Something Pagans Need To Know About Volunteer Emergency Response Efforts

Almost two years ago, I attended a state-run critical incident response training event over on the Peninsula along with a plethora of Christian chaplains. All of us were offered continuing education credits that qualified us to counsel people in times of deep crisis. An issue of concern arose for me when this government-funded group repeatedly promoted one religion; exclusively. I realized, after hearing many public prayers to a deity that not even the Jews acknowledge (as the son of their deity) that many citizens in our communities would not feel comforted by having a devout Christian attempting to counsel them; especially not if they were already enduring some serious environmental crisis. (Indigenous cultures, for one example, have historically been grossly oppressed by the Christian communities.)

Naturally, I asked the trainers why there was no representation (on this state level) from other religious communities. There were no Jewish leaders, nobody from the Muslim faith. No Atheists or agnostics. As far as I could tell (and classroom discussion seemed to confirm this) I represented the only alternative religion there.

The Christian chaplains obviously saw no issue with this -- not even after I explained that the communities we live in and serve are very diverse. Disregarding anything I had to say on the topic, the chaplains kept insisting they were open-minded enough to counsel anybody.

Meanwhile, they kept offering up their public prayers and one particularly vocal chaplain cornered me at break time. He told me a story I will never forget. Seems he had met a Wiccan {just once}!

His story droned on to sadly explain that the witch refused to give him entry into her house when he responded to an emergency call that he had heard over the fire station's radio. "I'm sorry you had a negative experience," I admitted, sincerely. Then the chaplain went on to explain that the woman was a total nut-job who had just killed her mother. {That story clearly defined what he thought about Pagans.}

While many different stories of Christian ministers who molest children came to my mind, I bit my tongue and excused myself from divulging such undesirable information. After all, it would not have helped me make friends in that environment. Meanwhile, my experiences were to the point where I realized that I had better start a revolution. That's why I began making contact with the governing powers that be and learned they would welcome outside groups with open arms. I’m hoping, desperately, that we as Pagans can work together as one unit in this regard. To form a phone tree, an email broadcast effort perhaps – just get better connected with one another to show we really do care about our community.

This really is a powerful opportunity to put our Pagan community in the municipal limelight. This Thursday is the first opportunity that’s arisen for showing up as a group. This is why I began sending out announcements to my community a few weeks ago. I'm asking for participation in a collective effort. I hope, if you cannot attend Thursday’s meeting, that you will at least send me your contact information so you can be called and made aware of future opportunities to serve our communities during times of crisis.

Please let me know if you would like to be added to that list. United we will change the way we are seen by local governments. Divided we will falter and fail. Lets network and get better connected. Please feel free to forward this message to any party you feel would benefit from the sharing.

NOTE: If you cannot attend Thursday but want to be added to a Pagan Emergency Response list, please send that information to me at SunTiger@usa.com.

MEETING INFORMATION

WHAT: a meeting entitled "How Can You Help: Preparing for the Upcoming Flood Season" HOSTED BY: the City of Auburn & the White River Valley Community organizations Active in Disaster (COAD)

WHEN: Thursday, October 22 from 4-6 PM WHERE: Auburn City Hall, City Council Chambers, 25 W Main St. *Note: I’ve reserved spots for our forming group. YOU are invited.

Richest blessings, ~ SunTiger

Western Washington Pagans In Emergency Response

PUGET SOUND PAGANS UNITE for providing the local communities with emergency response and preparedness.

This Thursday there will be a meeting designed for faith/community and non-profit organizations comprised of individuals willing to volunteer for emergency response. SunTiger is an active Community Emergency Response Team (trained) member willing to connect the forming Pagan effort with all the necessary contacts and multiple resources that she currently has at her fingertips. It is imperative that anyone who attends the following event participates collectively as a group. Therefore please contact SunTiger and meet just BEFORE the event to sit collectively as a group.

Reminder of meeting date and time:

HERE's HOW To GET InVolved THIS coming THURSDAY!

WHAT: a meeting entitled "How Can You Help: Preparing for the Upcoming Flood Season"

HOSTED BY: the City of Auburn & the White River Valley Community organizations Active in Disaster (COAD)

WHEN: Thursday, October 22 from 4-6 PM

WHERE: Auburn City Hall, City Council Chambers, 25 W Main St.

This meeting is designed for faith/community and non-profit organizations (not for individuals wanting to attend or volunteer on their own) therefore it is imperative that we attend collectively as a group. Contact SunTiger@usa.com if you need more info.

WHY PARTICIPATE?

* learn how we as collective Pagans can be of assistance during the upcoming flood season and to learn how to properly interface with the city's Emergency OperationsCenter in other times of disaster.

* a whole variety of volunteer opportunities will become available (opportunities for answering phones and giving evacuation advice to staffing heated meeting locations on the coldest days of winter to delivering sandbags as needed or -- should a large earthquake/volcano hit -- search and rescue work).

TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS IMPORTANT GROUP ACTIVITY: contact SunTiger: SunTiger@usa. com, 253.561. 3444

Goal: To become part of a Pagan group working to ease suffering during times of disaster . . .

[So far, only Christian groups have been participating -- it's time to step forward and

help better represent the diverse population being served]]

Stonehenge - Maryhill, Washington

Yesterday a couple of friends, Doug and I drove to Stonehenge in Maryhill, Washington. The drive took about four hours each direction. As you can see from the photos, the trip was well worth it! {Click on any photo to enlarge it.}

Here I am . . . looking pretty small by comparison to the artwork.

Check out these incredible views from just outside the monument!

How pertinent that Stonhenge (important to the Celtics with all their Earth-based spirituality) that Earth-friendly windmills dot the local hillside to generate CLEAN electricity.

Here's my Dougabuggins! . . .

The following photos were taken outside the Maryhill Museum . . .

ROAD TRIP: To Stonehenge, Washington (state)

Most of you are very familiar with Stonehenge, or what is now left of it, in England.

I'm now planning a full day's road trip with a gal pal and our mates. We're traveling to see the cement remake of the above pictured Stonhenge; located here in Washington state.

In honor of the Druid traditions [since many believe the ancient Celts and Druid Priests build the famous structure in England] we will be performing a ritual when we arrive.

While Washington's stonehenge was built for an entirely different reason than for Celtic magic (Washington's version serves as a memorial for all World War I veterans killed) the remake, which is a cement structure, is built to the exact scale of England's Stonehenge.

I have lived in Washington state for most of my life and this will be the first time I get to see it. While I'd prefer to be seeing the actual stones of Stonehenge, in England, this trip is going to serve as a much more convenient and affordable alternative.

In preparing for the upcoming ritual, I was searching for some Goddess chants and came across the following very fun website with some very familiar and other not-so-familiar chants and songs. Enjoy!http://www.witchscauldron.net/cauldron/chants.htm

Below is a picture of Washington's Stonehenge (click photo to see it in its original context)

Happy Mabon: For The Norse? "Last Harvest"

Happy Mabon! Today, Tuesday September 22, 2009, is celebrated historically as the "Last Day of Harvest For The Year." That's according to Norse traditions where this day is celebrated a bit like a Thanksgiving feast with fall decorations and good food. For NeoPagans? This day is referred to as "Mabon." Both daylight and darkness now consume an equal number of hours in this day's 24-hour cycle.

For our ancestors, this blot usually involved the collection of fruit (such as grapes) and honey to brew mead and wine. Considered a minor holiday, most of the new fermented drinks would be set aside for the larger festival at Midwinter, for Winternights and Yule.

Naturally, as with most Pagan holidays, there's a Christianized version of this event. The Medieval church declared that this Pagan harvest should be celebrated on September 25th and Priests relabeled it "Michaelmas" in honor of another one of their saints.

{Click on today's beautiful borrowed image to enlarge and see it in its original context}

For more information on Mabon:

• Here's ideas that Pumpkins and Toadstools recommended for "going on a walk and scavenging objects," etc. http://pumpkinsandtoadstools.blogspot.com/
• For an awesome CRAFT project (where you can find detailed instructions for making a cinnamon altar candle) visit Faeriely Odd Witches blog at http://faerielyoddwitches.blogspot.com/
• Want to know more about the history of Mabon? Read Beyond The Fields We Know at http://kerrdelune.blogspot.com/
• Got kids? Here's a fall apple-art project they might enjoy making to celebrate the fall season: Granny Smith (wrinkly old apple-heads) http://wondertime.go.com/create-and-play/article/granny-smith.html
  

Bessie Smith: Singing The Pagan Blues

Listen for the line: "you get a rabbit's foot to keep a waving hoodoo" (and more)

About the Artist: Blues Diva Bessie Smith was a powerful woman who lived a hard and fast lifestyle. She had a big, brassy and outspoken personality. "There ain't nothing I can do, or nothin' I can say, that folks don't criticize me," she said,... "But I'm going to do just as I want to anyway."

Bessie Smith became one of the worlds greatest performers: she was one of the most successful entertainers in the roaring 1920's. A car crash took her life at age 39. {{Feel the emotion in her song; below}}

Very Lucky Indeed

I have been so very lucky shopping at thrift stores and estate sales lately. Today I found two fancy and engraved daggars, a shadow-box displaying the Egyptian Pantheon and much more. May you, dear reader, also feel so lucky . . .

Beyond throwing salt over your shoulder (to dispel negativity) and more than just making a batch of "lucky rice" [see previous posting of that recipe, here at Cybercoven.blogspot.com] there are MANY "luck" recipes available on the web.

