The Firefly Chronicles

I AM A WITCH!
When I stand up for myself and my beliefs, they call me a witch.
When I stand up for those I love, they call me a witch.
When I speak my mind, think my own thoughts, or do things my own way, they call me a witch.

Being a witch entails raising my children to be strong people
Who have a solid sense of personal and social responsibility,
Who are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in

And, who love and respect themselves for the beautiful beings they are.

Being a witch means that I am free to be the wonderful creature I am,
With all my own intricacies, contradictions, quirks and beauty.
Being a witch means I won’t compromise what’s in my heart.
It means I live my life MY way. It means I won’t allow anyone to step on me.

When I refuse to tolerate injustice and speak up against it, I am defined as a witch.

The same thing happens when I take time for myself instead of being everyone else’s maid or when I act a little selfish.

I am proud to be a witch! It means I have the courage and strength to allow myself to be who I truly am and won’t become anyone else’s idea of what they think I “should” be.

I am outspoken, opinionated and determined.

By Goddess, I want what I want and there is nothing wrong with that!

So, try to stomp on me, try to douse my inner flame, try to squash every ounce of beauty I hold within me. You won’t succeed.

And if that makes me a witch, so be it. I embrace the title and am proud to bear it. I love this, I can call myself a witch now and not feel bad about it!

That was written by Sandi Thomas.

In one of the forums I have been participating in, a girl kept posting the need for those who were ONE OF SEVEN. She then stated that she wouldn’t explain and that you knew who you were if you were one of seven. I didn’t think that I was one of seven, but I was perplexed. So, I checked out her profile, hoping that she might explain it in a blog somewhere. In fact, she did. This girl wanted 6 other people to join her in participating in MISSION 10-17.

This is interesting, and I am not sure my thoughts on it, so I would like to present it to you. According to what information I could find, Misson 10-17 is a cosmic trigger that occurred today, 10-17, starting at 10:17am and going on for 17 hours. Allegedly, this is one of many trigger events to come between now and 2013.

But, what do they mean when they say “cosmic trigger event?” This is apparently An ultraviolet (UV) pulse beam radiating from higher dimensions in universe-2 will cross paths with the Earth on this day.

According to a website titled Sethd8’s Dimensional Bliss…Every thought, every emotion, every intent, every will, no matter if it is good, bad, ill, positive, negative, will be amplified one million times in strength.

The point of Mission-1017 is to have at least one million people focus on positive thoughts, such as love, prosperity, healing, wealth, kindness, gratitude, during this supposed trigger event.

From myspace, to blogs, and websites, I have found one article repeatedly cut and pasted. It seems that this has quite a following. It wasn’t easy to decipher where this information came from. I did discover a google group called Mission 1017 that appears to be the originator. The posts come from someone or some people called Raphiem and Blue. I can not be sure who these people are, or even if they are two different people. Rumaging through the information, it appears that Mission 1017 was contrived by this Raphiem and Blue as a result of a prophetic dream.

One thing is for sure: there doesn’t seem to be scientific evidence of such a cosmic trigger or UV beam. UV rays are detectable, and I am sure that if such a beam resonated past earth, at least one of those multi-million dollar contraptions would pick it up.

Is it real? Maybe. The originator says that it is a gift. I leave that up for you to decide. You will find a link to the google group on fireflyacademy.com. Click on PODCAST.

In a most simple definition, Qabala is a symbolic relationship between an individual and the divine. Most religions agree on one thing: we are all trying to find our way back to the divine. Qabala is but one system of understanding our consciousness of the universe. The purpose of studying Qabala is to better understand our path to the divine. It is a human end to become one with our source. The more we break the divine apart, the more we understand it. It is a good system to divide the energies that spiral around the universe into parts that we can understand. The more we understand these parts, the closer we come to knowing the whole.

Qabala is an ancient Jewish mystical subject, but much of what we come across has been westernized for our purposes.

The study of Qabala is comprised of several sets of principles. The whole point of this system is to take these principles, think about them, and find an understanding to how they relate to you, in order to see the bigger picture of the universe. The Tree of Life is a model made up of 10 spheres and 22 paths, each representing part of the human consciousness and the energy exchanged at each level.

The Tree of Life is divided into Four Worlds, or four levels, each denoting a different type of energy. These worlds being REALITY…the physical, PATTERN… mental, MOTIVATION…emotional, and CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE DEITY…the spiritual.

