The Pagan Village Tribe's topics - tribe.net

PRINCE FRICKIN CASPIAN!

2008-08-18T23:38:03Z

I can not tell you how much I'm looking forward to this.

I suspect many folks here will not quite grok why someone who identifies themself as pagan is so excited about a movie based on a series of bnooks that are straight-up Christian allegory, but I think those who remember the book well will know why I'm licking my lips. After the fundie Chirstians' adopting "Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe" as 'their' big fantasy epic, I'm really really looking forward to seeing their reaction about this movie.

For those unfamilar with Prince Caspian (and yeah 'spoilers' ahead), it tells the story of Narnia conquered by humans - cruel, authoritarian types who suppress the truth about Narnia's past and insist there's no such thing as magic or magical beings such as dwarves, dryads, etc. Old stories still circulate though, capturing the imagfination of some - does this ring a bell for anyone? Caspian is one of those who is told the stories of Narnia's true past and wants to believe- and when he escapes his evil uncle (there's always an evil uncle whenever there's an exiled prince, it seems), he finds and joins the hiding remnants of Old Narnia.

In other words, the bad guys bear a distinct resemblence to the fundies themselves, the ones who don't let their kids hear any fairy tales or see Wizard of Oz because anything that includes any kind of fantasy and magic is EVIL. And the on side of good are the dryads, talking animals, centaurs, and other figures of pagan mythology. In the book, it gets really extreme - a river god is freed from the man-made bridge that chains him, and Bacchus himself, along with drunked Silenus and the Maeneds, join in the destruction of the human oppression. Whether the moviemakers will have the guts to include him I don't know, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Hardcore pagans may still object to the fact that Jesus-Masked-As-Aslan is still the chief deity of this pagan pantheon, but I'm okay with that. I don't have any problem with Jesus, just his more obnoxious followers, and C.S. Lewis's remaking of Jesus into this solar lion god works for me. Lewis has his faults of course - there's some serious misogyny that runs through his books unfortunately, but nobody's perfect, and as they say, he was a man of his time.

Anyway, I'm crossing my fingers that the movie is as true to the book as the first one was. We'll see.

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 4 replies

Sharing an abundance meditation ritual we did with great results

2008-08-18T21:34:26Z

Abundance Meditation Ritual , Martha’s Vineyard July 2008, Full moon

Ask all in attendance to wear white and be freshly bathed to prevent any negative energy from coming into the circle from outside.
Cast a circle around white clothes laid on the ground. In my ritual I had in the center my mantas from Peru along with turkey, hawk and owl feathers to represent abundance vision and knowledge. There was a bowl filled with crystals bathing in salt water and other sacred objects surrounded it.

We anointed ourselves with lavender oil. There were incense sticks burning around the circle. After welcoming those present into the ritual we all held hands and ran our energy around the circle. Dropping hands I assisted everyone in grounding into their core by having them place their hands on abdomen visualizing them sending roots into the ground, breathing deeply and then hand on heart, hand on crown, arms open to the sky all the time balancing the chakras. After calling in the spirits, guides and guardians everyone layed on the ground, head to center, and placed the crystals on their forehead at the place of the third eye. I went around the circle with a set of Tibetan bells and used them to raise the vibration in each participant. Then I sat back down and used my buffalo skin drum to beat a journey rhythm into the meditation.
I spoke the following while everyone lay in a spoked wheel around me:

You are walking along a pathway through a valley filled with swirling grey mists of fear that cling to your legs and feet. Fighting against the murky energy you make your way up a hill to the base of a tall white stone tower. Above the tower the sky of clouds is clear and a shaft of sunlight shines down upon it. Become aware of the door of the tower. What is it made of, how large is it, who is the guardian that stands besides it?
Ask the guardian for permission to enter. Once it is granted reach out and feel the door handle in your hands. Opening the door you enter into a large hall room filled with light and in the middle is a spiral staircase. Take a walk around the entry hall becoming familiar with the space and its scents, sounds, temperature, and what is in it…then make your way to the staircase and with clear purpose begin to ascend towards the doorway at the top. As you spiral higher the light brightens and you can look down upon the entry hall from another perspective.

When you reach the door at the top you can now read the inscription carved into it,
“This is the doorway into your manifested reality of abundance”. Another guardian is here and in your hands is a gift for them. Ask for permission to enter as you grace them with the gift. When it has been received and permission granted you may enter being very aware of how it feels to open this door. What is the weight, what is it made out of, what does it feel like.

Stepping through the portal into your true manifestation of abundance you are filled with joy. Here is all that you dream of, desire, need and can manifest. Who, what , where is this space? Walk around and say hello to this sacred place that welcomes you. What sounds fill it, what scents do you breath here, what beings dwell here, who is here assisting you in creating your abundance? Along the way you will receive a message, a word or a sentence that you are to carry with you to connect your true reality to all other worlds we dwell in. Fill your heart with the joy, peace, success, bliss that are in this place.

Now slowly prepare to make your way back to the doorway giving thanks and prayers along the way. Stepping back through the portal close the door and express your gratitude to the guardian there that keeps your sacred place safe. Lightly step back down the spiral staircase returning to the entry hall. Observe if anything has changed here and return to the large tower door. Open this doorway stepping out onto the hillside, acknowledging its guardian with thanks and place your feet upon the pathway that is now covered in flowers and the sun is shining brightly, birds are singing. Walk skip or dance along it back into your physical body becoming aware of the smell of the air around you, your breath, the feel of your weight upon the earth. Wiggle toes, fingers…rejoin the circle,..

Coming back into presence of the circle we share any thoughts and then taking hands and closing our eyes we sing and chant to raise the energy that we have charged to send it out to the world to be shared and for all to benefit from. May the world be freed of fear, may all find their joy, may the abundance be multiplied many times over, and may all realize that they have the power to create whatever they dream of.

So Be It!

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 0 replies

New member, Pagan & authors

2008-08-18T18:05:46Z

I am new to Paganism & Tribe. I am looking to expand my home library. I was wondering if anyone could post some of their favorite authors or books that have helped them on their path? So far I have 2 Scott Cunningham books called: Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner & Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 16 replies

Pagans in New England

2008-08-18T16:00:25Z

looking to network with other pagans in the New England area, so I started this tribe for just such a purpose
http://tribes.tribe.net/nepagans
so if you are local and looking to meet up with like-minded pagan folk, come on by!
blessings
katie

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 2 replies

Starting Pocatello Pagans

2008-08-15T13:49:58Z

Hi All:

I am attempting to put together a local Pagan group in Pocatello Idaho. If anyone out there is interested please contact me. Besides using Tribe.net, I can also be contacted via my website http://www.woodlandstar.net/ , Just click on the email link on the left side of the window. Any help I can get in getting the word out to Pagans in the Pocatello area would be most appreciated.

The purpose of this tribe is to bring together Pagans living within the area of Pocatello Idaho. It is intended as a cyber space friendship group with the primary purpose of developing meetings in the Pocatello area. These meetings would be for celebration as well as just becoming acquainted with others of like mind. Weather permitting; the meetings will be held in forest areas, such as local campgrounds. This tribe is about doing not talking. You don't have to be living within the Pocatello area to join: all Pagans are welcomed. "An it harm none do what ye will."

Thanks For Any Help With This
Nevyn

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 0 replies

A Very Mixed Emotional Day

2008-08-14T06:02:59Z

I put my beloved familiar to sleep around two a.m. today. He was 15 and a half years old. He had lived a very long life, full of love and good memories. But what hurt he and I the most, is how our now physical seperation affects the bond we have between us. He and I are a part of each other's souls, and I know over time, this deep mutual grief will lessen as he and I will get used to his new spiritual status. Just right now , we miss each other terribly. Yet, at the same time I knew/know as did/does he, that his passing onto a new spiritual world is a time for celebration and that we should be happy that it has happened. I experienced, a great joy, when I felt his soul leave his physical body and emerge into the new spiritual plane....I think, at first he was in awe and taken aback, but he is now feeling the great joy too.