Meanwhile . . . many different herbs can also be used for generating luck.

St. John's Wart feels like a very lucky herb for me (it also can keep depression at bay when taken regularly as a medicine).

More on Goddess Sekhmet

My statue of Goddess Sekhmet (solar deity who often appears with the head of a lioness) arrived in the mail today. That inspires me to study her mythology even further and so I've just learned she is the younger sister of Isis (both of the above mentioned powerful Goddesses were born to Sky-Goddess Nut and to their snake-headed father: Geb).

Turns out, Isis is the eldest of the two.

Sekhmet's breath proved hot as the noon-day sun and she could breath fire into the arrows with which she hunted those who rebelled against her Father's kingdom.

Some sources claim she birthed Nefertem (as other Goddesses are also depicted as being his mother); the perfume deity. Some sources also claim Sekhmet is both mother and sister to Bast (domestic cat goddess; daughter of the creator God: Amun Ra). Yet other sources completely deny any familial connection between the two cat goddesses. Sekhmet was a Lion-Goddess of Upper Egypt, Bast was the domestic Cat-Goddess of Lower Egypt

Sekhmet - Powerful Healing Protectress

A friend of mine introduced me to Egyptian Goddess Sekhmet recently. Multiple resources say her name means: "She Who Is Powerful." Depicted as a lioness - you can imagine how the dessert-dwelling people feared her (as lions can cause great carnage when needed for self defense and lions are one of the greatest hunters known on earth).

I found her statue/likeness on sale through eBay (am waiting for it to arrive). What a great protectress she would prove to be! You can imagine a lion might make the most loving mother figure with the most healing and attentive care provided.

Interestingly, this great Lioness rules over all healers (can be called upon for assistance when caring for the infirmed). She also has the ability to destroy -- can send disease or pestilence to those who threaten or cause her displeasure.

Identified as daughter of Sun-God Ra, her popularity transplanted Horus worship (oddly enough). Horus, if you remember, is the falcon-god; son of Goddess Isis.

Happy Lithasblot (Norse Holiday) July 31-Aug1

Never heard of Lithasblot? It is a harvest festival celebrated from July 31- August 1 in honor of the bountiful Earth Mother (aka "Urda" or "Ertha").

A "Blot" represents an offering made to the gods. It can take the form of animal, food, or other goods. In Norse rituals, the people accept and eat the offering. Therefore, a feast is usually associated with a Blot.

During Lithasblot, celebrants bake loaves of bread in the shape of the Sun-wheel (aka "Fylfot"/the symbol shown) and celebrants also give thanks for the harvest which will sustain life through the coming winter months. The abundance is shared with all (alms for the poor are distributed to the less-fortunate directly in the form of money and food).

Incredible Find: HexCraft!

While touring New York City, I found a copy of

HexCraft: Dutch Country Magick (Paperback)

by Silver RavenWolf (Author). The book I happened upon sold for merely $1.00!

How incredible/lucky/magickal is that! I will definitely be doing a review here in a few days . . . so much to do and read. :D

Have any of you read this book? What did you think?

Happy MidSummer! {Pagan Jokes/Pagan Bumperstickers}

Sorry I did NOT post information for CyberCoven's ritual this month. (My father-in-law passed away on Friday and with so many funeral preparations I barely made it to the Public Ritual I organized).

Here's some laughter to make up for lost time. {{Since nobody takes credit for writing these beauties . . . no credit is available to be given.}}

Q: What is a witch's favorite snack?
A: PAN pizza

Q: What's a witch's favorite subject in school?
A: SPELLing

Q: How many Druids does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: They don't screw in light bulbs, they screw in stone circles.

Q: How many Druids does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Thirteen; one to hold the bulb, and twelve to drink enough to make the room spin.

Q: How many Witches does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Depends on what you want to change it into

Q: How do you get a nun pregnant?
A: Dress her up as an altar boy. {MMMMmmmmkay. So that one's REALLY bad.}

Bumper Stickers:
*If you can't change your mind, are you sure you still have one?
* If Ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy?
* Misspellers of the world, unit!

The following is a very fascinating documentary of so-called Witches . . . many
modern-day innocent civillians accused without a trial - are being held without cause or
evidence. {Thank goodness for the civil rights laws offered in America}

Ever Hear of Echidna In Greek Mythology?

THE MOTHER OF ALL MONSTERS.
While doing some research on Cerberus (the three-headed dog) I learned that the Greeks believed all beasts, including that triple-canine just mentioned, were born of Echidna: that half-nymph pictured (see her womanly torso and snake-like lower limbs).

Can you just imagine all the frightening stories this character represents for writing children's stories?

What sort of characterization would you write -- if you were to tell this creatures story?

In relation to magick -- and the whole yin/yang principle of balance -- it's easy to see from Echidna how she could represent that which we adore about ourselves and that which we'd prefer to shed faster than a snake leaves its old skin.

