Archive for September 2012
Well here is a thing, I have a new member in the household, a black tabby kitten. I did advise against it, while being unemployed and the Public Sector being raped and pillaged by the Tory led Government, but as usual I was overruled.
Do not get me wrong, I love cats, all shapes and sizes and she is cute, (as all kittens are). But she is here now, Hilary named her Pixie, and She will be looked after and loved as she should be, but can I afford her. Make do I guess, I am sure I can go without if need be as is right and proper.
She spent the first 6 hours curled up in her bed/box until Hilary went to bed then I got her out and firmly encouraged her to drink and eat and use the litter tray, She explored a little of the front room and I played with her for an hour, until she had a nap attack, it was so funny, going hell for leather attacking my shirt and then next second sparko. Back in her box now.
Interesting, well it is to me, and it just goes to show that the Path and the Wheel are never stagnant. Since I accepted my Life, and stopped trying to “Ice-skate up hill” I woke up a few days ago and actually realised that I have now accepted my life, for all that it is.
This led to a slight subtle change within my Shaman Wheel, the knowledge came to me, and it as also led to the realisation that I now do not have any questions which to ask for Guidance by using my Sigel Set.
So yes, to me, it is Interesting. This has also led to the realisation that no, I am not cursed, as I believed I was for many years, but that was the feeling of everything going against you, because of the fact that I was so to speak “Going against the Grain” which was my life. There is no harm in trying to change your life, it is just that some things can not be changed, not yet. Anyhow, I did a General reading using my Stones, just because I could not think of a single damn question which I needed answering.
Before doing a reading I Ask
AndI Calm my Mind, Guide my Hand
Kaskai Guide my Mind, Guide my Hand
Danu and Morrigan Guide and Protect me, grant me the Boon of your Prophesy.
General Reading 21st September 2012
Self Summer/South
Direction Will
Hope Life
Fear Lady
Past Night
Present Wait
Future Sage (wise old man)
Help Strength
Hinder Lust
Influence Sea
Environment Light
Outcome Harmony
While some confused me to start with, Guidance came through, and it now makes sense. It translates (to Me) as follows:-
Protection and warmth within my self (South) as I follow my direction using my Will. The Hope of a Life is Fearful of a Woman in a Position of Power (Lady). My Past was dark and I could not see where I was going (Night) and I must Wait until now becomes the Past and then I will gain knowledge in myself (Sage). My Strength will aid me in this task, but Lust is going to be detrimental, (And there was me thinking I had got rid of Lust, but with this problem with my Visions, I guess it has crept back with the Need and desire to achieve). Water/West (Sea) has gained a lot of influence over the last few weeks, namely using Caer for attempts at Vision Quests, (Sea did confused me, but what is the sea, but Water/West.) And at this time I am Bright and able to see my Environment (my life) (Light) now.
All this will lead to me being in a state of Harmony, quite possibly with myself, (Gosh, that will be a first). And Harmony is Balance, Faith in Balance, myself in Balance, my Life in Balance. Or it could mean that I am going to join a choir, (Hell, not with my “Singing“ Voice, more like an out of tune growl from a mad and deaf Bear.) It will be balance, as long as I keep Lust and Ego under tight control. And do not let the fear of the Lady drive me backwards.
This pertains to the future, Sage and Harmony, and considering that 21st December 2012, the new long term calendar of the Mayan starts on the 22nd where according to the Mayan and Hopi Indians Humans will have an upgrade in mental awareness, is not that far away, it will be very interesting indeed.
Last night I once again tried to deep meditate, radio was on and she was reading. Cleared my mind waiting for an image or vision and then the standard happened, knee jumped, and the offshoot of this was that I ended up with chronic Arthritic pain in my knee and nothing got rid of it, Pills, heat my TENS unit, cream, nothing.
When I went to bed I said my Prayer to Danu and when I laid down I asked Danu to take the pain away and Caer to give me a good solid sleep. This was about 1.30 in the morning. Within about half an hour it was 12.30 Sunday afternoon, and I do not remember a thing. The Pain was still there but lessened considerably.
But what I do not understand is this
When I meditate I can sometimes visualise an image which is generally out of focus, but I can not interact with the image and I can not do Active Imagery. I even borrowed a healing (Fairy) cd from a friend who runs a New-age shop. When I tried to do the meditation all I got was very out of focus and as if they were drawn by a young child using crayons and they moved very jerky.
