Your friendly Raven, Doc.

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For those of us who live in northern climates this festival makes a lot of sense.  It is COLD outside and has been for months.  The gray days make people tired and cranky.  The cost of heating our homes is expensive.  We have experienced ice, sleet, white out, car crashes, deaths due to lack of heat…..  While winter is wonderful, at this time of year it is beginning to become weary.  Conversations and thoughts turn to Spring.

We have a great divination method for determining how long we must wait for Spring…the beloved groundhog or woodchuck.  These wonderful creatures have the ability to see their own shadows and be frightened back into their dens for a few more weeks (more winter) or fail to see their shadows and agree to just stay out (Spring is on the way).  This is a paradoxical because it means that a bright sunny day equals more winter; where as a cloudy day equals warmer days to come.  I cannot explain the ways of the groundhog, it is one of the mysteries of the Divine we must just accept.

There are many other ways in which this holiday is celebrated.  Often there is the making or blessing of the candles which will be used throughout the year.  If you do not know how to make candles there are many different project instructions available on-line by Googling “candle making.”  While making the candles, focus your positive energy into them.

This is also a great day for baking.  It is cold out.  The smell and warmth of bread, cookies, or soup cooking in the home….  This is just good for everyone’s outlook on life.

Get going on the Spring Cleaning.  Prepare your home for the coming of the Spring and warmth.  It is a great time for it.  You can turn the heat down and work up a sweat getting those cobwebs and dust bunnies.  Finally, organize those closets after the holidays.  You know you are not going to want to do it once it is nice outside.  Once done, go through your home with some incense and bless it and those who live there.

Another activity is to make Brigid Cross’s or Sun Wheels.  This involves weaving grains or other items into a sectioned circles.  Some people gather to make huge ones and then light them and roll them down hills.  I caution this due to the likelihood of igniting local forests, homes, or friends.

A fun divination activity is to heat wax and then pour some into a bowl of water.  It will form shapes as it enters the water.  Everyone then tries to determine what the shape means.  A caution with this, melted wax is very hot and can burn.  Also be careful when melting the wax, use the double boiler.  I know it slow things down but wax can ignite and explode.  The ER is not a fun place to be.

Please feel free to share how you enjoy this holiday in the forums.  Warmest Blessings.

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This is not a Pagan/Wiccan related post but I feel the need to share.  Today, I sat with my 6-year-old son and watched our 44th president take the oath of office.  I attempted to explain events that were happening and point out key figures of this wonderful process.  He was so excited to realize that President Obama’s daughters will live in the White House with him.  He exclaimed “she is only one year older than me.  I want to live in the White House one day, but I want to be the President.”  He also generously invited me to live there with him.  We spent a few hours discussing everything that was happing this morning and the meanings behind it.  It was wonderful.  He is still chattering about what will happen when he is the President.  His first order of Presidency will be to make the rule “all children can do what they want no matter what.”  After he went back to playing, I realized that there are a whole new group of mothers having this same conversations with their sons and daughters today.  The Presidency has always been for Rich White Men.  It is still for the rich, but those of more modest beginnings, color to their skins, and all genders now see that it is obtainable.  What a wonderful day to realize that all children can do what they want no matter what, including being President of the United States of America…at least once they grow up.

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The Dark Side of Fey is a pagan podcast, brought to you by DarklyFey, who records the show from the red leather couch in Southwestern Ontario! The show is released every second Saturday and features a wide variety of topics including wicca, witchcraft, druidry, general paganism, spirituality & spiritual practices, divination, tarot, numerology, herbalism, pathworking, dieties from different pantheons, and pagan books, music and resources!

Fey is a 40 year old mom and long-time pagan who has studied paganism since her late teens. She considers herself a seeker first, and this is reflected in the way she peers curiously into all the dusty corners of world religion and mythology. She reads avidly and widely, and shares what she picks up from various sources with her loyal listenership.

You can listen to Fey for free on the iTunes music store, RSS feed, or directly from her website at darklyfey.com

As a Wiccan woman, one goal is that in a circle I will be able to be the body that houses the Goddess.  Part of our faith is that the Goddess resides in us always.

Then came the thought of the Rede.  “In that it harm none, do what you will.”  I am part of those who I am not to harm.  My weakness for anything with high fructose corn syrup and every other form of “-ose” is harming me.  It is not good for me.  The Goddess would want more for me.  Don’t I owe it to myself and my respect of the gift of life I was given to care for the body that houses me?