As the Sun reaches its fullest potential here in the Northern Hemisphere during this month of June, it might be a good time to do a little honest self reflection: to at least know WHY we make the decisions we make to do and act as we choose (while the sun shines brightly; illuminating ALL that would otherwise be hidden).

Gentle Reminder:
Next Full Moon Is 2009 June 7 18:13 {This Sunday}. What do you want to improve about your life?

The Earth Is Our mOtHeR

I am utterly swamped with rituals this Saturday (I'm leading a Shamanic Journey for the Women's Spirituality group and another full blown ritual for the Pagan Sabbat/Full Moon event on May 9th). I'm hoping at least ONE CyberCoven member here will leave a comment about what they hope to do in their personal ritual work this weekend.

Saturday, May 9th is our next Full Moon date. What are your plans?

I'm focusing on Earth: Gaia's living and breathing skin (aka "soil") really needs our help so I'm asking participants of the Full Moon Ritual to gather a 1-3 pound stone; in a respectful manner. The goal is for all participants to bring a stone and together we will charge the stones, create a big vortex to experience the energy shift for helping heal the Earth Mother.

Naturally -- I do a whole lot of habitat restoration work (practical stuff) with the ongoing volunteer work I do . . . but our planet needs us on a spiritual/energetic healing level as well.

PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE SOIL this Saturday. Perhaps you will choose to pick up garbage along some trail that you walk, add organic compost to the yard, or otherwise do something in the way of being a blessing to Gaia.

Here's a beautiful song: "The EArth iS oUr mOtHer" (Which makes a really good backdrop for ritual this Saturday).

Will You Be Dancing Around The May Pole This Friday?

Dancing around the phallic Maypole is just one way to celebrate the fertility aspect of Spring ("May Day" is known as "Beltane" to most Witches) . I remember back when I was a child -- about three hundred million-trillion-gadzillion years ago now -- when I attended grade-school in Seattle. My kindergarten, first and second grade teachers all asked (in subsequent years) the students to weave "May Day" baskets from construction paper strips. The baskets were for holding whatever wildflowers we'd pluck later on.

The idea was to fill those baskets with whatever flowers we found and to take one to any of a number of neighboring front doors. We'd hang a flower basket on the door knob from it's paper handle. Otherwise we'd rest the flower basket on the stoop before ringing the doorbell. Then, before the residents could open the door to discover who was there, we would run really fast to hide (so their hand-crafted gift would be received anonymously.)

It was such a blessed thing to do as a child. I remember hiding in bushes giggling as one Caucasion neighbor-lady in particular found my basket each year and acted so very animatedly surprised.

As I study Scandinavian and Norse mythology I realize these seeming "rituals" of spring date way back . . . and I feel saddened to think they seem to be going by the wayside now. At least -- I haven't heard of any local children passing out May baskets to anyone; not since I did it in the second grade.

Have you heard of such a seasonal ritual??? Ever???

Many of us have felt the huge energetic shift in response to the economy -- not to mention seasonal and social changes as immigration and migration for jobs continues to change what our neighbors and friends tend to look like (and I'm not just talking abut haggard stares).

My hope is that you, dear CyberCoven member, will do something FUN on Beltane. Leap over a small bonfire or weave a paper basket to fill with wildflowers (and give it to a loved one). The death-grip of winter is now over. SPRING IS HERE!

Let's celebrate!
~ SunTiger

Walpurgis (Norse Festival Of Darkness) Ap22-May1

Sometimes I forget how the herb Peppermint (which grows fluently in my garden) came from a wild-growing plant. Thanks to our ancestors -- who lived when "traditional" medicine was not available -- herb knowledge was aquired to help them to survive disease and our existence became possible. I wonder how much of this history do herbs remember (on a cellular level).

While I walk in my yard -- which now blooms with Spring flowers, the Sun seems to be wooing the Earth with kisses: "Wake-up Earth! The cold winter is now over."

While I think of my ancestors, I wonder what their back yards looked like 100 years ago or longer; especially the ones that lived way up north where there might still be some snow on the ground.

For those familiar with Norse Mythology, today begins Walpurgis, the festival of darkness. Historically, this holiday has been celebrated for nine nights: April 22 to May 1, to symbolize the nine days and nights that Odin hung upside down on Yggdrisal - that tree of life. The "Hanged Man" Tarot card seems to remember Odin's sacrifice as well -- because the Hanged Man card symbolizes willingly sacrificing something for a greater cause (as Odin willingly sacrificed his physical comfort for knowledge).

On the ninth day of suffering, Odin saw the runes and died. Then, that midnight, he is reborn (and the Norse Pagans celebrate that hour, where we benefited from so much of Odin's wisdom, by building bonfires. The flames were fueled to keep chaotic spirits away and to honor the dead; especially Odin).

