Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Prop 8 Ruled Unconstitutional by 9th Circut Panel
Great news my brothers and sisters, the hate based ban on LGBT Californians' state constitutional right to marry, Proposition 8, has been ruled by the 9th Circuit Panel to be unconstitutional! This is the moment we have been waiting for. As a proud homosexual who is engaged to the man of my dreams, this is amazing news, for now I can marry the man I love in the state I love. I have stood with Equality California as we counter protested the Yes on 8 campaign, I have been to jail standing up for my right as a tax paying American to be treated equally in the eyes of our nation, I have done debates, written articles and donated to Equality California and Courage Campaign. I am most pleased that all we have worked for and all we have fought for has been realized with the wise decisions of the judges of the 9th Circuit's unanimous (3-0) vote that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. This is a great step towards equal rights for LGBT Americans. The time for fearful bigotry and religious/civil persecution of LGBT Americans is coming to an end. A time of equality and understanding is here. Let us rejoice and give thanks to all the women and men, gay or straight, that helped make this happen. Give thanks to the Gods that justice and love have triumphed yet again.
You can learn more about the trial and get updates on future rulings at: Prop 8 Trial Tracker. Also give some consideration to donating to: Courage Campaign and to Equality California.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Magickal Clay Pendant
Magickal
Clay Pendant
By:
Tytus Lionheart
Enchantment
for Power Charm
“Within
this charm I place power,
that can be called on every hour,
With
the key which must be spoken,
And
within me power shall awaken,
Thus
shall the enchantment, “Beatus Esse”, bring such magick to happen!”
Visualize
yourself being able to easily tap into your magickal powers and spiritual
energy while wearing this pendant after saying the magick words “Beatus Esse”,
which is Latin for “Blessed Be”.
The symbol
The symbol or inscription you use on your pendant
can be any that inspire you or give you strength. Examples can be: the pentacle,
cross, ankh, yin-yang, Thor’s hammer, a lion, a dragon, mystic star (Star of David),
or you could even use a symbol of your own creation that speaks of your
personal power.Other magickal goals
The Clay
Real earthen clay, all natural clay is best for this type of practice. Artificial clays will not absorb nor mingle with the energies of the spell properly. My favorite type of clay is distributed by AMACO : Natural Clay. Be sure the box or container with which the clay is packaged reads “non-toxic, lead free” and that it is reusable air dry clay and use a sealer for extra strength. You can easily find this clay at art shops and craft stores, I find mine at Michaels Art’s and Crafts.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Prayer Techniques
Another healthy practice of prayer is to use what Scott Cunningham calls, "Effective Prayer" (from "Living Wicca), in which one must utilize both visualization and build/release energy during prayer. Visualization is focusing with your "minds-eye" on the outcome or purpose of your prayer, (example: while praying for protection one could visualize a sphere of impenetrable light surrounding oneself or one's family and friends), essentially this process is identical to using one's imagination. To build/release energy, will all power and charge one's prayer to be sent forth to the Gods. To build energy: as one prays and visualizes the purpose (or intent), one then focuses "Personal Power" building up in one's body. This is done by slowly tensing the muscle's, starting from the core (abdomen) and then tensing all the muscles of the body, you must do this until you begin to tremble from the build up of energy. Once you have built up enough energy, or you can no longer hold the energy you have built up, you are ready to release this energy into the universe. To release energy: you simply release the built up tension within your muscles and focus this power towards the universe, I usually see this energy as purple flames or mist leaving my body and spiraling up into the sky.
These are of course only suggestions, you must follow what feels right to you, but I would like to say that enriching one's prayer with one or all of these techniques will create a wondrous and powerful bond with deity. These techniques are what creates a "prayerful attitude" as explained by Cunningham, "A prayerful attitude consists of peace and hope resting on an unshakable spiritual foundation." (Living Wicca, pg.55)
Experiment and see what works for you, but above all, have fun and enjoy your connection to Divinity.
Beatus Esse,
Tytus Lionheart
Monday, October 10, 2011
Dressing Candles, Candle Magick
To "dress" a candle you anoint it with oil or salt-water, rubbing it into the candle from the center toward the ends. Always rub in the same direction. While dressing the candle you should be concentrating hard and visualizing on your magickal intent.
Candles are useful for magickal uses, the reason for this is quite clear and simple:
- Candles are available in a wide range of colors and colors are directly related to magickal energies.
- Candles absorb personal magickal energy easily.
- When burned, candles release their energy over a period of time.
