Dulcimer music (Pagan Inspired Project)

I love the sound of the dulcimer, it helps me to meditate.

I just love her music!

 

Just to let you know

Most of my posts for a while will be pictures and short bursts.  I had rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder this past Monday.  And wouldn't you know it...I'm right-handed, so typing it a major chore for me.  So, being thus informed, I leave you with a bit of summertime from my backyard:

Black-eyed Susans

 

Sad, sad day

I cannot begin to express the feelings.  


Healing thoughts go out to Aurora, CO

 

Presidential religions- Should that really matter?

With all the hoopla of the upcoming presidential election, one thing can be said for certain, we will either have a black man in the White House again, or a Mormon in there.  Both of the men have things I dislike about them, but Mitt Romney seems to be the lesser of two evils for this witch.  While doing some reading, I found an article about how the Mormons feel about Romney potentially being commander-in-chief.  One of the women states something that I have felt for a long time, yet I wonder about her sincerity, 

           "Melanie Mickelson-Graham teaches a 

            gospel doctrine class at a local church, 

           where her husband volunteers as the 

           bishop.  "The tendency of some people

           to not vote for Mitt Romney simply 

           because he's a Mormon does a disservice 

           to themselves, " says Mickelson-Graham, 

           who is 32, a moderate Republican, and 

           an energy consultant."You can't rule 

           somebody out simply because of their 

           religious beliefs."

Now I wonder what she would say if the person campaigning were to identify themselves as a witch, Wiccan, pagan, Satanist, or some other non-mainstream religion.  I am aware that Mormon is not what most would consider a mainstream religion, but is is not one that causes people to think of orgies, sacrificing little children or animals, and black magic.

I, for one, feel that a person's religious beliefs should not be a major consideration for political office.  I do realize that many decisions made by politicians are guided (dictated??) by their beliefs; however, I am of the mind that a politician is there to serve his or her constituency, not a personal agenda.  I know, I know, that is being ridiculously naïve,  but that is the way I feel.

There is also the issue that many point out that there should be a separation of church and state.  If that is so, then why so we have the need to know what church a candidate attends (or does not attend)?  Is someone who goes every Sunday to a building and listens to one man preach the word of god any better than someone who goes into nature on the Sabbats and calls upon the goddess/god?

For my part, I do not care what you do as long as you have the best interest of the nation at heart and base your decisions on sound thinking and counsel from your advisers.

 Reference

Meek, M. &. (2012). Road Trip: Mormon-in-chief? Latter-day Saints talk about what a President Romney would mean to them. Retrieved from Yahoo! News-The Ticket: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/road-trip-mormon-chief-latter-day-saints-talk-112251045.html

Guest blog by The Lycan

Once again, I have a guest blog from the hubby.  Every now and then he gets an idea and decides to write up a blog about it.  Then I put it up on here for all to read.  I hope you enjoy it, he just loves to get comments on his thoughts!

The Misfortunate

        Our nation (The USA) is one of the best in the world.  However, we are one of most hypocritical nations when it comes to our poor, homeless, and sick.  Our government as well as the rest of us is doing very little to nothing to help our poor, homeless, and sick. 

I don’t want to hear, “What are you doing to help the poor, homeless, and sick?” or “How much did you donate to help the poor, homeless, and sick?”  That is irrelevant.  You are helping other nation’s poor, homeless, and sick not our own.  I am not saying that that is useless.  Since those governments can’t help themselves anyway.  I just don’t want to hear about it.  If it is about helping our own, then I would like to hear that.

Every commercial or advertisement that I have seen is to help some others poor, homeless, and sick on the other side of the world.  I have only seen one that helped our own poor, homeless, and sick The Salvation Army.  Sorry, but I am annoyed, irritated, and tired of seeing so many of all sorts to help poor, homeless, and sick elsewhere but our own.  I would love to see more of all sorts that helped only our own.

Everyone remembers the commercial of an American woman or man talking with heartfelt emotion to help poor, homeless, and sick Africans.  She or he is always telling you that you can help for just the spare change in your pocket.  My children always cry when that commercial comes on and so do I (when no one is looking.)  Where is that commercial or advertisement for our own nation?  I have never seen one at all let alone with so much emotion.  Before I will ever donate any amount to an Organization to help poor, homeless, and sick I want to see our government do more for our own.  That is what I want to see from my nation, but I may never see it.

We as a society are too arrogant, ignorant, and selfish to think of doing more for the welfare of our poor, homeless, and sick.  We all have been there and done that. It usually always starts with throwing your change and yelling, “Get a job you worthless bum!”  Go to New York, you can see this happen more than once a day.  With no regard for their feelings or how they became that way.  Some lost everything in a fire, while others could no longer find work. 