May 1 is also celebrated as Beltane. I wonder -- what do YOU (Cyber Coven Member) plan to do in celebration as May approaches?

Full Moon Ritual, Thursday, April 9, 2009

(Thursday, April 9, 2009).
The moon is in Libra (balance -- more on that, below) and the Sun is in Aries (the ram: symbolic of natural born leaders/climbers).

According to the Farmer's Almanac: Tonight's Full Moon is named "Pink Moon." The name evolved from the earliest widespread spring ground-cover-herb called "moss pink" (pictured).

Since I will be leading out in a Tribal Healing Ceremony this coming Saturday (Public Ritual) I'm thinking rosy-pink thoughts and figured tonight's full moon ritual will focus on welcoming back the healing energies affiliated with Spring -- including that great and Radiant Sun, which heals our bodies from the inside out (as the returning strength of the Sun also rewards our flesh with its golden radiance and fills our souls with gladness).

Shake off that winter cold and rejoice -- for more Sun will be upon us as the great Stag in the sky matures from being a fresh-young-buck toward a strong and powerful steed by summertime

As the book: Witches Spell-A-Day Almanac so pointedly reminds us: This full moon (and any reflective moon, for that matter) resonates with the great Sun's energy. Just as Goddess Moon pulls the tides, so She also lures the Sun to her bosom -- reflecting His rays -- and thus day and night are mirrored together every time we gaze upon Her.

This particular night's moon is in Libra -- meaning now's a time to for maintaining balance with imagery of Libra's judicial scales offered as a visual reminder. Some astrological sites currently warn against the Sun being in Aries because that makes pushy people act even more socially unaware (hold your ground for maintaining emotional equilibrium amidst impulsive, spontaneous and headstrong people).

FOR TONIGHT'S RITUAL
One really HEALTHful practice (for healing your life) is to write down an affirmation. {{Need affirmation ideas to get this healing process started? See SunTiger MOJO's Affirmation Page.}}

Collect 25 stones and two empty bowls. Ask each stone you collect to help you in the healing process. Then place all 25 stones into one of the bowls. Each time you state your affirmation out-loud, take one stone from the first bowl and place it into the second (previously empty bowl). When all stones have been moved, your task is complete for the day and ready for you to begin the affirmation cycle again the next morning.

OTHER HEALING IDEAS:
Burn a blue candle for healing. Annoint that candle with a calming herb such as chamomile or some other herb affiliated with your particular healing goals (e.g., dandelion is good for the kidneys, Milk Thistle for the liver, Yarrow to slow menstruation or stop bloody noses, Ginko biloba to improve memory, etc.).

When you anoint any candle begin at its middle and draw the oil outward (toward the top and then, alternatively toward the bottom). Visualize your goals as you do your anointing work.

As you light your candle, state your request! Ask your deity of choice to empower your spell.

Papa Legba -- Is That You Tapping MY Shoulder?

We all have objects, sounds and smells that create an emotional response in us. The topic of this entry might elicit some stirring within. Meanwhile, I've been feeling this metaphysical tapping on my shoulder today and someone is seriously wanting to be acknowledged. I am acutely aware of the Voodoo Loa . . . thus I make this posting.

We all need some quiet time of withdrawal (every now and again). Perhaps this story will give you something to ponder the next time you're alone.

At times when a person is NOT talking to spirits, she can feel "at peace" although she is not permitted to speak great words of wisdom during that time because it is the season of quiet recuperation and introversion.

Only later -- after strength has returned from such reprieve -- can the mystic speak again to relay new ideas and sell them to others. That's about the extent of my limitations (as a psychic). A Voodoo psychic, however, would have much more than just her level of energy and physical endurance to consider.

Because of the tapping on my shoulder -- I present what might be a new idea to you if you're used to only studying Caucasian, Egyptian or Middle Eastern deities -- even while this deity has been around for centuries. {{Note: I never anticipated, not in a million years, that I would ever be posting such a phallic image.}}

Let me introduce Papa Legba (Legba Ati-Bon) who is Voodoo's gatekeeper to the spirit world.
According to tradition, Voodoo practitioners cannot talk to any deity or spirit ancestors unless they first ask Papa Legba's permission. After he grants them the right, there's additional Loa (spirit hierarchy) to grant more permission before a spirit closer to the family gene pool, such as her dearly departed great aunt Edna, has access to family members.

Many altars have been built in Papa Legba's honor and he deserves honor beyond the fact that he is the guardian of the crossroads. Similar to Odin in Norse Mythology, especially in the way that Odin brought his people the Nordic Runes, Legba introduced his tribes to the oracles and taught them how to interpret such. In any given Vodoun ceremony, Legba is always the first deity to be called to participate because he is the highest honored and no self-respecting Loa is going to talk to you (or attend your party) without you carrying Legba's permission slip.

