Imbolc; February 2nd, 2013

So, only 4 days until Imbolc and if you’re still wondering what to do to honour the day then this is the post for you.

Imbolc is a festival to celebrate the first arrivals of Spring; the issue I face (and probably a lot of my followers) is that where I live February 2nd is the dead of winter and there, on a normal year, will be no signs of Spring until after Ostara.

Nonetheless, Imbolc is a glimmer of hope–it reminds us that Spring will be here eventually. Imbolc is a day for new beginnings– maybe a little pre-spring cleaning or breaking bad habits or ending bad relationships. So, if Spring is no where near springing where you live find new beginnings in your life rather than searching for the signs of the new beginnings of Spring.

At this fire festival we celebrate the lengthening of days, slowly but surely, Spring will be upon us. Also, look to Brighid on this day, and honour the Goddess in all her forms; maiden, mother and crone.

Things to Do for Imbolc

• Start fresh- clean up, break bad habits.
• Take down any Yule decorations you may have still up- its bad luck
• Do something childlike- At Imbolc, the Great Ones are viewed as growing up, so do something fun and childlike to celebrate this. Also remember to learn from childhood lessons

Recipes

Sour Cream and Honey Cake

• 8 oz whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 oz butter
• 3 oz raisins
• 5fl oz sour cream
• 3 oz honey

Heat oven to 400F. Put the flour into a bowl with the baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Rub in the butter with your fingertips. Toss in the raisins. Make a well in the center. Pour in the sour cream and add the honey. Gradually mix everything to make dough. On a floured baking sheet, roll the dough into a square about 3/4 in thick. Bake the cake for 12-15 minutes, or until it is firm and slightly brown on top. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Just some ideas to get you started–hope this inspires you to make this Imbolc a great one. Blessings.

All information was taken from Seasons of the Witch by Gail Duff– I paraphrased mostly but the recipe is a direct quote. 

 

Acceptance by Jenna Greene

 

I’m in love with her album Crossroads, go check it out on iTunes and buy the whole thing or a couple songs. She’s amazing.

 

Full Moon Blessings And Random Thoughts

Blessed Full Moon everyone!

In January, the nights are long and dark, and many of us are trying to stay warm under a blanket of snow as the Cold Moon approaches (in some cultures, the Cold Moon is the name given to December’s moon, instead). The native tribes of North America called this time the Wolf Moon, because this was when the wolves were howling, hungry, outside lodges where people stayed warm within. This time of year, we’re all feeling a bit slow and “off” as our bodies adjust to chillier temperatures.

Correspondences:

• Colors: Black and white, silver
• Gemstones: Hematite
• Trees: Birch, Hazel
• Gods: Inanna, Freyja
• Herbs: Thistle, nuts and seeds, marjoram
• Element: Air

This is a good time to work on magic related to protection, both physical and spiritual. Use this time to develop your inner self, and advance spiritually, becoming closer to the higher aspects of your deities.

Also Known As: Wolf Moon, Chaste Moon

Source

So, even though it’s cold and wintery outside try and enjoy the Cold Moon this evening.

Random Thoughts

So, lately, I’ve been suffering from some mild anxiety– nothing huge, but definitely significant enough to make me want to stay in bed all day some days. So that got me thinking about people, mainly Pagans, who have mental health issues and emotional issues. How can you keep the Goddess and the God in your life if you are barely keeping your own life together?

So, I thought of some practical things to do to keep yourself connected when you just can’t get out of bed.

1. Listen to devotional music.
2. Have a Pagan book by your bedside
3. Keep a symbol that is important to you by your bed so that you can hold it
4. Speak to the Great Ones, they’ll listen even if you’re not in front of your altar

I’m off to fantastic new age store this afternoon and so I’m going to go get some crystals for my anxiety, along with the other things I’ve already done I feel like I’m going to beat this.

But there you go, Blessed Full Moon.

7 days until Imbolc!

 

The Wild Hunt: Wicca and Paganism Leaving the Occult Section, Heading for Religion

Click here

Here is a great article on the Wild Hunt about Wiccan and Paganism being re-categorized in the world of books.

 

Meditation and Site News

So, first and foremost–the Pink Pagan is no longer a podcast. I feel as though I can serve you better as a blog only. As always, I’m open to any and all topics–I will cover anything New Agey OR Nerdy.

So, bring it on–I’m up for a challenge.

So, now onto a topic that I’ve been promising for some time now—meditation.

Meditation is harder than it sounds- you can’t just sit on the ground and close your eyes. Meditation is about clearing your mind and attempting to put yourself into a tranquil space. Meditation can relieve stress and anxiety and assist you in focusing your mind, among other things.

Meditation is a practice of Eastern Religions but many New Age practitioners, no matter their spirituality, have found the benefits of meditation. Many Wiccans and Pagans use meditation to assist with their everyday life as well as their rituals.

Meditating before a ritual or spell can actually prove very useful; during ritual it is helpful if one is in an altered state of consciousness when performing their rite. Meditation is one of the most popular ways to achieve that altered state, and it’s much easier if you’re a solitary.

There are probably a million different techniques for meditation but I have only found one that really worked for me. Unfortunately I can’t remember where I read it, so if you know where I go this from, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due.

1. Go somewhere that you will not be disturbed. Set a timer for 10 minutes.
2. Sit in a comfortable position, usually cross legged if you can.
3. Rest your arms on your legs with your palms facing upwards
4. Close your eyes
5. Take deep breaths and begin to count from 1 to 10. Count each breath separately. If you have a random thought, acknowledge it, set it aside and begin again at 1.
6. Once you get to 10, start back at 1 but begin counting each set of breaths in and out as one unit. (Inhale, Exhale….1. Inhale, Exhale….2). If you have a random thought, acknowledge it, set it aside and begin again at 1.
7. Focus on your breathing and continue to count until the timer goes off.
8. Meditate for 10 minutes each day for a week. Increase your time by 5 minutes every week until you get to an hour.