Most Teachers talk of Visualising an Orb of green, gold, or whatever colour, and one exercise which Amber Wolfe, in her book Shadow of the Shaman (pg 142) about finding a special cave and using your Power Animal (in my case Kaskai) to aid you, now this would be cool, very cool. If I could do more than see a blurry Image of Kaskai’s face like Her whole being or at least the cave. Or even drawing a circle using imagery, but I can not. These are just 3 examples of what I can not do.
What the hell am I doing wrong? This is really pissing me off. Within dreams, when I have Visions I can interact with them, but I get these Visions from my Gods so I do not really want to change them to much in-case the meaning is corrupted. Why can I not do visions (active Imagery) while awake. Any Ideas or Help will be gratefully received. I am also drinking one cup of fresh Rosemary tea each day, which is supposed to aid Physic ability and help clear the mind fog. Visual Imagery is an inherent part of the human Physic and yet mine is blocked.
A challenge to culls that will kill thousands of badgers has failed at the court of appeal. The Badger Trust had attacked Mr Justice Ouseley’s decision in July to uphold government proposals for two pilot culls aimed at tackling tuberculosis in cattle, one in west Gloucestershire and the other in west Somerset.
The trust says that killing badgers will make no meaningful contribution to tackling the disease, which has been described as the most pressing animal health problem in the UK. It claims that the scheme could lead to 40,000 animals being “pointlessly killed” over the next four years. But Lord Justice Laws, Lord Justice Rimer and Lord Justice Sullivan unanimously rejected the appeal, which was only concerned with statutory construction.
After the July ruling, which was welcomed by the National Farmers Union, the British Veterinary Association and the British Cattle Veterinary Association, a spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “No one wants to cull badgers but last year bovine TB led to the slaughter of over 26,000 cattle, and to help eradicate the disease it needs to be tackled in badgers.”
The cost of the cattle losses was estimated at £91m.
If what Defra calls “controlled shooting” of badgers is to take place this year, the six-week cull must begin soon, before the badger breeding season begins. Culling is not permitted when there is a risk that badgers feeding their young might be killed, leaving their cubs underground without food. In England, two companies have been set up by farmers to manage the cull, using trained marksmen to shoot badgers at night on farm land in two pilot areas each the size of the Isle of Wight.
Natural England, the government agency in charge of issuing the licenses, says holders must liaise closely with the local police, including on dates, times and areas where badger control will take place. A spokesperson from Natural England said there was no definitive time scale for issuing the licenses but “we would hope to issue them shortly”. The exact scope of the pilot areas is not being revealed to the public for fear of reprisals against individuals or their property.
The proposed killing of wild badgers is a sensitive issue. A small proportion of wild badgers can become infected with the bacteria that cause bovine TB, and pass the infection on to cattle. However, scientific studies have shown that culling would be of little help in reducing the disease and even suggest that it could make things worse in some areas.
Plans to begin culling in Wales were recently abandoned in favour of a vaccination policy. There are no proposals to cull badgers in Scotland.
Face it, how did the Humbugs get infected in the first place? because of cows, how did the cows get infected? Very poor management of the Herd and not being Vaccinated by those who are whining now about losing cows, so Morons let cows get infected, who infect Badgers, maybe, who possibly re-infect the cows, so wiping out Badgers will sort out the problem. Get rid of the terminally stupid farmers, Vaccinate the herd, no more problem.
I am sorry but this is just NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Very poor standards on farms have possibly affected a small number of Humbugs, with the Bovine TB virus, so all of the HooRay Henrys on their Farms and Estates and in the Government and in the Courts can go on the hunt for and murder healthy Badgers because the stupid Bar Stewards can not keep their herds clean and vaccinated. I am sick to the stomach about this. All those involved, Damn you all.
And because this is not as important as, say Football (soccer to the US) or Gaga’s latest Hairdo, or 100 other mindlessly pathetic things, there is no sign of this on Yahoo news. Why?
With tears in my eyes and down upon my knees
I call one softly with a heartfelt plea
Flidais
Flidais
Flidais
Hear my call, hear my plea
They call it justice, the murder of innocents
I call you, my Lady of Wild Places
And I ask one word, a small word
Help
Give Justice to All those who are involved in this depravity.
