Greetings to all Full Circle friends and members,
In this June edition of our newsletter we have:
At the crossroads
Beltane is just past, and sultry summer is just around the corner. We’re caught in the crossroads of savoring past delights and anticipating the future harvest, the place where Hecate hands off to Helice (her maiden form) and we transition from endings to beginnings just like that.
Just like magic.
It’s time to put away winter clothes, knowing that before long we will pull them out again. Time to prepare for the joys of barbequing, potato salad, watermelon, a day at the beach … and also time to look ahead to the time when all this heat will be embodied in the sweet fruits of the vine while the leaves dry and fall.
It is time to embrace and give thanks for the joys of life, yet also remember the darkness that incubates the sun into fullness, the loss that makes way for the growth, and the winter that ferments the spicy summer wine.
Local Bookstore makes good: San Jose Book Shop, one of the oldest independent book sellers in the Silicon Valley, celebrated its 73rd birthday by changing owners. The new owners are Sue Wilhite, Sue Burnham, and E. Savita Eisenberg. This marks the sixth set of owners since the store’s founding in 1932. San Jose Book Shop, incorporated in 1986, sells metaphysical and New Age books and music, along with a wide variety of gift items, t-shirts, jewelry, and magical tools and implements. “We are excited at starting this new chapter in the Book Shop’s history,” says Wilhite. “We will maintain all the things that customers know and love, and we’ll be adding some new things, like our new website. “
They’re Just Wild about Harry: The Dreamtime is that bliss of rest and recreation: curling up with a book or movie. So how does confrontation come from such innocent pursuits? When the book or movie involves that lightening rod of religious activism, Harry Potter, it’s easy. Worried Christian parents are preparing in advance for this summer’s release of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince with a website dedicated to a counter-Harry revolution.
Fueling the Imagination: For those of us more interested in seeing our own works in print, the right support could be the key to success. If the world of video is the right medium for your muse, try Triple Aspect productions. If you need to clarify the finer points of myth, magic, and divinity, The Myth of the Goddess: Evolution of an Imagemight launch your imagination.
Another Potter: Kids not yet ready for Harry? Explore a world of wonder with Beatrix Potter, one far beyond her delightful bunnies and kittens. She was a self-taught naturalist of unusual precision. Her personal life story is an amazing wonder in itself, and her legacy of family farmlands is now at risk due to mismanagement (to the fury of Potteraphiles). One imagines that the woman who brought Peter Rabbit to life would rather her farms be more than tourist attractions. The Lake District landscape that enriched Potter’s drawings and books has many riches and beauties that may soon go the way of the old-fashioned ice box. Isn’t it time for 21st century children to meet the matter of fact basis for Potter’s world before it is gone? Here is a stepping stone into that wonder! For the history-addicts, see Peter’s predecessor in a young King Tut’s delight.
Cookie Monster Curbs Cookie Habit: In a move to address obesity in children, Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster vows to curb his cookie habit. Cookie Monster will now eat cookies less often and healthy foods more often. The question now is: should he now be hailed as the “Carrot Monster?”
Domestic Quarrels May Be Good for You? Women who hold their tongues during fights with their spouses may have a higher chance of dying from heart disease—so does that mean that those that don’t will live longer? (If this is true, declares Nualilith, I will certainly outlive my husband!) Just remember, health studies come and go everyday.
AIDS and Emma Thompson: Chances are you can name someone who has HIV or AIDS. Actress and advocate Emma Thompson talks about the horrible affect that HIV/AIDS has on people in the third world countries.
Women Bear the Brunt of HIV: There is great basic information on ways to prevent the spread and help empower women.
HIV Teens ‘Taking More Sex Risk’: Do you know what your teen is doing? Studies show that teens do not fully know what HIV/AIDS dangers really are.
AIDS in Africa: According to the BBC’s HIV ‘Set To Infect 90 Million Africans’, Africa’s HIV/AIDS rate will grow to ten percent of the continents population.
Diabetes: Children with Diabetes is an excellent site for anyone, not just those who have the disease. It has links to dozens of sites with food calculators, recipe sites, and much more!
More ways to help kids: Medical Missionaries of Mary offers information about underprivileged children around the world, including problem areas and how to help.
I give you … the World: This BBC News site includes health information dealing with outbreaks and localized medical issues that could effect the world population.
The Greenman should have a lover, right? If Labrys is correct, the leafy-man has a harem of beauties to obsess over:
Orchids are an enduring lust and addiction according to Eric Hansen. Line up to get hooked!
Literary Botanical: For those of us who have fallen in love with less spectacular “hotties” of the botanical world, have the last word with your black-thumbed friends using tree-loving quotes that have stood the test of time.
I went to a Garden Party (with apologies to Ricky Nelson …): What better place to show off your literary alacrity than at a garden party? Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens invites you to the seaside this summer, don’t be late, and don’t leave the camera home.
