbers for various disorders or create a disease.

Every year the numbers are changed on things like high blood pressure and Cholesterol numbers so more people are prescribed medications.  For the most part no one questions this and pops another pill.

Think I am joking?  For example blood pressure.  Use to be 128/80 was considered ok.  Now it's considered pre-hypertension.  One would think with all the meds everyone is on, we would be a healthy bunch.  But we aren't.  Diabetes, heart disease, stoke, cancer and the list goes on runs rampant.  And all those pills that are suppose to manage your disease end up causing side effects and disorders that need a pill to manage it.  

As for the Doctors, they believe everything that the Pharm Reps tell them about the newest medical marvel in a pill.  When the side effects start cropping up, the Doctor tells you to suck it up and take your pills.  As for the Pharm Companies, they figure by the time the law suits start rolling in they will still have made a big profit off of the pills.  As for the FDA, who is suppose to protect the citizens they are generally in big Pharms pockets.  

Think about all the ads you see on television for the newest and latest drugs.  They tell you how wonderful the new drug is and then list a few of the side effects: Nausea, vomiting, cancer, bleeding, life threatening infections, and so forth.

For example a nose spray that helps control allergy symptoms has side effects that include backache and nose bleeds.  Now I don't know about you, but I would rather be stuffed up then having nose bleeds and back aches.  

The entire Pharm/Doctors/Healing in the States need an overhaul.  The Pharm companies donate money to the Universities to train the students, they emphasize drugs as the answer: The Pharm companies come up with new diseases and drugs which they manipulate the data, they send out their reps who tell the Doctors what they need to give to their patients.  Sounds like a scam to me and the patients are the one's suffering from all this.

Nutrition and diet works wonders, so do herbs.  The Doctors aren't trained in nutrition though.  Perhaps a class or 2, but for the most part, that is left up to dietitians.   If you question the doctors, they get all offended.  Most of them feel that since they have all that education they are GOD.  

Yep it's time for an overhaul.