Moon Paste

Was reading a book on Scottish folklore and belief, when reference was made to Isobel Goudie and the making of moon-paste, the formula for which was still current in Morroco and Brittany (the book was written in the 1950s).

So, after extensive googling, which resulted in two pagan-y boards which made only a passing reference, I know very little about this paste.   I found a reference to it in R. A. Gilbert's "The Sorcerer and His Apprentice", which states it was referenced in another book, "The Devil's Mistress".

"The details of the making of Isabel Goudie's moon-paste I have recorded in The Devil's Mistress, the lacunae in the Scottish accounts being supplied from Morocco, the processes being obviously identical. In the trial of Lady Monro of Fowlis, June 22, 1590, the material was clay. "

... a quote which is mentioned in other forums, but only to say that there was reference to the paste in that book, too. Not the formula, nor any other information on its use in Brittany or Morocco.Is anyone is a position to enlighten me?

It also rates mention in "A Highland Chapbook" by Isabel Cameron (page 97):

Moon paste, perhaps the most mysterious of all magic mediums, is also one of the oldest. The making of it was known and practised in ancient Thessaly; magicians in Morocco and in Brittany knew of it, and except for the language being different, the ideas and forms were the same as were used in Scotland so lately at the end of the seventeenth century. Water from seven wells, herbs gathered at certain phases of the moon, clay taken from a special place, and dried in the fire, and afterwards pounded into fine dust, all played their part in the making of the paste. It required, however, the magic of the full moon, and this could only be got by incantations, sung widdershins, and a most elaborate ritual. This paste could unite sundered lovers; it could cure illness; and if its owner so willed it, it was capable of bringing disaster upon one's enemies; in fact, it was capable of working magic; both black and white.

And on page 61:

Witches who had attained a very high standard of their art used, as a medium of black magic, moon paste. As the name implies, this was made by the moon being pulled out of the sky. This medium had to be made when the moon was full. Certain herbs had to be pounded and mixed; water taken from seven different wells and the whole thing had to be kneaded in a trough in a kirk yard with chantings and muttered words and turnings innumerable to "widdershins." Images made of this paste were capable of bringing weal or woe according to the wishes of the witch who owned it. Isabel Goudie used it to help Jean Gordon of Gordonstown, but she used the same medium to bring sickness and death to the house of the Laird of Park

Again, no reference to which herbs, gathered when, which "special place" to beget the clay, which incantations and so on. I was hoping an historian or someone who lives in Scotland might have further information.

Small Sacrifices

Recently, on a predominantly non-pagan message board, someone asked for suggestion on how to "celebrate" Samhain without spending too much money.   Many of the respondents gave a run-down of what they do, personally, at this time of year, as did I.

I generally sit out on fire festivals.  This involves staying out-of-doors from sun down to sunrise, meditating on what the time of year/festival might have meant to my ancestors, performing little rituals appropriate for the season and various other activities.   I have often considered my efforts rather tame and effortless in comparison to some; perhaps even bordering on laziness, so the responses I received to my suggestion took me rather by surprise.

"Oh no.  I couldn't do that; I'll freeze."  Fire and rugs don't seem to exist in the 21st century.

"What if it's raining?   I can't risk catching a cold."   Apparently, colds are spread by rain, not viruses.

"I can't go a whole night without sleep."  Is napping now a lost art?  Bearing in mind, Samhain fell on a weekend this year, I find this objection rather weak.  What's more meditation, when done correctly, can revive.

"Oh, I can't stay out the whole night, but I might go out after "Strictly Come Dancing" and "X-Factor"."   It seems false idols now take precedence over our gods, ancestors, and genius loci.

 

I have to admit the weather this year was foul, and I do camp in a place that is protected from the weather somewhat, whilst still giving a good view of the horizons.   I also have to admit that I did not sit out this past Samhain, but this was due to a (contagious and heavily medicated) illness, but that didn't stop me undertaking an all-night vigil, and doing as much as I could to mark the season.   Even so, I find it difficult to understand the attitude of some people to a little sacrifice in honour of their gods/ancestors/sacred festivals.  How is it that a small amount of time, or a bit of discomfort is too much?   It's not like I was suggesting people part with the hard-earned, and let's face it these days, precious cash.  I know people claim to be time poor these days, but is six nights a year such a strain?  Does our faith/religion/spirituality not deserve at least that much devotion?

 

I often hear people talk, and write about not wanting to pay for their spirituality or religion, but I always assumed they meant money.  I think I was wrong: perhaps what is sought is free spirituality, i.e. free from commitment, effort or exertion of mind, body or soul ~ free to do what you want, when you want and only if you want.