I’ve tried this technique and found it worked well for me…I couldn’t really get past like 25 or 30, but still. I began to meditate a while ago and then I gave it up as life tends to get in the way. Stay with it though and meditation can bring a lot of peace into your life. My high anxiety levels tells me that I should probably start meditating again.

Hope that was helpful 🙂 Do you have a technique that worked well for you? Email me: thepinkpagan@gmail.com and I’ll post it here and let everyone know.

 

 

 

Looking for Opinions

Hey Followers
Im thinking about writing a story about a Wiccan University that teaches Wiccan subjects along with normal university topics.
What do you think? Comment or email me

 

The Pentagram and What It Means to a Wiccan

This is a pentacle

This is a pentagram

This five pointed star has such a long history that I’m not going to try to get into it, and it has many meanings for many people, and yes, people identifying themselves as Satanists or followers of Satan have taken this star and turned it upside down to symbolize their beliefs.

This post is not about them. This post is about Wiccans and what this symbol, the pentagram, means to them.

This is what a pentagram means to a Wiccan

To a Wiccan (and okay, I’m not speaking for all Wiccans–disagree? Email me or comment) the pentagram is a symbol of the five sacred things (to paraphrase from Starhawk) Water, Fire, Earth, Air and Spirit. The four elements are pretty self-explanatory I feel, Wiccans honour the Mother Earth and every part of it, but Spirit might not be as easy to understand. When one hears Spirit, one may think of the Christian Holy Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) but that’s not what it refers to for Wiccans. Spirit refers to the energy, or “spirit”, of the God and the Goddess that is in all of us and stays with us. We wear the pentagram, hang it on our walls, to remind us of the core Wiccan beliefs, the fundamental elements of our faith.

The pentagram is also protective, it is a symbol that brings comfort to us on our worst days. Last year I got a pentagram, in the form of a Goddess symbol, tattooed above my heart so that I will never be without it. When I need strength, I often put my hand over it and ground myself to find my inner balance.

So to all my readers, Wiccans and Non-Pagans alike, please remember that the pentagram is a positive symbol of the foundation of the Wiccan faith and a symbol of protection. Do not let anyone tell you it is the symbol of the Devil because, ultimately, Wiccans and Pagans do not believe in the Christian notion of the Devil and, therefore, the pentagram cannot be a symbol of him.

Also, bear in mind that, there will always be negative portrayals of the pentagram in the media and no matter how hard we try to spread positivity about the Path, there will always be someone who fears that we are evil and who will want to save our souls. When you go to a haunted house you will probably see a pentagram on the wall of a devil’s church so please don’t be angry, please don’t be offended. Just realize that it is how we are portrayed in the media and may be the only information that some individuals have of us. Remember to keep your words in good order, according to the 13 Goals.

So, that’s the Wiccan Pentagram in a nutshell.

 

More Altar Pictures

Here are some altar pictures sent to me by Knixie. A beautiful and unconventional sacred space. Thanks for sending them to me

 

Seeking Assistance for Motivation

Hello Followers!

Two posts in one day, I do hope you don’t mind 🙂

So, I’m looking for some help from you actually. I’m trying to find motivation to get up, get more active and dedicate myself more to Wicca. I’m sure I’m not the only one who finds that life gets in the way of spiritual and health pursuits. So what keeps you motivated? What gives you your get up and go? I’m looking for any and all suggestions to help me start 2013 with a bang and, therefore, have a better 2014.

Comment here or email me at thepinkpagan@gmail.com

Thanks!!

 

A Question and a Book Review

First- a question for my followers.

I’m thinking about converting this blog/podcast into simply a blog. A lot less  work and scheduling for me is my main reason for my decision, but I also feel that I will be better able to dedicate my time to doing a great blog rather than a mediocre podcast. However, my convenience aside, I want to know what you think? I don’t want to alienate any of my followers simply because I’m too lazy to do a podcast, so please let me know how you feel about this issue.

Now, onto the fun stuff. There are mild spoilers in this book review, but nothing horrific because it has been a while since I’ve read it so I doubt you’ll be devastated but just FYI.

Today I’m going to be reviewing Starhawk’s book The Fifth Sacred Thing. This is a fictional piece that Starhawk published in 1994. This book focuses around the people living in a Pagan (and slightly Communist in my opinion, but I’m not saying that’s a bad thing) society, they honour the Earth and use magic and they live together in a peaceful–or at least as the beginning- San Francisco of the future. It’s a story about life, struggle and battling for what you believe is right.

What can I say about The Fifth Sacred Thing? To be honest, I haven’t read it in a while, but it is one of my favourite pieces of fiction. I would say that the three main characters are Madrone, a female doctor who uses positive energy to heal, her grandmother Maya, who is wise and shares that wisdom with the reader, and Bird, thought lost and dead to the people of this village, who valiantly escapes from prison and needs to rediscover himself and find a new place.

This book has both suspense, a bit of politics, a bit of action and drama and a lot of heart. It’s my favourite book by Starhawk by far. Check out the Library to a link where you can buy the book on Amazon– if you want it, I suggest you get it off of Amazon or Indigo, or another book website because I find this book notoriously difficult to find in mainstream book stores.

Also, they want to make The Fifth Sacred Thing into a movie– click here for the movie’s website so that you can learn more about the project and donate if so inclined.