Then there are those who choose it because it was so easy.  All they had to do was look and act the part. These people are a disgrace to all the poor, homeless, and sick honest working people who lost everything; whether it be from a disaster, no work, or because they are a veteran whether injured or not.  Of all the poor, homeless, and sick in New York the majority are Veterans.  Now how do you feel about that?  We have some way to show respect for the ones who risk more than they should for everything we take for granted!   

By The Lycan

Post A Pic (Pagan Insights Project)

The sound of a stream or waterfall has always taken me to a peaceful place in my mind and I find I am able to relax and let my worries flow away.

Lower Ammonoosuc Falls in Carroll, NH

Pagan Pride Day (Pagan Blog Prompt)

I have attended one pagan pride day since coming out of the broom closet and I would love to attend another.  It always works out that the one here in New Hampshire falls on a day where I worked 12 hours the night before.  Considering the closest event to me is 3 hours away, I do not think that driving that far after no sleep is a good idea.  The one I attended years ago was a fun thing, I met Dana Eilers, and she autographed my copy of “Pagans and the Law”.  This was a huge deal for me. 

For me, Pagan Pride days are a good way to meet new people of the same mindset.  Living in extreme northern New Hampshire is not conducive to finding new witches.  They are open to the public, which gives our community the opportunity to show that we are just normal people.  Then there is the gate fee of a non-perishable food item that goes to the local food bank or other charity, which helps those who are less fortunate and have fallen on hard times.  What is not good about that? 

Attending a PPD gives me the chance to get out and find some things I do not have access to in my neck of the woods, and searching out stores in this area is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.  I plan to stock up on things like herbs, incense, and charcoal tabs when I go this year.  I found some tabs that were made without saltpeter the last one I went to in Massachusetts and would love to find more.  I can attend workshops on subjects and get to ask questions of a real person.  If there is a ritual, I will be able to get in on that as well. 

I guess for me, PPD is the one time a year where I feel like a part of a community and not so much of a lone wolf all on my own.

Witch vs. Wiccan (part of the Pagan Insights Project)

I have recently been pondering the Rede and found myself not quite agreeing with the most famous portion of it.  You know, the whole “…and it harm none, do as ye will” thing.  I just cannot follow that to the letter.  If someone threatens me or mine, I will go all Southern on them and then pay back is a bitch.  So, I got to thinking, if that makes me not Wiccan, just what am I?

I know that I count myself as a witch, I believe in spells and I have proof that they work.  Yet there are some that say witchcraft is not a religion per se.  I do not follow any one path, having been exposed to many when I started out.  I could count myself as eclectic, but eclectic what?  

My patron goddess is Hera, so I guess be default I could start there, but again that is simply a pantheon, not a religion. I do not feel called to Asatru, which is the only other “religion” that comes to mind.  Maybe, I am just over analyzing this and it is fairly simple. 

What else is out there besides Wiccan?  If you have any suggestions, I’m open to hearing them please let me know.

Catching up!

I was wandering around not too long ago and I found this site that is hosting the Pagan Insights Project.  After contemplating it for a few days, I decide to join in.  So head on over to The Pagan Insights Project if you are curious to see what it is all about.

Basically, it is five prompts that are mixed media.  You can do them all at once, one a week, all of them every month, or whatever your little heart desires.  I think they are great prompts to do every so often to get me thinking about what is going on in my magical life.  I think that hardest one for me will be either the Action, Action or the Eureka! prompts, although I hope these will light a fire under my ass.

In other news, I may be having a bit of time on my hands soon.  I have a full-thickness rotator cuff tear in my right shoulder and my need surgery on it.  I have to see the surgeon and am waiting on his office to call me and set up a time for the appointment.  I just want to have something done soon because I can't lift my arm up over my shoulder without severe pain and trying to sleep is getting difficult.  I  may end up sleeping in the reclining end of the couch soon in order to get any sleep at all.  That should prove interesting on the days after I work, sleeping in the living room with the boys running around. 

I am going to be a MeeMaw again.  Caitlin informed us recently that she is pregnant.  I am really disappointed, I thought she would be more careful.  To top it all off, the jack-off she is pregnant by is a controlling bastard.  I think it might have been better received if it had not have been him.

I know that I have another blog dedicated to my weight loss and  there isn't a lot of posts on it, but I have to brag here for those who do not follow me there as well... I am down 12 pounds now and still going!!!  Yea, me!  My health care provider put me on this injectable diabetic medication that has the side effect (?) of producing weight loss.  To me that is no a side effect, it is an added bonus.  LOL  Well, it works for me and I only wish it wasn't so expensive.  :(

The boys are having fun, but they both cannot wait until school starts again.  Liam will be going to all day kindergarten and Zander starts with Mrs. Garneau and Mrs. Smith for his two days a weeks early childhood.  He is SO excited, although he is already counting to 15, knows all his colors, shapes, numbers and letters.  He is even starting in on easy addition.  That is a benefit to having an older brother!  Although they do fight most of the time.

That is all for now, but I will be starting in on the posts for the PIP soon, so keep an eye out!