I think I have found the answer to why local church members and leaders call me a witch and set fire to my home.

I think I have found an answer to the vandalism, arsine, drive by shootings, witchcraft accusations, and other lesser forms of harassment that have happened at the hands of local church members these past 9 years: ***People often grudge others what they cannot enjoy themselves. -Aesop ***

In other words, my lifestyle is something they want and can not have, thus in their frustration they try to take it from me, and yet, in everything they have done, they have not, nor can not succeed. Why?

Because I unlike them live my life. I do the things I want to do, when I want to do them, how I want to do them. I am not controlled by a job or a church.

I think they feel trapped by their jobs, and trapped by their church. If they want to drop every thing and spend 10 hours on the beach, they do not have the freedom to do so, like I do.

If they want to wear 15th century ball gowns or fairy princess costumes to run to the grocery store, they can not do so, because they fear ridicule by their peers.

They have huge debts: house, cars, credit cards, bills for frivolous things. I own no man any thing.

When they burned down my house, the last thing they expected was for me to take to living under a tarp and continue on doing things no different than before. The lost of a house would have destified them, thus they thought it would me. But their fault was thinking that I care about material possessions – like they do.

I live what one woman once called: “the life of a wild and free feral child”, which she than added: “I wish I had your freedom”.

And that is what is boils down to: I have the freedom to do absolutely anything that pops into my head, something they do not have, something they want, but fear to pursue, because they are too blinded by the risks of my lifestyle to see the benefits of it. Because they can not have the freedom I have, they made (and continue to make) many attempts to take that from me. And yet they continue to fail. Why?

I will tell you why. I live my life to the letter, by Jesus’ words: To be the lily of the field. Not familiar with it? Look it up. Want to see a modern day translation of that? Watch the movie: You Can’t Take It With You.

If you have ever read Jesus’ words or watched the movie: “You Can’t Take It With You”, than you will know what I mean when I say this:

I am a lily.

Waiting for Emmett to come.

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http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/user/132659

Is it true what they say? Am I a Witch? (repost)

For some 20 odd years now, members of my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints aka LDS aka Mormon, via the Cape Elizabeth, Sanford, and Saco Wards — a sum total of 375+ members out of the 2,000+ members in attendance at these Wards [I myself have been a member for 34 years]) have accused me of being a witch. As a result, several of those people found it their God-given duty to “punish me” saying that what they did, they did on God’s orders.

I am deeply confused over their accusations, because I live the teachings of the church to the letter (something not a one of my accusers did, which puzzles me as to how they can call themselves Mormons if they do not live the teachings of the church? whatever.) In any case, I have Asperger’s and live what I’m told is a hermit lifestyle, which means that other than members from these 3 Wards, I have never had contact with a single non-Mormon, so I am not entirely certain what it is that a witch is or why these people persist in calling me a witch.

Well, since they continue to persist in accusing me of being a Witch, I have decided to look into witches, witchcraft, Wicca, ect, to try to figure out what it is that it is I am being accused of being. I mean, I can’t very well say I’m not a witch, when they accuse me of being a witch, if I don’t really know what a witch is, can I?

Anyways, that is what I have been doing today, and in my searching I found a few interesting items, which actually, make it look as though they are right and maybe I am a witch without even realizing it. Is that possible? Can a person be a witch and not know it?

First off, I found this picture. (See the picture of the three girls wearing purple burnoose, at the left of this post here). I don’t know who painted it or what it is called, but it is tagged with the words “witches” and “wicca”. Interesting. Do the clothes make a witch? If so, it would seem that clothes alone could very well be a basis for all these accusations of my being a witch.

Seeing this picture (marked as “Wiccan”) makes me wonder, is this why people keep calling me a witch? These three girls are wearing purple burnoose, which is what I wear every day too. There is no difference between the way these girls are dressed and the way I dress. Of course, in the 1300s – 1600s EVERYONE dressed like this, and my refusal to wear any modern garments, preferring only those styled in pre-1600s, means that of course I dress like this. But I have to ask: does dressing in pre-1600s clothes REALLY make me a witch?

I also noticed that each of these three girls has long dark hair and very pale skin. Could that too contribute to my being called a witch? My 28″ very dark red mistaken for black hair, is a lot longer than most women’s (It was a lot longer before the fire, but my hair and clothes caught fire when the house burned down, so my hair is not nearly as long as it used to be now.) Granted, there is a trend amoung Mormon women to disobey the church teachings and cut their hair, but does it mean that I am a witch because I do not disobey the church teachings and thus do not cut my hair? Does not cutting my hair REALLY make me a witch?

In spite of my being an Indian, my skin is paler than pale, described by others as being “as white as salt pork” or “as white as a ghost”. I’ve even been asked, what brand makeup I used to “whiten my skin”, even though I wear no make up at all! That’s how white my skin is. Wearing a full hooded burnoose, means that sunlight never touches your skin, and thus is remains is natural shade, never tanning at all. Of course, I started wearing the burnoose nearly 20 years ago, due to the fact than my skin in contact with the sun, blisters and burns. I don’t tan, I turn into boils. Thus I could not go out in the sunlight, thus I started wearing a burnoose to shade me from the sun, thus my skin got even lighter. But I have to ask: does having such pale skin, REALLY make me a witch?

Of course, than I found this list:

The 13 Goals of A Witch

1.) Know thy self
2.) Know thy Craft
3.) Learn
4.) Apply knowledge with wisdom
5.) Achieve balance
6.) Keep thy words in good order
7.) Keep thy thoughts in good order
8.) Celebrate Life
9.) Attune with the cycles of the earth
10.) Breath and eat correctly
11.) Exercise thy body
12.) Meditate (pray) often
13.) Honor thy God(dess)

Uhm . . . okay. So I live those things, but any Mormon who was being obedient to the gospel WOULD! Are these 13 things any different from the way the Church teaches us to live our lives? NO! Well if that’s the goals of a witch and they are pretty much the same goal Mormon have, I’m thinking that EVERY Mormon who lives the gospel could easily be called a witch, not just me.

Wow, these witch accusations a fast becoming, not only true, but are pointing to the fact that the people accusing me of being a witch are NOT living the gospel, because it mirrors the things witches do pretty closely!

Of courese these things are still not much, so I kept of looking and the next thing I found was this list:

The Principles of Belief, as set forth by the American Council of Witches (1974):

1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal quarters and cross-quarters.

2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.

3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than is apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary, it is sometimes called “supernatural”, but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.

4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the Universe as manifesting through polarity — as masculine and feminine — and that this same creative Power lives in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sexuality as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of Life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.

5. We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological worlds — sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, the Inner Planes, etc. — and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.

6. We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.

7. We see religion, magick, and wisdom-in-living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it — a world view and philosophy of life, which we identify as Witchcraft or the Wiccan Way.

8. Calling oneself “Witch” does not make a Witch — but neither does heredity itself, or the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within him/herself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well, without harm to others, and in harmony with nature.

9. We acknowledge that it is the affirmation and fulfillment of life, in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe we know, and to our personal role within it.

10. Our only animosity toward Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy-of-life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be “the one true right and only way” and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practices and belief.

11. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present, and our future.

12. We do not accept the concept of “absolute evil,” nor do we worship any entity known as “Satan” or “the Devil” as defined by Christian Tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept the concept that personal benefits can only be derived by denial to another.

13. We work within nature for that which is contributory to our health and well-being.

We are not bound by traditions from other times and other cultures, and owe no allegiance to any person or power greater than the Divinity manifest through our own being. As American Witches, we welcome and respect all life-affirming teachings and traditions, and seek to learn from all and to share our learning. We do not wish to open ourselves to the destruction of Wicca by those on self-serving power trips, or to philosophies and practices contradictory to these principles. In seeking to exclude those whose ways are contradictory to ours, we do not want to deny participation with us to any who are sincerely interested in our knowledge and beliefs, regardless of race, color, sex, age, national or cultural origins, or sexual preference.

Well, a few things a bit different here, between witches and Mormons, but not much. For example:

In the Mormon church men and women are not equal. Men rule over women, and women are taught to “be submissive” to their husbands, fathers, and church authority. (Note, ALL church authority/leaders are men as it is considered evil and the act of Satan to give a woman a position of authority).

Satan is talked about constantly in Mormon Sunday School classes. We are taught that he is Jesus’ twin brother and that he tries to deceive people by saying he is Jesus and people can’t tell if it’s Jesus or Satan/Lucifer because they are twins and look alike. We are taught to test him, by asking to shake his hand, and if he stretches forth his hand than it is Jesus because Jesus has a physical body, but if he refuses than it is Lucifer because he was never born in the flesh and thus never received a physical body. We are warned to be cautious of everything and every one esp government officials, public school officials, and non-Mormon church leaders because these are the ones Satan used to do his dirty work.

Mormons are noted, more than any other religion in the world, for their headstrong “The Only True Church” attitude. In the past 3 years I have meet with people who were not church members and have found that, while in the church members are always calling themselves “Saints” and “God’s Chosen People”, but outside the church, non-members refer to Mormons as “smug”, “stuck up”, “arrogant”, “vain”, “prideful”, “pushing”, “bossy”, “narrow minded”, “holier than thou”, “bullies”, and lots of other such things. The general opinion of non-members about members is that they are not nice people to be around, because “Mormons only like themselves”. Inside the church, going to 3 hours of Sunday classes, and 3 nights weekly of 2 to 3 hour weekday classes, you don’t have much time to talk with or associate with non-members, so you don’t realize how much they truly think Mormons are arrogant vain snobs; but when you stop attending classes and you have time to live in the world outside of church it really opens you eyes as to how non-members view members.

The Mormon church teaches sex in all forms is evil and that it should only be used when there is need for a new member of the church, and that members should have as large a family as possible, preferable at least one birth per family per year to ensure the growth of church membership, but that sex for any other reason is pure evil and a sin almost as grave as murder. It is one of the three great sins that will get you cast into Outer Darkness(the Mormon word for Hell), Apostasy and Murder being the only two sins more evil than sex.

Other than those four things though, everything else on that list, is pretty much the same as the things taught in church. So, again, it looks like that if you are truly living the gospel as taught by the church, than you are in fact also a witch. This puzzles me, seeing how I am a Mormon and I do live the gospel as taught by the church, and yet those who are accusing me of being a witch are themselves Mormons. Doesn’t this mean that if they were living the gospel as they should that they too could be considered as witches? I am now very confused as to why these people are calling me a witch, if there is so little difference between Witches and Mormons?

It should be noted that Witches live, from my understanding, in a manner very similar to Indian (Native American) religious practices. It should also be noted that Mormonism is based on the Native American (Lamanites/Neiphite) translation of Christianity. It is for this reason that Mormon teaching are so different from other Christian religions, because it is a blending of Native American faith with Christian faith. Well, if Wiccan faith is similar to Native American faith, and Mormonism is based on Native American Faith turned Christian, is it not than understandable, how I a Mormon can be accused of being a Witch? My question now, is, how is it that other Mormons are offended, put off by and have a dislike for witches, and how is it that they can call me a witch in such a foul intended way, when, it seems that there is very little difference between a Mormon and a Witch?

I have just sent for several Witch/Wicca book on inter library loan, so I will be studying this matter further, because I am still deeply confused over why these people enacted such violence against me, saying that it was due to my being a witch. I want to know why these people did thisto my family. I want to understand what was going through their heads, and what it is they thought they would accomplish in hurting us.

In any case, I do know one thing for certain, while Wicca is a religion, Witchcraft is not. Wicca is a recent misused name for Witchcraft. A Witch is a type of person, not a type of religion. A witch by definition is simply anyone who has special powers (visions, etc.) and knows the art of healing via nature and can be of any religion, for example a Jewish witch, a Mormon witch, a Wicca witch, a Baptist witch. There are Pagan witches, Christian witches, atheist witches, and all things in between. So to be accurate Wicca is not another name for Witch or Witchcraft, because Wicca is a type of religion, while Witchcraft is more correctly a type of hobby or career.

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

. . .

————-
If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
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.

Is it true what they say? Am I a Witch? (repost)

For some 20 odd years now, members of my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints aka LDS aka Mormon, via the Cape Elizabeth, Sanford, and Saco Wards — a sum total of 375+ members out of the 2,000+ members in attendance at these Wards [I myself have been a member for 34 years]) have accused me of being a witch. As a result, several of those people found it their God-given duty to “punish me” saying that what they did, they did on God’s orders.

I am deeply confused over their accusations, because I live the teachings of the church to the letter (something not a one of my accusers did, which puzzles me as to how they can call themselves Mormons if they do not live the teachings of the church? whatever.) In any case, I have Asperger’s and live what I’m told is a hermit lifestyle, which means that other than members from these 3 Wards, I have never had contact with a single non-Mormon, so I am not entirely certain what it is that a witch is or why these people persist in calling me a witch.

Well, since they continue to persist in accusing me of being a Witch, I have decided to look into witches, witchcraft, Wicca, ect, to try to figure out what it is that it is I am being accused of being. I mean, I can’t very well say I’m not a witch, when they accuse me of being a witch, if I don’t really know what a witch is, can I?

Anyways, that is what I have been doing today, and in my searching I found a few interesting items, which actually, make it look as though they are right and maybe I am a witch without even realizing it. Is that possible? Can a person be a witch and not know it?

First off, I found this picture. (See the picture of the three girls wearing purple burnoose, at the left of this post here). I don’t know who painted it or what it is called, but it is tagged with the words “witches” and “wicca”. Interesting. Do the clothes make a witch? If so, it would seem that clothes alone could very well be a basis for all these accusations of my being a witch.

Seeing this picture (marked as “Wiccan”) makes me wonder, is this why people keep calling me a witch? These three girls are wearing purple burnoose, which is what I wear every day too. There is no difference between the way these girls are dressed and the way I dress. Of course, in the 1300s – 1600s EVERYONE dressed like this, and my refusal to wear any modern garments, preferring only those styled in pre-1600s, means that of course I dress like this. But I have to ask: does dressing in pre-1600s clothes REALLY make me a witch?