But I swear, the most heartbreaking moment for me, was when I was leaving the ER vet and was in the parking lot and about to get into the car to go home. I saw, felt, and heard his spirit running after me, the way his physical body did when he was a young adult and in his prime and wanting to play. He was wanting me to not leave without him, he wanted to come home, the way he always would when he had to go to the vet in the past while his physical body was alive. So with my inner tears under control, I immediately turned and faced him with a smile, and told him everything would be alright, and he would see that for himself. I told him to go find his other deceased feline friends (my other kitties he had known while alive and who had passed away before him), and they would now keep him company and get him settled in on the other side. I said they were waiting for him to come to them, and he had to let us part. And that once he was situated, he was welcome to visit me anytime, I said "Jackie, mon petit (my little one), I will always be here waiting for you, I promise...I promise," and then I got into the car and drove home.

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 2 replies

Ganesh ( Ganapati ) the Hindu Buddhist Deity : practices references and transmission

2008-08-08T17:01:23Z

Ganesh ( Ganapati ) the Hindu Buddhist Deity : practices references and transmission

Keywords : Ganapati / Ganesh the Elephant Headed God of Classical India, Mantra and Praise of Ganapati, Deity yoga, Tantric empowerment, Overlapping Hindu / Buddhist mantra culture, Vedacarya Thomas Ashley-Farrand, Sakya Lineage and Sakya Monastery, Seattle Washington.

“To those for whom these village fires still have meaning:
Oh, may your own most beautiful Animal of Light come safely to you!”
from the Last Whole Earth Catalog

On 13 July in Seattle Washington a Ganapati empowerment will be offered at Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism. The guru bestowing this empowerment is the tantric master of Sakya Monastery, His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Sakya Rinbochay. See www.sakya.org for more information.

For this reason it is timely and appropriate to provide some basic teaching and perspective on Ganapati, and in particular an esoteric Hindu Ganapati mantra and also a Sanskrit Buddhist praise of Ganapati. Many diverse teachings on this deity in Hindu form are available on the internet ( under both Ganapati and Ganesh ).

An excellent introductory summary for Ganapati / Ganesh is available online at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesha

The Buddhist Ganapati is also referenced in the Tibetan Buddhist traditions of the Nyingma ( e.g. Longchen Nyingtik ) and Gelugpa lineages ( see practice texts for www.fpmt.org ). There is also Buddhist practice of Ganapati in the esoteric Buddhist Japanese tradition known as Shingon, which came East via China and not Tibet.

Briefly, Ganapati means Lord of the Troop, and Ganesh basically means Elephant Headed One. Ganapati is known by the title “Remover of Obstacles” or “Lord of Obstacles”. He carries or represents the enormous power of the Elephant. He is often accompanied by two female consorts Riddhi and Siddhi ( Magical Accomplishment and Spiritual Accomplishment ).

Ganapati is very prominent and even central in Hindu practice and is often evoked at the beginning of important engagements or projects, such as making a journey or starting employment, or beginning a meditation practice session. I have seen dance evocation of Ganapati at the beginning of a Hindu temple dance concert. Ganapati is one of the main practices of Hindu business people for success in their commercial ventures.

Ganapati is strongly associated with the “national spirit” or Mother India as well as her earliest roots. In the distant past elephants were used throughout India to clear land for agriculture, and also as war elephants. More recently, public Hindu celebrations were banned by the occupying British and the outlawed Ganapati ceremonies were brought forth, successfully, to rally India against foreign rule.

It is said that the long “History of India” was transcribed by the deity Ganapati as given by Rishi Visvamitra. Many of the key texts of Sanatana Dharma ( Hinduism ) were written down by Ganapati. So, this practice is a primary connection to Vedic Culture. Due to this, Ganapati is also practiced by students to help with their secular school exams.

Ganapati has a very ambivalent status in Buddhist tantra, the esoteric form of Buddhist meditation which relies on yoga, deity recitations and mystic practices in general. On the one hand, Ganapati is often considered unfriendly towards Buddhist practitioners in general, and propitiated or banished or subjugated so as to not cause problems. Thus, a subjugated Ganapati serves as the throne for the deity Mahakala in his Six Armed form. This reflects the fact that some but not all Hindu practice / culture affirms Buddhist teachings.

On the other hand, there are specifically Buddhist practices for Ganapati, as for other Hindu deities such as Shiva, Sarasvati and so forth. The Sakya lineage carries Buddhist deity yogas for the Hindu deities Uma Devi / Parvati and Garuda, as well as Ganapati. ( In Southern Buddhism, such as in Sri Lanka Theravada monasteries, it is common to propitiate the Hindu deity Visnu for outer or worldly benefits. )

More broadly, many Buddhist schools share with the Sanatana Dharma ( i.e. Hindu practice and culture ) a significant focus on Ayurveda, or spiritual medicine. The Buddhist deity Bhaisajyaguru, or Medicine Buddha, is a deity of Buddhist spiritual medicine and Ayurveda in both Hindu and Buddhist forms is more or less identical in practice, not just similar.

In the classical Sakya tradition, this Twelve Arm Ganapati is actually an emanation of Avalokitesvara, the beloved and universal Buddhist deity of liberating compassion. Thus, it is reasonable to view this empowerment as being a definite connection to Avalokitesvara and the general practices of Avalokitesvara.

It is also very important to note that with this ( or any ) tantric Buddhist empowerment comes the general set of universal Buddhist vows, such as the Ten Precepts ( rejection of harmfulness, theft, dishonesty, ill-will and so forth ), and the Bodhisattva vows. The Bodhisattva vows focus on active humanitarian service in the most broad and deep and long term ways, starting with rejection of limiting ideas such as racism, sexism, tribalism, and all cultural divisiveness.

For some basic teachings on Buddhist theory and practice, see the following at Asian Classics:
http://www.asianclassics.org/research_site/webdata/education.html

The Principal Teachings of Buddhism
Buddhist Refuge
The Vows of the Bodhisattva

For an excellent general introduction to Buddhist practice, with a focus on Buddhist tantra, see the following book by Kalu Rinpoche:
The Dharma: That Illuminates All Beings Like the Light of the Sun and the Moon, State University of New York Press, 1986, ISBN 0-88706-157-5

http://www.amazon.com/Dharma-Illuminates-Beings-Impartially-Light/dp/0887061575

This book is short, direct, accessible, classical and effective. It should be. It was transcribed as spoken directly to westerners by one of the greatest Buddhist masters of the last century.

To take the tantric Buddhist empowerment of Ganapati or any other is to take Mahayana Buddhist vows, as well as to become authorized to do magical kinds of practice, such as mantra recitation to develop the power of the deity. The point is that in this case, the Hindu/ Buddhist deity Ganapati is practiced within a classical Buddhist context, not otherwise. Thus the above mentioned Buddhist references are of central importance in this transmission and practice.

As a brilliant red deity aspect, Twelve Armed Ganapati is not only a remover of obstacles and disharmonious circumstances, but also a magnetizing deity, i.e. a deity that “warms up” social situations, and develops strongly positive interpersonal engagement.

On a yogic level, this deity ( in Buddhist deity yoga ) develops strength and power at the level of the navel point of the psychic energy body ( svadhisthana cakra ), although I cannot say more without transgressing tantric vows of secrecy. Note that the Hindu Ganapati is girded by snakes, representing kundalini energy, and is similarly associated with the energy at the base of the spinal column. All tantric transmissions are private, and their contents not to be discussed following initiation.

