Greetings to our Full Circle friends and members,
In our January 2004 newsletter we have:
Tickets for the 2004 Beltane Ball and The Witches’ Ball are Now Available! * The Year of the Monkey * Earthwise Gardening * The City that Became Middle Earth * Maori Designs in Jewelry * Calling All Bards * The Pagan Bookshelf * Firefly * Deadly Beans * Money, Power, Sex and Socks: How to Fight Fair & Stay Together * Bidding Farewell to Your Digital Devices? Think Twice About that Viking Funeral * Events of Interest * Home for the Holidays
TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE for the Beltane Ball & The Witches Ball:
I am happy to announce that tickets for the Beltane Ball in May and the Witches’ Ball in October are now available. Details about the themes along with Ticket Order Forms are on our website. Please click on the links above or go to the site and click onthe EVENTS 2004 page.
This year we will only sell 350 tickets to each event. Over 450 people came to the last Witches’ Ball and it’s possible we will run out of tickets this year, so if you have your heart set on going, please buy your tickets early. Also:The earlier you buy your tickets, the cheaper your ticket price will be. (Please see ticket pages for pricing schedules).
We’ve made some other changes to our events in 2004:
· Tickets will NOT mailed out this year. If you purchase a ticket in advance your name will be on a list held at the door that night. You will also receive a confirmation email invoice as proof of payment.
· We can only take payment via PayPal this year (If you do not have an account with PayPal, you can sign up for free. You can use checks or credit cards to pay via PayPal). We do this in order to save money on Merchant Banking fees. Your cooperation is appreciated.
· We are renting smaller halls for these annual events until the economy improves. We’ve used the Lucy Stern Center before and we’ve had a great time there. It holds about 350 people, max. Again, we cannot promise that tickets will be available at the door that night, so we recommend that you buy your tickets in advance.
· We are very happy to announce that our favorite Dj, Chuck will be our Dj at the Beltane Ball. Those of you who attended the famous 2001 Fairy Ball (all 600 of you) will remember him fondly, as we do. As always, he will keep the place jumping.
THE 2004 BELTANE BALL: Theme: The Wild Wood As the sun returns to warm the earth and the seven sisters sit on the horizon just before morning’s light, all things fey return with their mischief, beauty, mystery, and delights. Fairies, Sprites, Dryads, Elves, Satyrs and Nymphs shall greet earth’s blossoming as Green Men and May Queens celebrate the promise of abundance in the months to come. Honored guests from Avalon, Camelot, and Sherwood will surely feel at home here, but all manner of Wenches, Witches, Warriors, Wizards, and Wanderers are welcome to join the fun.
THE 2004 WITCHES’ BALL: Theme: The Silk Road Within our halls officers of the Byzantine army mingle with mystical Chinese weavers. Brightly clad Indian princesses whisper to laughing Buddhist monks. The musical cymbals of belly dancers punctuate the air as jugglers dazzle the eyes of Venetian merchants and Viking sailors. Himalayan yogis wander peacefully among fierce Hun warriors. Wise astrologers consult the heavens and nomadic fortunetellers study the palms of veiled Persian ladies. Chinese dragons cavort with mighty griffins, immortal Phoenix and the winged bulls of Assyria.
Costumes may range from 7th – 15th century China, Persia, India, Tibet, The Middle East, Constantinople, Rome, and Venice. All manner of traders, dancers, poets, magicians, entertainers, nobles, thieves, and warriors will join us to dance, feast, and laugh.
Sia & Trisha
2004: THE YEAR OF THE MONKEY
Please note: I don’t claim to see the future beyond my nose. I write these yearly essays based on issues I see and hear about in the Earthwise community, on meditations I do in winter and on what my heart tells me is going on around us. Take what you need and leave the rest. Sia
January 22nd begins the Chinese New Year and ushers in The Year of the Monkey.
This looks to be a very prosperous year, especially for those who are willing to adapt. Overall, it’s a wonderful time for people who are curious, courageous, and creative. It’s not a good time for those who are set in their ways or stuck in a rut. Success will come to those who are willing to try new things and learn new skills, so now is the time to make those changes we’ve needed to make and to think in new ways about old habits and recurring problems.
