I always trot this out at Samhain/Halloween - I honour those who have gone before...I will keep in my heart the women (and men) whose lives were cut short for no reason except power, greed and non-understanding.....I do not know the author, but I thank her all the same..

"The Halloween Witch"

Each year they parade her about . . . the traditional witch......

Misshapen green face, stringy scraps of hair, and a toothless mouth
beneath her disfigured nose. Gnarled, knobby fingers twisted into a
claw, protracting from a bent and twisted torso that lurches about
on wobbly legs.

Most think this abject image to be the creation of a predjudiced
mind, or merely a Halloween caricature. I disagree. I believe this
is how witches were really seen. Consider most witches were women,
were abducted in the night, and smuggled into dungeons or prisons
under secrecy of darkness, to be presented by the light of the day
as a confessed witch.

Few, if any saw a frightened, normal looking woman being dragged
into a secret room filled with instruments of torture....to be
questioned until she confessed to anything that was suggested to
her, and to give names or whatever would stop the questions. Crowds
saw the aberration denounced to the world as a self-proclaimed witch.

As the witch was paraded through the town, en route to be burned,
hanged, drowned, stoned, or disposed of in variuos other forms of
Christian love and male supremency . . . all created to free and save her soul from her
depraved body, crowds viewed the results of hours of torture.
The face, bruised and broken, by countless blows, bore a hue of
sickly green. The once warm and loving smile gone, replaced by a
grimace of broken teeth and torn gums that leers beneath a battered,
disfigured nose. The disheveled hair conceals bleeding gaps of torn
scalp from whence cruel hands had torn away lovely tresses. Broken,
twisted hands clutched the wagon for support. Fractured fingers
locked like groping claws to steady her broken body. All
resemblances of humanity were gone. This was truly a demon, a satan, a
witch.

I revere this Halloween crone and hold her sacred above all. I
honor her courage and listen to her warnings of the dark side of
humanity. Each year I shed tears of respect and remember her
involuntary sacrifice in the name of religion.

 

May this remind us of those who were persecuted as witches,
though many were healers and midwives, women who owned land, and
those who spoke out against the rulers of the time.
Remember the "Halloween Witch", along with all the others who have gone before you.

 

 

 

Well, my Wheel of Life has turned once again (Oct 8). This is the 57th turning....and I am happy that I am still around! I know, some of you might say that being 57 is nothing, a mere drop in the bucket, and to some, I am just "a kid". But, it seems I mark my birthdays quietly, with family, and no regrets or worries more and more......which, to me, is a good thing......I am who I want to be, where I want to be!

I have decided not to look back, anymore.....my life now is the here and now with just a peek at what the coming years may bring.....living in the past is not good and can lead to never forgiving yourself for being human, with human decisions and consequences.....would I change anything in the past? If I could spare my children pain and hurt, I would, but, then, my present would be changed and I don't know if that is what I would want....but, I do wish my girls love and wish that maybe they did not have to suffer what they did....but, then again, if that was changed, they might not be the wonderful human beings they are (course they would), but they may not be happy now, and their lives would have been different now and maybe not for the better....soooo there ya are!

I am looking forward to whatever side paths I may take in my life, looking forward to where and what my journey will bring and am enjoying what I have found and learned and HAVE at this very moment! Life is something to live, to enjoy and try to learn and do everything one wants to do....if one could afford it all! LOL

But, all in all, I am a happy person....and I plan on continuing to be so....57 isn't very long indeed and I do not plan on wasting any future years or worrying about them.....

So, Happy Birthday to Me! And big hugs and thank you's to all who acknowledged my coming into this world, who celebrated with me and for me as well......go forward on your journeys with Love and Laughter - these two majickal things that make me happy to be here still.

