Oh if we had a mirror...

Robert Burns aka Robbie Burns, a Scottish poet once wrote: "O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us!" .

Meaning that should some power give us the gift of us being able to see how others view us would be nice.  But would it really?

Often times the truth is not all sugar and spice and everything nice, but ugly and repulsive.
Does the opinion we hold of ourselves accurately reflect how others see us?  Most of the time it does not.  Some feel that they are superior to others and the reality is they aren't and others don't view them that way.

Some feel that they are selfish, ugly, stupid and so forth, when that is not the accurate reflection that others see.

When either of the above get a reflection in that mirror, they are often shocked.  Because the reflection that they see is not what their inner viewpoint tells them.

Last night there was the White House Correspondents Dinner and many that were there got to see a reflection of how others view them.  They were shocked and outraged that their inner viewpoint was not being upheld.  They had convinced themselves that their Alt Facts, and twisting of truth justified their position.  They saw themselves as saviors and warriors.  When that mirror was held up and they saw their reflections in it, they were exposed to the truth.  And they didn't like it.  They were horrified.  They reacted with outrage.  When the truth of the ugliness they had been peddling was shown, they didn't like it one bit.  They got to see the nastiness, ugliness, and lies and it horrified them.  Their twisted little souls were shown to them and they gasped as cold hard reality slapped them in the face.

This is why I tell everyone to know themselves.  The good, the bad, the ugly.  Because we all have those within ourselves.  Do we strive to be honest with others and ourselves?  When we do something wrong do we try and make amends, admit our mistakes?  Or do we deny it or try and justify it?  Do we seek the truth?  Or do we bend the truth to support our position?

Know yourself, be honest with yourself, seek knowledge.  Strive to be the best you can be.  If you don't like something about yourself change it.  You are the only person that can change yourself.  In fact the only person you can change is yourself.  If you don't like that reflection in the mirror, take a good, long look at yourself, and change.

Don't judge a book by its cover.

What is a good person you ask?  Does it mean the way they look?  Does it depend upon their race, gender, sexual orientation, income or religion?  How about what organizations or clubs they belong to?  Does any of this reflect what type of person they are?

Looks definitely do not reflect anything other than one's genetic inheritance.  In the reproductive game of chance when the wheel turns and stops spinning, what you get is nothing more than chance.  Luck if you will.   So looks don't prove a thing.  Yet many of us place a high premium on looks.  We assume because he is so handsome, or she is beautiful that they must be a wonderful person.  Many times they are selfish and self centered.  Cleopatra it is said was a very alluring woman.  Yet physically she was not what one would consider a beauty.  Cleo was intelligent and charismatic.  Her intelligence made her alluring and desirable.

As for race, the very idea that because a person is black, brown, red or yellow would reflect their inner attributes is just utter stupidity.  Being of a certain race does not make a person "bad", or "good" for that matter.  Anyone who believes that race is a reflection of rather a person is good or bad, is showing their own ignorance and racist views.  And if you are a racist, you are in my opinion a BAD person.  Someone I will shun.

Gender or sexual orientation also does not make a person good or bad.  You just can't look at someone and say oh all men are sex fiends, all women are hypochondriacs and hysterics, and anyone that is a member of the LGBT community is a bad person because they are a sinner.

As for income to automatically assume because someone has a lot of money that they are a "good" person is to fool yourself.  Many millionaires and billionaires have gotten there because they have used criminal and/or immoral behavior to get there.  Or they have married into it, or inherited the money.   

As for judging someone based on their religion, all I have to say is some of the nastiness people I have known have supposedly been Christians.  I have known a lot of people that were Muslims, or Hindus and so on and they weren't criminals, rapists and murderers.  And some of the best people I have known have been Pagans, Witches, Wiccans and Atheists.

As for clubs and organizations, now there we can get some clues.  If someone is a member of the KKK or any other White Supremacist group you can bet your Jewelry box they are not a nice person.  Same goes for anyone that belongs to a Nazi group.  As my Mom would say birds of a feather flock together.   I wouldn't give these types the time of day, and I consider them scum.