Next, came the thought of “Know Thyself.” Those wonderful words from the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.  If I keep private about what I do, I WILL cheat.  I will just keep wondering why I continue to be obese while sneaking Little Debbies on the way home from work.  So I am going to use the forums to keep me honest.  If I cheat I will post it.  If I follow a healthy diet, I will post that too.  Any others that care to join me are welcome.  Those sadists out there are welcome to watch the carnage.

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supporters will be able to be there to honor the life of a noble and energetic woman. She turned a personal tragedy into a cause that has helped pagan children and the cause of our pagan community.

The Complete address is : Bishop Park, 2701 Van Alstyne Blvd, Wyandotte, MI follow the link to google maps for more detailed driving instructions.

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How sad, how wonderful. For those of you who may not know, Denessa Smith has gone into the Summerland to be with her beloved daughter Tempest. Denessa devoted her life to the memory of her daughter,

Tempest, who was reviled and tormented in school because she was a Witch took her own life in 2001 and it was only after that that hundreds if not thousands of people joined with Denessa to perpetuate Tempest’s memory through the Tempest Smith Foundation http://tempestsmithfoundation.org/ assuring that other Tempests are not treated so cruelly.

Denessa fought bravely to live, but her body just couldn’t respond to the myriad of medical problems she developed after gall bladder surgery. Even with the magickal workings of many, many of her friends she was unable to prevail against the infections and continued drop in her blood pressure. Now she is gone from us, but awake.

There are so many issues that Denessa Smith’s life and death brings to mind. She fought against the hatred that many people inflict on magickal children. She fought against the injustice that Pagan people often face in their personal and work lives. She never wanted special privilege for magickal people, only equal treatment. It is sad that she will not see it manifest in her physical life.

There is another issue that concerns me about Denessa. She had a wonderful and faithful wife she shared her life with. I cannot image the loss that her wife feels now that so powerful a presence is gone. But we should be mindful of the discrepancies in our society regarding same-sex relationships. Was her wife able to make the same decisions on her behalf that any other married couples would be able to make? Did they have to have specific codicils to allow her to care for her lover the way that legally married couples can do as a matter of course? We need to think about this. Our society is hateful to gay couples and being silent about it only perpetuates that hatred.

Denessa championed her daughter’s cause and the cause of so many young Pagans. But Denessa was more than that. Her life was about equality and while her memory will be more focused on the Tempest Smith Foundation, let us not forget the other people in our Pagan and mundane society who are inflicted by the perverted “morals” of a dominate culture that will not let people be free and happy.

To my dear friend Denessa I send these words from the Pagan Book of Living and Dying….

O I can see the faces there - many ages, many colors-
as they gaze far away into the evening.
There are friends that I know and so many, many others,
and they’re eager for the journey to begin.
Some have come there with their loves, some have come alone;
they all embrace in the light and in the shadow.
And we say our farewells, with our arms around each other,
and you tell me I will see you again.
And you tell me I WILL see you again.

Well, I am happy for you then,
on your journey toward a new home,
but, when I wake, all that I know
is: you are gone.
And I can dream you in that place -
laughing, smiling, healthy, and strong,
but when I wake, all that I know
is: you are gone.
Some days, tears are all I have,
some days, anger and despair,
and sometimes, dreams are all I have
since you are gone.
You are gone.

So fly away, my love, on that violet ship of beauty,
fly away thought the night to the morning,
fly away, my love, on the silken, purple sails,
fly away through the darkness to the dawn.
Fly away into the night,
fly away into the stars,
fly away into the dawn,
to lovers’ arms.

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Sad to say we had to scrap the old website.  It was just not serving our needs.  If you are new to our web presence please register, sign up for the mailing list and enjoy.  If you are not new to the website please register, sign up for the mailing list (if you are not already on it) and enjoy.  We tried our best to keep most of the content we had on our old website, but we had to clear out the forums and the user log.  If you were a member of the old site you will still have to re-register in order to use the forums and comment on posts from the blog.  There are lots of new features comming soon. Please bare with us as we work out all the bugs.  If you find something you need help with or something that is not working please post on the forum about it and I will do my best to help you out.

With its gift of heat and light it is no wonder that the sun has been worshiped as a deity by hundreds cultures with many different myths and just as many different names. It can be argued that the sun was our first deity to be worshiped.  Without his emergence in the east every morning we could not survive.

