Requiem Of An Unlived Life With A Wild Wolf Spirit: Living With A Wolf Spirit Inside

Let Your Wild Wolf Spirit Grow and Expand

There are many in the world today and many in the world of the past who have felt they have not lived a "full" life. The below poem is about such a person that has a wild spirit within that is caged by the limits of the mind and body.

Many times a reevaluation of what we consider to be an unlived life, as described within this poem, will reveal that we have, in fact, lived a pretty full life. We will find that there are blessings there and experiences there that are very unique to us and us alone.

Many have that wild wolf spirit contained within. Learning how to unleash it will vary from person to person. At times our expectations of how to release this wild wolf spirit could be misleading. Again, evaluate things more closely. Look for avenues to release that wild wolf spirit that is within the grasp of how you are living your life at the moment. It is possible!

Tribute to the wolves - Freedom

My eyes are filled with unshed tears

I stand alone and try to weep

To mourn the passing mist of time

But they do not fall and still I keep.

My screams locked away within my chest

Along with the spirit young and free

Wild as the unchained winds of time

That unclaimed, lost, wild part of me.

I long to have a warrior’s heart

To roam this world as an unchained one

But I look back upon my life

And see so much still left undone.

I live a life vicarious

I live a life of rules and laws

A wolf soul lives within my heart

But with weak and blunted teeth and claws.

I live the life of others

Safely caged in walls of ink

For I fear to live a life unbounded

Lest like a stone I fall and sink.

Into a lake of unmourned ones

And pass without the tears of friends

And so my life slips softly by

As was my beginning so shall it be my end.

I live a life of safety

Held within myself

Without the courage to drain the world

Of all its beauty, joy and wealth.

I will live forgotten

And I will die unknown

To the world beyond my sphere

Of my job, my friends and my home.

Who will mourn my passing?

Who will shed a tear?

At the passing of a meek, chained one

Who lived his life awash in fear?

I have not lived my life

My life has not lived me

And I will pass into the void

Of dark and silent obscurity.

Perhaps I will not ever unchain

The wild wolf spirit inside me.

Freedom is what the Wolf's Spirit is all about.

The Story of Two Wolves courtesy of Esta Weiss, Pagan and Proud of It Art

Vampires or Vampyres: The Immortal Ones

Vampyre From Myth and Lore

They walk in the dark spaces, between the shadows and are never here,

They do as they wish, with no fear, regret or care of who you hold dear.

They are the warriors from ancient times past,

The ones who live for ever more and beyond.

Dark souls filled with immortality

Hunters of humanity....

Dealers in sorid tragedy.

Vampyre straight from myth and lore.

They live with heightened passion, hot and pure ecstasy divine,

No care for you or self, loyal to kindred only for all time.

Blood is their fuel and breath of life,

Loyalty to kin being their only law.

Intrigue is their pleasure and delight,

They kill at their leisure with no thought in sight.

Your fate is their treasure.

Vampyre straight from lore.

They walk amongst the world of humans, seen, but never there.

Sanguine or the psychic arts, they really have no care.

Reality and fiction combine creating sublime,

Did you feel their touch last evening, dark and cold?

Feel safe as you walk the path mundane,

Once you meet one you will never be the same,

We are the only ones able to play the true game.

Vampyre. Down to the core...........

This is my thoughts on Vampires, or with the popular and trendy spelling of Vampyres. I write and share this without any first hand knowledge of ever knowing a vampyre or vampire. My insight comes from various movies, television shows, numerous books and talking to others.

Often times I have wondered how it would be to be a vampyre or vampire. To live to never die, well that is a nice concept. However it would seem that one would eventually get tired or bored. I mean after about 500 years, there would not be a whole lot more you could experience one would think. Of course history always offers new experiences, so I may have to rethink that one.

I would not mind the blood thing if it was not human blood..well I think anyway, if it meant immortality. I know that I have heard of some vampires/vampyres that drink animal blood. I would reason this would not be much different than eating a very rare steak and such.

However, at this time, I do believe that I will simply continue life as a mortal and just let my imagination play with the thoughts of vampires and or vampyres.

Conceit Can Be An Author's Downfall

Don't Let Success Inflate Your Ego By Being Rude To Others

For years I have been writing and publishing articles under various "pen" names. Many have been very successful, shared and referenced by others. Others have been used with permission in books, studies and in schools.

There is not a day that goes by that I do not get numerous emails regarding my articles. Of course I am impressed and do pat myself on my back. But one thing I DO NOT do is act conceited towards others. That encompasses in comment, in email, in articles or in my profile that I may have anywhere. You will never find where I have put myself up on a pedestal, posing as being above any other being on this planet.

However, I see authors daily, who have become successful, and then they put themselves up on a pedestal as the "all knowing" person, and post such things about being arrogant, grumpy, and how they have no time for others unless they are respected for being the All Knowing Author. They will further be short and rude in comments on articles and in community forums. They try to leave the thought that you should feel privileged that they took their "valuable" time to read your material and commented with their negative comment.

You will find them in all online communities. I have yet to find one community where this group of the All Knowings do not exist. Maybe they belong to an All Knowing Author's Union, the AKAU of the Universe or something similar.

I will say this, when these Kings and Queens of the All Knowing stop by and leave such garbage on any of my articles, wherever they may be found, I will do several things no matter what stats you show on your profile. I will delete the comment, unfollow you if I follow you, and unlink to any of your articles I may have referenced in any of my articles. I will further block you on the site, Facebook, Twitter, etc., or wherever else I may have you. I refuse for you and your "success" to piggyback on myself or my material.

Now I am sure that this will raise some hairs being I am posting this on a site filled with authors, however, I was going to post this on my personal site, but wanted to share it where it would get more viewership, and I feel that HP offers that.

Don't get me wrong, I am always open to constructive types of comments, and please do point things out. I learn from all comments with the exclusion of what I have referenced in this hub. I enjoy responding to all comments, emails, and all communications and am well known to take the time to respond to all. This does not come out of conceit, but out of compassion and the love of doing so.

Please note I never specified any community, site or forum by name, nor will I. This is just a heads up for all who pop in from all over the web and read this along with my articles wherever you find them.

How To Store Herbs For Year Round Use: Various Preserving Methods

Herb Preservation and Storage

For many of us that use various herbs throughout the year for herbal remedies and spices, we like to have a large variety on hand at any given time. It is important that herbs be stored properly.

We can obtain herbs by growing them, trading for them or purchasing them. An alternative that I enjoy is going out into Nature and harvesting wild herbs and edible plants which are discussed more in detail here: What Wild Plants Are Edible?