So what makes a good person?  A good person is one who doesn't discriminate against anyone because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, social status, income, job, religion or any other reason.  Sure there will be people that they don't like nor care for, but that is usually based on something that the person has done, such as being a bully, or a liar.  They generally treat all people with respect.  They treat the planet and animals with respect.  They acknowledge that others have rights, and they generally believe in others having choices.  They try and be fair and just.  They share with others and don't want everything just for themselves.  They aren't greedy.  They treat others including animals with kindness.  They try and be truthful.  They stick up for the truth and for others.  They work hard and try and do their work correctly.  They protect those who are unable to protect themselves.  They aren't cheats, nor liars.  These are just some of the things that make a good person.  Notice these things don't deal with looks or material goods, but with actions and inner values.

A few years back I was visiting at an old work place.  Quite a few of my former co-workers were still employed there.  I sat down and chatted with the new owner and I chatted with my former co-workers.  At a later date I stopped in again and the owner informed me that my former co-workers all told him after my previous visit that it was great to see me, and that they had all enjoyed working with me in the past, that I had always been fair and just, and worked hard.  That made my day.  I was happy to know that, they understood I had always tried to be fair and just and work hard. 

Remember the old saying Never judge a book by its cover.  Also actions speak louder than words.

Comments, thoughts, ideas always welcome.

So I have been writing this blog since 2015.  I have readers all over the globe and I think that is fantastic.  I always welcome comments, thoughts, questions, feedback, and ideas.  Please feel free to interact with me.  You can always comment here on the blog.  I am also on Twitter and you can contact me there if you are so inclined.  Here is my link   https://twitter.com/TheGardenCrone.
Feel free to drop by and say hello.

I am also on facebook. https://www.facebook.com/witchingworld/  Again feel free to drop in and say hi or ask a question.

I would love to know how you like my books, and know that they helped you in some way.  Or if you have a question about something, or thoughts and feedback.

My books are available on Amazon as both Ebooks and print. Or you can request your local bookstore to order them for you.

The Garden Crone Witching Handbook

 https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Crone-Witching-Handbook/dp/1530614368


The Garden Crone Rune Handbook

https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Crone-Rune-Handbook/dp/1533310637


The Garden Crone Oils and Incense Handbook

https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Crone-Oils-Incense-Handbook/dp/1533289379


The Garden Crone Magical Formulary

https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Crone-Magical-Formulary/dp/1544659628


The Garden Crone Tough Magic for Rough Times

https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Crone-Tough-Magic-Rough-ebook/dp/B075HBP7RD


The Garden Crone Trees, Bushes, and Shrub Handbook

https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Crone-Trees-Bushes-Handbook/dp/1985308029


I look forward to hearing from you.  I hope you are enjoying the books! 

Evolve and survive, or devolve and not survive.

People, relationships, organizations, religions, societies, and even nations grow and evolve.  They change, and hopefully the change is for the better.  Everyone changes.  No one stays exactly the same.  The older you get you should be able to look back at your younger self and note how your ideas, and yes ideals also have changed over the years.  How you have expanded your horizons, spread out and embraced new ideas, or learned something new and different.  

I know that when my 50 something self looks back at my 18 year old self I can see a big difference in what I knew and what I felt about different things.  Because I have been exposed to different cultures, ideas, and a variety of experiences, I have expanded my mental horizons. But I have grown and evolved.  To grow and evolve you have to expose yourself to experiences outside of your comfort zone.  If you don't, you don't grow.  You can either stay in your child like state of being wrapped in a cocoon, or you can open yourself to new people and experiences.  Doing that gives you not only knowledge, but poise and confidence.

Religions too evolve and change to reflect the times.  Those that refuse to change and cling to outdated ideas and beliefs eventually die out.  As cultures and societies change, so must religion.  For example 600 years ago, if anyone said the earth was round, they were considered a heretic by the Catholic Church and punished.  Today the Catholic Church acknowledges that indeed the earth is round and that it is not the center of the universe.  It has changed and evolved to reflect the knowledge of the present times.  

One hundred years ago women couldn't vote.  And Goddess forbid if they had a child out of wedlock.  But now they not only have the right to vote, but to work, hold political office, and if they wish to have a child and not be married that is fine also.

Nations evolve to reflect the changing times.  The laws change to reflect the changes and beliefs in society.  For example slavery outlawed, and women given the right to vote.  This too must occur for a nation to survive.

If a nation or society devolves they won't survive.  Its that simple.  Throughout the world today we see several groups that wish to bring back the old days of suppression and discrimination and fascism.  But that simply is not going to work.  People have been exposed through media and the internet to the rest of the world.  The majority of people wish to embrace the future.  They want to see social justice and equality for everyone.  They seek and embrace knowledge.