This is one of many specifically obstacle-removing diety yogas in Buddhist tantra. There are many others, but this one is definitely recommended for those who have a more Hindu-oriented background in culture and/ or personal karma. And as noted earlier, it is a connection to Avalokitesvara practice specifically, and to the outer Mahayana practices in general.

This can also be viewed ( speaking very unofficially ) as a connection to Hindu transmissions. ) For this reason I will now provide a specifically Hindu mantra for Ganapati, which has been confirmed. It is quite reasonable to say that on obtaining a Twelve Arm Ganapati empowerment, one may practice the following Hindu mantra as well.

Maha Ganapati Mantra
"Aum shrim hrim klim glaum gam
ganapataye vara varada sarva
janamme vashamanaya svaha"

Vedacarya Thomas Ashley-Farrand, from whom I have Laxmi transmission, has many introductory and also detailed teachings on Hindu mantra practice. See his website at
http://www.sanskritmantra.com/

The following is not an official representation, but I do have the Sakya lineage Ganapati transmission some twenty years back from HE Luding Khen Rinbochay. This Sakya initiation is for a Twelve Arm Red Ganapati, equivalent in many respects to the Hindu deity Ganesh or Ganapati. Many diverse teachings on this deity in Hindu form are available on the internet ( under both Ganapati and Ganesh ). The Buddhist Ganapati is also referenced in the Tibetan Buddhist traditions of the Nyingma and Gelugpa lineages.

From www.sakya.org :

07/13/2008
GANAPATI INITIATION
Offered by H. H. Jigdal Dagchen Sakya
Sunday, July 13
Time: 10:00 am
Location: Shrine Room
Suggested Donation: $30 Public, $25 Members
Translator: Dr. Jeff Schoening
Ganapati made the commitment to help all beings to uphold the 3 trainings—moral behavior, meditation, wisdom— and, in particular, to provide the necessary materials and provisions for practitioners.
He protects one from obstacles at the beginning of any enterprise and also helps to increase wealth and power for the benefit of the Dharma.
His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Sakya, head lama of Sakya Monastery, was born in Tibet in 1929. He continues the great Sakya lineage which began with Khon Konchok Gyalpo (1034—1102). He received teachings of the unbroken Khon lineage, the Sakya Vajrakilaya, the Hevajra and the complete Lamdre Tsogshe, from his father, H.H. Trichen Ngawang Thutop Wangchul, the last Sakya throne holder in Tibet. He also studied with many other great Buddhist teachers, including Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi and Dingo Khyentse Robsal Dawa.
In 1960, H.H. J.D. Sakya was invited to work on a University of Washington research project on Tibetan civilization which was sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation. At the request of students, he co-founded with H.E. Dezhung Rinpoche Sakya Tegchen Choling, a center for the study of Tibetan Buddhism and culture. In 1984, the center became the Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism.

The following is copyrighted material from The Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon, at
http://www.uwest.edu/sanskritcanon/index.html
specifically
http://www.uwest.edu/sanskritcanon/Stotra/Roman/stotra30.html

The source text is “ Source: Pandey, Janardan Shastri ed. Bauddha strotra Samgrah. Varanasi : Motilal Banarsidass, 1994”.

This is provided as a necessary and specific demonstration that classical Indian Buddhist culture incorporated Ganapati deity yoga as a tantric practice, and not for other purposes.
Ga?esastotram

kharvam sthulataram gajendravadanam lambodaram sundaram
vidhnesam madhugandhalubdhamadhupavyalolagandasthalam|
dantodghatavidaritahitajanam sindurasobhakaram
vande sailasutasutam ganapatim siddhipradam kamadam|| 1||

herambah paramo devah karyasiddhividhayakah|
saibhagyarupasampannm? dehi me sukhasampadam|| 2||

ekadantam mahakayam lambodaram gajananam|
sarvasiddhipradataram gangaputram namamyaham|| 3||

vande tam ga?anathamaryamanagham daridrayadavanalam
sundaadandavidhuyamanasamalam samsarasindhostarim|
yam natva surakoyayah prabhuvaram siddhim labhante param
sindurarunavigraham paripataddanambudharahrtam|| 4||

uccairbrahmandakhandadvitayasahacaram kumbhayugmam dadhanah
presannagaripaksapratibhatavikatasrotratalabhiramah |
devah sambhorapatyam bhujagapatitanusparddhivardhisnuhasta-
strailokyascaryamurtirjayati trijagatamisvarah kuñjarasyah|| 5||

ganapatisca herambo vidhnarajo vinayakah |
deviputro mahateja mahabalaparakramah || 6||

mahodaro mahakayascaikadanto gajananah|
svetavastro mahadiptastrinetro gananayakah || 7||

aksamalam ca dantam ca grhnan vai daksine kare|
parasum modakapatram ca vamahaste vidharayan|| 8||

nanapusparato devo nanagandhanulepanah |
nagayajñopavitango nanavidhnavinasanah || 9||

devasuramanusyanam siddhagandharvavanditam|
trailokyavidhnahartaramakhvarudham namamyaham|| 10||

sumukhascaikadantasca kapilo gajakarnakah |
lambodarasca vikato vidhnarajo vinayakah || 11||

dhumraketurganadhyakso bhalacandro gajananah |
vakratundah surpakarno herambah skandapurvajah || 12||

sodasaitani namani yah pathecchunuyadapi|
vidyarambhe vivahe ca pravese nirgame tatha|| 13||

samgrame samkate caiva vidhnastasya na jayate|
vidhnavallikutharaya ganadhipataye namah || 14||

sriga?esastotra? samaptam|

Sarva mangalam! Siddhi rastu!

In partial fulfillment of vajrayana teaching responsibilities,

KT

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 1 reply

Age, Stereotypes, and the Craft

2008-08-04T19:56:40Z

"S, could you come help us with..." I sigh, resigned, and lean back in my seat as one of the priestesses leads my partner off, to help with some no-doubt-vital bit of ritual. We have been coming here for months, but it's rare for any of the regulars, much less irregulars, to consult me about anything. The reason?

My age.

A woman I've never seen before sits down next to me and starts to chat. I enjoy meeting people, so I respond easily enough. After a bit spent discussing our histories in Wicca, the woman finally cocks her head to one side. "How old are you?" I hold her gaze calmly as I tell her I'm in my early twenties. She laughs.

"Oh, goodness, you've got years ahead of you!" She doesn't quite pat my knee, but it's close. My smile goes from interested to bland, but I doubt she notices. She's much to caught up in her image of me.

I thought for awhile that people like this made me angry because of some last bit of teenage rebellion, some childish resentment at being perceived as a child. But I recognize differently now- the tight feeling in my gut is the one I get faced with any prejudice. Bigotry always makes me ill.

Not only are teens stereotyped as being interested in the Craft for selfish reasons, that stereotype is so over-riding that they're usually dismissed. Does it occur to people that, as adolescense is a time of forming identity, it's a logical age to figure out one's spirituality? That maybe the reason we see so many "teen" witches is because younger generations are growing up with less prejudice against Wicca, and so see it as a viable path?

The only thing worse than being patronized by someone older with half my experience is being patronized by someone older with twice my experience. Being an Elder or a High Priestess or Priest is supposed to designate responsibility. It does not mean pushing away interested people because of their age. It does not make you god, it does not make you responsible for "testing" people through humiliation, stress, or unfair pressure. It does not mean deciding someone must be unsuited to the Craft because they don't suit you. It does not mean you, at all times, "know better".