Adapt & Prosper
What worked (or didn’t work) is in the past. The present comes equipped with opposable thumbs (great for opening new doors) and is a quick thinking, tool-using animal. Trees are going to shake, folks, and things are going to change. It’s about time.
This is going to be a rough year for those who are easily distracted and those who tend to procrastinate. People who waste time will find that others have gotten there before them and taken all the nuts from the trees. Those who do too much or take on too many things at once are going to find that “monkey mind” gets in their way this year and makes their life harder than it has to be. Plan ahead and pay attention.
This is also no time for tail chasing (take that as you may) or for beating your chest over the past - let it go and move on.
To succeed in the coming year we need to pay close & conscious attention to our goals. It will be important to finish the tasks we’ve taken on and to accept our just rewards. It is a very good time to revel in (or finally accept?) our power. 2004 is a year filled with possibilities and this is a wonderful time to take action and to use our talents. By all means, try something new, but do not look for excuses to drop what you should finish.
Above all, avoid any sentence that begins with the excuse-laden phrase “He/she/they made me” and use instead “I choose….”.
Express yourself. Play. Celebrate your life. This is the season for our lights to shine. This is also a good time for those with self-esteem and vision. It is a bad time to join with those who are selfish, arrogant or clueless.
All this potential aside, times are still hard. This is a good time to coordinate, cooperate and communicate. Local groups and Circles will prosper if we work together and support one another. If, on the other hand, we engage in squabbles over “territory” or “status” then we will suffer the consequences of our own ignorance. Those groups who plan on “doing their own thing” without thought for the effect of their actions on other individuals or groups might find that they are left out of the circle when resources are shared and they could lack some essential information the rest of us have.
At the same time, those individuals who do not support the groups they admire may find that these same groups are not around in 2005. Neither money nor staff grow on trees…
Phrases that will not work well in 2004:
“Oh gee, we didn’t know” - “We didn’t mean to” - “Nobody told me” –
“I meant to do that but I forgot” – “Am I late?” - “Why me?” -
“but I assumed…” – “I always date %$!s” – “I hate money”
“I can’t afford it but I just had to have it” –
“No, really, it’s OK” (when it’s really not) –
“I don’t normally spread gossip, but…”
& our Top 3 Favorites for 2004
(which are guaranteed to buy you an argument and/or
a night on the couch or your money back)
“You always”, “You never” & “You should”
Ignorance of natural law is no excuse.
Simply put; those who simply engage in wishful thinking and believe that other powers will provide without real effort or planning on their part will not have an easy time of it. Those who think that manipulating others is the path to power are going to fall off their high perch and land hard. Those who think that giving their power away to others is a path to safety and acceptance will be walking into a cage of their own making.
There is a magickal kind of Darwin Award waiting for those who think in these ways. Let us hope our people learn the lesson the first time around, because the universe makes the lesson harder each time we have to learn it.
Energy is finite – Stupidity is infinite
Be generous with but do not squander your gifts. Help others and share your wealth where and as you can, but do not attempt to “save” anyone this year. We cannot help everyone – we cannot teach everyone – we cannot work with everyone, so choose your friends and Circle members with care.
We must horde our time, our energy and our emotions or we will not realize our goals. Beware of those who would steal these precious things. If we do not care for our health and our boundaries, no one else will do it for us. If we are not good to ourselves, we are no good to others.
This will be a rough year for those who want to be carried by others or who constantly screech, complain, and make excuses. The people who supported this behavior before will finally tire of this.
On the other hand, it is a very good time to let unspoken issues finally come up and to talk things out with kindness and respect. Sharing the load and speaking the truth to significant others is key this year. Many issues that seemed too difficult to resolve before now will be much easier to deal with in 2004.
Dr. Jane Goodall tells us that monkeys can and do get thrown out of the group for violations of the “monkey code”. With that in mind, manners and ethics matter very much in 2004. Those without them risk being left out of all the monkey fun.
The first story is the one about the monkey who got his hand stuck in the jar when he grabbed too many of the goodies he found inside. His desires were so great that he would not let go and he was trapped. This is a good time to ask ourselves if unrealistic thinking, fear, greed, resentments, inflated egos, low self-esteem, the need for approval, or some other issue is keeping us trapped. If so, it’s time to let go.