I also noticed that each of these three girls has long dark hair and very pale skin. Could that too contribute to my being called a witch? My 28″ very dark red mistaken for black hair, is a lot longer than most women’s (It was a lot longer before the fire, but my hair and clothes caught fire when the house burned down, so my hair is not nearly as long as it used to be now.) Granted, there is a trend amoung Mormon women to disobey the church teachings and cut their hair, but does it mean that I am a witch because I do not disobey the church teachings and thus do not cut my hair? Does not cutting my hair REALLY make me a witch?

In spite of my being an Indian, my skin is paler than pale, described by others as being “as white as salt pork” or “as white as a ghost”. I’ve even been asked, what brand makeup I used to “whiten my skin”, even though I wear no make up at all! That’s how white my skin is. Wearing a full hooded burnoose, means that sunlight never touches your skin, and thus is remains is natural shade, never tanning at all. Of course, I started wearing the burnoose nearly 20 years ago, due to the fact than my skin in contact with the sun, blisters and burns. I don’t tan, I turn into boils. Thus I could not go out in the sunlight, thus I started wearing a burnoose to shade me from the sun, thus my skin got even lighter. But I have to ask: does having such pale skin, REALLY make me a witch?

Of course, than I found this list:

The 13 Goals of A Witch

1.) Know thy self
2.) Know thy Craft
3.) Learn
4.) Apply knowledge with wisdom
5.) Achieve balance
6.) Keep thy words in good order
7.) Keep thy thoughts in good order
8.) Celebrate Life
9.) Attune with the cycles of the earth
10.) Breath and eat correctly
11.) Exercise thy body
12.) Meditate (pray) often
13.) Honor thy God(dess)

Uhm . . . okay. So I live those things, but any Mormon who was being obedient to the gospel WOULD! Are these 13 things any different from the way the Church teaches us to live our lives? NO! Well if that’s the goals of a witch and they are pretty much the same goal Mormon have, I’m thinking that EVERY Mormon who lives the gospel could easily be called a witch, not just me.

Wow, these witch accusations a fast becoming, not only true, but are pointing to the fact that the people accusing me of being a witch are NOT living the gospel, because it mirrors the things witches do pretty closely!

Of courese these things are still not much, so I kept of looking and the next thing I found was this list:

The Principles of Belief, as set forth by the American Council of Witches (1974):

1. We practice rites to attune ourselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal quarters and cross-quarters.

2. We recognize that our intelligence gives us a unique responsibility toward our environment. We seek to live in harmony with nature, in ecological balance offering fulfillment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept.

3. We acknowledge a depth of power far greater than is apparent to the average person. Because it is far greater than ordinary, it is sometimes called “supernatural”, but we see it as lying within that which is naturally potential to all.

4. We conceive of the Creative Power in the Universe as manifesting through polarity — as masculine and feminine — and that this same creative Power lives in all people, and functions through the interaction of the masculine and feminine. We value neither above the other, knowing each to be supportive of the other. We value sexuality as pleasure, as the symbol and embodiment of Life, and as one of the sources of energies used in magickal practice and religious worship.

5. We recognize both outer worlds and inner, or psychological worlds — sometimes known as the Spiritual World, the Collective Unconscious, the Inner Planes, etc. — and we see in the interaction of these two dimensions the basis for paranormal phenomena and magickal exercises. We neglect neither dimension for the other, seeing both as necessary for our fulfillment.

6. We do not recognize any authoritarian hierarchy, but do honor those who teach, respect those who share their greater knowledge and wisdom, and acknowledge those who have courageously given of themselves in leadership.

7. We see religion, magick, and wisdom-in-living as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it — a world view and philosophy of life, which we identify as Witchcraft or the Wiccan Way.

8. Calling oneself “Witch” does not make a Witch — but neither does heredity itself, or the collecting of titles, degrees, and initiations. A Witch seeks to control the forces within him/herself that make life possible in order to live wisely and well, without harm to others, and in harmony with nature.

9. We acknowledge that it is the affirmation and fulfillment of life, in a continuation of evolution and development of consciousness, that gives meaning to the Universe we know, and to our personal role within it.

10. Our only animosity toward Christianity, or toward any other religion or philosophy-of-life, is to the extent that its institutions have claimed to be “the one true right and only way” and have sought to deny freedom to others and to suppress other ways of religious practices and belief.

11. As American Witches, we are not threatened by debates on the history of the Craft, the origins of various terms, the legitimacy of various aspects of different traditions. We are concerned with our present, and our future.

12. We do not accept the concept of “absolute evil,” nor do we worship any entity known as “Satan” or “the Devil” as defined by Christian Tradition. We do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do we accept the concept that personal benefits can only be derived by denial to another.

13. We work within nature for that which is contributory to our health and well-being.

We are not bound by traditions from other times and other cultures, and owe no allegiance to any person or power greater than the Divinity manifest through our own being. As American Witches, we welcome and respect all life-affirming teachings and traditions, and seek to learn from all and to share our learning. We do not wish to open ourselves to the destruction of Wicca by those on self-serving power trips, or to philosophies and practices contradictory to these principles. In seeking to exclude those whose ways are contradictory to ours, we do not want to deny participation with us to any who are sincerely interested in our knowledge and beliefs, regardless of race, color, sex, age, national or cultural origins, or sexual preference.

Well, a few things a bit different here, between witches and Mormons, but not much. For example:

In the Mormon church men and women are not equal. Men rule over women, and women are taught to “be submissive” to their husbands, fathers, and church authority. (Note, ALL church authority/leaders are men as it is considered evil and the act of Satan to give a woman a position of authority).

Satan is talked about constantly in Mormon Sunday School classes. We are taught that he is Jesus’ twin brother and that he tries to deceive people by saying he is Jesus and people can’t tell if it’s Jesus or Satan/Lucifer because they are twins and look alike. We are taught to test him, by asking to shake his hand, and if he stretches forth his hand than it is Jesus because Jesus has a physical body, but if he refuses than it is Lucifer because he was never born in the flesh and thus never received a physical body. We are warned to be cautious of everything and every one esp government officials, public school officials, and non-Mormon church leaders because these are the ones Satan used to do his dirty work.

Mormons are noted, more than any other religion in the world, for their headstrong “The Only True Church” attitude. In the past 3 years I have meet with people who were not church members and have found that, while in the church members are always calling themselves “Saints” and “God’s Chosen People”, but outside the church, non-members refer to Mormons as “smug”, “stuck up”, “arrogant”, “vain”, “prideful”, “pushing”, “bossy”, “narrow minded”, “holier than thou”, “bullies”, and lots of other such things. The general opinion of non-members about members is that they are not nice people to be around, because “Mormons only like themselves”. Inside the church, going to 3 hours of Sunday classes, and 3 nights weekly of 2 to 3 hour weekday classes, you don’t have much time to talk with or associate with non-members, so you don’t realize how much they truly think Mormons are arrogant vain snobs; but when you stop attending classes and you have time to live in the world outside of church it really opens you eyes as to how non-members view members.

The Mormon church teaches sex in all forms is evil and that it should only be used when there is need for a new member of the church, and that members should have as large a family as possible, preferable at least one birth per family per year to ensure the growth of church membership, but that sex for any other reason is pure evil and a sin almost as grave as murder. It is one of the three great sins that will get you cast into Outer Darkness(the Mormon word for Hell), Apostasy and Murder being the only two sins more evil than sex.

Other than those four things though, everything else on that list, is pretty much the same as the things taught in church. So, again, it looks like that if you are truly living the gospel as taught by the church, than you are in fact also a witch. This puzzles me, seeing how I am a Mormon and I do live the gospel as taught by the church, and yet those who are accusing me of being a witch are themselves Mormons. Doesn’t this mean that if they were living the gospel as they should that they too could be considered as witches? I am now very confused as to why these people are calling me a witch, if there is so little difference between Witches and Mormons?

It should be noted that Witches live, from my understanding, in a manner very similar to Indian (Native American) religious practices. It should also be noted that Mormonism is based on the Native American (Lamanites/Neiphite) translation of Christianity. It is for this reason that Mormon teaching are so different from other Christian religions, because it is a blending of Native American faith with Christian faith. Well, if Wiccan faith is similar to Native American faith, and Mormonism is based on Native American Faith turned Christian, is it not than understandable, how I a Mormon can be accused of being a Witch? My question now, is, how is it that other Mormons are offended, put off by and have a dislike for witches, and how is it that they can call me a witch in such a foul intended way, when, it seems that there is very little difference between a Mormon and a Witch?

I have just sent for several Witch/Wicca book on inter library loan, so I will be studying this matter further, because I am still deeply confused over why these people enacted such violence against me, saying that it was due to my being a witch. I want to know why these people did thisto my family. I want to understand what was going through their heads, and what it is they thought they would accomplish in hurting us.

In any case, I do know one thing for certain, while Wicca is a religion, Witchcraft is not. Wicca is a recent misused name for Witchcraft. A Witch is a type of person, not a type of religion. A witch by definition is simply anyone who has special powers (visions, etc.) and knows the art of healing via nature and can be of any religion, for example a Jewish witch, a Mormon witch, a Wicca witch, a Baptist witch. There are Pagan witches, Christian witches, atheist witches, and all things in between. So to be accurate Wicca is not another name for Witch or Witchcraft, because Wicca is a type of religion, while Witchcraft is more correctly a type of hobby or career.

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

. . .

————-
If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
.
.

.

What is a Hedgewitch? And Working With Faeries.

There is much confusion over the name Hedgewitch due to the change in the meaning of the word “hedge”. Hedge originally meant: the dimension between the physical world and the spirit world; the dividing line between the two, where beings from either side could enter and communicate with the other. Today a hedge is a type of bush or shrub used to make a fence, so named because it divides two property lines.

Because so few people are well educated, most have no knowledge of the original meanings of half the words they speak in their daily vocabulary. The problem with this is that it causes them to than mistranslates other words which incorporate those same mistranslated words. This has happened with the word Hedgewitch.

The common misconception is that Hedgewitch is another title for a Green Witch, Garden Witch, or Kitchen Witch, because people hear the word “hedge” in the word “Hedgewitch” and assume this is meant in reference to a green leafy shrub, when in fact it is meant in reference to the fact that a Hedgewitch is a Witch who can cross into the hedge which divides our physical world from the spirit world and has absolutely nothing to do with plants or gardens at all!

A Hedgewitch by true definition, practices magic with the help of a Familiar, often a Faerie of some sort, which has traveled to our world through the hedge. As such Hedgewitches are commonly said to practice “Faerie Magic”, which for some odd reason causes people to assume Faeries are little flowery garden things and so farther causes confusion, with Hedgewitch falsely being defined as a Green Witch.

A word of caution: Faeries ARE NOT cute little beings that flit about in pink tulle, flying from flower to flower on butterfly wings, granting wishes and doing nice things. Faeries are dangerous creatures with a deep dislike for Humans. They are short tempered, self centered, vain, violent, quick to enact justice, and show little compassion. They can change their size and physical appearance at will, so can  APPEAR to be small pink winged creatures, but keep in mind that this is only an illusion meant to trick you. Most Faeries, without the Faerie Glamour, stand about 4 feet to 5 tall, have pale white to grey skin, large round eyes, and long thin fingers. They are telepathic empaths who can “get inside” your head and make you think they look like anything they want you to think they look like, wither it be a tiny pink flower fairy or a 30 foot tall snarling black dog. They have the ability to change energy fields (including brain wave patterns) and can thus not only make you see things differently than they really are, but can also heal illnesses or create them simply by changing the flow of energy as it passes by your body. They are rarely seen by Humans due to their ability to bend energy fields around them, resulting in them “becoming invisible”. 

The Fey are a race of beings astronomically more intelligent and advanced than Humans. Most Faeries show very little concern for Humans, thinking of them, in much the same manner as Humans think of ants and mosquitoes – an unintelligent annoyance to be swatted if it gets in your way, but otherwise you just ignore it and never think about it. As such only the extremist eccentrics of the Fey Race ever bother with Humans – they are Human Rights Activists, in the same manner in which PETA members are Animal Rights Activists. These are the Faeries witch we Humans thus know as “The Elementals”. They are the nature conservationalists of the Faerie Realm, looking to preserve the Earth and prevent the extinction of it’s lesser beings (us Humans being amoung the so-called lesser beings which they are trying to protect from extinction.) This is why so many people who work with Faeries, are also Green Witches, Garden Witches, and work closely with plants and animals. It’s not that all Faeries are Nature Spirits, it’s just that the Faeries who enjoy working with Humans tend to be the environmentalist type. Faeries who work with Hedgewitches, as a general rule are “Good Faeries”, kind loving, peaceful, and seeking to help the Human Race (and often refer to the Human Witch as their “pet”.) These “Nature Spirit” types usually come to the Witch without the Witch seeking their help, choosing the said Witch over other Humans because they see the potential in advising this Witch over a different Human. Once the initial contact has been made, the Witch can than call upon the help of this same Faerie again and again, whenever help or guidance is needed.

Not all Faeries who initiate contact with Humans are good or helpful however. Like the teen aged Human who finds it fun to tie a tin can to a cat’s tail, throw rocks through windows, and paint-ball cars, there are many teen aged Faeries who do the same. Faeries have a much longer lifespan than Humans, living several hundreds of years, which means they have a period of about 200 years of being “a teenager”, and many of those “teen aged” Faeries take great delight in tormenting the lesser animals, esp, the Human ones. Because of this, it is highly dangerous to call on the help of a Faerie at random, because more often than not, one of these teen aged prankster types wil be the one to answer your call. Many of them are actively on the look out for Humans seeking Faerie assistance, and are quick to jump to the call, but for their own entertainment. The results are often disastrous for the Human who requested Faerie help. 

Just like Humans, however, the environmentalists and teen aged pranksters are only a small minority of the Fey Race. Their realm is bustling with teachers, businessmen, children, adults, and regular average workers just like our world is. Most of the Fey are too busy with their own lives to take any notice of Humans at all.

