Messages In This Digest (5 Messages)

1.1.: Re: I want to know about Paganism Please. From: khurram shehzad
1.2.: Re: I want to know about Paganism Please. From: Blackbird
1.3.: Re: I want to know about Paganism Please. From: khurram shehzad

2.: Fw: This Week on Dreamland: The Mysterious Power of Threes From: blackbird

3a.: File - TeachMe.html From: Witch_Essentials@yahoogroups.com

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1.1.: Re: I want to know about Paganism Please.

Posted by: "khurram shehzad" khmshd@yahoo.com khmshd

Mon Feb 28, 2011 1:18 pm (PST)

thanks a lot... and one more question ... is there any relation between paganism and witchcraft as i hav heard around...???

--- On Mon, 2/28/11, Blackbird <blackbird_61@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Blackbird <blackbird_61@yahoo.com>
Subject: [Witch_Essentials] Re: I want to know about Paganism Please.
To: Witch_Essentials@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, February 28, 2011, 3:54 AM

If I may suggest...

I still believe Star Hawk's, The Spiral Dance is the best First Book out there. BB.

Still

It's probably not fair leaving you just hanging there, but at the same time because there
is no "Church of Paganism," No Office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
to enforce the official dogma and position of paganism on any Question, there is probably nothing all Pagans agree about.

First off while Paganism is overwhelmingly a Goddess Honoring Path, as many Pagans believe the Gods and Goddess are Jungian Archetypes that only live in our Subconscious, as there are Pagans that believe, as I do, they are real independently existing beings of Wisdom, and Power. So Please take what follows as a personal reply and not a official document.
Paganism

Paganism is a Earth Honoring Religion, whose Central Tenant is the Earth is Alive, it has
a Soul or Spirt, that Spirit has been known by many names, across many cultures; She is
The Native American Great Mother, Isis, Hathor, Gaia, Tiamat, and Momma-KI.

Isis, Artarte, Diana - Hekate, Demeter, Kali - Inanna

She is the Mother of all living things, she is the womb that bore us, and the tomb to which we return; she is a being of Love and Wisdom and Power. We believe there-fore the Earth is Sacred, it is the body of our Mother; it is not a collection of Resources we have been given stewardship of by a untouchable Tran dimensional God.

Pagan's believe that in order to live a full and satisfying life, ones life must conform
to the rhythms of nature and the cycle of the Seasons, that much of the Dis-ease that
plagues modern life is the decoupling of our lives from natures cycles that comes with
and stems from the industrialization of our Society ... We did not evolve to work 24/7,
we did not evolve to live cut off from one an other boxed into tiny individual apartments,
we did not evolve to spend half our lives in sunless cubes.

We are communal animals like wolves and chimps, we really do need a village to raise a child,
we really do need regular congress with our friends and kin, we really do need to feel the
sun on our skins. A Proper Pagan Path (IMHO) must include reconnecting with nature, out in nature,
feeling the Sun, the Rain, the Wind on Ones Skin; Getting to know the Goddess by going out to meet Her.

Paganism is a Gnostic Path ...

We do not believe in Faith; we believe the Goddess is Imminent in Nature, her presence can
be felt and with proper training; Say in a Lineaged Wiccan Coven; a Pagan can come to know her directly. This is a Fundamental and Irreducible difference between Paganism and the Abrahamic Faiths, our path is not about the contents of a Book, supposedly handed down by GOD and guarded by a Priesthood, it is about knowing God/dess for oneself; to ask and be answered through the various disciplines of Trance and Divination Pagans practice.

If you take nothing from this post but this, remember this ...

Paganism is about Accepting the Earth as your Personal Mother,

and Honoring her, As Such.

Ama tu ANKI, BB.
Re: BASIC SKILLS: Visualization & Imaginal Skills

i want to know about paganism... anyone can tell me please?