The second story involves the 100th monkey theory. While hotly debated in the scientific community, this theory has now passed into folk legend and pop culture. The idea is this: When enough people engage in an action or a way of thinking, it will eventually hit a point (the hundredth monkey) at which it enters into the dominant culture and everyone becomes aware of it. In some cases, (such as the 1960’s with civil rights, the sexual revolution and feminism) this can mean a sea change in culture. In other cases (such as clothing or musical fads) this can mean that the “latest thing” fades away and is soon forgotten. 2004 might well be the year that the larger culture finally “gets it” and begins to take on the humanistic ideas at the center of Earthwise spirituality and philosophy. (In fact, many of our ideas have already entered into the mainstream and more are being picked up and examined every day.) At the same time, a cultural backlash is building against those who preach hate, intolerance, fundamentalism, and rigidity. This can be both a good and a bad thing for our community, so be careful out there. Those who talk to the press or who work in the public eye need to be especially mindful to represent this way of life with integrity and truthfulness. Those who simply want to get attention or who use this path as an excuse for poor behavior will soon be seen for what they are (and the rest of the tribe will move on and leave them behind.) Meanwhile, beware of “Gurus”, grandiosity, groupthink, and those who would use us for their own ends. This is the time to think for ourselves and to distrust the trance of culture, any culture.
Overall, 2004 is a time to trust our intuition and to focus on living a joyful, unique, and useful life.
Wishing you abundance, prosperity, and the courage to be happy,
Sia
To read 2003’s article: “The Year of the Sheep”, go to our January 2003 newsletter. For “The Year of the Horse”, see Feb. 2002, for 2001, please read “Kuan Yin and the Year of the Snake: History Myth and Meaning in a Difficult Year”.
EARTHWISE GARDENING:
For you Earthwise gardeners, this is the season for seed catalogs and gardening in the rain. For those hardy souls who like to get an early start, here is handy a 2004 Garden Calendar for California which lists gardening “To Do’s” from January through December.
Our next offering is a list for Pagan Gardeners in the US who like to talk gardening and trade seeds (mainly (but not solely) for plants used in the craft.) It also offers growing tips, gardening stories, etc. Post lists in the files section of what you have to trade and/or what you are looking for.
THE CITY THAT BECAME MIDDLE EARTH:
“When (Peter) Jackson was 18, he had taken a 12-hour train journey from Wellington to New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, during which he began reading Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. He finished it while staying in Auckland, and kept imagining what a film of the story would be like.
(Many years later) Wellington - a hilly, harbour-side city built on an earthquake fault line - became Middle Earth. In the process, around 2,000 people were employed during production, many of whom were New Zealanders, and around $NZ250m was pumped into the local economy. Artisans including prop builders, costume designers and set creators worked like little elves for 18 months. Even the local army played a part - not that they have much else to do in this neck of the woods - helping lay 5000 cubic metres of soil, plough fields, plant a Hobbit vegetable garden (a year before filming began to make it look more credible as insisted upon by Jackson) and build sets. The army also got their 15 minutes of fame in battle scenes at Mordor.”
To read more, visit: Peter Jackson: Forming a Good Hobbit
Now that you’ve seen the films, you might want to see the breath taking scenery that made up Jackson’s Middle Earth. If so, check out Adventure Well, a local company run by people who specialize in arranging trips to New Zealand, Australia and Aukland. These folks are hobbit fans, so you might want to ask about their Lord of the Rings Package.
MAORI DESIGNS IN JEWELRY:
Fans of Viggo Mortensen note that he wears very two, very specific pedants at his book signings and public appearances. The first pedant is a Thor’s Hammer, a popular design in the Earthwise community. The second piece he wears is not as well known. It was given to him by a member of the LOTR cast. Viggos’ pedant is a bone pendant carved by Maori tribes people and it is called a Matau.
The Matau is a sign of leadership and authority. These pendants are also worn for protection when traveling over water and for prosperity. Tradition dictates that the pendants be "given" to best effect their spirituality.
We’ve found two places that sell these pendants on-line; The New Zealand Gifts Mall and the Kiwi Trading Post.
Ian McKellen has worn his treasured greenstone (pounamu) pendant around his neck to the Oscars and other events. The design he wears symbolizes infinity.