Goddess Symbols {More} by SunTiger

Symbols come in very handy for all root-and-spell workers. Personally -- Symbols help ME meditate and do positive energy work!

This first symbol, the "Tiet" (pictured left, also spelled "Tyet") is also called an "Isis knot." Since "Knots" are used to bind magic -- this might be a great knot to learn how to tie.
As a hieroglyph, the Tiet seems to resemble the famous Ankh affiliated with all Egyptian deity, except the ankh's arms are fully extended out to either side while the Tiet's arms droop down.

The second symbol, pictured in black and white, represents the Greek Goddess Hecate (Wise Woman -- the Triple Goddess). The middle circle of Her symbol seems to emphasize the moving aspect of the yearly wheel (changing cycles/cogs going round and around) while the three outward prongs seem to symbolize the Triple Goddess -- or her three aspects: maiden, mother and crone.

Next is the symbol "Triskelion" which is identifiable by three interlocked bent lines; often presented as human legs bending at the knee (seemingly running). I mention this symbol as it relates to Goddess worship. It is visually similar to the Spiral Goddess Triskele symbol, pictured in black & white, below. (Reportedly this symbol has been found in Irish Megalithic and Neolithic sites while the Triskelion with legs -- pictured in marble -- is from Sicily).

Lucky MOJO Rice (posted by SunTiger)

Pictured left, FEHU (Nordic rune for blessings and wealth)

This following recipe was originally posted by CuriousCurandera (http://curiouscurandera.blogspot.com) but it reminded SunTiger so much of Hoodoo recipes that she's added her personal touches to enhance the work. Instead of "Green Fixed Rice," this enhanced recipe is now "Lucky MOJO Rice" which you can purchase from any legitimate root-working or spiritual supply store (or make your own).

PREPARATION AHEAD OF TIME:
SunTiger STRONGLY recommends cleaning a home thoroughly before doing any "lucky rice" or energy work. Sweep negativity AWAY from the home simply by swinging the broom away from the house. To increase traffic (as toward a business) select a stimulating herb such as Peppermint or Ginseng and make a tea to use as a floor wash. To create a more peaceful atmosphere, select a calming herb for brewing your tea/floor-wash, such as Camomile or nutmeg.

LUCKY RICE RECIPE:
Many parts of the world affiliate rice with happiness. That’s why, historically, we threw rice after weddings (wishing the bride & groom good luck). Spiritual supply shops sell “lucky rice” or you can make your own!

The only way to create “lucky rice,” in the Hoodoo tradition, is to mix in some shredded cash. Trust me: cutting up even a one-dollar bill takes a LOT of personal self reflection -- which adds power to the lucky rice!

Therefore, while CuriousCurandera's recipe omits that part – SunTiger added it in along with Angelica -- a very strong protective herb to dispel any negativity.

LUCKY RICE INGREDIENTS:
• 1 cup of regular white rice.
• 5 TBSP of rubbing alcohol
• 1 TBSP of Holy Water (or water blessed by the full moon)
• One squirt of green food-coloring (may add more for a darker color).
• 1 TBSP of Angelica for protection
• 1 green bill: cut in very small pieces

Place all the above ingredients EXCEPT the cash into a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Once the green is evenly distributed, pour the rice out onto layers of paper towels or newspaper and spread it out to air dry. (Rubbing alcohol evaporates quickly but I’ve been known to place my rice on the lowest oven setting for 15 minutes when I’m in a hurry).

After your rice is dry . . . add the shredded cash!

IMPORTANT INCANTATION BEFORE USING:
Call upon your deity and ask them to awaken the power in your rice. For example:
“I call upon the power of the Goddess Isis, the four directions and the forces of the elements, to awaken the positive energies in this rice before me.” (For the Christian version, see CuriousCurandera's blog site)

When you’re finished, make a sign of the power over your Green Rice (SunTiger uses the pentacle for protection and the Fehu Rune, pictured, for drawing Nordic blessings) and your rice is then ready for use!

For Home (to attract good luck, peace and prosperity):
Stand outside the closed front door. Throw a small handful of your lucky rice at it. Sprinkle some under door mats or place some in a planter or open container near the front door.

For Your Wallet/Purse or Shoes: (attract money & w/SunTiger's recipe, be protected!)
Put some lucky rice inside!

For Your Mailbox/Phone: (to lure good news)
Sprinkle lucky rice in and around your mailbox. For receiving good news via a phone call, fold some inside your cellular phone (in the old days they’d put the rice inside the receiver).

For Enhancing Business (to attract investors and customers with money to spend)
Throw a small handful on business rooftop. Place some at the main entrance; as under the door-mats, in a planter or open container. Place some wherever money is kept (e.g., cash drawer, at the register, in the safe). Scatter it about your parking lot!