                                                      

Well, if you have read any of my posts, you know that I am a professional survey interviewer (it is a job and I do learn things!) - and as such, I would like to give you some hints/info on the subject of surveys.....if you are like me, I really don't like telemarketers, and I realize that in the States you can put yourself on a national "no call" list, so that telemarketers cannot call and bother you (hey, they are just trying to make a paycheck, so don't take it out on the caller if they get thru) - in Canada we do not have a "no call" list that I know of - now, telemarketers are trying to sell you something...survey interviewers are not trying to sell anything, they just want your thoughts and opinions - I used to just hang up on these interviewers, I now have a newly found respect for them as I now wear those shoes!

Now I think everyone could use some hints and advice regarding surveys...first, don't just scream into the phone, blow whistles or just hang up, or say you aren't interested and hang up right away....take a minute and listen to the introduction - you never know, you may be interested to give your opinions and thoughts on that certain subject .......if it sounds kinda interesting and you may want to take that survey and don't have too much time, ask how long it will take, the interviewer will be happy to let you know! If you don't have time, you can actually schedule time for them to call you back and do the survey at your convienence. Most of the time, but not always, there are qualifying questions before you even get into the survey, which means that if you are not quailfied for that survey (due to demographics), you will not be called back for that particular survey ..(saves a lot of time answering the phone ..). If you start a survey and find you have not enough time (something may come up), you can always book a time for them to call you back so you can finish......if you just hang up or say you can't finish, and hang up, you have just wasted your time, the interviewers time and the survey cannot be used, your opinions cannot be used as the survey was never completed. If you feel that this may be a bogus call, ask for a number to call to verify that it is indeed a legit survey/company and the person speaking is legit (ask for their name ). The company I work for stresses professionalism and courtesy at all times, so maybe show some back. If you are totally opposed to taking surveys (try it you may learn something or at least have a chance to voice your opinions) you can ask them to take your number off their call list or ask to be put on the no call list. All these little tips will make your evening more pleasant and you won't be bitching about companies calling you, or bitching about the interviewer interrupting your dinner (if you don't want to be interrrupted, I suggest you let the answering machine pick up the call - it's called screening). Don't feel like you are being targeted, as most companies use computer generated numbers, and the interviewer has no idea who is being called (we get faxes, business's, etc.).

After all, nice matters, being a jerk or rude will not get you any further in life than you are now and believe me, it will come back to bite you on the ass (it's called karma) if you live your life that way.....so, next time you get called for a survey, please keep in mind that there is a hardworking person on the other line who deserve the respect and kindness that you demand for yourself....give a survey a chance, or not, but please don't be a butt-hole about it....

And you want to know the funniest thing ever? I don't like to sit and "chat" on the phone for a long time...but here I am calling hundreds of people a day! LOL

..Oh! And a Happy Harvest to all!

 

This is from my BOS dated around July 2003

 LUGHNASSADH

Pronounced loo-na-sa, is observed around August 7. This is the midpoint of summer and fall, the harvest of berries and grains and the first of three of the Harvest festivals. This sabbat is celebrated with herb gathering and breadbaking...decorate with sunflowers, marigolds, gourds and dried wheat. Candle colors of this sabbat include green, golden yellow, orange, browns and soft shades of red. It is a time of thanksgiving...being thankful for the things that you have and for your right to be free. Play with your family in the yard with the hose....be together. This is also a time of dismissing regrets,. Lughnassadh is a fire festival, in fact it is the fourth gaelic fire festival. Lugh is also known as "lugh's assembly", "August", "lugh the longhand". The god lugh was a druid, carpenter, poet, mason, smithy and sailor. Lugh symbolizes healing, reincarnation, phophecy and revenge.

In nordic traditions, it is time for lithasblot, which runs from July 31 thru August 1 - this is a harvest festival also, a time for giving thanks to urda (etha). A time to give to the less fortunate (giving thanks for ones first harvest when others have none). In ireland this was a time for month long athletic games, honoring lugh's foster-mother, tailtiu. The perseid showers during this season is still known as "games of lugh". It is a time when odin discovered the wisdon of the runes and sacrificed himself to himself by hanging from a tree. It is a time when the constellation sirius is prominent, along with dog days, and is known as the month of the hanging dogs. It is the time of the flooding of the nile, which marks the end of the year in egypt. Dryads (tree spirits) are celebrated in macedonia. It is the time when creek and cherokee corn mothers are celebrated (thses are sister goddesses, elihino of the earth and igaehindvo of the sun. this is a time for handfastings and the druid moon of lughnassadh, the coming together of the clans.

