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All about Erin - who has written 709 posts on Erin's Journal.
An author, a Wiccan, a Druid, a Priestess, a member of the ULC, Owner of Erin's Journal, mystic, magickian, DragonKin, Guardian and Transsexual. All these and more describe Erin.
- AIM: davenmor3
- Yahoo! Messenger: seaxmorstar
- Google Talk / Jabber: davensjournal
Posts by Erin:
Hey! Thanks so much!
I really appreciate you taking the time to write to me. Thanks so much. In thanks, why don’t you grab this banner for your site? I’ll even throw in the code for you… This is 272 by 82 pixels
This is the HTML code:
<a href=”http://davensjournal.com/index.htm”><img src=”JourBanner.gif” border=0 alt=”Daven’s Journal. Pagan information freely available on the Internet!”></a>
Here’s another one just in case you didn’t particularly like the first one.
This one is 427 by 113 pixels. The code for this one is:
<a href=”http://davensjournal.com/index.htm”><img src=”JourBan.gif” border=0 alt=”Daven’s Journal. Pagan information freely available on the Internet!”></a>
And this is a “standard banner” size. It’s 486 by 60.
<a href=”http://davensjournal.com/index.htm”><img src=”468-banner.gif” border=0 alt=”Daven’s Journal. Pagan information freely available on the Internet!”></a>
And finally I have a button for those with limited space:
Sacrifice
From time to time the topic of Pagans and Sacrifice comes up in various forums online. Unfortunately, the majority of people (including pagans) who talk about Sacrifice don’t seem to understand about sacrifice. Most think of sacrifice (in the connotation of Pagan religions) as dealing with human sacrifice or animal sacrifice. While those are ancient practices and valid forms of sacrifice, they are not all that is.
First we need to understand the definition of sacrifice. Sacrifice means simply “to make sacred”. It is from the Latin root and in modern times it is defined as giving up something of value to gain something you wish.
Pretty cut and dried, but when it is translated into Pagan Religion, all anyone can see is things like the Wicker Men of legend, bog drownings, burning bodies and cattle dropping dead.
Website Thoughts
So, you want to create a website to tell the world about your new found spirituality and how happy you are about it? Fantastic.
Let me offer some pointers for you to think about before you start coding the HTML.
First off, think about what you want your website to be about. I mean this. It may seem obvious, but there are facets of your spirituality that are reflected in your website, and all of them are going to affect how your website looks.
Things to consider:
- Is it going to sell products you make and dedicate to the Gods? Some possibilities are candles, oils, incenses, food, tools and many other things.
- Is it going to talk about things you learned?
- Is it going to educate those who find your website?
- Is it going to deal with problems you have and how you over came them?
Glossary
AE: this is the abreveiation for “American Eclectic” in which elements of many different traditions are taken and mixed to form a new kind of spirituality, while respecting the cultures those elements were taken from. Has a strong sense of history and a seeking of continuity. See this article for an excellent discussion of the various flavors of Wicca.
BTW: this is the “short term” for British Traditional Wicca. Normally this is typified by Gardnerian and Alexandrian, but it can be any group that is a lineaged mystery tradition. See this article for an excellent discussion of the various flavors of Wicca.
Selling Our Craft
When the discussion topic of “can I charge for the reading I did” comes up in most forums, it really turns into a free for all fight. There are the proponents of “yes you may” and the opponents who say “no you may not”. I can see both sides of this discussion and I offer my own humble thoughts here.
First, the side that opposes payment.
Most often they point out that you are using a gift from the deities and that, as such, you will “contaminate” it by having money change hands for using it. They point out that since the future is always in flux and you could be wrong, that it is impossible to guarantee that you are accurate or that what you state will happen. They also (if they know their craft history) might point to the “ardanes” and show that Gardner didn’t want the Arte being sold, meaning that by his rules that one could not take money in exchange for the casting of a spell. They also point out that it’s traditional.
Beautiful Friends of Mine
I follow a lot of people here (on Tumblr), and most apparently don’t understand that it’s not just the outside package that is beautiful, but the internal personality, attitude, love and joy that shine out that combine to make someone beautiful.
Yes, the outside package is what people react to first. Yes, it is the one that most will judge you on first. But just like a Christmas Present, sparkly gold paper and nice ribbons do not make the Popeil Pocket Fisherman any better. Just like wrapping an iPad in the comic section of the newspaper doesn’t detract from the present.
However, since humans are visual oriented, presenting an attractive outer casing is what seems to be important in the very short term. Yes, beautiful people are more desirable to be around, they are more envied, but that is ONLY because people who look at them ONLY see them as the outer casing. Just as if you only saw the gold wrapped package or the comics wrapped package. The casing would be what you would judge on first.
The Witches’ Almanac
The Witches’ Almanac LTD., 2010 $11.95 US
ISBN 978-0-9824323-0-3
Review by Daven
Rating: 
I honestly thought this was a mistake when it was sent to me. I hadn’t requested this book, and I tend to avoid reviewing things like calendars and date books, since their usefulness is very limited. But I am glad to have the opportunity to review this book.
Like all almanacs that I have ever seen, this has a calendar in it. It has articles and also information on planting cycles. The required articles and mentions of astrology are also present. But as the title implies, this also is a book packed with information for Witches.
No, there are no recipes for making your own wormwood flying ointment, but there is an article on the use of Cauldrons in Celtic Myth. There is an article on the Mexican Day of the Dead. The Holidays for most Pagans are listed in the calendar accurately. There are moon phases in the calendar as well.
The Witches Pyramid; To will
Alister Crowley said that one’s True Will is one of the crucial things a magician should know, since the True Will is the basis of the being.
He goes on to talk at length about how True Will is the culmination of the basic core of the person. It is the most selfish part and is most concerned with the success and survival of the person – the part that is most likely to reflect what the person truly wants and needs.
It’s important to realize that just Knowing how to accomplish a goal or that Knowing yourself is not enough. You must also actively make the decision to do what you want, or all the training, all the experience is useless.
The Prayer Box
by Janell Moon
Red Wheel/Weiser 2004 $24.95 US
ISBN 1-59003-058-3
Review by Daven
Rating:
Apparently I’m now getting advanced copies of books that aren’t available for purchase yet. For example, “The Prayer Box” is due out in April of 2004, according to Amazon.com and is an interesting release.
It’s not a book that’s difficult to review, as there is not a whole lot of content. Let me give you my impressions in the order I experienced them.
When I opened the envelope, I instinctively questioned the appropriateness of the request for review. The title on the box suggested that it would make a better offering to a Christian someplace, as Pagans as a general rule aren’t into prayer. But I resolved to open it and give this a fair review.
For you Dragon Lovers
This is way too neat! I want one, but too bad it’s not for sale.
I may have to make me one on my own time.
Originally posted 2007-07-13 03:40:29.