• The Sumerians called him Shamash.  Shamash was tortured to bring light to humanity.
• The Egyptians called him Aten during their short lived monotheistic period.
• The Persians called him Mithras. He was worshipped in Mithraea, artificially constructed caves that represented his birth-cave. The ceiling looked like the starry sky and at the sides benches where placed for the ritual meals.
• The Romans called him Sol. and pretty much stole all their imagery and believes from the Greeks.
• The Greeks called him Helios - Each morning at dawn he rises from the ocean in the east and rides in his chariot, pulled by four horses through the sky, to descend at night in the west. He was represented as a youth with a halo, standing in a chariot, occasionally with a billowing robe. In early Christian art, Christ is sometimes represented as Helios, so not only the Roman pagans but the Roman Christians were borrowing from the Greeks. In all fairness they also called him Apollo so maybe they had enough sun gods to spread around.

Those are just the highlights, when I started to research this I found a website with over 100 names on it of sun gods and goddesses.

For thousands of years our ancestors have gathered together on this day.  Their purpose was to acknowledge the summer solstice.  On this day the sun blesses us with his presence for the longest time of the year.  If that isn’t a reason to celebrate I’m not sure what is.  We are pagans we celebrate everything.

So let us dance and raise us up some energy.  We are going to do a spiral dance to the tune of “You are my sunshine”  When singing think about the energy you want to channel and how you will choose to use it.  My son asked me to buy some Sunny Delight a little while ago, when I asked him why we needed sunny D he said and I quote “Because it’s made from the power of the sun”  How can I deny that, we went to the store and picked some up the next day. It is a season for growth and prosperity, use the power of the sun as your personal tool to guide your own growth and prosperity.

Cricket leads
Spiral Dance

We all sing - You are my sunshine
You are my sunshine
My only sunshine.
You make me happy
When skies are grey.
You’ll never know, dear,
How much I love you.
Please don’t take my sunshine away

By -Governor Jimmy Davis of Louisiana

Bring the circle back to a close.
Now that we are all full of the power of the sun lets talk about another aspect of Litha.  Fire, yes fire has been the means of celebrating mid-summer by countless societies.  And why not, it has the gift of light and the gift of heat.  Kind of like a mini earthbound sun right at our disposal.  Usually huge fires are set in honor of this occasion.  Today we are going to concentrate on the mini sun idea.  We are handing out your own personal mini sun.  When you get one I would like you to look at the flame, reflect on the things you would like to flourish.  Take the light in your heart and make those things happen.  When your done please extinguish your sun (blow it out).  You can keep your sun, bury your sun, or add it to the larger fire of the pit.

end announcements - food - donations

Close circle.

Relax into Alpha, tighten and relax the muscles. Take several deep cleansing breaths. Send roots into the Earth and draw energy up through the Chakras. Recite the charm, letting it build into energy as you do. Send out the energy. Then take your circle down.

The Armouring by Liafal (Druidic Version)

I gird myself with the Two Powers,

The Deeps of the World’s Chaos,

The Height of the World’s Order,

And I between them,

Like the World Tree.

I gird myself with the power of the

Magic Cauldron,

With the inspiration of the

Fire of Magic,

With Love to draw all good to me and mine.

I gird myself with the Power of the Spirits -

The might of the Shinning Ones,

The wisdom of the Ancestors,

The joy of the Elder Tribes,

All meet in my soul.

Today I gird myself

With the Elements of the World.

The stars behind my eyes,

My thoughts the clouds,

The Sun my face,

Cool Moonlight my mind,

My breath the wind,

The sea my blood,

My hair the green bounty,

My flesh the warm soil,

Eternal stone my bones,

All the world is in me,

And I am in the world

I gird myself with with my Goddesses’s power to direct me,

With my God’s wisdom to bear me up,

Their eyes to watch over me,

Their ears to hear me,

Their voices to speak to me.

Their hands to open my ways,

Their shield to ward me and those I love

From the snares of spirits,

From peril by land,

From peril by sea,

from peril by sky,

From all who wish me ill,

Far or near

Let theses powers be upon me and in me,

Upon my Tribe and in my Tribe

To make us equal to any challenge,

To come between us and all that threatens

Our bodies or our spirits,

That we may have the wisdom of the Wise,

The love of the Loving,

The power of the Powerful,

That we may be known, and with honor,

In the inner realms.