This Murder of Innocents
Those who caused it
Those who Enforced it
Those who control it
Those who act it
This Murder of Innocents
Justice upon them all

Within the silences of the snowfall
Through the gales through the Autumn Trees
Within the Lightning Storms of a Summers day
Through the last Frosts of Spring
I witness the Mysteries of the Great Spirit
As I walk amongst the Trees of a Wood
Or I touch the clouds atop the mountains
As I watch the Ebb and Flow at the Waters edge
Or watching the plants stir, I see the Wind
I am Awed by the Mysteries of the Great Spirit
I watch the Stars rove across the night sky
And I feel the turning of the seasons
I witness the raw power of the Elements
And see the creatures living their lives
I give Praise to the Mysteries of the Great Spirit
Magical Weapons
Some Paths and traditions fully adhere to the need for the Witch/Magician to have a full arsenal of weapons, stating that to focus the Will you need to wield the weapon, either physically or if you have the ability, (some have but most do not, I am one of the latter) using the imagination only to create the weapon. Such open hand techniques are usually only able to be done by very skilled practitioners who are Adepts within their Paths.
So, are they really necessary? Personal choice, as usual, but with some like the Pentacle it is a sensible precaution and some would say very necessary when Working especially within Ritual. Also casting the Shield will also help the Workers to focus their minds to the Magic being created. I have used all the weapons way back when I was performing Rituals when I was into the Roman Gods. Later when I was guided to the Irish Gods I tried to use Rituals but it just felt uncomfortable. Which is when I started to explore the Way of the Shaman.
Usually I do not use the weapons now, but I still have the ring and a dagger, which is a Sikh Ceremonial Dagger, and I now use my Sigel set as the Cup. But apart from the Set, I do not use weapons. Sometimes when they are being helpful, I get important messages through Visions, but this only happens on a rare occurrence. The meaning comes upto a few days later. But do I really need to use the weapons? I cast no circle, I can focus my Will to Heal or Hex just by concentration.
The only one which I never got the idea for, despite it being explained several times, is the Lamp, or Soul. Why do I need to try to focus on my Kai, my lifeforce. It is there when I heal or hex. It is always there when I Work. My Will focuses and sends my Kai. Why do I need to try to create a Weapon which is my Kai? I have never understood that, but maybe I am just missing the point, or just Dense.
So I do not use the circle, wand or sword, so how do I Work? Well that it the question, is it not. How to explain, that is the problem. Scattered around are various examples, including within the Balance page, outside that generally I just ask, and by focusing my Will, maybe my request is granted, sometimes not, depending on the Universal Kai, and the blessing of my Gods. One which has not been granted is Freedom, but there is a reason why I was denied, it is just I know not the answer. Also my ending has not happened, again I know not why, I only wish I did, what is the lesson that I have still to learn, which I have not yet learned.
Some have said that there is no point to life, existence, others say that there is eternal Heaven or Hell awaiting you, and yet others say that you will forever be reborn from the Chaos of creation and re-incarnate endlessly. Well you know what I think, unless this is the first page you have read, but it is written elsewhere. Personally I think that there is a point to life, otherwise why bother at all. The point is to learn from life, all life is an experience, as they say Experience Life to Live Life. If you have finished learning you have finished living.
I have come across several times people saying along the lines of “Their Faith boasting is bull”. Just because someone says that they talk to their Gods, or Angels, can astral travel, breathe fire, walk on water, send healing, Psychic vamping or anything from 100 other things and tell everyone about their own Faith is just trying to validate their own Faith.
Thank you, I thought I was telling the world about an integral part of who I am, as much me as my music, but I guess that I am just trying to boost my ego. Fair comment, I guess.
But do you commune with your God/Gods, can you Heal or Curse. No, what do you mean no, you have not tried or you can not do these things. Why? Are you one of these people who expects people to be as you? But you are like that. I know that people can visualise an image strong enough for others to see, but I can not, I also know that people can see Auras but I can not. Just because I can not do something does not make it Bull. I can not ice-skate but I have seen it on TV.
Alistair Crowley was just validating is ego by writing all of his books, including Magick and 777, Peter J Carroll and Psychonaut was making it up to make a bit of cash, Amber Wolfe and her Shadow of the Shaman was living in a fantasy world, Gardiner was trying to validate his faith when he formed and founded the Wicca Faith. Ian Annon, (that is my pen name) is a deluded egotistical trying to get popular. One question? Apart from Gardiner, whom I have not had much dealings with, what do the rest have in common? We all can do stuff that you can not. Even just writing everything on here am I being egotistical? Have you read my first page? First Paragraph?