I expect it'll take another ten years before I stop getting the head-patting routine, by which time I'll have twenty years in the Craft. If I have to choose, on that day, between a dismissive elder and a ego-driven teen, I'd still take the latter.

At least teenagers might grow out of it.

Hmm. I might have a teeny bit of resentment about this issue. But I DO think it needs to be addressed, so I'm going to leave my post, anger and all, as is and hope for the best.

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 22 replies

A elaboration about what I meant about my medium experiences from my original post "I've Got A Question..."

2008-08-04T07:34:41Z

When I communicate with those who have departed , typically I hear those clearer with those I’ve had a strong emotional connection to. I emotionally/physically feel charged/tingly all over at first-like being wrung through an electrical vortex of sorts. And if I am really in the “zone,” I feel like I am not fully connected to my body in this life. I’m not like looking over my body and going “hello down there” okay…lol. It is just this knowing of not being in it.
At first that feeling can be scary; a kind of “uh-oh what happens if I cant reconnect and am stuck like this forever?” But if I remain calm and in control, I feel I am in the safest place there is. I feel as if it is the most natural thing, a place and something so amazing- that typically we cannot experience it ourselves because we are not built to be normally aware of it. I have met said spirits/souls in this place (those I am emotionally connected to), and no bodies exist we are just emotional beings.
A pseudo example of it, this emotional realm, is like being in a forum online (bare with me okay), and all these postings come up on the screen and you immediately have an emotional acknowledgement of what they mean and represent. Use Tribe (yes, I know how cliché) for example, and you are involved in a discussion and you come across a recent posting and that person has just posted something you were just going to say on it and they beat you to it. Immediately, you mentally go “exactly my thought!”
Except the aforementioned “postings,” can last longer than just one initial comment, it often goes on like you were having a normal conversation with said person as if they were sitting across from you at a table (an example of what I mean by how natural it feels). It is as if they have never died.
They don't feel that being “dead” ( that is if they have accepted their current state and are not in conflict), as we the living would- e.g. a noun/ or permanent state, to them it is an adjective/something transient. Some people are more attuned, to the other side’s spiritual state, but anyone can feel and/or be aware of it that is, we all possess the ability. It’s all about letting yourself be emotionally open. I think of my soul as a house and people (souls of living and dead) come and go all the time outside of it. But if my door is closed, whether intentionally or unintentionally….then less and less people will come to want to come knock on my door. I hope some of this makes sense....?!?!

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 6 replies

Lughnasadh - a poem!

2008-08-01T11:41:57Z

Lughnasadh

The whisper of the summer breeze through the wheat
Sings softly as we walk up the to the hills
The drumbeat echoes in the evenings’ hush
As we steadily walk to play out the Goddesses will

Lughnasadh is the name given to August’s full moon
As we give thanks to Her for the harvest ahead
She has blessed the fields with abundant golden grain
So that we may have flour to bake our bread

We plait sheaves of wheat as we wait for the moon
Just like our Celtic forefathers once did long ago
We laugh and are merry as we count ourselves blessed
That we all are here to feel nature’s endless flow

The music is pure delight as we dance hand in hand
As the full moon rises over the hills in the east
The silvery light shines bright on our faces at last
Like a kiss from the sky to bless our Lughnasadh Feast

© Michelle-Catherine Hough 2007

i hope you enjoy this. Happy Lugnasadh!

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 0 replies

I've got a question.....

2008-07-31T22:47:58Z

Why would someone have an affinity with folks on the other side of the veil? I've always suspected as such of myself, and I was just curious...I used to be more involved with that side of me, but after several years in a row: only at a certain time when I was younger....(but as I've gotten older, the times are occurring randomly and in different forms of communication...pure medium stuff with family members who had passed on ) But when I was a child like 11, 12, 13 ...I had some rather disturbing dreams (of me being with people when they were dying, and I was just there in the room with them and I could see the details of the room and in the morning I would wake up and see well so and so died x, y, and z....I typically didnt know them personally, I just knew of them...and I got afraid ,so afraid I started to dread that time of the year- end of aug./early sept. when it came around. I investigated that side of me when I was in my teens, but there were times where I felt too out of control and/or weary of what could occur if I let myself embrace it due to it's strength. Theres more, but I think the other stuff, well I'm not so disturbed by it :::knocks on wood::: don't want to jinx myself there. Any ideas/reasons would be useful, thanks!

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 8 replies

Hello all

2008-07-29T16:48:14Z

I'm kinda new here and wondered if someone would have some sort of summoning hyms to some of the Greek gods and goddesses already have met the king of the gods Zeus very nice being and thank you to all who stand true to the old ways .

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 1 reply

question on Beltane.

2008-07-29T00:20:53Z

First off happy Beltane, May day, May 1st, or whatever you ar celibrating right now! I hope everyone has a great hoilday.
Now for the question, how do we know that beltane is dusk april 30 to dusk may 1? is it simply because the celibratins that have remainded in Europe are celibrated then? What about pre-rome europe? did they celibrate it on the same day, or was it move during roman occupation to fit with romes celibrations? (and later by the Christiens?)

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 5 replies

plant a tree for a dollar

2008-07-27T01:38:45Z

plant lots of trees! www.plantabillion.org

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 2 replies

Abandoned toys

2008-07-26T23:28:49Z

I just recently came across this album "The witch's garden" by Abandoned Toys and it is one of the most exquisitely beautiful, new age - pagan music albums I have come across in recent years. Apparently, they use alot of the golden ratio in their tunings and harmonies. If you don't already own a copy, I highly recommend picking up one. I think they have clips at their website here:

http://www.abandonedtoys.com/store.htm

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 0 replies

worker badge

2008-07-23T15:30:42Z

_________
|
|
| <----------- your photo here
|
|_________

Mommie, when I grow up I want to help smash the white racist, homophobic, patriarchal, bullsh*t paradigm too!

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 0 replies

Pagan Classic Rock

2008-07-19T19:14:43Z

I've been looking for some old classic rock that were Pagan songs. Not that easy to find really. Most of what I found when googling Rock & Pagan is Norse metal.

Fleetwood Mac doing Rhiannon.

Listen to what Stevie saids as she walks up to the mic to start singing. She saids,
"This is a song about a Welsh witch."
This is a very powerful version as Stevie really gets into it towards the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMVrw1jHSvw

By the time Stevie did this version of Rhiannon she grew out of her skinny kinda not that attractive look to the really beautiful
mature older woman she is now. Stevie has always been one of them women who gets more beautiful as she gets older. Proof in my mind
that a witches wisdom is the secret of her beauty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGNoXwiQXd0

Interesting is I loved Stevie before I was Pagan. In fact I had a crush on her & Anne Wilson of Heart as a teen. I later after being born again as a Pagan discovered that both of these women were Pagans. I was really into old school Metal yet I had posters of Stevie in my room as well as the famous Gyspy Queen poster of Heart with Anne dressed as a Gypsy witch sitting in the chair with the Crystal ball in her hand. Remember that album cover?

Then there is my favorite, Jethro Tull who has tons of pagan songs. I couldn't find a video but here are the lyrics to Tull's Beltaine.

Jethro Tull - Beltane Lyrics

Have you ever stood in the April wood
and called the new
year in?
While the phantoms of three thousand years fly
as the dead leaves spin?
There's a snap in the grass
behind your feet
and a tap upon your shoulder.
And the
thin wind crawls along your neck
it's just the old
gods getting older.
And the kestral drops like a fall of
shot and
the red cloud hanging high
come - a
Beltane.
Have you ever loved a lover of the old elastic
truth?
And doted on the daughter in the ministry of
youth?
Thrust your head between the breasts of the fertile
innocent.
And taken up the cause of love, for the sake of
argument.
Or while the kisses drop like a fall of shot
from soft lips in the rain
come - a Beltane.