If your choice to obtain herbs from a local seller or even an online seller, learn where the herbs are grown, what kinds of insecticide are used along with how they are prepared before sales.

Of course herbs come in various parts such as the roots, the stems, berries, flowers and the whole plant. Out of these choices, you need to decide which part you want to use, which is normally based on what the intended purpose of the herb is.

When purchasing, you can buy the whole plant or the harvested parts of the plant. Yarrow, for instance, is often sold as a whole plant, however, many simply want the flowers, so that is what you would look for or specify.

One must use caution when some herbs that are low growing are bought simply because some pickers will not be careful with such things as ragweed which could possibly become mixed with the herb and create an allergic reaction to some.

Preserving the color and strength of herbs is very important when considering storage. One way to keep fresh herbs, as well as dried herbs, safely is in your basic brown paper bag, labeled of course. If you choose to store your herbs in jars or bottles, be sure to use amber or dark ones as this will block any light they may be exposed to. Some herbalists will recommend strongly to use only cork stoppers and not to use metal lids. However, in my instance, I use both. It is hard to store a large volume of dried herbs in a single jar that you will find a cork to fit. Of course, plastic lids would be better than metal.

According to many, herbs will remain potent for up to a full year when stored properly. Again, I don't agree or disagree, however, I have stored herbs for well over that period and they were still potent. The focus is on "proper" storage for a longer potency life.

If you are growing your own herbs, harvest them when they are at their peak, as they will have all the needed liquids in abundance.

Any flowers that you may harvest, you want to make sure that they are at a full bloom point, open, and that they are dry...Early morning is NOT a good time to harvest flowers due to dew.

With most other herbs, you want to follow the same guidelines, harvesting after any moisture is gone for the day, and a nice sunny day is best. Cloudy and dreary days are usually humid days, and there will be more moisture in the air.

There are various ways to dry herbs, and some examples are in the pictures in this article. One picture that is lacking is using the electric herb dryer/dehydrator . That is what we use here at home. It is round, plastic and has stackable trays so we can do quite a large variety or amount if needed, or just one or two trays for a light harvest. This suits our needs well due to the fact we are currently residing in a small apartment with no yard to dry things in the sun.

Hanging herbs are very popular as well as spreading them on white sheets or paper and letting them dry.

Happy harvesting, drying and storing your herbs for use year round!

Hanging method of drying herbs courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Valentine's Day Is A Pagan Based Celebration

Valentine's Blessings!

February 14th is a special time of year. Valentine's Day is celebrated worldwide with many spending large amounts of money in celebration of a holiday named after the Catholic Saint Valentine.

Hidden from most is the actual Pagan origins of this day, that far predate Valentine's Day. The Pagan festival is Lupercalia, which began actually on the 15th of February. The 14th was a day that the love lotteries took place in Pagan Rome. This holiday was a devotion to the Queen of the Gods, Juno, and the patroness of marriage. On this same day, girl's names were written on pieces of paper and tossed into jars that would then be picked out by boys. The pair joined by this drawing would then be partnered for the whole celebration of Lupercalia. Many times this partnership developed into long lasting relationships.

Lupercalia has quite a history, and was celebrated until the end of the reign of Anastasius I in 491-518 CE. Pope Galesuis dedicated the Eve of Lupercalia to the deceased priest Valentine of Rome. It was at this time that the lottery was banned due to it being deemed un-Christain. The un-Christian ties to fertility were also not taught or mentioned any further by the Church.

In recent times, there has been many Christians that have attempted to ban the celebration of Valentine's Day as they have come to learn its true orgins had nothing to do with honoring a long deceased saint, but had everything to do with Pagan heritage.

A common figure in the modern Valentine's Day celebrations is Cupid who is the God of desire, affection and erotic love in Roman mythology. Cupid is thought to be the son of the Goddess Venus (goddess of love) and Mars (god of war).

To be shot with Cupid's arrow meant you would be filled with uncontrollable desire.

A thought in closing, when you mention to that girl or that boy to be your Valentine, you are engaging in a fertility rite that is very ancient and Pagan. To top it off is that you are throwing in some Pagan magic as well.

Cupid and Psyche courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

The Sacred Gift and Our Spiritual Core

Sharing Of Our Spiritual Journey - Giving and Receiving

Through out the years I have undergone many spiritual changes that have come to me through the experiences that life has thrown my way. I have always believed that there is a part of us a spiritual core inside each one of us that holds the blueprint of who we truly are irregardless of the the decisions that we have made in our journey's towards godhood.

A building is only as strong as the design in which it was made. Reinforcements can and often are added along the way to further improve the structure, but changing the core itself is a strenuous and often difficult task which can take a lengthy amount of time.

The Spiritual core that we all carry embodies the patterns in which we in this life and in past ones have developed for ourselves. Modifying these things can take an extreme amount of energy and will. A need for survival, a traumatizing experience, the level of intensity to change the core can be immense in some people.

Light Pathers as well as Dark Pathers, those that seek to be freed from conditioned bonds, will have some limitation concerning them due to the core of who they are. Often when others might touch upon these things and see in them these aspects about them, these are critical areas that border on sacred. These things can be shared and in my experience they are probably the most intimately revealing things presented to those of worth, trust, or for some other extremely important reason. Gifts of the most critical sort because from a Light or Dark Pather the self truly is the most important aspect about existence.

To allow someone an insight on you like this leaves a vulnerability in countless places. Thus I have found in myself an ability to speak yet still maintain security in being closed on important issues. A cloak or shroud is spoken and acted with. Red herrings are placed in the efforts of leading on those that are naturally curious to different directions.

Friends, loved ones, and even some allies, will more than likely be given small portions of these intimate details in order to further connect. A trust is given, this being as said quite sacred, woe be to those that take advantage of this and use that information against the gift giver. It might end up that the wrath they have towards that traitor will be of no insignificant threat. Those that accept and return this approach however may find in that relationship a meaningful and important relationship that will aid them in whatever perils they face in the future.

Focusing some on the Spiritual Core, I am one that believes that intuition is the catalyst for our spiritual core, the driving force and the voice. One I "finally" acknowledged that it was intuition that was speaking to me, and started paying attention, it was then that my spiritual core became more solid and a foundation was created that supports my spirituality today based upon that realization and acceptance.

Relying upon intuition and "trusting'' in intuition is something that I recommend to all, no matter what spiritual path they may find themselves traveling at this point in their life journey. Recognizing intuition is simple...it is that "little" voice that always pops up when we encounter the need to make a decision. That first thought or little voice, is usually the best guide one can find.

