The past few weeks have been wintery indeed. Yes it is March, but there is still plenty of snow in my yard, and there's more snow in the forecast. It was not until yesterday that a sudden warm snap began to hint at the Spring that is due to arrive any time now. So while many of my friends have been chattering at me about tree buds, or cherry blossoms, or legions of daffodils suddenly popping up in a sunny patch of their yards, it all sounds like a fable to me, and I didn't quite believe any of it.
A Rocky Mountain Spring takes its own sweet damn time anyway, and March and April are our snowiest months traditionally. So as weary as one gets to be of Winter by now, we are also grateful for the cold and the snow, for a deeper snow pack, for flowers that bloom in concert with arrival of the birds and insects that feed on them. All of us have noticed the rhythms and cycles of the seasons where we live, and no doubt all of us have noticed changes in recent years. I certainly have-drier, colder Winters that end abruptly, hot smoky Summers. So I am perfectly content for the Winter to go on as long as it needs to. I have lots of work to do in the garden before planting can start. I have plenty to do in my house and office, clearing and cleaning before the new projects of the year can truly begin. I may grumble about having to shift yet another five inches of new fallen snow, or having to run errands in 20 degrees of icy fog, but given the alarming specter of permanent climate change, a real Winter, with a real Winter's bite, is somewhat reassuring.
But I heard something yesterday morning that caught me off guard, something I haven't heard since the Fall-woodpeckers. I looked outside and saw cedar waxwings-a pair!--digging into a dead cottonwood trunk for bugs. The Sun was still below the treeline, and it was bitterly cold, but birds were stubbornly twittering in the privet, in the bare apple trees. The air smelled faintly of pollen and mud, the gutters were noisy with running water. In the distance I saw the faintest hint of green haze-the Green Fire of photosynthesis-at play in all the tree branches and in the shrubs. Things felt different than the morning before. It was one step closer to Spring.
Although the Wheel is constantly turning, and the spin of the seasonal cycle is constantly in motion, sometimes we are not able to see these patterns in our own lives and in our magickal work. Sometimes these changes require more of us than simply going with the flow:sometimes they demand that we be actively engaged in the transformations of our planet and ourselves. I was not fully ready to trust that Spring was coming until I noticed my houseplants. One Persian violet and one pineapple plant, both of them very unhealthy looking when I brought them inside last Fall, have subsisted in the darkish corners of my living room all Winter. To say I treat my houseplants with benign neglect is pretty kind, so imagine my surprise when I discovered that the violet was covered in just-opening pink blooms, was blooming like it hadn't done in years really, through no effort on my part. And the pineapple, which I was sure was dead or close to it, was sprouting again, had sent up a vibrant green healthy shoot among very desiccated old leaves. They have been in a dark corners in a heated house, so there is no way the changes happening outside could possibly be effecting them, and still, they are responding to some deep and mysterious rhythm whose timing is directing this new growth. I watered them both and moved them into stronger light and could aalmost hear them sighing "ahh!" as I did. I knew that Spring was really coming.
How do we respond to the growing light and vitality of the awakening Earth? How do our minds and bodies stretch and move? The receding snow, the warming temps, and all the imminent vitality returning to the land calls us out of our homes, out of our own shadowy, internal places, and into the light. What do we find when we venture out? Our work? Our loves? Our play and pleasures and passions? Do we encounter what we are ready to commit to? Do we find the strength and vision n ourselves to move up to the next set of lessons, the next pressing set of concerns that demand our love and labor? I'm not exactly sure yet, what the waxing year might be calling me to do. I have hints and ideas, I have the dedications I made at Imbolc. This is not entirely clear, but the rising energetic tide is undeniable, and allied with it, we can step into our power, into gnosis, and into a deeper intimacy with Source.
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Host get older on every occasion we take to court about the day's politics we handle of them in the furthermost non-religious tone. Then again organize are some exceptions, it is not the athletic side of furthermost Pagans to mix religion and politics. While, on every occasion looking at our history, it is determined to draw the line with religion and politics in furthermost of our ancient religions. Flat surface untouchable to the straight is the fact that we include affirmed values that sometimes combat what dealings our governments capture.
All of this started to come to custody on every occasion reading an OpEd by Starhawk in the Washington Be alert upright "Witches Abominate Agony". She states that Witches are so repulsed by torment the same as of the divine brand of living beings that is so expensive in Wicca, and how torment devalues that deity, any in the aim and the torturer themselves. She goes on to reveal the on a regular basis mentioned Mighty Times, and while its history is suspicious, makes a straight of how the identify witch is on a regular basis parallel with victims of torment and execution even in our modern world.
In ADF Druidry, one of the nine virtues that one is supposed to cooperation and personify is that of accuracy. In the role of one realizes that accuracy shares the vastly heart as the word "amalgamate", it becomes colorful that the identify refers to an alignment of virtues and dealings. How after that can we propel for material placement and become wavering on decisions such as torment perpetrated by our own government? If you handle the answer is as simple as that, suit once more get better our history, which is on a regular basis a wet one. Host of the Pagan cultures of Europe include at one time or dissimilar obliging the blood of humans to the Gods of load nations. Host get older the aim was a prisoner of war themselves. Blood sacrifices were so group, albeit animal far untouchable methodically than material, that the ancient identify "sully", which refers to give up, is the vastly word that gives us our English provision "blessing" and "blood" any.
