Double Double Cauldron Babble

"Double, double toil and trouble;Fire burn, and cauldron bubble."-- Shakespeare, Macbeth The cauldron must be on par with the swastika as one of the most misinterpreted religious symbols in history. It is a most auspicious symbol even in Pagan traditions outside of Wicca, but contemporary culture has done so much to tarnish its significance that it is now rare to find a depiction of the cauldron without bones, tentacles, ooze and evil-looking green smoke coming out of it. The cauldron of the Welsh goddess Kerridwen is the most revered artifact in Druidism, being the source of Awen or, roughly translated, poetic inspiration. In the West African religion of Ifa, the cauldron is associated with Oggun, the lord of iron and of work. As such it...

Read more »

Personalizing a Wand Naturally

The wand is the most used among the four elemental tools, so I make sure that my wands have a personal touch. The oak wand I bought from La Dea is already beautiful as it is. I love the grain of the oak, and I didn't want to hide its natural beauty by painting on it or attaching gemstones, feathers, metal wires, etc. as I did with my previous wands. So I decided to do no other embellishments on it other than burning my name on the wood.1 Pyrography is tougher than I expected. What I used to burn the wood was a 40-watt soldering iron (as was recommended by woodburning articles that I googled), but I wished I had a hotter one so that I could burn the wood with a single stroke. The texture of the wood makes it hard to 'write' on, and the handle...

Read more »

Fuego!

It has been a long time since I've been to the ile, so I was very glad to see my osha family again as we met together in an art exhibit held by our sister-in-osha at Penguin Cafe, Makati. The exhibit which consisted mainly of artful, Zen-style photographs of fire is apparently dedicated to her Baba Orisha, Shango. Baba Shango seemed to be very pleased, as later in the event a West African music ensemble came by to perform, drumming and dancing its way into the cafe, which pleasantly surprised most of us and left the artist almost tearfully happy for the rest of the night. Fuego! Poster Performing the Gahu of the Ewe people UP Kekeli Drum and Dance Group, led by Royal Hartigan The daughters of the Lord of drum and dance join in So many...

Read more »

Hallowed Hekatesia

I just had a truly wonderful time celebrating the feast of Hekate with some pagan friends. Honestly I know very little about the 'Lady of Three' nor Hellenic Paganism as a whole, but thankfully one of us was a Hellenistic reconstructionist and one's a Wiccan devotee of Hekate who both know very well about Her rituals and lore. After some walking we found a lovely ritual spot among the groves of the UP campus in QC. It was damp, muddy and creepy, but it was perfect. There were classes still going on and people occassionaly passing by somewhere near, but the Lady kept us hidden in the mist and drowned our voices among the sounds of the creatures of the night. The sky was flashing with lightning, but I was hearing no sounds of thunder. The winds...

Read more »

Better Than Farmville

Many thanks to Ish for inviting me to Haribon's tree planting event. It's one of the little things I could do to give back to nature which I so revere and love. The trip to the planting site at Cavinti, Laguna would have felt long and gruelling if not for the fresh provincial air, the beautiful countryside scenery we passed by, and the company of friends who also wish to make the world a better place to live in - one tree at a time. Planting my first seedling Volunteers Incorporated Ate Bet was tired but was obviously having fun. On the way to the planting site.  We stopped by at the Caliraya water tower on the way home for some photo ops. Basbasan Nawa...

Read more »

My Mini Magical Library

My six-foot bookshelf has arrived. I can finally clear my bed, shoe cabinet, underwear drawer, top of the fridge, window sill, and computer table of out-of-place books. I can feel the ch'i flowing better now. Om... Apparently even a six-foot bookshelf isn't enough to contain my books. But still I'm very glad to see some of my tomes finally prepped and organized. Basbasan Nawa! ...

Read more »

The Macrocosmic Hexagram

(This a continuation of the study of the classical Western magical cosmology.) "Astra inclinant non necessitant"  (The stars incline they do not compel) by Ptolemy  from his classical work Tetrabiblos. This has been the de facto quote of astrologers.1 The Macrocosmic Hexagram: As above, So below. As it is heaven so it is on Earth. The pentagram represents the below (the Earth) while the hexagram represents the above (the planets). This diagram shows how the seven planets are incorporated in the hexagram. As with the previous diagram Sol occupies the center. The middle column actually contains the outermost(saturn), middle(sol) and innermost planets(luna). Mars, Jupiter and Sol - the "primary color" planets - forms a triangle...

Read more »