Mind, Body, Spirit courtesy of Esta Weiss, Pagan and Proud of It Art

The Perfect Magic Mechanical Machine - How To Practice Magic In Balance

Fine Tuning Your Magical Practices

In my experience on The Path one thing to be cautious of is a need to over complicate things. When starting out with a system of magic or energy work I have seen all to many paths going into the finer details of how their system tries to define everything about how it works. In reality we don't need to know so much at the beginning as we do need to find out more about it when we advance later.

For instance, when I learned how to ride my bicycle as a child. My father did not point out each and every mechanical instrument that the bike was made up of. He didn't tell me that the spokes were connected to the wheel to keep the circular shape that the tire was composed of. He didn't tell me that the chain was on the gears and would be powered by the pedals. I was shown how the brake worked without going into the aspects of why.

No, I was told to get on the bike learn how to balance and pedal. Before I crashed my first time I was shout at to hit the brake. The ability to ride the bike was deemed and I feel correctly so as more important at the time than learning why the bike worked as it did.

There are a number of theories why magic(k) works as it does. That is less important than finding a system that does the trick for you. When you have reached a boundary and you cannot go past it is then that you might want to see what is stopping you. What are the mechanics on your bike that need to be improved or modified in order for you to once again progress.

I don't believe that anyone has the whole or complete picture of how things work. Therefore trying to find all that before you practice isn't liable to improve your abilities in that area. When learning a martial art improvements are drastically made at first by the mimicry that you do when seeing the other instructors or advanced students. The why isn't so important so much as the form that you practice is improving.

Another important aspect in this is that the higher you go you end up seeing the impossibility of understanding everything. Each little mechanical piece of the bike is underwritten and composed of an infinite number of other mechanical pieces. The farther you delve into it the more lines of code you become aware of.

Thus advanced practitioners of magic, though they might have an understanding of a number of areas, usually focus on a few areas and devote their time to those. Delving farther into the selected area you are more than likely going to be able to transcend into the next level.

What is helpful in this is that energy if it must be looked at as on the whole, it must be remembered it is the perfect magical mechanical machine. The error comes not from it not working but our mimicked build of it when we seek to use it and tap into that power.

Magical Setting courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

The Soul's Call

Listening To And Knowing The Soul: A Native American Perspective

Upon the wings of night,

What dreams enter our heart,

Who can hear? Who can hear?

Our hearts as big as the Universe,

Our Souls as wide as time.

Proclaimed in many spaces,

Calling unto our shells,

Hear me! Hear me!

For all the truths you follow outside,

They are but lies in the sun.

Truth is in the heart of the soul,

Bestowed on all, bestowed in all,

A great gift, oft untouched.

Then why so many abandoned hearts?

So many give way the soul,

Every ounce of control,

To concrete and ivory towers,

That darken the skies before it is night,

That darken the waters,

No longer reflecting light.

Why can you not see me here?

Hear me. I call unceasingly,

I speak in the winds,

From the four directions I come.

Sense me from the East,

I inspire you,

In my illuminating fire.

Touch me from the West,

I draw you to reflection,

In the deepest caves.

Feel me from the South,

I play tag with you,

In waves of love.

Know me from the North,

I open you, to Me,

The eyes of wisdom.

The heavy eyes of Wisdom.

For once seeing, the world changes,

never the same again.

I am of the Sun,

I heal you.

I am of the Moon,

I guide you.

Know me in fire,

The inspiration of your heart.

Feel me in water,

The flow of your soul.

Know me in air,

The wings of your mind.

Feel me in earth,

You are Me in flesh.

Hear me, I am White Buffalo,

Who's Sacred Wisdom,

Is knowing the ways of peace.

I am Golden Eagle that dares you to fly high,

To touch your dreams,

To heed my call to freedom.

Hear me I am the Ancient Owl,

The eyes of many realms.

I see thru all realities,

With eyes that penetrate darkness,

With inner light.

Hear me, I am the Bear,

I call unto you,

Come unto me, that you might understand

who I am.

I am Soul,

A dolphin seeking the waters of your heart.

I am the Red Deer of gentle dawns.

I am Spider,

Weaving the sacred threads of this life.

You will never find me in some defined place,

or theology.

You shall never find me on some distant shore,

or place of any kind.

Fear, drives me away.

Anger stills my voice.

Unkindness brings me tears.

Judgment weighs heavy upon times sands.

Bitterness turns the heart cold,

Leaving no place then to rest my head.

For I am Soul, and we are one.

Silence is my resting place.

When chaos lifts its head,

And peace can not be heard,

Drowned out by noisy Crows.

Crows in the Head.

Crows in the world of the dead,

Closed hearts, broken dreams.

Come, I am Raven fly with me,

Into the Void of Silence.

I am the potential of all thou art,

A dream of Great Mystery in the making.

I am the place of knowing.

I am the very Core of you.

When I walk the world,

I gather what others scattered,

And scatter what others gather.

Look as you may,

You shall never see me on the path of waste.

You shall only find me amongst the creations of life.

Only there you will find me.

Only there will we meet.

Together we can create a world of peace.

Together we can build a rainbow bridge,

Dropping along the way,

Dream stones of many colors.

As one by one the bridge takes form,

Others will pick them up,

and if they listen,

The stones weave ancient stories of memory.

For in memory shall they come,

In dreams they shall remember.

And when they do,

The bridge shall be there waiting,

to cross over to the other shore.

Shaman's Walk - Healing the Soul

Courtesy of Esta Weiss, Pagan and Proud of It Art

What Is The Cost Of Magic and Mystical Arts?

Expectations for Mystical and Magical Services Rendered

There is a practice that those of the mystical arts have in a great many of paths. This practice is known as taking payment before a working, spell, direction of energy, or anything else that it is called is worked for the "client." There is a reason that so many paths and individuals in both light and dark paths work in this method.

When payment is received up front there is no lasting bond or agreement. The client has got what he or she has paid for. Thus they can go on their way without feeling indebted to the crafter for the work that was done for them. The crafter has gotten payment and no longer needs to worry about getting something in equal value for the energy they put forth for the Client.

Those folks that work on trades usually work on the assumption that they are dealing with people of honorable and noble intentions and that on a later date that a favor of some sort will be given back. Understandably however, once the crafter has finished his work for the client, the client already having his reward more likely than not will forget the service done for them or the expense in which ought to be paid for what they have already received.

If you are dealing with a crafty or malicious leech as the crafter, they might try to ensnare one of noble intention to feel indebted to them and try to raise the price continually on the working that was done for the honorable one in the past.