Like our Human world, Fae has it’s “Einstein’s” as well. The Scientists of Fea are almost “gods” in their abilities, when compared with the sciences of Humans. Not evil in the true sense of the word, Faerie Scientists are among the most dangerous Faeries for a Human to come into contact with. These Faeries are what we as Humans refer to as “The Greys”. They are not extraterrestrial aliens from another planet as popular culture says, but rather Faerie scientists from another realm of our own Earth. Like Proctor & Gamble and it’s tests on cats and dogs, “The Greys” are a group of scientists from a Faerie science laboratory, collecting Human specimens for their tests. As Faerie science advances, they gather more Humans for testing. The Faerie scientists are the reason for the out break of so many “new” illnesses (such as AIDS, New Swine Flue, etc) in resent years. They are highly dangerous Faeries because their research often results in loss of Human life.

Unfortunately, like our Human world, the Faerie Realm, also has it’s “Hitlers”. These are the most dangerous of all the Fey, and when finally banished from the Realm of Fey, are cast into our Realm for the Humans to deal with. These dictatorial Faeries, are power hungry control freaks, often masquerading under the title of “God”. God is a Fearie word (not a Human wiord) and it does not mean a Heavenly Father or Creator Spirit, as it does in the Human world. The the language of Fey, God means “One in Power” or “One Who Seeks to Control” or “The Almighty One”, in other words, a being who calls himself by the title of “God” is a dictator. It is important to understand that “God” is a title, not a thing. The “Gods” banished from the Fae and cast out into the World of Man, are very evil, dark Faeries with twisted minds, seeking to build up armies and kingdoms, with the goal being to create a powerful Human Army, to help them return to the Realm of Fae and take their “rightful place” on the throne as over lord over all of Fae. These power hungry Faeries, seek out Humans looking for answers to life, and deceive them with false promises. 

Like the Teen aged Prankster Faeries mentioned above, these God Fae are also always seeking out Humans who call upon “higher authority” for assistance, and these Faeries, with all their vainity, will often make a grand show of pomp and circumstance with fire and lightening in order to dazzle the Human calling for assistance, thus causing the Human to start worshiping the Fae and calling the Fae “God” at the command of the Fae itself, who is proclaiming to be “God”. Unfortunately, the influence of these Faeries is so powerful that they are able to gather up prophets who build up churches and religions to them. All of the world’s religions, both the Christian and the non-Christian, were each originally founded by one of these Faeries and it’s Human followers.

In closing, I will simple give warning: Being a Hedgewitch can be a wonderful experience, esp for those who choose the Green Witch style of Hedgewitchery and are able to communicate with the kind and helpful Nature Elemental Faeries. However, know what you are doing BEFORE you start, and NEVER call on the assistance of a Faerie unless you are absolutly certain you can gain the attention of one of the helpful nature types. Calling on the assistance of a Faerie, without full knowledge of what you are doing or who you are invoking to help you, can be extremely dangerous and have disastrous results. Like Humans, Faeries are neither good nor evil, but like Humans they can do good or evil things depending on their attitudes, occupations, and temperaments! Be careful!

Hedgewitches living on coastal beaches are sometimes called Covewitches. A cove is a hedge that separates the physical world from the spirit world at an entrance over water, usually the ocean.

NOTE: This information about various types of Faeries and their dealings with Humans was given to me by Etiole`, who is himself a Water elemental Faerie.

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

. . .

————-
If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
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What is a Hedgewitch? And Working With Faeries.

There is much confusion over the name Hedgewitch due to the change in the meaning of the word “hedge”. Hedge originally meant: the dimension between the physical world and the spirit world; the dividing line between the two, where beings from either side could enter and communicate with the other. Today a hedge is a type of bush or shrub used to make a fence, so named because it divides two property lines.

Because so few people are well educated, most have no knowledge of the original meanings of half the words they speak in their daily vocabulary. The problem with this is that it causes them to than mistranslates other words which incorporate those same mistranslated words. This has happened with the word Hedgewitch.

The common misconception is that Hedgewitch is another title for a Green Witch, Garden Witch, or Kitchen Witch, because people hear the word “hedge” in the word “Hedgewitch” and assume this is meant in reference to a green leafy shrub, when in fact it is meant in reference to the fact that a Hedgewitch is a Witch who can cross into the hedge which divides our physical world from the spirit world and has absolutely nothing to do with plants or gardens at all!

A Hedgewitch by true definition, practices magic with the help of a Familiar, often a Faerie of some sort, which has traveled to our world through the hedge. As such Hedgewitches are commonly said to practice “Faerie Magic”, which for some odd reason causes people to assume Faeries are little flowery garden things and so farther causes confusion, with Hedgewitch falsely being defined as a Green Witch.

A word of caution: Faeries ARE NOT cute little beings that flit about in pink tulle, flying from flower to flower on butterfly wings, granting wishes and doing nice things. Faeries are dangerous creatures with a deep dislike for Humans. They are short tempered, self centered, vain, violent, quick to enact justice, and show little compassion. They can change their size and physical appearance at will, so can  APPEAR to be small pink winged creatures, but keep in mind that this is only an illusion meant to trick you. Most Faeries, without the Faerie Glamour, stand about 4 feet to 5 tall, have pale white to grey skin, large round eyes, and long thin fingers. They are telepathic empaths who can “get inside” your head and make you think they look like anything they want you to think they look like, wither it be a tiny pink flower fairy or a 30 foot tall snarling black dog. They have the ability to change energy fields (including brain wave patterns) and can thus not only make you see things differently than they really are, but can also heal illnesses or create them simply by changing the flow of energy as it passes by your body. They are rarely seen by Humans due to their ability to bend energy fields around them, resulting in them “becoming invisible”. 

The Fey are a race of beings astronomically more intelligent and advanced than Humans. Most Faeries show very little concern for Humans, thinking of them, in much the same manner as Humans think of ants and mosquitoes – an unintelligent annoyance to be swatted if it gets in your way, but otherwise you just ignore it and never think about it. As such only the extremist eccentrics of the Fey Race ever bother with Humans – they are Human Rights Activists, in the same manner in which PETA members are Animal Rights Activists. These are the Faeries witch we Humans thus know as “The Elementals”. They are the nature conservationalists of the Faerie Realm, looking to preserve the Earth and prevent the extinction of it’s lesser beings (us Humans being amoung the so-called lesser beings which they are trying to protect from extinction.) This is why so many people who work with Faeries, are also Green Witches, Garden Witches, and work closely with plants and animals. It’s not that all Faeries are Nature Spirits, it’s just that the Faeries who enjoy working with Humans tend to be the environmentalist type. Faeries who work with Hedgewitches, as a general rule are “Good Faeries”, kind loving, peaceful, and seeking to help the Human Race (and often refer to the Human Witch as their “pet”.) These “Nature Spirit” types usually come to the Witch without the Witch seeking their help, choosing the said Witch over other Humans because they see the potential in advising this Witch over a different Human. Once the initial contact has been made, the Witch can than call upon the help of this same Faerie again and again, whenever help or guidance is needed.

Not all Faeries who initiate contact with Humans are good or helpful however. Like the teen aged Human who finds it fun to tie a tin can to a cat’s tail, throw rocks through windows, and paint-ball cars, there are many teen aged Faeries who do the same. Faeries have a much longer lifespan than Humans, living several hundreds of years, which means they have a period of about 200 years of being “a teenager”, and many of those “teen aged” Faeries take great delight in tormenting the lesser animals, esp, the Human ones. Because of this, it is highly dangerous to call on the help of a Faerie at random, because more often than not, one of these teen aged prankster types wil be the one to answer your call. Many of them are actively on the look out for Humans seeking Faerie assistance, and are quick to jump to the call, but for their own entertainment. The results are often disastrous for the Human who requested Faerie help. 

Just like Humans, however, the environmentalists and teen aged pranksters are only a small minority of the Fey Race. Their realm is bustling with teachers, businessmen, children, adults, and regular average workers just like our world is. Most of the Fey are too busy with their own lives to take any notice of Humans at all.

Like our Human world, Fae has it’s “Einstein’s” as well. The Scientists of Fea are almost “gods” in their abilities, when compared with the sciences of Humans. Not evil in the true sense of the word, Faerie Scientists are among the most dangerous Faeries for a Human to come into contact with. These Faeries are what we as Humans refer to as “The Greys”. They are not extraterrestrial aliens from another planet as popular culture says, but rather Faerie scientists from another realm of our own Earth. Like Proctor & Gamble and it’s tests on cats and dogs, “The Greys” are a group of scientists from a Faerie science laboratory, collecting Human specimens for their tests. As Faerie science advances, they gather more Humans for testing. The Faerie scientists are the reason for the out break of so many “new” illnesses (such as AIDS, New Swine Flue, etc) in resent years. They are highly dangerous Faeries because their research often results in loss of Human life.

Unfortunately, like our Human world, the Faerie Realm, also has it’s “Hitlers”. These are the most dangerous of all the Fey, and when finally banished from the Realm of Fey, are cast into our Realm for the Humans to deal with. These dictatorial Faeries, are power hungry control freaks, often masquerading under the title of “God”. God is a Fearie word (not a Human wiord) and it does not mean a Heavenly Father or Creator Spirit, as it does in the Human world. The the language of Fey, God means “One in Power” or “One Who Seeks to Control” or “The Almighty One”, in other words, a being who calls himself by the title of “God” is a dictator. It is important to understand that “God” is a title, not a thing. The “Gods” banished from the Fae and cast out into the World of Man, are very evil, dark Faeries with twisted minds, seeking to build up armies and kingdoms, with the goal being to create a powerful Human Army, to help them return to the Realm of Fae and take their “rightful place” on the throne as over lord over all of Fae. These power hungry Faeries, seek out Humans looking for answers to life, and deceive them with false promises. 

Like the Teen aged Prankster Faeries mentioned above, these God Fae are also always seeking out Humans who call upon “higher authority” for assistance, and these Faeries, with all their vainity, will often make a grand show of pomp and circumstance with fire and lightening in order to dazzle the Human calling for assistance, thus causing the Human to start worshiping the Fae and calling the Fae “God” at the command of the Fae itself, who is proclaiming to be “God”. Unfortunately, the influence of these Faeries is so powerful that they are able to gather up prophets who build up churches and religions to them. All of the world’s religions, both the Christian and the non-Christian, were each originally founded by one of these Faeries and it’s Human followers.

In closing, I will simple give warning: Being a Hedgewitch can be a wonderful experience, esp for those who choose the Green Witch style of Hedgewitchery and are able to communicate with the kind and helpful Nature Elemental Faeries. However, know what you are doing BEFORE you start, and NEVER call on the assistance of a Faerie unless you are absolutly certain you can gain the attention of one of the helpful nature types. Calling on the assistance of a Faerie, without full knowledge of what you are doing or who you are invoking to help you, can be extremely dangerous and have disastrous results. Like Humans, Faeries are neither good nor evil, but like Humans they can do good or evil things depending on their attitudes, occupations, and temperaments! Be careful!

Hedgewitches living on coastal beaches are sometimes called Covewitches. A cove is a hedge that separates the physical world from the spirit world at an entrance over water, usually the ocean.

NOTE: This information about various types of Faeries and their dealings with Humans was given to me by Etiole`, who is himself a Water elemental Faerie.

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

. . .

————-
If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
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.

.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Things I am Thankful For:Life:

On thanksgiving I think about life and death a lot. I’ll explain why at the end of this list…death and Thanksgiving go hand in hand in my family, this is a hard day to find a reason to be thankful.

If you observe everything around you the way I do, you’ll realize how close we are to death each and every day…. at every intersection there is always a car that jumps the light and goes before it’s green or runs the light and goes after it’s turned red… in the past 30 years I’ve been in 12 car accidents that were caused by red light runners and jumpers… each time we missed the car that caused the accident, thanks to my dad’s quick set the car into a spin and halt action (he should be a stunt driver, he is good), we end up rear ended by the car behind us, that didn’t see the light jumper in time to stop.

And I don’t know how many times we are in a traffic jam on Rt One, waiting for a multi car pile up to be towed away… speeders, drunk drivers, over medicated drivers, tired truckers, and light jumpers are always the cause of those accidents, people often die on Rt One… there are a 4 or 5 white crosses every few miles… it is both he longest and deadlist road in the State. and a road we travel on almost every day as our street is off it. So the first thing on my list is always Life…. My life, my families life, all life. Taken in the odds of death by car on that road, we are very lucky to say we drive that road every day and lived to tell the tale.

My Family:

My three brothers are the greatest thing to ever happen, they are more than just my three brothers, they are also my three best friends. We do everything together. I am ever thankful for them.

My Dad, crazy, animal loving, mountain man, hermit that he is, my thrill driving stunt man want-a-be Dad, is the greatest Dad this world ever saw. I am a ever thankful for him.

My Mom, totally wacko, usually to lost in the world of prescription drugs and singing in bars to remember to spend time with her children even today on Thanksgiving, I write this as we wait for her to come back home. I still am thankful to have her, in her own strange way she has taught me to see life through the eyes of patience.

My animals:

In my lifetime more than 5,000 pets have called this place home, some for their entire lives, others for just a few weeks of recovery, others, spent their senior years in sanctuary here have an early life of hardship, many wild babies who’s mothers have been killed by cars, have grown up here and released to the wild after reaching adulthood… and no drought thousands more will come and go over the years. Two wild babies have stayed on here, now 7 years old… a Pigeon and a Siamese Kitten, every time I am here typing these posts to you, they are here at the computer with me, my constant companions…Pidgie and Utopia.

The State of Maine:

I love Maine and all it’s wild beauty. I love the natives and their weird anti-social ways. I love the rocky coast lines and the fishing villages. I love the ancient old growth trees. I love the friendly French people who always seem to be bubbling over with joy and happiness. I love the tourists that come here every summer for our beaches, ever fall for our foliage, and every winter for our snow, and year round for antique shops and visiting historic houses.

My grandmother.:

Throughout my childhood I spent more time with Grammy than anyone. A wild schizophrenic, her mind never developed past the mentality of a 4 or 5 year old, her sense of logic and reason was beyond comprehension to most people, and she was shunned by all but 3 of her 12 children, and all but 9 of her more than 200 grandchildren. She lived in a world of butterflies, birds, animals, Halloween pumpkins, Santa Clause, Betty Boop, Miss Piggy, angels, and Jesus. She lived to celebrate every holiday. Holidays without Grammy are not the same… for every holiday we each received a card on each day of the month until the holiday arrived…not normal cards, but the biggest, gaudiest, brightest colored, often pop-up, and usual Disney cards, with their insides totally plastered with bright, glittering, sparkly, fuzzy, puffy, and/or scratch and sniff stickers.