Happy old new year to you and yours.
The sun's up
for one more day, to be sure.
Play it out gladly, for your
card's marked again.

Have you walked around your
parks and towns so knife-edged orderly?
While the fires are
burned on the hills upturned
in far-off wild country.
And felt the chill on your window sill
as the green man
comes around.
With his walking cane of sweet hazel - brings
it crashing down.
Sends your knuckles white as the thin
stick bites.
Well, it's just your groaning pains.
Come - a Beltane.

Tull as you all know have tons of Pagan theme songs we all love. Is there anyone who hasn't heard "Songs from the Wood" or "Minstrels in the Gallery"? Or "Dun Ringall" or "Jack in the Green"? LOL

Can you think of some more classic rock that were Pagan songs?
Help me find more Pagan Classics. ;-D

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 29 replies

Moral dilemma

2008-07-18T08:27:00Z

I’m job-hunting and I found something that would really work with my scedule.
The job is: membership recrutement for wildlife trust and woodland trust. Going door to door 3 hours in the evening. They pay me a standard fee, plus commission.
Now here is the thing:
That commission is..50%.
To me. Not to the charity. Only in the first year. After that it does go to the charity.
Is that immoral?

I have been thinking about it, and I don’t really see a problem as long as I make clear that i tell that I work for a recrutement agency that uses a part of the donation in the first year to cover costs like administration, printing and recrutement. Then I wouldn’t be lying by suggesting that everything directly goes to the charity.

What do you think?

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 10 replies

pagan ritual at burningn man?

2008-07-10T01:04:45Z

Is anyone in this group going to burning man?

any interest in doing some pagan ritual out there? My group is bringing a pagan temple to the playa this year and looking for ritualists and pagan performers.

please email if interested: sorormystica at gmail

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 2 replies

Kathy Lee Gifford & "Bad Nasty Pagans"

2008-07-08T22:32:53Z

On Wednesday, June 25, 2008, during a live broadcast of a wedding
reception on the TODAY Show, Kathy Lee Gifford gratuitously referred to
Pagans as "nasty, bad Pagans." Ms. Gifford's hate speech has done harm
to American Pagans' ability to live in peace with our neighbors of
other faiths. By allowing her hate speech to be broadcast, her direct
employer the TODAY Show, and their network, NBC, participate in that
hate speech.

This is a petition calling for, at the very least, an on-air apology. A
TODAY Show program devoted to dispelling misconceptions about Pagans
and Paganism would go a long ways toward undoing the damage.

www.thepetitionsite.com/1/quot...esting-
hate-speech-on-nbc

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 6 replies

Not spam, just trying to make ppl aware of something really cool just for pagans

2008-07-02T02:58:22Z

A person I know on myspace, a pagan set up ..what we call a *pagan* ebay.
There is no sellers fees and it's free to have a store on!
This is a wonderful deal for those who try to sell their wares on ebay but are sick of ebay's greed and fees!

but the prob is this place is just getting started and no one likes spam, so please do not take it that way, I don't own or run the site, I do have some things for sale there and a little store, but I am not doing this just for myself

most pagan shops in small towns just don't make it anymore and so alot of us do have to make do with buying our supplies, goodies, gifts online..and this is a really good way to kinda rebel against ebay!

so thats all I want everyone to know!

Here is the link..to check it out!

http://mysticalmarket.com

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 0 replies

strange phone calls

2008-07-01T16:50:13Z

I have been getting strange calls on my cell phone from the number 0000500000. If I answer, nothing is there. If I don't answer, it leaves no message. It usually calls me back a few minutes after the first call. When I tried to call the number, I actually got connected, no error message, but again,nobody was there. One night about 3:00 A.M. it called twice, one day in the early afternoon, different times.... Anyone have any ideas or information on this stuff? thanks.

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 6 replies

More Wage Inequality!

2008-07-01T16:45:27Z

Suz, just now I flipped on CNN (as biased as they are!), and to my horror I heard about the Nielson Rating Co.! This news'll make your adorable 'do kink:

* They are, in full knowledge, abusing legal loop-holes that allow for out-sourcing.
* They are laying off most--if not all--of their employees.
* They are hiring, in their place, foreign labor using guest-worker visas who will be sent back to their own countries to work for Nielson, but...
* They are making their soon-to-be unemployed employees TRAIN them! How insulting!

Personally, I knew that out-sourcing was getting bad whenever I called DELL for help with my PC, and I was soon never able to speak with an American citizen! In fact, from my own experience, I not only couldn't understand them very easily, but they were almost always of absolutely no help, and ended up wasting my valuable time.

I gotta' wonder, though: Why do our reps. seem to remain deaf to us when we complain that this out-sourcing must end?! I say: PEOPLE BEFORE PROFITS!!! ;o) (Sadly, I know that my own LOCAL rep. has NEVER listened to me, and only sends out form letters saying that he will do exactly the OPPOSITE of what I actually want him to! That's so offensive! Thankfully, some of my state reps. have actually written me personal letters, rather than form letters.)

Hey, if employees are pissed about out-sourving, can't we collectively sue each respective co. that out-sources their employees? According to CNN, one town that Nielson is doing this to is pissed, and refusing to take this sitting down!

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 2 replies

Bill Moyer's Journal: Wage Inequality!

2008-06-28T22:18:20Z

Hey guys, I dearly hope that everyone caught tonight's ep. of Bill Moyer's Journal on PBS--it was brilliant! According to the research, when adjusted for inflation, the lowest wage simply MUST be making more than $9 per hour, just to make a LIVING wage! Moreover, we are actually making LESS (when adjusted for inflatrion) that what people were paid during the 1920s! Doesn't all this make ya' sick? Personally, it makes me cringe... especially when I heard that most CEOs have in their contract that if they DIE while in office, their heirs automatically get a check worth several hundred MILLIONS of dollars!

But, it was Ronald Regan, when he crushed a Union, who destroyed job security in their place of employment; and, so, this behavior has continued ever since, because workers are deemed as "disposible". Nice, huh! (Ugh...I was being sarcastic, there.)

Hell, man genius and well-educated commentators have said that this is essentially a result of heinous GREED by one's employers! In fact, in Europe, the margine between what workers and employers make is VERY small because poverty level wages that we make in the US are simply NOT tollerated! (VIVA LA SOCIALISM! *G*) According to a late May issue of "TIME" magazine, about 68% of the poll respondants believe that wealth should be more evenly distributed amid the actual workers! Personally, these folks sound like Socialists, more or less, without even realizing it. ;o) At any rate, it seems like more and more people are turning away from capitalism, because they are not being treated fairly when compared to how much a company head makes for as little work as what he does; and this is compounded by the fact that an average worker is working 3 times harder for only 2% more money!

Ah...I wish I had known what he was going to talk about, or I would have taped it! He intereviewed the author of "Raise the Floor", Holly Sklar--go out and buy a copy!

Take Care,
Wade

PS--Personally, I've always believed that we Pagans are closet Socialists! *G*

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 10 replies

Summer Solstice Marked With Fire & Magic

2008-06-21T01:59:59Z

June 19, 2008—lames illuminate thousands of revelers in a cave in Zugarramurdi, Spain, during a 1998 Aquelarre, or Witch Coven.

Held on or near the summer solstice, the festival commemorates the alleged witches who used the cave in centuries past—any of whom died by fire during the Basque witch trials of the 1600s.

For millennia the summer solstice has been embraced as a time of rebirth and hope, and as a herald of abundant food and warm temperatures to come (summer solstice facts).

