An Electronic Newsletter For and By the Internet Magickal Community
Issue 1 - New Moon, March, 1996
A Letter from the Editor. (By Pandora)
Pagan Resources on the Internet. (By Susan Gavula)
First Steps. (By Oileanach)
Organic Gardening. (By Rain One)
Star Magick: Counting on the Stars!! (By Perth)
Making a Ritual Broom. (By Pandora)
Faces if the Moon: Dates and Times
Subscription and Submission Information
Welcome to the first edition of Cauldrons and Broomsticks. It's been an exciting and busy month, calling for articles, lining up writers, finding resources and pulling the whole thing together. I think I speak for everyone involved in the creation of C&E when I say that we have enjoyed putting together this first edition as much we hope you will enjoy reading it. If you would like to contact one of the writers for questions, suggestions or requests, you may do so in care of C&B (unless the writer has provided a direct email address) and I will forward it promptly. C&B is always looking for articles, poems, rituals and any other writing of interest to the Magickal community. If you are interested in writing for C&B, drop me a line and I'll forward you publishing guidelines.
So, without further ado, I give you Cauldrons and Broomsticks. Enjoy!
Merry Meet and Bright Blessings.
Pandora
March 17, 1996
The Internet is a weird, wonderful and magical place, exactly the type of place pagans should feel right at home in, but often new Internet users feel like they've stumbled into a foreign country with a totally new language, and no dictionary available.
This column is supposed to be about pagan resources that are available on the Internet, but I thought I'd start off by defining terms first. You hear all the time about the web, Usenet, newsgroups, archives, but what do these words all mean?
The World Wide Web offers a graphic interface to the Internet via a software program called a web browser such as Mosaic or Netscape. You access documents by pointing and licking on hyperlinks. These documents are called web pages, and they have a specific URL (Uniform Resource Locator....think of it as an address).
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. As its name implies, it is a program that is used to transfer files from one computer to another. Many places have ftp archives that people can log into anonymously and retrieve files. Before the WWW existed, ftp was a major way that information got transmitted around the Internet.
Then there is Usenet News. Usenet is a collection of over 6000 newsgroups on almost any topic imaginable. People post articles to groups and other people reply publicly to the articles thus creating discussion threads.
One way to access Usenet is to have a unix account on a machine that gets a newsfeed. Then, use a newsreader program like tin or trn to read and post news. Another way to do this is to have a SLIP or PPP connection with a provider that also gets a newsfeed. With this type of connection, you could use a program with a graphic interface like NewsWatcher.
Now that some of the terminology has been defined, how do you find cool stuff on the Internet? There are a couple of different ways that are useful. One way is to ask people what neat sites they have found. Do this by posting an article or a message to a relevant newsgroup or mailing list. For example, if you want to discuss ideas for a solstice ritual, it is certainly appropriate to post this type of article to alt.pagan and perhaps alt.religion.wicca (if it is going to be a Wiccan ritual), but this would not be an appropriate subject for rec.arts.tv.soaps which is a newsgroup where people discuss soap operas.
Another way to find things, if you have access to the WWW is to use a search engine such as Alta Vista. Type in words that you want the program to search for and it goes through the documents available and lists the ones which match your query on a web page. It ranks the pages it finds according to relevant content, then you can click on any of the links on the page to see the document itself.
Here are some cool sites to get you started exploring the Internet:
The Lysator Archive
ftp to ftp.lysator.liu.se and go to the
directory /pub/religion/neopagan/
login: anonymous
password: your@email address
There are an amazing number of files here on different neo-pagan traditions, tarot, crystals, rituals, books of shadows, information files. This is truly one site that has something for almost every pagan.
Alta Vista
http://www.altavista.digital.com/
Alta Vista is a full-text search engine for the WWW.
Anders Magick Page
http://www.nada.kth.se/~nv91-asa/magick.html
This page contains many links to Magick, mysticism, neo-pagan and other spiritual resources.
If you have a favorite site for pagan information, why don't you drop me an email and tell me about it; maybe I'll mention it in an upcoming column.
Good luck, and happy surfing,
Susan
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~sjgavula/
There are two questions that we ask at the onset of consciousness: Who am I and what am I doing here? These are questions that we ask in a variety of situations as we go through life, not only of ourselves, but of other people. Those two questions have significant bearing here: Firstly, because you want to know who I am and what I'm doing here. Secondly, and more important is that these are the questions that I want to find the answer to for myself.
I am a twenty-something professional who lives on the east coast of the United States. I have been married a little less than a year. My wife and I recently decided to "walk the Wiccan path." This article, and those to be found in following issues, will document our first tentative steps down that path. I hope that those who read these articles will gain something from them; those who have been Wicca for a long time may be reminded of those early weeks and months while those new to Wicca may find some similarity to their own beginnings of the journey. At the very least, I will have my own written account of events so I can see myself how far I have come. (This is *very* new to me, so if I misuse a term or two, please forgive me.)