--- In Witch_Essentials@yahoogroups.com, "Gaia" <Gaia_D@...> wrote:
>
>
> BASIC SKILLS: Visualization & Imaginal Skills - (c) By Gaia
>
> (Please don't reproduce without permission)
>
> Imagination is one of the most important elements of witchcraft-magick.
> A witch imagines -- as vividly as possible, with *ALL* of his/her
> senses, not just visual -- whatever s/he wishes to occur, and infuses it
> with energy-power.

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1.2.: Re: I want to know about Paganism Please.

Posted by: "Blackbird" blackbird_61@yahoo.com blackbird_61

Mon Feb 28, 2011 1:57 pm (PST)

--- In Witch_Essentials@yahoogroups.com, khurram shehzad <khmshd@...>
wrote:

thanks a lot... and one more question ... is there any relation between
paganism and witchcraft as i hav heard around...???

BB re:

Glad you found it helpful, and Thankyou for the oppertunity to restate
something I was perhaps unclear about.

I said Paganism is a Religion, that is not exactly so;

It would be better said, Paganism is spiritual Path;
rather than a Religion per se; that said Wicca, Druidism, Asatru (a
norse reconstruction) are all religions that consider themselves Pagan,
just as Many Neo-Pagans (myself included) do not see themselves as part
of any organized religion at all. So there are Pagan Religions, but one
does not have to embrace a formal Religion to walk a Pagan path.

Now to your Question about Witchcraft.

Early on Wicca and Witchcraft were interchangeable terms indeed the
founding Document of Wicca was entitled Witchcraft today; but Today
Wicca as a religion has it's own Seperate Identity: Wicca is a Religion
founded by Gerald Gardner;

Where as Witchcraft or the Craft of the Wise is as; Old as Human
history; since time immemorial humanity has attempted to gain knowledge
to foresee and influence events through, Ritual, Trance, Focused
Intention, the Use of Sympathetic Magick involving known correspondences
with herb, and Stone, and Star, this craft is found in one form or
another in nearly all cultures.

And while there is no Necessary Relationship between Paganism and
Witchcraft, one does not have to pursue the Craft of the Wise to be a
Pagan; Most Pagans In my experience at least acknowledge the Craft of
the Wise and do not dismiss it as superstition; and nearly all Pagans I
have ever known to a greater or lesser extent incorporate the Craft of
the Wise in their personal Spiritual Path.

As I said before Ours is a Gnostic Path,
and if a Pagan chooses to pursue that direct Gnostic Experience of
Goddess then some form of Divination, or Shamanic Practice, some aspect
of the Craft of the Wise; will have to be part of that pursuit.

I am sorry about my Vagueness here, but I am trying to describe the
contents of a Great Mansion in a few words; Wicca, Druidism, Asatru are
all rooms in that Mansion; and their are others; which room you come to
feel at home in, (if any) and just what it contains will be a very
personal decision that can only be made by you in the end.

Brightest Blessings, BB.

If any Priestess or Priest feels I have been inexact in my description;
please feel free to reply. BB.

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1.3.: Re: I want to know about Paganism Please.

Posted by: "khurram shehzad" khmshd@yahoo.com khmshd

Tue Mar 1, 2011 5:51 am (PST)

thanks alot again.

--- On Tue, 3/1/11, Blackbird <blackbird_61@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Blackbird <blackbird_61@yahoo.com>
Subject: [Witch_Essentials] Re: I want to know about Paganism Please.
To: Witch_Essentials@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, March 1, 2011, 2:55 AM

--- In Witch_Essentials@yahoogroups.com, khurram shehzad <khmshd@...> wrote:

thanks a lot... and one more question ... is there any relation between paganism and witchcraft as i hav heard around...???