As a Wiccan High Priest myself I know all too well the need for benefit in committing myself to certain agendas for others. I know that others like me who may or may not have the sense of morals that I choose to live by may or may not make good on the deals that they make. Thus leading to a tentative place of trust a type of probing, a small gift is given and payment or another gift is given back. You may then wish to try to grow upon that relationship by making larger deals.

An acquaintance of mine in the past used to talk to me about what we called the Dark Witch of the Woods aspect.

There are those without an ability to do for themselves in the ways of energy, mentality, or even action towards some objective, will come to those of us that have those specific abilities and seek assistance from us. Often they come alone, without telling a soul of what they intend to seek out from us.

Often the service is done for very little in reference of benefit for those types. Simply because word of mouth will come about that there is one within the forest that can grant them certain advantages in the rare times that the topic might come up. They remember however not very often except when there is need for us again in whatever mostly petty concerns they might have. When the service is done usually they leave, joyous that they have gotten something. They forget about us until their next time of troubles, or when someone they know has encountered something that one of our skills can easily handle. Then for the most part after that we are forgotten, unknown, and we lay in waiting till the next episode comes along which our attentions are turned to.

Two entirely different aspects about payment in regards to the practices we provide for the masses. Usually I like to think that if my services are up to par then folks will know that they can trust me with particular problems. They should also understand that there is a price for the things that I do for them. Nothing is free folks, this lunch will cost you.

In most case scenarios, I choose to work on a donation basis as long as I don't find out that I have been taken advantage of. In other words, if you are limited, then donate in a limited manner for services provided. However, if you are gifted more financially, then the donation should be a reflection of such. The donation aspect was taught to me by "Chief Two Trees - Healer and Man of Wisdom Remembered." He did not physically teach me or guide me verbally, he taught me by the way that he worked and that was by donations. I witnessed "donations" in action, and feel personally, that this was the best solution for me as well versus "charging" a set fee for services rendered.

Mystical Spirit courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Understanding Magic or Magick

The question! What is, "magic" or "magick"? 

Many have wondered what the proper definition of "magic" is. In this article, the meaning will be discussed.

To define the word "magic", we will start with what it is. Magic is actions taken and energies focused to cause change to happen. This would focus on the use of our will to implement the change. Energy is focused by our will and change happens.

As we progress in magic we gain the ability to harness the mind and work with intuition creating visualization. We seek to use some of our brain, or unconscious that we normally do not use. Much of our brain is never used in the course of day to day actions.

The energies focused when using magic are unseen usually. Using these subtle energies allow us to create change.

To tune the art of magic we implement different techniques, depending on the practitioner and circumstances. Meditation, voice work, exercise, visualization, ritual and breath control name a few. These will help sharpen our mind and give us balance needed to work with the perceived energies and wield them properly and to the best of our ability.

Will is a key factor as well in the art of practicing magic. The above techniques will also help us to create balance in our will and increase the strength of our will. The energy comes from our will.

As you continue to work with magic, you gain strength in all areas of your life and are able to overcome the guilt thrown at you by society. Those preconditioned guilt fillings about sin and such disappear. Inhibitions as well as stigmas will be removed from our lives. This allows the releasing of our energies to increase our strength in our practice.

Physical efforts done by the practitioner will also allow energy to flow more freely. The tension that we build act like body armor, holding in energies and preventing us from accomplishing magic at our peak levels. By exercising, such as doing yoga, dance or even massage will allow this shield to drop and the flow of energies to increase.

Magic in itself is not a spiritual path. It is what is incorporated into many different paths. You can find magic practiced anywhere in the world, by all sorts of religions, spiritual groups, individuals and societies.

Symbols are used very often in magic. These allow us to create stronger focus therefore increasing our energy flow. Associations with the use of symbols would be like perfume to attract a lover, and the use of copper in a necklace or bracelet could be used. These are associated with Venus who is associated with love. This is making change by working with items or symbols that are linked to what you are intending to change.

I have seen magic abused many times through the years. By that I mean magic being performed for greed in the process of personal change. There is nothing wrong with wanting love, sex, and to be rich, but magic tends to be focused on you gaining only what you need. So instead of getting rich beyond your wildest dreams, you will find you will be allowed to live comfortably. You will not always get what you feel you have to have.

Magic is about power. But this power is not over other people. It is personal power that you gain by raising energy levels within that grow and create positive change.

Commitment is a vital aspect of magic as well. You have to develop strength, perseverance and determination, ridding yourself of rigidity allowing you to be open to change. As you develop these you grow and reach your highest potential. This opens the doors for working in harmony with the universe allowing change within yourself as well as your environment.

Now for that question that many people ask. "Why is there a "k" on the end of the word at times?" The "k" is added to "magic" to set it aside from what magic is. Magic is the art of illusion. Change appears to happen but does not actually happen. Magick is not about illusion, but about real changes taking place. So the "k" is added to allow the difference to be known. "K" is also the eleventh letter of the alphabet. Eleven, when used with the power of ten, symbolizes the unseen and hidden energies. Eleven is the number of magick.

The benefits of working with magic over time are gained discipline, balance, harmony, spiritual growth, mental growth and allowing one to see the beauty of life fully enjoying it with unconditional love.

Magic Wiccan Altar courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

An Angry Awakening

Looking past the deceit regarding spirituality

There comes a time when no matter the training that you have persevered. Not matter the strength and power you have accumulated you encounter something in which you are pitifully prepared for and your best isn't, wasn't enough.

It is very easy for one that is outside that situation to tell the fallen to pick themselves back up. Get up, get back into the fight. So easy it is to place yourself in that lowered position and claim while you are in good health, good standing, that you could do it.

So often I look back into my Christian roots and remember the saying that was spouted to me day in and day out by those sheeple higher up on the ladder than I. That God would never give you trials in which he knew you couldn't handle. In my conditioned youth I took hope from that. I took strength in that there would always be someone looking down upon me and blessing me with strength when I had no more of my own to spare. Such warmth I felt when I gave in and conformed, believed that there would always be that safety net.

When I awakened later in life. I awakened in anger. I saw with eyes no longer burdened with the false promises that a lesser conditioned people imposed on me and everyone around them. I saw holes in their theories that swore I would be protected. Holes in the mentalities that all one had to do was bow down before life conform and all would be well. I saw noble and good people never attaining anything greater than what they had because they were too limited in their actions to move in a different direction.

I saw the predators taking advantage of these same people and gaining, prospering, and advancing simply because they were not bound to the same rules that these other folk were. The more I awakened and saw more clearly the more angry and furious I got. These rages stirred within me to look beyond the dreams of conformity, but to myself I would look to and find my path through.