Most of these groups that want to bring back the old days and force the rest to live by these outdated and antiquated beliefs are in religions that are well past their expiration date.  They kick and scream about sin and God, and they are very vocal, and often violent.  But make no mistake they are the minority.  They don't embrace change, they are ignorant and live in the past.  But they are going extinct make no mistake about that.  The problem is if they obtain power they can destroy nations.  They actually speed up their own demise, and unfortunately bring about the demise of the nation, the very thing they were afraid of to begin with.  Many of these groups have the idea that they are going to cause "Jesus" to arrive and bring heaven to earth.   But it doesn't work that way.  And its not going to happen.  The only thing they will have accomplished is death and destruction.  

Its time for people around the world to stand up and take control.  Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs yes, but when said beliefs are dangerous to others its time to put a stop to said beliefs.  If you want to believe that other religions or races are bad, hey believe that nonsense and be ignorant.  But when you start infringing on others rights by suppressing or harming others, its time to cut you off at the knees.  For too long we have allowed these people to enforce their ideas and beliefs on the rest of us. Stand up and make your voices heard or sit back and watch the world devolve.

    

Same old nonsense, just a different name. Ideology of the Patriarchy rebranded.

Oh yes down through the history of our nation we have had ideology that has been spouted by not only politicians, leaders and social groups but educators and supposed religious leaders that justify inequality, bigotry, racism, discrimination and the entire ugly package that leads to Dark Ages of society and inhibits evolution by a society towards growth and understanding.  Let's take a look at some of them and how they have presented and been rebranded over the centuries.

The idea of Manifest Destiny which basically stated it was God's Will that the White People had the right to dominate and control the entire North American continent and enforce their laws, economic structures and religious beliefs on all the non white indigenous people.  This was a continuation of and a rebranding if you will of several other ideologies that insisted it was God's Will that everyone be the same flavor of Christianity that was in power at the time during previous centuries and ages.  It was the Church sanctioned brand of racism, bigotry and a license to murder those of other races and religions.  This "new" doctrine was also legal and given authority by the government.

Once that was all taken care of and the Native Peoples were relieved of their lands and rights, and blacks were still enslaved, not to mention many a Native American, the idea of White Supremacy began to spread and be adopted.  White people are superior in all ways to other races therefore it must be God's Will.  And slavery, well it's in the Bible so that means its God's Will.

So as the year's passed many in the lower economic rungs begin to mutter about poverty, lack of education and the inequalities going on.  They were White by golly so what was going on with this?  So now we have Social Darwinism arise.

Social Darwinism stated that the most fit were successful.  Or if you were poor and unsuccessful it was because you were born with the wrong genetic background and materials.  This soon overlapped with the idea of God's Will and many times White Supremacy.  Superiority meant you were wealthy and had God's favor.  Of course it was much more than that, but these are some of the main points.

This soon led to the Eugenics movement.  Sterilize those whose genetic background was inferior to those deemed superior and without flaws.  This included not only those with mental illness and illnesses, but also those who didn't follow the prevailing societal mores of the time.  The Eugenics movement led to Hitler killing Jews, Slavic folks, the mentally ill, those who were ill, Gypsies, and anyone else he deemed subhuman or not deserving of life.

For a brief period in time, sanity reigned throughout the world as people were sickened and horrified by the depravity and evilness of what Hitler and the Nazi's had done.  The proponents of the various doctrines and sick ideology just went underground for a few decades.

Then along came Ayn Rand.  She created and promoted Rational Individualism or Objectivism.  Self interest is good, altruism is bad pretty much sums it up.  Or put bluntly worry only about what you can get and let everyone else worry about themselves.  It is the social approval of Sociopathology and greed.  She believed that it is the ultimate expression of human nature.  Unfettered and given free reign to flourish without regard for others, or their rights.

Now we along with all that we have the Prosperity Gospel.  That health and wealth and success is the  Will of God.  If you have them, its cause you are God's chosen one.  If you don't have them, well you just aren't one of the Chosen.  This goes along with all the previous mentioned and also includes predestination, or that God chose his special ones and it is God's will for them to be saved, successful, and wealthy.

