I am lacking in spirituality. I don’t know what it is with me. I guess I just allow, and I do take responsibility for this, I allow the mundane life to get in the way of my magickal and spiritual life. I know I’m allowing it because I’m not taking time to study my Wiccan texts, I’m not taking time to learn more. I’m not taking time to connect with Goddess and God. I’m not taking the time to do even the smallest things. I don’t take time to say a blessing when I eat. I don’t take time to light a candle or two even for a few moments each day.

I don’t devote time to creating my tradition. I haven’t touched my Tarot cards in weeks. I have got to get myself on track. I can’t say back on track as I’ve never really been on track. But I must get myself working on my spirituality again. I need to start working on my Tarot again. I need to start working on devotions to the Goddess and God. I need to start saying my blessings when I eat. There are a lot of things I need to start doing. I just have to get off my rear end and start doing the things I should be doing.

I know that if I start doing the things I need to do, that my life will be better. That I will stop having as much stress in my life, that I will start having all that I need and more. I know this with every fiber of my being. I just have to kick myself in the butt and get started.

One of the things a friend of mine has been curious about is alternative methods of healing, including Reiki and meditation with crystals and the like. Healing herbs is also a curiosity of hers. Of course, she knows that it’s best to consult a physician as well, but like my own doctor, she probably has a better chance of getting a prompt appointment with a San Diego plastic surgeon than with her doctor.

I told her I’d do some research. Right now she’s more worried about me finding a resolution to my own problem. My problem is my ears are retaining fluid like nobody’s business. They’ve always been odd ball about draining properly and the past couple of weeks they’ve been horrible. I’m trying to find some good herbal remedies for making fluid drain from ears. If you know of any, leave me a comment.

I’ve heard some interesting things about “ear candling.” Some sort of beeswax candles that are burned where you can feel the heat and whatnot in your ears. It’s supposed to help with a lot of ear problems. Maybe I should search for that? Hmmmm.

Sometimes I honestly wonder if some women take looking good too far. I mean, I understand the wish to look good, and I understand that it can make you feel good to look good, but when does it go too far? I mean to be honest, I have never understood why anyone who did not really need to would undergo something like revision rhinoplasty surgery. I guess I’ve always been of the school of thought that one should be happy with the way Goddess created them.

Now I have no problem with people who need to have the surgery done in order to have a better quality of life. But what bugs me, is when people do it simply because they let other people tell them that they aren’t pretty enough because their nose isn’t perfect. No one is perfect and the media’s ideas of what is perfect is enough to make me scream. We’re not all skinny and pretty like the fashion models you see all over the internet, television, and magazines. Most of us are a little or a lot overweight, and none of us are perfect.

If you need it, get it, if you don’t, don’t. That’s my take on it. Be happy with how Goddess created you. She did it for a reason.

One of the things I think are cool, not that I’d ever get one, is a Wiccan or Pagan themed tattoo. I’ve seen some beautiful tattoo designs of various Wiccan and Pagan things, including pentacles, runes, Goddess symbols and more. I’ve also seen some gorgeous faerie tattoos.

Now I have an interesting take on what is or is not a Wiccan or Pagan themed tattoo. Frankly, if you practice Faerie Wicca, then a faerie tattoo would be, for you, a Wiccan themed tattoo. One of the WWE’s wrestlers has a tattoo of roots going down one arm. To me, it’s Wiccan/Pagan themed, regardless of the fact that he’s a Christian, because he himself stated that the reason he got the tattoo of the roots was to “connect him with the Earth.”

One of the gals at work is a Pagan and she considers anything with Celtic knot work to be Pagan themed, and she has a few tattoos that include Celtic knot work. I guess it’s up to each person as to what is or is not a Wiccan/Pagan themed tattoo. Each person is different and each person has their own ideas about everything regarding their faith.

I had a friend of mine, who is not Wiccan or Pagan how one would go about conducting an outdoor ritual. The reason she asked is because she’s curious that way. Like I said, she’s not Wiccan or Pagan, but she tolerates my being Wiccan and she does ask questions about it when something doesn’t make sense or catches her fancy.