For those of you who wear enjoy sacred jewelry design, we also recommend another lovely piece from New Zealand; a double spiral known as the Inner Koru.
(1) In fact, several of the LOTR cast members now wear this pedant and have given it as gifts to one another.
CALLING ALL BARDS:
The Goddess Within CD Project intends to raise funds for Battered Women’s Shelters in the Bay Area. To submit your song, please visit their website and view their fees and requirements.
THE PAGAN BOOKSHELF:
On the Pagan bookshelf this month we have:
Celtic Studies:
The Mist Filled Path: Celtic Wisdom for Exiles, Wanderers and Seekers by Frank Henderson Maceowen and Tom Cowan. Tom Cowan is also the author of Fire in the Head: Shamanism and the Celtic Spirit.
The Night Sky: Science, Myth & Archeology:
Secrets of the Night Sky: The Most Amazing Things in the Universe You Can See With the Naked Eye by Bob Berman
Stars of the First People: Native American Star Myths and Constellations
by Dorcas S. Miller.
Skywatchers, Shamans & Kings: Astronomy and the Archaeology of Power by E.C. Krupp.
365 Starry Nights: An Introduction to Astronomy for Every Night of the Year by Chet Raymo
FIREFLY
Fans of the short-lived series “Firefly” ( by “Buffy” and “Angel” creator, Josh Whedon) will be happy to hear that the Firefly DVD is now available. This includes 3 episodes that were never aired by Fox (1). Rumor has it that a Firefly movie is in the works. In the meantime, fans of the TV series can find like-minded souls on-line and can enjoy the Gag Reel and behind-the-scenes-information on the DVD.
(1) A pox on the fools at Fox Network for showing the episodes and the pilot out of order and for handling this wonderful series so badly that it never had a chance.
DEADLY BEANS:
The deadly poisonous calabar bean
– also known as the Ordeal
Bean or Doomsday Plant – was once used to hunt down witches.
Anyone accused of
dabbling in the supernatural was forced to eat a crushed sample of the
purple-colored bean.
If a person was
innocent, their body would react and vomit up the treacherous bean within half
an hour.
But if a person
died from eating the calabar, it proved and punished their guilt.
When the bean –
which has no taste or smell – is ground into a powder and served with water, it
can kill a human within an hour.
The calabar bean
is derived from a west African woody vine in the pea family which stretches up
to 50ft high.
MONEY, POWER, SEX AND SOCKS: HOW TO FIGHT FAIR AND STAY TOGETHER:
No matter how patient, tolerant and right we always are, we will occasionally encounter others (a boss, a friend or a lover) who disagree with the way we do things. In our jobs, at home and within our groups we are often challenged to defend our personal boundaries, to make our honest views known and to deal with conflict. In such cases, we have choices: we can either settle our differences and move on or we can choose to engage in eternal bouts of bickering, power plays and passive aggression. For those who choose the high road, we offer this useful information on how to fight fair.
We get requests for this information every year, which is not surprising, given how difficult this issue is and how few of us were taught the basics of fighting fair at home. So, here it is again for 2004 – we hope that it proves useful:
Firstly, we recommend an audiocassette by John Bradshaw titled “Fighting Fair” which is available at http://www.amazon.com. (Unfortunately, this valuable information is not available from JB in book form).
Other titles of interest are: “Difficult Conversations: “How to Discuss What Matters Most” by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, et al and “Thank You For Being Such a Pain: Spiritual Guidance for Dealing with Difficult People” by Mark I Rosen. I also keep this on my desk at work: “201 Ways for Dealing with Difficult People: A Quick Tip Survival Guide” by Alan Axelrod, Jim Holtje and James Holtje.
This next title will be of great help to anyone leading a Circle, Coven or Group. It is “Antagonists in the Church: How To Identify and Deal With Destructive Conflict” by Kenneth Haugh. While the focus is Christian, the information this book contains is useful to anyone who provides spiritual guidance, training or leadership in our community. I first heard about this book from Isaac Bonwitz and I have found it very useful in my own work.