See how all these go together?  It's just the same old nonsense rebranded and updated for a different era.  Don't fall for it.  Its the slimy underbelly of Patriarchy. 

Adjust your attitude please.

So I realized quite a few years ago that people have erroneous beliefs about Witches/Pagans/Wiccans, but it wasn't until just recently that it came to me that people believe we are to put it bluntly that we are flaky, crazy, not in touch with reality, and uneducated lunatics. 

Oh sure lots of people go around saying they are open minded and don't stereotype or discriminate, and that they are tired of the patriarchal views dominating the landscape and tired of Christianity foisting their beliefs on everyone but they to fall into the same old traps as the rest.

People can go around spouting about Angels, Jesus speaking to them, and God putting out his hand and enclosing them in a shield and no one blinks an eye.  You can have religious leaders claiming to have visions, snake handling sects that pass rattlesnakes around and people just shrug.

But say you are a Witch and that you do spells?  Automatically people think you are an uneducated, superstitious nutjob.  Or worse they think you run around worshipping evil and wrecking harm and stirring up chaos.

If you are any of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim Sects you can have any farflung, outrageous ideas and at the worst people think you are misguided.  Being a Buddhist or a Hindu is acceptable also.  Even being an Atheist is tolerated.  But claim to be a Witch/Pagan/Wiccan and now you have crossed that line in the sand.  People act like you have lost touch with reality, gone out of your mind and entered the land of delusions.

Apparently praying is acceptable, but doing spells is delusional.  I've said it before and I will say it again, Magic is the ability to connect with the void (void as in Quantum Mechanics) and use that energy to cause a needed change or bring about a desired result.  Why is it so wrong to believe that Deity is female?  A benevolent, loving mother instead of a hateful, vengeful father figure? 

I see these attitudes everywhere.  Groups claiming to be inclusive and wanting to unite everyone, and swearing they are open minded, that is until one announces that they are a Witch/Pagan/Wiccan.
Suddenly they look at you like you have grown 3 heads, and start talking to you as if you were feeble minded, or they ignore you and try to avoid you.

Adjust your attitude please!  The various Pagan paths are growing in numbers as some people realize just how mind numbing and controlling the Patriarchal religions are. Some people search for spiritual growth and a return to the paths that existed before the big 3 of Patriarchy. 

Stop being so judgmental and blind.  Some of you claim you want things to change, I suggest you do some soul searching and start with yourselves.

The Burning Times and other events denied or rewritten.

Oh we all know those folks "Deniers".  They rewrite history or claim it never happened.  We see it all the time even with the recent spate of School shootings.  Someone at InfoWars or Breitbart, or some other conspiracy or denier theorist write a book and claim the event never happened.  Or that it happened but the numbers were inflated and that instead of a million victims there were only 100 or some such nonsense.  Then some conservative scholar decides to jump on the bandwagon and do the same.  Look at what is going on now.  We have people who claim that the Deep State is hiring Crisis Actors and setting up fake school shootings.  Parkland is a perfect example.

The Burning Times is a perfect example.  The Burning times roughly stretched from around 906 A.D. to 1716 A.D.  or a little over 800 years.  The victims were accused of being Witches, heretics, and whatever else the Church could come up with.  Original estimates were placed at around 9 million.  Which sounds still conservative to me.  Entire villages were often wiped out.  One Pope said "Kill them all and let God sort them out".  Nowadays some scholars who I refer to as revisionist claim only between 400 and perhaps 200,000.  See how things get rewritten?  These scholars claim they went through the Witch Hunters notes. Uh huh.  What they tend to forget is there weren't always trials.  The Cathars and the surrounding villagers didn't have a trial.  Right along with numerous other villages.  Many a local Church didn't wait for the Witch hunters, but handled it themselves.  A charge was made and the next thing you know poor Elspeth down at the loch and her family were burnt, or drowned.    Many millions of innocent people lost their lives, and now we want to deny that it happened, or claim the numbers were inflated?  Look people, Evil things happen.  You can downplay it or deny it happened because you are uncomfortable with the idea that people can be that EVIL, but it doesn't change the fact that some people are, and that it happened.

