This week has been full of nothing but wake-up calls. It figures that this would happen around Midsummer – the time when the earth is fully awake and totally alive. Aside from these clear signs to pay attention, Spirit is also giving me a big push, energetically speaking, to move forward – onward and upward, shifting and changing – GO!
Speaking of Midsummer – we here in the Midwest were treated to a different version of the solstice then usual. Generally, it’s a hot sunny day; great for really feeling the fire of the sun, the power of the Sun God. Today, however, was rainy in the morning and stormy in the evening – a different sort of power, but power nonetheless. Washing away any stubborn bits of the past season (of the earth and your life, of course) and leaving a ready field for new growth.
May 1st 2011 – Today it was announced to the world that Osama Bin Laden was killed by a US special operations team in a 40 minute firefight. Here’s the break down of how I felt:
10:00 pm – First got wind of the news from various updates on Facebook. I was pretty skeptical until I turned on the news to hear George Stephanopoulos talking to various commentators. My first reaction to that was a strange sense of relief – let’s face it, for a lot of us, this man was the face of evil. I think I summed up this feeling well in my Osama-is-dead-facebook-update: “It’s like someone killed the boogie-man.”
I quickly went from weirdly relieved to feeling totally surreal as I waited for Obama to make his statement. Listening to his statement I really latched on to the message he was trying to send about unity and peace. The destruction of this powerful symbol is something that will allow for deeper healing to finally occur.
11:00 pm – I was then watching footage of the crowd outside the White House – flying flags, singing, cheering. A part of me felt joy watching my fellow citizens come together – unite – in celebration. And another part of me felt a bit horrified at the celebration of someone’s death.
Soon after, a friend on Twitter made this statement: “I apologize for the fact that this country, this world, resorts to murder as a form of justice.” And as much as I know I felt relief but an hour before, I realized that she was partly right. Everyone is talking about how this is justice. As the strange i-can’t-believe-this-actually-happened feeling passed, I felt that I would much rather have seen Osama captured alive and put on trial. Is it possible that this was the purpose of this operation? Sure, but I doubt it was.
12:00 am – People began to frighten me, talking about how they wish they could have been there to spit in his face and hope he burns in hell, calling this a happy ending. I was disgusted. It’s one thing to be grateful that a terrorist is no longer able to terrorize but it is another entirely to relish in his death and wish such pain on another human being.
Now I realize I sound a bit hypocritical, but hear me out. I believe that Osama Bin Laden was a “bad” person, willing to kill innocent people. But I also believe that all life is sacred, even if that life has been given to a “bad” person. But what really breaks my heart is that many of these remarks relishing his death came from my fellow Wiccans.
1:00 am – I began to write this, trying to sort out how I feel and how I ended up feeling that way. Another Twitter friend put it well: “Call me a hippie. Perhaps it’s what I am. But I cannot celebrate the death of any man.” I can, however, celebrate the destruction of a symbol, the promotion of unity, and the promise of healing.
I’ve talked about “perfect trust” before on this blog, but I’d forgotten that I had made a video a while before that on the topic of trust.
In this video I also talk a little bit about how “perfect love” is important to understanding “perfect trust” which I still think is true. Something I didn’t mention in the last post but did in the video is the issue of being trustworthy and to me that mean not lying or being dishonest to others in my life. This is another way in which I try to live in perfect trust, I trust myself to be honest and I trust others to be honest with me in turn.
Seeing as we are nearing Imbolc, it’s only fitting to talk about the Maiden Goddess. At this time of year, the Goddess has given birth (at Yule) and now renews herself, preparing for the coming Spring. The Maiden is the bud of creation, she is raw potential ready to create or to destroy. She is youth, energy, and possibility. She is often a virgin goddess in many mythologies – do in part to her innocence, but also her fierce independence. The Maiden is strong, charismatic and likes to provide for herself. Being virgin, however, does not mean that she rejects her sexuality. Instead she is comfortable in her sexuality; understanding it as an important part of herself.
Some examples of Goddesses usually categorized as Maiden are: Pandora, Arachne, Kore, Tana, Flora, Athena, Brigid, Gaia, Blodeuwedd, Ostara, and Persephone (though I don’t really put her here).
As we draw nearer to Imbolc, I’m sure I’ll have more to share about the Maiden.
Something I like to do every year before Imbolc (or Candlemas) is to physically clean and bless my candle holders. The physical cleaning is a little different for each – depending on the material/shape/size. I personally don’t cast a circle or anything like that for the physical cleaning, though you certainly could.
My "Goddess Area" seen through some of the candle holders being blessed.