My point is just because you are egotistical and you think everyone else is like that, some of us are very private, but we really believe in what we believe in, even if it is just ourselves, (like Crowley). Maybe you really should take a closer look at yourself and judge yourself first. I have and now I am the man I was not 20 years ago. I am who I am, but are you who you think you are?
A.W.O.B.
Yeah, yeah, I know that I am a little behind times, by maybe 2 years, but that is me all over with current fashions and thinking trends. And you know what, I just do not care.
So reading a few threads, blogs and websites I find out about Project Pagan Enough, been there, done that, gave my sixpence worth. But while saying my Prayer to Danu last night, I remembered a thread I had read. This was about setting up a “minimum standard”, but I can not for the life of me remember the site, WordPress or somewhere else. Anyhow, this got me thinking, could it work? Err no. How would we set up a “Council of Elders” to lay out the rules and regs.
So how would we set up a Council, one from each Path? Do we accept Voodoo and Satanist? What about Shinto, Hindi. Hmmm, good question methinks, but where will it stop. Of course we have to accept the Pagan/* whatever, Christian, Muslim, etc.
So I can see how it would go. Wicca, Shinto, Hindi, and Druid will have the most members, so they will have a louder voice, than say Shaman or NeoGreek. But what if you do not fit into the main Paths, well my friends, that one is easy, who gives a damn about you, well you do for one, and I do for two but considering that neither You nor I will be on this Council, mute point I think. Sorry.
So we have set up this council, and a set of Rules is passed down that everyone must adhere to. I can really see that working, NOT. Hell even amongst the Main Wicca Paths there will be infighting. “Who put them in Charge, Why am I not on this Council, I am going to form my own Council then we will show them. “ It will be like the European Union, or worse. A bang on the door at two in the morning with the goon squad whisking you away for improper dress sense or the improper use of an incense stick. Yeah, laugh it up. You know it could happen. And who gets to be the Pagan Pope?
So here’s an idea. FOAD with that idea.
Here’s another idea, and I really think that this is a corker of an idea. Drop this stupid idea. It is even worse than “You are not Pagan Enough” or the Common Agriculture Commission from the EU. You want to be Pagan, cool, go for it. You do not want to be Pagan, cool, go for it, or we all could just drop the entire “Pagan” bull, and class us all as Alternative Faiths, Any which is not one of the main recognised Faiths, in which case the Satanist and the Voodoo followers can then be inside this umbrella term. Which brings us to A.W.O.L. this also means Alternative Way Of Life or change Life to Faith or Belief, granted Rockers, Goths, Punks, and Bikers are A.W.O.L. but so are the Wicca, Druid, Nordic, Celtic, etc. although maybe if Druid and Wicca were classed as main Recognised Faiths along with Christian, Hindi, Muslim or Shinto et al. then maybe we would not be even thinking about this. Because if you are Wicca you are Wicca, If Christian, you are Christian. Until you amalgamate different Faiths, Christian and Wicca as an example, then you may be classed as Not Wicca Enough, or Not Christian Enough, but you would always be Alternative Enough.
Earth, Gods, Nature, Magic, Occult, Magick are all Alt. Beliefs, regardless to Whom you Pray to and how often, if Anything at all.
And this does not mean that you have to dress in a leather Jacket and ripped jeans, or you have to listen to Rock or New-Age music. Unless you want to anyway. I do but as from one of my other blogs I am into Heavy Rock. If your usual is skirt and cardigan with a blouse and listen to easy listening or County, then why would you even think about changing. Alt. Belief is different to Alt. Fashion and Music. Personally I can not stand PVC or Latex clothing. Or Death Metal, My choice. And how “Eco” have you got to be? Answer “How eco do you want to be?” Some class Pagan as Earth based religions but with Alt. Beliefs there is absolutely no such misconstrued ideas. Not Officially State Recognised religions. Not picking on them but I can never see Satanism becoming an OSR, but they are an Alt. Belief system. My Faith will never become an OSR, but it is an Alt. Belief system.