The Holocaust is another example.  Conservative estimates put the number of Jews that were killed at 6 million.  I say conservative because we really aren't sure how many were killed outside of the Concentration or Death Camps.  Nazi Troops would line up people from the villages, make them dig a mass grave, and just shoot them there.  The Nazi's also killed Polish and other Slavic people, the feeble and disabled, LGBT, Catholic Priests and other Christian denominations, anyone that tried to help the Jews, The Gypsies and anyone that wasn't considered of the Aryan Races.  The Non Jewish victims have a conservative estimate of 14 million.  Again we just aren't sure.  Entire villages were wiped out.  But we have people that deny it ever happened, or say the numbers are to inflated.  I would hazard a guess and say that the numbers are too low.  I would place the total numbers around 25 or 30 million.  And that is being conservative.

Denying Evil happened does not make it go away.  Closing your eyes and pretending it didn't happen won't make things change.  16 European countries actually have laws that make it illegal to deny that the Holocaust occurred.  I think it is a great idea.  It's also sad to think that one actually has to have a law because people are so naive, dumb, blind, ignorant and afraid to face the truth.

To deny that millions of people were killed in the Burning times or during the Holocaust is EVIL.  Just like denying that School Shootings, and other Mass killings are occurring is Evil.

Shoot people flipped out a few years back because one publisher of School textbooks tried to put a spin on the African Slave Trade and Slavery in the United States.  They way they tried to rewrite it was there was a shortage of workers on the Southern Plantations and millions of Africans immigrated to North America to fill the shortage.

Facts people, and truth is what causes change.  White washing crimes and what occurred in the past doesn't make it go away.  It just makes people ignorant of the truth.

Reproduction choices and the Patriarchy.

Back through the murky depths of time the Patriarchy arose.  Once men had gained complete control of society, and once they understood that males contributed the sperm to a female's ova to fertilize it and create an embryo which would result in an infant if the pregnancy was not interrupted, they begin to pass rules and laws on a woman's reproductive ability, or to put it bluntly to control a woman's body.

For men, the ability to be virile and fertile was tied into their masculinity.  We see the arise of multiple wives, concubines and women reduced to becoming nothing more than baby machines.  Religions began to enforce this, might I point out these were of course male dominated religions.  Meaning Deity was male, aggressive, hostile, and all about domination and control.

Not only were women locked into a role, but so were men.  Any who refused to buy into this were killed, the excuse being they were offending Deity.  The truth of the matter of course was they were offending the person in power by refusing to abide by, or believe in the narrow and rigid patriarchal rules. 

Over the centuries people were forced and brainwashed into believing that it was wrong to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.  That it was a sin, that it was murder.  When truthfully this was nothing more than a construct of the Patriarchy to retain control of women.

In my family ancestry many a woman has been raped.  My own birth mother at age 16 was raped by an acquaintance of my one Great Aunts.  She was lucky in the fact that she didn't become pregnant.  My Maternal Grandmother at age 12 managed to fight off a would be attacker who happened to be her brother-in-law.  Her mother, believed her but lots of her family didn't, until many, many years later when her sister who was married to the would be attacker admitted that he had molested several young girls.

On my paternal side, my Grandmother's mother, Marianna was raped 3 times during her life.  Each resulted in a pregnancy.  The first occurred in Poland at the hands of a cousin, she actually gave birth on the ship and Uncle Matt was born just before the arrival at the harbor in Philadelphia.   When Grandfather Jacob was killed by the Windber Mining Police, apparently Grandmother was raped when she and the family were thrown out of the house owned by the Mining Company.  A third time occurred a few years later.  Nothing was ever done to any of the rapists. 

Nowadays we see states trying to outlaw Abortions, and to go so far as to pass laws that allow Rapists to have visitation rights, and parental rights with regards to children who were the result of a rape.  But through the usual twist, no state including the one's who give these men these rights, have yet to make them have to pay child support. 

The Christian women, and many a Pagan Woman buy into this reproductive coercion.  We have fake clinics that coerce women into giving birth.  We have propaganda that show pictures that are suppose to be of a fetus.  Said pictures show a teeny tiny, miniature baby that is suppose to be a fetus.  They aren't the actual image.  They are propaganda meant to manipulate people into screaming about abortion being murder.  The Christians swear that the "Thou shall not kill" covers abortion.  When in reality, the Jews didn't consider a fetus a human, in fact they didn't consider a baby a human until it was alive for 30 days. Meaning once a baby was born and was alive for an entire 30 days was it considered a human being.  Several other cultures throughout the world also believed similar things.

