FREE YOUR MIND!

I have written this for those of my friends and family and anyone else who does not know exactly what a Pagan is, or who may have grown up with some misconceptions about who or what we are.

Pagans and the rest of the world aren't all that different.

We do not eat children!

We do not fly on broom sticks (although it would save us a fortune on fuel prices!)

We do not worship a devil nor do we believe or acknowledge a Satan (that is a Christian ideology).

Catholics light a candle and pray. So do Pagans. Catholics also have celebratory feasts on marked religious days. So do Pagans. We have 4 main Sabbats and we celebrate the full moon cycle, which we call Esbats. It is at these times that we celebrate the marked change of the seasons, the cycle of life and death (which we call The Wheel of the Year) and "Pray" for the things we wish to have enter our lives, we honour those who have passed on before us, and those with whom we know going through struggle.

Some Christians dance and sing at church during prayer. So do Pagans!

We enjoy a vast richness of artwork that denotes our history through the ages.

We make beautiful crafts. Create beautiful music, and we enjoy and learn from the diversity and practices of other cultures and pantheons.

Pagans honour the sun that breathes energy into all living things, and the rain that nourishes them. We acknowledge the gentle summer breeze, and use the natural resources around us to heal feed ourselves and our families. Many of today's religions and their rituals came from Paganism.

The five-star encircled Pentacle means as much to us as your crucifix does to Christian believers.  It has always been counted as very protective.

In medieval times a Pentacle was used as a protection against demons, and it is worn, visualized or placed around the house by modern-day Wiccans to protect. It is a portrayal of the 4 magickal elements under Spirit:

EARTH: (lower left hand corner) represents stability and physical endurance.

FIRE: (lower right hand corner) represents courage and daring.

WATER: (upper left hand corner) represents emotions and intuition.

AIR: (upper right hand corner) represents intelligence and the arts.

SPIRIT: (at the topmost point) represents the ONE and the Divine.

This, while encircled, is a magickal "diagram" of the Universe; the circle symbolizes completeness, or the All, and the 5 points are the components of this. All are equal and in balance. "As above, so below"- as with the universe so with people. The whole person, made up (ideally) of all components in balance. You can see it makes the shape of a person, reinforcing the idea of both this balance inside ourselves AND the Law "as above so below";

Magick to us is what miracles are to others. Christians pray to a God, who was once a living man on earth. Pagans pray to a Goddess, who many of you also call "Mother Nature"

Christians offer fellowship. So do Pagans, and not only to those who have the same religious practices and beliefs as we have. We believe that "God" has no religion and that we are ALL children of the Universe.  We also believe that we should treat others with the utmost love, kindness and compassion.

So please, before making any negative connotations about Witches, and before passing judgement, know what a witch is first, and know the person second before you judge.

We are not always pot-smoking hippies who light candles and dance naked under the light of the full moon (although some of us may be!). We are Nurses, we are midwives, we are lawyers, teachers, doctors, musicians, archeologists, law enforcement officers, military personnel, bankers, estate and insurance agents, we are someone's brother or sister, someone's child or parent. Someone's best friend!

Most of my friends know what I am and that I have always been, and just quietly sweep my posts or comments under the rug.

Thank you for your acceptance.

Thank you for not trying to stuff your beliefs down my throat.

Thank you for not following the flock that says "You're going to Hell".... after all it is MY salvation, and I have found it in my own spiritual path, just as you have with yours.

Thank you for taking the time to read this in order to understand what Pagans really are. And thank you for loving me even though I do not attend your Mass, pray your Prayers or Obey your God. Spirituality is universal, and the Universe knows what each of us hold in our hearts

(Based on an original article first published by Krystal Garcia – with thanks.)

If this post has raised any questions please drop me an email to cauldronfm@mail.com

So now as we come to the end of this post it is time for me to take my leave of you but not before I say that if you have liked this and the other posts on this blog, please click the link to “follow us” 

We have both a page and a group on Facebook and they are

CauldronFM

CauldronFM – the sound of magick

We have been adding the Cauldron FM radio broadcasts onto our podcast site.  To listen please follow the link

https://anchor.fm/cauldron-fm---the-sound-of-magick

So now I will wish you the best things that life can give and say

Love, Light and Blessed Be!