I, for one, and individually presently, confer on say that I handle some of the practices of our lineage are best not here with them. I handle that some of the principles and traditions that they immersed can immobile be dear, and even skilled, defective sacrificing our modern ones. While, organize are load questions in this argue, and I handle it best that way. At the same time as I harmonize that religion must not run politics, I handle it would do our community well to pile on issues lavish this later in a while.
Starhawk's string on the query can be found going on for.
The landlord of a 20 story apartment complex finds a crack on the 15th floor. He calls an architect to come survey the property, in hopes of fixing the damage. The architect arrives and goes about his work. After some time passes, the landlord goes to look for the architect on the 15th floor, but does not find him there. At the end of an extensive search, the architect is found in the basement. A bit upset, the landlord demands to know what the architect is doing. The architect simply smiles and points out that the crack now visible on the 15th floor is caused by damage done all the way down here - at the foundation.
This same logic holds true for the human being, as well. When many cracks appear on the surface, there's almost always a deep crack that was formed at the very core of our structure. As with the building, it's necessary to fix the crack at the core - the foundation - before the others can be addressed. If not taken care of, the entire structure can - and will - collapse! Since those cracks are in the basement, in the deep, dark parts of ourselves, how can we identify them? That process is not easy, and it wasn't something I was able to do by myself.
Cathy and I were fortunate enough to be invited to a seminar on Restoring the Foundations. Restoring OUR Foundations. In this seminar, we were shown how cracks can develop because of events that have happened in our lives. Those events may even appear insignificant at the time! The program is broken into four parts: Generational Sins and Curses, Ungodly Beliefs, Soul and Spirit Hurts, and Demonic Oppression. Each of the four parts has significance and all must be addressed in order to patch up the cracks, starting from the inside out!
Generational Sins are not too difficult to understand. There are sins that parents, grandparents, and even ancestors further down the line can commit. These tendencies can pass to the next generation, making it easier for a son or daughter to commit those same sins. There are also instances in the Bible where curses can result from generational sins. These curses will also carry down the line until they are revealed and broken. It is necessary to ask forgiveness for these sins, renounce them, and break the curse they have on your life!
Ungodly beliefs are just that - beliefs that aren't from the Lord! They are beliefs that perhaps someone pressed upon you, saying "You're not good enough" or something to that effect. These beliefs could also originate from the devil as he whispers negative thoughts into your ear. He certainly doesn't want you to believe the truths God is telling you! Finally, these are beliefs that could come from yourself. Things you have made up about yourself that are contrary to what the Word has to say about you. It takes time to identify these ungodly beliefs, but once you do, be sure to rebuke it and replace it with a new godly belief (one from Scripture) that will encourage you!
Soul and Spirit Hurts get a little more complex. I am sure all of us have an event or events in our lives that have had a very powerful effect on who we are today. Some of those events are good, and others can be quite bad. The bad events result in burdens that we choose to carry from that moment on. After all, what else can we do with them? Jesus asks us to give all of our burdens to Him so we don't have to carry them anymore! Finding the source of these burdens can be difficult, though. In order to discover them, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to show us where those painful memories reside, so we can cast them upon Jesus. Ahh, it's such a liberating feeling!
Finally, and just as equally important, is dealing with Demonic Oppression. Many of us don't fully understand the power demons can have over us, if we let them. They come in many shapes and sizes, from greed to murder to laziness to anger to feelings of rejection. They each have one purpose, and that's to make us feel a certain way. This is all the devil and his minions can do to stop us, but it can be very crippling if we don't take care of it! Thankfully, by the blood of Jesus we have power over all demons - even the devil himself! We can tell them what they can and can't do, and we can certainly tell them to leave us alone! It's important to call the demons by name and ask them to get out of our heads! If anger consumes you, ask the demon of Anger to leave you in the Name of Jesus! If it's lust, do the same thing! Just remember to ask the Lord Jesus to fill those voids with His peace and joy.
I had a chance to run through this process about a week ago. It feels a little bit like a therapy session, but in all honesty it's a ministry. It can be very difficult and painful at times, but we collect "junk" inside us that we need to let the Lord deal with. How often do we take half a day and really let the Lord come in and clean all that stuff out? It took a big push from God to get me to go to this seminar in the first place and realize that it was something I needed to do. I am very glad I did. There were a lot of things that the Lord revealed to me that I had never addressed, and many things that I had just left to collect dust. We are the Lord's temple, and He wants to use every ounce of that space for His good! There's no room for junk that gets left around. Cathy wrote a blog about an experience she had, read about it here. Even if you don't have access to a really neat program like this one, spend some time with the Spirit, and listen very carefully for God to speak to you. Let the cleaning begin! (After all, there is no end - it's one of those things you need to keep doing all your life!)