Lugh is said to have put out the eye of Balor with a huge spear and sling. Lugh is the leader of the tieatha de danann. This season is associated with corn (breads, grains, corn dollies,etc). The christianization of this sabbat is lammas which means "loaf mass" (bread being of the season) and is celebrated August 1. Corn is sacred to pagans and native americans and both these groups use stones in shamanic work., the american native cultures have a great connection with the the "stone peole", a connnection with Mother Earth. Celtic pagans have long looked in stonhenge and avebry in england as locations for devining, solidity, strength and power. Lugh also "attuned" himself with the "stone people". Lugh's father was stoned to death and buried six feet deep under the very same stones - these stones called to lugh and guided him to his father. When he went to accuse the killers, he come from the east just like the sun appears to us every morning. He radiated golden rays of rightousness to bring truth to light.

The season is marked by the shortening of the days, and the god slowing dying to make way for the new god. I see the dwindling of the great god every morning - and I am sad yet exhilerated at the same time, for one must die for the new to be born.

This is a great time for decorating your alter or shrine. Put sunflowers and rocks on your alter...candles of golden yellow, soft reds and greens...ribbons of the same color....gourds can also be used to decorate...sprigs of greenery.

This is a time of gathering, not only the harvest, but of berries, flowers and of gathering for the winter. So, celebrate the god lugh with family and friends as the wheel turns to the harvests...be thankful for all you have and shed the old, and the regrets and look forward to the harvest.

 

 

 

Well, the real estate clerk job turned out to not be that - but a cashier, parttime, evenings at a car wash.....but - I finally figured out someone was trying to tell me something (like be patient, the right job will come along?) - And it did - for one of Canada's largest survey companies.....which is one I was going to pass up for the real estate one....Universe never ceases to amaze me whether it be deities or energies of whatever kind, it does look out for us! The survey taker has proven to be a pretty good job, not hard on my old knees and it is a good company. Had a day of training/orientation, then on the 2nd day we were left along (with helpers nearby) to do live interviews....and the 3rd day we were off and running! They monitor your calls and do QA reports - there is Excellant, Good and Needs Improvement.....and my first was report was Good, so I guess I kinda know what I am doing! LOL Never realized how hard it is to get people to do a survey/be interviewed for their opinions! I think it's kinda fun - the hard part is when you get about half way thru and they hang up! But I think this job will be OK - and I learn interesting stuff....AND I have gained respect for survey takers I did not have before...mind you, I still maintain my opinions on telemarketers!!

Met a Wich sister! (At work) As I always almost wear my pentacle, she saw it and asked where I had gotten it - great way to break the ice! We were able to talk off and on Wednesday night...and were able to continue our conversation on Thurs nite - and thru her, was able to start to get to know the rest of my team mates...she is also a solitary and has moved here from Alberta - she really hasn't met any Pagans - In Winnipeg, it is sometimes hard to meet Wiccans/Pagans unless you knew someone before or perhaps were on an egroup - or, if you are like me - you look up local egroups, find Pagan stores or check WitchVox for local going's on....and start showing up!

There is Beltaine in the Park every year, which is always great! But, that really is about all - Now, I did say I was a solitary, but I always enjoyed sharing energies during Circle with the community, or a smaller Circle of family/friends - it keeps me feeling close to them, and as I said the sharing of energies/gathering of energies is an amazing thing to me!

Lughnassadh will be upon us soon....this is the start of my favorite season - Harvest/Autumn!

In Love, Laughter and Majick to your house!