The Four Parts of the Spirit are also called the Four Parts of the Soul, and refer to four levels of awareness within the spirit. Animal Intuition, Intellect, Soul intuition, and Life-force…again here we see correspondences with the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. EARTH, AIR, WATER, FIRE.

Studying the Hebrew alphabet can heighten one’s understanding of these principles. Since Qabala is an ancient form of Jewish mysticism, the original manuscripts were written in Hebrew. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and each corresponds with one of the 22 paths on the Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is a representation of a one’s journey to unite with the divine. Made up of 10 spheres…or sephiroth…the Tree highlights various levels of consciousness…from our physical existence at the bottom of the tree…to pure thoughtforms…and on to oneness with deity at the top of the tree. According to Qabalistic teachings, we begin at the top of the tree…one with the divine…and our journey takes us down the tree. We currently lay somewhere around the bottom…in the material world…and our journey will take us back up the tree and back into direct existence with the divine.
Qabala is a way of thinking. It is about opening up your awareness, about self-examining your path and your place on the Tree of Life. Qabala pushes students to expand their conscious reality…into becoming one with the divine.

I have found the study of Qabala so intriguing, so enlightening, that I need to share it. It is one of the courses that I am teaching at our school this semester.

I have been looking into this idea of volunteering for awhile now. I have been moving around so much that I was afraid to get involved with something for fear of having to leave again. But, my pull to work with others in the community is rising at a phenomenal rate, and soon I will not be able to stop the desire. So, I have decided to share with you some information that I have found out during my exploration.

Paganism is a loosely structured belief system that is built upon the earth, the community…and the underlying connection that all things share. To build a successful community, a good majority of the people in that community must work to benefit the whole. Nowadays, our community is a lot bigger than in the past. Volunteering is not only about helping others, but it is about laying down the foundations of a great community…no matter how big or small.

Very rarely are any of us left to find a place in the world on our own. There are so many people in the world that have much less than we do. Or, they have very few people they can turn to for mentors. Even if we did go at it alone, it is still important to make sure that others do not.

When considering to volunteer your time and abilities, you must first ask yourself a few questions. Do you want to do something that benefits your neighborhood? City, County, State, Country…or something on a global scale?
How much time are you willing to put into volunteering? Once a year? Every couple of months? Once a month? Would you be willing to go once or twice a week? Or even everyday?

And then, decide if there are certain groups or types of people that you would like to work with. Such as… animals, the elderly, youth, homeless, low-income families, at-risk children, people with terminal illnesses, people with a specific disease (such as HIV or Parkinson’s disease), people who are hurt in a disaster, who need food or water, etc.

I have come up with a short list of involvement ideas. These first few require a larger commitment.

Americorps is a network of local, state, and national service programs that connects more than 70,000 Americans each year in intensive service to meet our country’s critical needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment. Some of their opportunities include Tutoring and mentoring youth, Building new homes for families, Responding to natural disasters, Restoring parks and coastlines, and Helping families of domestic violence. Americorps.org

Peace Corps volunteers work overseas in education, youth outreach, and community development; health and HIV/AIDS awareness and treatment; agriculture and environment; business development; and information technology. Within these areas, the specific duties and responsibilities of each Volunteer can vary widely. Peacecorps.gov

The USA Freedom Corps is a White House office and is charged with building a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility in America. USA Freedom Corps promotes and expands volunteer service in America by partnering with national service programs, working to strengthen the non-profit sector, recognizing volunteers, and helping to connect individuals with volunteer opportunities. Usafreedomcorps.gov

With Girl or Boy Scouts of America, you can volunteer to be a troop leader or helper, a chaperone or a mentor. girlscouts.org or scouting.org for Boy Scouts

PBS needs volunteers. public broadcasting keeps the commercials out of the lineup, and they work to provide quality educational and thought-provoking television to all ages. I am a PBS girl all the way. I grew up watching it, and I used to work at a PBS station when I was in college. They always need people to help answer phones during quarterly pledge drives, as well as for special events and some clerical work. Visit pbs.org, and find your local PBS station.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a one-on-one youth mentoring program with the focus of helping each person reach his/her potential through professional support. With as little as 4 hours per month…doing things like shooting hoops, playing a board game, sharing a pizza, taking a walk in the park, or just hanging out and talking…you could make a difference in someone’s life. Bbbs.org

The Red Cross – is a organization that responds to humanitarian disasters by providing relief to victims and helping people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. They have all sorts of different volunteering opportunities from clerical duties and CPR training to disaster response. A less time-committed way to help out would be to donate blood every few months. Redcross.org

