Javacrutian Prayer

Author unknown

“Caffeine is my Shepherd, I shall not doze.

It leadeth me beyond the sleeping masses,

It restoreth my buzz,

It leadeth me in paths of consciousness

For its names sake.

Yeah though I walk through

The Shadow of the Valley of addiction,

I will fear no Equal,

For Thou art with me.

Thy Cream and Thy Sugar, they comfort me.

Thou preparest a Carraffe before me

In the presence of Juan Valdez.

Thou anoints my day with pep,

My mug runneth over.

Surely richness and taste shall

Follow me all the days of my life

And I will dwell in the House of Maxwell forever!

Dear Friends,

The above has been attributed to Isaac Bonewits, and I can believe it, but I’m not certain and don’t wish to mis-attribute.  So today is the National Coffee Day, as a friend informed me on FaceBook and as I confirmed on a couple of news sites. (here and here)

In my own personal salute to this beverage which has an important and nourishing part in my life I will generally say a thanks to Pan for coffee… and I have to run to work, expect this one to be updated with more pagan musings.

Until then, Peace & Coffee,

Pax

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PS-  So I mentioned thanking Pan for coffee, this is a part of my ongoing personal contention that the Ancient Gods did not just go and sit up on a shelf somewhere waiting for humanity to revive their organized worship, but have always been there and abroad in the world.

The traditional legend of how coffee was discovered, or one of them, tells of Kaladi.  Kaladi was a goat herder who one day noticed his goats were dancing and capering about in an unusual and unruly manner, he found them eating these particular berries, and he ate the berries he too began to feel invigorated.  Then he tried just the seeds and eventually he began to roast them, in part to help preserve them.

Shepherds in the wilderness and frisky behavior?  Sounds like Pan’s alley to me.

Besides I can totally see Pan creating coffee as being inspired by and in reaction to Dionysus’s introduction of Wine…  may have to write out that story someday…

Dear Friends,

So recently I am working and diving into my Witchcraft.  I am writing and rewriting my Circle and doing a LOT of work with the various Elemental energies.

Working primary in my own room and with most of my supplies being in the altar cabinet in my room… is a bit limiting.  I am going to be getting some herbs for the Kitchen I share with the room-mate.  He doesn’t know about the whole Witchcraft/Paganism thing so I am trying to figure out how to go with my urgings towards greater Witchery and balancing Discretion.  Of course, this need to keep in on the down-low and in my room is part of why I am holding off on a LOT of my Hellenic Polytheistic urges right now.  Hecate and Dionysus being the Gods that most called to me, especially Hecate – having encountered Her on the road so many years ago.

Ironically enough, even though I had no idea at the time, Hecate and Dionysus are a couple of the Theoi that are kind of outside the usual rules regarding the Theoi… or at least they seem open to more non-traditional approaches.

Mainly though, I am diving into my Craft, and thinking about my own areas of knowledge and study.   I would say a lot of my Craft and knowledge is more Hearth and “kitchen” Witchery.   Tarot, Chakra’s, a knowledge of Magick, poetry, writing these are some of my other areas of knowledge that interplay with my Craft and spirituality… I find myself wondering if my knowledge of Natural Science and Psychology… college level classes and armchair studies don’t play into my craft as well…

Dear Friends,

A few days ago I was awakened from my days sleep by the pyrotechnics of lightening and thunder and a great gully washer right outside my window.   Later that night the tree frogs and crickets and, I think, some water loving birds of some sort, sang a primeval chorus out on lake near the apartment complex.

The last few nights I have relaxed with the windows open to let the cool night air flow through the house strange to think it but now I do think of low-humidity and the low 70’s as constituting cool night air.

The joys of late Summer and the cusp of Autumn here in Florida.

….

I am noticing the approaching Equinox this year… seems like the first time that I really noticed its approach since moving to Florida.  Some of that was the mad rush of days of School and looking for work, and running away from the collapse of my partnership with the Big Guy….