Her house was decorated inside and out year around… 3 or 4 Christmas trees throughout the house, decorated with black cats, witches, jack-o-lanterns, Betty Boop, and lots and lots of tinsel. Tissue paper turkeys, Easter bunnies, and shamrocks in the windows, Pictures of Santa on every wall… Grammy’s house was a magical holiday play land 365 days a year. Every day was a holiday there. It was Grammy who taught me that Thanksgiving was the day to hug turkeys not eat them.

Grammy travels to 6 continents, and over 200 countries in her life time… it was her goal to visit each and every country in the world. She was a very vocal animal rights activist, a vegan to the utmost extreme, and she did more to help the homeless of Biddeford than anyone else ever has. As a child she was an orphan sent from one foster home to the next in a time when foster home children were nothing more than free farm hands and abused like slaves, the result was her activism for children’s rights, which lasted until the day she died. A Kickapoo Indian, she embraced her culture by living at one with nature and become a very spiritual person, taking up the arts of a “weather witch” shaman, though not a Wiccan, her lifestyle would today be considered as such. Grammy was an active promoter of Jesus as well, preaching his words to anyone who would listen; her religion of choice was the Seventh Day Adventist, because of their stand on animal rights, children’s rights, veganism, and Saturday worship… the rest of their teachings she often debated with her pastor.

She never drove a car and walked every where. She walked from Biddeford to Old Orchard Beach almost every week, and for those who don’t know how far that is…it’s one hell of a walk. Before she broken her hip in the early 1990’s, she roller skated every where she needed to go.

This was her favorite time of year… fall foliage season, when we, she and my family, drove across Maine, it was a vacation tradition with us, to stop everything we were doing, pack the car with food, and visit a different town in Maine, each and every day, from September through November… at one time or another we have visited every town in Maine south of the Hanesville Woods, and nearly every town in New Hampshire.

The last six years of her life she became less active and became to try repeatedly to reopen communications with her stuck-up holier than thou Mormon children… but try as she might, they continued to snub her, accusing her of being a child of Satan, saying she was possessed with an evil spirit, and telling her that the sooner she died and burned in Hell the happier they would be. They said that if she was dead they could force her to join the Mormon church by “baptism for the dead”. They told her that dead, she wouldn’t embarrass them with her child like ways, her outlandish cloths, her animals, her sinful lack of eating meat (the only gifts she ever received from them were each year they’ sarcastically send her gift baskets of ham, sausages, and chicken), her un-holy constant talk about Jesus (they say that as Mormons they are to saintly to call Jesus by his name…but I don’t remember the Mormon church ever teaching that). Their cruelty broke her heart, but she didn’t want their pity, she wanted their love, and so, I alone knew she had breast cancer, she said of over 240 children and grandchildren, I alone she could talk to, I alone she could trust.

Her last year was the hardest, the cancer spread to her liver, and her bloodstream, she lost the ability to walk, the thing she had done the most in her life. Me and my three (than infant) brothers stayed with her. Only J1 was old enough to remember Grammy, but just barely. Those last few months I cooked, cleaned, and feed my grandmother. All the while she continued without end writing letters and calling on the phone, begging her children and grandchildren to visit her. Finally one week before Thanksiving she invited all of them to Thankgiving Dinner at her house…telling them she’d even let them cook a turkey if that’d get them to come…on the phone with her favorite son, he laughed at her request…my Dad in a rage took the phone and yelled “If you don’t come now you’ll never see her again, the doctors say she’s only got a few days left.” than hung up on them. That one uncle was on the next plane to Maine, soon followed, by the son and daughter, that lived here in Maine (both lived only a few streets away for Grammy), and one daughter from Utah also came….no one else. She died 1:00 AM in the morning on Thanksgiving Day, never getting her wish to see her children and grandchildren one last time. Those that came were the pooest in the family, and could not afford a funeral, together all we could afford was a plot next to her baby that had died so many years ago. We could not afford a coffin or a headstone, and she was buried in a cardboard box. With only us and the few sons and daughters that showed up. Less than 12 people, in a family of 246+. Later, out of grief at not coming when she had asked, one son bought a tomb stone which says “Have I told you lately that I love you?”, saying that were ever she was he hoped that she could forgive him. It was a quite a contrast to all the expensive pomp and circumstance of Grandpa’s extravagant Mormon funeral last summer. Grammy’s last Thanksgiving was a day of rejoicing for the Mormons of the family, and exactly 6 months later they celebrated as the baptism of the dead was preformed in the Salt Lake Temple. Grammy was so sweet and gentle, so innocent and loving, her mind never reached adult hood, she was never able to live or act like an adult, living forever in the blissful mind of a child, it was her simple ways that I loved her for, and yet it was her simple ways that her children were ashamed to admit they were related to her for, shame that over the years grew to outright hate.

Today those same relatives are ashamed of me, like Grammy, they call me the child of Satan, they say that when Grammy died her evil spirit possessed me. Unlike them I was never ashamed of Grammy, unlike them I learned to accept her for who she was. Grammy was for many years, my best friend, and I am ever thankful that I knew her, for she taught me to look at the world through the eyes of a child, to enjoy the simple things in life…the flowers, the trees, the rain, God’s glorious creation, she taught me to treat everyone as equals…wither they be rich businessmen, the homeless on the streets, animal, or child…she belied that Jesus loved them all just the same good or bad and that we should strive to love as Jesus did. I am who I am today because I had a schizophrenic grandmother who loved everything and everyone with a childlike innocence, and took the time to find happiness in everything in life be it good or bad.

This entire post is dedicated to and written in memory of ..

Eva Viola Atwater

Mother to many; Friend to all.

February 21, 1921 – Thanksgiving Day 1994

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

. . .

————-
If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
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.

.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Things I am Thankful For:Life:

On thanksgiving I think about life and death a lot. I’ll explain why at the end of this list…death and Thanksgiving go hand in hand in my family, this is a hard day to find a reason to be thankful.

If you observe everything around you the way I do, you’ll realize how close we are to death each and every day…. at every intersection there is always a car that jumps the light and goes before it’s green or runs the light and goes after it’s turned red… in the past 30 years I’ve been in 12 car accidents that were caused by red light runners and jumpers… each time we missed the car that caused the accident, thanks to my dad’s quick set the car into a spin and halt action (he should be a stunt driver, he is good), we end up rear ended by the car behind us, that didn’t see the light jumper in time to stop.

And I don’t know how many times we are in a traffic jam on Rt One, waiting for a multi car pile up to be towed away… speeders, drunk drivers, over medicated drivers, tired truckers, and light jumpers are always the cause of those accidents, people often die on Rt One… there are a 4 or 5 white crosses every few miles… it is both he longest and deadlist road in the State. and a road we travel on almost every day as our street is off it. So the first thing on my list is always Life…. My life, my families life, all life. Taken in the odds of death by car on that road, we are very lucky to say we drive that road every day and lived to tell the tale.

My Family:

My three brothers are the greatest thing to ever happen, they are more than just my three brothers, they are also my three best friends. We do everything together. I am ever thankful for them.

My Dad, crazy, animal loving, mountain man, hermit that he is, my thrill driving stunt man want-a-be Dad, is the greatest Dad this world ever saw. I am a ever thankful for him.

My Mom, totally wacko, usually to lost in the world of prescription drugs and singing in bars to remember to spend time with her children even today on Thanksgiving, I write this as we wait for her to come back home. I still am thankful to have her, in her own strange way she has taught me to see life through the eyes of patience.

My animals:

In my lifetime more than 5,000 pets have called this place home, some for their entire lives, others for just a few weeks of recovery, others, spent their senior years in sanctuary here have an early life of hardship, many wild babies who’s mothers have been killed by cars, have grown up here and released to the wild after reaching adulthood… and no drought thousands more will come and go over the years. Two wild babies have stayed on here, now 7 years old… a Pigeon and a Siamese Kitten, every time I am here typing these posts to you, they are here at the computer with me, my constant companions…Pidgie and Utopia.

The State of Maine:

I love Maine and all it’s wild beauty. I love the natives and their weird anti-social ways. I love the rocky coast lines and the fishing villages. I love the ancient old growth trees. I love the friendly French people who always seem to be bubbling over with joy and happiness. I love the tourists that come here every summer for our beaches, ever fall for our foliage, and every winter for our snow, and year round for antique shops and visiting historic houses.

My grandmother.:

Throughout my childhood I spent more time with Grammy than anyone. A wild schizophrenic, her mind never developed past the mentality of a 4 or 5 year old, her sense of logic and reason was beyond comprehension to most people, and she was shunned by all but 3 of her 12 children, and all but 9 of her more than 200 grandchildren. She lived in a world of butterflies, birds, animals, Halloween pumpkins, Santa Clause, Betty Boop, Miss Piggy, angels, and Jesus. She lived to celebrate every holiday. Holidays without Grammy are not the same… for every holiday we each received a card on each day of the month until the holiday arrived…not normal cards, but the biggest, gaudiest, brightest colored, often pop-up, and usual Disney cards, with their insides totally plastered with bright, glittering, sparkly, fuzzy, puffy, and/or scratch and sniff stickers.

Her house was decorated inside and out year around… 3 or 4 Christmas trees throughout the house, decorated with black cats, witches, jack-o-lanterns, Betty Boop, and lots and lots of tinsel. Tissue paper turkeys, Easter bunnies, and shamrocks in the windows, Pictures of Santa on every wall… Grammy’s house was a magical holiday play land 365 days a year. Every day was a holiday there. It was Grammy who taught me that Thanksgiving was the day to hug turkeys not eat them.

Grammy travels to 6 continents, and over 200 countries in her life time… it was her goal to visit each and every country in the world. She was a very vocal animal rights activist, a vegan to the utmost extreme, and she did more to help the homeless of Biddeford than anyone else ever has. As a child she was an orphan sent from one foster home to the next in a time when foster home children were nothing more than free farm hands and abused like slaves, the result was her activism for children’s rights, which lasted until the day she died. A Kickapoo Indian, she embraced her culture by living at one with nature and become a very spiritual person, taking up the arts of a “weather witch” shaman, though not a Wiccan, her lifestyle would today be considered as such. Grammy was an active promoter of Jesus as well, preaching his words to anyone who would listen; her religion of choice was the Seventh Day Adventist, because of their stand on animal rights, children’s rights, veganism, and Saturday worship… the rest of their teachings she often debated with her pastor.

She never drove a car and walked every where. She walked from Biddeford to Old Orchard Beach almost every week, and for those who don’t know how far that is…it’s one hell of a walk. Before she broken her hip in the early 1990’s, she roller skated every where she needed to go.

This was her favorite time of year… fall foliage season, when we, she and my family, drove across Maine, it was a vacation tradition with us, to stop everything we were doing, pack the car with food, and visit a different town in Maine, each and every day, from September through November… at one time or another we have visited every town in Maine south of the Hanesville Woods, and nearly every town in New Hampshire.

The last six years of her life she became less active and became to try repeatedly to reopen communications with her stuck-up holier than thou Mormon children… but try as she might, they continued to snub her, accusing her of being a child of Satan, saying she was possessed with an evil spirit, and telling her that the sooner she died and burned in Hell the happier they would be. They said that if she was dead they could force her to join the Mormon church by “baptism for the dead”. They told her that dead, she wouldn’t embarrass them with her child like ways, her outlandish cloths, her animals, her sinful lack of eating meat (the only gifts she ever received from them were each year they’ sarcastically send her gift baskets of ham, sausages, and chicken), her un-holy constant talk about Jesus (they say that as Mormons they are to saintly to call Jesus by his name…but I don’t remember the Mormon church ever teaching that). Their cruelty broke her heart, but she didn’t want their pity, she wanted their love, and so, I alone knew she had breast cancer, she said of over 240 children and grandchildren, I alone she could talk to, I alone she could trust.

Her last year was the hardest, the cancer spread to her liver, and her bloodstream, she lost the ability to walk, the thing she had done the most in her life. Me and my three (than infant) brothers stayed with her. Only J1 was old enough to remember Grammy, but just barely. Those last few months I cooked, cleaned, and feed my grandmother. All the while she continued without end writing letters and calling on the phone, begging her children and grandchildren to visit her. Finally one week before Thanksiving she invited all of them to Thankgiving Dinner at her house…telling them she’d even let them cook a turkey if that’d get them to come…on the phone with her favorite son, he laughed at her request…my Dad in a rage took the phone and yelled “If you don’t come now you’ll never see her again, the doctors say she’s only got a few days left.” than hung up on them. That one uncle was on the next plane to Maine, soon followed, by the son and daughter, that lived here in Maine (both lived only a few streets away for Grammy), and one daughter from Utah also came….no one else. She died 1:00 AM in the morning on Thanksgiving Day, never getting her wish to see her children and grandchildren one last time. Those that came were the pooest in the family, and could not afford a funeral, together all we could afford was a plot next to her baby that had died so many years ago. We could not afford a coffin or a headstone, and she was buried in a cardboard box. With only us and the few sons and daughters that showed up. Less than 12 people, in a family of 246+. Later, out of grief at not coming when she had asked, one son bought a tomb stone which says “Have I told you lately that I love you?”, saying that were ever she was he hoped that she could forgive him. It was a quite a contrast to all the expensive pomp and circumstance of Grandpa’s extravagant Mormon funeral last summer. Grammy’s last Thanksgiving was a day of rejoicing for the Mormons of the family, and exactly 6 months later they celebrated as the baptism of the dead was preformed in the Salt Lake Temple. Grammy was so sweet and gentle, so innocent and loving, her mind never reached adult hood, she was never able to live or act like an adult, living forever in the blissful mind of a child, it was her simple ways that I loved her for, and yet it was her simple ways that her children were ashamed to admit they were related to her for, shame that over the years grew to outright hate.