This month it’s a “No Boys Allowed” B&B club! (Forgive us, all you lovely Pagan men!) This section is filled with all manner of girly things, girl-power, and just for girl’s websites covering birth, childhood, young adulthood, and community leadership.
Spiralbound is a non-profit site dedicated to assisting midwifery students and birth professionals that are looking for the appropriate tools and textbooks to enhance their practice or journey in learning.
Girl Party: If you live in the tri-state area and can’t bear the thought of another Disney princess themed birthday party consider instead Tini Dakini – Goddess parties for girls.
Studying Women: Just in time for the fall semester, the Artemis Guide is a comprehensive list of all of the women’s studies programs (both grad and undergrad) in the United States.
Amazons: The AmazoNation lists their manifesto, research, reading list, events, and how to find a tribe in your area. If you want to join, you may need to learn more about women brandishing swords (and consider the broader implications of teaching women how to fight).
Travelmania strikes again: It’s that time of year! If you’re looking for vacation destination steeped in mythology, history, culture and fun, check Denmark (which has everything from Vikings to Hans Christian Anderson) and Santorini (with its possible connections to Atlantis).
How I spent my summer vacation: If you’d like to spend some time in service to the greater good, consider an internship with Amnesty International.
We have hundreds of events listed on our California Community Calendar.
Here is just a handful:
· Heart of the Forest Renaissance Faire
· Ancient Ways Festival
· Celtic Festival and the Great American Irish Faire
· Highland Games
· Ciaro Carnival Dance Festival
· Gay Pride Celebration and Parade
· Health and Harmony Music and Arts Festival
· Ravenwood Gathering
New events are added every day. Click on the Full Circle California Community Calendar to access the list. If you want your event listed, 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. Questions? Please contact our Networking Coordinator ScoutGhost at scoutghst@sbcglobal.net.
Pagan Attitude and RESPONSIBILITY
(Reprinted from the Witches’ Voice)
I am
responsible for my actions: This includes what I say and do, how I treat people
and animals and plants and property.
The world influences me, but ultimately I choose my actions.
I am responsible for my attitudes: This includes my feelings, prejudices, and
outlooks about a specific situation and about life in general. The world influences me, but ultimately I
choose my attitudes.
I am responsible for my choices: This includes what I do when no one is around
to judge me. This includes my reactions
to others. This includes every
decision, every day. The world influences
me, but ultimately it is my choice.
I composed the above in my third year of studying Wicca and practicing my
personal interpretation of it.
Enthusiastic, devoted and idealistic, I vowed to follow my creed to the
letter. The Universe stepped right in
and gave me plenty of opportunities to practice. I found it infinitely demanding to be self-aware at every moment,
constantly evaluating my emotional state, motivations and reactions. It was a relatively simple matter to sweetly
and gently remind a friend in turmoil to think things through and to act from a
place of love; after all, I often had a somewhat lesser emotional investment in
someone else’s tragedy or conflict. The
challenge presented to me was to take my own advice and apply it when immersed
in a heated moment. Fortunately, I have
found with practice, it has become easier to think before acting so that I may
act responsibly and as productively as possible. My mother’s admonition succinctly summarizes the responsibility
of which I wrote in my creed: If you
must choose between being right and being kind, choose kindness.
The path toward personal responsibility and self-knowledge has been long and
challenging, and I regularly find new facets of myself to examine and
polish. I understand now there is no
end to the journey, and just as I am always growing and changing, so are my
responses and processes.
Every day we are presented with an opportunity to affect and change the world
on whatever scale we operate. We are
accountable for what we emanate into our environment, whatever that environment
may be. Whether at school, the
workplace, home, grocery store, post office or gas station, we come in contact
with a multitude of people. Our
emotional state flows from us in waves that wash over everything and everyone
around us, and continue out into perpetuity like ripples in a shore-less
pond. The effects of our emissions are
likewise boundless. When we choose to
see events in a negative light, we create the negative waves that in turn create
more negative events for us to grumble about.
We can easily become victims of our own creations. We taint those around us with our pessimism
and so the destructive chain continues.
Even if we refuse to accept responsibility for our emotional output, the
Universe still holds us accountable.
We, as magickal and spiritual people, have a responsibility and a duty
to create positively.
When we joke with the cashier and compliment our office mate and praise our
children, we share the infinite joy that is the gift of the Universe. When we live in a state of conscious
gratitude, enjoying the abundance that surrounds us, there remains little time
or energy for sulking about what we do not have.
Almost every day, I blow bubbles with my daughter. She gleefully chases them around the yard, and we watch the
colors swirl and shift as they float and whirl away through the
neighborhood. I see the power-walking
pair of ladies come upon our cloud of bubbles, and see the wonder and surprise
on their faces as they search out the source of the miraculous little gift that
appears, well, like magic. I am
grateful to have the time to spend with my daughter, to have eyes to see the
wonder on her face, and the breath to create that wonder.
