Because photo quotes are so in these days...
10 Things About Wicca That Wiccans Should Know
Some little facts those beginning in the Craft might want to know.
The Shrine of the Goddess Tuptim
On my hunt for the strange and wonderful things in Thailand, in which there are plenty, I came across a hidden shrine full of gigantic penises.
The Lights of Diwali
Now I pray to Maha Lakshmi, the lotus goddess of wealth, for material providence and sustenance - because the reality nowadays is that art and beauty often costs money.
A Feast for Hekate of the Storms
Last year Aldrin, Pol, Ish and I came together to celebrate the feast of one of neopaganism’s most important deities. We honored Hekate as the lady of the underworld, and now we honor Her as queen of heaven.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Holy Death
I have given up on the idea of karma, heaven, and a glorified afterlife a long time ago. I don't think I have any need of those in order to live righteously. I would rather that I do good things in this world simply for the sake of being human or for the pleasure of being kind, and not for the sake of some cosmic reward.
Religion doesn't have to sugarcoat death for me anymore. I've already seen her behind that make-up - and she doesn't look very pretty. I have seen her for what she is and I embrace her existence. And it is precisely my pagan understanding of death that inspires me to live this life to the full and as virtuously as possible.
I think life has felt more meaningful once I got free from those wishful thoughts of immortality. Heaven can take its dangling carrot elsewhere. There already is a lush orchard around me.
Santa Muerte (ink & color pencils on Moleskine). Death as the mother of God. (Mater Theou). Death happens before life begins. The 3 Hebrew letters spell AIN ("nothingness"), which is the beginning of existence according to the Qabala. Read in another direction, it spells INA ("mother", in Tagalog).
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
On Saturday Afternoons
One of my favorite hangout spots is that branch of Bo's Café inside the Powerbooks store in Greenbelt 4. Surrounded by books and the smell of coffee, it becomes my own little slice of paradise on many Saturday afternoons.
With a book on one hand and a warm porcelain mug on the other - that, or an oatmeal cookie - I let myself get lost into my inner worlds for many hours as I cozily sit on the wooden chair. (When I'm lucky, I get the sofa).
On some occasions I would bring my notebook and a pencil to leisurely work on some artful sketches. I'm not very good in drawing, but nonetheless I find a special joy in it - as I always had since I was a wee little toddler. I think everybody loved making art when they were little, most people just forget about it as they grow older.
Once in awhile I would take a pause from reading or drawing to get absorbed into a particularly goosebumpy song playing on my iPod. Visual art and literature should always go together with music I believe, just as there should always be biscuits with your afternoon tea.
By late afternoon, that magical hour arrives when the golden rays of the sun glaringly shine through the glass panes of the café. My fellow coffee-lovers would then move their chairs to scurry away from the heat. I, however, enjoy the warmth on my skin, contrasting with the artificial coldness of the air inside the mall.
In these times where I spend most of my late afternoons in the prison of air-conditioned buildings, walled from the outside world by tinted glass and plastic curtains, to see and feel the sunset again is a most welcomed boon.