Today those same relatives are ashamed of me, like Grammy, they call me the child of Satan, they say that when Grammy died her evil spirit possessed me. Unlike them I was never ashamed of Grammy, unlike them I learned to accept her for who she was. Grammy was for many years, my best friend, and I am ever thankful that I knew her, for she taught me to look at the world through the eyes of a child, to enjoy the simple things in life…the flowers, the trees, the rain, God’s glorious creation, she taught me to treat everyone as equals…wither they be rich businessmen, the homeless on the streets, animal, or child…she belied that Jesus loved them all just the same good or bad and that we should strive to love as Jesus did. I am who I am today because I had a schizophrenic grandmother who loved everything and everyone with a childlike innocence, and took the time to find happiness in everything in life be it good or bad.

This entire post is dedicated to and written in memory of ..

Eva Viola Atwater

Mother to many; Friend to all.

February 21, 1921 – Thanksgiving Day 1994

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

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If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
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What to look for when choosing a Teacher:

What to look for when choosing a Teacher:
Or What to strive for, should you choose to teach.
(Also : What to look for in your group/coven/church’s leader.)

You’ve studied Witchcraft in one or more of it’s many forms, and now you’d like to do some “hands-on training” with others of your chosen field. Depending on were you live and the type of Witchcraft you have chosen to practice, you may find that you either have dozens of local groups/tribes/covens in your area or you may have to travel far and wide before finding any at all. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to interview several group leaders and be allowed to visit their group/coven/tribe/clan/congregation/church/meetinghouse to sit in on several meetings before you decide which one you want to join. Even if there is only one local group, you still must be choosy; don’t feel that you must join their group just because they are the only one that you can find-interview the leader and sit in on their meetings, just as you would if you had a hundred groups to choose from. Remember there are allot of good people who out there trying to help others, in an honest, legitimate group; but always remember too that there are just as many groups out there that are not so good, far from honest, and run by egotistical-control-freak leaders, bent on taking advantage of innocent young minds. It’s a sad thing to have to admit, I know that you, like myself, would like to think that everyone out there was just as good, sweet, and honest as that little old lady down the street, but we have to face the hard truth, that not everyone is nice, in fact there are people out there who are down right mean-and often it isn’t the rough and tough street gangs that are the meanest people in town. I found that out the hard way. Learn from my mistake and don’t make the same mistake yourself-get out there and do your research-find out just exactly who these people really are, where they live, where they work he people they spend time with; not just the group leaders either, but the members too-make sure you know 100% positive for sure who can trust, before you join their group. It may seem like an awful lot of hard work and trouble to go through, just so you can join a group, but it’ll pay off in the long run, and it’s always better to be safe then sorry. If anything doesn’t “feel” right, no matter how good the group seems to be—RUN! Remember that one of the advantages of being a Witch, is that you are more sensitive to the energy around you, if there is any “bad” energy in that group, your Third-Eye Charka/Sixth Sense will pick up on it; it may be a “burning” in your stomach, a headache, “butterflies” in your stomach, shortness of breath, a quickened pulse, or even hearing an actual voice telling you to get out of that place; it doesn’t matter how it gives you the message, what matters is that you received the message, something is warning you that this place is dangerous for you and that it is time to leave–NOW–don’t wait until the end of the meeting, if your intuition is telling you to leave-get up and walk out of that meeting right then and there-don’t wait.

What if you’ve interviewed all of the leaders and visited all of the groups but none of them felt right for you? Now what? Well you could do what allot of Witches in your position do-become a Solitary Witch. You do realize of course that most Witches are Solitary. Covens and group meetings were are fad of the 1950′s-1970′s,they were never common at any other time in history. Oh sure, one or two show up every couple of hundred years, but all throughout history, it wasn’t the coven Witches that were feared-coven Witches were believed to be “weaker” than the Solitaries, coven Witches were usually thought of as very wealthy and very silly young girls playing games and acting out of ill breeding, no one really ever beloved that coven Witches were “real” Witches. Coven Witches had to practice their magic in groups before they could gather up enough strength and power to cause any trouble to the towns folk, so individually they weren’t considered to be a threat. No, it was the Solitaries that had the true power behind the spells and hexes-they could do things all on their own, without the help of a group. The towns folk could scatter the coven group members and be safe, but the Solitaries were another matter. The Solitaries had devoted their entire lives to Witchcraft, they didn’t have to waste time with the silly school-girl rituals of the coven groups, they got right down to business; While the coven Witches had to spend long hour chanting and dancing up a frenzy and than only on certain nights of the year to make their spells work-the Solitary had only to look at you, point a finger, or say a magic word, at any time of any day all year long. Solitaries were dangerous. Solitaries were the ones that were executed. For a Witch there really was safety in numbers. Solitaries can be in any type of Witchcraft, Wicca, or Religion, they just practice on their own, separate from a group-most Witches are in fact Solitary. Very few real Witches ever choose to join a coven and most covens today are started by teenagers in high school and quickly dissolve after graduation day. Some Solitaries may be a member of a group but live too far away to attend more than one or two meetings a year. Solitary Witches often become very powerful, much more powerful than Witches who choose to remain in coven, because they focus all of their time and energy into what they are doing, without worrying about peer-pressure from the group, or relying on the powers of another Witch to help them.

Another option is to become a Solitary “just for now”,while you continue to search for a group that’s right for you. Maybe you just need to be willing to travel farther away to find a group; or you could just wait; new groups are being started all the time, who knows maybe “your” group will start up brand new next week. You might be in for a long wait (maybe as long as ten or twenty years);but if you are patient it’ll be well worth the wait to find the right group that’s just right for you. There is another thing you could do, although I highly recommend that you don’t-You could join a cyber-space chat group over the inter-net, to share ideas with, although this is not a substitute for actual group meetings. Just remember that for every honest person you chat with on the net, there are five more who are not who or what they say they are-since you aren’t talking to them face to face it is much easier for them to lie to you. There are thousands of people on the chat sites that join them “just for the fun of it” and whose only purpose is finding out how much personal information they can get you to reveal-beware of anyone who asks for your home address, your last name, your phone number, your social security number, any credit card information, your mother’s maiden name, the name of your school, the name of your town, or any other information that could reveal where you and your family live. I personally have never joined a chat room; at first it was because I had no computer, and there was no public access computers in my area. That changed however, in 1997 when a library from a neighboring town added a computer room, with five computers(today they have fifteen). It was the end of the year before I could get around to learning how to use a computer, and being the only local library with public computers at the time meant long, long, long, long waiting lists. Southern Maine became abuzz with the computer craze, soon every public library had free internet computers available to the public. That’s when the local chat-room serial killer first struck. Between the years 1998 and 2003,five sixteen year old green-eyed hazelnut haired girls from all from York County, Maine have disappeared without a trace, each one had disappeared after telling their parents they had “a meeting” with a man from Maryland whom they had met in a chat-room. As of today, only two of those girls have been found–both dead–one was found less than five miles from my house, the other one was found half way across the state over a hundred miles from where she’d last been seen and they have yet to find her head.

NEVER, EVER, EVER, agree to met ANYONE, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME; the danger can not be overstressed.. Hundreds of teenagers, children, and ever grown men, and women get kidnapped, raped, tortured, and murdered each and every year by people they met in a chat-room; and the rate of the attacks gets higher every year-DON’T let yourself be added to that list!

What if you have really, really, really got your heart set on being part of a group, and you still just can’t find one anywhere, and you just don’t want to wait around until a new one shows up? Well, you could start your own group. Yes, a beginner can start their own group-you don’t have to be High Priest or a Priestess or have any other type of fancy title, and you don’t have to get permission from any other group, either. It isn’t even required that your group even has to have a leader! If you’ve got two or three friends that want to study and learn as well, than you’ve already get all the group you need. Organize it just as you would a club meeting or a high-school study group. You don’t have to go met in any fancy buildings, cemeteries, pine groves, beaches, deep dark forests, caves, or any other spooky Hollywood type of place. You can meet right in your own living room (if you’re a teenager make sure you get your parents permission first). Later on if more people wish to join your group, you could think about starting a more organized, “official” group, with rules, laws, books, leaders, teachers, and stuff like that, and you could consider renting or buying a building to use just for your covens group meetings.
Now for those of you who are really truly determined to roll up your sleeves and become a 100% real Witch every day for the rest of your entire lives, and not just play around with a few spells for a year or two and then move on to the next fad, then you might want to consider an apprenticeship. Yeah, that’s right, just like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. You don’t usually join a coven for this, as most real Witches view covens as a sort of “playground” for the “baby Witches” who aren’t yet ready to dig in to the real thing–a life long medical, scientific, and spiritual career in Witchcraft. Apprenticeship used to be the most popular way for Witches to get their training. In apprenticeship, you seek out an older, wiser, more experienced Witch (often a Crone or a Wizard) that is willing to personally teach you the art of Witchcraft. You will live with or close by this Witch for many years-five, ten, twenty years or more. At first you will simple run errands for your teacher, watching and listening carefully to everything he/she says and does. You will start writing you Grimoire immediately–by taking notes of absolutely everything. (If you weren’t go at note taking in science class than you won’t last long as an apprentice). You will usually begin by studying and memorizing the names and uses of various plants, herbs, rocks, and minerals as well as how to identify each and every one, and what they cure and how to administer them to the sick. You will also usually learn the meaning of various colors and how they affect people. You will most likely learn to make and use your own candles, and often you will be taught how to do other things on your own such as sewing, embroidery, making your own clothes, knitting, weaving, crochet, “homemade” cooking, and toy or doll making ~now don’t groan-these are all necessary skills that all real Witches eventually end up having to learn, and the earlier you learn them the better. You will study things like dreams and visions, and you will spend allot of your time-hours each day- sitting silently practicing the art of deep meditation. If you didn’t like history class, you’re in for bad news–you will most likely spend allot of time in libraries researching the history and spiritual and medical practices of Africa, China, Ancient America, Haiti, and Papua New Guinea. Later, after you have gained the teacher/Witch’s trust you will be allowed to assist in spells and things, and much later-probably years-as you become more experienced, you will move on to things like healings, exorcisms, and lifting curses. There is a dark side to Witchcraft that isn’t often spoken of-to date I’ve yet to find a book on Witchcraft that even mentions it: death. Many young teenage Witches have their fairy-tale fantasies about being a Witch smashed deeply into the ground with the hash reality that Witches are often surrounded by death. Real death, not video game, vampire movie, fantasy type death, but real dead people-including possibly people that you know. Preparing a body for burial requires allot mental strength and should not be taken up by the weak or faint hearted. There are very few people who have the mental strength to deal with being around or even hearing about death, much less handling the actual dead bodies. Be prepared to help your teacher in the preparation of dead bodies for burial-you will probably be asked to assist in the funeral services as well. It is a plain and simple fact that a majority of real Witches are there to help the dead pass on to their new existence in the afterlife and the preparation of a body for burial is a common thing for Witches to do. This is why Hollywood so often associates Witches with cemeteries, fact is if you are a Witch you may very well spend allot of time in cemeteries-but not casting spell at midnight-instead you will be burying the dead, cremating the dead, performing funerals, blessing the dead one’s spirit, and helping to ease the pain of a grieving family. It is often this harsh shock the reality of what Witches really do that causes most aspiring young Witches to give up on Witchcraft and instead turn to Wicca. It is this association with death that has made true Witchcraft so unpopular among the young generation of today, and why Wicca is quickly becoming the “new age form” of Witchcraft. Sad thing is, is that very few young people realize that there is no horror in death, that death is merely the passing of one life into another. Their minds are so filled with Hollywood superstitions and fears about death, that they run in terror from Witchcraft once they are asked to help the dead and dieing pass on into the next life. Wicca is often more appealing, simply because they are unable to face the facts of life-that you can’t escape death. You might as well face the facts now, that if you want to be a Witch, you are going to spend allot of time with dead people, especially for those of you training to become Witch Doctors, Mambos, Hogan’s, and Borkas, all four of whom deal with dead bodies more often then live clients, be sure to keep this in mind when choosing your teacher. If you want to avoid having to work with dead people than you should steer clear of an apprenticeship with Witch Doctors, Hogan’s, Mambos, Borkas, Aborigines, Jala`, (pronounced: hale-lee) and some Medicine Men/Women; to be on the safe side you should choose a Garden Witch, a Kitchen Witch, a Green Witch,——- . Depending on the type of Witch your are training under, you may also learn about things like using Vodun Poppets, Medicine Bags, healing auras, rock divination, crystal healing, spirit animals, animal communication, Taoist exercise, Feng Shui, Yoga, music and dance therapy, essential oils, incense, Reki, smudging, homeopathy, aromatherapy, massage therapy, hypnosis, and any of countless other things. You may also need to take a collage course in psychology and mental health, if you plan to some day open a practice of your own. (Remember Witches often treat clients, and you will need to know how to diagnose grief and illnesses and be able to give advise to them, this is especially important if you will be dealing with dead bodies and may need to provide counseling to the families of the dead.) Each Witch uses different methods and has different beliefs, so the Witch you choose to study under should be chosen carefully to make sure that he/she is actually the type of Witch that you want to become, because that is the whole point of being an apprentice-to become like your teacher in every way.

So, what do I look for in a teacher/leader? Will, aside from the obvious fact that the Witch you choose for a teacher/leader should teach/do/believe things that you yourself would like to learn, your teacher/leader should above all be an overall good person. So, what makes a good person a good person? Look at how they live their lives. Do they take care of themselves and their families? If they spend more time away from home than with their families, they aren’t taking care of their families mental and emotional well being-how can you expect them to care about your feelings if they don’t even care about the feeling of their own family? What are their goals and priorities in life? If they are chasing after big houses, fancy cars, more money, and the opposite sex then they aren’t very spiritual, and can’t be expected to teach very spiritual things. Do they take care of their health? Obviously you don’t want to be lead by someone who gets drunk and smokes-if they don’t care about their own health, how can you expect them to care about the lives of their students and congregation? What kind of things do they talk about with their friends? If they swear, make dirty jokes, talk loudly about or bullying the opposite sex or those weaker or different from themselves, and are always horsing around and making a joke out of everything, than they have a very low self esteem and are showing off to make up for their lack of confidence. Do you really want to be lead by such a cowardly bigotries person-how can you expect them to stand up for what they claim to teach/ preach/believe, if they don’t even believe in their own self abilities? You also want to steer clear of teachers/leaders who lie, cheat, steal, tease, threaten, have violent tempers, commit adultery, or sexually harass or abuse anyone. Well, those are the things you want to be sure your teacher/leader does not have, but what about the things that he/she should have?