Know me, O Mighty, Noble, and Shinning Ones;

For my name is………

Power above me,

Power below me,

Power on my right hand,

Power behind me,

Power on my left hand,

Power before me.

In every eye, in every ear,

In every mouth, in every heart,

My magic is established.

I gird myself and my Tribe with ninefold magic;

The Fire, the Well, the Tree, the Land, the Sky, the Sea,

the Gods, the Dead, the Sidhe (”shee”)

Dwell with me and in me

With my Tribe and in my Tribe

Forever

So be it !

Share this with others:

]]> http://www.ravenscoven.org/2008/07/the-armouring/feed/ http://www.ravenscoven.org/2008/07/a-message-from-the-goddess/ http://www.ravenscoven.org/2008/07/a-message-from-the-goddess/#comments Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:27:11 +0000 Evermore Raven http://www.ravenscoven.org/?p=118 I saw this some time ago and it was titled “A Message From The Goddess”

It originated from the oratory of Epictetus a Roman born Greek Slave and Stoic. 55ad - 135 ad

I SHALL NOT CARRY YOU NOR HINDER YOU, NOR KEEP YOU FROM HAVING THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES AS MY OTHER CHILDREN. YOU ARE FREE AND SHALL NOT BE CODDLED LIKE BABES IN A STORM. IF YOU HAVE TRUE DEVOTION AND DESIRE THEN ANY OBSTACLE SHALL BE OVERCOME.

To start; a brief explanation of the name might shed a little light on what roads we might venture upon. Evermore is what I heard when, years ago I listened to a recording of Poe’s “Raven” I was certain that the line was “Quoth the raven evermore” some time later I saw a printed version and was so certain that what I had heard originally was correct, that I looked for another copy so I could point out the obvious printing error. Obviously I was wrong, still I thought that Evermore sounded quite correct, and would have written to Poe suggesting the change. Poe though had apparently left this world content with what he had written.

“and my soul from out that shadow that

lies floating on the floor

Shall be lifted-Nevermore.”

Shall be lifted-Evermore…(I still kinda like that)

I shall use Evermore to distinguish this Raven from Poe’s Raven. This Raven is in the process of re-reading works that I first visited long ago. I am finding that there is much that I had not gleaned from the works of Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente, Janet and Stuart Farrar, and others. The first surprise that I have had is that the Rituals that are presented in the older style of English, now seem more vibrant and powerful. They flow smoothly and hold more meaning for me than they did years ago. Back then I was not completely comfortable using ‘thee’ and ‘shalt’ and other wordings, now I feel the connection that forms when words, incantations, and forms have been used millions of times. There seems to be an energy created and we can tap into that specific pattern when we do use those rites. I do look forward to doing so. The ‘old words’ are also beginning to become clearer and easier for me to speak. I will present the oldest and this that follows is from Doreen Valiente’s book “Witchcraft For Tomorrow” page 163

A note Upon the Words of Power

ABRAHADABRA is the true version of the ancient Word of Power, of which the popular ‘abracadabra’ as used by conjurers is just a faint and far-off echo. It is a word of eleven letters, five vowel-sounds and six consonants, signifying the Great Work, the union of the Microcosm (five, the pentagram), with the Macrocosm (six, the hexagram). Its Cabbalistic numeration is 418, and much more elucidation of it will be found in the Qabalah of Aleister Crowley. It is the numerical equivalent of ATh IAO ‘the essence of IAO’ and also its digits added together, 4+1+8, add to 13, the Witches’ number, the Cabbalistic equivalents of which are Achad, ‘Unity’ and Ahbah, ‘Love’.

It also contains the meanings of ‘the voice of the Chief Seer’ and ‘Speak the Blessing’.

IAO is the ancient magical name of the Supreme God, containing both the masculine and feminine elements within Itself.

Namaste, Evermore

Along with the wedding that I performed, the open gathering and being Captain of a paddle wheeler Sunday night, the Viet Nam Memorial Wall was in Genesee County and I had to be there as often as I could be. One of my best friends is on that Wall and each time it has come to Michigan I print off his photo and put it by panel 41 so that people see a face to put with the name Rodney Roat. After I left the open gathering I stopped by the Wall again, this time wearing my red shirt with the pentacle and the words “Tried By Fire, 21st Century Witchcraft.” There are veterans from a number of wars who help support the project and nobody even blinked at my shirt. I wore it in honor of Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart, 113th Aviation, D company, Mustangs, of the Nevada National Guard, who gave his life for his country. He was killed in action in Operation Enduring Freedom when the helicopter he was in was shot down in Afghanistan by Al Quada terrorists. It was Sgt. Stewart who was used by Circle Sanctuary to obtain the right of Wiccans and Pagans to have the pentacle placed on military headstones.