Taking time to enjoy the small things in life generates joy. Being aware of our environment is vital to
this process. Take a moment to feel the
fluffy weeds that grow along the fence instead of resenting their presence as a
chore to be tackled. Foggy mornings
offer us the opportunity to experience tiny particles of moisture caressing our
faces and, hopefully, the whole of our naked bodies. Fog on nude skin feels like barely perceptible fairy kisses. And so do bubbles, in case you were
wondering. Take notice of the rings of
light and shadow that are created by the parking lot lights. We can bathe in the sunlight or the
starlight that accompanies us to work.
The steam wafting up from our morning coffee and our evening tea is a
vision waiting to happen. As we become
aware of our environment on a micro-scale, we become more and more sensitive to
the people around us, and better able to heal and to help. The more we revel in the tiny details of our
world, the bigger our window of perception becomes.
There is no difference between our physical life, our spiritual life or our
magickal life. It is all the same life,
and when we truly live as a spiritual being, every moment is a miracle and an
opportunity to send out love and joy.
The bliss we emit into the atmosphere when we relish a delicious meal is
just as productive as giving chicken soup to our ill sister or mowing the
elderly neighbor’s lawn. The energy is
the same. For those of us who have magickal
knowledge and experience, we have a doubled responsibility to live in the awareness
of the connectivity of all things. We
must ask ourselves with every choice, every action, every response, “Am I
creating positively?”
Developing empathy is crucial to shaping a positive attitude. If, on our date-night restaurant outing, our
meal is taking forever to be delivered, we can imagine what our server may be
feeling. Is this his first week on the
job? Is the bistro busier than usual? Is the cook slower than usual? Did the other waiter call in sick, leaving
our waitress with a doubled load of tables?
Did her husband lose his job today?
Is our server missing his daughter’s birthday party? A smile and an understanding word to a
harried worker may be enough to ease the stress inherent in that one person’s
occupation and help them to have a better day.
(Have I ever been a waitress?
You betcha! Please be kind to
food service workers.)
We can choose to focus on our own frustration and impatience and irritation,
thereby amplifying those emotions and transmitting them to and through the
other people in the restaurant, possibly contaminating and aggravating many
others. Alternately, we can choose to
enjoy the extra minutes afforded us to enjoy our glass of wine and our
companion’s conversation, emanating pleasurable relaxation. We can take a bit of pressure off our busy
waiter, thereby allowing her or him to give better, more effective service to
all his or her guests. This strategy
applies to any situation in which we are forced to wait: in line at the grocery
store, the doctor’s office, the bank.
We must be there, so we can make it as enjoyable as possible. If we can share a moment of humor and
sympathy with just one person, we have accomplished something wonderful. Doing it on purpose feels sublime.
When we are asked to perform a healing or cast a spell for abundance or help a
friend or client in any way, we put all of our skill to use because we feel the
depth and breadth of our responsibility.
We reflect on all aspects of the issue, and take into consideration all
approaches that will be effective for a solution. We harvest the right herbs, select the appropriate stones and
prepare the candles, incense, and the myriad of other accoutrements we deem
useful and meaningful. Our tools are
placed just so, our correlations cross-referenced, our symbols carefully
chosen. We cleanse and consecrate and
meditate and pray and carry out our rituals.
Our magic places us in a sacred place where intention is pure and we are
focused on the best possible outcome.
We approach Spirit and Divinity with the noblest of intentions. After the spell is complete, we hang up our
cloak, snuff the candles, put the tools away, and resume “normal life.”
We can live every moment in a state of purposeful creation! Every interaction with every human we encounter
can transform into an opportunity to spread our fairy dust and the joy inherent
in magick. It need not cease with the
closing of the formal circle. When we
give the same amount of reflection, consideration, and understanding to our
every-day interactions with family, friends and strangers, our every thought
becomes the ritual. Instead of casting
a spell, we become the spell. We are
the magick.
The innate challenge in being the magick as opposed to doing the magick is
large. We must retrain ourselves to
evaluate our emotions and their origins.
It is easy to become angry and lash out at the person who has hurt our
feelings with words of criticism. It is
more difficult to take a moment to acknowledge the hurt and consider where the
person’s motivation behind the harsh words lies. I ask myself a litany of questions:
FCE Newsletter Staff:
SnakeMoon is the Editor-in-Chief of the Full Circle Newsletter. She can be reached for comment at snakemoon@comcast.net.
Sia is the Publisher of the Full Circle Newsletter and the Council Leader for Full Circle Events. She can be reached at info@fullcircleevents.org.
Arianna G. is our Copyeditor. Thank you, Arianna!
Once again we enjoyed the assistance of contributing writers Arianna G, Labrys, and Nualilith. Thank you all!
ScoutGhost is the Networking Coordinator for Full Circle Events. She can be reached at scoutghst@sbcglobal.net.