BB re:
Glad you found it helpful, and Thankyou for the oppertunity to restate something I was perhaps unclear about.
I said Paganism is a Religion, that is not exactly so;
It would be better said, Paganism is spiritual Path;
rather than a Religion per se; that said Wicca, Druidism, Asatru (a norse reconstruction) are all religions that consider themselves Pagan, just as Many Neo-Pagans (myself included) do not see themselves as part of any organized religion at all. So there are Pagan Religions, but one does not have to embrace a formal Religion to walk a Pagan path.
Now to your Question about Witchcraft.
Early on Wicca and Witchcraft were interchangeable terms indeed the founding Document of Wicca was entitled Witchcraft today; but Today Wicca as a religion has it's own Seperate Identity: Wicca is a Religion founded by Gerald Gardner;
Where as Witchcraft or the Craft of the Wise is as; Old as Human history; since time immemorial humanity has attempted to gain knowledge to foresee and influence events through, Ritual, Trance, Focused Intention, the Use of Sympathetic Magick involving known correspondences with herb, and Stone, and Star, this craft is found in one form or another in nearly all cultures.
And while there is no Necessary Relationship between Paganism and Witchcraft, one does not have to pursue the Craft of the Wise to be a Pagan; Most Pagans In my experience at least acknowledge the Craft of the Wise and do not dismiss it as superstition; and nearly all Pagans I have ever known to a greater or lesser extent incorporate the Craft of the Wise in their personal Spiritual Path.
As I said before Ours is a Gnostic Path,
and if a Pagan chooses to pursue that direct Gnostic Experience of Goddess then some form of Divination, or Shamanic Practice, some aspect of the Craft of the Wise; will have to be part of that pursuit.
I am sorry about my Vagueness here, but I am trying to describe the contents of a Great Mansion in a few words; Wicca, Druidism, Asatru are all rooms in that Mansion; and their are others; which room you come to feel at home in, (if any) and just what it contains will be a very personal decision that can only be made by you in the end.
Brightest Blessings, BB.
If any Priestess or Priest feels I have been inexact in my description; please feel free to reply. BB.

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2.: Fw: This Week on Dreamland: The Mysterious Power of Threes

Posted by: "blackbird" blackbird_61@yahoo.com blackbird_61

Mon Feb 28, 2011 9:19 pm (PST)

This Weeks Dreamland is not to be missed, A wide Ranging conversation between two interesting and intelligent women, I found it just wonderful and will be listening to it again, a few time over the coming week. Highly Recommended. Blessings, BB.

I am the Cup which holds Eternity.
All other Cups
Have their Source in Me.
The Goddess Innana.

--- On Thu, 2/24/11, Whitley Strieber <whitley@strieber.com> wrote:

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This Week on Dreamland: The Mysterious Power of Threes

Millions of people recognize the Holy Trinity, but few understand that the concept behind it is not limited to a single religion or belief system. What if the Trinity were an ancient code, a formula, a secret so simple yet so powerful, it could change the way we look at our relationship with the Creator and with creation? That's just what Marie D. Jones reveals to Anne Strieber and to us in this fascinating interview and in her new book, the Trinity: the Power of Three and the Code of Creation.

As many close encounter witnesses know, the number three plays an important part in the experience, and Anne Strieber uses her enormous knowledge of the close encounter narrative to explore the significance of this with somebody who understands the hidden meaning of three, and why luminaries such as G.I. Gurdjieff and Buckminster Fuller considered the triad of such fundamental importance.

Listen here.

Come to Dreamland Festival IV!

Our first three Dreamland Festivals have been wonderful experiences for everybody involved, and Dreamland Festival IV this June promises to be the best yet!

Our theme this year is 'What is to Come,' which is also the title of Whitley Strieber's first nonfiction book about the visitors in 10 years. 'What is to Come: the Solution to the Communion Enigma' will be published in January of 2012, but Whitley will be discussing it and reading from it FIRST at the conference.

Anne Strieber, Marla Frees, William Henry, Jim Marrs and
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Revelations: The Future of the Secrets

Egypt expert Robert Bauval tells William Henry what is likely to happen to the precious ruins in Egypt, and discusses whether or not Islamist extremists are likely to destroy them if they gain power. And what is the future of Egyptian archaeology? If Zahi Hawass is deposed, will secrets be revealed, or will chaos overtake the archaeological quest to uncover the hidden mysteries of Egypt? The Egyptian revolution is not over. In fact, Egypt is functioning under an interim government appointed by Hosni Mubarak, and is still under emergency law. Political prisoners jailed over the past 30 years have not been released. The hated intelligence service is still powerful.