To me our Coven of the Raven open gatherings are a focus for community in Southeast lower Michigan. I am always amazed at the good people who join us and enjoy the openness of our fire. While we should all have pride in our covens and traditions it is clear to me that we must always be mindful of how these organization should lift us, not separate us. Over the years we have made steadfast friends with people who are not affiliated with the Ravens and we are better for it.

I try to get around to everyone at the gatherings, new friends and old. I am not always successful, but sometimes it actually works. I was so glad to visit with our new friends from Saginaw. I am pleased when the word gets around and people make their way to those beautiful woods to share our ritual, food and friendship. That is the way it should always be.

Between gatherings I hope everyone will join us on our forums, blogs and chat rooms. There are also many links to other people and organizations and if you would like your organization placed there, just send a message to our Webmaster. If you know of events or issues of importance to the greater Pagan community, please let us know.

If you want to contact any of our members, you can send them a message on the site. They will be happy to hear from you. I can be reached on the site or at WaylandRaven@GMail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Enjoy your summer and we hope to see you at Samhain.
Wayland Raven

Through some very hard work and creativity, members of our Coven of the Raven family have established this new website to help be a link to our outer circle people who have joined us for our Open Gatherings or who know us through some of our coven work. You will find information here about those gatherings and other events we may learn about.

You will find that even though you are not members of the coven there are areas you can participate in, read and view. We welcome you and hope you check back often. I am hoping that there will be blogs from our members, many of them very insightful people.

We want the greater pagan community to become connected and have a sense of unity no matter what our various Trads or covens are. This new site will give you a window into our Raven Craft family.

Again, welcome and please feel that you are part of our extended family.

Wayland Raven - High Priest
Coven of the Raven
RavenMyst Tradition

This year FPG had a true gathering of Elders. Not only was my pal Edain McCoy there, who I surprised because she didn’t know I was coming, they also featured Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, Gavin and Yvonne Frost, Selena Fox and Issac Bonewitz among others. Diane and I discussed the possibility of doing a video interview of Janet Farrar while she was here from Ireland. From that first discussion it evolved that we would try to interview all of the various Elders and we ended up getting most of them. What an honor to sit down on camera with the giants of our faith.  Diane is putting the video together and we are hoping that she will be able to offer some of the videos through her www.paganvideos.com If you have any questions about the videos or want to thank her for taking poor, pitiful, bitching, moaning Wayland Raven to Florida for one of the most remarkable times of his life, you can email her at ddolph1n@yahoo.com

During the course of my interviews there was one common theme that kept coming from these Elders. When I asked Gavin Frost how the Craft today compares with the early days of neo-paganism he said, “It is disastrous.” He sited witch wars, polarization between traditions and covens, arguments within the pagan community and some of the hateful feelings that have been created simply because of spiritual differences. “We never had any of that before.” At one of our meals Gavin got up and impromptu addressed the crowd. “You have seen all of the various elders who are together at this gathering. We have had many differences over the years. Have you seen how happy we are to be together. How we treat each other? Do you goddamned get it???” He then sat down and for a few moments it was silent and then there was applause. It is a good lesson for all of us who have covens, traditions, are solitary or have anything that might in one way or another separate us. Our Craft family, our pagan friends… we all have more in common together than the differences. We need to keep our eye on the love between us.

There are many photographs at www.flapagan.org under New Photos.

Wayland Raven

For those of you who have lost friends and family, especially at this time of the year when the earth becomes fertile again, I send my blessings. I wish I had the magic words that would make things better, but I don’t. I just listen, ponder, love and take your sorrow into my heart.

Life is a circle, small circles, large circles, and each one coming back in one way or the other. We cannot control these things anymore than we can wade into a river and stops its course. We can only hope that the current ultimately takes us somewhere peaceful, where memory is our friend and hope is our companion.

Wayland Raven

O I can see the faces there - many ages, many colors-

as they gaze far away into the evening.

There are friends that I know and so many, many others,

and they’re eager for the journey to begin.