One of the really cool things about my relationship with my wife is how often we find ourselves working on the same "wavelength." When I'm down, she's down. When I'm up, she's up. In fact, we find we constantly lose games like Scattergories because we' re constantly using the same words no matter how obscure. (Scattergories is a game where each person thinks of words beginning with a certain letter on a variety of topics before the buzzer sounds.) This is all the more incredible to us since we have been married for so short a time. (Before you form an opinion on the pathological nature of our relationship, let me assure you that my wife and I are quite different in other ways.)
It wasn't altogether surprising to find that a couple of months ago we were both thinking about religion/spirituality and how it fit into our lives. A long time ago I read a quote, from who I have no hope of remembering, that said something to the effect of: "A person should choose a religion that matches the set of ethics and beliefs he or she has developed in his or her youth, not follow the ethics and beliefs of a religion that was chosen for him or her at birth." I carried this idea in my head for years, not exactly sure what it meant, not even sure I was remembering it correctly or even if I had constructed it from whole cloth. No matter where it came from, though, it was spending a lot of time in my head lately.
The topic of religion may never have come up, except we both were feeling disconnected, out of sorts. Not from each other, of course, but from the world around us. We both have very hungry intellects and are constantly looking to learn more about just about everything, so we're pretty comfortable with the "what" and the "how" of the universe. What we are lacking is the "why" of it all. Vague? You betcha. We don't even know what questions we want to ask, much less what the answers are going to be. No questions, that is, except "who am I and what am I doing here?" All of this added up to an emptiness, a missing piece, inside of us.
What to do about it? I had long ago given up on Christianity holding any answers for me. Judaism and Islam don't have the answer either. We were forced to take stock of what we did and didn't believe in, and how our individual ethics fit in. What did we discover? A belief that all things are interconnected; that doing ill comes back to haunt you; that people, as long as they don't hurt anyone, including themselves, should be able to do what they want; that religion/spirituality is a personal thing that one must choose for oneself, not be talked into following. These, as well as a host of other things that were too ephemeral for us to put words around, gave us enough to start doing research.
Around Hallowe'en we'd seen a documentary on witches, with interviews with modern witches talking about Wicca and the Neo-Pagan movement. At the time, it seemed to strike a chord with us; that what these people were talking about made sense. Not wanting to limit ourselves right away, we also added Buddhism and Hindu to our list. We stopped at a bookstore and, since we only had $10 on us, picked up one book about Wicca. In addition, being a computer geek, I started surfing the Web. The more I found out, the more we felt that Wicca was right for us. Not wanting to rush into anything, we gave ourselves until the Vernal Equinox to decide.
Our biggest difficulty, so far, has been finding out how to get started. I know that there are many paths to Wicca, and that each person must find his or her own, but we're just trying to find the door! We've gotten a few more books for reference, largely on the recommendations on Wiccan Web pages. We still know very little, but we're learning more each day. We haven't found the door yet, but I think we're getting warm.
ORGANIC GARDENING - By Rain One
As time goes by in our world today there is great need for us, as Pagans to get back to the land and grow our own food. Although there has been great debate about the methods of organic gardening and it's effectiveness, I choose to grow organically. I will make it my effort to educate as many people as I can by giving detailed information regarding:
Along with my articles I will provide as many resources as I can so people will be able to find organic products. As I learn more about organic gardening, I will pass it along. I don't know everything, but I am a Certified Master Gardener in New York and Texas. I will also give information which will enable anyone to find a Master Gardener Program in their part of the country.
Anyone who is volunteer oriented can apply to become a Master Gardener. I will get into what that is in future articles. For now let me welcome you to my world. I garden intentionally!
Rain One
STAR MAGICK: COUNTING ON THE STARS!! - By Perth
As a child, I used to lay in the grass and ponder the stars. It didn't matter if it was night or day because I knew the stars were always there, even if I couldn't see them. Like other children, I wished on the first star at night and shooting stars. I tried to figure out how the maps of the constellations that I saw in books related to the jumble of lights in the night sky.
But mostly, I wondered about things like, what were they made of? If they were little balls of fire in the sky, did the angels burn their wings if they got too close? Was there only one wishing star, or did all of them count?
To this day, I can still only pick out Orion, the Big Dipper, and the North Star. I know that the stars are very far away and some of the light we see now is from stars that long ago ceased to exists. Angels don't burn their wings on stars, but mostly, I have learned that all of the stars have enormous powers for wishes.
So how do you find a way to tap into the power of stars beyond the familiar "star light, star bright" rhyme? Start by finding *your star*. Lie on your back and gaze up at the stars. Find one that speaks to you. (Be sure it is twinkly, you're looking for a star, not a planet.)
Next, spend a few nights locating your star. Learn to align yourself with it to a point where you can automatically glance at the sky and know that your star is there. Once you have found your star and are aligned with it, accept it's energy. It should feel strong and clear as it runs through you, giving you strength and courage (after all, it is a ball of fire). When you feel the strength, thank your (lucky) star and know that the power will always be with you. It will not matter whether it is night or day, you and your star are now linked. Don't be discouraged if you don't feel your star's energy immediately. Sometimes it takes a while to relax enough to accept the power your star will give you.
