http://www.witchvox.com RSS Feed - WitchVox - Past 14 days Cornaryn http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usnc&c=words&id=10983 July 17th. 2006 The elemental cross is a little-used (or little-referenced) symbol in popular Pagan literature. One usually finds the pentacle in use—for devotion, quarter-calls, altar equipage, magic, and decoration—at the cost of any other symbol. Thus it was with surprise that I first heard the idea that the elemental cross might fulfill a sacred purpose in Pagan practice. In Essential Wicca, authors Paul Tuitéan and Estelle Daniels suggest the elemental cross might replace the invoking and banishing ... Animá Center & Women's Sanctuary http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usnm&c=words&id=10978 July 15th. 2006 Imagine if you will, turning out the lamp and lighting the candles next to a heated tub, opening our nostrils a little wider at the scent of grapefruit and orange, a bouquet of lavender billowing out of blooming steam. Or picture, perhaps, an antique clawfoot like ours– perched outdoors overlooking the river, fire-lit beneath an impossibly star-filled sky. On a nearby rock lies a small cobalt bowl of creamy truffles to be savored, once submerged in the mind altering suds. The aroma of almond and ... Aradia Owlshadow http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usky&c=words&id=10979 July 16th. 2006 Before I tell you my sacred symbol or why it’s important to me, you must know me. I am a chubby, rather short red-head who happens to live in rural Kentucky. The decision to make my faith known to those who I care about (and who care about me) was not one to be taken lightly. I have been practicing through theory for five years, and four years in earnest. In Kentucky, where anything out of the ordinary is likely to be called ‘Devil-worship’. This includes but is not limited to: wearing black, we ... Petitabruixa http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=esxx&c=words&id=10816 May 19th. 2006 El uso de las hierbas se remonta a la Antigüedad. En la Prehistoria, los hombres las utilizaban para aderezar la carne de los animales que cazaban y, a su vez, para ritos simbólicos; en bebidas, como amuletos y como ofrenda a los dioses.Sabemos que cada hierba tiene una vibración especial a nivel energético que la hace diferente a cualquier otra. Los árboles, arbustos, plantas aromáticas y las flores pueden usarse como material para rituales mágicos. Y en la Wicca se pueden utilizar tant ... Alayne Roane http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=ukgb2&c=words&id=10996 July 22nd. 2006 Last night, I woke to the most incredible thunder. The sky roiled with clouds I couldn’t see in the half-darkness of four in the morning twilight. With a roar equal to that of a continent of tigers, like a building falling, the storm spat out hot spokes of lightning that I saw flash and strike in full glory with my own eyes, and the damp hothouse smell of the night crept into the room where I sat at the window. Have you ever noticed that smell when it begins to rain? It reminds me of visiting th ... Paul N. http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usny&c=words&id=10951 July 3rd. 2006 Throughout my life I have been a little luckier than most. I grew up on a farm. Nothing special by any stretch of the imagination, but it was nice, with some ducks and chickens, four or five cows, and some pigs. My parents were still together at that point and we had 50 acres of land. Some of it pasture for the cows, but the large majority of it was and still is woods.Some of the fondest memories in my life have taken place in those woods, in hours and hours of walking that land. In hind ... MaidenMoonDancer http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usny&c=words&id=11003 July 23rd. 2006 We are all aware that in this age in society, there is always a right way to do something and a wrong way; or so we’ve been told. As a Pagan community immersed in the Blessings all around us, I would hardly think that many of us would agree with this statement. Yet after years of dwelling within a culture so absorbed in superficial beauty and weight loss, many find it hard to love and accept themselves for who they are. Witches and Pagans, on the other hand, are mentally strong and we strive to ... EmilysGhost http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usil&c=words&id=11008 July 26th. 2006 My sacred symbol is the Moon. The Moon shines brightly in Her natural state at night and offers me comfort and guidance and is the One with whom I can talk about anything. The pentacles I wear remind me of her power. In the pentacle's design, I see an amalgam of the moon and the star brought together. The five points of the star represent the human and the interconnectedness in design of the human body and its connection with the concentric cyclic influence of the moon. These physical symbols I ... Peg Aloi http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usma&c=media&id=11130 September 3rd. 2006 Well, of the many cinematic moments I have eagerly awaited in the past decade of reviewing as the resident Media Coordinator here at Witchvox, I have to say this is probably the most anticipated one of all. I am sad to report, it is also one of the most bitterly disappointing. Thinking back ... Janval Phagan http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=ukgb2&c=passages&id=11120 August 31st. 2006 Glenn Oakwood Highly respected Magister, and Scartanore Clan Father died suddenly at lunchtime, whilst at work, of what is suspected to have been a heart attack. His 'civic' funeral and cremation service was 19/05/2006. He had been asked what his life times' greatest achievements were, and it is to his great credit that he did not mention his