Falling this year on Friday, June 20, in the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year is still regarded by many as a day of mystical and religious significance—and the cause for many a celebration.

news.nationalgeographic.com/news....html

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 1 reply

Pagan New Years!

2008-06-21T01:32:19Z

Hello everyone,

I was curious to know what everyone`s thoughts are regarding when the wheel of the year starts and when it ends. Of course I know it doesn`t really start and end, but when does the year start for you?

The most common thing that I have heard is that Samhain is the Pagan New Year. As I understand things, this comes from the celtic calendar.

Personally I feel that Samhain is when the cycle ends (or dies) and then between Samhain and the Winter Solstice is kind of an in-between death silence thing. Then Winter Solstice feels like the rebirth of the cycle.

What are your thoughts?

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 76 replies

beware wolf in pagan's clothing: Cybermoon.com

2008-06-20T15:58:25Z

I decided to go online and order a few items from Cybermoon.com- well maybe more than a few items almost $200 worth on March 23rd, was told my order would ship out that week and they took my money, I had ordered a kit and they said: "As soon as the boxes come in, we will ship kits. We are expecting our boxes to arrive literally any day."

I waited 2 weeks and got nothing, emailed again got an email saying:

+++

Mon, Apr 7, 2008 at 3:27 AM
Greetings!

Thank you for letting us know your order failed to arrive. We will check
with the warehouse and, if your order hasn't already shipped, make sure it
gets out asap. If you ordered more than one item, please be aware your
order may arrive in more than one package.

If your order included runes, please remember that runes are not made until
they are ordered. That way, you receive runes that were made just for you.

If your order included an altar kit, please be aware that the boxes for the
altar kits are late arriving. We are expecting the boxes literally any day
and will ship the kits as soon as the boxes arrive. We haven't forgotten
about you.

Our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Blessings
Beth
****************************
CyberMoon Emporium
cybermoonemporium.com

****************************

Within 5 days of that email I got about $35 worth of my order, still missing arround $120 worth of product, not to count the $20 shipping fee. On top of that the OLOTA Anna Riva Oil that they sent me smells like nothing but Johnson & Johnson baby oil.

I have emailed and phoned them almost every day since and have not had once response. The 1 month anniversary of my order was the day that I promised them I'd go online and start spreading the word on what a horrible, fraudlant company they are.

Some of this is my bad, I should have done my homework first. Other complaints I have found on:
http://www.complaintsboard.com/?search=cybermoon

Cybermoon Emporium (complaint)
Posted: 2008-03-08 by Keitha Shrremetis [send email]
Item order not received!
Ring was ordered on February 2, 2008. I have tried to contact at phone # 404-348-4477 as I had order the wrong ring size. But to this day I have not heard from them. I have left quiet a few messages and have tried to e-mail them, to no prevail. I will be contacting my credit card com, to ask...

cybermoon (complaint)
Posted: 2007-08-29 by jeanmarie Blache [send email]
Order never delivered
I placed an order in June 2007 for a charmed altar kit as a gift for a friend. My credit card was charged and no product was received. I have tried to contact CyberMoon but have gotten nowhere. Someone help resolve this matter. I am a single parent of two young daughters and can not afford to...

Cybermoon Emporium (complaint)
Posted: 2008-04-24 by Stephanie [send email]
non delivered items that was paid for
I decided to go online and order a few items from Cybermoon.com- well maybe more than a few items almost $200 worth on March 23rd, was told my order would ship out that week and they took my money, I had ordered a kit and they said: "As soon as the boxes come in, we will ship kits. We are...

CyberMoon.com (complaint)
Posted: 2007-03-21 by Francine Conti [send email]
No product delivered!
I placed an order with CyberMoon.com on 2-1-07. I have called 2 XS and never received a call back and emailed them 4'XS with one email generating that their computers were down on 3-9-07. Still to this date no product delivered. I have asked them to credit my card back and cancel my order......

CyberMoon.com (complaint)
Posted: 2008-02-23 by Christina [send email]
ordered and paid online product never delivered
My mother placed an order with Cybermoon. com in Aug 2007 and never recieved the product, I ordered in Nov 2007 not knowing and still have not recieved any product either. Both her and I have left repeated emails and voicemails with no response to date. The entire websit is just a fraud, Both...

Beware and please don't shop here!
Stephanie

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 11 replies

Celtic Myth Podshow

2008-05-29T22:16:48Z

Hi all,

I apologise if advertising here causes offence but I am hoping that
the subject of this podcast will be of sufficient interest to the
subscribers to this list to warrant inclusion.

I produce the Celtic Myth Podshow (http://celticmythpodshow.com) which
is a free MP3 download and aims to tell the stories of Celtic
mythology to its listeners. We have started with the Irish
Mythological Cycle and aim to cover all of the Six Nations in the
series. The by-line of the show is "Bringing the Tales and Stories of
the Ancient Celts to your Fireside" which is the atmosphere we would
like to create. The old legends were recounted orally and only written
down in later years, so by hearing them told we are getting a step
closer to their original presentation and hopefull, meaning. That's
the theory anyway :) Our website also includes Maps of Ireland
with the places mentioned in the stories marked. Many of these places are
still exist and are spiritual centres to many people
You can find these maps in the resources section of the website.

You can find us on itunes or download/listen to the episodes on the website

I hope this is of interest to some

Thank you

Ruth

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 0 replies

SunFest 08

2008-05-15T00:54:44Z

June 19-22
SUNFEST—THROUGH THE AGES WITH THE NORSE: presented by Other Worlds of Wonder. This festival will be held near Lincoln City Oregon on the Selitz River. Come join us in celebration of the Summer Solstice. Event includes: A Solstice Ritual, Drumming, Dancing, Bon Fires, Workshops, Family Activities, and Merchants Village. We will be camping where it feels as though the Mother is holding you in her hands. Adults $60, less for children based on age. Please visit www.owow.org for further information and registration. This event helps to raise funds to purchase Pagan Land. OWOW is a 501c3 non-profit organization.

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 0 replies

A good joke...

2008-05-02T14:57:49Z

A Pagan dies and, to his great surprise, he finds himself standing before some pearly gates.

The Pagan asks, "Where am I?"

Peter says, "You're at the gates of heaven."

The Pagan says, "But I don't believe in heaven."

Peter frowns at him. "You're one of those Pagans, aren't you?"

"Yes. I believe I'm in the wrong place; I'm supposed to go to Summerland."

Peter says, "Sorry. We took over Summerland, and it's temporarily closed for remodeling."

"What should I do now?"

Peter says, "Well, since we don't allow Pagans in heaven, you have to go to hell. Sorry. Just follow that path that leads downward and to the left."

The Pagan walks down to hell, where the gates are standing open. He walks in and finds beautiful meadows, happy animals, and clear streams of water.

He walks on in and begins exploring, and after a few minutes a courtly gentleman walks up to him and bows politely. "Hello, I'm Satan. You must be the guy that St. Peter phoned me about. Are you a Pagan?"

"Yes, I am. What's going to happen now?"

Satan says, "Well, the fishing's pretty good, if you enjoy that sort of thing. There's a little refreshment stand down the road. And I believe the Pagan meeting grounds are right over the next hill."

Suddenly, a hole opens up in the sky above, and a yawning chasm opens directly underneath it. The stench of sulphur fills the air. Hundreds of screaming, tortured souls drop down into the flaming pit, which immediately closes up with a thud.

The Pagan, hardly believing what he just saw, asks Satan, "And what was THAT ???"

Satan rolls his eyes. "Oh, just ignore them. They're Christians; they wouldn't have it any other way."