Now that you have a link with your star, how do you use it? Use your star for whatever you need it. It can offer you protection, teach you to release the negativity in your life, and empower you to find that path you want to be on, if it is not the one you are already traveling.
If you need protection, stand outside and attune yourself to your star. Feel it's power run through you. Close your eyes and envision your star weaving a basket around you, as tightly or as loosely as you need. It can use other stars to help weave your basket, if you desire their assistance, or your star can do it on its own. Do whatever feels right. When you feel as though you are surrounded by ribbons of power and light, say something to affirm this. Words such as,
Star power burning bright, protect me always day or night . Star streams and star glows, always be there to help me grow. Protect me. Protect me. Protect me.
Thank your star for its help and release it. The basket will still be around you, even though you have detached from your star. Your star basket will help to protect you.
If you feel scared or insecure, remember the feeling of the star around you and call on it's power. It may feel awkward at first, but with practice, you will be able to call on your star without thinking. If you have anything you want to release, relax and attune with your star. As you feel its familiar energy, give it all the emotion you want to release: anger, fear, jealousy, pain, negative barriers , etc. Feel the fire of your star burn the negative emotions away and cleanse your soul. When they are gone, thank your star for its assistance and let it go.
If you seek guidance, there is always the physical presence of the star to comfort you. If you feel in need of spiritual or emotional direction, you can use your star to light the way. This exercise takes a little bit of preparation. Have paper and pencil with you.
Focus on your need. I sometimes find it helpful to take a bath or shower before attuning with my star to remove any of the day's dirt, both physically and psychically.
When you're ready, gently let go of your emotions and thoughts while breathing in deeply through your nose and exhaling fully through your mouth and begin to screen out the everyday noises around you. Now feel the energy of your star enter with your breath. Feel it course through your body as the oxygen travels through you. As you exhale, let it carry out your doubts and fears.
If a thought comes, embrace it and promise you will return to it later and focus again on your breathing. Now slowly begin to bring your question in. Listen to it and feel your star listening as you ask. As you repeat your question over and over again, your star will answer. It may be softly, it may be loud, but it will answer. Write down any impressions or thoughts on you paper without censoring them. Thank your star for its guidance and concentrate on breathing again. Listen to your own breathing, and as you do, start listening for the normal sounds around you.
Thank your star and release it.
You can read the answer to your question now or later. You can analyze it at your leisure. You don't have to be outside or have visual connection with your star to perform any of these exercises. The stars are always with us and have been guiding mankind since the dawn of time. Let them guide you too.
MAKING A RITUAL BROOM - By Pandora
From time to time we feel the need to purify our homes. Many witches also like to purify the home in the spring, and Ostara, the upcoming Spring Equinox, is a traditional time to make our brooms and use them. I like to make short brooms for this ritual because they're easier to use, but you may make a longer one if you like.
You will need a straight branch, approximately 12 to 18 inches long and 1/2 inch in diameter (if you can't find a branch, a dowel will do), scissors, raffia or cotton twine, and a bowl of salt water. You will also need bunches of any of the following plants: cedar, fennel, lavender, or rosemary. Ideally, these plants should come from your magickal garden. (Read more about planting and using herbs in a magickal garden in Rain One's monthly column, "Organic Herb Gardening.")
Assemble your tools and materials and create a sacred space to work in. Charge the branch and plant materials by taking each in turn in your hands and sending purifying energies into them. Visualize a white cleansing light emanating from your hands and being absorbed by the branch and plants. Take the twine and tie three circles on one end of the branch while you say: "I bind you in cleansing."
Now take several stalks of the plant materials, leafy ends down, and place them around the end of the branch with the three loops of twine (to form a round broom shape). Visualize the white light, and tie three loops around the branch and plants. Place another layer of plant material around the branch, tie three more loops while you visualize. Do this until your broom is as full as you want. Tie the end of the twine three times around the branch and plants, pull the end through some of the loops and tie three knots. Snip off the excess twine and thank the branch and plant materials for their sacrifice.
Sprinkle some of the salt water on the broom sweeps and visualize all negative forces melting away. Now walk to your door, open it and vigorously sweep close to the floor (you don't actually have to touch the floor). Visualize all negativity being swept out the door. Now moving clockwise around the house, sweep each door and window and at the upper and lower corners of each room. (Don't forget walk-in closets.) When you've made your way back to the door, open it again, sweep out, then shake your broom vigorously three times to shake away anything that stuck to it. Leave it outside your door, do not bring it in again.
At your first opportunity, take it apart and bury all the materials.
Cut or prune trees in March or April when the moon is in Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn.
-"Old Farmer's Almanac", c. 1745
If you would like to read about a particular subject, please write to andora@gate.net. Remember, this is *your* newsletter and the whole point is to provide you with information you need.
If you would like to submit an article, poem, ritual or any other writing, e-mail me for publication guidelines.
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(c) PaganWeb Publications, 1996.
Updated March 23, 1996.
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