Look what the light suggests, that anger, hate, and all the other black emotions as they call them aren't saviors but those that damn one to a place of complete darkness.  I take that gladly, I shall not suffer the glory in which those that seek conformity end up serving.  Power is an absolute, to have power is to conquer fear, it is to conquer limitations.  Through power my own godhood shall come.  Through my means, through my wants, and through my choices.  Let those that stand in my way know the fury of a patient calculating opponent.

Houston Metro Bus Driver's Are Reckless, Have Bad Driving Records And Fail To Maintain Set Schedules - Videos

How To File A Complaint Against Houston Metro Drivers

One of the many Metro buses in Houston, Texas.

I have been riding Metro public transportation in Houston, Texas for well over eight years. During this time I have seen a steady decline in the attitude of the bus drivers as well as the lack of ability to adhere to a schedule, on time, as published.

Also, during the past several years, I have had the opportunity to interview upwards of 60 riders of the Metro System here in Houston. Out of these riders, many agree with what I am publishing in this article.

Starting with the attitude of most of the bus drivers, we see much arrogance and rudeness towards passengers. The drivers think that they are above the passengers and look down on the passengers. The disrespect that I have witnessed just recently has astounded me. The bus drivers will never admit to missing a stop, taking off too fast or stopping to fast creating a passenger to fall or stumble. There was one instance earlier this year in which I had just gotten on the bus with several others and the driver jumped on the gas and the bus jerked forward, very hard. A woman fell flat on her back.
Now it should be noted that Metro policy is that the bus is to remain motionless until the passengers are seated on the bus. This is not honored by ANY buses that I have been on.

Back to the woman laying on her back on the bus I was on. The driver continued for a full block, finally stopping at the request of other passengers. The other passengers helped this woman to a seat. The bus driver asked the woman did she require medical attention to which she responded that she did and requested an ambulance. The bus driver got arrogant, got out of his seat, walked back to this woman and stood towering over her speaking in a very threatening and intimidating manner. He thought that no medical attention was necessary and told her so. He further pointed to all the rest of the passengers and told the woman that she would be responsible for all those people being late and/or missing their transfers. Before he was done, this lady was in tears and agreed to not have an ambulance summoned.

That was one example and I shall share one more. This morning, a lady pulled the cord, the bell and light went off and the driver just kept going. Upon the passenger confronting the driver to be let off the bus, he argued with her that she did not ring the bell and that no light went off. This driver kept on arguing with her and even when stopped, would not open the door to let this person exit until he was done disrespecting her. There were four of us on the bus at that time, and we all saw and heard the bell and light.

As stated, this is getting to be a daily event, myself witnessing disrespect or being disrespected myself by a driver. This is while only riding two to four buses a day! Magnify that over the 100 or so routes with many buses each route in Harris County and it is simply unacceptable.

Now to speak of the schedules and the inability for drivers to adhere to them. This has gotten extremely worse over the past few months. There was a time that you could count on the buses, with very rare exception, to be within a minute or so of the published schedule, whether on paper or online. Of late, this simply is not happening. Drivers will run up to 15 minutes early to get to the next transit center where they can stop and take an extended break. What this creates is people miss the bus and their other connections for the morning or day resulting in being late for work

In the opposite extreme, if not running early, they will be running on the average of ten minutes late. Again this creates a scenario where folks miss their connections to other buses and/or the train.
Granted, Metro does have a number you can call and report the driver and bus number. They have actual people that you can speak to without getting a recording. However, I have done this and went through the steps of filing a complaint. The result, well there was no result. I was told each time I would be contacted by a follow-up person and that has yet to happen ever.

My advice, should you find yourself a victim of verbal abuse and disrespect by a Metro employee, as well as schedules repeatedly not adhered to, is to call the number: 713-635-4000, file a complaint, and then be sure to jot down the complaint number that will be given to you. Follow up by contacting the Mayor's Office and your district representatives via email or phone calls. Be sure to have the complaint number handy and reference that. An alternative is to contact the media here in Houston and let them know of the incident.

If enough people do the above change will come to Metro here in Houston. The drivers may not like it, but the drivers can be easily replaced by others who appreciate the job, the security and the public that chooses to use a "green" means of public mass transit.

News Report Shows That Houston Metro Bus Drivers Have The Worst Driving Record

Houston Metro Bus Drivers Stops For Chicken And Police Stop To Investigate

 

Update from 7/14/2012: Here is an example of how Metro bus drivers act and are allowed to get away with totally NOT doing their job properly. On the Saturday morning of 7/14/2012, there were about twelve passengers waiting at Wheeler Station for the 6:46am 8 South Main Bus. The driver was running late. We observed the driver dropping off folks behind Wheeler Station and then taking off. At that point they are supposed to circle in and pick up those at Wheeler Station heading South. This driver did not make the circle nor pull into Wheeler Station, but just kept on going heading off to the Medical Center area. Upon calling the number that Metro has posted, 713.635.4000, to report this violation, I received a recording that the offices were closed on the weekend to call back during weekday business hours. So the driver left a dozen of us stranded there and got off the hook as no one could see the bus number to report it at a later date which is what Metro requires. This incident cost me a reprimand from my employer, on my personnel record, and an hour's worth of wages at time and a half.

Metro Complaint Phone: 713.635.4000
Mayor's Office Email: mayor@houstontx.gov
Mayor's Office Phone: 713.837.0311

 

The Evil of Non-Action

Non-Action: Those who do nothing

Which leads us into the important question of what exactly is evil? Back in my days of fanatical obsession with the path I would have quickly spoken that Evil is simply that which either does me harm or is in my way of the objectives I carry. An answer without emotion, without much thought at the real world in which we live. Where a thousand competing objectives might roam and though of course to me, mine is the most important but does it make the rest evil?

There are those of the Path that sit and do nothing. They hide behind the logic that they must always blend in that they must adapt and pretend to be something they are not, that they should present themselves as Light. In some sense I can understand this, to fully combat those that would seek to do us harm simply for the mindset we carry we would have to have a strength that could defeat their numbers. Numbers that truly are without end. There is a choice though that we should make, in less populated areas we can reveal our stances. In less dangerous zones we can commit to making our material accessible for the public.

Yet I find it embarrassing that when the fanatic shields have been used up and there is nothing left to protect the would be Gurus of the Dark. These charlatans run away and lock themselves apart from the rest of the world. Their mission that had inspired people to flock to them to spread the good word is now gone, is now dead.