The candle itself, unlit, represents the element, Earth. When touched with fire, the candle melts, producing wax (representative of the element water) and smoke (the element air). This process of elemental symbology is another reason why candles are an accepted part of folk magick.
The Candles
Ideally, the candles will be of solid beeswax, colored with natural dyes and hand-dipped by the Caster (the magickal practitioner). In reality, candles are often made of parrafin, are artificially colored, and mass-produced by factories. Beeswax candles are available in many colors and (are said) to produce the best results, but any candle will work. It doesn't have to be expensive or hand-made, for candles are simply vehicles for the Caster's personal magickal power. Magicians usually select a candle for ritual by it's color, matching it's hue to the type of ritual they'll be doing. This isn't strictly necessary, for the color merely assists the Caster to accurately program personal magickal power. If you can't find the appropriate color for your spell, or you just don't have it, white candles can be used for every magickal purpose.
The Mortal Promise
No wind could rattle the wide starring eyes of the corpse before me. The stink was suppressed by shock. It's putrid skin, green and rotting, sliding off the bones like sludge. Hard to believe this rotting thing once held breath. The face, mostly bones and scab, maintained a certain peace in it's horror stricken features. I took it all in like a shot of whiskey in the long hours of a sleepless night; it burned all the way down. My legs seemed stuck in the filth of the aging sepulcher, my eyes unable to look away from the sicking reminder of mortality and the promise of one day being digested into the Earth's darken gateways. Whatever manner of sorcery kept me there in petrified shock must have broke because suddenly the scene before me was changed. My legs and arms are moving quickly, as though in autopilot. I fled that ghastly sepulcher without a word or scream. I ran as fast as my body could manage, perhaps hoping my speed would keep that mortal promise at bay.
---Tytus Lionheart
Even Hell has Air Conditioning
Even Hell has Air Conditioning
By: Tytus Lionheart
When one crosses the lake of smoke and fire,
One crosses the path of fools and liars,
But even amongst these dirty weeds, one can still smell an evergreen.
For you see…even Hell has air conditioning.
Life is a blur of murky waters.
One is never sure when to take orders,
Nor when to give, even if it meant to live,
But without the dark parts of our minds, we could never see our soul’s true light.
Is it a candle struggling in the wind?,
Or is it an inferno, broad yet bent?
What one must always remember,
When down in the seas of embers,
That it is not what you think nor why, but how high.
Looks like the stars will have competition in their eternal existence,
For people may have been found broken and beaten,
But wounds can be mended,
And spirits can be raised, even from the ashes of our graves,
We can be reborn!
Discovering Wicca
By: Tytus Lionheart
It is more likely that the title should read “Discovering Myself in Wicca”, because since my first steps on the path of the wise that is what I have been challenged with, discovering who I am and what is my purpose in this life. Wicca has changed my perspective on life and living in so many beautiful ways it is hard to think I can even begin to place them here in this article. I will do my best as my words and my ability in writing can allow. Wicca is more than magic, more than philosophy, more than a religion. It is a lifestyle and a commitment to self betterment through harmony with nature and the divine. It is a blend of all spiritual pursuits both ancient and modern. I will begin to explain my life before Wicca, then my life as I dedicated myself to learning and studying Wicca, how I kept to the Wiccan path all these years and years to come, my evolution and rebirth as a Wiccan, My present studies to become a Correllian First degree initiate and my future goals within the Correllian Natavist Tradition.
In my early years before Wicca was a part of my life, I was a bit of an outcast even among friends. I always felt there was something missing from myself that I was being called to something greater than what was in my life at the time. I was struggling with roles presented by society and the supposed morals of the Christian religion I thought were missing within me. Even as a young boy in elementary school I was a recluse, preferring the company of few friends and more often than not I was alone at recess in a field of grass playing with my imagination. I can remember befriending abstract companions such as the wind, which I imagined to be a female entity I so cleverly named “Windy.” I would imagine with my brother and friends that we were warriors of great magical prowess, having the power to manipulate energy to my will. Back then I was sure it was all pretend, but now I know these qualities and aspects are what lead me to Wicca.