September was when I moved to Orlando.  It’s funny I would talk to the ex day and night from Anchorage…  hrmm I think I need to write out the whole story…  not here, well maybe not here, but somehwere sometime soon…

Anyhow September’s Equinox has, in years past, been a harbinger for great Change and now it approaches once more.  I find myself contemplative.   I am diving into my Craft as I write and rewrite into my notebooks and BoS and read amd re-read the few books I have with me in Florida and also wrestling with realizations that have come from this diving back into my Craft with the perspective of life-experience and diverse learning behind me.

More to follow…

Peace,

Pax

Dear Friends,

There are so many things I want to say, and some things I think I need to say… and a lot of realizations that have been coming up in my life as I dive back into my life, my goals and hopes and dreams, and my Witchcraft.  I want to thank all of you out there who read this blog and who share your observations and comments and humor with me.  They are much needed reminders that I am not alone.

Peace,

Pax

Hey folks,

So I am at  a bit of a cross roads regarding my interest/activity/passion for involvement in my local Pagan community… and I did a 3 card draw whilst asking the Universe and Holy Powers for a sign… (don’t do that….)  anyhow I got…

6 of Pentacles

The Chariot

The Tower

…

I am trying to resist the urge to call in sick to work and hide under the covers.  (tongue only partially in cheek here…)  I am also thinking I am still too close to the situation for clarity anyone want to Hazard some interpretations?

Please Note,

I will be updating this post much later today to add some general details surrounding the situation…

Peace,

Pax

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Update 12:56 am 9/16

So I WAS going to update with more details about the surrounding situation, but have decided to be discriminating and discreet with those for a while.  No point in stirring up needless trouble.

BUT

I will observe that the Chariot always seems to be the crux card in my three card draws…. not every single time mind you, THAT would make me nervous!   Often enough though that it has taken on a feeling of the OR card, or of the card that counsels ballance in the face of…  I will keep to my few small community related projects for now and continue my spiritual work and the re-immersion into my Witchcraft that has been simmering in my life of late and see where the Lady and Lord of Witches and my other dear Holy Powers lead me…

Peace, again and always,

Pax

PS- I didn’t tell anyone the best part… I was doing the three card draw top-down towards me so the 6 of Pents then below it the Chariot and then below that, closest to me, Tower….  I suppose the brief moment of “YIKES!” is good for my circulation though….

Dear friends,

So a member of a loosely knit Pagan community group I am a member of is having some surgery soon.  After asking her if she was open to the idea, I brought up the idea of doing a group healing either together in person or individually.  We went back and forth a bit online and we figured we would do it remotely and I came up with the following visualization/imagery.

Take a moment to just breathe. Opening yourself up to the abundant energy of the Universe that connects us all.
Breathing in life force and breathing out into your interconnection with all life. Breathing inspiration and exhaling connection.

Call upon those Holy Powers of Health and Healing whom are known to you and ask them for Their help in sending your love and health and healing energy to your subject.

When it feels right to do so reach our your hands, palms up, parallel to the floor, and imagine that you are clasping the recipients hands holding them as if offering her your support or help to stand while offering her your love and
prayers.

If this working is to be shared together with others, either working together in person or many people visualizing remotely when they can you cam imagine that is some way your hands are superimposed over the hands of the rest of the people taking part, all of you joining together to show the recipient your friendship our support our care.

Ask the Holy Powers to help you and support you in your prayers and work in sending your love and care and in your prayers for your friends health and healing; imagine that They are holding Their palms to the backs of your hands supporting your hands as you support your friend.

When it seems appropriate thank your Holy Powers in whatever ways suit your Path.

It occurred to me that this might be useful to others, especially in a pan-Pagan community context.  So here it is.

Peace,

Pax

Hello dear friends,

I have just posted my first story to the Pagan Newswire Collective Florida blog, it’s about a Gainesville Florida non-denominational church that is sponsoring a Qur’an burning event and the response of the City of Gainesville and the emergence of an Interfaith organization including Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, “and more….”…

Please take a moment to check it out, and then check out the Main PNC site, community based journalism by and for Pagans!

Peace,

Pax