Oms for Mid-Autumn IV

The 9 Virtues of Druidry

Joseph Villalobos

Wisdom, Piety, Vision, Courage, Integrity, Perseverance, Hospitality, Moderation, and Fertility.

Stregheria or Benedicaria?

"The real tradition is called Benedicaria (blessing). The word streghe means an evil witch, one who practices black magic. The word maga means a good "witch" who practices healings, cleansings and blessings. I put the word "witch" in quotes because they do not call themselves witches. The real Italian folk magic is Christian, not pagan." -- TheStarfkr, YouTube user

I don't like pointless debates on semantics, which the above was a part. How about "Regional/Chronological Pre-Christian Italian Pagan Reconstructionism?"  There aren't enough of us to afford to be so picky and choosy.

Exploring local legends and folklore

Wherever you may live, you're in a good position to explore local folklore and sites. There could be parallels and overlaps to things that you may feel close to or a part of. There are underused locations with reading rooms, archives, records, libraries, and research tools. The following two links are good examples of local legends and stories.

'Top 10 Tales of Witchcraft in Illinois'

'Myths and Mysteries of Wisconsin' (Michael Bie; 2012)



Raven Grimassi on Coast to Coast AM from 10/26/15

Conflict October

He's always an interesting interview or speaker. I've noticed that the best people in the pagan folk reconstructionist movement(s) are the ones most criticized, and usually by the smallest people. They virtually always have a snooty attitude about their own precious little paradigm that they've drawn up for themselves. Raven Grimassi has said over and over that there were many "ways" that were splintered, regionalized, or carried on in certain families after centuries of mass persecution.






Angelic female cat saves human baby boy abandoned in the snow

Often people give examples of some human interest story to "restore faith in humanity." Well, how about the humbling example of an angel of mercy in the form of an animal; with more heart and class than a huge number of humanity....

Hero cat rescues baby dumped in street by climbing in box to keep it warm in freezing conditions 
 
The Golden Phoenix

A long-haired tabby cat has been hailed a hero after finding an abandoned baby in a street and climbing in the box he had been left in to protect him from the cold.

As well as making sure the three-month-old didn't freeze to death, the moggy raised the alarm by crying out to make people aware of the boy's presence.

Irina Lavrova, 68, who lives near to where the tot was dumped in Obinsk, Russia, was throwing out rubbish when she heard Masha the cat meowing near the bins.

She went over to check Masha - a communal cat - was all right, and could not believe her eyes when she saw the baby boy lying among next to the moggy.

"Masha is a communal cat who everyone takes turns in looking after," she said.

"She is very placid and friendly so when I heard her mewing I thought that perhaps she had injured herself because normally she would have come and said hello to me.

"You can imagine my shock when I saw her lying in a box next to a baby.

"Clearly her mothering instincts had taken over and she wanted to protect the child.

"He was well-dressed with a little hat and whoever left him here had even left a few nappies and some baby food."

The baby boy was taken by ambulance to hospital where he was given a check up and declared fit and healthy.

A hospital spokesman said: "The baby had only been outside for a few hours and thanks to Masha and the child’s clothing he was not damaged by the experience."

Now residents in the area have hailed Masha a hero.

Irina said: "Everyone in the block is very proud of her and we have all spoilt her rotten by giving her her favourite food."

A police spokesman said officers were looking into the case and had launched a search for the baby’s mother.

Hero cat rescues baby dumped in street by climbing in box to keep it warm in freezing conditions. Stray Russian Cat Called Masha Saves Baby Boy Abandoned In The Cold By Keep Him Warm. Stray cat 'saves' Russian baby abandoned in freezing hallway by keeping him warm. She's my furry godmother: Stray cat 'saves' Russian baby abandoned in freezing hallway by keeping him warm. Russia: Masha the stray cat hailed for saving newborn baby abandoned in freezing hallway. Masha the Hero Cat: Stray cat saves Russian baby abandoned in freezing hallway by keeping him warm. Homeless Russian Cat 'Saves' Abandoned Baby Boy. Russian Stray Cat Saved A Baby's Life By Keeping Him Warm In The Cold! Hero Cat Saves Baby by Cuddling Up to It in a Box in Freezing Cold. Heroic stray cat saves abandoned baby from freezing.