For a Lucky MOJO bag (to improve your general sense of well-being)
Sew a small bag from red flannel. Fill it with your Lucky MOJO Rice. You may also add other elements that are important to you (such as a lucky stone or amulet). Attach the MOJO bag to your belt or carry it in your purse.

Richest blessings to you all.
{Thank you, CuriousCurandera, for making your inspiring post!)

Why Online Psychic Readings Get Frustrating

To work as a psychic at the LivePerson virtual office -- the intuitive reader must exercise SO MUCH patience if she's going to solicit work from the public boards. Below, I've cut and pasted an actual exchange (exactly as written -- only the client's ID has been changed to protect her identity). This information shows how hard we psychics must work doing the advertising, etc., often without a resultant "hire" on LivePerson. I wish this did not happen so frequently there . . . [I feel so thankful for DIRECT hires via eBay and through my website: SunTigerMOJO.com; where people are more honoring and willing to pay for an equal exchange (i.e., money for the information they seek). From: Drama Queen Date: 3/16/2009 10:25:02 PM I was wondering if anyone could tell me anything about an specific person that has been on my mind for that last few days. Sorry I don't have his DOB Any that could describe him would be a plus!!! Please no post and copys {She suggested paying $10 for the reading.} From: Mystic SunTiger Date: 3/16/2009 11:38:36 PM Drama Queen ~ * brown-haired male * younger than you * thinner build * average height I'd love to work with you but my lowest price is $33 (for obvious reasons, we get what we pay for as with psychic readings, energy is exchanged for energy). ~ SunTiger From: Drama Queen Date: 3/17/2009 11:32:16 AM Have I been on his mind like he's been on mine? From: Mystic SunTiger Date: 3/17/2009 12:19:33 PM For the fully detailed and personalized love forecast you may hit your hire button. I will offer a timely reply with all the information you seek.

RESULT: Drama Queen (like so many others who have posted on LivePerson's public boards before her) withdraws her questions once she realizes not even psychics can afford to work for FREE. My goal, in posting this, is to build stronger business relationships with all people. I'd like to raise the bar between client and psychic-intuitive exchanges.

SIDE NOTE TO CYBERCOVEN MATES: Next Full Moon Ritual happens Thursday, April 9th. Be thinking about what sort of goals you would like to accomplish. Send me a message at SunTiger@usa.com (and I will research spell options for that goal) or suggest your own ritual ideas.

Keeping Fresh Herbs Fresh

Since spell and root-workers often cook with herbs, I thought the following link might prove VERY helpful for storing fresh herbs long (helping them stay fresh in the refrigerator).

How to Store Parsley, Cilantro, and Other Fresh Herbs: trim the stems, stand them in a jar of water, cover lightly w/plastic.

by Elise from "Simply Recipes"

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/007215how_to_store_parsley_cilantro_and_other_fresh_herbs.php

Pagan Books SunTiger's Selling From Her Stacks

ISBN-13: 9780760723593 Spells to Attract Wealth and Abundance (Hardcover) selling for $5.99

ISBN 087542791X To Ride A Silver Broomstick: New Generational Witchcraft [Paperback] selling for $5.97 [It has this purple cover, not the boring black cover now featured on Amazon.com].


ISBN 1-56718-554-1 Teen Witch Kit by Silver RavenWolf [Paperback] selling for $ 5.97





ISBN 0-7387-0172-6 This brand new book retails for: $12.95/US $20.50/CAN The Sacred Round by Elen Hawke. I already had a copy so am selling it new for $7.91
New. Binding very tight.

Also selling: ISBN 1-85675-224-0 Retail: $14/.95 The Healing Energies of Magnets by Roger Coghill. Sell for $6.69. Brand new.

In Summoning A Ghost {Submitted by SunTiger}

The following poem/excerpt is taken from The Crones Book of Words, by Valerie Worth, ISBN 0-87542-891-6, page 99.

In Summoning A Ghost

For conversation
With the dead,
Attend to ceremony;
Avoid the grave's
Annoyance, speaking
Always gently:

Earth, bone,
And winding sheet
Let this spirit
Come to me --
Yet send it
In peace
Or not at all

If it come,
It should be offered
White wine,
Not red;
and knelt to,
From pity.

A God Named Heaven {by SunTiger}

Pictured left is the Roman Goddess Fortuna.

I am always amazed by how MUCH Christianity "borrowed" from previously existing religions and village practices. Before your eyes roll to the back of your head as you groan: "I've heard that already," I thought I might share a story that I had never heard before I read it in a book called Greek and Roman Mythology VENUS.

According to Roman and Greek mythology Heaven is the oldest god who ever lived. Chaos gave birth to him. Heaven mated with Earth and many of their offspring were giants. Some were one-eyed cyclopes. Other children exhibited 150 hands.