No one should be forced to carry a pregnancy.  I don't want to hear about adoption either.  There are hundreds of thousands of children that are in foster care.  The very idea that a woman should be forced to have a baby so that someone else may pick and choose through the available infants sounds like a stock sale to me. 

Choice people means the ability to make a decision for one's self.  It means to have more than one option.  Each and every person has the right to control their own body and make decisions about it for themselves. 

We need to educate people on Sex and Pregnancy.  I seriously know grown Women who are ignorant about this stuff.  No the pullout method is not infallible.  Yes you can become pregnant the first time you have sex.  And so on.  We need to make birth control easily available. 

I also believe that not everyone has the right to reproduce.  That's right.  If someone is mentally deficient or intellectually challenged they shouldn't reproduce.  If you can't take care of yourself, how can you take care of a child?  I am tired of the extremists on both ends of the spectrum.  Common sense folks.  If you have to many children at the same time, you can't give them the nurturing they need.  I know someone that has 4 all under the age of 6.  She finally hired someone to come in and help her with the children and the housework.  If you have to do that you have to many kids.   Too many people think that God demands they repopulate the earth. 

Stop minding someone else's body and choices and pay attention to your own!!   

Basic Astrology, or The Horoscope Mandela.

I had a friend ask in the past about astrology and the horoscope mandela.  So here is a basic lesson on such.  Hope it helps you.

The horoscope mandela is a circle of 360 degrees. It is divided into 12 segments known as houses. Now we hear the term natural house and what that means, is in the horoscope mandela (NOT someone's birth chart) that each sign occurs in a house. The natural house signs and planets are the following:

1st house= Aries and it's ruling planet of Mars. The first house is an angular house.

2nd house = Taurus and it's ruling planet of Venus. The second house is a succedent house.

The 3rd house = Gemini and it's ruling planet of Mercury. The third house is a cadent house.

4th house = Cancer and it's ruling planet of the Moon. The 4th is an angular house.

5th house=Leo and it's ruling planet the Sun. The 5th is a succedent house.

6th house=Virgo and it's ruling planet is Mercury. The 6th house is a cadent house.

7th house = Libra and it's ruling planet is Venus. The 7th house is a angular house.

8th house = Scorpio and it's ruling planet Pluto. The 8th is a succedent house.

9th house = Sagittarius and it's ruling planet Jupiter. The 9th is a cadent house.

10h house = Capricorn and it's ruling planet Saturn. The 10th is a angular house.

11 house = Aquarius and it's ruler Uranus. The 11th is a succedent house.

12th house=Pisces and it's ruler Neptune. The 12th is a cadent house.

In the horoscope mandela The angular houses also equal 4 important locations. The cusp of the 1st =ascendant, Cusp of the 4th = IC (Imum Coeli), Cusp of the 7th = Descendant, and the Cusp of the 10th = the midheaven.

Depending upon what system is used when a birthchart is cast, depends on rather or not this same system shows up as in the natural mandela.

Angular houses are involved with power, activity and initiative.

The Succedent houses of 2, 5, 8, and 11 are concerned with trying to succeed at what is started by the angular houses.

The Cadent houses of 3, 6, 9, and 12 are concerned with learning, communicating and doing.

The ascendant is how you appear to others.

The first house represents self, the personality

The second house shows and represents possessions and finances and how one views them

The third house represents short journeys, siblings, neighbors, learning and communication.

The IC represents basically your sum total of ancestors, past incarnations, your inherited abilities and gifts, and such.

The fourth house represents basically your home and family and how that correlates to you.

The fifth house represents, love affairs, children, things you do for pleasure and fun and creativeness.

The 6th house represents health, work, fellow workers, and service to others.

The descendant basically represents the type of person you are attracted to and partnerships and relationships.

The 7th house represents your relationship with others be it lovers, enemies, your partner, or the public.

The 8th house represents finances and resources of others including inheritances, deaths, endings, beginnings, regeneration and transformation, sex, and emotional style.

The 9th represents expansion of self, be it through religion, travel, learning or experiences. Travel and journeys, law, religion and philosophy.

The Midheaven represents the public sector and self. Job, career, your reputation, your life path and so on.

The 10th represents your career or job, your reputation, the parent you wish to impress, your achievements and the government.

The 11th represents the amount of love you receive, groups you belong to, friends and acquaintances, and long term plans and goals.