many years in various and important roles and professions, rather that he had been happily married for 37 years, and that his child ... Brown Recluse http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usnc&c=words&id=11087 August 20th. 2006 Recently the Vox has seen several articles encouraging Wiccan and Pagan groups to be sure they appreciate the presence of men, a point of view which comes up often enough to be noteworthy. The basic premise of such stances—that no one group should get to oppress any other in Paganism or Wicca, and that men are as important as women—is one with which, I hope, no reasonable person could quarrel. While the gender oppression it describes isn’t something I’ve seen myself, obviously there are big theo ... RainCat http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usma&c=words&id=11073 August 16th. 2006 I'm trying to teach myself how to listen.All books on Wicca probably include a section on meditation. This is because Wicca needs meditation. We will, at some point in our religious life, need to banish everyday life and take a moment to refresh ourselves, whether for magical purposes or not.I'm learning to meditate outside while doing my best to ignore Carbon Leaf songs from playing in my head, to stop smacking every mosquito that lands on me, and to just listen. To sit still en ... Rain Bird http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=uswa&c=words&id=10923 June 22nd. 2006 Gordias was the mythical king of Phrygia. The story goes that he kept a chariot in his palace. The chariot pole was attached to the car by a knot so complicated that it could not be untied. Whoever untied the knot would rule Asia. Now the history and the myth of this tale have woven themselves together, over time, until no one is really sure if the tale is anecdotal or not. Greek writers claim that Alexander the Great, upon seeing the tangled mass, drew his sword and hacked the pole and chariot ... Libby http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=ukgb6&c=teen&id=10869 June 8th. 2006 There are a lot of articles out there on being in the broom closet and lots about being out and accepting who you are. But what I haven’t seen is any on being actually physically banned from Paganism, the situation that I’m in now.My mother and I have a somewhat tumultuous relationship. We’re very different people; she’s practical and insanely neat, I’m messy, scatterbrained and imaginative. It results in a lot of arguments. Then there are trust issues. She doesn’t trust me since she cau ... Sunny Dawn http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usca&c=words&id=10915 June 20th. 2006 There's something that really concerns me about the state of our cutting-edge religion today. It isn't whether or not to pay our clergy, or worry that W's legions will legislate our religious rights away or persecute us for being Pagan. These are real issues to pay attention to, but they don't have the sort of immediate impact on every Pagan man and woman that our internal gender-based conflict is beginning to cause. As our religion matures, many Pagan men feel more and more like minori ... Emrys http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usmn&c=words&id=10926 June 23rd. 2006 “Are we really that scary?” one of the elders of the Wiccan group asked me. “Has the media done such a good job at making us monsters that no one will come?”My answer to both questions was soft and pained, one word: “Yes.” My heart felt like it would break.Wicca has received its fair share of prejudice and bigotry over the last fifty-plus years. Misinformation, both intentional and accidental, has labeled us as Satanists, baby killers, brain washers. I was once called an “abomina ... Frostig http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=iqxx&c=military&id=10954 July 4th. 2006 I sit here on the fourth of July, after endless hours of guard duty in 110-115 degree heat, reading of patriotism, of support, and I do feel the support here. It is amazing--the support of the Pagan Community for its soldiers. We are blessed, and grateful for it, too. Here I am, on twenty-four hour duty, in Baghdad, Iraq. Yes, I’m a soldier, and I’m proud to be Pagan. I am the current Distinctive Faith Group Leader (DFGL) for the Victory Base Open Circle (VBOC) (it is a bad habit in the ... Lady Raokhsha http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usnj&c=earth&id=10960 July 6th. 2006 by Xanna Vinsonauthor of The Song of an Emerald DoveRecently the Pagan community has been discussing, both briefly and at length, individual impressions of forthcoming global upheavals and monumental changes. Some have dismissed such impressions, while others are taking them quite seriously.Frequently, more so perhaps than ever before, daily news articles and sound bites tell us of catastrophes — tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanoes, forest fires, mining disasters, g ... Lord Salem http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usnh&c=words&id=10881 June 10th. 2006 My life has ranged far and wide. But there never seemed to be meaning to it, until I turned thirteen. I had lived in Concord, NH for a good few years and my heart was happy there. But my mother had become addicted to a strong drug. Once she had been discovered by the police, my life changed. I was a simple child, only eleven at the time, and I didn’t know what was happening. My mother was at a “friend’s house” and my brother and I were staying with my father. For two weeks this went on, ... Sandra http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=ukgb2&c=words&id=10912 June 20th. 2006 In brujaria (Spanish witchcraft) we do not really work protection magic, at least not in the way that I hear most from English-speakers. This is for various