Other places to look for volunteer opportunities include:

Homeless Shelters/Soup Kitchens
Neighborhood Watch groups
Animal Shelters or Humane Societies
Political campaigns
Food Drives
Schools…such as tutoring, or working concession stands at home games, or with extra curricular activities
Groups against Drunk Driving
Groups seeking to raise money and awareness for the treatment and research of various health issues
Retirement homes

Volunteermatch.org is a great resource for those looking to find an opportunity near or far. I typed in my zip code, and nearly 400 current listings popped up in a 20-mile radius. Volunteermatch.org

And if you don’t have time to volunteer, but would still like to help out, almost every group accepts Monetary Donations. Good Will, the Salvation Army, and other groups accept second-hand clothes donations. There are many food drives that need canned food to keep them going. Many groups accept these in-kind donations. Some of them do not, such as the Red Cross, so make sure that you find out what the group you would like to donate to does and does not accept.

I truly believe that what you put out there will come back to you. Take a little time and put in a few hours towards building a better community.

(drumming slow)

Whether your drum is big or small, whether you drum alone or with a group, you tap into a primordial language of feeling and energy. You can let go and let your spirit do the talking.

(drumming faster)

What you hear and feel is raw passion calling upon the spiraling connection between all things. Music raises energy, but when a drumming circle is tapping, popping, and banging in unison, many individual voices contribute to the collective voice. One voice. The voice of the spirit. The force can be driving and wild. High power and exciting. Or slow and seductive. Our blood pumps and we breathe in rhythm.

The energy raised can be used for various magickal workings during ritual.

To heal the soul.

Or for just the heck of it.

In a group, combined with singing and dancing, the existence of a circle pulsates together.

Learning to drum is relatively easy. You’ll need a drum, of course. I have a little ceramic doumbek. A popular type of drum is a jembaya…an African drum that is larger with a deeper, rich sound. Typically, the bigger the drum, the bigger and deeper the sound. However, the sound of a drum is also influenced by the materials it is made out of. Drums can be expensive. My little ceramic was $70 and a good jembaya can run $200-700. If you know the people you drum with, or are comfortable with them…even strangers will bring extra drums, and like to switch up drums during circles. It enriches the experience for everyone.

If you are nervous about drumming around other people, start off practicing a little by yourself. Let’s take it slow. Going back to that beating of the heart.

(DRUMMING)

And a thump-thump, thump-thump. Okay. Now even if you don’t believe it, you’ve got rhythm. (BACK TO SINGLES) Anything you drum, anything is a rhythm. Well, it’s a sound, at least.

Being familiar with counting beats is helpful, so if you have any knowledge of music, that’s a bonus, but not necessary at all. Typically, circles drum with rhythms that follow 4 beats. 1-2-3-4.

(SLOW 1-2-3-4).

Each time I drum with people, no matter friends or strangers, I always find the beat and count it out to myself before joining. Only one person in a group can lead…establishing a starting point…a tempo and a primary rhythm. All of the rhythms in a circle are typically versions of this person’s pattern…or they sound good together. Rarely is this person verbally chosen, but he or she just stands out immediately. Figure out who it is and follow them. Tune into their rhythm and count the beats. 1-2-3-4. 1-2-3-4.

If you want to get experimental, you can divide the beats. 1-2-3-4 is the down beat, but divide the time in between 2 downbeats in half, and we’ve got an upbeat. 1-and-2-and-3-and-4-and. 1-and-2-and-3-and-4-and. 1-and-2-and-3-and-4-and.

(DRUMMING DOWN AND UP BEATS)

When you do not play, music calls it a rest. So (DRUM 1-rest-3-4). Is 1-REST-3-4. One little rest will completely alter your rhythm.

(MORE DRUMMING)

So, grab a drum, some friends, and let lose!

According to their website, the purpose of the Pagan Pride Project is to foster pride in the pagan identity through education, activism, charity, and community. The main even is a yearly Pagan Pride Day in various parts of the country…all which took off in 1998. There were 18 events in the first year. Now, there are over 100.

Pagan Pride Day is scheduled for one day each year, but a window exists between sometime in mid August to late October in which events can be held. Each celebration consists of a public ritual and a food drive. Many also include vendors and workshops.

There are lots of Pagan Pride celebrations around the country, as well as some in Canada. For more information on where your local Pagan Pride event is, visit paganpride-DOT-org.