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"Video Astronomy"

Above, an amazing one minute video footage of Jupiter taken by the YouTube channel Victor matos goiano.

Although I live in an urbanized area, I am able to stargaze due to what I refer to as an "island of stars" above the adjacent county park. Everything visible in the night sky is from our own Galaxy, the Milky Way. Apparently, some of the stars are so far away that they no longer exist, and we can merely see their light from long ago. The planets we see are in real time, which makes them exciting to watch. You would think that these videos would have a huge number of hits.

Below, all from the Victor matos goiano channel, are one minute videos of Saturn, Mars, and a crescent Moon with Venus:











Below, from the edutelescopios channel, are the two stars of Alpha Centauri (A and B); the closest stars beyond the Earth:





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Oms for Mid-Autumn III

Science and Magick

"Everything we don't understand is magic, until we understand it. Until we understand it, and master it." -- Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein in 'Frankenstein Created Woman'.

Blogs are dead?

I've heard a number of times that "blogs are dead," and "nobody reads them." First of all, who ever said that quantity is always the desired result? Someone may only be attempting to reach a very specific audience. This blog has received 81,293 page views. Recently on Red Ice Radio, Stephen McNallen said in regards to the constant urging by the mainstream--to him or any of us--to read some celebrity "tweat." He said that he doesn't know them, care about them, and probably wouldn't even like them... and vice-versa. If you think about it, are they even remotely part of your community?

Perhaps someone who has a blog for the expressed purpose of their own "fandom"... those blogs may be dead. However, just the idea that someone thinks that quantity is better than quality says something just in of itself. I remember some years ago when "Ysabella Brave" was one of the new stars of YouTube, and she had all of this fame including a record contract. Then she became ill, had most of her videos pulled by YouTube for copyright infringement, and couldn't take advantage of her record deal... most of her "fans" forgot about her overnight.

There are still many people who aren't very interested in hipsters, fads, and fleeting things. I recall Hengest of the Odinic Rite saying "fast food, fast values." I think we all need to search ourselves in order to find our true self. Most people even censor their own thoughts, in their own mind! Whose approval are you really seeking? We need to look at our own behavior. Is this who we really are? If you asked me if I think it's strange to see a line of middle aged men seeking the autograph of a star college athlete... yeah I think that's strange.

Childhood's End

With a mini-series based on the Arthur C. Clarke novel coming to Syfy next month, I remembered the strange quote at the beginning of the John Keel book 'The Mothman Prophecies'....

"There was no mistake. The leathery wings, the little horns, the barbed tail--all were there. The most terrible of all legends had come to life, out of the unknown past. Yet now it stood smiling, in ebon majesty, with the sunlight gleaming upon its tremendous body, and with a human child resting trustfully on either arm." -- Arthur C. Clarke, 'Childhood's End, 1953

"A Christian country"... yes or no?

Some people have it down that America's Founding Fathers were Christian fundamentalists who founded a "Christian Republic"; while others are totally convinced that they were actually Deists who only loosely adhered to a "God" at all. Unfortunately, there isn't a simple answer, and the closed-minded Hegelian determination of Christian fundamentalists and Atheists only add to the confusion. It is true that the country was to be Republic... a Democratic-Republic. Not a despotic pure-Republic, nor a totalitarian pure-Democracy. We can't even get that down pat, never mind the religious question.

From its Puritanical roots, Christianity grew powerful in America after the Founding Fathers were gone. For example, the Scottish and Scotch-Irish origin of the Bible Belt was different than that of the English Puritans. They may have both been Protestants and Americans, but their journey was different. The Founding Fathers did seem to have been mostly Deists, who realized the importance of the concept of "freedom of religion." The concept of American colonists with a musket in one hand and a Bible in the other is at least partly fiction I think; although it was probably more-or-less true during the nineteenth century.

