Appalachian Pagan Alliance newsletter Sept. 2003
APPALACHIAN PAGAN ALLIANCE
SEPTEMBER 2003 newsletter
EDITRESS: Ginger Strivelli
HAPPY EQUINOX to Y'all! We of the APA are getting ready for
the busy Samhain, Harvest, then Yuletide seasons, and
have been planning our events for the season.
We have also much enjoyed our usual Daily net working
'chit chat' on the yahoogroups list, as it is so
refreshing to have such a sense of community and
connection with our Pagan peers daily in that way.
We have discussed a wide varied range of topics this
month on the list as usual…had a few heated debates
also as usual, and been a bit silly at times,
and strayed on topic even every now and then
to discuss religion, magic, and such…again
with the as usual.
FROM OUR BOOK OF SHADOWS;
---------RITUAL 101 By Marcia Tillison
Please remember this is VERY basic and is an all purpose set up.
Not all groups or traditions are going to do everything
in exactly the same way or for the same reasons.
I was CUUPS trained, which means it’s as eclectic as
it gets. Our goal was to make sure that no one was
offended, that everyone’s physical restrictions were
observed, that we kept to the purpose of the Circle
and that as many people as possible had a positive
experience.
----Set Purpose: What is the purpose of the Circle?
This will determine everything! Think carefully
and attempt to stay focused. Whatever you do, do
NOT pick something that is a huge task to work on
for your first attempt. A simple full moon gathering
of thanks is a good always a good start.
----Guests: Who do you want to invite to join you?
----Pick your space: You don’t really need too much
room with a small group. Your Living Room will do.
It’s always nice to be able to clear the center of
whatever space you choose. Whenever you are
working on this you should also decide whether you
wish for everyone to stand or sit. If you want to
sit then you need to figure enough room for the
chairs. You’ll also need enough room for the
small altars and/or center altar.
---Time for set up!: Clear your room.
This is a good time to also “cleanse” your space.
I’ve always liked to do that before anyone else comes
into the room and I have a bit of quiet time to walk
around and spritz and wave the nice smells and sweep
and chant. It makes for a nice moment of focusing.
Here’s the part where you start to think about trads
and such. If you do set up small altars you are going
to want to set up possibly a small center altar and
Quarter tables. Those can be on the floor or on
tables it doesn’t matter. Remember you are the
one doing the main energy work here so if you aren’t
working within a set mode then you must use whatever
you feel the most energy from.
---Choosing what is on your altars: That is entirely
up to you! I’ve been something we called “The Man Circle”
where they put pictures of Keanu and Johnny Depp on
altars to make the women happy (which by the way
worked very nicely indeed). Some people honor
Totem animals, some honor elements, for some it is
color and aroma only. Part of the altar set up can
also be a decision as to whether you include your
“cakes and ale” inside of the Circle and make it an
integral part of our Circle. I’ve done them both ways.
---(Time to finish those last touches, take a deep
breath and invite your attendees in and lead them to
the places you have chosen for them.)
---Time for you entrance: Here again the way you
enter a Circle can depend on the Tradition you
follow or the energy you wish to promote. The
standard is for the facilitator to enter in at
one point of the outer circle and walk or cast
your circle in a Doesil direction. You can hold a
wand, a athame, a candle, incense, raise your arms..
whatever you are most comfortable with. As you walk
you can picture a light or flame or colored swirl
enclosing your friends and family in a safe space
to begin your work.
---The Circle begins: Now that you are in a safe
space, you can call your Quarter, Triads, etc.
This is a place that you may have your friends help out.
You could choose someone to stand at each altarplace
and “Call”. How that call is done is up to yourself
and them and the purpose of the Circle (remember you
were supposed to be focusing on that). After the
Quarters, Triads etc are called you can take your
place in the center and continue.
---The moment of truth: Purpose and manifestation.
As you stand in the center take a moment to breathe
and set your purpose in your mind. Let the energy
go round yourself and those gathered. Now you will
begin to speak. You can actually do spellwork, say
a prayer, talk of the Lord and Lady or whichever
Deity you are working with. (Note: Always remember
that your goal is to remember Deity when you are
in that center. You are the one relaying
that purpose and are the conduit of Deity energy.)
I’ve had people do the
most amazing Pagan sermons to remind us all of how
to care for one another during this time. As you
speak you can direct your attendees to begin to
manifest the purpose of the gathering. An easy
thing to do is to write on small pieces of paper
wishes, hopes, needs, and prayers. Whatever goes
with the purpose of the Circle.
---Here’s a bit that is interchangeable: After
you have struck the purpose of the Circle into
the hearts and minds of those gathered you may
chose to either raise energy OR share cake and ale.
I’ve seen it done either way to a wonderful effect.
When you do raise energy, my personal preference
includes music. drums, voices, canned music.. something.
I led one that I had everyone bring rattles too.
We moved and rattled and chanted.. It was very powerful.
I’ve been to a Circle where a guided meditation
and silence was used to raise the energy reminding
us all that moments of quiet can be as energizing
in our busy lives as any thing else. During energy
raising it is a perfect time to complete the
manifestation. Time to really concentrate and put
your energy into what you written or created.
It is up to the facilitator what will be done
with the writing or object that has been worked with.
Usual practices are to burn, sleep with, charge
up and take home. The ways to work with the object
is diverse. The common practice after an energy
raising is to ground the energy by lying down,
sitting down, somehow attaching your body to a
point closer to the ground. I like to sneak a bit
out of that and send it up and out and share it too.
When cakes and ale are served it is polite for the
facilitator to offer drink and a bite of food to
each participant. The common thing to say is
“may you never hunger” then “may you never thirst”,
not everyone says this, but it is important to
remember to say something kind and thoughtful
as you serve your guests.
---Time to close: Now you’ve all grounded, eaten,
taken a breath. Direct your guests to return to
their beginning positions in the Circle. Did you
have them take positions at altars? Did you have
them sit in chairs or stand at cross-quarters?
The way you begin the Circle is basically the way
you are going to end it, only in reverse order.
The facilitator can thank them all for attending
and remind them once again, very briefly of their
purpose there and what to take home with them.
At each of the smaller altars you will thank the
Deities, Elementals etc. for joining you and adding
their energies to your work, wish them well and say
goodbye. Open the Circle back up. You can walk
back around taking your energy back to yourself or
you can verbally open it. Let the guests know that
they may leave the Circle.
-----------------------------------------------
SACRED PLACES SECTION:
(A SHORT section this month due to Marcia's Long-windedness!)
Written By Ginger Strivelli
In Honor of the Harvest season, we need to remember that
any all gardens and farms are in deed holy ground and
sacred sites. They are Temples to Mother Nature's fertility.
Such as the Egyptian, Roman, and Greek Temples honoring
one's own motherhood, fertility, and child bearing called;
A Mammisi temple. Cleopatra had a famous elaborate
Mammisi built after the birth of her child. Hers
survived up until about 1900. These temples are sadly
almost extinct now, though some of us modern Pagan
Moms do have little household altar Mammisis. Thusly
we need to celebrate not only our own person
Mammisi, and those of the Goddesses, but also,
Mother Nature's Mammisi gardens and crop fields.
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