Merlin.

Image reproduced courtesy of
Delphine Bowden

Blessed Be!

Turning Your Workspace Wytchy

Turning Your Workspace Wytchy

©2018 wytchwynd photography

Merrie Meet

This post is primarily aimed at the new wytch, but it can apply equally well to experienced practitioners of The Craft.

Here we will be looking at a few steps you can take to allow your practice to flow into other areas of your life so that you don’t have to leave your Magick behind you if you move into a different area of your home or need to go to a different location for work.

The reality is that your Magick should be with you wherever you go because your magickal practice is an extension of who you are.  It is a living thing, you create it with your dreams, hopes and intentions as you interact with the Universe and the spaces you occupy.

If you can create spells at your altar for financial abundance or a new partner, then why should that magick be left on the altar when it could be as effective in the space where you are working?

There are many ways that you can allow your magick to be wherever you are working or what your job happens to be!

All that it takes is intention and a few small changes and you can bring magick to your work, irrespective of whatever you do for a living.

I use magick in my workspace because it helps me be happy especially when things get stressful because I can use my magick to help me become more grounded and centred plus it helps me keep smiling.  As I grow, my magick often helps me perform at a higher level than usual which has to be a good thing.

So now let us consider some ways that a workspace can be turned into something of a wytch’s retreat.

a)     try to pick a spot where there is as much natural light as possible

b)     try to include as many of the magickal elements as you can – earth air water fire and spirit

c)      decide on the intention that you want to bring to the space – because your intention should determine which items you use.

Think about what you want to improve in your work environment such as:-

Increased responsibility

More positive relationships

Career improvements

From your list select one or two items and check in with yourself once or twice a month to see how things are improving.    You can always adjust and change these as you feel. 

Remember that you are always in a state of growth and flux so everything should grow and change around you.

Always be mindful of the fact that some of your colleagues might be a little unsettled by magickal items in the work place but there are things that you can comfortably used everyday without drawing attention to yourself

You can bring crystals into your work space without causing anyone concern, they can sit on your desk, they are good to look at and very easy to integrate into your workaday life.

If you don’t feel comfortable having crystals on your desk, you could wear such things as Crystal Pendants, bracelets earrings and even key chains

Pot Pourri can be useful if you want to bring herbs into your workspace, or you could change to drinking herbal teas in the office.  If you are not in an office setting you could carry herbs around in a small cloth bag or even a sachet – if your car is your workspace your magickal herbs can be great air fresheners

If you want to use essential oils then an inexpensive diffuser is a great tool but if a diffuser is not practical simply dab a few drops of your essential oil (diluted in a carrier oil) on your inner wrists.

Finally we all find that sometimes things at work can turn a bit negative, so using the following tools will help bring things back into balance

Pot plants – keep the air and the energy clean

Meditation cushion – this can be used at times during the day or for a gratitude practice

Herbal Pot Pourri – you can use sage for its extra cleansing powers

Thieves Oil – in your diffuser will help clear negativity quickly

An Amethyst crystal – to help combat negativity

A water fountain – improves air quality by adding negative ions to the air plus the sound of trickling water helps with stress and anxiety.

So in conclusion these ideas will give you a starting point to help you bring your Magick into the workspace, however it may be best to begin slowly and remember it is up to you to determine how you bring your Magick into the workplace so that it is aligned with your own personal needs.

If this post has raised any questions please drop me an email to cauldronfm@mail.com

So now as we come to the end of this post it is time for me to take my leave of you but not before I say that if you have liked this and the other posts on this blog, please click the link to “follow us” 

We have both a page and a group on Facebook and they are

CauldronFM

CauldronFM – the sound of magick

We have been adding the Cauldron FM radio broadcasts onto our podcast site.  To listen please follow the link

https://anchor.fm/cauldron-fm---the-sound-of-magick

So now I will wish you the best things that life can give and say

Love, Light and Blessed Be!

Merlin.

Image reproduced courtesy of
Delphine Bowden