In all of this, the grandeur of the past remains, only partly revealed. Listen as a world-class expert tells us what is likely to be revealed. Robert Bauval's website is RobertBauval.co.uk.

Out There This Week: Panther in Louisiana?

This week Out There, we bring you a marvelous video of what appears to be a panther strolling across a driveway in Folsom, Louisiana.

Black panthers are rare animals found in parts of South America and Africa, so what was it doing there? Has it escaped from captivity, migrated north, or is this another in the long, long list of phantom cat sightings that are a worldwide phenomenon? The video is graded A. The only possible problem with it is if the angle of the shot distorted the image of an ordinary cat, making it appear larger than it is. But this is unlikely, given that nothing else in the image is distorted.

In our Out There section, you will find links to stories about UFOs and other strange events around the world. Unlike the main Unknowncountry.com news page, these stories have not been edited or analyzed by Unknowncountry staff. They are a wide sampling of what the world press is reporting at any given time about events at the edge of reality.

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Whitley's New Journal: Could 2012 Be For Real?

Whitley writes in his new journal, "We're in the middle of one of the most extraordinary 12 months in the modern history of weather. Right now, a huge solar storm is brewing on the far side of the sun. For the past few years, the number of strong earthquakes has been rising. Due to climate problems, food production is faltering and there is unrest and upheaval in more countries every day."

"So I have been asking myself, is 2012 for real?"

In this issue:
This Week on Dreamland: The Mysterious Power of Threes
Come to Dreamland Festival IV!
Chat This Saturday
Revelations: The Future of the Secrets
Out There This Week: Panther in Louisiana?
Whitley's New Journal: Could 2012 Be For Real?
New For Subscribers: The Power of Threes
Anne's New Diary: Communicating with a Light Switch

New For Subscribers: The Power of Threes

What is the hero's journey and why does it contain three elements? Movies have three acts structured around the hero's journey, but the power of the law of three goes far beyond entertainment and deep into life and the way we live our lives and how it is that some of us are riding life's storm and others are destroyed by it. Marie D. Jones and Anne Strieber go deeper into the inner meaning of three and how to use it in our lives to make the confusion drop away, to be replaced by understanding of the hidden forces that actually rule our world, and how to gain power from this knowledge.

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Anne's New Diary: Communicating with a Light Switch

In Anne's empowering new diary, she writes, "I was lying awake in a hotel room, my mind flowing from one subject to another as we tend to do during times of insomnia, when one of the places it stopped was the fact that, while I know so much about the Visitors from talking with other people, I personally have had almost no experiences of my own. Whitley and I feel that this is due to the "role" of the objective skeptic, which I've elected (or been given?) to play, but it can be frustrating at times--sort of like being in a store full of candy but not able to eat any (a scene like a nightmare than a dream). Many people who have written us describe small balls of light--and suddenly I SAW THEM. There they were, against the far wall, red lights dancing around slightly, just like so many of the descriptions I've read."

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3a.: File - TeachMe.html

Posted by: "Witch_Essentials@yahoogroups.com" Witch_Essentials@yahoogroups.com

Tue Mar 1, 2011 2:05 am (PST)

*** Teach Me Something, ***
Teach me something ....

Post A Favorite poem, or a Verse from that Poem
Tell me how that makes you feel about the Goddess

Post a Link to a Pic of a Favorite Card at Taroteca
<http://taroteca.multiply.com/photos/album/41/Gendrone> tell me
how you feel about that card.

Review a Favorite Book
<http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripb\
ooks&field-keywords=Wicca> that taught you something about
Wicca, the Tarot,
or gave you a spiritual insight

Our Group,
Will only become your group if you choose to participate, whether
to ask a Question, or Offer an Anwser, both are equally valuable
here, so please raise your voice, let yourself be heard.

It's your turn now,
Teach Me Something....

Brightest Blessings All, BB.

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