In high school I shook off my reclusiveness as I embraced my inner self and accepted my homosexuality. Doing so challenged the societal roles and Christian morals that had limited my perspective of life. I began exploring different paths of living; different roles that I never knew existed. I explored other religions and spiritual concepts. After my sophomore year I learned about Wicca. At first I thought it was all smoke and mirrors until I came across some books and authors that would shape my understanding of not only Wicca, but also me and my role in life. “Wicca for the Solitary Practitioner” by Scott Cunningham and “Sons of the Goddess” by Christopher Penzack were the first true teachings of Wicca that I had at the time. Both showed me basic principles of Wicca and magick, which fully absorbed me and my need for spiritual growth. After some time studying each book, I performed a self-dedication ritual, my first act of magick. I dedicated myself to the teachings of Wicca, to the study and application of magick, to discovering the Goddess and the God within me.
From then on I was studying magick and Wicca every day, reading lots of books on both subjects and on other traditions of the occult including Ceremonial magick, Chaos magick, reconstructive pagan religions and the different paths of Wicca. I became a solitary eclectic Wiccan, creating my own Book of Shadows and putting in it all the material I would use in creating my own personal Wiccan tradition. I would practice magick, exercise my psychic abilities with meditations, ritual and daily prayer. All I read were books on Wicca, the Occult and magick. I kept to the path by making Wicca apart of my every day, I prayed every day, studied ritual and practiced spell craft whenever the need arose. Wicca had become a part of my life. I learned a lot about myself as a person, as a magician I learned my strengths and weaknesses, I built my power of Will to change the world within me and without. I became happier, clearer in thinking, more broad in my perspective of life and living. Family and friends noticed a change in me, more vigor for life, more understanding of myself and the world around me. I was finally coming into my own, discovering myself. I learned that I’m more powerful than I had believed for many years. Things were and have been conforming to my Will, in positive constructive ways.
After about two years of study (overkill I know) I fully embraced Wicca as my way of life and performed a self-initiation. I honored Lord Hermes as my patron, the god of magick, healing, communication, and merchants. I felt such a strong connection to Him; I performed a ritual of dedication to His teachings not only in ancient Greece and Rome, but His Egyptian counterpart, Thoth, and the legendary Hermes Trismegistus. Hermes to this day is my patron God. I grew also to adore the stories of the goddesses Diana, Aradia, and Heckate. I felt connected to the Great Horned One aswell, an archetype and spirit of masculinity and male mystery. From these Gods and Goddesses I gained strength and wisdom. I feel their energy when I pray to them, when I call them in ritual and in my everyday life, I have felt their presence. I have had many answered prayers and blessings from the Goddess and the God and the forms they assume. It was to the full moon, Diana that I prayed and asked to find true love, to meet my soul mate. I asked Her to send me an angel, and shortly after I met my fiancé Mitch Mcknight, it was love at first sight. I have been truly blessed by the divine powers of the universe and for that I am thankful, for I have felt the Love of the Lord and Lady and it is beautiful.
After about 5 years of personal, solitary study I felt there was a need to expand on the spiritual foundation I had built for myself. I began researching traditions of Wicca, seeking training into priesthood. I wanted a tradition where I can keep to my eclectic nature yet have a strong base to grow from. Many paths caught my interest including Faery Wicca, Alexandrian Wicca, and some other neo-pagan traditions, but it was when I came across the Correllian Natavist Tradition that I found the path that resonated with the Wiccan philosophy and theology I already subscribed to in my personal tradition as a solitary. I am now currently studying the First Degree courses of the Correllian tradition, to become a Reverend of Wicca. I hope to take my training in the tradition all the way to my third degree and from there I want to open a Temple for the tradition here in California. I hope to join the Order of Herbal Studies, the Order of Reiki and the Order of Spiritual Advisors that are set up within the Correllian Tradition. I hope to one day meet and possibly work with Rev. Don Lewis of the High-Correllians, and many other legends of the Natavist Tradition and of the Wiccan community as a whole. I have found a purpose within my religion and I am working towards my initiation. From here I will continue to grow and study, to apply my spirituality into my every day and to be able to help others find their way in the Craft as well.
In conclusion, my discovery of Wicca has been a life changing experience and to this day I am inspired by my religion and its endless source of power, love and harmony. Wicca has changed me in many positive and progressive ways, making my life happier, my lifestyle more meaningful. I am thankful for all Wicca has taught me and for all the blessings the Lord and Lady have bestowed upon me and mine. It is because of Wicca that I have gained so much strength, wisdom and joy. My journey into Wicca continues to evolve and move forward each day, I have found my calling in this life and hopefully more lives to come will be benefitted from the teachings I have received in this life. May all that read this article come to understand that Wicca is a religion of personal power and a lifestyle of love in all its beautiful, glorious forms. I am a Wiccan, and I am blessed.
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