The 12th represents that which is hidden including enemies, the subconscious, illnesses, sacrifices you make or are willing to make, large institutions such as hospitals, asylums, prisons and possibility of staying in such. It also represents self sabotage, and fears.

So cardinal signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. Fixed are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Mutable is Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces. Cardinal signs are bossy, and like to be in charge. Fixed Signs really don't like change, they prefer things to go smooth and linear. Mutable signs adapt easily to change and they like change. 
In the natural mandela Cardinal is angular, Succedent is fixed and Cadent is mutable .

Witches and feminism.

Witches have long been advocates of feminism. The term that some women embrace, and others use like an insult.  So just what is feminism?  Glad you asked.

According to Merriam-Webster Feminism is:The Theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.  Also: Organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests.

Wikipedia defines it as: Feminism is a range of political movements, ideologies, and social movements that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve political, economic, personal, and social equality of sexes.This includes seeking to establish educational and professional opportunities for women that are equal to those for men.

Gee, sounds like something that a lot of women believe in, and one would assume that most women would agree with. Including but not limited to the following.

So, if you think that as a woman you have the right to vote, then guess what you are a feminist!
If you think that as a woman you should have the right to work, you are a feminist!
If you think that you as a woman doing the very same job as a man doing the same job entitles you to the same pay and benefits as a man then you are a feminist!
If you think that women should be educated, guess what, you are a feminist!
If you think that a man should not be able to rape you or force you to have sex, I think you are a feminist.
If you think that you should be able to drive a car, have a bank account and credit cards of your own, you are a feminist.
If you think that you have the right to control your own body, and make decisions regarding your own health and reproductive choices, by golly you are a feminist.
If you believe that you have the right to decide who and when or if you will marry, you are a feminist.
If you believe that your husband or significant other doesn't have the right to beat you or to discipline you, you are a feminist.

I have heard women who are interested in following the Witch/Wiccan/Pagan paths claim they weren't in to all that feminist stuff.  Which always makes me wonder what draws them.  If they think that the Craft is all about revenge and controlling others, than they have it all wrong.

Witches have always been feminist.  Believers in equality and rights for all.  I have said it before and I will say it again, Knowledge is power.  Know what the word means.  Know what the truth is.  Don't fall for the lies of the Patriarchy and the various lies of the Patriarchal, male dominated churches and religions.  Use your brains ladies and think. 

This is what an American looks like.

I have a rich and multiracial heritage.  But that is what the United States is all about.  Embracing diversity, encouraging education and innovation.  Believing that we all regardless of gender, race or ethnicity have rights, and have things to contribute to the world.

On my paternal side I am half Polish.  My paternal Grandfather came to the United States from Poland in 1912.  My paternal Grandmother was a first generation American.  Her parents came a few years before Grandfather.  And they were all Gorel Mountain Folk from the Tatra Mountain.  The Zakopane area.

On my maternal side I am Irish, Welsh, English, Scottish, French, Scandinavian, Swiss, German, Austrian, Native American, Shawnee to be precise, Afro American, area unknown, Italian, Dutch, Greek, and Spanish.  I think I covered it all.  I come from common folk, aristocracy, and a few royal genes throw in for good measure. 

Some ancestors were here already, meaning my Shawnee, others came to Jamestown and some caught a ride on the Mayflower.  Some came as indentured servants.  Some were slaves.  Some were wealthy plantation owners in the South, some were small farmers. Some were legislators and lawyers, many were craftsmen.  Some signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  Many fought in the Revolutionary War and many fought in different wars and conflicts.  From East Coast to West Coast they lived.  Midwest, New England, the Southern States my ancestors and relatives lived.

They believed in freedom, courage and they loved this nation.  They all believed in and encouraged education and this nation as a refuge for the poor and downtrodden. 

The United States they envisioned and worked towards was filled with opportunity and equality for all regardless of religious affiliation, or gender, ethnicity or race.  Their battle cry was not Whites only, nor Christians only.  They didn't want a theocracy, nor a kleptocracy.  They envisioned a safe harbor filled with plenty and prosperity.  They wanted to be free of fear of the various churches.  Free of the fear of dictators and tyrants. 

We need to be caretakers and guardians of not only the earth and its animals and plants and trees.  But also guardians and caretakers of our Ancestors dreams for the United States. 



