Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Temperance - Finding the Right Combination



by Fuzzypeg/Wikimedia Commons
While navigating the landscape of the less desirable within the Major Arcana of the Tarot, The Fool has encountered a challenge requiring Strength, has been hung out to dry as the Hanged Man, and has recently undergone the transformation of Death. Now a light beckons. A peaceful landscape, a serene pool and a divine winged figure present what will perhaps be a relief after all. The Temperance card promises calm, tranquility and balance. It promises these things, but does not automatically grant them. With Temperance, we must conquer the challenge of patience and prudence. This is no easy task in a modern era in which most would rather be scraped from head to toe with straight razors than have to wait for delayed gratification. The Temperance card reminds us of the need to cultivate patience. The right combination will be found, success will be had, and accomplishments will be achieved. Just not right now.

Death brings a transformation and sometimes painful losses. Temperance brings a challenge to the soul as well - that of a gradual emergence into relief. The Fool would love to tear through the kitchen throwing ingredients into a skillet to whip together an impromptu stir fry which just might be tasty. Zest for life and enthusiasm pulling the reigns, caution and reason nowhere to be found. Temperance on the other hand, carefully hand picks the finest quality foods, carefully combining one at a time into a slow cooker, allowing the aroma to waft through the air. Dinner will be served - eventually. Luckily we know that with Temperance, our reward will be worth the wait. Now as for the whole waiting thing….

Temperance challenges us to delay spontaneous reactions. We must re-examine our motives, and strive for balance. If we are used to acting in complete control and flying solo, we are now faced with the need to share, to admit that we have not perfected every skill and to find the blend of talents, resources, strengths and capabilities to bring about a more ideal combination. Esoterically speaking it is a card of Alchemy, purification through combining the right increments of the right elements. This requires a knowledge that spans beyond the comfort zone and allows for gradual exposure to ideas or skills that may be foreign or new. Compromise, combination, pulling creative forces together, this is the nature of Temperance. There is no dash to the finish line here.

This card suggests processes involved that contribute to a whole. Assembly, separate skills brought together for a common good, specialization and cooperation and harmony and contribution as part of a team rather than for individual gains. When this card appears it is a reminder that as good as you are at your trade or niche, it is by combining talents with others of equal skill in complimenting areas that completion is found. You may be required to exercise patience while working as a team or coordinating or collaborating on a project over which you do not have complete control. It is a card of acceptance, surrendering, cooperation and moderation of efforts. It is also a card of creative energy, bringing the best of your abilities to the fore, combined with the best resources in your surroundings, including other people, and bringing together various facets to find completion, refinement and achievement. Just as the Magician earlier in this process granted the lesson of wielding one’s thoughts to manifest in reality, Temperance raises this lesson an octave. It is not just the refinement of one’s thoughts and restraint of one’s reactions that cultivates success, but the discipline of one’s own mind and collaboration of skills with others to serve a common good.

Article by: Angela Kaufman.  Angela is a Priestess for the Dragon Warriors of Isis Coven in Upstate, New York, and the co-author of Wicca: What's the Real Deal?  She is a professional tarot reader.  For more information about Wicca: What's the Real Deal? visit http://www.wwtrd.webs.com.
 

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Three Pagan Pride Days in September



By Dayna Winters Original posted on Examiner.com

New York-based pagans looking to express their pride in their pagan identity can attend one or more of the three Pagan Pride Day celebrations scheduled in September 2012, including events in Rochester, Liverpool, and New York City slated on Sept. 8, 15, and 29. All of the events’ hosting organizations will be accepting donations from event visitors that will be used to benefit specific charities or causes. Pagan Pride Day is a yearly celebration hosted by different pagan-oriented groups and organizations around the world. The mission of the hosting organizations is to spread a message of religious tolerance and to educate others about pagan religions, traditions, and practices.  Read more

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Samhain Gifts the Witch in Your Life Will Appreciate


It must be said that there are as many types of modern Witches as there are types of modern people. Perhaps birthday gifts for your loved one are easy to figure out. After all, you know them first as a person, and then as a Wiccan. What better way to surprise your loved one by coming up with a gift for those other special occasions? Even better, imagine the look of joy and surprise when your loved one receives a card, gift, and “Happy Sabbat” greeting? The smiles of course will be followed by gasps of “How did you know what Sabbat it is?!”

This easy guide will help you to stay in tune with the special times of celebration for the Witch in your life as well as typical gifts that correspond to these celebrations. Bear in mind that there are many traditions in the Wiccan faith and some traditions may use alternate names etc. The gesture of acknowledging the special days for your loved one will likely exceed any unintended mistake such as a card saying “Happy Lammas” instead of “Happy Lughnasadh” but when in doubt, ask your loved one or one within the Wiccan community for clarification.

Samhain - Celebrate the New Year early - that is early for you, and right on time for the Witch you love. October 31st marks the entry into the darker half of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. This is no secret to you, you know the days are shortening and the air is cooler. What you may not realize is that to your Wiccan loved one this is a tremendously special day. It is not only one of the few days that it is socially acceptable to be “Witchy” in full force, but it is also a time where the veil between the living world and afterworld dissipates. This makes it a special time to commune with ancestors, perform divination, and  honor the deceased. Special gifts for this Sabbat include anything that could honor and recognize the life and legacy of those who have passed.

Some creative ideas are Photo or other memorials, scrapbooks, even an electronic slideshow setting photographs of the ancestors and deceased loved ones to appropriate music. A family heirloom or relic of another time is another special gift for this time of year as it reconnects the Witch to his or her past and heritage.

Then there is the fun through horror angle. Some Witches enjoy entertainment found in ghost stories and this can be a great time to set the mood for the Sabbat by having a marathon ghost story night with special themed dinner. Perhaps Ghoulish Goulash! Playing up the excitement and even romantic reminiscence of other times presented in ghost stories with a special meal prepared in a traditional style (maybe even a family’s traditional recipe) can also set the tone and connect the events of the night to the heritage and ancestors, and provide another link from past to present. Be sure to consider what types of ghostly entertainment your loved one favors. There are some forms of horror or ghost stories that some Witches find offensive. If unsure, stick with ghost stories based on real events, or even historical or legendary tales that conjure up a connection to the past and the dead.

Divination is traditionally associated with this Sabbat as well. After all, the veil between the realms is gone, intuitive sight is clearer, and hey, its New Year, who wouldn’t want a glimpse of what is to come? If your loved one has a soft spot for one type of divinatory method, a gift related to that would be perfect this time of year. A new deck of Tarot cards for example, or a beautiful decorative box in which to keep the tried and true deck they have used for years. A new set of runes can be easily made for little money from scrap wood chips or purchased inexpensively. Don’t forget that just like hairdressers seldom cut their own hair, sometimes Witches enjoy a real treat of having someone else divine for them, and Samhain makes a great Sabbat for giving the gift of a date to take your loved one to a local reputable psychic reader for a truly meaningful experience.

Since this is one of the few times that black taper candles are easily found, a heartfelt and economical treat can be a surprise of black taper candles as well as incenses and other ritual supplies that any Witch can never have enough of! Also consider a handmade greeting card expressing a sincere “Happy Samhain”. The best gift ever, is the joy of knowing someone cares enough to remember to say “Happy Samhain!”

Article by: Angela Kaufman.  Angela is a Priestess for the Dragon Warriors of Isis Coven in Upstate, New York, and the co-author of Wicca: What's the Real Deal?  She is a professional tarot reader.  For more information about Wicca: What's the Real Deal? visit http://www.wwtrd.webs.com.