The Treaty of Tripoli was a 1796 treaty between the United States of America and the Ottoman-ruled Tripolitania along the North African coast. It was in regards to the piracy of American trading vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. The legal formation of the USA occurred during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, therefore the government of 1796 would have had a very clear idea of what the intent of this Republic really was all about. Probably in an effort to diffuse any religious tension, the following words were put within this treaty from the American side.... "the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."

I wouldn't hang my hat on that quote with absolutism, but it is pretty clear. It probably said more about "separation of church and state" than about the general culture of the USA. However, it is very strong evidence against the idea of a "Christian Republic." The word "God" doesn't appear in the Constitution. My guess is that the Founding Fathers wouldn't recognize Christian fundamentalism, cultural Marxism, monopoly Capitalism, radical Atheism, the military-industrial complex, Globalism, the United Nations, treaties overriding American laws and sovereignty, or any foreign entanglements as having anything to do with freedom or a Democratic Republic from the standpoint of their collective intent. When willful movements with monetary backing grow, so does their imagination of who and what they are. They alter history as it suits them.

Adopt a forest

I've brought up this idea in different forms, but to finally be more explicit, a small group of people (family, clan, or coven) could just adopt an open area near them as a sacred place. A location of spiritual centering. A hub where you can serve as part-caretakers of the land and animals. One time at one of the gated openings to one such location, I saw where someone had broken some beer bottles. Green glass was everywhere. The next morning I came back with latex gloves, a small shovel, and a bucket. I spent about an hour cleaning up the mess. Thankfully, it didn't happen again. If I had just left it, then it would have eventually been stomped and kicked into the soil. Almost always, people who hike the trails are good about not dropping garbage. Actually, hikers at large are among the better class of people period.

The cool crisp air of November really suits me. The days tend to have a dark shadowy tint to them, whether dark and cloudy.. or even sunny. The nights are clearer, darker, and with more stars visible. I love that I live near a sizable county park. Just last night I could hear coyotes howling again as I gazed out the open window... into the wonderful black abyss..

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Oms for Mid-Autumn II

'Autumn Wind' by Kellianna

 

Album 'I Walk with the Goddess'
℗ 2007 Kellie A. Girouard
Released on: 2007-01-01
"Autumn Wind" by Kellianna (Google Play • eMusic • iTunes • AmazonMP3)

Kellianna.com (Kellianna Girouard) 

 

Bio

Kellianna is an American Neo-Celtic artist internationally renowned for her powerful and oftentimes explosive performance of song and chant inspired by myth, magic, sacred places and ancient times. With guitar and vocals this storyteller brings to life the glories and sagas of the Gods and Goddesses. With frame drum and chant she honors the Earth and the Ancestors via primal drumming and stunning vocals.

She is a certified teacher of SpiritSong, a powerful tool for freeing your voice, for accessing the authentic sound that is you, and for entering into Spirit. Kellianna has performed her music and facilitated workshops at venues in 9 countries on 3 continents over her 10 year journey as a SpiritSong instructor.

Created by Author, composer, singer and sound-healer Shawna Carol, “SpiritSong,” is a unique approach to singing and toning based on a method of “singing without words;” a powerful technique that permits us to reconnect to the most primal form of singing. SpiritSong is based on the premise that singing has two primary purposes: first, to release any dis-ease we are carrying and second, to connect us with the Creative Source. SpiritSong uses the voice to sound what you are feeling in the moment and this unlocks your power and unique beauty.

Discography:
Lady Moon 2004
I Walk with the Goddess 2007
Elemental 2010
The Ancient Ones 2012
Traditions 2013
www.kellianna.com
kellianna@kellianna.com
PO Box 902
Wendell, MA 01379

I thought it was interesting that on the old Northern Runes Radio blog, they featured and praised Kelliana on one post. It's possible that they may have misinterpreted her to be perhaps an Asutrar, but it's more likely that they saw her as being of a like-tradition. This type of connection and mutual respect is good. I first became familiar with her when she was a guest on a Raven Grimassi (and wife) podcast some time ago. Apparently she is of Irish and Sicilian ancestry, and is a native of Massachusetts.

