Beyond Differerences

Celebrating unity in diversity through music and dance. With amazing performances from Bali, India, the Philippines, and other Asian countries. Basbasan Na...

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Alban Arthan

I just started the Bardic Grade course of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD) last month and just appropriately, my first druidic High Day celebration is Yule. With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I couldn't find time to do the ritual outside so I just thought of creating a small stone circle inside my room. I know, druids-in-stonehenges is a disproven stereotype. But I really just wanted to try this idea. Having done so much rituals in the past - from prim-and-proper Kabbalistic ceremonies to wild-and-freeform Santeria rituals, I find the OBOD solitary ceremonies a bit too simplistic and "mundane" for my taste. But then, I'm probably just putting too much attention on the outer form. OBOD druidry involves a lot of meditation...

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The Druidly Hallows

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."-- Albus Dumbledore This latest Harry Potter movie almost got me snoring in the theatre. But thanks to my love of symbolism and synchronicity, I at least found one thing in the movie that piqued my interest quite a bit: the symbol of the deathly hallows. Incidentally I was learning about the cosmology of the Ár nDraíocht Féin druidic tradition[1], and one of the subjects I ran into was their concept of the Three Hallows: The Fire, the Well, and the Tree. These are symbols that correspond to the three worlds of their cosmology (the Upperworld, Middleworld, and Underworld) as well as the three groups of spirits that they worship (gods, nature spirits, and ancestors). Basically the Three...

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How to Deal with Magical Attack

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."-- Napoleon Bonaparte 1. Shrug your shoulders in dismissal and heave out a sigh of boredom. There are a lot more worthwhile things to do than waste precious moments of your life on some loser who's got too much spare time in his hands. Let them waste their time on yours instead, and get on with your life with a smile. Indifference is power. 2. Avoid doing counter-spells as best as you can. Some occult practitioners tend to wallow in the romanticist and fantastical notion that someone has cast an evil spell on them, and that they have to make use of their magical powers to protect themselves. But the more you spend time on the enemy, the more you empower them and allow yourself to be...

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Hermetic Pathworking with Tarot

Focusing on the Pagan path now, I think that my days of summoning Goetic demons and communing with the wondrous angelic beings of the Enochian watchtowers are over (for now). However I couldn't help myself going back to the world of Hermetics from time to time. I feel that it fills a void in my Pagan spiritual practice in that it offers a more systematic approach in exploring the macrocosm - i.e, the worlds above and beyond the material, or the levels of consciousness beyond the normal waking state. While Paganism keeps me in awe with the world around me, Hermetic practices like pathworking keep me in awe with the worlds beyond. The school of Hermetics offers a couple of cosmological diagrams (mental-maps) that help the mage traverse the otherworlds....

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Mandala Workshop

Healthy food for body and soul: mandala-writing for peace and healing, and a sumptuous all-veggie dinner at a cozy restaurant with friends from the Gaia Circle. Just what I badly needed to tame the warrior spirit in me which is becoming a bit too unruly these days. Mandalas big and small. Ate Bet, Lei, and the boys doing their stuff. My stuff: I am on Eastern-mystic mode Some cool stuff inside the Peacemaker's Circle office where the workshop was held. Yummy vegetarian lunch at Greens, somewhere along Tomas Morato, Quezon City. Basbasan Na...

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Mojuba Egungun

Today is egun day. Ebo of fresh water, white flowers, candles and adimu for my makeshift boveda on my Santeria altar. The mask represents the collective spirits of the ancestors, the Egungun.  The Santo Nino de Atocha represents Eleggua, opener of the doorways. Santa Teresa is Oya, guardian of the graveyards. Flowers, fresh water, and offerings of food for my beloved. Mojuba Eg...

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Navaratri

I just joined in the celebration of Navaratri with folks from the interfaith coop circle and some newly-met friends. It was the last of a series of nine Hindu feast days paying homage to the divine feminine. It actually felt very awkward for me since I had no idea at all what the priests were saying (everything was in an Indian language), and I was totally at a loss as to what to do during the rituals. So I just played "mimic the Hindus", prayed to the gods not to embarrass myself, and enjoyed the immersion in Indian culture, music, and food. Jai Shakti. The girls look totally cool in their outfits. On the other hand, the skullcap was too big for me. I look like a chef. An offering to the siva lingam. Photo ops outside the temple. A conclave...

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Honoring the Ancestors at Samhain

Here are some Halloweeny photos from the Philippine Wiccan Society's celebration of the Great Sabbat. This Samhain, we shared our sacred circle with the spirits of our beloved ancestors: we laughed, cried, communed and partook of the feast with those upon whose shoulders we stand. The light rains during the day made us worry at first, but thankfully the sky made way for the ritual to go through. And like a dramatic ending for the beautiful pagan ceremony, the rain clouds parted to reveal the enchanting full moon wandering in the sign of Aries - the sign of new beginnings. Having had stormy skies throughout the week, I couldn't help but swoon in her glory. Sometimes it's simple occurrences like this that remind me why I have come to believe...

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