Being a mother is perhaps the single most life altering, spiritually powerful thing I’ve ever done. Women often write about how intense and life-changing are the self-sacrifice, the long hours, the intense demands, and the beauty of the love that children bring. Those things are all real. For parents, male and female and every other stripe, parenting is crash course in intense love and compassion and heartbreak. These are good things. For me, being a mother is all of those... Read more
On my way to the grocery store I pass two churches. The first is a Lutheran church, an open and affirming one. I visited it last year, and while I thought highly of it, I couldn’t sit through an entire service. These days I barely notice the large brick building with its stained glass and preschool playground. Until it hosts the farmers’ market in its parking lot. Then I am there weekly, even if I bypass its front doors and... Read more
I love this one. Spring is in full swing here in Olympia. New colors from fresh blooms appear each morning. The sun’s heat is gaining in intensity, despite the bitter the breezes. The lilacs are blooming, although I can’t smell them because my sinuses are blocked up. That makes me sad, since lilac is my favorite scent. The birds are raucous in the twilight periods twice a day. Everything is a cacophony of scent, sound, texture and color. But I’ve... Read more
The older I get the more I see the wisdom in this maxim. Listen to everyone. Don’t just smile and nod, but listen. As some one who is a very quick learner, I spent countless hours itching to get started on assignments or tests, having read the instructions myself, but forced to wait while the teacher spent 15 minutes on directions and trouble shooting tips for the rest of the class. That attitude has carried over into other aspects of... Read more
The ever provocative Sam Webster posted about sacrifice this week at his biweekly blog on Patheos. Many people seemed off put at the idea of animal sacrifice, but Mr Webster spoke about the many different kinds of offerings and sacrifices that can be made. I think sacrifice is important – especially for modern Western people. What is sacrifice? It is a giving of something precious, something that ‘feeds’ the gods or spirits, but I also view it as a gift.... Read more
What a complex site of confusion is the body. As spiritual persons we have a host of understandings about it to unpack. As a female in the Western world there are even more complications and understandings to unpack. I’m not going to get too theoretical about either of these points, but instead, as this blog is designed to do, I will talk about my own experience and understanding of the body. Many religious traditions proclaim that the body is a... Read more
Be impartial. Impartial means unbiased, fair, treating all equally, and remaining dispassionate. This is most definitely something I could stand to work on! Of course, some ways are better than others. Some arguments are more ‘correct’ than others. Some actions and decisions more virtuous than others. But in judging others, in drawing conclusions, being impartial is the best course of action. Impartial means unbiased, fair, treating all equally, and remaining dispassionate. This is most definitely something I could stand to work... Read more
Last night my husband and I went on a date. An actual dinner without children. We talked. We sipped drinks. Halfway through my sidecar I realized I was fired up, giddy about my subject matter, and rambling. That’s how I feel when I’m full of desire. It’s a stream of passion, enthusiasm, happiness, intensity, and a feeling of losing track of time. Desire is on my mind. Yes, the sexual kind, too. Spring will do that to a person. I... Read more
This Maxim requires a lot of defining. I looked up the definition of ‘shun,’ and I’m glad I did. In my head it means ‘reject,’ and it does. But it also means to avoid or ignore. Of greater importance is the definition of evil. I’ve avoided talking about evil on my blog. I’ve thought several times about writing a post on what I consider evil, but I’ve chosen not to every time. I guess I can’t avoid it any longer!... Read more
I’ve been writing a lot more frequently about Traditional Witchcraft stuff, but what’s been happening with my Hindu practices, you might be wondering? I haven’t forgotten or forsaken it. I’ve returned to a practice that I gained much from during my Hindu quarter at the start of this blog: I devote one day a week each to Shiva and Kali. Mondays are traditionally devoted to Shiva. Tuesdays are Kali’s day. On these days I refrain from eating beef. While many... Read more
A Witch's Ashram
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