So could this work? Drop Pagan and call ourselves Alternative Faiths, (or Alt. Faith/Belief). I personally think that it could, and do we really need a Council to guide us. I do not, I know that for sure, and in certain Faiths there is already a Council of sorts, who guide the Faithful, which is cool, but honestly how many of us really need a council, or just a friend to help and “Advise” and “Suggest” but not demand. I would rather have 1 friend than 20 Council Members who will mainly be looking out for their own interests. And to be honest, would I even want to be on this council. No, I have enough trouble and stress in my life without having to figure why Alt. Religion has gone political.
And what about mixed Covens, with different Paths working together? Would this be outlawed, or enforced. I have worked with a Wiccan, and a Runic Warrior, and a Satanist at different times, but mainly I work alone. I do not want to “have to” join a Coven. But I guess that if we have a council and I am ostracised from wherever, then I really do not care, but others might.
So where do we go from here, my personal views on the term “Pagan“ is written elsewhere on here, so I do not have to repeat it. But one final question for you gentle reader. Who and when did the term Pagan come into main use to explain our religious beliefs? I really do not know, but I am curious to find out. 50 years ago? 100? 500? Mainstream press? Gardiner? Tudor? Edwardian? Cromwell?
Guess what, yeah, another Question. Apart from trying to explain to those of OSR Faiths what out beliefs are, how often do we really use the term Pagan? Apart from on here I very rarely use the term to describe myself, unless it is to outsiders from OSR Faiths, and then only the once. So how often would I use Alt. Belief, about the same. But it may stop the infighting which certain groups and people have started with the term Pagan, but then maybe not. But if Druid and Wicca wanted to be classed at OSR’s then that is all to the good for them, they will not be Alt. Beliefs, but OSR Beliefs, which in reality they are already. Saying this I know from previous conversations with Wiccans that not all Wiccans would be happy with their Faith going Mainstream. I have not spoken to any Druids, as far as I am aware, with regards to this, so I am not sure. But one upside to this would be that if Wicca and Druid went OSR mainstream, that could benefit all of the Alt. Faiths from religious attacks.
Cor. I do go on a bit, don’t I.
If you Listen to Fools, the Mob Rules. Is the wise man always right? No, he can play the Fool. RIP Ronny J Dio.
I find it really sad that there has to be organisations like this these days, to protect and help Pagans from other Pagans. So it is not just the Christians anymore, but Pagans are starting on Pagan. Why in the names of all that are Holy is this happening.
Who the hell cares how or why anyone became Pagan, and came onto their path, which, (or Witch haha) is their Path. Hell I came into this from a story book. I met a guy on Facebook, not someone who I would even want to talk to online, let alone in a social setting. Rude, self opinionated, ridiculing young girls who became Pagan because of Twilight or Buffy, and those who are Pagan/Christian, or Christian Pagan. Yet this guy was a Newbie himself, he did start on me, until I pointed out that I have been doing this over 20 years, blessing and cursing as I see fit. Why did he start on me? Because I asked “How different is the Wicca and Christian faiths really? I did apologise for upsetting his perfect little world, but he did not reciprocate for the assumptions and rudeness he said to me and others. One of those who think they are always right, I know the type.
Interestingly, as far as Christian Pagan goes, there was a Viking King, forget his name, pretty sure he was Swedish, anyway, he prayed to His Pagan Gods and he also Prayed to Jesus before he went into battle. Why? In war, you can never have enough Devine Protection. So it is good enough for a King, (and I bet no-one ever said to him that he was not “Pagan Enough”) so why can it not be right for anyone else?
Personally I care little, scrape that, I do not care at all how someone came onto their path, either from a book, family, film, music or TV. What does it matter, really. To my mind it matters little, as long as the person believes that they are Pagan, even if they keep quiet about it off line, that matters not. I am sorry but there is no such thing as Pagan Enough. There is Pagan, and there is not Pagan. “You are not Pagan Enough” is another bullshit term. I have been doing this for well over 20 years, am I Pagan Enough? What is Pagan Enough anyway? I am here to Teach and pass on my Knowledge, and I am also here to learn from others. If you have finished learning, you have finished Living.
If you would like to chat personally and discreetly then you can contact me on faith_in_balance@yahoo.co.uk. Which has been set up for this blog. Do not worry though, I do not bite, that often. Just please do not send me spam, which just annoys me, nor abuse, that really annoys me, when people do that then run away. Man up or Shut up.
Blessing of whichever God/s you worship upon you, and walk with Faith and Balance upon your chosen Path.
faithinbalance 