Some have come there with their loves, some have come alone;

they all embrace in the light and in the shadow.

And we say our farewells, with our arms around each other,

and you tell me I will see you again.

And you tell me I WILL see you again.

Well, I am happy for you then,

on your journey toward a new home,

but, when I wake, all that I know

is: you are gone.

And I can dream you in that place -

laughing, smiling, healthy, and strong,

but when I wake, all that I know

is: you are gone.

Some days, tears are all I have,

some days, anger and despair,

and sometimes, dreams are all I have

since you are gone.

You are gone.

So fly away, my love, on that violet ship of beauty,

fly away thought the night to the morning,

fly away, my love, on the silken, purple sails,

fly away through the darkness to the dawn.

Fly away into the night,

fly away into the stars,

fly away into the dawn,
to lovers’ arms.

Beltane Ritual

Used for Coven of the Raven Open Gathering

Usual Location, Genesee County, Michigan

April 26, 2008

Taken from Janet & Stewart Farrar

A Witches’ Bible

Arranged by Evermore

RavenMyst Alter Devotion:

Circle Casting:

Ritual Body:

Five Fold Kiss

HP: “Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.” (kiss right, left foot)

“Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred alter.” (kiss right, left knee)

“Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be.” (kiss above pubic line)

“Blessed be thy breast, formed in beauty.” (kiss right, left breast)

“Blessed be they lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names (embrace and kiss on the lips)

Drawing Down the Moon

HPS: (Stand with arms held out)

HP: (kneels again before the HPS. Touch her with his Right forefinger on her right breast, left breast, womb, & right breast again. While doing this say) “I invoke thee and call upon thee, Mighty Mother of us all, bringer of the fruitfulness; by seed and root, by stem and bud, by leaf and flower and fruit do I invoke thee to descend upon the body of this thy servant and priestess.” (Spread arms outward and downward with the palms forward, while kneeling and say) “Hail, Aradia! From the Amalthean Horn

Pour forth thy store of love; I lowly bend

Before thee, I adore thee to the end,

With loving sacrifice thy shrine adorn.

Thy foot is to my lip (kiss her foot) my prayer upborne

Upon the rising incense-smoke; then spend

Thine ancient love, O Mighty One, descend

To aid me, who without thee am forlorn.” (Stand up and take a step back)

HPS: (Draw Invoking Pentagram of Earth)

“Of the Mother darksome and divine

Mine the scourge, and mine the kiss;

The five-point star of love and bliss -

Here I charge you in this sign.”

HP: (Face the people) “Listen to the words of the Great Mother; she who of old was also called among men Artemis, Astarte, Athene, Dione, Melusine, Aphrodite, Cerridwen, Dana, Arianrhod, Isis, Bride and by many other names.”

HPS: “Whenever ye have need of any thing, once in the month, and better it be when the moon is full, then shall ye assemble in some secret place and adore the spirit of me, who am Queen of all witches. There shall ye assemble, ye who are fain to learn all sorcery, yet have not won its deepest secrets; to these will I teach things that are yet unknown. And ye shall be free from slavery; and as a sign that ye be really free, ye shall be naked in your rites; and ye shall dance, sing, feast, make music and love, all in my praise. For mine is the ecstasy of the spirit, and mine also is joy on earth; for my law is love unto all beings. Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside. For mine is the secret door which opens upon the Land of Youth and mine is the cup of wine of life, and the Cauldron of Cerridwen, which is the Holy Grail of immorality. I am the gracious Goddess, who gives the gift of joy unto the heart of man. Upon earth, I give the knowledge of the spirit eternal; and beyond death, I give peace and freedom, and reunion with those who have gone before. Nor do I demand sacrifice, for behold, I am the Mother of all living, and my love is poured out upon the earth.”

HP: “Hear ye the words of the Star Goddess; she in the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven, and whose body encircles the universe.”

HPS: “I who am the beauty of the green earth, and the white Moon among the stars, and the mystery of the waters, and the desire of the heart of man, call unto thy soul. Arise, and come unto me. For I am the soul of nature, who gives life to the universe. From me all things proceed, and unto me all things must return; and before my face, beloved of Gods and of men, let thine innermost divine self be enfolded in the rapture of the infinite. Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth; for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And thou who thinkest to seek for me, know thy seeking and yearning shall avail three not unless though knowest the mystery; that if that which thou seekest thou findest not within thee, then thou wilt never find in without thee. For behold, I have been with thee from the beginning; and I am that which is attained at the end of desire.”