They do nothing and because of it ignorance takes root in the masses and disallows a fair say on the other polarity. I don't know if I find that to be evil, I do however find it to be irresponsible.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"
-- Edmund Burke

A candle to over come non-action with, courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons

Paganism and Wicca - A History

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Wicca is a rapidly growing religious movement, which is a modern day version of ancient religious precepts that far predates both Judaism and Christianity, and whose basic tenets and beliefs go back to the earliest days of humanity. From the time religious thought was first conceived, early humanity was fascinated with the concept of female power, as only women had the ability to reproduce.

Before men realized their role in reproduction, ancient societies were largely matriarchal, based on the awe that men held towards women, who were seen as the life-givers of the fledgling human race. As a result, early human spirituality revered an all-female conception of Deity, a Goddess, which represented fertility to the nascent human species. Many early paintings, carvings and statues depict this early Mother Goddess, which includes a bloated womb and enlarged breasts, obviously in honor of women's ability to reproduce humanity, and intended for use in fertility rites.

Women also had the important role of educating the children, forming the rudiments of language, leading the tribe's religious rites and probably formulating the early cultural mores and taboos of these early, pre-industrial gentile societies. As a result, the Mother Goddess came to embody intellect and the arts as well.

Since the men were considered more expendable, they were relegated to the important but extremely dangerous task of hunting. They would often wear animal skin with antlers or stag horns on top to get close to a herd of bison or antelope. This led to the eventual creation of a male aspect of Deity, the God of the Hunt. He was depicted as having horns and hooves (and sometimes other animal characteristics, such as a tail), to exemplify his connection with nature, and was modeled on the appearance of the disguised hunters. This image of the Horned God was later severely bastardized by the Roman Catholic Church into the evil entity known as the Devil, or 'Satan.'

When horticulture and later, agriculture, eventually supplanted hunting as the main form of sustenance for the tribe, the God of the Hunt became the God of Agriculture, and the image of the Green Man, visually represented as a male face in the form of foliage, came into being in some societies (and remains a fairly familiar image in the British Isles to this day), and the replacement of antler and stag horns with goat horns came to personify the God. This later led to such god-forms as the Greco-Roman Pan (and his horde of satyr brethren) and the Celtic Cernnunos.

Still, the female Goddess was held in higher prominence than the God. During these early days of humanity, it is believed by modern archaeologists that many rituals were performed to the Mother Goddess, primarily to insure the fertility of the tribe's women and possibly also to heal the sick, and the God was probably called upon in these rituals to increase the abundance of game for the hunters and to increase the success of the hunt itself (early cave paintings by Cro-Magnon tribes clearly depict the hunting rituals, showing the tribe members dancing while dressed in animal skins, the leader or "high priest" of the ritual disguised in fur and horns to play the role of the Horned God). Later, the God was probably called upon ritually to insure a good and healthy crop for the tribe. These early exercises in what is today referred to as magick greatly evolved in scope and purpose over time, and early societies eventually developed rituals designed to utilize the energy inherent in nature into granting people whatever they desired, personally as well as collectively for the entire community or tribe. In its earliest days, people utilized magickal ritual for primarily communal purposes, beginning with, for example, a good supply of game for the hunt (as described above) and, after the agricultural revolution, for favorable crop in the planting seasons. As time passed, and human society became more and more complex, the original monotheistic Goddess, and the latter duo theistic reverence of the Goddess and God, were sub-divided into numerous different deities, both female and male, all of which represented a different culturally significant aspect of the society's lives and ethics (i.e., a god/dess of wisdom, love, combat, writing, etc.), and thus religious structure became more polytheistic.

The early simple folk magic would eventually evolve into more complex rituals for personal use, for individuals to gain things such as health, love and material wealth, finally becoming what we know today as Witchcraft, Ceremonial Magick and many other forms.

When the primitive communistic societies were eventually replaced by private property and class-divided societies, men slowly began to seize power, particularly after learning of their role in reproduction.

However, the early Pagan religions still reigned supreme in these new economies, and the Goddess and God were given many personalities comprising numerous different aspects of each society. Thus, as described above, the Goddess and God were subdivided into different pantheons of lesser gods and goddesses that embodied various aspects that were culturally significant to a given society.

For example, each society had a god/goddess of war, of love, of agriculture, of prosperity and commerce, of the sea, of death, etc. The richest pantheons belong to the Greeks/Romans, Norse/Germanic, Celtic, Egyptians, Native Americans, Japanese, Africans, and many others. Several of these pantheons of gods and goddesses are still revered today by various Pagan religions (the subject of these beings being real entities or merely metaphorical subdivisions of the Goddess and God will be the focus of another section).

Many of these societies, particularly the Celtics and Norse, held women in high regard in society and their goddesses had every bit as much importance as the male deities. However, towards the end of the Roman Empire, the monotheistic, patriarchal religious tendency known as Christianity began, and it grew from a relatively small group of religious rebels led by the great prophet Jesus Christ into a huge political power base. This new religion worshiped an all male personification of a single Deity, and it eventually fully established the patriarchal society that we still see (albeit to an increasingly lesser degree) today.

Note on Monotheism

The concept of monotheism wasn't new during the twilight years of the Roman Empire. It was first envisioned much earlier by the Egyptian pharaoh Achnaton (also sometimes referred to as Amenhotep IV in the history books) during the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, and he called this single all-male conception of Deity Aton. This began the original mistake of monotheism, the ousting of the female aspect of Deity from the consciousness of its followers, and made the social concept of a patriarchy far more acceptable to its adherents; it rejected the concept of duotheism, which would have given equal respect to the female aspect of divinity. It should be noted that it's very curious that neither Achnaton nor Christ envisioned a gender neutral conception of a single Deity (as a few open-minded Christians are slowly beginning to do today), which would have prevented a huge amount of the social strife and disempowerment that women have suffered from in the following centuries up to the present day. 

The worship of Aton eventually fell out of favor in Egypt, and a return to polytheism was instituted. Most major re-evaluations of religious thought, as well as the creation of new and radical religions, occur during times of social, economic and political turmoil, such as when a particularly powerful nation-state or socio-economic order is dying out. Egypt wasn't in too major a situation in this regard at the time of the 18th Dynasty, or Achnaton's cult may have gone much further, and modern day monotheists may be invoking his name as their holy savior rather than Christ, and still referring to their conception of Deity as "Aton" (or an anglicized variation thereof) instead of simply "God." 