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 7 replies

Beltane

2008-05-02T14:57:13Z

Beltane this year falls on a Thur. Most folks will be doing their rituals on the week-in. My suggestion is that you do some form of Ritual on the given day. At some point during the day pause, hold sacred space and do ritual. You can do this solo, in small groups or large gatherings. This is a Fire and new beginnings Ritual. In the ancient days this was a day of sexual joining and fertility. Does not matter how you do your Ritual, what matters is that you do it.
Blessings
Simon

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 10 replies

Cora Anderson Passes

2008-05-01T19:18:10Z

From:The Wild Hunt Blog http://www.wildhunt.org/blog.html

"Cora Anderson, a co-founder with Victor Anderson of what is now known of as the Feri Tradition, passed on this morning at the age of 93. Cora Anderson was known as a Grand Master of the Feri Faith, a prolific writer, and was a key influence in the lives of several prominent Pagans and Witches...

Her body will lie in state for 3 days, the Feri community asks that mourners and well-wishers burn a candle during this transition time for her. My blessings go out the Feri community and Cora's spirit. May she be reunited with Victor and be embraced by her gods."

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 0 replies

New Tribe. Followers of the Celtic Way

2008-04-27T05:34:45Z

Hello. I have just joined tribenet and have started a new tribe for like minded people who wish to share knowledge and experiences in a fun way. i hope you look at it and feel the urge to join. Since I only just started I hope you will be patient, I plan to make it informative and useful. I look forward to seeing you at Followers of the Celtic Way.

Blessings, Michy

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 0 replies

Help Needed

2008-04-26T23:23:38Z

I Recently bought My mother a Gardina and would like to capture the flower fragrence for an anoiting oil. but Every time I try and simmer the flowers and the oils together the smell of the oil overpowers the smell of the gardina. Any suggestions? (p.s. I'm going to cross post this)

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 6 replies

SF BAY AREA: Magickal Weekend - Beltane Alchemy April 26-27th

2008-04-25T07:42:23Z

BELTANE ALCHEMY

Date: April 26 and 27, 2008.
Location: Isis Oasis, Geyserville CA. (1 hour and 15 minutes North of S.F, directly off the 101 fwy.)

A Benefit for Burningman Temple Pantheogenesis at Entheon Village

and natural habitat development for the animals at Isis Oasis

For elaborate event information and to pre-register through Paypal, please go to, www.isisoasis.org/beltane2008/index.htm

This venue has a limited capacity and tickets are selling fast!

Greetings Friends and Family,

Many of us are arriving at Isis Oasis now, setting the space for the amazing weekend ahead. Xochi Luv is in the Lodge creating a Lovers Den and Healing Sanctuary, Harmony is transforming the Pavilion into a place fit for Faeries, and the 600 year old fir tree is waiting to hold space for our council. A fine rain fell yesterday, cleansing the earth and bringing the smells of sage and lavender alive. It is supposed to be 80 degrees tomorrow. The sun is shining and the weather is sweet. And don't you know it is makin' us want to move our dancin' feet!

The Goddess Alchemy Project, Tina Malia, Arjun and Guardians, the Tone of Orchid and Jonah Kai, Lee Giove, and Aire Redtree are on their way to bring through musical Soul from above and Below. Knowa Knowone, Heyoka, Adam Apollo, Sachi Om, and Lotus Drops will be pumping shamanic beats all night long. And that good fella' Robin Goodfelllow is ready to weave it all together with his mastery of rhyme.

The Hot Tub is on, the pool has been heated, the sun teas are brewing next to the Sprouts. All that is left to make this scene complete is you!

We have a May Day ceremony on Saturday that will awaken the alchemy of your inner male and female…Egyptian Mysteries will be transmitted on Sunday with the Awakening of the Djed Pillar. Sherry Huggi-ma will initiate those who desire into the Art of Tantric Kissing. Brad Ashley Vandenburg will lead us in a transformational breathwork journey.

We will make magick, celebrate, sweat, soak, laugh, create healing, and dream our planet into wholeness throughout the night to greet the new day at Sunrise. Fresh, alive, vital and Holy!

Come Join us for the weekend. The Camping is good. Registration on Saturday will begin at 10 am. Sliding scale donation $75-$175 which includes Beltane Rituals, Banquet feast*, Camping, All night entertainment, Workshops, and Sunday Brunch*. For event inquiries please email veleda@templeofallgods.org. This venue has a limited capacity and tickets are selling fast! Please reserve your space early to join us in this sacred celebration! Payal presale tickets & updated event information available at: www.isisoasis.org/beltane2008/index.htm

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 0 replies

Giants

2008-04-25T02:10:37Z

Giants

This is one of my best dream travels and I would like to share it with you:

I was standing somewhere and was looking at the ground. It moved.
When I looked closer I saw that the ground was covered with small people. They were running around being very busy. Some in long rows, some in big crowds running franticly from one place to another.
Some looked up and were waving that I should come down. So I put a huge amount of energy in making me smaller. So that I would fit in. Cause they were all so small and I was the only big one.
It made me feel lonely being up there.

I finally managed to make me small. The people around me started to push me so that I would walk the same way they were going. But I didn't want to start walking yet because I had no idea where to go and what they were doing. Besides that it took me enormous amounts energy to stay small.
I could feel the people around me started to get annoyed that I wanted answers and didn't want to do what they were doing. I felt alone again.
At that point I decided that if I had to be alone, at least let me then stand up again.
So I changed back. That felt much better.
The people down there shrugged their shoulders and started to move again.
What to do now?

Instead of looking down I now lifted up my head and looked straight ahead. And then sideways.
I was pleasantly surprised to see another giant in the far distance. And another on the other side. They had to be miles away. The moment I looked at them, they looked back at me. They waved hello. And they looked so friendly, wise and at peace. They were calmly helping out the small people below them. I knew there had to be more giants even further away. There was a moment of recognition. The feeling of family. Of ancient friends.
At that moment I realized i was one of them. And that I wasn't alone at all. Even if they were far away and only few, it was all right.

-Aradia

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 0 replies

Non-physical alters?

2008-04-23T20:03:28Z

has anyone ever tried to create a sacred alter space with only energy and intention? where you able to keep the sacred'-ness of the place without objects or aragment of the materials you foud there? even if you left and then came back? Do you think that the sacredness of this place could be felt by others, or is it only meaningfull to those whose have taken part in the energy work there?
it's an intersting concept to me, what do you think?

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 7 replies

Pagan Homeschoolers?

2008-04-20T03:43:56Z

I was just wondering if anyone out there is homeschooling their kids? Or was homeschooled themselves? From a pagan point of veiw how was it? What resorces are out there for pagan parents? If you are homeschooling, why? And any and everything else you want to talk about it...
Sarah

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 7 replies

The Balance

2008-04-17T22:47:22Z

To All My Relations

I know that with all of the people in this tribe, there are many different paths people are traveling. Especially in this age where "Pagan" can mean a multitude of varying systems of thought and belief. Thankfully, at the least, this means that I'll get a good variety of answers to this issue.

I feel many Pagans have lost the balance between God and Goddess. Modern Pagans, and wiccans in particular, seem very Goddess oriented. Not that God isn't also revered, but I have seen a lot of people focused on Godedess Worship.

Basically, the God and Goddess is our symbol of all that is Divine. The dual nature of Divinity being Masculine and Feminine. The Yin and the Yang. All of the aspects we know of -- Love, Compassion, Strength, Prosperity, Truth, Justice, etc. -- They are all in nature more closeley related to either masculinity or femininity. Understanding that helps us to understand ourselves and see that we too have the same duality as humans. We all have these aspects within us, whether they're strong or weak. We all have both feminine and mascilne nature about us. And no matter how much we can understand this, I still see that a lot of people are not maintaining the balance between God and Goddess.