I told her that from what I’ve been able to gather, never having been to one myself, that some set up an altar and have everyone make a circle around it. Some people use tiki torches for quarter candles. One thing I said I highly doubted they used, unless the entire area is strictly Wiccans or Pagans, is high power outdoor loudspeakers. I can just about imagine the issues we’d have with the people in the surrounding areas if we did use them. LOL Can we say somebody’s gonna call the cops? Yeah, I thought so.

I’d love to attend an outdoor ritual someday. Too bad the groups in my area don’t hold them outdoors anywhere.

You know, I’ve had people tell me that I “don’t look like a Wiccan.” What the heck? Are they expecting me to be wandering around in a robe and barefoot all the time? Are they expecting me to be running around naked? Or maybe they’re expecting me to be dripping with pentacles. Who knows. I mean, honestly I’ve met a few Wiccans where I currently work and like me, they wear all kinds of things. There is one gal who wears Harley leather jackets to work when it’s cool enough out, there’s another who won’t wear anything but business professional wear at all times.

Myself, I wear anything I can that I’m comfortable in. Whether that is jeans and a t-shirt, sweatshirt and jeans, sweatshirt and sweatpants, or a dress, I’ll wear it. Although I’m not a big dress fan. But to perfectly honest, I don’t think there really is a way to “look like a Wiccan” without giving in to every cliche there is and being totally unoriginal. Want to know what a Wiccan looks like? Easy. They look like themselves. They’re dressed in their own style, the way they like to be dressed. They wear their hair and makeup the way they want to. That’s what a Wiccan looks like.

Well that’s just like you? Wow. What a concept.

I apologize for the donation button you see to your far right. I’m really not one to go around begging for money. Truthfully I had to think long and hard before I actually did decide to put it up (it’s going up on all of my blogs) because I just don’t like asking complete strangers for money. I’m just not like that. However, right now, it’s either put up a donation button and hope for the best, or forget about going to college. I’ve been informed that I am completely ineligible for financial aid, even my student loans have been cut off. I can’t use ANYTHING but money from my own pocket to go to school with. This wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the fact that ONE credit hour is over $100, and all classes are at least TWO credit hours. So yeah. It’s either stick the donations button up and hope for the best, or don’t bother going to school.

Just a note - I find it funny that they say we have a RIGHT to an education, including college, but then make it too expensive for us to get one.

I was reading an article on WitchVox about Tradition vs Eclectic Wicca. Basically the gist was that they are not the same. No they aren’t. And even though they may be based on each other, Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Corellian, etc aren’t the same either. The writer of the article made some very valid points and missed the biggest one of all.

Many of the “Neo-Wiccans” do not have the opportunity to become involved with or initiated into “Wiccan” traditions. We have to make our own path because we have no access to any other! I would love to study under a teacher of a specific tradition. Guess what? I can’t. I have no access to a Gardnerian coven or Alexandrian coven. Short of saying a prayer to the Goddess and God and then taking out an ad in the area newspapers that screams “I’m looking for a coven of the ____ tradition because I would like to be initiated and be a part of it,” I don’t have a way of being anything but an eclectic Solitary.

The problem is, by enforcing a seperation of Wicca and “Neo-Wicca” you basically invite those who are trying to find their faith to feel like they’re not as good as others because they can’t get access to a coven of “real” Wiccans. It’s not fair to me and the thousands of other solitaries who do not have access to a “traditional Wicca” coven/teacher to be labeled “Neo-Wiccans.” It cheapens our faith, it makes us look like small children playing copycat.

Guess what? There are umpteen different versions of Christianity but they all get to call themselves Christians. Even the ones who haven’t been baptized by the authority of this church or that church can say they are Christians if they are at the very least making an attempt to worship deity in the manner of the Christians. But “Neo-Wiccans” are to be forced to add “Neo” to the beginning of Wicca because we cannot or choose not to be structured by the traditions and covens of “real” Wicca? To be perfectly honest, how fair is that?

Cross posted at A Question of Faith.