reasons, but one is that we do not believe in psychic walls, spiritual barriers, or whatever you want to call them. We don’t believe in a wall between the natural world and ourselves. Brujos (Witches) believe that all ‘energy’ (from people and unnatural places, as opposed to ‘power’ which comes from nature) must be faced. What we do ... Strahbary http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=ustx&c=words&id=10934 June 26th. 2006 When someone says ‘Witch’, the usual image that is conjured up is that of the stereotypical Halloween witch with warts and a knack for scaring children. Type ‘Witch’ in a search engine and you get pictures of either ugly hags or beautiful fantasy scantily clad Witches. Two opposite ends of the spectrum. What about the in between? What about the average, everyday girl next door?I don’t think of myself as over the top; look at me, I’m a Witch! No, I just go about my business blending in wi ... Shadow Nymph http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=ukgb2&c=words&id=10925 June 23rd. 2006 Merry Meet! Here is the story of how I finally found something worth living for: Wicca.Picture it. A normal 12 year old, with plenty of good friends, an enemy or two, a loving family, pets, a reasonably great lifestyle. Sounds pretty good, huh? I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether this particular 12 year old's life improves or not.Okay, this particular 12 year old was me. I’ve only recently turned thirteen, so this is my first essay for Witchvox! Anyway back to what I was ta ... aedan tremaine http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=ussc&c=words&id=10940 June 27th. 2006 People sometimes ask me what I believe. That’s a rather difficult thing to explain, but I’ll give it a shot. But first I’ll have to draw on a little bit of science.Certain aspects of Quantum Theory would seem to indicate that the observer influences reality. This is explained in Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. I won’t get into a lengthy discussion on the principle. Let’s just say that, in general terms, the choices you make create reality for you. It works this way, according ... Roninwolf http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usny&c=words&id=10946 June 29th. 2006 I have thought a great deal recently on the nature of dark and light and have come to the conclusion that they are both embedded in politics. For each person and each group, there is a choice to be made whether or not to follow one's feelings. Once that choice is made, it is the responsibility of that person or group to see the choice to fruition, whatever the result. But the position we take can only be measured in relation to the paths we do not follow; to this extent, and from this perspectiv ... Nobby http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=ukgb2&c=words&id=10949 July 2nd. 2006 A thought occurred to me while I was writing my Summer Solstice ritual. I was trying to write a song to honour the God, and kept coming up against an obstacle I could not move: me. The problem I was having was I didn’t know what the God meant to me, as a person or as a woman.I was disadvantaged from the beginning, as I am a woman. I understood the Goddess, felt close to her, could see her role in my life. I felt in tune with her and felt I could honour her properly, but how to ho ... Magisel http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usmi&c=words&id=10868 June 8th. 2006 I, being a Pagan, believe in multiple gods/goddesses; however, I have quite a different view about this than, say, a Wiccan might have. Then there’s the difference between Paganism and Christianity, or any other monotheistic religions. And then we have the atheists, who do not believe in gods or goddesses at all. I have often considered why these differences in beliefs might be, as well as why nearly every member of every religion is so vehement about their views. If a Wiccan talks to a ... Crystal Crone http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=ukgb2&c=passages&id=11100 August 25th. 2006 My beautiful daughter Roxanne passed this life in hospital in Burnley, England, UK after a five year struggle with her health. She had undergone a rountine operation to remove wisdom teeth, when complications of septicaemia and liver failure set in. Against the odds, she fought back and last year underwent the most horrendous chemotherapy in an effort to avoid a liver transplant and looked to be winning her battle. Sadly, she became suddenly very ill on August 5th and passed away with pneumonia ... SamhainDell http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usme&c=passages&id=11096 August 24th. 2006 I would like to announce, from the highest mountain tops if possible, the birth of my first grandchild! A beautiful grand-daughter, with a beautiful Celtic name...Bronwyn Rose Douglass.She came into the world heralded by rain and thunderclaps. As beautiful a Celtic Goddess as was ever beheld. She was a healthy raucous 7lbs 6oz and 19 3/4" tall. She is the pride and joy of Clan SamhainDell! She will be raised in the ways of the Gods/Goddesses and with the Moon shining in most aspects of h ... witchnoctum http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a=usco&c=passages&id=11094 August 23rd. 2006 Welcome back little one!! Born on 1 Aug 2006 at 10:05pm weighing 7 pounds even and 19 1/2 inches long. Born to engaged to be handfasted Eric R. Burns and Jami Dawn Mather (witchnoctum) . Sedona Skye has entered into our lives and has been a wonderful blessing and addition to our family. May the goddess bless her on her discovery of her own path that she will walk after her return trip to live on this earth. To qoute Stevie Nicks, "there is magick all around you if I do say so myself." Thank-you ...