I saw on the Kellianna.com under events, where she is holding a two-week tour of sacred sites in the British Isles called "Walking with the Goddess 2016: A Sacred Journey to Avalon with Kellianna." The eighteen hundred dollar registration is already closed. The things we could do if time, money, and responsibilities were not obstacles! I don't know exactly what specific "path" she adheres to. Another interesting concept that I came across is that I have heard that some covens or eclectic groups use Kellianna's lyrics for rituals.

Adopting your own local sacred sites

One doesn't have to travel far and wide to make connection with "sacred sites." There are probably many sites or potential places close to you which you may not be aware of or haven't considered. Right off the top of my head, there is a website called LabyrinthLocator.com, where you can find labyrinths close to you. I know of one very close-by which is not listed there, and which I'm not in a big hurry to make it public. Places with the remains of relatives and friends have obvious meaning. The sky's the limit. You don't need any special permission or reason for adopting a sacred site.

The spiritual side

of nostalgia

I came across a very thought-provoking quote recently, but just because it's though-provoking doesn't mean that I agree with it completely. However, it's great food for thought.

"The problem with nostalgia is what we tend to do is only remember what you liked and you forget the parts you didn't." -- John Edwards

The opposite could be true. Someone could focus on the negative aspects of anything. Nostalgia can be part of a healing process. If something wasn't what you wanted it to be, you could lean from it, you could see the good within it, and you can plan your future with ideas from that "good." I can think of only four people in my life whom I have truly "forgiven." Forgiveness isn't my specialty. However, true forgiveness can be celebrated, over and over.

Nostalgia can be an almost magickal process in which you can pick-and-choose. It can be a way to extract people, places, things, and concepts and put a positive energy spin on it. This, of course, is in response to the point of view of the above quote. 90% of the time, things are never as good or as bad as you think they are. Even beyond merely learning from mistakes; sometimes you must "lose" in order to "win."

Nostalgia sometimes can be the dream of what we thought should have been. It may be our own internal propaganda; to "cheat a little" in order to heal the past. Exaggerating one thing a bit, while downplaying another. Of course, if everything went well, then this isn't necessary. However, we all have our own spiritual needs and ways of processing experiences. Two siblings may grow up in the same home, under the same conditions; yet they could grow up with different versions or interpretations of their childhood.

New "...evidence of alternate, parallel universes"

'Study may have found evidence of alternate, parallel universes'

[MSN.com via USA Today; see link for video]

Prepare to have your mind blown.
An astrophysicist says he may have found evidence of alternate or parallel universes by looking back in time to just after the Big Bang more than 13 billion years ago.

While mapping the so-called "cosmic microwave background," which is the light left over from the early universe, scientist Ranga-Ram Chary found what he called a mysterious glow, the International Business Times reported.
 
Chary, a researcher at the European Space Agency's Planck Space Telescope data center at CalTech, said the glow could be due to matter from a neighboring universe "leaking" into ours, according to New Scientist magazine.

"Our universe may simply be a region within an eternally inflating super-region," scientist Chary wrote in a recent study in the Astrophysical Journal.
 
"Many other regions beyond our observable universe would exist with each such region governed by a different set of physical parameters than the ones we have measured for our universe," Chary wrote in the study.

While the findings sound promising and have already gained the attention of other astronomers, as Russia Today (RT) reported, it could be quite complicated to verify, since the Planck telescope provides limited data for further study.

"Unusual claims like evidence for alternate universes require a very high burden of proof," Chary noted in the study.

The Order of Bards, 

Ovates and Druids

The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids is a worldwide group dedicated to practising, teaching, and developing Druidry as a valuable and inspiring spirituality.

The Order was founded in Britain over 50 years ago by the historian and poet Ross Nichols, aided by the writer and founder of the Tolkien Society Vera Chapman, and fellow members of the Ancient Druid Order, which developed during the early years of the last century out of the Druid Revival which began about three hundred years ago.

The Order is essentially a Mystery School and community, and the term ‘order’ is derived from the tradition of magical orders rather than from the tradition of religious orders. Neither the Order nor Druidry is a cult. A cult revolves around a personality, a charismatic leader, or a particular deity or saint. The Order and Druidry have none of these characteristics.