The list that follows is one that I made based on ones that I have seen school teachers using in their classrooms to teach their children to be better citizens. I instantly fell in love with these lists and view them as the ultimate list of laws, rules, or creeds that could ever be written or used by anyone, regardless of race, culture, or religion, and should be used by everyone. I have taking the things that I have seen many of today’s school teachers list on various classroom charts and combined them, edited them, and added a few of my own. I have worded them as personal affirmations, so that they may be used during meditation sessions, either with or without the help of prayer beads, in order to help you set your mind to becoming more like any trait in which you may be lacking or wish to improve upon.
I’m sure you have seen one of these types of “character trait lists”,most everyone has seen one at one time or another. Unfortunately, most people just glance at the list and than without giving any thought to what it says, pass it off as a mere learning tool for elementary students, and therefore unnecessary for teenagers or adults. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I have often found that young children have these traits naturally and progressively lose them as they grow older. Don’t feel that this list is “only for kids”,by skipping by such a list you could be passing up a very important learning opportunity for yourself. Whenever you see a list like this one, stop and read it carefully, go over each thing that it says carefully, and think about what it really means and how you could strive to be more like it.
This list here, applies to all, wither they be Witches, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, or anything else. I have found that this list more closely describes the “laws” that Witches live by, far better than any creed or articles of faith laid down by any faith or religion, including the famous “Wiccan Reed” which contrary to popular belief applies only to Wiccans and not to Witches. This list contains all of the good character traits that any good decent person should be proud to strive for. After reading this list, I’m sure that you will feel the same, and wish to add this to your own list of personal beliefs. More importantly, these are also the things you will want to look for in your teacher/ leader, or the things that you yourself should strive for if you plan to start/teach/lead your own group. Keep your eyes open for leaders and teachers who run high in the qualities listed here, for they are the teachers and leaders that you want to find and learn from.

The Character Traits of any Good Teacher, Leader, Healer, or other Practitioner of Witchcraft:

Caring:
1.) I will say nice things and share compliments with others.
2.) I will be considerate, kind, and respectful in everything that I do.
3.) I will lend a helping hand to those around me.
4.) I will be the person who others can count on.
5.) I will help others as much as I can, and more than I want to.
6.) I will give to others without expecting anything in return.
7.) I will think about the needs and feelings of others before my own.
8.) I will share what I have with those in need.
9.) I will go the extra mile.
10.) I will do nothing that hurts or causes harm to anyone.
Citizenship:
1.) I will cooperate with others.
2.) I will contribute to my community.
3.) I will work to improve the land.
4.) I will obey the laws of the land.
5.) I will study the history of the land, and learn from the mistakes of others.
6.) I will study the history of the land, and learn from the successes of others.
7.) I will help those around me.
8.) I will be myself and allow others the freedom to do the same.
9.) I will speak up against and work to change things that are hurtful, unfair, and wrong.
10.) I will volunteer to help without being asked.
Courage:
1.) I will stand up for what is right, even if I must stand alone.
2.) I will ask questions, and seek the truth.
3.) I can think for myself, and make my own decisions.
4.) I am too busy to be sad.
5.) I am too positive to be doubtful.
6.) I am too optimistic to be fearful.
7.) I am too determined to be defeated.
8.) I follow my conscience, not the crowd.
9.) Nothing that anyone can say or do will stop my reaching my goal.
10.) I know that what is right is not always popular, and that what is popular is not always right.
Effort:
1.) I will achieve my goals through commitment and hard work.
2.) I will give my best in everything that I do.
3.) I will keep on trying without giving up or giving in.
4.) I will make the most of every opportunity.
5.) I will set goals, because if I aim for nothing that’s all I’ll get.
6.) I will not pass my work on to others, needlessly.
7.) If I don’t succeed I will try again.
Fairness:
1.) I will follow the rules, and play fair.
2.) I am open minded to the ideas and opinions of others.
3.) I listen silently to what others have to say.
4.) I will not take advantage of anyone or any situation.
5.) I will speak up and work to change things that are unfair and wrong.
6.) I will not blame others for my mistakes.
7.) I will speak my mind, and allow others the freedom to do the same.
Freedom:
1.) I will make every decision carefully.
2.) I will think everything through responsibly, before I decide.
3.) I will exercise my freedom to choose, and allow others to do the same.
4.) I can decide right from wrong and do that which is right.
5.) I will follow my conscience, not the crowd.
6.) I am free to worship as I see fit, without forcing others to follow my beliefs.
7.) I will not demand that others believe the same as I do.
Honesty:
1.) I will be truthful to others.
2.) I will be truthful to myself.
3.) I will do what is right regardless of who is around to see me do it.
4.) I will be someone that others can trust.
5.) When I tell the truth I don’t have to remember what I said and who I said it to.
Kindness:
1.) I will be friendly to everyone I meet.
2.) I will do good things for others without being asked.
3.) I will show that I care by the things that I do.
4.) I will treat others the same way I wish them to treat me.
5.)
Respectful:
1.) I will treat others the way I want them to treat me.
2.) I will be kind and considerate to everyone.
3.) I like myself enough to be myself.
4.) I will accept others for who they are.
5.) I know that respect is not a gift and that I must earn it.
6.) I will be honest to myself and others.
7.) I will be polite.
8.) I will respect the freedom of others, and not force them to follow my ideas.
9.)
10.)
Responsibility:
1.) I will be in control of my own behavior.
2.) I can be trusted to do important jobs for others.
3.) I will get my work finished on time.
4.) I will do my part when working with a team.
5.) I do what I am supposed to do, when I am supposed to do it.
6.) I do my best work, every time.
7.) I can admit it when I have made a mistake, and I will strive to correct it.
8.) I always think about how my actions will affect others.
9.) I can accept the consequences of my actions, wither good or bad.
10.) Others can depend on me.
Self Control:
1.) I know that I can do the wrong thing, but I have decided to do that which is right.
2.) I will not lose my temper.
3.) I know that less is sometimes more.
4.) I will not be greedy and take more than my share.
5.) Broken bones from sticks and stones will soon heal, but names can hurt forever.
Trustworthy:
1.) I will never tell a lie.
2.) I will never take something that doesn’t belong to me.
3.) I will never hurt another.
4.) I will take good care of things that I borrow from others, and return the item as good as new.
5.)

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

. . .

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If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
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What to look for when choosing a Teacher:

What to look for when choosing a Teacher:
Or What to strive for, should you choose to teach.
(Also : What to look for in your group/coven/church’s leader.)

You’ve studied Witchcraft in one or more of it’s many forms, and now you’d like to do some “hands-on training” with others of your chosen field. Depending on were you live and the type of Witchcraft you have chosen to practice, you may find that you either have dozens of local groups/tribes/covens in your area or you may have to travel far and wide before finding any at all. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to interview several group leaders and be allowed to visit their group/coven/tribe/clan/congregation/church/meetinghouse to sit in on several meetings before you decide which one you want to join. Even if there is only one local group, you still must be choosy; don’t feel that you must join their group just because they are the only one that you can find-interview the leader and sit in on their meetings, just as you would if you had a hundred groups to choose from. Remember there are allot of good people who out there trying to help others, in an honest, legitimate group; but always remember too that there are just as many groups out there that are not so good, far from honest, and run by egotistical-control-freak leaders, bent on taking advantage of innocent young minds. It’s a sad thing to have to admit, I know that you, like myself, would like to think that everyone out there was just as good, sweet, and honest as that little old lady down the street, but we have to face the hard truth, that not everyone is nice, in fact there are people out there who are down right mean-and often it isn’t the rough and tough street gangs that are the meanest people in town. I found that out the hard way. Learn from my mistake and don’t make the same mistake yourself-get out there and do your research-find out just exactly who these people really are, where they live, where they work he people they spend time with; not just the group leaders either, but the members too-make sure you know 100% positive for sure who can trust, before you join their group. It may seem like an awful lot of hard work and trouble to go through, just so you can join a group, but it’ll pay off in the long run, and it’s always better to be safe then sorry. If anything doesn’t “feel” right, no matter how good the group seems to be—RUN! Remember that one of the advantages of being a Witch, is that you are more sensitive to the energy around you, if there is any “bad” energy in that group, your Third-Eye Charka/Sixth Sense will pick up on it; it may be a “burning” in your stomach, a headache, “butterflies” in your stomach, shortness of breath, a quickened pulse, or even hearing an actual voice telling you to get out of that place; it doesn’t matter how it gives you the message, what matters is that you received the message, something is warning you that this place is dangerous for you and that it is time to leave–NOW–don’t wait until the end of the meeting, if your intuition is telling you to leave-get up and walk out of that meeting right then and there-don’t wait.

What if you’ve interviewed all of the leaders and visited all of the groups but none of them felt right for you? Now what? Well you could do what allot of Witches in your position do-become a Solitary Witch. You do realize of course that most Witches are Solitary. Covens and group meetings were are fad of the 1950′s-1970′s,they were never common at any other time in history. Oh sure, one or two show up every couple of hundred years, but all throughout history, it wasn’t the coven Witches that were feared-coven Witches were believed to be “weaker” than the Solitaries, coven Witches were usually thought of as very wealthy and very silly young girls playing games and acting out of ill breeding, no one really ever beloved that coven Witches were “real” Witches. Coven Witches had to practice their magic in groups before they could gather up enough strength and power to cause any trouble to the towns folk, so individually they weren’t considered to be a threat. No, it was the Solitaries that had the true power behind the spells and hexes-they could do things all on their own, without the help of a group. The towns folk could scatter the coven group members and be safe, but the Solitaries were another matter. The Solitaries had devoted their entire lives to Witchcraft, they didn’t have to waste time with the silly school-girl rituals of the coven groups, they got right down to business; While the coven Witches had to spend long hour chanting and dancing up a frenzy and than only on certain nights of the year to make their spells work-the Solitary had only to look at you, point a finger, or say a magic word, at any time of any day all year long. Solitaries were dangerous. Solitaries were the ones that were executed. For a Witch there really was safety in numbers. Solitaries can be in any type of Witchcraft, Wicca, or Religion, they just practice on their own, separate from a group-most Witches are in fact Solitary. Very few real Witches ever choose to join a coven and most covens today are started by teenagers in high school and quickly dissolve after graduation day. Some Solitaries may be a member of a group but live too far away to attend more than one or two meetings a year. Solitary Witches often become very powerful, much more powerful than Witches who choose to remain in coven, because they focus all of their time and energy into what they are doing, without worrying about peer-pressure from the group, or relying on the powers of another Witch to help them.

Another option is to become a Solitary “just for now”,while you continue to search for a group that’s right for you. Maybe you just need to be willing to travel farther away to find a group; or you could just wait; new groups are being started all the time, who knows maybe “your” group will start up brand new next week. You might be in for a long wait (maybe as long as ten or twenty years);but if you are patient it’ll be well worth the wait to find the right group that’s just right for you. There is another thing you could do, although I highly recommend that you don’t-You could join a cyber-space chat group over the inter-net, to share ideas with, although this is not a substitute for actual group meetings. Just remember that for every honest person you chat with on the net, there are five more who are not who or what they say they are-since you aren’t talking to them face to face it is much easier for them to lie to you. There are thousands of people on the chat sites that join them “just for the fun of it” and whose only purpose is finding out how much personal information they can get you to reveal-beware of anyone who asks for your home address, your last name, your phone number, your social security number, any credit card information, your mother’s maiden name, the name of your school, the name of your town, or any other information that could reveal where you and your family live. I personally have never joined a chat room; at first it was because I had no computer, and there was no public access computers in my area. That changed however, in 1997 when a library from a neighboring town added a computer room, with five computers(today they have fifteen). It was the end of the year before I could get around to learning how to use a computer, and being the only local library with public computers at the time meant long, long, long, long waiting lists. Southern Maine became abuzz with the computer craze, soon every public library had free internet computers available to the public. That’s when the local chat-room serial killer first struck. Between the years 1998 and 2003,five sixteen year old green-eyed hazelnut haired girls from all from York County, Maine have disappeared without a trace, each one had disappeared after telling their parents they had “a meeting” with a man from Maryland whom they had met in a chat-room. As of today, only two of those girls have been found–both dead–one was found less than five miles from my house, the other one was found half way across the state over a hundred miles from where she’d last been seen and they have yet to find her head.

NEVER, EVER, EVER, agree to met ANYONE, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME; the danger can not be overstressed.. Hundreds of teenagers, children, and ever grown men, and women get kidnapped, raped, tortured, and murdered each and every year by people they met in a chat-room; and the rate of the attacks gets higher every year-DON’T let yourself be added to that list!