However, when Christ began his religious mission and started gathering his Apostles during the final days of the Roman Empire, his timing couldn't have been better, for it was a time when the world economic order, then based on chattel slavery, was collapsing (to soon be replaced by a new world economic order, feudalism) and the political structure and social stability of Rome was becoming chaotic. Many new religious orders in addition to Christianity, such as the cult of Diana, began forming, which is similar to the phenomenon of bizarre cults (such as the ill-fated cult of David Koresh) and new religions (such as the resurgence in Pagan faiths like Wicca, Asatru and Druidism) which are appearing today, and slowly growing and thriving, now that the current economic world order, capitalism, is likewise starting to collapse, and much political and social turmoil is occurring as the established norms and religions of our society are now slowly being questioned by an increasingly disheartened population.

Had Christ been born in the Heroic Age of Greece during its stable economic period, his then radical religious ideas would probably have gone nowhere, and Christianity may have ended up as a forgotten footnote in history. The success of virtually all new religious movements have always been dependent on the social, political and economic circumstances of the nation-state and time period in question in which they appeared. Jesus Christ was obviously inspired by the earlier, albeit temporary, success of Achnaton, in attempting to create a religion centered around a single universal male Deity, only this time the new God image was conceived as being totally good (the new monotheistic Deity's petty, human-like qualities, and his totally evil counterpart Satan, were added much later, once the Roman Catholic Church fully entered its political stage during the feudal era, and Satan was retroactively inserted into the history of Jesus by the writers of the Bible to establish this being's legitimacy as a "threat" to the devout followers of Christianity). Judaism and Islam, as well as Christianity, owe a tip of the hat to Achnaton and his religious conception, even though none of these three dominant religious tendencies acknowledges his "contribution" to their particular conception of Deity and world history today. 

There are even rumors that a very old and long vanished cult that predated the Pagan civilization of Sumeria/Mesopotamia, the oldest recorded human civilization accepted as authentic by all modern archeologists, had established a monotheistic faith around an all-male Deity called Mithra, and this was expounded upon in the fictional fantasy novels written by Robert E. Howard about the "Hyborian Age," an era posited to exist about 10,000 years ago, and whose authenticity has yet to be accepted by modern historians, and it is not known if Achnaton's society would have had any knowledge of the Mithra cult, which may or may not be the earliest conception of all-male monotheism in human history, as well as an unknown major example of monotheism in human history, but that doesn't change the fact that Achnaton created the first monotheistic religious tendency to be very well documented in history, and would have been known to Roman historians during the time of Jesus, who was quite well educated, as well as a reported master of psychic abilities.

The new monotheistic Christian religion of Catholicism, which became a powerful political force after the fall of the slave economies and the rise of feudalism, co-existed with Pagan religions for many centuries, and finally waged a brutal war to stamp out all vestiges of these older religions in a conflict known as the Crusades. The Roman Catholic Church perverted the word "Pagan," which derives from the Latin word paganus, and literally translates into "country dweller," into meaning an anti-Christian and "unbeliever." Today, many people still incorrectly believe the word to be synonymous with atheism, or the belief in no Deity or deities of any kind, with a strict adherence to scientific materialism, and total rejection of all aspects of spirituality and metaphysics.

The Goddess was excised from the religious consciousness of the masses, to resurface later to the Roman Catholics in the subordinate role of the Virgin Mary. Jesus Christ himself was deified, his teachings perverted and his image transformed into the "son of God." He became the Christian equivalent of the Sun God, an old Pagan tradition of a beloved male deity born to the Mother Goddess who is killed and resurrected after death (important Pagan Sun Gods include Dionysus/Bacchus [Greek/Roman], Balder [Norse] and Osiris [Egyptian]). The Pagan image of the Horned God was transformed into the visualized appearance of "Satan," or the Devil, the evil being and avowed enemy of the Christian God, who only "evil" people (i.e., non-Christians) worshiped, and who had allegedly dedicated his metaphysical existence to totally undermining and destroying the moral turpitude of loyal Christians.

Pagan attitudes such as openness of sex and reverence for women were drastically attacked in order to keep the masses under the control of the Church clergy. Now, sex and nudity were considered sinful and abhorrent to the new God image, and women became little more than property to the males, becoming third class citizens, losing all property rights and unable to serve in the clergy until the 20th century (at this time, the beginning of the 21st century, women still cannot serve as priests in the Roman Catholic religion, today still the most influential of all Christian denominations, though the politically right wing fundamentalist "born again" Christians, such as Pat Robertson and his ilk, are becoming very influential nowadays as well).

These aforementioned alterations in the cultural mindset, particularly in America and England, continue to a lesser degree into the present time. Beginning roughly in the 11th century, the Christian knights known as the Crusaders began storming across the Western and Northern world to convert all Pagan tribes to Christianity through sheer brute force and violence, and making the way safe for the missionaries of the Church to come in and "re-educate" the survivors of the carnage. However, certain small groups of Pagans survived in remote areas and in the smallest villages, and continued to practice the "old" ways in relative secrecy, despite the mass destruction of the major rich Pagan cultures such as the Druids (the religious priesthood of the Keltoi, or Celts) and the Norsemen (or Vikings). By the late 15th century, however, Witchcraft officially became illegal, and the Church stopped at nothing to eradicate it from the Western world completely. The people were told that Satan was hiding around every corner, waiting to seduce innocent and devout Christians to his "evil" ways, and that the Church had to take drastic measures to stamp out the menace at all costs.

This created one of the first of the many politically motivated social hysteria to occur in the New World, and was the origination of the term "witch-hunting," and gave the ruling class of the time an excuse to trample on the civil rights of society at large [this is very similar to the many hysteria engendered by the American government and media, such as the white slavery hysteria of the 1890's-1900's, the "Communist" and homosexual hysteria of the 1950's, and the pedophile and terrorist hysteria of the present era, which proves that social terror tactics are used by our current government in a very similar manner to the theocratic societies of the past, and for the same purpose...creating a public hysteria and inflated "menace" that is so severe and terrifying, the masses are told, that drastic measures, i.e., harsher laws, stronger police powers and erosions of our much sought after civil rights must be enacted to stamp out the menace, and the panic-stricken general public happily complies and even participates with a large amount of finger-pointing and using the new laws to their advantage to ruin the lives of people they dislike, the same as the people of the earlier centuries did in accusing folks they disliked of Witchcraft...how little things change over time]. 