Both the Feminine and the Masculine principles are celebrated and represented in the Order’s teachings and membership. The Order is not patriarchal or biased in favour of men – many women are in leadership roles and over half the membership is female.

The self-description goes on to say basically that they're not "folkish," and that they're open to members of other religions. I do agree with the latter, as someone may see and admire something (for them) as "a tradition" or "a philosophy"... rather than "a religion."

Historically, this tradition was strongest in the British Isles and Gaul, but seemed to have been present in some form in what is now the German-speaking regions and Iberia, and possibly in the northern stretches of the Italian peninsula and elsewhere. The OBOD has a segment in Italy (http://www.druidry.it/).

Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (Wikipedia)

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Oms for Mid-Autumn

Venus

Venus is always brighter than all other planets or stars as seen from Earth. Even Jupiter, the second-brightest object in this image, never matches the brightness of Venus. Venus is always brighter than any star (apart from the Sun).Venus is always brighter than all other planets or stars as seen from Earth. Even Jupiter, the second-brightest object in this image, never matches the brightness of Venus. Venus is always brighter than any star (apart from the Sun).

Venus is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. The Islamic "crescent moon" symbol is actually a symbol of the planet Venus, which displays it's own occasional crescent. Venus, Earth, and Mars are the second, third, and fourth planets from the Sun. Mars was named after Mars, the Roman god of war. I suspect that the "men are from Mars, women are from Venus" concept is actually based on certain energetic qualities, and perhaps a lot more. The symbols of each are the same as the symbols of the male and female genders.

Modern humanity disports these energies as they pertain to us, and those energies must just laugh as we hopelessly attempt to fight the balance of nature. Monopoly Capitalism and Cultural Marxism are the most comical such attempts to disrupt the balance of energies that guide us and our planet. If not, then they would not need coercion, propaganda, force, laws, and punishment to enforce what is proper and just?

Alpha Centauri

The Sun is "our star." Occasionally, when the late afternoon Sun is bright and partially obscured by foliage, we can look at it and marvel at this great fireball in the sky. However, what is our next closest star/solar system? It's called Alpha Centauri.

The Sun is the closest star to Earth, about 93 million miles away. The Sun's nearest neighbor, Alpha Centauri, is actually a triple-star system —three stars bound together by gravity. Alpha Centauri A and B are two bright, closely orbiting stars with a distant, dim companion, Proxima Centauri.

It's very curious to me that this star system consists of two stars and one red dwarf star. Saturn, regardless if it's supposed to be some type of "secret" or not, was once a dwarf star only a few thousand years ago. One of the Alpha Centauri stars has a unique bluish color to it, reminding me of the "blue flame" of a small blow torch.

This system is 4.367 light years away, which shows how vast space really is.. if the closest star from the Sun would take perhaps many centuries to reach. One really weird concept, which has arisen in scientific circles, is that with man and machine merging... a person could be assigned for one of these journeys after such a merger in whatever form that may take.

Alpha Centauri (Wikipedia)

Coulrophobia

Coulrophobia is defined as an abnormal fear of clowns. The term appeared in the mid 1980's, and is believed to originate from the Greek term for stilt walkers, and, of course, phobia - meaning fear or anxiety.

It is thought the fear itself comes from a revulsion of things similar to human form, yet exaggerated, or not perfect. Plus, clowns are just damned creepy...
 
I think that this idea really sprang from the serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who had been a clown. He called himself "Pogo the Clown," and actually worked as a clown, entertained, children, etc. This gave rise to a large number of popular themes in horror movies since that time. A search of "pogo the clown" would show a photo of him giving an almost evil grin as if out've a B-horror flick... although I would rather not post it here. I only mention it because I had posted something about this subject prior to making the full connection.

Singing coyotes

A few evenings ago, I had my window open and could hear that I thought were dogs howling. Since it was after 9 PM, I knew this was unlikely. Clearly, these were coyotes; giving us a reminder that the wild spirit hasn't disappeared from the area. The local variety here are more golden brown in color. I've seen them numerous times this past year.

A warm Halloween story

Be sure to watch the video too!

'Reverse trick-or-treat' brings Halloween to Lowell boy

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