Finally, for those of you who are wondering how your partner, lover, boss, best friend, or self ever got to be the way they are, I would suggest you read this wonderful book: titled “John Bradshaw on The Family". Bradshaw focuses on the dynamics of the family and he explains how the dysfunctional rules and attitudes we learned while growing up can continue to haunt us into adulthood if they are not addressed. He offers practical solutions to help people move from unconscious, dysfunctional behavior to happier, more conscious ways of being. This book has been out for some time, but it has just been updated and re-released. It is a “must read” for anyone attempting to move beyond the lessons they learned growing up in a dysfunctional family or for that matter, in a dysfunctional culture. It comes in both cassette and book form.
How to Fight Fair About Money: Show me a couple who don't fight about money, goes the old one-liner, and I'll show you a couple on the way to their wedding. "People who are really alike generally don't get married," observes Bert Whitehead, president of Cambridge Associates, financial planners near Detroit. "Shopaholics never marry other shopaholics; they marry misers." Money disputes are a leading cause of divorce in the U.S. But blowups over cash don't have to tear your relationship apart if you understand the problems and know how to patch things up.
Do You Fight Fair? A Quiz: Sure, you fight — about money, sex, his dirty socks on the floor or your damp stockings hanging in the bathtub. Fighting is perfectly normal, and it doesn't mean your relationship is doomed. It's how you handle these fights that predicts whether you'll be together for the long haul. Take this quiz to see if you're a prizefighter or a playground bully.
Email Communication: How to Fight Fair On-line: Feeling hurt or angry after reading an email message from friend, family member, colleague or online acquaintance? Here are twelve guidelines for conflict resolution via email - many of them also useful for in-person relationships.
Logic for Dummies & Logic in Argument: How to tell when an argument or statement that sounds plausible really makes no sense at all. As we draw closer to election time, these “bs busters” will prove most useful.
BIDDING FAREWELL TO YOUR DIGITAL DEVICES? THINK TWICE ABOUT THAT VIKING FUNERAL.
So, you finally got that new cell phone, palm pilot, digital camera, scanner or DVD player you’ve been waiting for. Good for you! But wait...what's an Earthwise person to do with the old one(s)? Is a ritual burial appropriate in such a case? How about a Viking funeral? Well, while burning pretty much anything sounds like fun to the FCE staff, we have to admit that tossing your tech into the garbage, or on to the flames is a really lousy idea. According to Boston Business:
“Environmentally, digital devices are far more toxic when dumped in a landfill than an innocuous aluminum can, filled as they are with lead, mercury, and a material called gallium….”h can degrade into the poison arsenic.
Rather than poisoning the planet by dropping these in a landfill, we suggest you consider the suggestions in their article titled: Think Green.
And if you want a new sound for your mobile you might want to consider buying one that will help gorillas and tigers:
Flora and Fauna International (FFI) and Vodafone Live! have teamed up to provide a gorilla game and downloads of wildlife images, sounds and news.
All profits made from the downloads will go straight to conservation work.
FFI said it is about "putting conservation in your palm" because although fun, people learn facts too.
EVENTS OF INTEREST:
We currently have hundreds of events listed on our California Community Calendar:
Here are a few:
And there are lots more. New events are added every day. Click on the Full Circle California Community Calendar to access a list of on-going and dated events throughout the year.
Do you want your event listed? Then please go to our calendar page and click on the link that says “Submit Event.” The on-line form is simple and very easy to use. If you have any questions, please contact our Networking Coordinator ScoutGhost at ScoutGhst@aol.com
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS by Snakemoon
Just the phrase evokes images of twinkling lights, pumpkin pies, brightly colored decorations, and tables burdened with familiar foods. Or, for some it may conjure up Aunt Phyllis’ drunken binges, carping criticism from the parents, and the acrid whiff of tension every time the in-laws are in the room together.
This year, “home for the holidays” meant something else entirely for me. For years, I’ve been trying to give myself—and my son—a home of our own. After making yet another assault on the real estate market, unsuccessfully hunting for something (anything, a gardening shed, a hut!) that fit a single mom’s salary, and suffering continual disappointment, I simply gave up. I still needed to move from my rented home of 5 years because the noise level had become unbearable (on the plus side, I can recite the early morning trucking schedules for all of Central Marin!). Thoroughly defeated in this, my fourth attempt at home ownership, I rented a new place, moved into it, and began unpacking.