Over the next two hundred years, people across Europe and America were put to death en masse merely for being suspected of practicing Witchcraft, which was purported to support the infamous Christian political bogeyman, Satan. Most of these individuals were definitely not even truly Pagans, but were devout Christians who were merely accused of being Pagans, often by jealous and spiteful neighbors with a personal vendetta. These unfortunates were subjected to some of the most brutal and horrific tortures ever inflicted by one human against another, and they were forced to confess to the charges, after which they were summarily executed for the crime they "confessed" to, and most were either hung or burned alive at the stake (others were killed by dismemberment, drowning, further torture and other equally unpleasant means). Further, the terror tactics were not only used to wipe out the last vestiges of Paganism by the Church, but also to attack practitioners of emerging rival Christian sects, such as the Protestants, many of whom were tortured and murdered after being accused of practicing Witchcraft while visiting a Catholic village; the in-fighting between different Christian denominations also caused much chaos upon American and English society at the time.

This murderous and insane anti-Paganism crusade created one of the earliest of the many "holocausts" in the New World. All of the few remaining real Pagans were understandably driven into hiding, and Paganism and Witchcraft (as well as the practice of almost all magick) was driven far underground and more or less eliminated from the public awareness by the end of the 17th century, and was completely discredited further from the materialist Scientific Revolution that emerged fully in the past four centuries, after the end of the Renaissance. For the most part, the Crusades succeeded in converting most of the Western and Northern world to Christianity (despite often violent resistance by the Pagans), leaving nothing more than small, scattered groups and a handful of solitary practitioners of Paganism alive in the remote countryside, and the Inquisition more or less completed the task of the Church by ensuring that the few remaining Pagans were driven so far underground in fear and hiding that they simply vanished from the world scene with no one to pass the "old" religion on to. 

The several claims in the 20th century by both academic scholars and Neo-Pagans that a few witches survived and passed on their lineage to the present day are nothing more than unproved rumors, and it can unfortunately be said that the Church did it's grisly job quite well. Confirmation of this is the fact that when the laws against Witchcraft were finally repealed in the 18th century, and when the U.S. Constitution was written, which guaranteed religious freedom in the newly formed nation of America, no "underground" members of the Pagan religion emerged from hiding to set the record straight. Christian beliefs, values and cultural mores (not to mention the laws inspired by them) were just too ingrained into the mindset of the citizens of this new nation, including the incorrect and stereotypical beliefs of Pagans being evil "devil worshipers," the Mother Goddess image lived on only in the extremely subordinate image of the Virgin Mary, the Horned God image was believed to be analogous to the Christian image of Satan, the old polytheistic deities were now considered to be mere objects of myth, and women, who were often mainstays of the Pagan societies, were legally and culturally servile to the men of the new nation. 

Thus, if a tiny handful of Pagans truly remained in existence as rumors have suggested, they understandably remained deeply in hiding. It wasn't until the mid-20th century, when a new generation of Pagans would emerge and challenge the still dominating but slowly declining Christian mindset, that the "old" religion in a new guise returned to lay claim to the belief systems of the Western and Northern worlds once more. Hence, even this new nation, with "religious freedom" written into law, was not considered a safe place for the "old" religion, as dominated as it was in both culture and laws by Christian doctrine (some of the American laws, however, such as the idea of a bourgeois democracy, were acquired from the Athenian society of ancient Greece, and the concept of a speedy trial by jury and other legal procedures, such as due process, which was an ideal utilized by the Norsemen, were indeed of Pagan origin; the women's liberation movement of the Civil Rights era in the late 20th century was a regaining of rights that were common to the female gender in most of the Pagan societies). Hence, by the end of the Inquisition late in the 17th century, the Church believed that all vestiges of the old Pagan religion was successfully defeated, and the brutal attempt to stomp out the influence of “Satan” was relaxed to a large extent. However, despite this defeat of Paganism, it wasn't the permanent end of the "old" religion .

19th Century through Contemporary

In the late 19th century, the Spiritualist movement, the birth of a new science known as parapsychology and the formation of non-traditional religions such as Theosophy (formed by the eccentric mystic Madame Helena Blavatsky, and which exists to this day) began renewing interest in the occult, and Christianity was slowly being challenged, but not to a major extent in the 19th century.

In the year 1921, Dr. Margaret Murrary wrote a book entitled The Witch Cult in Western Europe, which officially identified Witchcraft as an ancient fertility religion that had no connection to Satan and devil-worship, thus challenging a common and cruel misconception rampant in our still Christian society. She followed this up ten years later (1931) by a second book, The God of the Witches, where she made claims that the religion remained in an unbroken line to this day (these claims have never been substantiated, and are controversial). In 1951, the last of the old Witchcraft laws in England were repealed (and the last of these mostly dealt with matters of fraud, anyway).

In 1954, the modern Wiccan, and perhaps the modern Neo-Pagan movement and "New Age" in general, began with the publication of Gerald Gardner's book Witchcraft Today. Here he revealed himself to be a witch, and that he was in fact initiated into a coven of a long line of witches (a claim that is now being disputed heavily by even the Pagan community). Nevertheless, despite some of Gardner's more questionable claims, his book introduced the name Wicca to the public, which is alternately described as meaning "craft of the wise" or taken from the Celtic phrase "to bend." Gardnerian was the first Wiccan tradition to take root in Europe and America, and it was soon followed by other prominent branches, such as Alexandrian, Dianic and Eclectic (which is actually a 'non-tradition'), to be followed in the 60's by a resurgence of interest in Celtic and Norse deities in particular, leading to Wiccan traditions centered around them (Norse Wicca, despite its reverence of the Norse deities, has no connection with another growing Pagan religion, Asatru, which keeps the old religion of the Vikings alive and worships the Norse Gods, just as Celtic Wicca has no connection to the ancient Pagan religion of Druidism, which worships the Celtic Gods, and is now also enjoying a resurgence in the West).

By the 1970's, Wicca had developed into one of the fastest growing religious movements in an era of many people who are determined to cast off the encroachments of Judeo-Christian society and its continued attacks on sexual freedom, women's liberation, youth liberation (a budding movement in its infancy that even not all Pagans yet ascribe to, which will ultimately lead to the re-extension of civil rights to youths, who are doing much to help the growth of Wicca; youth liberation should be a major focus for Wiccans today, but the movement has only recently begun).

Also, Asatru arrived on American shores in the 70's, and a resurgence of Druidism also began to emerge beginning in the late 80's, thus increasing the spread of Paganism in general across our still largely Judeo-Christian society. This once unchallenged set of virtues is now once again being questioned by more progressive-minded religious tendencies, despite its lack of official organization and its separation into many different traditions.

As the 20th century is now officially over, all of the Pagan religions, including the many Wiccan traditions (as well as others, such as Asatru and Neo-Druidism) are now continuing to grow in number. It may well be that the 21st century will become the era when the Pagan religions again come of age, and eventually cast off the domination of the Judeo-Christian mindset which still rules America and England.

For more information: What Happened to The Feminine Aspect of God

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