HP & HPS:

“Eko, Eko Azarak,

Eko, Eko Zomelak,

Eko, Eko, Cernunnos,

Eko, Eko, Aradia!

(repeat 3 more times)

HPS: “Darksome night and shining moon,

East, then South, then West, then North,

Hearken to the Witches’ Rune -

Here we come to call ye forth!

Earth and water, air and fire,

Wand and pentacle and sword,

Work ye unto our desire,

Hearken ye unto our word!

Cords and censer, scourge and knife,

Powers of the witch’s blade -

Waken all ye unto life,

Come ye as the charm is made!

Queen of heaven, Queen of hell

Horned hunter of the night -

Lend your power unto the spell,

And work our will by magic rite!

In the earth and air and sea,

By the light of moon or sun,

As we will, so mote it be.

Chant the spell and be it done!”

CLOSING

Here is what I found that can be recycled in Genesee County, MI:

* Newspapers
* Newspaper inserts
* Junk mail (no cellophane)
* Magazines & Catalogs
* Office paper
* Computer paper
* Colored paper
* Phone books
* Books
* Corrugated cardboard
* #1 Clear plastic bottles
* #2 Clear plastic jugs
* #2 Colored plastic jugs
* Clear glass
* Green glass
* Brown glass
* Tin cans
* Aluminum cans
* Aluminum foil & containers
* Styrofoam
* Polystyrene #6
* Steel cans
* Batteries - AAA, AA, C, D, 9-volt, button cell ($0.10 fee each)
* Car, Lawnmower & Boat batteries
* Motor Oil (limit on free gallons taken, then fee)
* Oil filters (limit on number taken, then fee)
* Antifreeze (limit on free gallons taken, then fee)
* Aluminum
* Copper
* Brass
* Radiators
* Transmissions
* Catalytic converters
* Junk cars
* Television sets -no consoles ($5.00 fee for each)
* Computer monitors ($5.00 fee for each)
* Laptops & Notebooks ($5.00 fee for each)
* Computer Processing Units ($5.00 fee for each)
* Printers ($5.00 fee for each)
* Fax Machines ($5.00 fee for each)
* Copiers ($5.00 fee for each)
* Stereo Equipment ($5.00 fee for each)
* Video Cameras ($5.00 fee for each)
* DVD Players ($5.00 fee for each)
* VCRs ($5.00 fee for each)

Make sure that you clean all household items and remove the lids prior to drop off.

For oil and antifreeze - do not mix with anything.

For electronics - if they are still in working order, donate to a charity

These items are not all accepted at one location. So here are links to find the locations and hours for drop off centers:

http://www.co.genesee.mi.us/gcmpc-plan/

(The information for auto’s are under Hazardous Waste)

Hopefully, I will notice a few more pentacles while dropping off my stuff.

Blessings!!

Cricket Raven

The following cleaners, aerosols, pesticides and fertilizers can be made from ordinary, non-toxic households products.

HOUSEHOLD CLEANERS

All-purpose cleaner = Mix vinegar and salt; Dissolve 4 Tablespoons baking soda in a quart of warm water; Mix 2 Tablespoons Borax in 3 cups water

Bleach = Use powdered, not liquid bleach. Mix baking soda with water.

Copper cleaner = Rub with vinegar and salt or half a lemon dipped in salt; apply paste of cream of tartar and lemon juice and wipe off after 5 minutes.

De-icer = Substitute sand or kitty litter for salt.

Drain cleaner = Pour 1/2 cup each of washing soda and boiling water down clogged drains; use a plunger or metal snake; flush weekly with boiling water; use a drain strainer.

Fabric softener = Add 1/2 cup white vinegar or 1/4 cup baking soda to final rinse.

Furniture polish = Mix 1 part lemon juice or vinegar with 3 parts mineral or olive oil; Mix equal parts mineral oil with lemon oil or Carnuba wax; (Do not melt over open flame)

Kitchen odors = Place cotton ball soaked in vanilla in fridge or on counter. Sprinkle borax in garbage can.

Laundry detergent = Use soap flakes, with borax and baking soda.

Linoleum floor wax/cleaner = Damp mop with Murphy’s oil soap; one cup white vinegar to two gallons water to remove grease film; polish with club soda; add skim milk to rinse water for shine.