 

*****

 

Before anyone jumps up and says:  "You're just being a grouch and what's wrong with having fun at Halloween anyway?".  

 

There's nothing wrong with having fun, joining in trick-or-treating, going to costume balls, and this can be combined with other, more spiritual activities effortlessly, as so many of my friends manage to do.  It's the  "can't be bothered" and "I've got more important things to do" attitudes with which I take issue.

 

*****

I do wonder:

1. If pagans find these small sacrifices too much to bear, exactly what, if anything, are they willing to do in the name of their beliefs?
   
2. And, what would they honestly consider a real sacrifice?

The Mirror Crack’d

I was ill over Samhain, so was not able to do my usual ritual. Instead, I read some unique folklore and thought I would give it a try. In order to do this, I needed to use a mirror and I thought I would use my obsidian mirror, which I keep in a wooden chest along with other particular items.


All well and good, except when I unravelled the silk in which it is wrapped, I found the wooden frame was cracked. The damage wasn't too bad, so I used the mirror anyway and proved the merit of this particular piece of folklore.


My only dilemma now is how to get the mirror repaired. I don't want to use superglue as this might affect the integrity of the original work, which is beautiful. I might have to contact its maker and send it away for repairs, but I am loathe to part with it, in case further, irreparable damage occurs. Still, I can't leave it as it is.


What to do?

Home

I have recently returned from a trip to Australia, a country I can no longer call "home". Even flying over the Northern Territory (the first point of contact) I felt alienated. Don't get me wrong, as a land Australia has a unique, fascinating and beautiful quality, but it's not one to which I can relate.

Within hours of arriving, after the drive from the airport to my sister's place of residence, I longed to be back in the UK. The sounds, the smells, the spirits of the place I found myself in were now alien to me. I even found the energy a little hard to "tune into" and quickly tuned out. Given I was born there, I should have attuned better, but I didn't. In fact, I did nothing even remotely pagan whilst I was there. No little rituals, no meditations, nothing. I didn't feel comfortable practising my faith in that country. Even being by the ocean offered no comfort to me and the ocean was always my saviour in low times when I was younger.

So, now I am back in the British Isles and I feel I truly am home. I understand and connect with this landscape, more so in the north, but, where I am now is comfortable for me.

Every time I travel to Australia, I feel more and more alienated from that country. It's a shame, but I know now that I could never return permanently; my faith is rooted here.

The Pagan Census - Revisited

We are conducting an international survey of contemporary Pagans. If you are a Pagan we would appreciate your taking the time to complete this survey.


This survey builds on an earlier one completed over twenty years ago, primarily in the United States, which was conducted by Helen A. Berger and Andras Arthen (of the EarthSpirit Community) entitled the Pagan Census. At the time it was hoped that we could do a census of the entire Pagan population. Although that was not possible the data that was collected was the largest of it type and served as the basis of a book, Voices from the Pagan Census by Helen A. Berger (with Evan Leach and Leigh S. Shaffer). The survey data is now available on line at Murray Research Archive at Harvard University.

A number of scholars have noted that it would be helpful to have a follow-up of that survey to see if and how the community has changed or remained the same. The survey that follows uses many, although not all of the same questions that were in the original survey to provide that comparison. There are also new questions, for instance about the Internet, something that was of little interest 20 years ago but is now, and some from other studies, that again permit a comparison. This has resulted in the survey being somewhat long--we appreciate your taking the time to complete it.

We realize that the categories found in questionnaires like this one frequently do not do justice to the complexities of real life. For this reason, a number of open-ended items have been included that allow for more nuanced responses. You are also welcome to contact Helen A. Berger directly at HBerger (at) wcupa.edu

Please inform other Pagans about this research project and feel free to pass it along via e-mail or to post a link on appropriate blogs or websites.

Thanks for your help.

Helen A. Berger
James R. Lewis
Henrik Bogdan

Survey Questions Here

"Witchy Living" Podcast

I have recently been searching various podcasts to find things that might hold my interest on the commute to and from work (which can be anything from 45 minutes to 2 hours).   I have listened to some very good podcasts, that have almost professional production values, and I've heard some awful ones where the quality was poor and it wasn't worth the hassle of downloading and listening if only to save getting a headache.

One of the more interesting of podcasts I found was "Witchy Living" on Blog Talk Radio.   Although the hostess, Cairelle, seems to struggle with sound quality, the topics are interesting and it's well worth the odd bit of interference.   Combining hoodoo and witchcraft practices, the show has looked at the lighter (funnier) side of magic so far.   That said, the topic of hexes has arisen, so this blog does not shy away from ethical issues surrounding magical work.   When "Witchy Living" is going out live, there is a chat discussion at the fan website held concurrently, and it is possible to telephone the hostess and interact direct.   Despite these distractions for Cairelle, she does produce a podcast worth listening to.

