Showing posts with label pagan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pagan. Show all posts

22 December 2011

The Sun - Winter Solstice


It isn't the first thing that comes to mind on a cloudy cold cookie-baking kind of December day, but the Sun has every association with the winter solstice. SOLstice. Without the sun, there wouldn't be one.

Solstice, technically, is when the sun stops or holds still....that what solstice is. Because of the tilt of the Earth as it goes around the sun, sunrise and sunset seem to drift north and south on the horizon. At the beginning of Summer and Winter, this 'drift' pauses ... is at solstice...before starting to go the other way. We are taking a pause before the sun comes north again. From here to June, the days get longer again...the sun grows.

Pagan Yule celebrates the birth of the Sun-god at the solstice. I've seen pictures of lebkuchen (spice cookie, "life cookie") molds with sun motifs.  More sun for today.

One legend is that the Christ legend was assigned to this time of year as a way to c0-op the pagan traditions and make conversions. I don't know enough about comparative religion and anthropology to go there, but no matter what middle-eastern town they appear over, stars are suns, the sun is a star....so we're all one big happy galaxy,yes? But that still gives a sun-association to the holiday season.

The Sun is a great card for today. It is about hope and positivity and light and security and all the things we associate with this time of year.

May the sun warm your Solstice day, no matter what your weather may be.

20 April 2011

Can tarot tell if my spell worked?

Q.. Can Tarot tell if a spell I cast on someone worked?

A. No.

Some might think so, but even if it can, I won't.

Here is why I think no...in fact I find the whole thing a bad idea.

I know from our previous conversation that you did the spell without his permission. Like I said then, it is wrong to do tarot readings (or spells or Reiki or any other subtle energy work) behind someone's back and without their permission. True, it is possible to proceed WITH CAUTION AND RESPECT if...and ONLY if....you have an intuitive or etheric sense of that person gives you implicit permission. But given that you said ********** has explicitly asked you in the past not to interfere with him and his new girlfriend, I get the feeling the permission is not there...for either of us. So no, a tarot reading is totally the wrong thing to do in this situation.

Even though your intention is one of "cleansing" and healing, there is a strong element of judgementalism and control in what you are doing.

Also don't forget that spiritual law: what you send to the universe comes back to you threefold. If you try and force YOUR choice, YOUR vision, YOUR idea of what should be onto **********then you open yourself up to having others try to force their choices and vision on you at least magically...you are opening yourself to learn respect for other people's divine life plans in a very difficult way.

Since you are new to the Pagan path, I urge you to find a good, kind teacher to help you with future spellwork. Un-doing a spell is like un-ringing a bell. Like any religion, paganism has ethics and beliefs to be learned and respected if you are to be part of that religion.

And, also, don't forget the Wiccan Rede and the part about do no harm.

How do you know that their being together...as dysfunctional as it seems to you, and as concerned as you may be for your friend...how do you know that their being together isn't helping her? By interfering with him, then wouldn't it be possible for you to harm her? Or what if he, before incarnating in this lifetime, chose to have this experience in order to learn specific spiritual things for himself...in that case, by doing this spell, aren't you harming his spiritual learning?

Perhaps the REAL lessons to be learned here are respect for other people's choices, learning the difference between other's needs and our desires, learning respect for the boundaries of magick, respecting the magical path, respecting your own growth and learning...

BUT and this is important...non-interference doesn't mean ignoring something dangerous or letting them harm themselves. Since you said before that ***************are involved with this, I STRONGLY urge you to get professional advice about what is the best way to help without being c0-dependent or enabling. Learn the right way to help, learn how not to make things worse, and learn how to compassionately walk the pagan path before tossing around spells willy nilly...

Start with the internet, but face to face professional help and real life, experienced, compassionate spiritual guidance is most needed here.

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com