And that’s when it got interesting. Mid-way through unboxing the kitchen, I was unexpected faced with the very opportunity I had released, grieved, and buried. There it was: a small, well-tended condo owned by an elderly woman compelled by health issues to move closer to her son in Arizona. I made an offer. It was accepted. I tried to contain my shock.
Now, the Goddess gives in surprising and unexpected ways, and this is certainly no exception. The timing, as they say, is dreadful, especially since I’ve signed a lease on the rental house and must replace myself with a new tenant. Yet I can’t help but notice that this enormous blessing, coming as it does in a time of great economic turmoil and difficultly, only arrived at my door once I had given up. Accepted the possibility of “no.” Surrendered.
Surrendered.
Certainly we’ve all familiar with the concept of surrender, and “surrender to the will of the Goddess/God” gets some airtime in Pagan circles. But the practice of surrender runs very much counter to our ambitious culture, our ample egos, even to many people’s view of Pagan practice. Plus, it’s damn hard. Besides, what does it say in the Charge of the Goddess? “Nor do I demand any sacrifice for behold, I am the mother of all things and My love is the nourishing milk that is poured upon the earth.” Well, yeah, maybe sacrifice isn’t demanded, but perhaps we are occasionally invited to get out our own way and go with the Universe’s flow.
Which may be why, despite years of manifestation rituals and wishcrafting, I still couldn’t quite will into being this thing for which I so longed. (And trust me, I did a lot of willing! My wand was starting to get a slightly dilapidated look to it!) Yet, when I let go of all that pushing and driving and wanting, and looked at what life would be like if I (gulp!) never got my wish, I realized that happiness might just be possible even without home ownership. In this state of acceptance, I also got a chance to examine all the voices that made this feel like this was a “life or death” situation. As a kid who moved dozens of times, my desire for a home was a desire for the continuity of a place where I can develop history and meaning that I don’t have to leave, as I did more than 35 times in my childhood. It was also a desire for freedom from the fear of becoming homeless at the whim of a landlord who could raise the rent beyond any normal limits, which happened to me six years ago as I was recovering from cancer.
Mind you, letting go isn’t all “insight and enlightenment.” Loss is painful; disappointment needs to be grieved. Once you’ve gone through all the denial and bargaining, you get to depression. I spend Mabon with my beau’s coven, being grateful for all the wonderful things I’ve harvested in this past year. But I also confessed to those present that I was mourning the loss of a dream, and I shared my sorrow with them. Speaking it out loud like that, in the midst of a sacred circle, and a gratitude circle at that, felt very cleansing. To my mind, that confession was the true moment of surrender.
After that, I picked myself up, found a great new place to rent and started making a comfy new nest for myself, and my child. And, there I was, making comfy, when I was blindsided by the very gift I had been demanding for so long.
Now, this is not the first time surrender has played a role in my life, and in the realization of my dreams. I’ve got quite a few examples, times when I whined and fussed and begged, then invoked and did spells and set up special altars, and finally got a little demanding and stamped my pretty little foot and told the Goddess to HURRY UP! But, like a waitress who gives everyone else great service but can’t seem to bring the coffee pot over to that one really annoying customer, the Goddess doesn’t seem to take to insistence.
By backing off from my very specific game plan, I was able to embrace the abundance, beauty, grace, and comfort that is all around, that is available to me even when I don’t have a house (or a lover, one of my other “surrender” surprises!). By letting go of my vise grip on how it had to be, I was able to stand, open handed, and accept what the world had to give me.
By surrendering, I got to receive. And I got to spend the holidays in my new home, blessed and grateful, and hopeful that I can someday learn the lesson of letting go.
Snakemoon
-----------------------------
On behalf of our volunteer staff here at FCE, we would like to thank you all for your support and to wish you the very best in the coming year.
Loving thoughts are also with Hawk (our previous Witches’ Ball Director) and her husband as they make their way to their new home in Boston on January 11th. Thank you both for all of your hard work and for all the fun we’ve had together in year’s past – you will be missed. We hope you enjoy your new jobs, and your new neighborhood. Good luck!
Sia & Snakemoon
Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present, Create the Future
http://www.fullcircleevents.org