Is it because of the focus that modern, monotheistic cultures have placed on God? Is this because God has been shoved down our throats in the form of guilt? Are people just sick of the modern interpretations of God? Where has the balance gone? Why are people so centered on Goddess worship and leaving God behind? How do YOU worship God and Goddess? Is this balance important?

Blessings

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 34 replies

SF Bay Area BM FUNdrasier: Beltane Alchemy April 26th-27th

2008-04-16T18:05:45Z

Hi Everyone;

Sacred Spaces and Entheon Village are collaborating on making a beautiful Temple Complex this year at Burning Man. We're having a fundraiser in late April and would love to see as many freaky fun peeps as we can gather under the stars present. :)

Luv n' Rockets;

-Veleda

************ ********* ********* ********* ********* *
Beltane Alchemy
11am Saturday April 26th - 2pm Sunday April 27th
************ ********* ********* ********* *********

Isis Oasis - www.isisoasis. org
Geyserville, CA (1 hour north of SF)

For more info and schedule: http://www.temple08 .com/fundraising .html
Join us for this once in a lifetime Sacred Event at Isis Oasis!
Dancing around the Maypole, we activate our Springtime inner Lover and
honor the blossoming of life as we unite the Present with the Ancient,
the Masculine with the Feminine, together, in Sacred Alchemy.
The Maypole ritual will be followed with participatory comedy, a
bardic fire circle, musical performances, and shamanic DJ's creating
soundscapes for our dancing and art throughout the night. Rise and
shine with the Sun for: yoga with Niema Lightseed, brunch, a rockin'
reverent circle of gratitude, and more!

Suggested Donation: sliding scale $75-$175 with some work-trade and
vendor positions available. Donations include: camping/dorm space,
playshops, prayer-formance, rituals, spa, Beltane Feast and Sunday brunch.

All donations go directly to the Pantheogenesis Sacred Temple in
Entheon Village at Burningman in August and to the Mythic Playground
at Isis Oasis.

In addition to Kim Hix's Mythic Playground, Isis Oasis is the amazing
home of the Healing Zone & Love Den, a 500 year old fir tree, ocelots,
white peacocks, temples, a hot tub, a sauna, and a pool.

Please R.S.V.P. by Tuesday April 22nd so we may have a proper
headcount for creation of the Feast. Only 108 tickets are available
for this event, so secure your magickal space via Paypal soon.

There is limited indoor lodging available Goddess Rooms: $75 (ideal
for the Romantic Couple or the person wanting a private room)
If a Goddess room is desired please contact Robin Sol at (702)
575-8441 to make room reservations prior to the event.

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 0 replies

Discussion with three Elders

2008-04-16T17:47:52Z

Here is a great discussion between three Elders of three traditions.

Emma Restall Orr, formerly one of the Joint Chief Druids of the British Druid Order.

Kate West, a Wiccan High Priest of the Hearth of Hecate.

Richard Thomas, an Anglican priest.

It is a most interesting and surprisely civil discussion considering that one is a Christian. There is a wacko who comes in later talking about how he been dooped by satan. But then they had to throw some drama in there somewhere. lol

Enjoy!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/realmedia/beyond_belief/beyond_0311.ram

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 2 replies

Naked

2008-04-16T17:43:56Z

The process of defining is also the process of creating limits. When I say "I know" I am really announcing that I do not know. When it is announced that "this is the way", the way has already become obscured.

Give me an experience of you who you are, of your genuine being-ness and I will be present with you for hours and perhaps a lifetime.

Talk to me about what you believe, and after about 10 minutes I will have better things to do.

Talk to me about your accomplishments from the past, and I will not be moved.

Share with me an idea and your willingness to make it real, in a way that we can accomplish together, and I will stand by your side, so intimately, that the sweat of our combined efforts will hit the ground as a single drop With devotion, I will pray that our journey together never ends.

Tell me how to be, and I promise, I will be, not that.

Allow me to be naked in your presence, and I will be with you forever.

If I open myself to you fully, how will you respond?

Naked,

Rainbow

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 1 reply

Public Service Warning

2008-04-16T02:45:59Z

This man has gone on a Witch Hunt war path against Wiccans and has mainly attack our young Pagans. He started on YouTube and has moved his war from there to MySpace & Stickam & I have been told he has gone into other online communities and done the same thing. This man claims to be a Satanist and some of my Satanist friends thinks the guy is a quack so I don't want Satanist here on Pagan Village to think I'm attacking them. I just want to make people aware of this man. Some of you are aware of Bluefirewitch and her informant videos on YouTube on Wicca. She started a chatroom on Stickam called Pagan Planet and many of the young Pagans have come there cause they loved her non-judgemental videos. This man wants power and saw Bluefirewitch as a threat to his trolling the young and went on a campaign of attacking her and others of the Wiccan faith. These kids are after all kids and they respond back to him in typical rebellious teen fashion which doesn't really help. What bothers me is he is joining more & more online Pagan community and bringing his war with him. I wanted to warn you all before he finds his way to Tribe.net. Below is his YouTube account.

Rev. Jack Winters
http://www.youtube.com/lucindio666

You can find Bluefirewitch's videos at:
http://www.youtube.com/bluefirewitch

Please show this sister your support and be wary of Reverend Jack once he finds his way to Tribe.net. Thank You!

/|\Gypsy/|\

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 1 reply

Beltaine In the Grove Deadline to Register April 10, 2008

2008-04-03T06:36:16Z

Merry Meet! Time is running out, but there is still space available to register for Beltaine In The Grove! Registration closes on April 10, 2008. If you have checked out our website, www.beltaineinthegrove.org thanks for your interest! If not, check out what we have going on for Beltaine. The festival is on private property in the Columbia River Gorge area- about 2 hours east of Portland (OR). We will be camping, having workshops that include Practical Magic Correspondences, Astrology, Archery, Belly Dancing and more. There will be a Maypole with Dancing and choosing a new May Queen along with a fantastic Main Fire and Tantric Temple too!
FYI If you have registered as a USER at our site and plan to join us, be sure you REGISTER for this year’s festival as well- alas it is a two step process- but will be streamlined next year. Any questions, please let me know. I can be emailed directly at Seanachai@beltaineinthegrove.org.
Merry Part,
Seanachai of The Oak Cauldron

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 0 replies

Manhood and the masculine divine

2008-04-03T05:09:26Z

Thoughts?
What are some good masculine deities? and what makes them good and why?
which MAle God best represents, ( to you) all the best qualities of Manhood?Why? and what are HIs qualities that make Him this way?

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 5 replies

Raymond Buckland YouTube Interview

2008-04-03T04:39:07Z

Interesting thing about this interview is Raymond (the Father of American Wicca) talks about how he believes Fluff Bunny New Agey witches are diluting Wicca in a very very bad way. Old Wicca had some rules. New Agers have tossed those rules out so they can do whatever they feel like and call it Wicca. Raymond saids say it all you want its not Wicca.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w1Cuo0kngQ

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 6 replies

How do you balance faith and reason?

2008-04-02T01:08:16Z

One thing I have noticed about most Pagan folks is that they tend to have a pretty rational mind and usually will challenge common cultural perceptions and assumptions though reason and logic. But at the same time our "spiritual paths" tend to seem very irrational, especially to other non-Pagans.

I personally have frustrated many people by being a fierce defender of evolution for example, and yet my spiritual beliefs seem almost fairy-tale like and very "unscientific" .

Have any of you run into this? If so how do you deal with the seemingly contradictory idealisms?

posted in The Pagan Village Tribe - 3 replies