Mildew remover = Mixture of lemon juice and salt, white vinegar and salt or borax and water.

Oil-based paint = Use latex and water-based instead. They don’t require thinners and solvents.

Oven cleaner = Sprinkle on baking soda and water; pour salt on spills while warm, scrub next day; 1/4 cup ammonia placed in the oven overnight; use oven liners.

Rug deodorizer = Sprinkle baking soda, cornstarch or mixture of 1 part borax to 2 parts corn meal liberally on dry carpet. Wait 15 minutes, then vacuum.

Rust stains = Wipe with full strength vinegar or lemon juice.

Silver polish = Soak silver in 1 quart water, 2 Tablespoons baking soda, 1 Tablespoon salt and small piece of aluminum foil; clean with toothpaste and warm water.

Spot remover = Lemon juice; club soda; immediate cold water; paste of corn meal (or starch) and water.

Spray starch = Mix 1 Tablespoon cornstarch with a pint of cold water in a spray bottle.

Tile walls = Scrub with a paste of borax and water.

Toilet cleaner = Brush with baking soda and vinegar, or borax to disinfect.

Window cleaner = Use 1 Tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice in 1 quart water; wipe with newspapers

Wood floor wax/ cleaner = For cleaning: half mineral oil and vinegar solution; mineral oil; Murphy’s oil. For polishing: 3 parts olive oil with 1 part vinegar; 2 parts olive oil with 1 part lemon juice; melt one part Carnuba wax into two parts mineral oil.

AEROSOL SPRAYS

Air fresheners = Ventilate; place box of baking soda in enclosed areas; set out vinegar in open dish; fresh flowers and herbs; add cloves and cinnamon to boiling water, let simmer

Deodorants = Roll-ons, creams, sticks, non-aerosol pump type sprays.

Disinfectants = Borax and water; 1 Tbs. bleach to 1 gal. warm water; air out bedding; keep bathrooms dry.

Hair spray = Setting lotions, gels, non-aerosol pump type sprays.

Shaving cream = Brush and shaving soap

PESTICIDES, HERBICIDES, FERTILIZERS

Ant spray = Pour a line of cream of tartar, red chili pepper, paprika, or dried peppermint where ants enter house.

Fertilizers = Use peat moss or compost; use organic fertilizers containing blood or fish meal (high in nitrogen) or bone meal (high in phosphorous).

Flea and tick repellent = Feed pets brewers yeast, vitamin B and garlic tablets; sprinkle fennel, rue and rosemary or eucalyptus leaves near pet’s sleeping area; Boil rinds from 2 lemons, blend and rub into pet’s fur and rinse.

Garden pesticides = Use biological controls, such as ladybugs for aphid control; 1/4 cup cayenne pepper in 1 pint water to spray on garden plants.

Herbicides = Hand-pull weeds, mulch or cover garden with plastic in fall to prevent weed seed germination; cultivate with a hoe.

Insect repellent = Put up screens; wear protective clothing; drink brewer’s yeast; plant tansy or marigolds; use lavender oil, “Skin so soft” or some commercial bath oils on your skin.

Moth balls = Cedar chips and newspapers; dried lavender, rosemary, mint, or white peppercorns.

Pesticides = Apply soapy water to leaves, rinse.

Roach spray = Put equal parts borax or baking soda in dish with powdered sugar. Make a trap: smear Vaseline around inside rim of jar containing a banana and a ramp with a tongue depressor.

Rodent bait = Get a cat or trap; sprinkle chopped bay leaves or cucumber skins around cracks.

Slug spray = Put beer in shallow pans or overturn clay pots to lure snails; Collect and remove them.

Hope this helps turn some of those Mr. Yucks to Mr. Smiley….(Yes, I just dated myself.)

The following are the open gathering dates for Coven of the Raven in 2007. If you have already been to one of our events, you know where they will be held. If you haven’t, join our mailing list and then you will be sent email when a new event is happening that tells you the exact location.

• Beltane April 28th ( Actual Beltane is on May 1st)
• Mid Summer/Litha June 23rd ( Actual Mid Summer is on June 21st)
• Samhain October 27th (Actual Samhain is on October 31st)
• Yule December 15th (Actual Yule is on December 22nd)

Join with other people of like mind for these special dates. The Coven of the Raven looks forward to hosting our outer circle of friends and family at these open gathering. Let any of your pagan friendly friends or family know about the dates and where to sign up for the list.