With deformed offspring like that, you'd think they'd give up trying to reproduce after a while. Instead, Heaven merely locked up his Cyclops children (perhaps because he was sick of looking at that lone eye in the middle of their foreheads).

Thus you have the ORIGINAL story of Heaven and Earth.

Full Moon Ritual, Tuesday, March 10 {by SunTiger}

This Tuesday night, as we stand before our respective altars, we cast the circle because it is crucial for our most powerful spell-work.

Before we do that, however, there's a little preparation work to do. Today, on March 9, the moon enters into the phase of modest, intelligent and shy Virgo (the virgin). The Sun, obviously, is in imaginative and sensitive Pisces (the fish). So there you have the combined accommodating sort of energy that's available to us on this full moon ritual night.

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, March's full moon is called the "spring Moon" but it is also known as the "Full Worm Moon." That's because: "The ground begins to soften and earthworm casts reappear, inviting the return of robins. This is also known as the Sap Moon, as it marks the time when maple sap begins to flow and the annual tapping of maple trees begins."

As the weather keeps changing dramatically (one day it feels like summer, the next day it snows) here in the Pacific Northwest, I'm thinking of the Greek Goddess Hera (wife to Zeus/pictured) who is in charge of the the weather and changing seasons. She rules over every other aspect of existence as well. In fact the Milky Way reportedly spurts from her breasts. (It might be good to call upon her as you do your spell-work for those reasons, alone -- this Spring Moon night).

So here's how we let the "sap" flow as we woo Hera as though she were the virgin of Virgo, in order that she will take favor on us and grant our spell-wishes:
In Tarot wisdom, Hera is depicted on the "Lovers" card. There Zeus coerced Paris into deciding which Goddess was the most desirable: Hera (aka "Juno"), Athena or Aphrodite (aka "Venus"). Being a young and potent male, Paris chose Aphrodite due to her sexual alluring.

To Do: Gather: A writing utensil and paper for your spell-work. Look at the "Lovers" Tarot card (if you don't have a deck, you may click on the above underlined word for an image).

{Coven Mates: inquire of your pendulum if this "love letter" is most optimal for you to write. I guarantee -- if you are wise in spell-work and are open to receiving Hera's blessings -- that you will "get" that Hera would LOVE for you to perform the following task for her.}

Write a love letter to Hera. Explain why Paris should have have chosen Her before you conduct your spellwork. Then, as you do your full moon ritual -- when you ask Hera to bless your work -- you will already be in her favor.

Here's a few things I will be writing: Hera is:

• More beautiful & Gorgeous than even Aphrodite (sorry Aphrodite, but I'm so over the need to lure strange young men into my bed)
  
• Very relationship-oriented; and that's a powerful attribute!
• Physically fit. You kept Zeus busy on his honeymoon for 300 years.
• Magickal & resourceful: you restore your virginity annually by bathing in the sacred spring called "Kanathos."
• You are so alluring even Zeus, God Supreme, seeks refuge in your lap!
  

Calendula Does The Haunted Hula {By SunTiger}

I know this blog entry is going to sound a little creepy and bizarre. I don't care. I purchased the Marigold (Calendula) seeds, pictured left from an "Heirloom" seed-seller on eBay.

When I first opened the package, I SWEAR these seeds were wiggling around like worms gone wild. I could not believe my eyes. It was like some sort of freakish omen.

Then I saw something else in the manila mailer-package and lo-and-behold it was pushy religious propaganda (a pamphlet) promoting a monotheistic religion in the most offensive and threatening sort of way; preaching hell and damnation.

Do I think the seller had some sort of bad intent toward my eBay store "SunTiger MOJO?" Psychically, I "get" this seller does not USUALLY put monotheistic crap in other people's packages (the seller's feedback suggests the same).

Something I've been exploring for a while, even consulting with other psychics about it, is the reality that people can perform black magick without even realizing it. Some Native American tribes teach that it's dangerous to harbor any ill will toward anyone (or entertain negative thoughts about someone) because of the likelihood of causing tangible harm. In the Middle East they believe in the "evil eye" where someone, just by harboring jealous thoughts, can create harm for the person they envy.

As a psychic -- who understands deeply that every thought generates energy -- I totally buy into the idea that ill-intended thoughts create really bad juju. This is why the Law of Attraction receives so much credit for making benefitial change in the lives of New Thought practitioners. This is why Pagans have always aligned their intent with their emotions (to manifest some desired magickal goal or otherwise generate positive change).

May you, dear Coven-Mate, pay attention to your thoughts and regularly FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE to create the best possible reality for your near and distant future.

Richest blessings,
SunTiger

P.S. To join CyberCoven, merely send an email to SunTigerMOJO@yahoo.com. State your intention to participate by leaving a comment on this site at least once per month. We also post monthly ritual ideas here and expect CyberCoven members to participate. Send your blog URL and we will link to you after you join.