 

Reproductive coercion. It should be illegal.

Reproductive coercion?  What is that you ask.  Glad you asked, let's discuss it.

Reproductive coercion is when someone is tricked, and forced into creating, and/or becoming pregnant and carrying that fetus.

Now females can do it to men.  You know the gal who decides if she gets pregnant even though the guy doesn't want any children, so she can keep him, that's reproductive coercion.  The gal that tells her guy he doesn't need a condom cause she's on the pill, when she isn't just so she can get pregnant and keep him, that's reproductive coercion.

Guys who decide that if they get their gal pregnant so they can keep her and they throw away her pills, or poke holes in the condom, or tell her they are sterile or had a vasectomy, that's reproductive coercion.

It doesn't matter if you are married or not.  It's still coercion.

Those pro lifers who are against abortion?  Those religious folks screaming about abortions?  Those laws that limit or prohibit abortion?  Those people and organizations that are against birth control and abortions and get laws passed to make them illegal?  Reproductive Coercion!

So let me make this clear, when you deliberately get a female pregnant and she doesn't want to be pregnant you are using Reproductive Coercion.  If female, and you lie or trick a male into making you pregnant, and he doesn't want a child, you are using Reproductive Coercion.

Any person, organization or government that forces any female to carry a pregnancy that she doesn't want to term is using Reproductive Coercion.  You are taking away someone's option.  Forcing them to be a parent, or to reproduce for someone else.  I don't care what you think the Bible said, or Jesus supposedly said, or God supposedly said, or your Pastor supposedly said, you are forcing someone to do something against their will.  You are taking away their right to have a choice.

Back in the days of slavery, it was very common for slave owners to use slaves like studs and brood mares.  Just so they had a bigger pool of slaves.  It was control, and it was coercion.

Its wrong.  It should be illegal.

What Witches do.

Just as there are many types of Christians, there are many types of Witches.  Now I consider myself a Traditional Witch.  Meaning not a Wiccan.  So what did and what do Traditional Witches do?  Here are some of them.

Healing.  We are healers of physical ailments through the use of herbs, spices, nutrition and spells.  A few centuries ago we were the village healers and wise women.  We were the holistic doctors, midwives and nurses.  We also help heal from soul illnesses, and help heal your spirit.  We are and were psychologists and psychiatrists who helped heal you from trauma.  

We help you find your talents and skills and encourage you to increase your potential. We help you realize your dreams.  And speaking of dreams, we know how to discourage nightmares, and if need be, how to send them.  We can help you understand what a dream means.

We help with protection.  Spells for protection from psychic attacks, and from actual physical attacks.  We will encourage you to go to law enforcement.  We will give you spells for justice and if need be for retribution.

We encourage you to find your own spiritual path and will help you find the one that suits you.  

We will help you understand what probable paths and outcomes you are on or will have through various means of divination.

We will help you understand prosperity and abundance and give you spells to increase yours if need be.  We will help you to understand that having an overabundant amount of worldy goods does not mean you are good and righteous, but many times is a symptom of a person who thinks that material goods are an indication of success or one who is never satisfied unless they are living up to the expectations of others.

We will encourage you to develop a relationship with the natural world around you.  And to understand that we are all connected.

We will fight against suppression, and fight for the poor and weak. We fight for the planet and all her non human inhabitants.

We also understand that balance in all areas of our lives is a must, and that knowledge of self, others, and the world around us gives us power.  We seek truth in all things.  We know that we must love ourself and understand ourself.  We need to know our own strengths and weaknesses.  The good, and the bad and ugly that resides in all of us.  

We know that no spiritual path or religion is right for everyone, there is no one size fits all, and that everyone is on a different level and path.  We know that the easiest way and path is sometimes the wrong one.  

We understand that sometimes we have to get nasty, and fight fire with fire.  That sending light and love doesn't always work.  Sometimes you have to use a bit heavier methods.  

We don't care if you are LGBT or have sex outside of marriage.  We just ask that you be responsible and own what you do.  We try not to judge others, and tend to have a live and let live attitude.  Until you try and force your beliefs on us and others.  Then the gloves come off.  We don't care if you have an abortion or 10 kids, we just expect you to be able to take care of and provide for your offspring.  That's your job, and your responsibility.

Helping others, protecting others and promoting knowledge.  That's what we do.