What if you have really, really, really got your heart set on being part of a group, and you still just can’t find one anywhere, and you just don’t want to wait around until a new one shows up? Well, you could start your own group. Yes, a beginner can start their own group-you don’t have to be High Priest or a Priestess or have any other type of fancy title, and you don’t have to get permission from any other group, either. It isn’t even required that your group even has to have a leader! If you’ve got two or three friends that want to study and learn as well, than you’ve already get all the group you need. Organize it just as you would a club meeting or a high-school study group. You don’t have to go met in any fancy buildings, cemeteries, pine groves, beaches, deep dark forests, caves, or any other spooky Hollywood type of place. You can meet right in your own living room (if you’re a teenager make sure you get your parents permission first). Later on if more people wish to join your group, you could think about starting a more organized, “official” group, with rules, laws, books, leaders, teachers, and stuff like that, and you could consider renting or buying a building to use just for your covens group meetings.
Now for those of you who are really truly determined to roll up your sleeves and become a 100% real Witch every day for the rest of your entire lives, and not just play around with a few spells for a year or two and then move on to the next fad, then you might want to consider an apprenticeship. Yeah, that’s right, just like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. You don’t usually join a coven for this, as most real Witches view covens as a sort of “playground” for the “baby Witches” who aren’t yet ready to dig in to the real thing–a life long medical, scientific, and spiritual career in Witchcraft. Apprenticeship used to be the most popular way for Witches to get their training. In apprenticeship, you seek out an older, wiser, more experienced Witch (often a Crone or a Wizard) that is willing to personally teach you the art of Witchcraft. You will live with or close by this Witch for many years-five, ten, twenty years or more. At first you will simple run errands for your teacher, watching and listening carefully to everything he/she says and does. You will start writing you Grimoire immediately–by taking notes of absolutely everything. (If you weren’t go at note taking in science class than you won’t last long as an apprentice). You will usually begin by studying and memorizing the names and uses of various plants, herbs, rocks, and minerals as well as how to identify each and every one, and what they cure and how to administer them to the sick. You will also usually learn the meaning of various colors and how they affect people. You will most likely learn to make and use your own candles, and often you will be taught how to do other things on your own such as sewing, embroidery, making your own clothes, knitting, weaving, crochet, “homemade” cooking, and toy or doll making ~now don’t groan-these are all necessary skills that all real Witches eventually end up having to learn, and the earlier you learn them the better. You will study things like dreams and visions, and you will spend allot of your time-hours each day- sitting silently practicing the art of deep meditation. If you didn’t like history class, you’re in for bad news–you will most likely spend allot of time in libraries researching the history and spiritual and medical practices of Africa, China, Ancient America, Haiti, and Papua New Guinea. Later, after you have gained the teacher/Witch’s trust you will be allowed to assist in spells and things, and much later-probably years-as you become more experienced, you will move on to things like healings, exorcisms, and lifting curses. There is a dark side to Witchcraft that isn’t often spoken of-to date I’ve yet to find a book on Witchcraft that even mentions it: death. Many young teenage Witches have their fairy-tale fantasies about being a Witch smashed deeply into the ground with the hash reality that Witches are often surrounded by death. Real death, not video game, vampire movie, fantasy type death, but real dead people-including possibly people that you know. Preparing a body for burial requires allot mental strength and should not be taken up by the weak or faint hearted. There are very few people who have the mental strength to deal with being around or even hearing about death, much less handling the actual dead bodies. Be prepared to help your teacher in the preparation of dead bodies for burial-you will probably be asked to assist in the funeral services as well. It is a plain and simple fact that a majority of real Witches are there to help the dead pass on to their new existence in the afterlife and the preparation of a body for burial is a common thing for Witches to do. This is why Hollywood so often associates Witches with cemeteries, fact is if you are a Witch you may very well spend allot of time in cemeteries-but not casting spell at midnight-instead you will be burying the dead, cremating the dead, performing funerals, blessing the dead one’s spirit, and helping to ease the pain of a grieving family. It is often this harsh shock the reality of what Witches really do that causes most aspiring young Witches to give up on Witchcraft and instead turn to Wicca. It is this association with death that has made true Witchcraft so unpopular among the young generation of today, and why Wicca is quickly becoming the “new age form” of Witchcraft. Sad thing is, is that very few young people realize that there is no horror in death, that death is merely the passing of one life into another. Their minds are so filled with Hollywood superstitions and fears about death, that they run in terror from Witchcraft once they are asked to help the dead and dieing pass on into the next life. Wicca is often more appealing, simply because they are unable to face the facts of life-that you can’t escape death. You might as well face the facts now, that if you want to be a Witch, you are going to spend allot of time with dead people, especially for those of you training to become Witch Doctors, Mambos, Hogan’s, and Borkas, all four of whom deal with dead bodies more often then live clients, be sure to keep this in mind when choosing your teacher. If you want to avoid having to work with dead people than you should steer clear of an apprenticeship with Witch Doctors, Hogan’s, Mambos, Borkas, Aborigines, Jala`, (pronounced: hale-lee) and some Medicine Men/Women; to be on the safe side you should choose a Garden Witch, a Kitchen Witch, a Green Witch,——- . Depending on the type of Witch your are training under, you may also learn about things like using Vodun Poppets, Medicine Bags, healing auras, rock divination, crystal healing, spirit animals, animal communication, Taoist exercise, Feng Shui, Yoga, music and dance therapy, essential oils, incense, Reki, smudging, homeopathy, aromatherapy, massage therapy, hypnosis, and any of countless other things. You may also need to take a collage course in psychology and mental health, if you plan to some day open a practice of your own. (Remember Witches often treat clients, and you will need to know how to diagnose grief and illnesses and be able to give advise to them, this is especially important if you will be dealing with dead bodies and may need to provide counseling to the families of the dead.) Each Witch uses different methods and has different beliefs, so the Witch you choose to study under should be chosen carefully to make sure that he/she is actually the type of Witch that you want to become, because that is the whole point of being an apprentice-to become like your teacher in every way.

So, what do I look for in a teacher/leader? Will, aside from the obvious fact that the Witch you choose for a teacher/leader should teach/do/believe things that you yourself would like to learn, your teacher/leader should above all be an overall good person. So, what makes a good person a good person? Look at how they live their lives. Do they take care of themselves and their families? If they spend more time away from home than with their families, they aren’t taking care of their families mental and emotional well being-how can you expect them to care about your feelings if they don’t even care about the feeling of their own family? What are their goals and priorities in life? If they are chasing after big houses, fancy cars, more money, and the opposite sex then they aren’t very spiritual, and can’t be expected to teach very spiritual things. Do they take care of their health? Obviously you don’t want to be lead by someone who gets drunk and smokes-if they don’t care about their own health, how can you expect them to care about the lives of their students and congregation? What kind of things do they talk about with their friends? If they swear, make dirty jokes, talk loudly about or bullying the opposite sex or those weaker or different from themselves, and are always horsing around and making a joke out of everything, than they have a very low self esteem and are showing off to make up for their lack of confidence. Do you really want to be lead by such a cowardly bigotries person-how can you expect them to stand up for what they claim to teach/ preach/believe, if they don’t even believe in their own self abilities? You also want to steer clear of teachers/leaders who lie, cheat, steal, tease, threaten, have violent tempers, commit adultery, or sexually harass or abuse anyone. Well, those are the things you want to be sure your teacher/leader does not have, but what about the things that he/she should have?

The list that follows is one that I made based on ones that I have seen school teachers using in their classrooms to teach their children to be better citizens. I instantly fell in love with these lists and view them as the ultimate list of laws, rules, or creeds that could ever be written or used by anyone, regardless of race, culture, or religion, and should be used by everyone. I have taking the things that I have seen many of today’s school teachers list on various classroom charts and combined them, edited them, and added a few of my own. I have worded them as personal affirmations, so that they may be used during meditation sessions, either with or without the help of prayer beads, in order to help you set your mind to becoming more like any trait in which you may be lacking or wish to improve upon.
I’m sure you have seen one of these types of “character trait lists”,most everyone has seen one at one time or another. Unfortunately, most people just glance at the list and than without giving any thought to what it says, pass it off as a mere learning tool for elementary students, and therefore unnecessary for teenagers or adults. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I have often found that young children have these traits naturally and progressively lose them as they grow older. Don’t feel that this list is “only for kids”,by skipping by such a list you could be passing up a very important learning opportunity for yourself. Whenever you see a list like this one, stop and read it carefully, go over each thing that it says carefully, and think about what it really means and how you could strive to be more like it.
This list here, applies to all, wither they be Witches, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, or anything else. I have found that this list more closely describes the “laws” that Witches live by, far better than any creed or articles of faith laid down by any faith or religion, including the famous “Wiccan Reed” which contrary to popular belief applies only to Wiccans and not to Witches. This list contains all of the good character traits that any good decent person should be proud to strive for. After reading this list, I’m sure that you will feel the same, and wish to add this to your own list of personal beliefs. More importantly, these are also the things you will want to look for in your teacher/ leader, or the things that you yourself should strive for if you plan to start/teach/lead your own group. Keep your eyes open for leaders and teachers who run high in the qualities listed here, for they are the teachers and leaders that you want to find and learn from.

The Character Traits of any Good Teacher, Leader, Healer, or other Practitioner of Witchcraft:

Caring:
1.) I will say nice things and share compliments with others.
2.) I will be considerate, kind, and respectful in everything that I do.
3.) I will lend a helping hand to those around me.
4.) I will be the person who others can count on.
5.) I will help others as much as I can, and more than I want to.
6.) I will give to others without expecting anything in return.
7.) I will think about the needs and feelings of others before my own.
8.) I will share what I have with those in need.
9.) I will go the extra mile.
10.) I will do nothing that hurts or causes harm to anyone.
Citizenship:
1.) I will cooperate with others.
2.) I will contribute to my community.
3.) I will work to improve the land.
4.) I will obey the laws of the land.
5.) I will study the history of the land, and learn from the mistakes of others.
6.) I will study the history of the land, and learn from the successes of others.
7.) I will help those around me.
8.) I will be myself and allow others the freedom to do the same.
9.) I will speak up against and work to change things that are hurtful, unfair, and wrong.
10.) I will volunteer to help without being asked.
Courage:
1.) I will stand up for what is right, even if I must stand alone.
2.) I will ask questions, and seek the truth.
3.) I can think for myself, and make my own decisions.
4.) I am too busy to be sad.
5.) I am too positive to be doubtful.
6.) I am too optimistic to be fearful.
7.) I am too determined to be defeated.
8.) I follow my conscience, not the crowd.
9.) Nothing that anyone can say or do will stop my reaching my goal.
10.) I know that what is right is not always popular, and that what is popular is not always right.
Effort:
1.) I will achieve my goals through commitment and hard work.
2.) I will give my best in everything that I do.
3.) I will keep on trying without giving up or giving in.
4.) I will make the most of every opportunity.
5.) I will set goals, because if I aim for nothing that’s all I’ll get.
6.) I will not pass my work on to others, needlessly.
7.) If I don’t succeed I will try again.
Fairness:
1.) I will follow the rules, and play fair.
2.) I am open minded to the ideas and opinions of others.
3.) I listen silently to what others have to say.
4.) I will not take advantage of anyone or any situation.
5.) I will speak up and work to change things that are unfair and wrong.
6.) I will not blame others for my mistakes.
7.) I will speak my mind, and allow others the freedom to do the same.
Freedom:
1.) I will make every decision carefully.
2.) I will think everything through responsibly, before I decide.
3.) I will exercise my freedom to choose, and allow others to do the same.
4.) I can decide right from wrong and do that which is right.
5.) I will follow my conscience, not the crowd.
6.) I am free to worship as I see fit, without forcing others to follow my beliefs.
7.) I will not demand that others believe the same as I do.
Honesty:
1.) I will be truthful to others.
2.) I will be truthful to myself.
3.) I will do what is right regardless of who is around to see me do it.
4.) I will be someone that others can trust.
5.) When I tell the truth I don’t have to remember what I said and who I said it to.
Kindness:
1.) I will be friendly to everyone I meet.
2.) I will do good things for others without being asked.
3.) I will show that I care by the things that I do.
4.) I will treat others the same way I wish them to treat me.
5.)
Respectful:
1.) I will treat others the way I want them to treat me.
2.) I will be kind and considerate to everyone.
3.) I like myself enough to be myself.
4.) I will accept others for who they are.
5.) I know that respect is not a gift and that I must earn it.
6.) I will be honest to myself and others.
7.) I will be polite.
8.) I will respect the freedom of others, and not force them to follow my ideas.
9.)
10.)
Responsibility:
1.) I will be in control of my own behavior.
2.) I can be trusted to do important jobs for others.
3.) I will get my work finished on time.
4.) I will do my part when working with a team.
5.) I do what I am supposed to do, when I am supposed to do it.
6.) I do my best work, every time.
7.) I can admit it when I have made a mistake, and I will strive to correct it.
8.) I always think about how my actions will affect others.
9.) I can accept the consequences of my actions, wither good or bad.
10.) Others can depend on me.
Self Control:
1.) I know that I can do the wrong thing, but I have decided to do that which is right.
2.) I will not lose my temper.
3.) I know that less is sometimes more.
4.) I will not be greedy and take more than my share.
5.) Broken bones from sticks and stones will soon heal, but names can hurt forever.
Trustworthy:
1.) I will never tell a lie.
2.) I will never take something that doesn’t belong to me.
3.) I will never hurt another.
4.) I will take good care of things that I borrow from others, and return the item as good as new.
5.)

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

. . .

————-
If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
.
.

.

<!–
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The Book of Shadows:



 The Book of Shadows: 
What They Are and What They Are Not:


The Book of Shadows,now let’s see,where do we begin? I know,raise your hand if you think that a Book of Shadows is the title of an ancient book that’s ben passed down from one Witch to another over the centuries,and is hand copied by each Witch as their first assignment after joining a coven. Wow,so you all raised your hands. Let me ask you somthing: What in the world planet are you from anyways? Is there like actually a brain in your head or it your skull just an empty void that lets the air pass through? I am continualy amazed at the things people can find to dream up about us Witches. Oh,sure,I know-it’s all in the movies;that’s what the movies say that we Witches do. Will you stop watching those trashy movies and study your history books for once in your life? You know,maybe you wouldn’t be so stupid if you’d turn the T.V. off once in a while,and paid more attention to your school studies–who knows,you might actually learn something.
So,you want to know what a Book of Shadows is,right? Sorry to burst your bubble,but there is no ancient Book of Shadows. Nope,not one. Shocked? In fact the words “Book of Shadows” didn’t seem to even exist before the 1960′s.* Hum? The 1960′s,oh I know–guess what–it’s just one more thing that looney toon Gerald Gardener made up. Boy,that man sure caused us Witches an awful lot of headaches. We sure do get tired of cleaning his messes up.
Now if you want Wicca and not Witchcraft,you’d have better luck finding a Book of Shadows. Wicca,the religion invented by Gerald Gardener in 1957,does in fact say that it’s church has a “secret” Book of Shadows,and that no one is allowed to see it-that’s why it’s a secert. Supposidly every Wiccan church building (coven) has one handwritten copy of the Book of Shadows and only the high priestess is allowed to see it. However,if you are “worthy”,and you have pleased the high priest,by preforming enough rituals in the nude before the high priest,than you will be considered for training to become a priest or priestess–most of this training involves “ritual sex” with the high priest. If after you’ve commpleted your training and if you are choosen by the high priest as worthy to be a priest or priestess,then and only then,are you allowed to see the Book of Shadows,that the high priestess has kept so carfully hidden. Your next task will be to sit down and hand write the entire book,which is often written in Norse Runes,Egyptian Heiroglyphics,or ancient Latin and unless you spend many years learning to read the language,you will have absolutly no idea what it is that you have written down,once you are done (mind you that it often takes 10-20 years for you to hand write this huge book and very few students ever complete the task-most give up after 2-3 months). But this is the Wiccan way of doing things and as we’ve already determined Wiccans and Witches are two entirely differant things. So,what about Witches,what do they do? Do Witches have a Book of Shadows?
Witches have Grimiores as we’ve already discussed,and many Witches have many Grimiores apeice. Often a Witch will have a Grimiore that is considered special or sacred and they will take great care in making handwritten copies of it,and will often asign an apprentice to do this for them. Now,hold on to your seats,you’re in for another shock. Do you know the name of this handcopied Grimiore,that no Witch was ever without? It was none other than the Bible itself. Yes,that’s right,the Bible-God,Jesus,and,oh my goodness,look at that,not a single mention of a Goddess. How can that be? Now while most Wiccas protest and denounce the Bible,Witches revere it very highly, and when very young they set about memorizing it,by hand writing it from Genisis to Revelations. More often what they do is copy the books or chapters that have the most meaning to them,so that they could carry them with them at all times. Let’s face it,no one in their right mind was going to attempt to carry a Bible in those days. Have you ever seen a handwritten Bible-they weigh close to thirty pounds! You’d need a wagon just to pull it along behind you. It just wasn’t practical to carry the whole thing with you,so the obviouse solution was to handcopy smaller sections of it and carry only those. Now,you have to remember that before the 1800′s very few people could read or write,usualy only royalty,religious leaders,and Witches knew how to. As a result of the average person not knowing how to read,most Witch hating Christians asummed that all thay henschratch on paper were evil spells and set out to burn not only the Witches,but the Bibles too. (Remember,in those days only Catholic priests were allowed to own a Bible,so most people had no idea what a Bible even looked like.)
In today’s modern society,handcopying an entire book may seem like an undunting task,but let’s go back to the one room school house of early America and take a look at the daily assingments of the average 8 to 14 year old student. (Children didn’t go to school before the age of 8 and most graduated from colleges such as Harvard and Yale before they were 16.) :
Now let’s imagine that today is your first day of school,you just turned 8 years old and you can’t wait to learn to read and write and figure (Figureing is what they called Mathematics back then). You’ve never held a book in your hands before,and you’ve never picked up a graphite before today (a graphite is a charded piece of a willow branch-pencils hadn’t been invented yet). For your first assignment your teacher hands you a pad of paper and two books: The Blue Backed Speller (a Fifth Grade book by today’s standards) and the McGuffy’s First Ecclectic Reader (a Third Grade book by today’s standards),with the following intructions: “These are the only copys that I have of these books,so I expect you to have made copies of them by the end of the week. After that I will begin to teach you to read what it is that you have written. Paper is very expensive,you have exactly enough pages to copy these two books. I will expect you to take great care of these pages and not to lose any of them as I will not give you anymore.”
At the end of about four months you will be given the McGuffy’s Second Ecclectic Reader (a Fourth Grade book by today’s standards),more paper and the same instructions. In the next six years you will have completely copied all six volumes of McGuffy’s (the Sixth volume being a Fourth Year of College level,by today’s standards, and a book that most adults today,let alone 14 year old studants,would not be capable of reading at all-I was homeschooled useing traditional books and “classic Grade levels: I read the McGuffy’s Sixth Eclectic reader in Sixth Grade as it was originally intended-I know from experiance how difficult this book is to read.). If your teacher was wealthy and had a large collection of books you would have also copied such books as: —–’s Arithmatic,Tom Sawyer,Little Women,A Christmas Carol,—- Book of Animals,Homer’s Illiad,Hamlet,Paradise Lost,and other such books. And if the books had pictures,your were required to hand coppy them too. (This explains why every student back then was a very proficiant,and very accurate artist,while the average student of today’s society can’t even dot an i correctly let alone try to draw something as simple as a straight line.) Very wealthy students had their own books and didn’t need to spend so much of thier time copying,however the very wealthy rarely attended the school house as they had private tutors.
Well,the piont is,printed books were rare and only the very wealthy could afford to buy such a rare luxery as a printed book. Most poeple borrowed books from those who owned them and spent weeks hand copying them so that they could go back and read them as often as they liked. This is how great leaders such as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington,Thomas Jefferson,Abraham Lincoln,Booker T.Washington,and George Washington Carver, learned to read and write-and more importantly,it was how anyone else in those days learned too,as there was no such thing as a textbook in thse days. So, while today’s society oohs and ahhs at the mystery of Witches hand-copying books,they need to step back and take a better look. Everyone who had the desire to learn to read and write,handcopied books as that is just what people did back then,and there’s nothing secret or mysterious about it.
Now taking all of this into consideration,I shall continue. Yes,it is true that Witches had handwritten books,but so did everyone else-printing wasn’t invented until the 1540′s,and the average person could not afford to buy a printed book before the 1870′s. Yes,it is true that Witches had apprentices,who learned the trade,but so did every one else from candlemakers to blacksmiths to seamstresses to shipbuilders. Yes,it is true that one of the first things an apprentice did was handcopy all of the “teacher” Witch’s books,but so did the seamtress’s apprentice,and the banker’s apprentice,and the school teacher’s apprentice and everyother apprentice to a job that required them to read and write on a regular basis. The fact is,hiring apprectices and hand copying books was just one of those things that people did back than-there wasn’t anything unusual or strange about it at all. So why,movies and Wiccas try to make a big issue out of apprenticships and handcopying books is beyond me. All it is,is a big gimick to try to make Witches sound like a dark secert society,which it is not. They are trying to draw people into Witchcraft (or more often,into Wicca),by romanticizing it and making it sound all mysterious,creepy,and spooky and giving it a false touch of glamor. And while,this certainly does attract alot of people to both Wicca and Witchcraft,it usualy draws in the wrong crowd-the druggies,and the dealers,the rebels and the sexual perverts,and all to often it even draws in the Satan Worshippers.

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

. . .

————-
If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
.
.

.

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The Book of Shadows:



 The Book of Shadows: 
What They Are and What They Are Not:


The Book of Shadows,now let’s see,where do we begin? I know,raise your hand if you think that a Book of Shadows is the title of an ancient book that’s ben passed down from one Witch to another over the centuries,and is hand copied by each Witch as their first assignment after joining a coven. Wow,so you all raised your hands. Let me ask you somthing: What in the world planet are you from anyways? Is there like actually a brain in your head or it your skull just an empty void that lets the air pass through? I am continualy amazed at the things people can find to dream up about us Witches. Oh,sure,I know-it’s all in the movies;that’s what the movies say that we Witches do. Will you stop watching those trashy movies and study your history books for once in your life? You know,maybe you wouldn’t be so stupid if you’d turn the T.V. off once in a while,and paid more attention to your school studies–who knows,you might actually learn something.
So,you want to know what a Book of Shadows is,right? Sorry to burst your bubble,but there is no ancient Book of Shadows. Nope,not one. Shocked? In fact the words “Book of Shadows” didn’t seem to even exist before the 1960′s.* Hum? The 1960′s,oh I know–guess what–it’s just one more thing that looney toon Gerald Gardener made up. Boy,that man sure caused us Witches an awful lot of headaches. We sure do get tired of cleaning his messes up.
Now if you want Wicca and not Witchcraft,you’d have better luck finding a Book of Shadows. Wicca,the religion invented by Gerald Gardener in 1957,does in fact say that it’s church has a “secret” Book of Shadows,and that no one is allowed to see it-that’s why it’s a secert. Supposidly every Wiccan church building (coven) has one handwritten copy of the Book of Shadows and only the high priestess is allowed to see it. However,if you are “worthy”,and you have pleased the high priest,by preforming enough rituals in the nude before the high priest,than you will be considered for training to become a priest or priestess–most of this training involves “ritual sex” with the high priest. If after you’ve commpleted your training and if you are choosen by the high priest as worthy to be a priest or priestess,then and only then,are you allowed to see the Book of Shadows,that the high priestess has kept so carfully hidden. Your next task will be to sit down and hand write the entire book,which is often written in Norse Runes,Egyptian Heiroglyphics,or ancient Latin and unless you spend many years learning to read the language,you will have absolutly no idea what it is that you have written down,once you are done (mind you that it often takes 10-20 years for you to hand write this huge book and very few students ever complete the task-most give up after 2-3 months). But this is the Wiccan way of doing things and as we’ve already determined Wiccans and Witches are two entirely differant things. So,what about Witches,what do they do? Do Witches have a Book of Shadows?
Witches have Grimiores as we’ve already discussed,and many Witches have many Grimiores apeice. Often a Witch will have a Grimiore that is considered special or sacred and they will take great care in making handwritten copies of it,and will often asign an apprentice to do this for them. Now,hold on to your seats,you’re in for another shock. Do you know the name of this handcopied Grimiore,that no Witch was ever without? It was none other than the Bible itself. Yes,that’s right,the Bible-God,Jesus,and,oh my goodness,look at that,not a single mention of a Goddess. How can that be? Now while most Wiccas protest and denounce the Bible,Witches revere it very highly, and when very young they set about memorizing it,by hand writing it from Genisis to Revelations. More often what they do is copy the books or chapters that have the most meaning to them,so that they could carry them with them at all times. Let’s face it,no one in their right mind was going to attempt to carry a Bible in those days. Have you ever seen a handwritten Bible-they weigh close to thirty pounds! You’d need a wagon just to pull it along behind you. It just wasn’t practical to carry the whole thing with you,so the obviouse solution was to handcopy smaller sections of it and carry only those. Now,you have to remember that before the 1800′s very few people could read or write,usualy only royalty,religious leaders,and Witches knew how to. As a result of the average person not knowing how to read,most Witch hating Christians asummed that all thay henschratch on paper were evil spells and set out to burn not only the Witches,but the Bibles too. (Remember,in those days only Catholic priests were allowed to own a Bible,so most people had no idea what a Bible even looked like.)
In today’s modern society,handcopying an entire book may seem like an undunting task,but let’s go back to the one room school house of early America and take a look at the daily assingments of the average 8 to 14 year old student. (Children didn’t go to school before the age of 8 and most graduated from colleges such as Harvard and Yale before they were 16.) :
Now let’s imagine that today is your first day of school,you just turned 8 years old and you can’t wait to learn to read and write and figure (Figureing is what they called Mathematics back then). You’ve never held a book in your hands before,and you’ve never picked up a graphite before today (a graphite is a charded piece of a willow branch-pencils hadn’t been invented yet). For your first assignment your teacher hands you a pad of paper and two books: The Blue Backed Speller (a Fifth Grade book by today’s standards) and the McGuffy’s First Ecclectic Reader (a Third Grade book by today’s standards),with the following intructions: “These are the only copys that I have of these books,so I expect you to have made copies of them by the end of the week. After that I will begin to teach you to read what it is that you have written. Paper is very expensive,you have exactly enough pages to copy these two books. I will expect you to take great care of these pages and not to lose any of them as I will not give you anymore.”
At the end of about four months you will be given the McGuffy’s Second Ecclectic Reader (a Fourth Grade book by today’s standards),more paper and the same instructions. In the next six years you will have completely copied all six volumes of McGuffy’s (the Sixth volume being a Fourth Year of College level,by today’s standards, and a book that most adults today,let alone 14 year old studants,would not be capable of reading at all-I was homeschooled useing traditional books and “classic Grade levels: I read the McGuffy’s Sixth Eclectic reader in Sixth Grade as it was originally intended-I know from experiance how difficult this book is to read.). If your teacher was wealthy and had a large collection of books you would have also copied such books as: —–’s Arithmatic,Tom Sawyer,Little Women,A Christmas Carol,—- Book of Animals,Homer’s Illiad,Hamlet,Paradise Lost,and other such books. And if the books had pictures,your were required to hand coppy them too. (This explains why every student back then was a very proficiant,and very accurate artist,while the average student of today’s society can’t even dot an i correctly let alone try to draw something as simple as a straight line.) Very wealthy students had their own books and didn’t need to spend so much of thier time copying,however the very wealthy rarely attended the school house as they had private tutors.
Well,the piont is,printed books were rare and only the very wealthy could afford to buy such a rare luxery as a printed book. Most poeple borrowed books from those who owned them and spent weeks hand copying them so that they could go back and read them as often as they liked. This is how great leaders such as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington,Thomas Jefferson,Abraham Lincoln,Booker T.Washington,and George Washington Carver, learned to read and write-and more importantly,it was how anyone else in those days learned too,as there was no such thing as a textbook in thse days. So, while today’s society oohs and ahhs at the mystery of Witches hand-copying books,they need to step back and take a better look. Everyone who had the desire to learn to read and write,handcopied books as that is just what people did back then,and there’s nothing secret or mysterious about it.
Now taking all of this into consideration,I shall continue. Yes,it is true that Witches had handwritten books,but so did everyone else-printing wasn’t invented until the 1540′s,and the average person could not afford to buy a printed book before the 1870′s. Yes,it is true that Witches had apprentices,who learned the trade,but so did every one else from candlemakers to blacksmiths to seamstresses to shipbuilders. Yes,it is true that one of the first things an apprentice did was handcopy all of the “teacher” Witch’s books,but so did the seamtress’s apprentice,and the banker’s apprentice,and the school teacher’s apprentice and everyother apprentice to a job that required them to read and write on a regular basis. The fact is,hiring apprectices and hand copying books was just one of those things that people did back than-there wasn’t anything unusual or strange about it at all. So why,movies and Wiccas try to make a big issue out of apprenticships and handcopying books is beyond me. All it is,is a big gimick to try to make Witches sound like a dark secert society,which it is not. They are trying to draw people into Witchcraft (or more often,into Wicca),by romanticizing it and making it sound all mysterious,creepy,and spooky and giving it a false touch of glamor. And while,this certainly does attract alot of people to both Wicca and Witchcraft,it usualy draws in the wrong crowd-the druggies,and the dealers,the rebels and the sexual perverts,and all to often it even draws in the Satan Worshippers.

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

. . .

————-
If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
.
.

.

<!–
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test 12

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

. . .

————-
If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
.
.

.

test 12

What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!

. . .

————-
If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
.
.

.