I like to do the ritual blessing as near to the full moon before Imbolc as possible. Here what I do: I gather all my candle holders and a bright smelling oil like lemon or peppermint. Then, I cast the circle as usual and take a few moments to soak up the feeling. I trace a pentacle in oil on each candle holder, while saying something along the lines of “I purify thee, and sanctify thee, in the name of the reborn God and the renewed Goddess“. When I have finished with all, I close the circle put the candle holders away until I need them – also, I wipe the oil off if it might ruin or react with the material.
Generally speaking, I do this separately from my Esbat ritual – but certainly could do it as a part of a larger ritual.
At this time of year the Full Wolf Moon urges us to reconnect with our primal perceptions and understandings. This is the dead of winter – at time where instincts and understanding meant life or death to our ancestors. This is a time to honor our instincts and our primal selves. The chill of winter does not yet ease, so you must remain vigilant.
While I’m thinking about the Green Man/Horned God. I thought I share what is perhaps my favorite song dedicated to the God. “Hymn to Herne” by S.J. Tucker – her voice is perfect for this!
And for your reading pleasure, the lyrics:
You can say your prayers
Work your rites
Burn your little candles
Day and night
You can shimmy till dawn
To the pounding drums
But you best be ready
When the Horned One comes, yeah
If you wake to the sound
Of a hunting horn
dance a ring
In the gathering storm
If the Solstice time gets
Your panties in a wad
It’s just the coming
Of the Horned God
He will call you out
Make you sweat
Give you a blessing
That you’ll never forget
So revel in the chase
And let your heartbeat run
Blessed are the children
Of the Horned One
Blessed are the children
Of the Horned One
Hunter who tracks
Outside of time
Guardian lord
Of ancient rhyme
Brother stag
In the musky glen
And consort of the Goddess
In her woodland den
We call you forth
As we make our way
Walking in your power
Every day
Guide us true
In our hunt this night
and maybe even later
In the Great Rite
He will call you out
Make you sweat
Give you a blessing
That you’ll never forget
So revel in the chase
And let your heartbeat run
Blessed are the children
Of the Horned One
Blessed are the children
Of the Horned One
If you wake to the sound
Of a hunting horn
Dance a ring in
The gathering storm
Revel in the chase
And let your heartbeat run
But you’d best be ready
Little one
You’d best be ready
When the Horned One comes
He will call you out
Make you sweat,
give you a blessing
That you’ll never forget
So revel in the chase
And let your heartbeat run
Blessed are the children
Of the Horned One
Herne, horned one, leaper in the corn Deep in the Mother, die and be reborn
I recently received this Green Man pendant - I wear it all the time now
In my ongoing endeavorers to connect to the male aspects of Divinity, I’ve become very attached to the idea of the Green Man. To me, he is the spirit of wildness, rebirth, and rediscovery of the self. He is the forests and the vines; the provider and the very thing provided; the heart of Nature. I connect him very closely with the Horned God figure and understand them as two sides of the same coin, and often use the names interchangeably.
Both the Horned God and and Green Man are powerful symbols of sacrifice and rebirth. They are symbolic of the very food that we eat and which nourishes us. The Green Man speaks to our wildness – something our culture has managed to suppress in most people. We are not encouraged to seek our wildness; we are told it is evil, harmful, and savage. The Green Man actually offers our society a softer version of masculinity. The Green Man does not seek to dominate or control – he is free to be himself while allowing others to do the same.
I’m sure as time goes on, I’ll write more about my particular views on sex and gender later – but now isn’t the time. I just wanted to share a little of my understanding of the Green Man.
“In perfect love and perfect trust” is written in the Rede, but what is perfect trust exactly? Is it unquestioning, unwavering, or undeniable? It is toward humanity, Spirit, or self?
I believe being in “perfect trust” is all about always trusting Spirit to do what is right or best. We cannot know all the ways of the universe – and If we can, we certainly do not right now. I live in perfect trust by always trusting the universe to do what must be done, even if I don’t know the reasoning behind it.
Is this trust “unquestioning”? To an extent yes, but not inherently. I often question why things happen the way they do, or why I should trust the universe at all. I always come to the same conclusion – the universe always comes through for me when I need it, not necessarily when I want it. And that’s okay, because the universe doesn’t actually revolve around me.
I trust the universe always – this is one way I live in perfect trust. I always try to extend that trust to the rest of humanity. It isn’t easy in this world, but I try. I don’t distrust people based on inconsequential things (race, gender, religion, orientation, and the like). I distrust people who prove to be untrustworthy. If people are acting “shady” I don’t ignore it nor do I judge them solely on that. I just keep it in mind.
Rose Gypsie 