I will continue to subscribe and I hope others give this unique blogging podcast a chance.

Disconsolate

All the words in the world

cannot compensate

When all your worlds, in a word,

are now desolate

© Ancestral Celt 2009

Our Way of Life by Zoar

Yet Another Pagan Dating Site

Its seems there are more and more sites for pagan singles, and here is yet another: Wiccan/Pagan Singles Club, which is part of the Ning social networking site. Again, it is based in the United States of America, but there are a few from the United Kingdom.

I do know of a few couples who found each other through these type of sites, so they must work on some level.

Diplays of Faith

Most people are aware of the British Airways employee who went to court over the wearing of her cross (and lost), and I am pretty sure most pagans have encountered those pagans who insist on wearing the biggest pentacle possible, or fantasy costumes, or t-shirts with "pagan and proud" slogans or similar, or have their foreheads tattooed with Theban. It's almost as if these pagans have to display their religious beliefs in order to be seen to be "walking the walk" rather than "talking the talk". This made me wonder how important it was to pagans, in general, to wear their faith, or indeed, to display anything that might proclaim their allegiance to paganism.

From a personal perspective, I don't feel the need to be in anyone's face about my beliefs. I live in a Christian country (albeit one with a pagan history) and I respect that. My religion is not about offending anyone; its about my personal beliefs. That said, I do have one or two items on display, as it were, but, I am more than happy to remove, or cover them if it's required, i.e. for matters of health and safety.

What I do have is a car sticker, which is more humorous than pagan ("Witches Parking; All Others Will be Toad"). I'd prefer the sign, but I don't have a regular parking space over which to hang a sign. When the day comes that I have my own parking space, even if its my own driveway, I will put up the sign and remove the sticker from my car. The only other means by which I can be identified as pagan by sight alone is if I am wearing my charm bracelet. It has a witchy/pagan theme with charms to which I have felt drawn. I don't wear it everyday, nor do I wear it everywhere. Most people don't look too closely and don't notice the details in the charms at all. I have to admit, it's more a fashion item than a statement about my beliefs. I also wear a triple spiral ring daily; it's never removed. I don't consider it overtly pagan, certainly no-one has ever associated it with paganism or my beliefs. So, unless I am in my car, I doubt anyone would know anything about my beliefs.

The majority of Christians don't display their beliefs either and, personally, I don't tend to ask about a person's religious alliance, so I would never know, just by looking at someone, the nature of their faith. I was always taught not to talk religion or politics in social situations, and I never have. So, why is it some pagans feel the need for overt displays of paganism?

The reason I ask this is because recently there have been a spate of pagans asserting their right to wear their pentacle anywhere they like, because the Christians can wear their crosses everywhere, anytime, they like. Well, no, they can't. The British Airways employee lost because there was a dress code in place, that was policy, at British Airways; Christians have to abide by Health & Safety law just like everyone else and, often, that means the removal of any and all jewellery (chefs, for instance, often have to cover up with that awful blue tape in order to stay safe).

When I was considered Catholic, I would not have worn my cross into a mosque or other religious building as a matter of respect. I have always strived to abide by the maxim: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." In other words, I try not to offend others and attempt blend in as much as possible to the culture in which I am mingling. That's not to say I won't speak up if I, myself, am offended.

Perhaps I am just too "low key" as a pagan?

I wear smart clothes to work, as is required, I wear jeans and a shirt in my leisure hours. I'm not really into fancy dress, unless it's a fancy dress masked ball. The pentacle means nothing to me so I would never consider it an emblem of my religious path, nor would I knock anyone for wearing it, provided it wasn't the size of a hubcap. *LOL* I don't wear cloaks or robes for ritual, or seasonal celebrations and I probably never will; again I would never knock anyone for wearing them, in those circumstances. Were my place of work to ask me to remove my bracelet because it offends one of the Christians in the office, I would, BUT, I would also raise objections to anyone wearing the cross, etc. (not that anyone does) on grounds on discrimination.

I know I'm a pagan - a polytheist animist who "dabbles" in witchcraft - but I don't necessarily need or want others to know it. In this country, I can go about practising my beliefs pretty much uninterrupted, provided I stay within the law - I haven't yet breached it, nor am I likely to need to - and I've never suffered any kind of abuse or discrimination for my beliefs. In fact, I've found most people quite amenable: especially my employers.

Still, I am interested in the thoughts of others on this matter. Is it enough for you to know you are pagan, or do you prefer to broadcast it to all and sundry on a second-by-second basis to the rest of the world as outlandishly as possible? *LOL* Or, are you somewhere in between?